vw_k

Filling my D/T grid or making more progress towards it. Caching in a few new countries (I'd like to visit Ireland and may have an opportunity to go to Spain sometime too) Finding more caches in my favourite national series, Church Micros, Little Bridges, Village Signs, A Fine Pair etc. I like the idea of completing one of the geotours which have a geocoin for finishers. Also in "not strictly geocaching but outdoor related" terms I'd like to summit a few more mountains to add to my hill lists total (Wainwrights, Hewitts, Munros etc) and maybe complete some national trails or long distance paths. Of course I'd be finding caches along the way too!

I've found a few ammo cans hidden in the roots/stumps of large trees or inside large hollow trees. They need to be away from paths and unlikely to be accidentally discovered though as stickoflage to cover an ammo can is usually pretty obvious.

Agreed. It doesn't help counter the "geocaches are litter" misconception that some people have when abandoned caches are left in place like this.

I was checking my progress on Signal's Labyrinth on my work computer when someone asked if I was playing a game, I said it was a thing called geocaching and he knew all about it, he doesn't have an account but had been out caching with family and enjoyed it. I've met a few other cachers whilst out geocaching, it usually becomes obvious when 2 people approach the same object with a smartphone or GPSr in their hand. One time I walked up to a cache location outside someone's house and paused because the homeowner was in the front garden doing some digging. He reached over the wall, grabbed the cache from its hiding place and asked "are you looking for this?" He wasn't the cache owner but was aware of the cache and was ok with it being there. I've also discovered that people I know are also geocachers when I've been looking at logs for local caches and recognised photos and usernames.

It's been a long time since I found a multi cache that involved multiple containers or physical stages, around here "read the sign and do the maths" type offsets are very much the norm. Extra maintenance compared to virtual stages and trails of traditionals being an alternative (with the resulting higher find count) are going to be factors. However offset caches with a virtual first stage do have their place. I see a lot of them starting at points of interest within town/village centres where there may not be suitable hiding places nearby, (A church or other historic building, plaque, statue etc). The co-ordinates will then take you slightly out of town to a location where a container can be hidden. This solves 2 problems when creating a geocache, urban places of interest with no suitable hiding places nearby and suitable hiding places which may not be of particular interest on their own. Combine the two and you have a worthwhile geocache.

It depends on terrain, weather, length of walk etc. My everyday bag is a quiksilver brand bag of about 20litres, similar to Eastpak bags etc. This is the one I take to work every day with lunch, water bottle, wallet etc etc and is fine for local walks, around town and in parks. For more remote locations away from civilization I either use a Deuter Futura 28litre as a day pack which will also carry map, compass, whistle, extra layers and other kit. For overnighters with a sleeping bag and cooking kit I have various bags depending on the time of year and situation. Basically I use equipment that's suitable for the walk I'm doing, the fact that I'm also geocaching along the way doesn't necessarily come into it unless I have to carry some kind of "special equipment" for a particular cache. Usually it's just a case of carrying extra small items like a ballpoint pen and a travel bug.

I was once signing the log for a geocache in a park when a disc golfer came up and asked me to move because I was standing in their "goal".

Thanks for the advice. I've e-mailed them to ask if the geotrail is still being maintained, if the geocoin offer is still active and if they have a list of participating businesses (buying 5 meals or staying 3 nights at a business seems the only way to get enough points for a geocoin!) Another cacher told me they'd sent an e-mail and never got a reply so we'll see what happens. I might try contacting some recent finders and ask what their experiences were. The geotrail & coin idea is great but it would be nice to get confirmation that a challenge like this is completeable before I start planning and booking what for me would be a significant vacation.

Sounds like a nice idea as a gift for members of your local caching community. Depending on how hard the cache or series is you may have a lot of finders requesting you then hide caches for them. That could be a lot of work if, for example, you're having to write high difficulty puzzles or hide high terrain caches every week. The pessimist in me thinks that some folk will expect high D/T and attribute combinations that are easy enough for them to find, or will not be happy with what you've done for some reason. But maybe that's just me being a grumpy so-and-so! I'd suggest trying to limit things in some way, perhaps a limited number of caches such as one for only the first 10 finders, or have the offer to place a reward cache as a limited number of prizes that are given out at an event (a quiz, raffle etc). Perhaps make it clear that you won't place caches that are against any guidelines (a 1/1 boat required field puzzle cache for example) and that you reserve the right to refuse anything you're not happy doing.

Has anyone done this trail recently? I like the idea of doing it and qualifying for one of the geocoins but it seems some of the caches have been archived/not maintained and I can't find a list of "participating businesses" on the associated website.

If the owner wishes to send out a proxy replacement tag I have made them for cachers in the past by cutting a dog tag shaped piece of metal and engraving the tracking number on it. I've seen similar replacements made from stamped pieces of aluminium. This will allow the TB to keep on travelling.

When I worked for a company that handled computer equipment I could get my hands on as many large silica gel packets as I wanted (as large as peanut packets, I couldn't close my hand around them). If the container let in water even these wouldn't help. Spending extra on a good container is the best way in my opinion.

