Dread_Pirate_Bruce

I did not propose that way, but I did hide a ring for my wife in a cache. My wife is not a cacher, but will sometimes accompany me when looking for urban caches. She is not overly enthusiastic and will tolerate my hobby so long as it is not overly inconvenient or time consuming. In any event, I'd gotten a particular ring for her and needed an interesting way to give it to her. I figured that if we found a cache with a ring in it, she might take more of more interest in caching. Now she is disappointed whenever we find a cache without jewelry. :-)

I'm very happy right now. So long as I've got a bar or two, I can find nearby caches even if I had not planned on caching, e.g. if I had not done a PQ to download to my GPS. If I plan on being in the boonies, I'll have to remember to do a PQ ahead of time. (It would be nice to be able to parse the gpx file right out of the e-mail on my iPhone.) I agree with the others that the two biggest improvements should be: 1. Filtering finds, and 2. A map showing all nearby caches (much like on gc.com). And, if I got to fantasize, I'd ask for an algorithm that will tell me which way to go to optimize my grabs. (So as not to belabor this post, I'll explain this issue in a subsequent post.)

Ratings are very imprecise given (1) that different people rate different caches, and (2) the variety of hides is so varied. I always try to rate my hide based on how tough it is to get to the cache (terrain) and how tough it is to find once you are there (difficulty). For terrain, I figure a very long hike on flat ground is as difficult as a short climb up a vertical face. Sorry. Each is challenging in its own way. It is not feasible to have both a distance and type-of-terrain rating. For difficulty, a remarkably brilliantly disguised cache is as difficult as an Altoids tin hidden under a rock ... when the rock is in a decorative field of rocks 25 feet by 25 feet. (Its just a matter of looking under 4,000 rocks.) Sorry. It is not feasible to have a cleverness and number of places to look rating. As my kid says, "Ratings are like the Pirate's Code ... Its more of a set of guidelines."

I feel compelled to gloat. For years, if not decades, users of Apple products, e.g. Mac users, felt like orphans. All of the good stuff had been written for the Windows platform. It sure feels nice to have a REALLY GOOD APPLICATION that runs on my platform, the iPhone, but not on the competitors' platform. [/endgloat]

I have not noticed the problem of which you speak. I have, however, entered an "8" when I should have entered a "0" -- I attribute this to misreading the printout.

You have no imaginations whatsoever: I want to find a fake j-box cover / cache attached to the Pearly Gates!!! I do, however, recognize that logging it may be a bit of a problem.

I've never had an issue with the magnets. If you do, either use thicker magnets or glue them to a piece of shim stock and glue those to the cover. Shim stock is available at most hobby or hardware stores.

I started using Air Sharing for some other things but am thinking about using it to move info from a GPX file to my iPhone. My plan is to write program that will decode the GPX file into something that makes sense and then save it as either a Word, Excel or PDF file. I like the idea of iGeoCacher a whole lot. However, while I'm a good strong programmer in about a dozen languages, I don't understand networking enough to even attempt to figure out how to move data onto my iPhone for iGeoCacher. If I can't, then my guess is that some others can't either.

I'm looking forward to paying a mere $10 for this app. It would be cheep at twice the price. I do not expect to give up my GPS. It is more rugged and I can replace the AA batteries. This app will be great when I find myself somewhere unexpectedly and want to grab some nearby caches. Right now, I go to the website using Safari and do what I must. This will make the whole process much easier. I should note that I download PQs to my Palm and GPS. I use the GPS to tell me what's close and the Palm to tell me about the one I'm going to go after. I like this ability as I can filter the results. It would be nice if I could filter the nearby caches ... but I suppose I can live without that feature. One problem will be if I'm out in the wilderness, where I won't be able to get a connection. ... but I suppose that with some advance planning I can live without one. Now, here is my big question and request: Can I get driving directions from where I am to where I need to go? I have recently had some unhappy experiences where the GPS says: "it is 0.3 miles that way," but I have to drive 5 miles because of the maze-like streets. I suppose I could go the the website itself and either get them or get the name of a nearby intersection and then pop that into Maps, but it would be real nice to be able to do that from within the app. Thanks for the hard work.

That's interesting. How do folks get to know about it and log it? I have a UK caching friend who just yesterday started his new job aboard the Golden Princess, presently docked at Seattle. I'll have to mention the above cache to him MrsB I'm afraid folks don't get to know about it. There is no way to post it on geocaching.com. (I only realized that after the fact.) If someone is going to be on the Diamond Princess and e-mails me, I'll explain where to go to find it. But, for what its worth, the cache is at as high a point on the ship as passengers can access. It is plainly visible from quite a ways away and from many angles. In fact as one goes onto the deck, it is in the direct line of sight. It is one of those caches that looks like it belongs there, but is just there. Once one spots it, one can grab it and replace it even with other people nearby.

Just remember that even if you have a survey quality GPS that will give 1/4 inch accuracy, you are still at the mercy of the GPS used to hide the cache.

I look for caches while cruising. I even hid a cache in one port, but it keeps getting muggled. Note: There is a cache aboard the Diamond Princess. It is not listed on geocaching.com because there is no fixed lat/lon. But it is on the ship.

