Wet Pancake Touring Club
-
Posts
587 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Wet Pancake Touring Club
-
-
Others may simply want to know before they go regardless of the cache name that the cache is in a cemetery so they are prepared.
So, what are your preparations. Mine include holy water, a silver mirror, and a wooden stake. :-)
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
In all seriousness, I also support a church/cemetery attribute. While the so called "Church Micro" series is located in the UK, we have lots of less organized church related geocaches in my area. We have several geocachers that place cemetery caches in all of the little cemeteries throughout Northern Idaho. I happen to find these caches to be some of the better ones in the area. A couple of them have some semi-famous people buried in them, along with well-known settler names. On the flip side, I could see others that would want to avoid church and/or cemetery caches for a variety of personal reasons.
On the other hand, this assumes that the CO takes the time to mark the correct attributes. Well, that is a topic for another discussion.
Thanks, Skye.
-
I think it is something that Groundspeak should support, especally as moving caches are no longer supported, and multiple Found It logs are now simply errors.
(I also think Geocaching should no longer provide a Found It option on a existing find, or automatically change a new Found It log to a Write Note.)
While moving caches are no longer allowed, there are a few still in existence. So, a discrete caches count would still be useful.
Bookmark list of moving caches
It would be nice if you could get a count of the number of finds for a cache, or something similar, so you can easily find duplicate postings. As it is, I have to use third party tools to get this info.
Skye.
-
Worked for me too. Thanks!
-
I went to add a Location to my profile, and when I hit submit, it gave me an error on my Username - Must be between 2 and 20 characters. Sorry, my username is a tad more than 20 characters.
-
My situation is that I live 100 miles away from where I work. So, I have a home that I spend the weekends at, and an apartment near where I work. I know of quite a few people here at the office that do that. Students at a university are another example where people may have multiple locations they are constantly commuting between. (I happen to fit both categories.) Multiple locations would make selection for PQ's and the like easier and quicker.
One of the questions that would need to be addressed is, what to do about the statistics? My opinion is that this should be implemented as a home location and alternates, and leave any distance based statistics to be from the home location.
-
In the above discussion, there has been talk of implementing a version 1.0.2. This implies that the new GPX file will be based on version 1.0. Has anyone looked at version 1.1? Does it offer anything that might be of interest? Version 1.0 has been out since 2002, and 1.1 since 2004.
If memory serves, a GPX file from GS only contains WPT type data. What about adding RTE or TRK type data, say based on a bookmark list?
Thanks, Skye.
-
I am not a fan of souvenirs, mainly because they are nothing more than a different way to view what is already available. Did I cache in August? That info is already available. Have I been to HQ, again that can be checked. What countries and states have I cached in? Already available.
Not exactly. I have found caches in 8 countries where a souvenir is *not* available. Actually only a small percentage of all countries have a souvenir available. I'd rather see GS add souvenirs for more countries then create achievement souvenirs.
I agree, if GS is going to do country souvenirs, they should do them for all countries.
However, I can see all of the countries on the maps on my statistics page.
I see souvenirs sort of like collecting coins. I have a shoe box full of coins that I acquire as loose change from day to day purchases. When my pocket starts to get full I just dump all those coins in the box. Each coin in the box might be equated to a found it log on a cache. FInding a specific coin in that box would't be that easy. I don't really consider myself a coin collector but when I travel to different countries I like to bring back coins from that country. If I just dumped those coins in the shoe box it would be quite tedious to look through all the coins to find a Tanzanian shilling or Malaysian 20 sen coin (about the size of a nickel). Instead, I have a separate box that has all "interesting" coins I've collected. Most of those coins have little monetary value, but are just tokens of remembrance (i.e. the very definition of a souvenir) of my visits to those places. The souvenirs page on my profile, and the digital souvenirs I've acquired for that page, is like my foreign coin box. It's a place I can go to view my tokens of rememberance.
That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing souvenirs for completing a set of caches. I like to do GeoTours. (I really like what the Lane County Oregon folks have done, four different GeoTours, all regular sized caches, and well maintained.) Having a souvenir for completing a GeoTour (or any set of caches for that matter) would be nice.
