Dj Storm

I also consider that caches shouldn't be archived just because the owner seems inactive. What I would like to see and fully support, an opt-in option for automatic adoption of caches in case of inactivity. Example: I check the box for automatic adoption, and set the timer to, say, 3 months. If I don't log into the site for (3 months - 7 days), I receive an email "Yo, log in within a week or lose your caches!". Once the time is up, my caches would become free to adopt. The process can be done the same way "forced adoptions" were done until 2008, through the reviewer.

My "rule of thumb": A 35mm film canister (50 ml) is a typical micro A sandwich box (500 ml) is a typical small An ammo can (5 liter) is a typical regular A 5 gallon bucket (20 l) is a typical large I chose to draw the line between sizes at 160 ml (3 times larger than typical micro, 3 times smaller than typical small), at 1.6 liter (3 times larger than typical small, 3 times smaller than typical regular), and at 10 liter (2 times larger than typical regular, 2 times smaller than typical large). Around the line (especially between the micro and small) there's a bit of tolerance, and a bigger container that can't hold trackables (a long tube for example) is still a micro.

Was hit by the same bug: geocaches that I had in 3 separate .gpx files suddenly weren't recognized anymore. My Oregon 450 reported "no geocaches loaded". What worked: - deleted the .gpx files - disconnected and powered up the GPSr - connected and loaded the .gpx files back to the GPSr (copying them manually into the \Garmin\GPX folder, I don't use other software) - disconnected and powered up the device; the geocaches were recognized What didn't work: - deleting other .gpx files (with hiking tracks) - overwriting existent .gpx files (geocaching pocket queries) - deleting and loading back the .gpx files without a disconnect/power up in between

Answering the OP, the "maintenance needed" attribute can be cleared both by posting an "Owner maintenance" log, and by editing the attributes and unticking it. Personally, I edit out the attribute in these situations: - if I relocated the cache, and posted an "Update coordinates" log. I see no reason to also post an "Owner maintenance" log. - if I enabled a previously disabled cache. Same as above, I see no reason to clutter up the page with an "Owner maintenance" log.

In Romania, there are three types of events: - pub gatherings; - one day events - multi-day events "Pub gatherings" are what the name implies; geocachers get together at a local pub/bar/restaurant/etc. One day events are probably what the OP is looking for. They go like this: - the host(s) hide a bunch of permanent caches, and ask the reviewer to delay their publishing until the day of the event; - the day starts with meeting the host(s) at the event coordinates, starting at a specified time. It's a good opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones, and team up for the hunt that follows (for example those without cars can team up with those who have one); - at a specified time, the host(s) hand out the new geocache listings, and/or have a laptop with the .gpx ready to load into the participants' units. About the same time the caches are published by the reviewer; - the geocachers scatter around, hunting caches until the evening; - at a specified time during the evening, the "official event" starts, usually at a restaurant. Geocachers get together again, have dinner, swap trackables, and discuss general topics, geocaching topics and that day's geocaching adventures. If there's an event logbook, it gets signed during the evening gathering; - a few hours later the event ends, and geocachers are free to spend the night as they see fit. Multi-day events are similar to one day events, with the following differences: - they span over two or more days; - there are all kinds of games and other tricks during the gatherings; - the evening gatherings take place usually at a campground, and can go on until dawn; - during the last day there's no evening gathering. I think the OP is looking for what I call a "one-day event". The majority of them take place on a Saturday, and usually several geocachers work together to host them. Those who would like such events but can't find one, should think about hosting one. Find another geocacher or two to help, hide some geocaches (independently), organize the gathering (together with the co-hosts), and publish the event. Even the hosts can have fun during the day, hunting the caches hidden by the other hosts.

I think I read it somewhere, that if an account has logged at least 1 find, the name is taken forever. If an account has no finds, it's possible to get that name by contacting Groundspeak.

To enter a waypoint from the device itself, mark one at whatever location you're at, then edit the coordinates of the waypoint you just entered.