Do what is fun. Don't do what's not. When I'm on a hot, dirty, brush-covered trail that leads straight up and can't find the ammo can because there are too many places it could be, I think: "I really do like urban micros." When I'm standing in front of the Department of Homeland Security offices trying to discretely look under 24 newspaper machines for "the" newspaper machine with a cache, I think "So what's wrong with hiking in the middle of nowhere?" So long as I'm having fun, I'll do the cache. I will, however, note that the one thing I generally don't like is caches where there are lots of good places for a hide, each of which is relatively easy, and the hider rates it a difficulty 1 or 1.5. This is especially true in urban areas. I can be quite stealthy ... but only for so long. Remember, the idea is to let the seeker find it, while protecting it from muggles. IMHO, there is no need to make it harder than necessary (unless it is clearly noted as being hard just for the fun of it.)

The pivot pin is probably steel and a good magnet will grab it just find. If you are going to swim for it, drop a weighted line from the spot where you dropped it. The weighted line will help you locate the GZ for your search. At the risk of seeming snide, you might call the lost caribiner a cache and give it a rating of 5/5 and say that the FTF should clip it under the bridge so you can re-rate it 3/3!

The only thing worse than being LTF on an old cache is being the one who puts a TB into a cache where it just sits in perpetuity or until the cache is muggled. I so worry about this that I monitor TBs I've left and if no one grabs them within a few months, I'll go back and rescue them. LTF is bad.

I'll add the following suggestion about what to do when asked: Not only should you say that you are looking for a geocache, you should state: "It is sort of a treasure hunt using a GPS; you may have read about it in the newspapers or on the internet." Since no one like to seem uninformed, they will generally say something to the effect that they have. That is a sufficient "ice breaker" to let you take the initiative and explain and/or demonstrate and will usually neutralize the situation.

I frequently make repairs, especially by replacing torn bags or adding paper to a log. I do not, however, replace broken cache containers. There have been several instances where I've had to re-glue a magnet to keep a cache hidden. I hope others do the same for me.

Guess I was wrong. The cache is still there. If it makes you feel any better its a 1.5/1.5 cache not 1/1. You do have to leave the trail to find it. So, not only was I First To Did Not Find ... I think I am Only To Did Not Find. But, on a more positive note, I'm supposed to be in the area tomorrow and I'll give it another try.

Just DON'T say "Are you looking for the same thing I'm looking for." This is especially true at parks. Of course, as someone noted in another thread, you could always use the SECRET SIGN and see what happens.

I always enjoy meeting other cachers, especially ones I don't already know. If I found myself in the situation you describe, I think I'd ask if I could join the hunt. If they say "yes," do it as a group affair. If they say "no," hunt by yourself and treat them as muggles. Of course, you could always have hidden your GPS, pretended you were muggles and driven them off by acting like breathed muggles. Perhaps you could have approached and asked the woman with the GPS and said something like "I remember you from the Christmas party last year, how nice of you to have come to share our sorrow over our loss of <insert name>." She and her friends would feel guilty, leave and let you search in peace.

You may need to use a negative sign before the latitude to tell it it is in the southern hemisphere.

After seeing this thread, I thought: "Who would know better how to keep a cache from being mistaken for a you-know-what, that a cacher in Israel." So, I started looking for cachers in Israel. I finally found one and sent off an e-mail. In the process, I made an interesting observation about caching in Israel. There are something like 96 caches there. I looked at the pages for most of them. There was one with 43 finds, one with 30 finds, one with 17, one with 11, and one with 10 finds. I counted something like 9 caches with only one log entry reflecting an actual search for the cache, and 6 more with only two. And, these were caches that had been around for between a month and a year. I saw three caches that were hidden in July and were without any finds, two from May, two from April, and 7 from March. None of these were particularly hard caches, usually 1.5 or 2 for difficulty and/or terrain. (Not 5/5s or the like) So if anyone is a FTF hound ... Sorry for getting OT.

Lots of good commentary here. All seem to be consistent in their approach and I haven't much more to add. I echo the sentiment that one should try to use as large a cache as the area can support (i.e. not be muggled). I sure don't need a cache to contain swag. I rarely trade. However, when I've got kids with me or new cachers, swag adds to the fun for them. I really enjoy getting out into the hills and valleys, etc., looking for caches. Those are the kinds of places where larger caches can be hidden. However, sometimes, you can't go out on a real hike, but still want to check out some caches. That's when urban micros come into play. Additionally, I don't relish the thought of carrying 5 or 6 ammo cans along on a hike where I want to give others a good time. I also agree that searching for a micro tends to cause more impact than searching for an ammo can.

I like being FTF, though I can't explain exactly why. I know I don't get a prize (except once). And, if someone has already found the cache, that generally does not make it easier for me to find. It is not like the cache gets worn out so a subsequent find is less important-- especially for those of us who TNLNSL. My kid suggested abandoning the designation FTF and instead use: "FTIFI". It stands for "First Time I Found It."

Well, I found a cache here in SoCal. It was in the general vicinity of LA Airport. My GPS had it at N 33° 57.073 W 118° 26.672. Someone has indicated that they found it at N 40° 22.791 W 106° 34.756. But, seriously, if a cache has been compromised it should be moved. In fact, that happened to me today. The container was out in the open and the contents were strewn out on the ground. We rescued the cache and hid it nearby ... with a note and phone call to the CO.