Who decides whether or not a series of cache is worthy of a souvenir? A Geotour is not a specific cache type, nor is any other series of caches. I have three caches based on a common theme and have a similar name. Should I be able to award a souvenir to someone that has found all three? What you're proposing would not only require some new software development but some curation by "someone" to determine which sets of caches qualify as an achievement and which do not. Who is going to do that?
If you wish to award someone an achievement souvenir for completing a series of caches, I don't see why you shouldn't be allowed to do so. It may involve a lot more work on your part, and possibly require a new web page for entry. At the least you would be required to create the souvenir for approval, and enter the list of caches that must be found.
That said, I really don't see individuals doing this, but there may be some organizations would. I use GeoTours as an example, because there are groups behind them. For a number of these, they are already collecting this data, and in some cases they are publishing it. They may be willing to take the time to apply an achievement souvenir. Anyhow, my point is that they are already doing the curating. And, GS may find the development time worthwhile, they can help with gathering the statistics, and can turn around and use those statistics to help market more GeoTours. (Boy, that Wet Pancake Touring Club group is a sucker for GeoTours. You can get them to spend lots of money in your town by creating a GeoTour.)
And, why limit these achievement souvenirs to just GeoTours. If any person or group wants to invest the time and energy into this, why not let them? In my neck of the woods, the WSGA is very active. Maybe they want to develop an achievement souvenir. Why not let them? However, your point is well taken, it will take time and energy. I just hate to see limitations in code that don't need to be there. GS can procedurally limit who they allow setup achievement souvenirs, but they should avoid hard coding that limitation.
Also, on the point of curating, in some cases this may be as simple as awarding the achievement souvenir if a person has completed more than x number of the caches from a list. As you well know, that can be scripted, by GS preferably. Outside of the initial setup in this case, the only other work is a mechanism to archive the achievement souvenir when it can no longer be achieved.
-
I am not a fan of souvenirs, mainly because they are nothing more than a different way to view what is already available. Did I cache in August? That info is already available. Have I been to HQ, again that can be checked. What countries and states have I cached in? Already available.
That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing souvenirs for completing a set of caches. I like to do GeoTours. (I really like what the Lane County Oregon folks have done, four different GeoTours, all regular sized caches, and well maintained.) Having a souvenir for completing a GeoTour (or any set of caches for that matter) would be nice.
The GeoTours I have done have a minimum number of caches to be logged before qualifying for a GeoCoin. They require that you prove you actually went to the caches (code word, stamp, etc.), and send in marketing info (how long did you stay, where did you stay, etc.). For each Lane County GeoTour, you must log a minimum of 24 caches, out of 36. This is something that could be scripted. Or, maybe the GeoTour owner could have a web page where they could add the souvenir. The latter method may be better, because there may be many people who logged the proper caches to qualify, but they never sent in the paperwork to qualify for the GeoCoin. This info may be useful to the geocaching.com GeoTour marketing group as they try to sign up more GeoTours.
Thanks, Skye.
-
I would like to see 'Most Cache Types in a Day' added to the Stats page.
Skye.
-
One concern with a general 'watch a cacher' feature is this can become an invasion of privacy issue.
You can make a friend request of a person. If they accept, they will appear in your Friends list. It shows a couple of details on the overview page, and you can dig into more details from there. It does not notify me when they do something, it just a quick way to get to their profile page. Speaking of which, you can also look someone up from your profile page. This will also take you to their profile page. I don't know if that is a PM feature or not. I have a PM.
-
This cacher has also participated in a number of mega events. People will have books of geocoins, and hand out sheets with the tracking numbers. I know of a local cacher that has an inordinate number of Jeep Geocoins in his collection, and was a member of the local Jeep and 4-wheeler groups. Maybe some thing similar in his case, he attended a number of events where there are a number of Jeep aficionados that are also geocachers.
-
There is a third party whose needs we may want to address in this discussion, and that is the rest of the geocaching community. For a deleted log, this erases any mention that an attempt has been made.
In the case of someone trying to decide if they want to attempt to find the bird house 50' up in a tree example, knowing that someone recently made an attempt and saw the container might be relevant information to their decision to go after the cache. So, I am more for preserving the attempt, rather than deleting the attempt, and therefore am in favor of allowing the CO to change a log to a DNF or Note.
-
I have already grabbed and printed everything I could find from the help center and the geocoin and travel bug FAQ pages... Does anyone know of any other info on trackables that I can pull from? I will look at wiki to see if there happens to be anything at that source, but I am doubting it to have anything new.
