PlantAKiss

I think "micro" is fine for a size designation. It's like splitting hairs or atoms...tiny is tiny. So what if it's tiniER. Either way it's likely you're are looking for micro placed just for a hide and not for any reason for placement.

I just found a cache that was in really bad shape. I posted a Needs Main. log. I also emailed the CO to ASK if it would be helpful if I provided a new, watertight container as it seemed like the CO hasn't been active in a while. I pass by the location twice a week. BUT unless the CO responds, I won't touch it despite the poor condition. It's their cache. But at least they've been notified and I'll help ONLY if the CO wants to take me up on my offer. Maybe just posting a Maintenance note would be the better route than taking it upon yourself to replace a log, even if your intentions are good.

I grew up climbing trees and many of us have. But that was kinda "back in the day" before people thought about their impact on the environment. Climbing a tree once or twice might not hurt but regular climbing on limbs will wear down, scar and damage bark (same as leaving a "geotrail" on the ground). When that happens, it opens the door to admit disease pathogens, damaging insects and fungus into the tree. The very purpose of fungi is to decompose. So when spores of tree-decomposers get in...that is what will happen. Case in point: you've seen fallen trees, hollow logs and tree hollows, right? FUNGUS and insects that got inside caused that. Bark keeps all the bad stuff out of the tree...it's the armor! And that's not counting accidently snapping limbs and branches. So yes, climbing wear and tear on a tree can kill it. It's a fact. I thought that was recognized and therefore outlawed by the "do no harm" rule. If you can't dig a hole, it seems odd you can damage a tree. I know you can't put a nail in a tree...same reason, intro of pathogens causing damage. Personally I think it would be fun to climb a tree for a cache but it's a bad idea (if you like living trees).

Since I was away from geocaching for a while, there are now some things that new to me. One of which is a Challenge Cache. Now, I read in the announcments that Challenge caches are no longer being supported as of (around) the end of Dec. 2013. However, I see Challenge Caches that were created in 2014. But maybe they are a different TYPE of Challenge cache? The caches I've seen are ones that are a physical cache but you are not allowed to LOG your find unless you've [insert challenge here]. Like find a cache every day for a month; two caches a day for 2 months; one cache every day for 6 months, etc. Are those the kinds of Challenge caches no longer allowed or are they something different? They have "Challenge" in the Title. It seems to me those kinds of high-numbers requirements would result in a lot of "cheap hides" just to be able to get the numbers to meet the requirements. I was allow to post a note on a find but couldn't post a Found It even though...I found it. No biggie to me since I'm (obviously) not a numbers person but I just want to be clear about what a Challenge cache is or is not. Never heard of them before. Thanks!

I am vertically challenged. I just came across a cache that I could not reach. Luckily I was resourceful and looked around until I found something that would assist me in getting it, which I did. Personally I feel like in a case where a CO placed a container up high (maybe because they are tall and simply didn't think about short cachers), and a cacher has put in the WORK to find the cache and put reasonable EFFORT in reaching the cache, then they should be allowed to log it. It isn't the finder's fault if something was placed out of reach unless the cache description said something to the effect of "the cache being only for taller people". I do have a few helpful tools but do not always carry them with me every time. I will look for area objects that might help me reach a cache too. I would have no problem if someone found a cache but was too short to reach it if that person logged it. Put in the work, get the find. My opinion only. And isn't climbing trees to get a cache against the "do no harm" rule?? Are there caches where you have a to climb a tree?

I'm still debating on what to do. But thanks for the tip about the translators. I was wondering if they butchered things badly. I've got to work up something polite and appreciative.

That is awesome! Maybe that should be a permanent change on the site. Encourage people to be proud of their DNFs. lol

No, that's not a Groundspeak geocache. Do a Google search for "QR code search game" B. Well....that answered a question I had. I found 2 of those this past weekend while looking for caches.

My GPS died and don't have the money to replace it. So I DLed the Geocaching.com app and use my iPhone. It works well except for BATTERY LIFE. So while not my ideal choice, it will do until I get a job or win the lottery.

