Packanack

In NJ among the best hiders are Harry Dolphin and Andy Bear in the puzzle category.They appear to have been mentored by some of the best of the NYC puzzle hiders.

I am with you on this completely. change that I am not in favor of: group of four, all claiming find with the following note, looked and looked so we replaced the cache, hope owner does not mind, put new container in a good spot. log entry: moved cache to make retreival more precarious. play it as it lays, just like golf

This perspective amused me no end this morning. Shall we all log this one from our computer.

1.Read the original article. 2. Read this next: http://www.tsowell.com/spmorali.html Then go back and take another look at the original article. He is a serious little man.

Smartphone already has, just google GPS Sales dropoff. The manufacturers are scrambling to find new market. Garmin is making fitness monitors--new one comes out in a week or so, an action camera. If you want a GPS, the prices will be tanking soon as they try to clear inventory. Auto gps sales are way off. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/technology/15iht-navigate.html?_r=0 Smartphones are also replacing music devices, cameras, camcorders and who know what else all when people put them on vibrate.

I am going to try and get over there for a couple of hours.

Only a statewide boycott works. By doing so puts greater pressure on the park service to correct the actions done by the one park. It also puts them on notice to not try it elsewhere. This also would show to Groundspeak that allowing this is NOT a good idea and they will alienate more cachers than they will gain through the tour. I've also stopped all geocaching related purchases, but not ready to call for anything because I don't really know if they are aware and what their position on the matter is. I doubt the state parks system is quaking in their boots at the thought of a geocacher boycott. If they see the schoolyard bickering the game can create they may just tell us to take it somewhere else. That is exactly what I said one week ago:m I pointed to the ATV folk as they are regarded as being the most problematic "In Jersey, the parks folk would sa y we aren't getting involved in this BS, get all your caches out of the parks, the AtV folk give us less agita." This was never about the State Parks, it was all about how the local club approached members and fellow cachers, what their role should be . The event took place and now it would seem to be time to mend fences, get a handle on this and move forward. There are many who could care, just as long as the numbers are there. There are those who are passionate about preserving the individuals role in the "community". So either the sides come to an understanding or the community will probably fracture in interest, which would be sad because this community counts many fine people in its group.

Maybe in Canada parks are privately owned property, but that is not true in this case. Land managers are entrusted with managing public lands. The land does not belong to the land manager. Yeah, no. The USFWS, for example, manages "public land". However, they choose to manage it as they interpret their directives. Physical geocaches are not allowed on Refuges or Waterfowl Management Areas, and therefore they are managing the public property within the bounds of Federal Regulations. My boss, and my boss's boss, and their boss's boss can put their boot down entirely at any moment, or possilby remove restrictions so long as it can be allowed under existing CFR. State Parks are no different. They manage the lands, and they can make decisions to allow, disallow, or make exceptions. That's all. Back to the issue at hand, it sure seems shady. One doesn't have to venture very far to see how chummy things look between the interested parties. The communication was unfortunately very heavy-handed and poorly conducted. The surrounding circumstances certainly make it look suspicious, and that there is a conflict of interest. As someone who manages land for a station, I put myself in this situation. I suddenly realized that if I were her, I would look rather poorly perched on this issue if attention was brought to her supervisor. If I acted in this way in an official capacity, my boss would likely not have a kindly reaction. My 2 cents? Bring it to the specific park's Superintendant. Plead your case to them, presenting the factual information at hand. Demonstrate that the existing caches served the same purpose as the new ones--to educate and bring people to the park in a positive fashion--and then talk about how the Ranger handled the situation. A hand slap might be in order. Orrrr...the Superinendant may have given full oversight to this Ranger, and the point is moot. But, as users of the park system, your concerns about professionalism and conflict of interest are valid. Any Super would want to know about this poor example of public interaction and outreach. In Jersey, the parks folk would sa y we aren't getting involved in this BS, get all your caches out of the parks, the AtV folk give us less agita. Harry , I know a couple of puzzle caches that could use a good archive