I thought about this for a long time, and come up with two solutions: 1. Hide the cache in a place where hiking is involved (and not a short hike). Tell the reviewer to publish it on a specified date, early in the morning. Tell the honoree to be prepared for a geohike on said date, early in the morning. This only works if the honoree is into hiking. Optionally, you can hide the cache next to the honoree's residence and give him a "heads up" - "watch for any new listing 1 mile from your house", but the chances for a FTF hound to grab the FTF are higher this way. 2. Host an event, and give out the coordinates during said event, before publication, to all attendees. At some of the events I attended, the coordinates were given out, and the caches were published 30 minutes or more after the FTF rush. To give the honoree a chance to FTF the cache placed in his honor, hide multiple caches. Tell the attendees "This cache was placed to honor {cacher}, these others are ordinary run-of-the-mill caches". All people I know will go for the ordinary caches and let the honoree find the one dedicated to him. I also saw it done another way: 3. Hide a cache, name it "Dedicated to {cacher}" or something like that. Wait for it to be published. Despite {cacher} arriving 48 hours after publication, he was FTF. Every cacher attempting the cache before him (also after him) said "I'm not going in there!" This only works if the honoree is into a niche of extreme caching, and you can manage to place a cache of this sort.

Yes, there are (although we use other websites for communication). Feel free to ask, I'll do my best to help you.

I don't know why you would have to give the surface coords. You can do a cache on land with a starting point, a bearing and distance. He said he would lay a course from the start to final which would seem the same. It's quite impossible to keep the bearing underwater with enough precision to reach the cache; measuring the distance traveled is very difficult, almost impossible. That unless there is a "trail" underwater that needs to be followed, but even then it's better to provide the surface coordinates, the same way you'll do in a forest. As a hider, taking a good reading of the final coordinates is essential. Just "estimating" the reading on the compass and the distance traveled is a recipe for disaster. Tried doing that with a buddy, after ~100 meters we were about 30 meters apart, and the cache remained unfound.

Nope; El Camino de Santiago is a journey that ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. In medieval times, pilgrims walked the entire distance from their home to Santiago de Compostela, aiming to arrive on or before July 25 (St. James day). The most traveled section starts at the French/Spanish border and has a length of about 800 km. Link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James_%28route_descriptions%29 The crazy mountain trail to the old dam is "El Camino del Rey". Link here:

I had the same dilemma: should I log my own event as "Attended"? Initially I had the same approach as Briansnat, "No". And then my dilemma widened: should I log an event posted by a friend, but where I did 75% of the hosting work as "Attended"? For caches, if I'm with the owner when he hides the cache, I won't log it as found. By the same reasoning, if I helped the owner host the event, I shouldn't log events where I helped as "attended" either. But where to draw the line between "helped" and "not helped"? At 50%? 25%? 1%? Hearing spoilers in advance about surprises prepared for the event? Do you log "Attended" on events where you arrive late, or leave early? Or where you participated, but didn't socialize with the other participants? Do you log "Found it" on caches found by another member of your party during a group hunt? Or if the mystery was cracked by someone else? Or if someone else retrieved the cache? Or if you phoned a friend for a hint? Or if you found the replacement dropped down by a lazy cacher, not the original hide? I recommend setting logging rules and boundaries you are comfortable with, and following them. Don't set rules that will ruin your fun. Checked the forums, and found a post from 2003 by Jeremy, where he recommends event hosts to log as "Attended", as long as they attended the event. In the end, I logged "Attended" on all events where I participated.

My take on situations like this: - Investigation. Try to find out when was the traveler dropped in the cache, by reading the physical and online logs (I check the physical logs only if I don't find the traveler I went for, or I find a different traveler). - If the traveler has been dropped only a few days before, wait a couple more days, up to a week. If the traveler has been in the cache for a while (or the week passed), send an email to the person who "holds" the coin, reminding him where he dropped it, and (if a newbie) the proper way to log a coin drop. If the coin is listed as being in a different cache, and the investigation did not reveal who dropped it, wait a week. - If no response from the cacher within a reasonable time (couple of days/a week), grab the coin from him, and log it as "visited" in the cache where it was found. If the coin is listed in another cache, retrieve from there and log it as "visited" in the cache where it was found. Write a short message in the log, mentioning where the traveler was found.

Don't bet the integrity of your GPSr on double ziplocks and IPX7 waterproofness. A friend of mine ruined his Oregon while scuba diving at 4.5 meters deep, and he double ziplocked it, too. Use a clear, waterproof container that floats, and drag it after yourself. Better safe than sorry!