I am a "rockhead" and so I bag small mineral specimens or fossils along with a label ID as to species and location. Much better than 3/4 of a Pokemon card and one broken earring like I found in one of my caches this past weekend. (I don't understand how someone can leave something like that.) I've also put Civil War bullets with info on the location found in caches and they get taken pretty quickly. I just refilled 2 of my caches with Magic Towels, mosquito wipes, vintage laundry pins, old milk bottle caps, and a hackey sack ball. I try to leave items that would appeal to an adult, not just kids. While SWAG isn't my objective, I'd trade for something interesting. I once got a keychain with a little brass dolphin on it. I LOVED that dolphin. Then I lost my keys and with it went the dolphin. I'm still sad. I do have a personal card with pictures of something from Nature and a description of what it is on the back (but most of the time I forget to leave it). I'm all for eddicatin' people on our great and powerful Earth. :-)

I don't mind someone "dipping" for a bit or even holding if there is a purpose like getting it towards its goal. My annoyance is at the amount of time. I can't remember the most recent log but it wasn't that long ago so he/she is still "moving" it. But when I saw the range of dates I flipped! To me that is more like KEEPING a coin. Yes, I know that most coins go missing and that why I have been so thrilled how this one has survived and travelled! I never in a million years would have thought it would even get to Stonehenge much less all the countries past that! Maybe I will try a nice note (with a German translator?) and see if I can get him to release it back to the wild. Yeah, maybe FREE isn't the right word. lol I sent a TB out in honor my geo-hound that passed away and that disappeared within a few weeks. I was heartbroken because it was a sentimental TB. That's why I'm still holding coins I've bought that I really like. I might need to sell some though. I need $$$.

Just yesterday while I was out trying to repair my caches, I got attacked and stung by yellow jackets. They are out swarming the woods. :-( I had to quit before I finished all my checks. I've got to figure out something that will repel them from me because I've got to finish my repairs while I can. I hate yellow jackets because they CLING to you and keep stinging! Talk about screaming like a girl!!! (Well, I am a girl.) (Welllll...more accurately I am an OLD girl.)

I was using a Garmin Quest. And yes, I know that is not the typical GPSr. But I wanted one that was for both car navigation and trail and it worked GREAT! I loved it! It gave me a nice, large map. I'd have my cache list and go out and mark what I found or didn't find. [Yes, I try to say "hunt" because they were not all finds!] Then I'd log my results at home on my computer on this site. I used GSAK for a while but that was using my work computer as I'm Mac at home and there is no Mac version of GSAK. I could not log anything from my Quest because it really was more for car or trail navigation, not geocaching. Then one day my GPSr started telling me I was standing 300 miles off the coast of the Outer Banks in the ocean. I'm sure it was the battery but its not the kind of battery you can replace on your own. Some time much after that I discovered the geocaching app and I put that on my iPhone. Since that time I've cached sporadically due to difficult life issues over the past 3 years and the fact that while the phone does work well, the battery life isn't enough to do any extended caching. I don't have all the exact dates and times in my memory. I never thought remembering such things were important because...my hunt counts were online in my account. I never used field notes and that link showed I didn't have any. I found many pics of caches and TBs I found. Nice trip through memory lane including one of my dog (who later died) standing on top of the TB hotel in Bryan Park that I don't think is there any more. I only looked through some. I have THOUSANDS of photos on my computer and phone. (That's what I do for fun...I crawl the woods taking photos). So I don't know if I have any pics that could prove an ID of a currently missing cache hunt to this community. I know because I clearly remember quite a few of the caches I've found. A lot of what I found has been archived. A lot of really good ones too. :-( I was pretty straight forward with my caching. I printed out the listings (unless using GSAK), logged my adventures as finds or DNFs. Wrote nice logs from home on my computer because I appreciate getting nice logs. I didn't use "fancy" features. I followed the rules. I'm sure there are caches I found but forgot to log. But I didn't forget to log over 200 hunts. That would be 2/3 of my caching history. I thought there would be some simple answer to my question. But thank you to everyone who has put their thinking cap on about it.

