Search the Community

Hard to define a single best day. But like you, most were getting one challenging cache. There is a 10 mile hike in the woods multi cache about 80 miles from us that is close to number one. Logged it as found the first trip but have hiked it a few more times just for the fun of it. Another was when I loaded of the kayak, drove 120 miles, and paddled 2 miles to get an island cache. And yet another was a cache 45 feet up in a big magnolia tree that required some form of climbing gear, took three trips before I finally managed to get to the cache. I don't expect to find many caches like these out in the wild. However, it sure would be nice to run across one every once in a while that didn't require a drive of 300 or more miles to get to. Wouldn't be none of this talk of burnout for me if that was the case.

I have posted this in other "forgot my pen" threads, so I'll echo it here: most people don't intend to go out caching with a pen, just as most people don't intentionally leave their wallets at home, or lose their pen in their bag, or leave a pen or hiking stick or phone or GPSr at a geocache. All have happened to me over the last eleven years of geocaching. I've never left my daughter at a geocache, but then she can walk and talk, and she wouldn't let me leave her behind even if I tried. If you have never forgotten anything, then kudos to you.

"a young lady at Apple support" isn't going to be in a position to help you. At best, she'll manage to pass your issue along in a way that might get it to the right people there. The folks who need to check into this at Apple are those that manage their mail servers with the domains those of you with issues are mentioning. It may be difficult or even impossible to talk to the right people. You literally need to talk to one of the administrators of their mail servers who set up the reputation rules for the server, or who obtain that information from a 3rd party to determine how to manage mail from other servers based upon their 'reputation'. Alternately -- Groundspeak, it's your ball again! You may well be getting bounce messages from these Apple email servers that are providing an indication of why your mail is being rejected. Could you have a look? The bounces you were getting from Comcast were trying to tell you what the problem was. A peek at your server logs might turn up something similar for the Apple servers.

So why are there different cache types at all? Why not just one cache type, one icon, and just put different words in the title to differentiate cache types? I dont understand the resistance to the idea of having a different cache type for challenge caches. Would it actually harm the way you cache? It's funny in a way that we can all talk specifically about challenge caches, we all know *exactly* what type of cache that is as opposed to other cache types, and there are lots of them... but for some reason, there's disagreement that they are indeed a distinct type of cache.

If you've been to the cache site for sure don't be timid. If you've never been to the area, mind your own business. That's my philosophy. But then I am not perfect either. Geocaching is a community thing, if all of us just mind our own business, geocaching will die. TRIM Oh pu-lease. Was my point that difficult to see? Was your point that you're not perfect either? I think I see the point and I think I agree with it. We can and should all identify problems so they can be resolved, one way or another. Posting N/A is a serious action. We all know that n000bs sometimes post it too quickly (they search for 5 minutes and assume it's missing). To me, posting N/A on a cache you've never visited is a bit extreme. IMO that crosses the line to becoming a "cache cop." I was making a joke unrelated to the topic. I agree with bflentje, but I disagree with two parts of your response. NA isn't "a serious action". It's just a log type, and people sometimes get it wrong. If you think it's "serious", then you take the game too seriously. Then, there's the "cache cop" thing. We're all "cache cops", and I'm really sick of seeing this tossed around as an insult. Yes, yes, people can be overbearing or deliberately inflammatory when posting NAs. But that's a HUGE minority of cases for how the NA log is actually used in the overwhelming majority of cases. And in those where it is not, see "taking the game too seriously" if someone gets undie-bundled over a NA log. It's not just the job of a Reviewer to look at a cache and weigh the evidence for a log. If I can tell that a cache needs maintenance as I'm researching for a trip, I can certainly log that. And if the case seems very clear that a NA is possible, then there's really no reason not to log that as well. Now, if you want to talk about a big difference here--then we can talk about where someone is not a "cache cop", but just a plain "jerk". That is when one might simply start couch-clicking through cache listings and logging NA from their armchair with Cheeto dusted fingers when they have no plan whatsoever to ever be at or near that cache.

Just because it is doesn't directly relate to geocaching doesn't make it an agendum. I've found and hidden caches near historic places that talk about the history of said place, of which geocaching had no mention. Caches are near natural springs that invite finders to try the water, also not geocaching-related. Such a request might be interpreted as more of an agenda as OP's example. Of course, as we all know, previous caches in no way set precedence for future cache publications. If OP feels strongly enough about the situation, I would definitely appeal this decision.

