Your Best Attribute As A Cacher?

[+TeamVilla5]

Since I've seen a large number of complaint/negative threads lately, I thought I'd ask something positive!

 

Whether it's hiding or finding, we all have something that we feel we do best within our sport... let's share what those positive attributes are! Do you feel like you are an exceptionally creative micro-hider? Are you a coordinates guru? Is The Force strong with you when you are searching?

 

For me, still green in the game... I think I do a pretty good job putting together creative themed caches with a lot of thought put into making them friendly for all ages. As a team, we are CITO pros; we CITO everywhere we go, and we take the trash home, so I can then separate trash from recyclables!

 

Who's next?

 

Happy Cachin'!

Lori V.

TeamVilla5

[+sept1c_tank]

I'm pretty good at spotting the cache location from 100+ feet.

[+Sue Gremlin]

I am really really good at DNFs.

[+briansnat]

I like to hide caches and I like to think they are mostly high quality. Of 135 or so caches I've hidden, maybe 5-6 may have been micros and about the same number have been park-n- grabs. Even with those I look for something redeeming about the spot. An historic site, or a nice view perhaps.

 

I generally don't do clever hides or puzzles. My caches are of the "Here are the coordinates, there is an ammo box out there and its a nice spot. Go find it" school of geocaching.

 

I'm also pretty good at DNFs too.

Edited November 26, 2005 by briansnat

[+whistler & co.]

We find all of our DNF's...eventually. We currently have only two DNF's out there waiting to be removed from under the sun visor. One was verified moved quite some distance from the posted coords and is now back in place, so when we get up that way we'll find it. The other was a 2 part with a micro in a stone wall as part one. It was swampy and dark while we were looking for it, and now it's hunting season, so that one will have to wait. DNF's keep me awake at night....

[+Sue Gremlin]

Me too, Whistler. We like to resolve our DNF's and so far, we've been fairly successful, but right now we have one that's particularly vexing. I think we've been back three times, and the most robust, manly, hardcore cachers in the area have had problems with it. This is no consolation. Must. Find. Cache.

[+sTeamTraen]

Things I think I do better than average:

- I usually trade up; in any case I never leave junk. And if there's nothing I want to take, I often leave something anyway. (That's hard when the cache only contains total dreck; you know that your gesture won't be appreciated much.)

- I try to move TBs on promptly. (It doesn't always work out.)

- I check (and, if necessary, repair) my caches after someone logs a DNF.

 

On the downside:

- I'm not very good at finding caches! For difficult sites I like to have my son along, as he's better at thinking "outside the box".

- I do sometimes drive past those "forest officials only" signs to save time.

- I will take a plastic bag which is wrapped round a cache. I see this as probably something I shouldn't do - OK, bags are deprecated, but the owner wanted it there - but I can't stand by and watch a leaking bag admit water and keep it nice 'n' close to the cache box.

[+the hermit crabs]

My best caching-related skill is probably remembering the details of previous caches. My co-crab can mention some vague recollection of some cache we found in the past, and right away I can tell him the cache name, the town it was in, what the weather was like when we went there, where we parked, which trails (and which wrong turns) we took, what the cache looked like, where it was hidden, and what we traded. (And what injuries happened along the way. "See this scar? It's from that cache.")

 

Unfortunately this skill is rarely of any use on future finds

 

Things that I enjoy doing (but wouldn't claim to be anywhere near the best at):

-- taking fun pictures of bugs before moving them on. (We rarely if ever have a "found it -- will move along" bug log.)

-- creating and releasing bugs with interesting goals

-- thinking up ideas for cache hides that are unique in some way

-- camouflaging containers (I'm still new at it, but it's a very fun, if messy, learning process)

[+flannelman]

Well I guess that my greatest skill is bushwacking to caches. I like the off the beaten path type caches. The kids and I took the wrong trail to a cache and had to bushwack up a hill to get to the right trail. We got to see a really nice creek along the trail and got some good photos. I really enjoy trying to find my way with nothing more than the gps to point the way, no trails, no signs.

[+Arrow One]

I seem to be good at finding caches when the cords are off. I also am good at using what I learn from other caches to help find other caches. I always trade up, or not at all, and I move TBs on in a week or so and only place them in caches that are well hidden and in a good container.

I'm also good at tripping over just about anything, but that's another story...

[Hugh Jazz]

I'm awful at finding caches, but I've won some awards for my hides.

 

I like to hide really difficult puzzles where the cache itself is obvious once you solve for the coords, but it might take you days or months to solve one of my puzzles, but chances are you will never solve it.