I've thought about that too. But before it was moving through countries--Bahrain, Paris France, Netherlands, England, etc. Now it's just circling one part of Germany. I just wish I knew his intentions....is he going to keep for his own and just dip it now and again? Maybe this is a new way to steal a coin. You keep it but you log some miles on it every now and then to appease the owner. Its sort of like slavery. I'd like my coin to be FREEEEEEEEE! lol

I noticed on the Village Shopping Center Cache that it shows hide date of 2014. THAT is definitely not the one I found a long time ago, but its DEFINITELY hidden in the exact same place. So what happens when someone gives up their cache? But lets someone take over for them. Does that cache "start over" as if its a brand new cache? It has the same hint as before (because I had to use it)! If the stats show the cache as starting in 2014, then how could I have found it earlier than that? I guess they just dump the counts and reset when the new owner take over. I've got pics of found hides but nothing identifying in the pic. I have my dog standing on top of the huge ammo can TB Hotel...That one doesnt seem to be there any more...and pics of several other Bryan Park hides that aren't showing up. I'm confused and defeated. 95 finds in 8 years.......disheartening. I thought it would just be a matter of a snag in the system because I stopped caching for a while. I didn't think I'd get looked at like there are snakes coming out of my head (I don't mean that in a mean way. Everyone has been helpful...) Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. :-)

Excellent! That is good news! Thank you!

I guess I could go edit the text on my log and ask it not be "dipped" more than 3 times or something.

On the topic of advertising... I'm a mineral collector and I like to leave interesting mineral specimens in caches sometimes. They've been well received in the past. I have them bagged and labeled as to species and location. Quartz crystals, fossils, labradorite slab, etc. I'm a member of a rock club and I'd love to leave a card (of my own creation) with the specimen making people aware of the existence of the club since a lot of people that like rocks and fossils but don't know the club exists. I've always wondered if that would be an "advertising" violation even though it would be for awareness of a non-profit, educational club. I haven't ever done it but would love to if its allowed.

Hello all Today I was checking on my Stonehenge Benchmark coin. It's logged an amazing 16,000 miles and I've been thrilled. It fulfilled its mission--to go to Stonehenge--and has been traveling around Europe almost since it was launched in 2007 in VA. AND it's still circulating and hasn't been stolen like a lot of coins and TBs. But I noticed something I hadn't noticed before. For over a year, the same cacher has been logging it (in Germany). If I remember correctly, this is called "dipping"? Where someone logs it as being dropped in a cache but then they take it to another one and log it? While I appreciate that miles have been added to its journey, it doesn't seem right that the same person has basically had possession of my coin for over a year. I didn't know people would hold on to a coin and log it that long. Is this a common practice? To me, that doesn't seem right and I'd rather the coin be free to be picked up and moved by different cachers. I mean, I could see someone doing that for a few caches...but...over a YEAR?? I don't know whether to say something or not. I don't want to risk offending someone where they might just keep the coin and it disappear into the hinterland. Not sure what to think......

The Bandy Trail link goes to a cache placed in 2012 although there is one placed in 2014. [Honestly, I would think my Bandy field find would have been prior to 2012. My GPSr died several years ago and I found that long before I had a phone app.] There are two caches currently...Bandy Trail and Bandy Forest. Perhaps the cache I found is no longer there but there is no archive for another Bandy hide. ??? Dunno about that one...all I know is I had a find in Bandy field and at that time there was only ONE cache there (it's mostly a big open field where people run their dogs except for a very small wooded area). I did not log any finds (or DNFs) anywhere but here. I've never used any other geocaching site. This was always THE site. No one has access to my computer. I may have logged some finds on my work computer. I have done some caches on my lunch hour (when I had a job). I would see my hunt numbers on this site when I logged and more recently on my phone **which is when I noticed the count said 95**. Although my finds had dramatically decreased over the past few years after my GPSr died, I used to cache whenever possible although I wasn't adventurous in driving to distant locations by myself. They were mostly local finds. But over the past 8 years or so, I've found more than 95 caches. Hell, you can find 5 caches in one day fairly easily. So it wouldn't take 8 years to get to 95. How would a photo prove a find that is missing?? I took MANY photos when caching but I didn't post that many. They were mostly for my own enjoyment. But I'll look at see if I recognize any of my photos from a missing cache find. Needle in a haystack. My guess is they are just gone and I'll never get 'em back. But I know I'm not crazy. There were 5 caches I found in Bryan Park near my house...only 2 are showing on the map of the park. And the Village Shopping Center cache I posted the link to...where is that smiley? I found that at night (high muggle area) so prolly not a pic of it. Anyway...I'll look... But thanks everyone for all the help.

