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solohiker

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Everything posted by solohiker

  1. I went to the website below and did a search on GPS benchmarks. I found one at the local airport that has been certified horizontally and vertically. I compared the readings of my Garmin 12 with the coordinates of the bench mark. My reading was off by 4 meters. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/datasheet.html
  2. I should have checked this thread before scampering off this weekend. I looked for a a couple benchmarks and came up empty. I thought I had a map datum problem too. When I took a closer look at the location description in both cases my GPS had me on the wrong side of the road. The descriptions were fairly detailed so I went back to two of the locations at lunch and found both markers after a few minutes of searching. The directions mentioned scaling also. If these are navigational benchmarks why are then not accurately plotted? Are they just local references? Where is a good place to get some history on benchmarks?
  3. Why don't more cachers consult a map? Reviewing a map of the cache area is part of the fun. I have found that not all cachers who give parking coordinates select the best parking spots anyway.
  4. When people ask me about geocaching I describe it as hide and seek for nerds.
  5. Mr. Snazz has been in the desert too long.
  6. The first rule of geocaching states that a cache will degrade in proportion to the number of finds.
  7. If the Groundspeak group does not want the competition they will just kill this thread. They don't seem to need much help policing this website.
  8. I always use my GPS to convert map datum and format. When I use UTM format it is normally with NAD27 datum. I noticed they started including UTM Format for caches, but they are in WGS84 datum.
  9. There were about 10 cachers who addressed the commission. The room was full with 40 or so people. Some of these cachers are pretty long winded so if you run into them on a cache hunt be prepared to listen. It was clear that the written comments made an impact on commission members as well as the Parks Director's staff. Right off the bat the Parks Director modified the time limit to six months with an automatic extension. The commission members were a pretty salty bunch and they figured if geocachers weren't afraid of opening ammo cans then they weren't prepared to ban them. The commission approved a year long permit and approval of the cache container will be left to Park Supervisors. I didn't hang around to socialize with the group. I hike solo.
  10. I read the newspaper feature. Sort of a puff piece if you ask me, but the most significant comments were from the Parks Director himself.... He likes it.
  11. quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat:Solohiker, Why don't you bring a .30 cal ammo box with you. Make sure it's clearly stenciled with the website address and owner's address, and maybe phone number (as most are) or use the stickers that are sold on this webiste. I intend to present a collection of containers. I doubt the forum will respond to a Ziplock baggie, but I will have one to make a point. I will test the wind before I fart.
  12. quote: Haaa haa, that would be pretty funny, but lock a rattlesnake in an airtight container for a day or so and I don't see a problem. I think they need something called oxygen...unless my HS biology teacher was wrong. Your skepticism betrays your lack of imagination. My fear of retribution has tempered mine.
  13. quote:Originally posted by welch: btw- can one re-file on the same spot?? The approval of caches is given to local park rangers. I predict there will be park rangers who refuse every cache location. Other rangers will help you set up your cache. It is a people thing. I like local control, because I can stand face to face with a person and have a discussion. May the best personality win. If you run into a real prick you can complain about him in the forums. It is a win win situation.
  14. Forget the hightech warfare theory. We still have Marines. My son is deploying with MEU 31 on a squadron of Huey choppers that were in the US arsenal when I was a PFC. Semper Fi. [This message was edited by solohiker on January 10, 2003 at 06:45 PM.]
  15. quote:Originally posted by MGGPS:OK, I would concede on the container issue too, if they dropped the 4 month limit --- and did away with the PERMIT idea. Don't you check your caches three times a year anyway?
  16. quote:Originally posted by LongDogs:I commented about pranks, but I also remember an incident where wasps (or was it hornets or yellow jackets?) built a nest in a park map-guide box, (you know, the little metal boxes attached to kiosks that hold the trail guide pamplets) and a little girl opened it to get a map and got swarmed and stung all over the face and body. It was pretty serious. They could be thinking about that too, not realizing our containers would be quite bug-proof. Hiking shelter logbooks are the worst. I open them with a stick and run!! I love nature.
  17. quote:Originally posted by welch: Maybe one of those 'clear' plastic jugs at one of the dollar store? Another good suggestion. Unless you have an obsession with Ammo Cans this rule is not an obstacle either.
  18. I am taking a clear tupperware container to the meeting. I am also taking a nylon strap. Seems to me if you wrap a strap or bungie cord around a container it serves as a latch. http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=226&prrfnbr=9183
  19. quote:Originally posted by AikenToCache:Earth to solohiker - ever hear the phrase "tragedy of the commons"? Nope.
  20. quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat:What kind of safety does a clear container add? A clear container adds considerable safety if there is a threatening device in the cache. The fact that the risk of threatening devices is statistically very low does not mitigate the advantage of the visual awareness of danger. Who am I kidding? I think it is a whimpy rule too! However, a part of me enjoys the challenge of finding the perfect, clear, latchable, inexpensive, water tight container.
  21. Earth to everyone: This site is a financial gold mine. I wish I had thought of it.
  22. I never pay for something I can get for free.
  23. quote:Originally posted by Lyra:However, we're an ornery lot, here. We geocachers are pretty quick to question the morals and ethics of just about anyone willing to post even the most innocent or innocuous of messages. If that doesn't win an argument, though, we seem to resort to name-calling and insults about each others' intellectual abilities, sometimes questioning another's access to lead-based paint chips during youth. Barring any bull's-eyes with those types of comments, we tend to resort to the stand-by criticism of other cachers' physical features and anatomical characteristics. Yowzer... Judging by Lyra's picture it is understandable that folks would be fearful of dipping a toe into her genepool. This is particularly disturbing to me, being a desendant of ancestors from Martinsville.
  24. This is the most well behaved group of people I have ever seen in any forum I have ever read. How pathetic. You can't even get a decent arguement in here, by insulting their Mothers.
  25. quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight:I have to agree the Arkansas state parks regs are too restricive. To comply you have to hide the cache to get the infomation you need to get the permit. All for 4 months. The Arkansas State Park regs allow you to get a new permit when the old one expires. (They are free) As the rules are written, the old cache has to be removed. Moved and removed are basically the same thing. Move the cache and change the coordinates on the web site. Fill out a new permit. The intent is to force cache owners to vist their caches at least every four months. Wouldn't that be nice!! If you have cached for any length of time I am sure you have come across caches that are grossly ignored. If you develop a relationship with the park supervisor he may allow you to keep the cache in its original location. A lot of authority is given to the local park superintendent. Local control is a good thing in my opinion. On a side note, I make it a point to meet and communicate with all my elected representatives. Many of them know me by my first name. They are people too. Even if I didn't vote for them they have the opportunity to hear my opinion. Actually if I didn't vote for them they usually have multiple opportunities to hear my opinion. If you don't talk to your politicians it is your fault not theirs.
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