 

I also like to hide tricky non-puzzle hides, and you might have to go back three or four times, and you'll definitely scratch your head over it, but when you finally do find it, you won't think it cruel, because the container was there and quite visible all the time but you just couldn't see it because you weren't thinking that particular way, or you weren't even thinking someone could hide a cache like that. I'd never toss a film can in a pile of leaves for example, but you might find a pair of sneakers hanging from a tree 30 feet up in the air over a fake stick pile. You'll search that pile and 50 feet in every direction but will you ever think to look up, inside the sneakers? How about if it was a 5 gallon bucket hanging up there? Yeah I've done that and stumped the best of 'em.

 

I also like to hide really big 20+ gallon sized "Hugh Jazz" caches and see how long it takes before they get muggled. Sometimes they don't.

[Directional]

I seem to be really good at spoting camoed M&M's tubes among foliage by sight really quickly. Now THAT'S a talent.

[+The Waldo's]

I may not be that good at spotting the cache but I can sniff out the nearest Dunkin

Donuts.

[+Sue Gremlin]

Ooh, yeah, I am the same way with Taco Bell.

[+GEO.JOE]

I am very proud of my cache hides. I pride myself in placing quality caches in interesting places. I always use quality waterproof clear containers where required and ammo boxes everywhere else. I stock the caches with items that will be interesting to adults and kids. I place the caches in locations with great history, beautiful scenery, or places that are not well known. I view the process of placing a cache as being a virtual tour guide so I try to include the story of the location as well as things to see and other activities the finder can participate in. At my rural caches I hope that finders will plan to spend the better part of a day hiking, exploring and enjoying the area as much as I do. Unfortunately all of my Shawnee National Forest Caches are members only to protect them form a cache thief. This has resulted in them only being found 4 to 7 times in a year.

 

(Check them out, I think they are the best)

 

I am also a stickler on cache maintenance. I get out to check any of my caches within a week after a report of a problem. I have also volunteered to assist in maintaining all but 5 of the existing caches in Shawnee National Forest. I check on these caches every time I am near just in case the cache thief has visited.

 

I try to be a friend to other cachers and if a cache is in need of assistance I will contact the cache owner and repair/replace any cache in my local area. I like to know that the next finders will find the cache in the best shape possible. I also help out any cache I find that is wet or damaged by cleaning/drying it out, placing everything in a Ziploc and repairing the box if possible.

 

Happy Caching

GEO.JOE

[+rvtraveller]

Let me see........

 

-Falling down!

-Walking and looking at the gps at the same time....could be the reason for above

-Enjoying some quality time with my Geo wife

 

RVTraveller

[+N8OFP - Del]

I good at finding a way to get dirty from head to toe every time I go out caching. Doesn't matter if we walk three miles through the woods or 3 feet through a parking lot, I find some way to get dirty......

In fact I have a couple pair of jeans that are my caching jeans because they have slid down so many hills, gotten soaked from falling in water (I alway seems to be able to find the deepest spot in a shellow creek to fall into), that the stains just will not come out.....

[+Jimbogeo Team]

I seem to be very good at making a fairly simple cache hide much more difficult to find than it needed to be.

[+Nerves]

I use my intuition alot and refuse to give up!

[+TeamVilla5]

These are great... keep 'em coming!

 

Happy Cachin'!

Lori V.

TeamVilla5

[+Ed Rad]

FallenFaery

[Tahosa and Sons]

The Dessert is one of my favorites. But wait till next year there will be a tougher one.

[+trail hound]

I like to hide caches and I like to think they are mostly high quality. Of 135 or so caches I've hidden, maybe 5-6 may have been micros and about the same number have been park-n- grabs. Even with those I look for something redeeming about the spot. An historic site, or a nice view perhaps.

 

I generally don't do clever hides or puzzles. My caches are of the "Here are the coordinates, there is an ammo box out there and its a nice spot. Go find it" school of geocaching.

 

I'm also pretty good at DNFs too.

Every 'Snat' cache that I have done, Has been a quality cache....

I know that I won't be disappointed when I go 'Snat caching' !!

Most are relatively easy finds too ...Just look in a crack or a crevice

[+Mearth]

I was born with a great integrated compass. Can't get lost. May not know how to get "there" from "here", but I know where "there" is.

 

I trade up ALWAYS, hide better than I find (if possible), repair caches in distress (if possible), and am pretty competent with field surgery of the pocket-knife and tweezers variety.

 

Oh...and I'm always "in the mood".

 

For caching.

