lil_cav_wings

Very cool. I talked with a bunch of brand new Army flight school students the other day, and told them about the importance of working hard to be able select your specific airframe and duty station. We work in a sometime-meritocracy. They seemed happy to know that their hard work would be rewarded. Then I told them that, sometimes, it doesn't matter how hard you work. Life throws curve balls at even the top 10% of the class, and you don't get what you rightly deserve and worked so hard for. It's how you adapt to disappointment that shows your true character. They looked disappointed. M'eh. They'll learn. There isn't always "treasure" in a cache. Somes we get disappointed, especially after we worked hard to get there. The way that we treat that experience shows our character. If we shrug it off, add something from our own collection, and admire the path that got us to where we are... we are better people for it. I don't have kids. I have Soldiers who, even at age 21, still haven't learned that lesson.

Not owning a cache myself (because I'm waiting for the right location), I don't expect COs to restock swag in their caches everytime someone makes a snarky comment about the crummy contents. I'm way happier to find a clean, dry container with a tiny bit of clean, dry swag (which is why I carry papertowels with me now). If I take my god-daughter and god-son caching with me, I'd prefer not to bring them home to their mom clutching something slimy and broken. Then she gives me that look. That Bea-Aurthur-as-Maude look that says, "Thanks for taking them out and bringing them back covered in mud, holding broken (potty language deleted by moderator) and calling it 'treasure.'"

THAT (to me) is a very good reason to go for a FTF.

I don't have "Kid Factor"... well, atleast not that I can remember... there was that one weekend in Cabo San Lucas... I believe margharitas were involved... I could be wrong... I digress. Okay, so SWAG... When you have no Kid Factor (I'm going to start refering to parenthood like this from now on, BTW), you don't really worry too terribly about the quality of the toys anymore in your standard caches. It's not like I roll up, ankle deep in mud, and be all like, "aww, man... McCarp again." I trade up-ish, or I don't trade at all. Pathtags (ooooh, I said the forbidden word) and other signature items are what I leave behind and only if the cache is cool. My recent finds have made me interested in another personalized swaggy things: geocacher pens. To the people who did personalized pens for the geocache teams: you are awesome and I'm jealous of that idea. I covet it actually. Cov.et. To me, a pathtag or siggy item for a pen is a fair trade because I want the pen. I would love to do a themed geocache where you trade specific items. Then again, I can see how the evil cycle of themed-swag-for-whack-swag starts: Imagine if you will a happy go lucky new cacher, who's just downloaded their first PQ to their shiney new GPSr. They have a backpack full of nifty items they found at the dollar store. They also raided their Kid Factor's recent goody bag from that last Chuck E. Cheese party. They now depart for their first all-day cache run! Four or five caches in to their day, they've abandoned the notebook with all their notes about the caches they're hoping to find and the battery on their smartphone (with the GC app) went dead. (potty language deleted by moderator). While being eaten alive by mosquitos, nursing a twisted ankle from jumping deadfall, and trying to write on a damp log with a broken pencil, they just dump the plastic dollar store toys and head for the first Sonic/Starbucks/TGIMcFunsters/strip club they can find. The Evil Cycle begins.

I suppose I'm a little saddened by some of the bad-a** caches I've looked at on the website that are in Germany, not too far from where I lived for three years. I would have liked to have seen them because they are neat containers and hides in-and-of themselves, but I still enjoyed the places that I visited without having an ammo container waiting for me.

Sure, but try it only if you no longer value your testicles.

I'd stick to caches during shore day trips.

Wow. Errol Flynn, eh? Who knew? Certainly not I. HEY! Bimini... now that is a place that chicks like to go with dudes. Mr Mower Dude, you take your wife to Bimini for some sun and snorkling and rum runners, and I'm sure... NEY, I AM POSITIVE... she'll be alright with caching. That, and a cache that has Tiffany Green somewhere inside. We like shiney things (kinda like crows do).

Trip? He's a self-proclaimed "ladies man" who flies helicopters for some random company that will destabilize your banana republic for you and then help you put a new despotic dictatorial lunatic in place. He's awesome. He has no clue how to even spell "kayak." It's never too late to get a VFR license. 40 hours and you're in like Flynn (who is this Flynn guy anyway?) on a flight line! Then it's just a handful of refuel stops from NY to Bimini!

Paint an ammo can the same color as a Tiffany's box?

See? It's snarky comments like that one that will get senior cachers', moderators', and reviewers' hackles up. Either you're implying that you snuck a cruddy hide through the wire or that the reviewers have a personal vendetta for certain people. It helps to read other threads first, scan through the forums, and get the lay of the land before you launch an accusatory thread of your own. Don't get butt hurt when you suddenly find yourself painted into a corner of your own making by people who have a sharp wit and a fast tongue! When you come into a group, throw down a comment about an email you got, and then run off when things don't go your way, you're not helping your cause. People will take sides and put facts together... the reviewers and mods probably all know each other and share information. Aside from the whole discussion on slander v. libel and whether or not someone's 4th Amendment rights were violated, some of this stuff is just funny.

That's simple. When I'm on a SCUBA dive trip to Pensacola, I'm still a greasy, hippie rock climber... I'm just not climbing at the moment. I'm a serious runner. I'm mountain biker. I'm a civilian pilot. I'm doer of puzzles. I'm a beer drinker. I'm a geocacher. I'm all these things without being defined by only one of them. They used to call these folks "renaissance men." The key to truly appreciating the simple joys of a hobby or pasttime is to experiment with others. It makes you interesting. As my friend Trip says, "it helps with the ladies." ... which is weird because he forgets that I'm a girl and I like boys.

Poor lamp post, it's so torn about its feelings over not having a cache there.

If you're 58 years old, one would hope that you have thick enough skin to handle some rejection at this point in your life. You didn't like the answer the reviewer gave you, and then retorted with, "So what I want to know is do I just need to forgo telling you anything at all or just right out lie to you about any future caches?" What did you expect them to do? Roll over.

I beg to differ. You can have multiple hobbies and interests apart from geocaching and still be a geocacher. It just doesn't dominate your spare time completely.

As someone who's been through TSA with far more bizarre things than an empty film can with a magnet, I would say you'll be fine. It's a film can. Not semtex. More importantly, why a film can?

Couldn't help myself...

+1 *slow clap* Totally agree.

Well, knock yourself out! But if it doesn't work, try to avoid running over to the Benchmarking forums, and asking them why they want to find brass plates and survey points in the middle of no where! Everyone has a hobby. Not every hobby is for everyone.

Some people just don't like it. You can't force someone to find a hobby enjoyable. It's okay for a husband and wife to have different interests too. It keeps things cool!

What are her hobbies? If you can "marry" her interests with a certain style of geocaching, you might be able to win her over. I can see where a roadtrip might not be the ideal place to introduce someone to a new hobby because they might just want to get to their destination. Pick some place truly amazing that your wife wants to see. Then pick just one cache at that location, and plan a trip around it. She gets something that she wants, and you can show her the good side of finding caches at new places.

Epic. Truly epic. *salute*

Firstly: awesome. Secondly: Who goes to Chamonix other than mountain climbers?

I will take your combat boot, paint it red and white (go Cavalry), and use it as a planter for my petunias. I'll trade out my old Nalgene water bottle... it's cracked down the side from a fall at HorsePens 40 Bouldering competition this year and missing the top.

My city's Chamber of Commerce had small peanut and Boll Weevil Monument lapel pins made to support local projects. I bought a bunch from them, and made a small siggy tag to go in the bag with them.