You may want to Google for Educaching. While most of what I have seen has to do with using Travel Bugs in the classroom, there may be some info on TB handling.
Skye.
-
I am a homeschooling mom in NW Washington to my Grade 4 guy. We just joined the geocaching community.....hoping to be able to use geocaching for geography, science, pe, math. We are going to enjoy the adventure, as we are new to the state! & New to homeschooling (last 2 months)!
Welcome to the hobby. For goecaching education materials, you may want to search for 'educaching'. Other resources include 4-H, which has a Geospatial project. Cornell has some interesting 4-H materials. Boy Scouts have a Geocaching Merit Badge, and I think that Girl Scouts does also. Those organizations may have materials online, if not you may be able to purchase the merit badge manuals from the local office. I am not an educator, and I am not affiliated with educaching. I am a volunteer 4-H Geospatial project leader.
-
Another resource for using geocaching in education can be found by googling 'educaching'. As for funding sources, in the US I would suggest looking at STEM grants. I'm not a teacher and I am not affiliated in any way with educaching, I am a 4-H leader for the Geospatial project, and stumbled across these terms.
Skye.
-
Back to the OP, how do we increase trackable awareness and movement? I will often seek out caches with travelers. Finding them missing from a cache is a disappointment. So, I do like the suggestion of Mrs B of The Blorenges on ghost trackables. This would serve to incentive me in finding and moving trackables.
As for the stats, I'm ambivalent. I did attend an event cache where one TO handed out a sheet of codes for their coins. He had a large binder full of geocoins. The number of codes seemed to match up pretty well with the number of actual coins, so I think his code sheets were legit. Looking back on this, and the comments above, spurred two thoughts on armchair logging.
My first thought mirrors one above; the traveler stats (and possible souvenirs) should be based on drops. If I'm looking at someone elses profile, seeing how many travelers they actually helped move would be the most impressive number. Having a traveler visit a cache (especially without taking a photo) seems more like kissing your own sister.
My second thought has to do with armchair loggers. With my example TO, it was obvious that he was collecting them, and they weren't going to be released. I have a few geocoins that I will never release because I am keeping them as achievement awards. I also have a traveler attached to my hat which will never be released. While I'm not quite up to requiring a binder for my geocoins, I will probably prepare a code handout sheet to make it easier for others. I don't have my travelers 'visit' any caches, and I only take them to events. So, an option that would work for me would be to set a flag on a trackable that would prevent logging. Before an event, I could open up the trackables for logging, and a week or so after the event, disable logging. With a bunch of programming by GS, when I 'attend' an event, I could be asked if I wanted to open up my trackables for logging. And, they could automatically be closed up two or three weeks later.
Another feature that GS could add that would streamline the trackable process is to make it easier to log trackables, specifically when we grab one. When updating the log for a cache with trackables, allow us to enter the trackable code for the known trackable on the log page, and log both cache and trackable at the same time. This could also help with getting the word out on trackables, so that cachers that don't yet know about trackables would learn about them as they log a cache.
Another thing that would be nice is if the GPX file would include the mission of the trackable(s) within a cache. I don't have 24/7 Internet access, and so I will sometimes leave a trackable in a cache because I don't know if I can help it on its mission. Of course, attaching a nice laminated card would help. Maybe GS could offer a travel bug that allowed for custom printing right on the tag? That way, a TO wouldn't need a separate laminated card.
As for how quickly a trackable should move once grabbed from a cache, please, no automated pester messages. I try to be quick moving them, but I make no guarantees.
These things would make it trackable more enjoyable for me.
Thanks, Skye.
-
Geocaching can be included in the 4-H Geospatial Project. Cornell has produced some interesting training programs for this, including a section on Geocaching.
http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/Documents/About/Program%20Themes/SET/4-H%20Science%20Toolkit/GPS.pdf
http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/about%20us/Pages/4-HGeospatialScience.aspx
These cover a lot of what niraD mentioned in his reply. As a 4-H leader, you should be able to get a copy of the Geospatial Project CD from your local 4-H office. I was (and will continue to be) a 4-H Geospatial leader, the CD and above links are where I get most of my training materials from.
Skye.
-
Looking at this feature request, I have a couple of questions regarding exactly what is being asked. The first set of question has to do with the definition of a 'series'.