Well....these two I POSITIVELY found and I have no “smiley.” http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC50Y18_village-cache (this one required some “height” and I’m short so I had to have my giant friend retrieve it for me). http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3K98Q_bandy-trail (I remember having to pretend photographing some wisteria when non-cachers came by and also seeing a bunny in the field). At the time, this was the only cache in this tiny little park and I had never been there before. For example, there is a park near my house. There were about 5 caches there and I had found ALL of them. Now, there are caches that didn’t exist at that time and it seems like 2-3 that I found are not listed any more. One was a TB Hotel in a very large ammo can and I do not see a TB hotel listed at all. When I look on the map of the park, I have 2 finds only. And before someone says it, YES I REMEMBER these caches. I'm not getting mixed up with another park. It's right around the corner from me and I go there often and knew where all the caches are (or were). I looked at “all” my logs. It says 133. Of those 133 a huge amount has been archived. Even if they were not archived, 133 is not 300. I remember being so excited when I hit 300. I don't get to cache all that often so it was a long, slow climb to that number. I’m heartbroken. While I believe in “the journey,” it’s nice to have a visible record of your efforts. I don’t understand. :sad: I'm glad there are lots of new caches around. After I repair my own, I can look for these new ones.

I'm still looking but I'm seeing A LOT of new caches (yay!) and some that I found that are archived. If a cache gets archived, does it go off your count? (Not that I'd think 200 past caches have been archived...). Just wondering. I'm not going to remember the name of every cache I found but there are certainly many that were memorable.

Thanks for the replies. But FOR SURE: 1) I have/had only the one account. 2) My hunt number was around 300 at the time my GPSr died on me (several years ago). After 300 finds I knew/know how to log. Although I stopped (unwillingly) for a time, I'm not a new to procedures or rules. (Although I have noticed a few things have changed...) 3) At the time I did the majority of my caching, I hunted with a GPSr and logged at home on my computer. Any caching I've done via iPhone has been relatively recent compared to my previous caching "life" with my real GPSr. So it's not related to caching with a phone. I only cache with a phone now due to being unemployed and broke. If life ever goes back to "normal," I hope to have a GPSr again some day. 4) Hey! I don't have any finds deleted by COs! That I know of! lol 5) I will look to find an example of a cache I've logged that is not on my count. I noticed the "95" number as my count quite a while ago but life has been rough and it's not something I had time to deal with 'til now. But recent events have given me a smidge of time to cache (with my phone) and so I thought I'd see what happened to my number. I want all my falls, scratches, cuts, bruises, mosquito and spider bites to count for something!! (I prefer bushwacking-type caches.) Thanks for the questions...I'll see if I can find a missing logged cache.

I've only had this one account forever.

Hello all Before asking this question I looked on the web site for answers and did a search and didn't see anything that helped. I noticed some time ago that the number on my cache count is way off. I should have over 300 hunts but I noticed quite some time ago that it said 95. I stopped caching for a good while due to health/financial/time issues and my GPS died. I didn't (still don't) have the money to replace it. So I started using my iPhone so I can do a little bit here and there. Battery life keeps me from hunting like I WANT to. Aaannyyyway...I would like my hunt count to be accurate since, while I don't have thousands, I did earn what I SHOULD have. (I believe the last correct number was 306.) . This isn't a matter of the counts being slow to update or anything. I've noticed recent finds have updated. But about 2/3 of PAST numbers are MIA. Does anyone know how I can get this problem corrected? Thank you for any help! -Suzanne/PAK