Water Water Everywhere

[alifeofplay]

Hey, all.

 

You've all been great so far. I'm NOT going to place anything for a while as I'm a newbie and am caught up in figuring out all the nuances of this great sport.

 

(actually interviewed a Geocacher on my most recent podcast - A Life of Play - and that got me all hyped up about finding out more)

 

BUT now I have a couple more questions....

 

What is the rule about WATER?

 

I live near the ocean and in my little harbor are little islands. Can I put a cache out there?

 

Also, is it off-limits to do a seasonal cache? e.g What if I wanted to attach a micro-cache to a boat mooring chain?

 

In the cache that I place eventually, how much schwag should I seed it with? One item, two, three, 47?

 

Finally, do travel bugs go missing very often? In the future, I want to have a bug that travels the world, but want to see how kind the world is to these little adventurers.

 

Thanks lots!

 

Jeff

 

http://www.alifeofplay.com

[+Jhwk]

Welcome to the addiction!

 

1. As far as I know there is no rule about water...

 

2. I have seen a number of caches placed in remote locations (island, only accessible by boat) or in "extreme" locations like moutain tops, above and below the arctic circles, and underwater. The underwater ones can be for snorkeling or scuba diving. Let creativity be your guide, but warn people that it is a difficult cache, requires specialized equipment, etc...

 

3. Not sure about a seasonal cache, but know there are caches that are listed as fair weather (i.e. no winter) caches. You could possibly disable them during the bad months, or just warn people that they are not available then.

 

4. I usually start with 12-14 items in my cache - but it depends on your particular cache, size, traffic, etc.

 

5. Unfortunately TB's do tend to go missing. Just be prepared to lose it. Don't send a diamond TB when a cubic zirconia will do.

[+bwmick]

seasonal is a matter of opinion. In Northern Ontario anything on the ground is seasonal for me. several feet (or more) of snow will impede a search faster than a bunch muggles in a wal mart parking lot.

 

bwmick

[+Mary&Dave]

Also, is it off-limits to do a seasonal cache? e.g What if I wanted to attach a micro-cache to a boat mooring chain?

 

Check with your local reviewer to answer this one. I've seen similar caches, and I've certainly seen caches that were inaccessible during the winter due to too much snow, but it's up to the reviewer to make the final decision.

[+Half-Canadian]

One of my caches is at the end of a seasonal dock. During the summer, the terrain rating is one star. In the winter, when the dock has been removed, I change the terrain rating to five stars, and post a note on the page giving the reason why.

[+briansnat]

live near the ocean and in my little harbor are little islands. Can I put a cache out there?

 

If they are public land, go ahead. If they are private property you will need the owner's permission.

 

Also, is it off-limits to do a seasonal cache? e.g What if I wanted to attach a micro-cache to a boat mooring chain?

 

There is a cache permanence rule. When a cache is placed its expected to be there a reasonable amount of time (which most reviewers seem to peg at 3+ months). Just make sure the mooring chain is yours. Navigational bouys would be off limits though.

 

n the cache that I place eventually, how much schwag should I seed it with? One item, two, three, 47?

 

Totally depends. For me it depends on the size of the container and size of the items. A smaller cache will probably have 4-5 items, while a larger will have 8, 10 or more. I try to fit in as much as I can so I don't have to go back very often to re-seed.

 

Finally, do travel bugs go missing very often? In the future, I want to have a bug that travels the world, but want to see how kind the world is to these little adventurers.

 

 

They do go missing. But you never know. Some have lasted years and are still going strong. I have a few that have been active a long time, and one that never made it past the first cache I put it in.