Oh, don't be so quick to conclude that. NNJC has some very fine people in its membership. We coult some really great humans behind the geocaching names. It is in an evolutionary transition and perhaps has lost sight of its goal of promoting quality caching experiences for cachers locally. There is no doubt in my mind that the gang of four ( jokingly named) will see fit to admit that they were heavy handed in their approach, their motivations were pure in that they wanted to put together an event, but overdid it. If NNJC were to disappear tomorrow, I would be left with the idea that some lifelong friendships were made through shared experiences imitated through caching. I can always look to my home town park, High Mountain Reservation for proof of the impact of NNJC , taking it from a trashy mess to a beautiful hiking spot. This is a misstep , that is all, brought about by insufficient attention to the community culture of mutuality of civility and respect. It will be made right and there will be no repeat. Geocaching originated with a sandlot quality, hey let's go for a hike. that it now has to have a formulaic approach perhaps is the reason this situation arose. Feeding the maw of the insatiable numbers cachers at the expense of a quality experience is now subjected to overdue scrutiny . NNJC is just first to confront it headon. we will get back to the let's go for a hike approach soon enough, returning to doing service to broader community, introducing others to our game, enjoying the outdoors and above all each other. It is a squabble not a war.

Brian, Yours is a reasoned view. However one thing is missing . Facebook pages of late and Facebook groupings have supplanted some of the forums as a means of communication. NNJC has one such page. Discussion of caching issues, request for assistance , group hikes, events are commonly posted to that site. I , not being a Facebook maven have used the site for each of those items, including mild criticism of certain placements. What was a little disconcerting was the reports of long standing members of the community being decertified from membership or posting privileges for having deigned to criticize this situation on the Facebook page. You, I, Weathernowcast will probably not always agree in all things with each other, but I suspect that at no time will we just say that we should not and may not communicate our respective views. Reportedly, the organization apparently took the view that significant opposing viewpoints were not welcomed on the organizational FB page and took their ball and went home. Several years back, Weathernowcast was placing caches for an event and he communicated with me to ask if I would be willing to archive one of my caches to allow for another placement. his civility and gentility made my decision to archive very easy. It is that type of cooperative, friendly spirit that in my view needs to be rekindled. In my view the organization needs to better examine its role toward that end. They should immediately reach out to these persons reported to have been "booted" from Facebook privileges and apologize and reinstate .

It is a local issue and there are factors that are unknown to you. Specifically a large event is being held in that park, and the sponsors want to set out "new" caches and want old ones out that interfere with their plan of how the event should work. There is nothing wrong with the old caches, except that the event won't be able to work them in series. The locals are talking about skipping the event all together. Given the contributions that Weathernowcast has made to the local caching community, it could have been brokered differently. He is a truly reasonable man with a great positive approach , maybe someone should have asked him first, rather than trying to bulldoze.

virtual caching, what is it like? It is like heaven. why it is the best cache ever, but more real.

So we go to help out on the Red Trail and who do we find is the area trail supervisor, Old Time cacher RoosterRoo,he haas been away from caching for years we invited him back into the fold.

Redux Sunday , 11-17-2013 at P8 top of Stephens Road off Union Valley Road , at 8AM help rehab the red trail . We are getting the old gang back together. Bring clippers, lopers, gloves and a smile. No I mean the old gang, but even young folks are welcome. Help with a trail conference effort to bring the red back to life.

Harry, I never hid in Irvington, I was the one who branded my cache as the Only Cache in the City of Passaic, now there are about 12. You stay out of Paterson because of the embarrassing faux pas of dropping caches off scenic bridges into the Passaic River. People should know the real reason you stay away.

There really just aren't all that many. While there are many nice areas in Trenton, Ask Trowel to define nice areas. Trenton is a perpetual candidate in the list of 25 most dangerous cities in the US, There are a couple of Courthouses there where you are warned about returning to your car alone. Of late the city has been listed as the 4th most dangerous city in the nation. Suggest you google for more accurate information before venturing into what has been called a "hell hole", and embarrassment to a state to have their capital there, a doomed place.