Hey, I can talk to this! This happened to me. My decision was to change the stage while keeping the rest of the multi the same. If you mean the "virtual/physical" attribute for the stage, I actually did not change the attribute, either. I'm not going to explain why, but I will mention that you should feel free to change the attribute if you can. Furthermore, I'll tell you that this approach did cause some confusion when a previous finder checked the stage on a whim and discovered the original sign based pointer was missing. She filed an NM pointing out it was broken. No big deal: I just filed an OM explaining that it had changed, and also sent that previous finder a note thanking her for the notice and explaining what had happened. It broke my heart when the original pointer disappeared, so I could only be thankful that someone else remembered how it used to be fondly enough to think I should know that it was broken.

Parents know their kid ain't cute they just don't talk about it.

Fully agree. Not few cache owners are the opposite here - quite easy to offend by an honest log. But I do not think it is too different in other places in the world... Aren't we all weak egomaniacs!? By the way: we usually talk about too LOW ratings. Did anyone of you ever complain about a rating that was too high? Finding the terrain 3 cache high in the tree or the terrain 4 cache which needs a ladder makes me usually complain about the rating. But what about the terrain 5 cache that can easily be climbed to so that terrain 4 would suit better? Or the difficulty 4 mystery cache that anyone solves in 3 minutes. Do you complain that the rating is too high? Perhaps I do not do this as often as other way round but I think it is important to do so, too. If you do in both directions it shows that you want the rating to suit the cache. If you only complain about low ratings it might show that you want to have a big statistics. Both may be true (for all of us)... Recently I solved a D3 mystery in one minute. Now the cache is rated 2.5 after my log - any maybe D2 may be even better as the riddle was really easy. The owner listened to me and no one else complained about the decreased rating as it was just too high... May be something different if the D5 cache would become a D3?! ;-)

I think we are still on topic, and I don't mean to offend Touchstone - if there really is an issue of COs (note plural) unreasonably deleting peoples logs, and continuing to do so, then let's talk about that as a reason for a change of some kind to deal with it... But I'm not seeing it...

To add to the above... Since I'm quite a fan of Earthcaches, and somewhat of a promoter and advocate for earthcaching, I often talk to people about earthcaching. Of those who aren't into earthcaching, here are the top 3 reasons why they don't do it: Number 1 - Too much work to do, too complex, hard to complete requirements, don't know what I'm looking at, don't have something to write down answers on, etc. (Some of this is being unprepared, some of it relates to overly complex ECs they have looked at, or even poorly written up ECs that don't give enough background info) Number 2 - It's virtually impossible to get an EC published, even when you jump through all the hoops, more hoops get created and there's so much inconsistency in the reviewing. (Well, no offence to the reviewers in this thread who have been very helpful in this discussion, but I tend to agree with this one - from my experience I have wasted many many many hours, probably 100s trying to get ECs published and then given up because of sometimes outrageously stretched and pedantic interpretations of guidelines, sometimes entirely made up ones) Number 3 - Oh, there isn't a number 3... Nope, I have never ever heard the reason, in the hundreds of people I have talked to about earthcaching, that they don't do ECs because of COs deleting their logs too quickly and upsetting them. Not once.

I'm not infuriated, but it does seem stupid. If ever there was a good example for posting an NM, this is it, yet they don't even mention that. Instead, we're supposed to quietly talk to the CO in order to to keep it a secret so no know else that might want to look for the cache knows it's a piece of junk. Sheesh. I'm not surprised by the "replace with fresh paper" suggestion even though it's unbelievably silly: ignoring the signatures, the log they show might have been added yesterday from the looks of it. By the time I get through all that, I'm only mildly amused by the idea that they are, it's true, telling seekers that they are supposed to perform maintenance if they can. Astonishingly counterproductive.

14 in 24h?!? That is so Amazing Race. Every so often I talk up the idea of doing the 8 countries from Panama City to Cancun, and - because things aren't that efficient down there - I keep wondering if 3 weeks might be rushing it. Interestingly, it looks like last-minute one-way flights home from Cancun cost next to nothing. I'd never have guessed. So it leaves the door open to an open-ended trip. Find a paradise beach along the way? Stay a while.

