Yellow Alligator

I remember Brian as a teacher, always there at events and online to answer our silly questions (like, really, how does GSAK work?) I'll always have fond memories of Brian, especially at the WSGA campouts at Lake Chelan, Port Townsend and here in Spokane. We'll miss ya buddy, Anne (YA) Here's a pic of Brian teaching an impromptu GSAK Class at the Spokane WSGA Campout in 2008. The Inland Empire Cachers were thrilled to have an expert on hand to teach us the basics, and beyond.

OK, after seeing the posts for the past two days, I guess it’s time to add my 2 cents. I did this cache back in 2004, and though I recall the cliffs on one side, I didn’t see it as anything different than I’d expect in this type of terrain. You see, the Dishman Hills are somewhat unique in Spokane – a “Steptoe” remnant with steep eroded granitic cliffs, beautiful chasms of ferns and wetlands, trails that wind up and down the Ponderosa pine forest and views that are hard to beat. It’s like an oasis in a city that attracts hikers and mountain bikers alike. And, Geocachers too. This was not a cache that made you climb a tree, wade through raging waters, or hang from a cliff – the terrain rating was well suited to the task. I, like many of our local cachers, were very upset over the news of the fallen geocacher. It hit home to many of us, as we’ve combed these hills and have slipped and fallen, picked ourselves up again, and grabbed that ammo can hidden in the rocks. We’ve no need to blame anyone, point out problems with this hide, or make others feel bad. Yes, there are many things we can learn from this incident, and perhaps most importantly is to remember why we are geocachers in the first place. We are here to enjoy the great outdoors, explore new places, challenge ourselves, make new friends, and be ourselves. But we also know the risks of the game, and that is part of the enjoyment (IMO). If all the steep, dark, scary, challenging caches were forbidden from this game and all we had were urban micros on flat boring terrain, well, I’d be signing away that last log and saying goodbye to GC. Please respect the Spokane Geocachers who are feeling a great loss, and are trying our best to deal with this incident. We greatly appreciate the posts by those who are supportive of our geocommunity here. As Chumpo said, the details will follow at some point and we really don’t know much more than you do about why or how the accident occurred. And as Lookout Lisa said, the local IE board will be meeting soon to discuss how best we can help the fallen Geocacher’s family and perhaps consider ways to make Geocaching a safer hobby for all in the great Inland Empire. YA

Congrats to YAYA and GAGA for Find #900 at Geowoodstock VI. Way to go!!! And hearty congrats to our big IE trooper Dmagoo for the Big TWO OH OH!!! And word has it that Trevor and Kate have hit a milestone too in GW6 land...

The WA Inland Empire Geocaching Group (that's spelled "east side") now has a Flash Mob event! If you want to freeze for 60 seconds, come on out to Manito Park.... YA

I think I know what Chumpo is saying... so after hearing something through the geo-grapevine, I checked on an archived cache that I find unbelievable - why would anyone log a find on a geocache that has been archived for two and a half years? And why does GC let people log finds on these long archived caches? OR do they? See this one! And what is a VLog? Is something new to GC? Hope not... YA

Just wanted to add one thing more to the SCM2 thread here. Lady Stevenson has asked me to pass along some info regarding an Iraq cache, dedicated to a soldier who lost his life in battle. The actual cache is here We will be sponsoring a "Donation Cache" at the REI pitstop on the Machine Route. If you would like to contribute to this cache, please feel free to leave phone cards or other small items that you think would make the geo-soldiers over there a little happier. Thanks, and get some sleep now - see ya soon! YA

Hey this sounds like fun!! Maybe I can round up some east-siders to join up for this APE hunt in June.

Nope, couldn't get it to work (see the last line...)

Wow! Haven't checked in here since I saw the first post last Sunday - this machine is taking on a life on its own (Hal, Frankenstein?). This is going to be a fun event and will be great to see everyone again here in Spokane. In case folks want to have a beer or two after they are done caching - but before the dinner at Old Country Buffet - there are several bars nearby. If I did the BB code thing right, the google map link should work below. Bars near OCB Ahh, I tried but afraid I'm not that google savvy - but you can do the search yourself...

I have had two experiences where I wish I had packed some of those essentials mentioned in this thread. I told no one where I was going on either adventure... On one late fall hike in a deserted area, I took off wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt and a cheap non-rainproof stuff jacket. A strong storm blew in, and I was quickly drenched. Temperatures dropped 20 degrees in an hour and I started shivering to the point that hypothermia was setting in. I was on a hilltop in thick brush over a mile from my car. I had my old dog with me, and she started to shiver too. Luckily we made it down, but not after alot of cuts, bruises, and those awful mind games and pain (the mind does weird things when you think you're gonna die after going for a geocache!) The second incident took place in an urban park. Who thinks about packing gear when you're just going for a stroll with only an inch of snow in 25 degree weather? I was doing a multi, and slipped on the second waypoint. When I tried to stand up, I knew my ankle or leg was broken. The only other folks I saw in the park were two suspicious characters, and I was too scared to call for help, fearing they would come to my "rescue". I butt-crawled down the basalt knob and layed in the park, with nothing, absolutely nothing to attract attention. I could even see I-90 from my position, but I think if they even saw me, they just passed me off as a whino laying in the park. A small miracle happened when another geocacher showed up, and as soon as I saw him I did nothing but flash my GPS above my head, and he came directly to my rescue. If he hadn't have been there, I don't know how long I would have laid there in the freezing cold in that deserted URBAN park. I think this is an excellent thread, and I hope others are wiser than I was and at least take a cell phone and some basic first aid items on ANY geocaching adventure (and if you go solo, tell someone where you are going). I also think one other essential, in respect for the GC hunt, is a cache-repair kit. (Yeah, those multi's on the first hike I mentioned were drenched and in need of repair). Here's a link to a fun little cache repair kit, including a small flashlight, a sharpie, camo tape, and other really cool stuff: Cache Repair Kit Happy Trails and Trials, YA