Be not lead astray by my finned friend Harry, for in the glass half full camp there are many who chose to log legitimate DNF Many cachers DNF , yet make no log at all, so kudos to those who remain true to the game and post the DNF a fine commentary on not only the game but to their own character.

I completely agree with the assessment stated above. To the OP, you have been around for a good amount of time, I am a little surprised you hadn't made yourself aware of the idea that the Cache belongs to the owner. I do not mean to be pointed with you, but you can have good owners, bad owners, absent owners---but they own their cache, let them take all incidents of ownership. Locally we have a growing number of absentee owners with a resultant increase in geo litter that only promises to give the game a black eye down the road.

http://coord.info/GC31MW7 It seems to be ok to post a DNF on this cache.

dear OP, assuage some of the environmental angst by participating in a CITO. Or better yet plan and host a CITO event. 7 years ago I started a CIto locally, another cacher, weathernowcast has kept it going. It has produced a wonderful result, recognized by the local trail organization as having transformed an area with severe environmental issues into a pristine location. A group of us cachers now maintain a trail in that wilderness reservation. It never fails to amaze me that there are cachers with thousands of finds who have never participated in a CITO either by attending or hosting. Make up your mind to be an environmentally responsive cacher.

A local group that owned a private camp ran a CITO , every year for three years to clean up the camp before the season. They would publish a couple of event day caches, those would be archived shortly after event as the camp was private. The camp director had the account, he had no finds but had hosted three events, all his CITO. this year he had to postpone it, and when he went to publish it again, a local cacher asked the reviewer why they were publishing an event to clean up a private club. the reviewer archived it . The camp director essentially had gotten unsuspecting laborers to do his bidding for 3 years. I say Young men, who profess Christian Association should not dupe others in that way. so I was glad the reviewer nixed it

reluctant , yes. Attitude is changing however as thoughtless , outside guidelines , non permitted caches proliferate. On way home from work tonight I stopped for a new one. It met all offending categories, so I spotted it and decided to just keep on going. How it got published is beyond me, If we are less discerning we will come to deserve what we get.

This is hardly a new topic, it does however get trotted out from time to time as some abutting owner seeks to be compensated for some imagined reversionary interest. Those cases are relatively rare. (Walkill Valley Rail Trail by way of example in New Paltz NY) The proffer is not a universal as has been pointed out. Much depends on the nature of the grant and in many instances the right of way was not purchased by the rail line, but rather was purchased by government for use by the rail line. There are reversionary clauses in some right of way acquisition recorded documents. however they are few and far between, I believe that Kansas has such reversionary language. Familiarize yourself with the entire topic, through the Rails to Trails Conservancy. This group assist in setting up local trails and does extensive title research in most instances so that there is no question of the title to the right of way. Rails to Trails Having just returned from a vacation on Cape Cod, and having ridden the Cape Cod Rail Trail and the OCRT, I can assure you that homeowners enjoy a premium from being close to the rail trails, their homes have increased values. More than 1 million tourist per year use the trails, bringing in amounts estimated to exceed 50 million , just to ride a bike path. In the present planning stage is a 90 mile path in the Adirondak Mountains in NY, which may bring in even more money to the local economy. Last October a group of cachers rode the C&O Canal Towpath from western MD to DC, a parallel rail trail is located in Hancock Md, a town which now caters to bicylist on the Western Maryland Rail Trail and the C&O. Camping, B&Bs, hotels and restaurants have all benefited. An active bike caching community exist around the area enhancing further the interest in the trails. Why walk,when you can ride ?

do nothing, get over it and move on and make better hides as you go along. Vow to not be nasty to other cachers , we are a community. Oh, wow I hit a daily double, my advice applies to both the logger and the co.

Don't contact the pack, the hider, the den, contact the council and remind them of their leave no trace program.