In my experience the difficulty of earthcaches varies. Some have involved a lot of text on the cache page that needs reading and several questions that are hard to understand and answer. Others have just involved one or two simple questions and have been a breeze. Then there was the one where I gave the answers to the CO in person at an event, I got most of them wrong but he was happy to correct me and allow me to log the cache. The fact that unfound caches "clog up my map" isn't an issue for me, there will always be puzzles I can't solve, high terrain caches I can't access or hides that just don't interest me. One of the great things about caching is you can tailor the game to your own interests, choosing to do the caches that you like and ignore the ones you don't.

I've done a small amount of Ad Labs and doubt I'd do more unless there was a bonus physical cache that I really wanted to find (a D/T rating needed to fill my grid for example). I've yet to experience one that could not have been set as a mystery or a multi. Maybe there are ALs out there that provide a different experience but there are already cache types that cover walking around the area finding some clues. Not knocking the creators of the ALs I have completed, I just don't think the introduction of the extra cache type was necessary, mystery covers pretty much anything that doesn't fit into other cache types. I would rather have seen the software still being made available to create caches like this but keeping them as mysteries and awarding one smiley for completing them. Getting a find for each stage feels like a different game to me, closer to Waymarking which we already have.

It takes a couple of seconds to click on a cache listing and see if it's a simple 2 stage offset or a 3+ stage walking tour.

I've had luck putting caches up for adoption on local caching groups online, maybe try the regional forums here or see if your local area has a group on other social media platforms.

I've never had this issue. However I use an ad blocker on my laptop and don't have the Groundspeak app on my android phone.

This is sad news. The only reason I hadn't participated in the benchmarking feature is that I live in another country. However I log benchmarks in my country on another website and find the hobby very enjoyable. There is something special about confirming something historical is/isn't there that could have been placed many decades ago, an experience that can't be provided by finding 35 micros in order to get a pointless souvenir every 2 months.

This is sad news. The only reason I hadn't participated in the benchmarking feature is that I live in another country however I log benchmarks in my country on another website and find the hobby very enjoyable. There is something special about confirming something historical is/isn't there that could have been placed many decades ago, an experience that can't be provided by finding 35 micros in order to get a pointless souvenir every 2 months.

An interesting thread, I also search for chiseled benchmarks and other types when out geocaching, the most common type over here are known as "cut benchmarks" or simply "cut marks" and there is a website for logging them at http://www.bench-marks.org.uk as well as the ordnance survey archive which shows where most of them are. I even have one on my house.

It's usually a combination of location, visibility and container desirability. I've hidden caches in locations I thought they would be safe, only to find that when kids are playing/exploring they will run around and behind and climb every tree in an area so any cache there is likely to get discovered no matter how it is hidden. One cache I have near a stream has gone missing once, possibly as local kids or adults check out every possible spot along the waterway to go fishing, and local teenagers will investigate almost anywhere that could be a hang out for smoking a sneaky cigarette! Caches that seem to be hard to spot at first can become easier for people to accidentally discover if a cacher trail towards the hiding spot develops which curious people can follow, and piles of stickoflage can be noticed by curious non cachers too. Ammo cans have been known to get stolen, presumably as they are useful containers for ammunition, tools, general garage storage etc but almost any cache could potentially get taken depending on the attitude of the person who accidentally finds it. Clearly labelling it as a cache could help prevent a container being stolen or disposed of but isn't a 100% guarantee. When I choose a spot for a cache I try to imagine if kids playing, teenagers hanging out, fishermen, dog walkers etc could possibly discover the cache. If a cache goes missing once I will try replacing it with a cheap (or free) container which is still of good quality (a recycled screwtop container with pencil and sheet of paper for example). If it goes missing again soon after then it's a sign that whoever is stealing the cache keeps checking back there and perhaps it's time to consider a different location, you may however find that the theft or vandalism is a one off occurance and wish to replace it with a better container again.

If ammo cans go missing because they are desirable useful items to other people then perhaps the idea of making them less desirable is a good one. Silicone rubber, leaf litter and styrofoam are all good ideas. Perhaps the GC code and name of the cache could be welded onto both sides of the box with a MIG welder. Anything that wouldn't look good in someone else's garage or truck would help.

One of the many great things about geocaching is that you can play it however you like. I currently target caches that are part of large UK nationwide series (Sidetracked, Church Micro, A Fine Pair, Village Signs) and will also target caches which are most helpful towards souvenirs such as the current Signal's Labyrinth ones. If a cache helps me fill my D/T grid then it will also catch my interest.

Update, The messages are still not showing when I go to my message centre from the link at the top of the website, however if I go to the cacher's profiles or the relevant cache page and click "message this owner" then the one sent to that cacher is showing on the left side of my message centre. This is on the desktop site btw.

I messaged 2 caching accounts for the first time today, both with photos attached. In my message center I can't see a record of these messages, should I be concerned? How do I know if they have sent successfully? A previous first message that I've sent to someone (and not yet received an answer) is visible yet the 2 I sent today are not. Thanks