Exactly what makes a cache a part of a series? Do they all have to be placed by the same cacher? Is it because they all have the same theme? Do they all have the same keywords in the title? Or, it is because the build upon each other? I will use GeoTours in my examples, because they probably represent the closest official geocaching.com definition of a series.
Exploring further, if they must be placed by the same cacher, then the caches that make up the Washington State Parks GeoTour do not qualify as a series, because they have been placed by multiple cachers. On the other hand, that same GeoTour could qualify if a series is based on a theme. After all, they are all placed in a Washington State Parks. While a number of caches in various GeoTours all have a keyword or two, there are several that do not. The Klamath Volcanic Scenic Byway caches do not have any keywords in common.
None of this so far is new to the discussion; it just recaps the baseline. So, using the existing tools on geocaching.com (or even using GSAK), it is difficult for a cacher to isolate a series.
Another fundamental question that has not been well addressed is who determines if a cache is part of a series? Based on the responses above, a power trail set of caches could be one of four things: 1) a bunch of caches geographically close together (in other words, the cacher could care less about the fact that these make up a power trail); 2) an aberration that must be avoided (so, we want the ability to exclude them); 3) for others, we need to ability to include them, even to the point of excluding all else, and; 4) we want the ability to include them, and other caches that are close by. Based on my reading, I think we must agree that a series is in the eyes of the beholder.
Are there other questions that might have a bearing on the definition of a series? I can come up with at least two.
Do the caches in a series build upon each other? I am aware of a series of puzzle caches that do build upon each other, and must be solved in a specific order. The answer to this question helps us define whether or not order must be maintained. There is also another reason that order may be important. This has to do with the question team tisri asked above. Can we create a route from the series, and use this to find other caches that are close by. In order to create the route, order will be important. We also need to consider the directional nature of the order. If the caches must be solved in order, the order is unidirectional. If it is used to define a route, the order might be bidirectional. In other words, must you start at one end, or can you start at either end?
Another related question is, can a cache belong to more than one series? I am aware of a couple of caches that require solving one cache before another. On the other hand, I have not hear of any caches that are required in order to solve multiple caches later.
So how do we tackle this? Looking at all the conflicting questions and answers, I don't think that this can be accomplished with a single, comprehensive solution. Therefore, I have a couple of smaller proposals.
1) Add a attribute for 'part of a power trail'. This would address the people that seek or don't seek a power trail. Yes, this ignores the question of what if the CO doesn't add the attribute, but that is a whole different topic/rant on providing and updating accurate attribute information.
2) Make bookmark lists easier to create and be used. It seems to me that the definition of a series is in the eyes of the beholder, therefore user defined lists will be a required part of the solution. Here are some of the ways that they could be made easier to create and maintain such lists.
2a) Allow for a quick way for caches to be loaded into a list. On any list of caches, allow a selection box, and a button for quick list creation/addition. This will allow for caches by a specific CO or keyword to be quickly created.
2b) Allow for caches in a list to be ordered. Add some mechanism to allow the order to be changed, such as a move up/down button.
2c) When creating a pocket query based on a list, add a route section to the GPX file. This would allow for using the series outside of geocaching.com.
2d) On the Create/Edit a Route page, allow for a list name to be entered.
2e) Add an extension to the GPX file to include list names in the GPX file.
2f) On the Create/Edit a Route page, allow for a route in a GPX file to be uploaded.
3) Add a new attribute for 'related to another cache'. This would help cover the case where one cache is related to another. The cache description would need to define the nature of that relationship, but at least we could use the attribute to include/exclude the cache on pocket queries.
4) One of the current problems with using bookmark lists is in finding them. When a cache is added to a public bookmark list, that list is added to the cache page. For example, see http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4B7G0_wastatepks100-alta-lake. This cache (at the time of writing) was on 43 different bookmark lists, most of which were the same list created by different people. And of course, only a select few of the lists are actually shown on the cache page. I offer the following suggestion to improve list usability.
4a) Allow for 'vetted', or reviewed lists, giving them a more official status. Give these lists their own section on a cache page. Make the criteria fairly strict. The list must be thematic. Power trails (assuming we have a power trail attribute) would not be allowed. The method used to create the list must be provided to the reviewer.