I know you're (probably) not serious, but #2 and #3 sound like good ways to (1) get your cache archived when the foreign reviewer finds out, (2) lose all trust with your local reviewer(s) when the the foreign reviewer lets your local reviewer(s) know you are not to be trusted (reviewers talk all the time, you know), and (3) potentially have Groundspeak suspend your account or take other sanctions. I would recommend instead: 1. Plan a non-physical cache, such as an earthcache or (if you have one) virtual reward, and plan it so that maintenance will not be necessary. 2. Plan a meaningful event that will give local geocachers and other travelers a chance to meet and greet. 3. Find a local maintainer who will actually maintain your cache BEFORE hiding the container and submitting the cache for review. 4. Failing #1, #2, and #3, don't hide a cache.

Well, of course you do. Let's look at this user friendly block of BOLD ALL CAPS RED TEXT that appears on your earthcaches. So friendly! Reminds me of the signs I see on the way to work, except those have less bold, red, and upper case text, despite the fact that they talk about the use of deadly force, not log deletion. In light of the moderator note below, let me clarify my intent. I don't mean this as a personal affront, but as an illustration on how subjective reasonableness is at play here. You have similar approaches to warning of deletion, so you view this as reasonable. I do not, so from my perspective, it is not as reasonable. But unless either of us work for appeals, then ultimately these are just our personal opinions and approaches.

I think it's more of a simplification for purposes of discussion than a presumption. Certainly replacing a damaged container with an identical container on a historically well maintained cache is less of an issue, but it's just a difference in degree. Like most things in geocaching, nothing's black and white even though we love to talk as if they were. Replacing a damaged container is more likely useful, but it can also be a problem if the cache is habitually damaged and the CO never does maintenance. In that case, although replacing the container seems like a nice thing to do, it results in keeping a cache going that really should be scrapped. I do think it's a good example for the people that claim all non-CO maintenance is done by number grubbers. You can sign the log in a damaged container and already claim the find, so the complaint that seeker maintenance is only done for selfish reasons can't be applied when a failing container is replaced with a good one.

Friendlyness? Sometimes a cacher simply forgets to sent the answers. Or we had the situation that one of the team (let's say me) said he sent the answers and forget to do so and others logged reffering to the answers sent in by frostengel - oups! So why always state the guidelines and make anything a threat? "I will delete your log..." Try to be kind a find a good formulation - than you are on the safe side and others will be happy, too. I have an unknown cache where regularly cachers log though they only have found the empty nano cache which is a red herring at stage one. The puzzle comes afterwards and in the end a tree awaits. So they find a kind of 1.5/1.5 traditional which should be 4.5/4.5 unknown cache - and the rating is correct. I have never deleted the log at once, I always send a message and give them some time to respond. And if nothing happens I still can delete the log - up to now I never had to quote any rules of the guidelines. Some of the cachers respond and apologize (and are interested in the cache and we have a nice talk), others don't react, not before and not after the deletion. Too complicated? Not for me, it does not take soooo much time....

1) just wait for a week (or so) 2) then remind the cacher via PN or message center that he has to provide the answers; say that it is okay if they'll need time but then they can write one sentence to you about it ("I am on vacation, will do this in three weeks.") so you know what is up; add and excuse in advance that you have to delete the log if you here nothing for the next three days 3) if nothing comes: delete the log I don't think anyone can blame you for doing so and as you already have excused you don't have to take any further action. Sounds laborious but you just use the same E-Mail anytime. If nothing happens after 3) it is okay (for you!) If the cachers answer your message afterwards it is okay - you can talk to each other. If they simply repeat the cache log without telling you anything restart with point 2) once (perhaps using slightly different mail) and if necessary delete it again. Contact Groundspeak if they don't stop found logging without sending any answers. You have sent them three or more messages (perhaps you can use different systems) so I think you are on the right side and no one can blame you haven't tried anything to make the log a regular one. After all what happened the guidelines force you to log the find. I don't think somethink like that will happen very often!? Then it should be no problem. :-)

You seem to think Bundyrumandcoke is complaining, but I see this as just a conversation about some behavior by a reviewer that seems inconsistent or confusing. I'm not sure what your reviewer is doing, but people rarely post DNFs or NMs on powertrails, so there's no reason to expect a reviewer to have any reason to step in. From what I can tell, the reviewer that's changing things in your area is reacting to things in the log, so that's a different kettle of fish. There has been a general tightening up of standards including quicker unilateral action by reviewers, and this might be even more disconcerting when a reviewer with tighter standards steps in and starts acting in an area that has a tradition of looser standards. The best way to find out what's going on and provide feedback is to talk to the reviewer. Maybe he needs some lessons in local standards, or maybe he can give you an update on the newer GS policies. One of the trends I'm seeing is towards more universal standards and ignoring local preferences, and, from what you're saying, that would hit your area particularly hard. Talking it over is the best way to approach issues like that. I'm no expert or anything, but I think in years past, reviewers were more personally involved with the caches, so in many case they weren't just passively ignoring certain problem caches, they were actively protecting them. I think that's fine. What's important is whether people are enjoying a cache, and I consider the rules just something to help us do that. Recently, I think reviewers are becoming more detached from the community for various reasons, although I think shear volume of caches is the main one. I understand that, too. That makes them more likely to react to a cache that's having a little trouble than they might have back when there were fewer caches, many of which were planted by the reviewers' friends. One mantra the guidelines have always stressed is that there's no such thing as precedent in geocaching. Just because you've seen something somewhere else doesn't mean it will be allowed for you.