The other day I got an email about a mountain cache hide of mine that had been chewed up a bit by critters (see Cache Dashing Through The Snow. Coincidently, I learned about this new GEO item that I wish that the finders had in tow. I am referring to a cache repair kit that I predict will be an essential item to stuff in my backpack (or maybe I'll just send it off to my geo-friends as a Christmas gift!). There is a bunch of stuff in the kit that should be useful for cache repairs, and I like the fact that it is light-weight and STUFFable. Anyhow, just passing the link onto others who might have a need for this caching tool. Check out: <commercial link removed by moderator> YA

The same thing happened to me last Monday. I had about 40 caches to log and most took 10 minutes or more to show up. The first time this happened I thought that I had just goofed and reposted the log, only to have it show up twice later on. Looks like the problem is fixed now.

Yes, you know everything about that jeep Tbug now- but I bet you couldn't find the actual cache! You guys are pretty good at this. Guess I should visit these forum pages more often for tips and fixes!

Ahhh, then only if you are watching it can you find it. I was wondering if there was some new feature that I didn't know about where one could search for nearest Tbugs from a given coordinate. I can see why this wouldn't be a good feature to have. Thanks for all the great info folks, I appreciate it!

But how can they find just any old Tbug's location (other than the jeep ones that have the locater email sent out to the world)?

Whew! Had me worried there. I tried to remove the jeep, but I didn't write down the tracking number so I guess I'm stuck there. But, because the coords are not for the actual location (puzzle), if folks try to track it down they won't find anything. I will remember this lesson for future hides. OK, guess I'll repost my note to the reviewer. Thanks so much for your help! YA

OK, maybe I'm over-reacting, but I just entered a new cache within the hour (not approved yet), and left a yellow jeep in there. This is a puzzle cache, and I entered the usual note to the reviewer saying what the actual coords are. About 30 minutes later, I got an email from another geocacher who said he could "see" my page through the jeep locater (the email that tells you a jeep in some distance away), and I'm thinking that the folks that looked at this ALSO saw the note to the reviewer with the LOCATION written in plain sight!!! I immediately went in an deleted the note to the reviewer, but if other geocachers saw this, the damage has already been done. My question, can others see my note to the reviewer through the Jeep Locator email???

Just wondering, does anyone know if is it possible to change a regular cache to a virtual cache, or is that on hold also?

Interesting Topic! I lost my Garmin 76s just last week when using it for work. The next day I was rummaging through my backpack, the truck, my messy office - everywhere trying to find it. I even had a coworker go out and scout the area where I was thinking it fell out while crawling under a fence. Nada. The next day I get a call from a state ranger asking if I lost my GPS! I had no identification on it, but I had talked to some farmers around the area and one of them happened to find it in the dirt road the same day I lost it. Fortunately he knew who I was, as did the ranger. Talk about LUCK! From now on, all my GPSr's are going to have my phone and email address plastered on them. My worst scare however was when I was caching in Hawaii last Feb., coming back from the long Green Sands beach hike Cache at night, and driving down this rutted bumpy road. After a mile or so, I felt something wasn't right and started hunting around for my GPSr. I suddenly realized I probably left it on the roof, and sure enough, there it was. Thank goodness those old Map12's have lots of rubber on them! YA

Five smilies on MO's latest conquest! You've broken the barrier that only a handful of folks in this game have ever done. Spokane cachers are mighty proud of your accomplishments. Way to go Jimbo! YA

Thanks Stunod for the info on why I can't upload .doc's at this time, and also thanks to the Leprechaun's for a good reason not to link important info. I wonder how many folks these days are using solely PDAs for hunting caches? I have one that I take on trips, but for local stuff I just always print them out. I've been burned a few times looking for a cache and then finding that I really needed the spoiler pic!

Does anybody know how/if one can upload a MS Word document somewhere on the web pages? I do not have a personal web page, and would like to include a "worksheet" in HTML that I can link to through the cache page. I would rather just have a "button" link than a whole page of instructions on the cache page (for a multi with some calculations involved). Any ideas if this can be done? Thanks, YA

Hey I like those birds in the background. GREAT IDEA! I'll have to use something similar on my next cache. By the way, I did add music to my latest cache (not approved yet) and I used the link method so it wouldn't be obnoxious. Thanks to all who helped me with this. YA

Thanks folks for the pages and sound advice. The Dallas Theme cache was pretty hard on the ears (and eyes)!!! I think the button approach is the best one to take. YA

I'm curious if anybody out there has been successful in adding sound (music clips in any type of format) to any of their cache pages. If so, I would be interested in seeing a link to YOUR page. Thanks! YA