4b) On the Create/Edit a Route page (or a new page), notify the list creator when their list is a duplicate of another public and/or reviewed list.
These suggestion do not cover all possible cases, I was attempting to cover a majority. Power trails are isolated. Lists are better maintained. Routes can be created and used to find nearby caches.
Thanks for your time, Skye.
-
Thanks for the kind words. I frequent the GeoTours page a lot, looking to see what is new.
I don't do Facebook, and when it come to GeoTours, my 'region' is fairly large. My current GeoTour pocket query search radius is 1500 miles (for me, a two day drive). I don't make it any larger, as I don't want to include Mexico (but I do want Canada). So, if you do add an Instant Notify tool, please include the ability to limit notification for GeoTours in select countries, states/provinces, continents, etc., along with a simple radius.
Thanks again, Skye.
-
The GeoTours that I have done have been great! So great, that I would like to be notified whenever a new GeoTour is created.
I was initially going to ask that a feature that would notify me whenever a new GeoTour is added. But I realized that GeoTour was also a cache attribute, and I could create a pocket query to accomplish something similar. I setup a pocket query for attribute GeoTour, and it appeared to work. Further research indicated that a few caches that were part of a GeoTour that were not marked with the GeoTour attribute.
I am asking that either part of the GeoTour posting process be updating the GeoTour attribute on all caches, or add a feature to be notified when new GeoTours are added.
Thanks much, Skye.
P.S., pass on to the Marketing Department that I will go out of my way, including scheduling vacations, just to do a GeoTour that has some kind of prize, like a GeoCoin. I did two of the GeoTours out of Eugene, OR, and am hooked on the concept. Lots more fun that finding a film canister in a parking lot!
-
I was just out on the traillink site (www.traillink.com). They now offer GPX downloads for their trails. You do not have to have an account, but it's free to set one up.
Use their 'Find A Trail' feature. When you get to the info page, there will be a button to download the GPX.
You can take the GPX file and upload it (premium membership required) on Geocaching.com. Off of your profile, click on 'Upload GPX/KML Route'. Upload your route, then select it. There should be a link near the bottom of the screen under the buttons to 'Create a Pocket Query'. You can set the distance from the route, along with other PQ filters.
One of my favorite trails (North Idaho Centennial Trail) runs near a freeway. I set the search radius for the PQ as small as possible, so that the PQ does not include very many caches on the wrong side of the freeway.
I have also used GSAK, and loaded the GPX for the trail in the Arc/Poly filter, and it works just fine.
-
Another use might be EarthCaches. You learn about them at www.earthcache.org. Very similar to the ecocaches from ILEGA.
From the Types of caches page located on geocaching.com, "An EarthCache is a special place that people can visit to learn about a unique geoscience feature or aspect of our Earth. EarthCaches include a set of educational notes and the details about where to find the location (latitude and longitude). Visitors to EarthCaches can see how our planet has been shaped by geological processes, how we manage the resources and how scientists gather evidence to learn about the Earth."
-
I'd steer clear of the yellow eTrex for a couple of reasons. First, they use the older serial cable connections. Second, that cable does not come with the unit. So, you will need to acquire the cable, then possibly have to install a serial card in the computer, or purchase USB to serial port adapters, around $20.
Also, for readability, I'd try to get units with color screens.
As for funding, there was a discussion a couple of years ago on this forum about grants. Parts of it may still be relevent. Discussion on grants for GPS equipment
-
I agree with most of the consensus. The CO is not required to update TB inventory, but as a courtesy, they should when doing cache maintenance. However, I think that for TB Hotel type caches, they do take on more responsiblity for keeping the trackables inventory up-to-date.
Maybe if it was easier for cachers to update information on trackables, some of these requests would go away. It's easy to drop a trackable in a cache when logging a visit, but it requires multiple steps to retrieve or discover a trackable. If Groundspeak were to add a discovery and retrieval capability to the Log your visit page, do you think it would cut down on the requests to check a cache?
I know one of the reasons I don't log discoveries on trackable is they take time. Being able to do this while logging the cache visit would make the process quicker.
Garmin Epix
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
I asked Garmin Support, and here is their answer on paperless geocaching support on the Garmin Epix.
"Thank you for contacting Garmin International. The Garmin Epix will support paperless geocaching. At this time it will be with a GPX format."