[+Team Silver]

I think i am best known for being the "most complained about in the forums" for numerous lame 35 mm micros hidden 15 miles into the woods...just kidding!

[+Criminal]

I like girls, I like them a lot.

[+Airmapper]

I hate to brag, but I am kinda proud of some caching I did today.

 

I got 2 WJTB's, my first 2, in the same day. And one of the caches I got the WJTB in was meant to be accessed by boat. (I didn't have a boat.)

[rocketmann]

I like to think I'm good at using some of the maps provided on the cache page to help find the cache. Sometimes if I have a bad connection I have nearly as good of luck using paper maps and a compass.

[Mustcache]

I've received fairly good feedback on my puzzle caches. I guess that's what I'm most proud of.

 

[+KolarBear]

I'm really good at forgetting where i set my GPS...

 

I'd say world class good

[+eaglespirit0]

Being only 17, I don't think 394 caches in a little over a year is that bad. I guess it's a combination of the desire for adventure and parents who realize that harmless adventure like this (as opposed to drinking, drugs, etc.) is actually a growth experience for me.

 

Not to mention my acute sense to pick something out of the ordinary -- with the very frequent exception. I either find it quickly or take forever.

[+Ambrosia]

My stupidity.

[+ohgr]

I find the good parking spots. I've spent most of my life out in the fields, sloshing through the streams, etc etc. but when it comes to spotting a film canister stuffed inside a pine cone and suspended in a pine tree my better half has me beat. see the sig? It's for her.

 

Ohgr

[+TeamAO]

I'm pretty good at finding caches without having any idea of what the container size is and not having a hint with me.

 

We upload 1,000+ waypoints at a time, and never have the page. We're usually hit and miss, but if a cache is there, we usually do decent at finding it.

[+BigWhiteTruck]

I am really good at coming up with great hiding ideas, but never actually getting around to doing the hiding.

[+hndlbr]

I try to make my caches interesting and a challange but have gotten some negative feedback, I do list them as difficult. I am best at picking up trash. Always cito.

[+Renegade Knight]

If it's easy, I can't find it.

If it's virtually impossible, that's my cache.

My DNF ratio is rising at a rate faster than anyone else alive.

Trouble follows me.

I have an uncanny knack for finding all the bugs in electronics.

Ideas on things come to me 24/7. Corporate America should hire me to do nothing but think things up.

Edited November 28, 2005 by Renegade Knight

[+CYBret]

For a fat guy I don't sweat so bad.

 

Bret

[+bthomas]

In my state, I have the most cache finds above 14000 feet (4, shared with another cacher). Obscure, eh?

[+Lizooki]

Finding and logging caches in the worst possible weather w/ out ruining the cache or log.

I once found a micro behind this big wooden boat w/ 2 of each animal on it....while it was raining.

 

Matt

[+treasure_hunter]

Im pretty good at guesing which light pole the cache is going to be under.

[+flask]

online logs.

[+saxdiva and mr. vibes]

While I'm not always the fastest about releasing travel bugs, they're only held with the owner's permission and I try to show them a really good time.

 

This bug came with us to California after touring Europe for a few weeks. We've been holding on to him for a bit because we've just finished the school term (we're both professors) and don't mind an excuse to go to Vegas next week...

 

-Leanne

[Team Firebird]

I always trade up, and I will proform cache maintnence as nessicary(Not just on my caches)!

[+carleenp]

I am really really good at DNFs.

Me too!

[+reveritt]

I'm pretty good at spotting the cache location from 100+ feet.

This is my strength as well. I haven't found too many from a hundred feet, but I am fairly good at spotting subtle camouflage from a distance. I am also good at planning and navigating. I take the time to check the topo maps, find the best route, etc.

[+Team Red Oak]

Always log DNF even when we have several on the same cache, will eventually resolve all DNF with a find, but leave the DNF logs on the cache page.

 

We didn't find it unless we sign the log so no padding smilies in our account.

 

Always log online when we get home, but I'm real slow at putting up pictures.

 

Even though I may cuss about certain hiders when I'm out searching for their caches I will always be polite when we meet. After all the more you make me cuss in the field, the more likely I am to want to try and find your caches.

[The Psion]

I guess I'm proud of my sheer persistance (or stubbornness, same thing....)

 

Over the Thanksgiving break I was caching and flat out refused to give up, even though I should have (and knew I'd have a real tough time getting back to my car).

[+5¢]

My niceness and fitting in in the forums

[+Jhwk]

I will not allow a cache to be near me unfound. The closest cache is always my next "target"