I'm not a kid, and I like swag. At every cache that I visited, if it contained swag, I traded something. I kept all the items I got. There are several actions associated with each geocache: 1. [optional] Research the cache from home. Look at the general location on a map, read the listing, check the attributes, solve the puzzle, etc, before deciding to hunt it. 2. Travel to the closest/recommended parking lot/bus station. 3. [optional] Walk or hike to the cache location. 4. [optional] Look around you, admire the view, take photos. 5. [optional] Search for the cache. 6. [optional] Look through the swag, and trade something. Look through the logbook, read the previous logs. 7. Write the date and your name in the logbook. 8. [optional] Write about your experience in the logbook. 9. Log the cache online. 10. [optional] Write about your experience in the online log. 11. [optional] Think back to the cache you found, recollecting the events that took place that day. When I geocache, I prefer doing all these actions, or as many of them as possible. Looking at other geocachers around, it seems that the majority is only interested in doing the mandatory 2, 7 and 9, and sometimes 5. I went geocaching with friends, felt that they only wanted to find as many caches as possible. For me, having as many (nice) memories as possible is what counts. A long(er) hike is an opportunity for all kinds of happenings. Spending some time relaxing near the cache, reading the logs, looking at the swag, or just looking at the scenery around is an opportunity to get memories. The pictures, the swag gathered, and a descriptive online log will help recollecting these memories. I'm not bothered by those who prefer to geocache in a different way. Please understand that there are geocachers that play differently than you, and try not to ruin their enjoyment.

How do you get a truncated url as above? I found an archived one that wasn't on your list and my url for this is much longer: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=5a107f2e-4829-43f9-bf76-0b7123d69da3&log=y&decrypt=GC7E9 Seems as the shotened form in the post but when I add it to my spreadsheet it comes out in the long form. Jim You can use an even shorter form: http://coord.info/GC7E9 It will redirect you to http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC7E9 - same style as the OP's. For other caches, just change the cache ID at the end of the url.

Here in Romania, it became a tradition to have stacked events - not two events in the same city several hours apart, but 5-6 events during a 72 hour interval at the same coordinates. The events stand on their own merit, are hosted by different geocachers and are independent from each other, but are intended to attract the same group of geocachers. So far they were all published. The last such event was the "10 Years of Geocaching in Romania" celebration, that started Friday morning and ended Sunday afternoon. The "stack" started Thursday evening/night with a Beer Event. Friday morning the new caches of the main event were published, and people rushed after FTFs or enjoyed a day of caching. In the evening we celebrated the anniversary with champagne, followed by another event "Geocaching Awards", followed by more socializing and night caching as part of the main event. Saturday continued with geocaching in small or large groups, and in the evening we had "The Contest" - with prizes, followed by "1000 Stories" - socialization until the morning, the central theme of which was another milestone, the 1000th geocache published in our country. Sunday went on with more geocaching, then everyone went home (up to 8 hours of driving). We planned to also have a CITO on Sunday, but nobody published one on time. The events are meant for geocachers to socialize. Although being independent, without the main event, the satellite events would have gathered only 10-15% of the attendance. The main event without the satellites would have gathered ~80% of the attendance, but socialization would have been minimal. By having stacked events, the ~50 geocachers had time to meet and talk to each other, newbies and old timers sat at the same table and earned from each other, and everybody had fun. Recently I attended a week-end long mega event. It started Friday evening with a meet-and-greet. I was late, and since it wasn't a separate event I chose not to attend. Saturday the new caches were published and everyone rushed to find them. I met other geocachers on the trail, exchanged some words, and went on different ways. During the day there were workshops and other activities as part of the mega event, but most people were out geocaching (including myself). In the evening there was another meet-and-greet and a raffle, to which I attended. Geocachers were gathered in small groups; I recognized some people I met on the trail, but they already had their groups and I didn't want to appear rude by joining uninvited. Feeling uneasy, I soon left. Sunday morning there was the CITO event, to which I didn't attend. Personally, I prefer some sort of "stacking" in the case of weekend-long events. Without satellite events, socialization is low, and without socialization the event makes little sense. In case of events that last only a couple of hours, I see no problem in having two (or more) events several hours apart. The fact that "the events will attract the same group of geocachers" is an advantage, not a reason to deny one of them. When the second event starts after the first ends, there's no interference between them, and having both events published is a plus for the geocaching community. On the other hand, having two events at exactly the same time close to each other will divide the community. Some geocachers will attend one event, some will attend the other one, and some will come to sign the log at the first event then rush to sign the log at the second one. When there are chances that an event will "steal" the attendance from another event, I see the reason to deny one of them.