The rule is there for the benefit of the cache owner. It allows them to delete finds, they believe to be bogus, in which the log was not signed. Other than that it's completely up to the cache owner to decide what's an acceptable find. Talk about geo-litter. I'm probably responsible for a box or two of pens I've lost in the woods over the years.

Yes, ALL those things! Arrgghhh! If you don't know why I said that, look up "International Talk Like a Pirate Day", matey!

Never forget. How could I? My mother-in-law was dying of cancer. My husband was up north to be with her for a final week. He called me and woke me up. "Turn on the TV" "What? What is it?" "Turn on the TV" "No games, just tell me" "I can't. Just turn it on" Just in time to see the second tower fall (3 hour time difference, it was early). I was alone, all alone, on this terrible day. Mike didn't want to talk on the phone because his mother was dying. I couldn't reach other family members to talk to them. I was all alone and scared that I would never see my husband again. Who knew that day if anything else would happen? I began to wonder if anyone I knew as a child growing up in New York was in those buildings. My sister-in-law couldn't fly down to see her mother. I had to try and figure out a way to get her down here before my mother-in-law died. Days later, my husband came home, and 2 weeks later my mother-in-law died. Our hearts ached and grieved that whole year. For me, one of the hardest things is not having anyone to talk to about 9/11. Mike can't talk about it because of his mother. No one else I know will talk about it. I needed to talk about it and I couldn't. Even now, nearing the second anniversary, I ache. The images are there, imbedded in my brain. Images of people jumping off the building I can't get rid of. Even now, if I see an image of the WTC, or 9/11, I physically recoil. I ache for a world that we lost, the innocence the young children will never know in this new world. The innocence I used to know growing up, not realizing that people hated me because of who I am. Not knowing that people longed for me to die because I am an American. I wish we could still live like that. I will never forget.

Saw a cellphone for 59 bucks at Walmart, has GPS including GLONASS and all the other goodies. Works with a Straight Talk phone network. My question is, can one just go in and buy the phone but never activate it and still use it for geocaching? I figure since the GPS would work, I could simply download a program like C:**** and manually load gpx files into the unit that way. I would have then a fully functional GPS unit that has an unlimited gpx file limit. I could also download maps and use them in the field. Along with having a camera, music, android apps, and wifi.... The only thing it couldn't do is make phonecalls unless I bought a straight talk calling card. Seems like a cheap way to get a super GPS unit for geocaching for just 59 bucks.... Is there any downside to this idea?????

What if you liked "Send To GPS", but it's gone? There's an interesting thread here on the GSAK forum, about how you may be able to load a GPS that otherwise doesn't accept "GPX" files directly. "GSAK" can talk to many of the old GPSs. Sorry, I don't have a list of them. The process will be something like, click "GPX File", and send that to GSAK, which in turn sends the cache info to the GPS. Looks like it's not "one click", but maybe it will do. Remember that GSAK is full-fledged Geocaching database software, so you could do pretty much everything, more or less without having to visit the web site.

A friend of mine has asked me to sell her collection as she is getting out of coin collecting. (Just so you know it is not GPXNavigators though.) I know that she has some really nice coins including some compass rose coins, yemon yime etc. dating up to about 2009) I don't have all the coins in my possession at the moment so I can't give a full list yet but I do have a pretty hefty bag full of coins here. Actually she has some that I have never seen before (Amazing I know! LOL) Some will be listed here for sale. Maybe some will be posted on facebook and some on ebay. If there are specific coins you might be looking for let me know and I will look at what I am sorting through right now to see if she has it. Most of her coins aren't activated. For now I have four listed on ebay. Talk a look at this one and then you can link to the others--all trackable. In honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day I also listed some pirate theme coins. Glass Traveler Geocoin Edit to try to fix link!