Two aspects on replacing soggy logbooks: By adding a dry logbook (protected by a zipbag), the next cachers' experience will be improved. On the other hand, by adding a dry logbook in a cache that's not watertight, when the owner is active and hiding caches, only promotes bad container selection. If the owner is spared a maintenance visit, he won't learn that his container is not very good and will continue to hide the same type of containers. The "wet logbook" problem will happen in other caches as well, the dry logbook you placed won't remain dry forever, newbies will learn from the bad examples and will hide bad containers, etc.

I didn't understood what is the problem. Searching by home coordinates worked for me before the update, and it still works. Before the update I clicked "hide and seek a cache", fill in my home coordinates (have them autofilled) and click search. Now I click Play -> Hide and seek a cache, select "by coordinates", fill in my home coordinates (the browser remembered the values) and click search. No issues. The problem is, you selected western instead of eastern hemisphere - the wrong coordinates are in the Pacific ocean. The correct page is http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?lat=26.361917&lng=127.8278&ex=0&cFilter=9a79e6ce-3344-409c-bbe9-496530baf758&children=n or http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?lat_ns=1&lat_h=26&lat_mmss=21.715&long_ew=1&long_h=127&long_mmss=49.668&dist=100

What I do: If I found a cache, came home to log and notice there's a TB or GC in the cache's inventory, I write in my online log that I don't remember seeing any TB; since I always look through the swag, I notice any traveler that is there. If I know a traveler should be in the cache but isn't, I read the physical logs for clues of who might have taken it. Sometimes it's someone who took it the same day or the day before, sometimes it's a newbie who doesn't know how to log travelers (or doesn't know that travelers are not swag). - if the traveler was taken recently, I wait for the cacher who took it to log his visit. - if the cacher who took it logged his visit but didn't log the trackable, I send him a mail telling him that he forgot to log out the TB from the cache. If said cacher is a newbie, I add that trackables are not swag, and how to log them in/out of caches. - if the cacher who took the TB could not be identified based on the paper and online logs, I send two mails, one to the TB owner and one to the cache owner, telling them that the TB is not there. So far I sent several mails for missing trackables. The cache owners didn't mark the TB missing, probably they wanted to verify themselves, or chose to let the TB owner mark it as missing. The TB owners didn't mark it missing as well, probably they hoped it will reappear eventually. I considered stopping emailing the owners. By reading this thread I acknowledge that there are cachers appreciating the information, and will continue to send the mails.

I went searching for a cache, and was FTF. I even contacted the owner with corrected coordinates. The second finder states in his online log: "It was odd to find a blank logbook". The owner asked me if I had signed the log. I posted a photo of the signed log, with my GPS showing the coordinates. Tip: after signing the log, take a photo of the logbook with your signature. You never know when it will become useful! Explanation: I don't take photos for situations like this. The photos help me remember the cache, and give me information about said cache. When I trade, the photo covers both the log and the items traded in and out. When there's something else I want to remember (like corrected coordinates), I include in the picture my GPS showing the coords.

I counted all the "votes" so far: 95% of the geocachers who signed up between 2000-2006 consider preforms to be micros (13 votes micros, one vote "it depends"); 66% of those who signed up between 2007-2008 consider preforms to be micros (6 votes micros, 3 votes smalls); 51% of those who signed up between 2009-2011 consider preforms to be micros (5 votes micros, 4 votes smalls).

I log every DNF. If I looked twice during a day, I will log only one DNF. If the last two logs on a cache are my DNFs, I won't log a third one. Actually, I won't search three times in a row unless I received some good hints.

Raising the difficulty of a D1 cache due to muggle factor doesn't make sense. However, if a cache is normally a difficulty 2.5, meaning you're looking forward to 10-30 minutes of searching, the muggle factor becomes relevant. In this case, my vote is for upping the difficulty.

I found some very cheap pens (~$ 0.10 each), they worked at -26°C (-15°F) and carry a few of them with me. I also have a pen cut in half in my camera bag. Once I found myself without a pen at a cache, went back to town, bought one, returned to sign the log, and since then I always carry a writing utensil. Found a logbook where a cacher used a stapler to "staple" his name in!