Do You Do It At Night?

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

tried it once.

 

went for a FTF a few weeks ago at about 5:00 which is after dark now. The parks here close at dark, but I thought they would probably still be open at 5:00

 

anyway I got there, and although I had heard that that particular park is a big pickup spot for homosexual people looking for 'dates', I didn't know how busy it actually was after dark. So I pull in, and the cars scatter, perhaps thinking I'm a skinhead or something, I get out and start walking towards the cache, but then a few minutes later I can see from up in the woods that they have all come back. Now I don't know that I want to be alone in the woods here, and come across who knows what, or have someone come over to follow my flashlight thinking it's an invitation or something. And I certainly don't want to be caught up in some police raid for that, since I know that happens in that park sometimes, and I don't think "no, I was just geocaching" would be an accepted excuse, so I just left quickly.

 

Don't think I will be doing night caching again.

 

Homophobia shouldn't keep you from night caching! What are those bad boys gonna do, jump on you and rip your britches off?

 

If you can make it to York Pennsylvania this Saturday night come join us after the Cool Yule event for a night caching run, you may find it quite fun!

 

Ed

[+stoneswivel]

Caching at night is a great variation. It is slightly riskier than daytime caching, which is part of the rush for me. But for that reason, I'd suggest that those with little nighttime outdoors experience begin with dedicated night caches and/or caching with a group. Solo night caching, especially in remote areas, is probably about as risky as the sport gets.

 

I was bored and casting about for something to do this evening when two nearby caches were published. The caches were both Diff = 1.5, which is a full point below my usual minimum. But it was after dark, and a thunderstorm was moving in. Perfect. As has been stated above, doing daytime caches at night generally bumps the difficulty by about a point. I made both (FT) finds, got rained on, and explained myself to a couple of LEOs (one of whom asked for the GC URL). I also had two nice hikes, a cool light show, and saw some lovely, dense mist coming off a lake. It was the perfect evening's distraction.

 

One suggestion I'd have for those wanting to try night caching is to avoid the bazillion-candlepower flashlights. While they certainly put out a great deal of light, they also rob you of your night and peripheral vision. Essentially, all you'll see using them is where you point the thing. You'll get less enjoyment from the trail and your surroundings, and be less likely to see wildlife, unless you happen to spotlight an unwary deer or other critter. For night work, I prefer a low-power headlamp with both red and white LEDs. I use the red for navigating and finding, but switch to white to sign the log, as some inks are invisible under the red. The headlamp always points where I'm looking, and frees up both hands for GPSr/walking stick/power bar/water. Also, I've found that for some reason the reflectors often used in night caches "jump out" more under red light. Some people swear by blue or green lamps; YMMV.

 

I have come across a cougar, wild pigs, coyotes, and gators after dark, but haven't felt the need for any more of a weapon than a hearty shout and wave (which I've used) or my walking stick (which I've not). If you're concerned about it, perhaps pepper spray would be a good choice. Check your local laws first.

 

Night caching certainly isn't for everyone. As I said, it's a variation on the game, and for me, a particularly fun one. But if you're sitting on the fence about it, I'd encourage you to hop down and give it a try. You just might love it.

 

PS - And while it's always a good rule when caching, the "watch where you're putting your feet" maxim goes double after dark.

[+Bad_CRC]

Homophobia shouldn't keep you from night caching!

 

yes, you nailed it exactly, it's clearly a case of homophobia because if it was the type of park that was filled with sleezy straight people looking to have sex with prostitutes and strangers of the opposite sex in the parking lot, it would change everything and I'd be perfectly happy being there, and wouldn't want to avoid the place at all.

Edited November 30, 2006 by Bad_CRC

[+knoffer]

You mean people don't cache at night??

I cache at night on a regular basis. Especially since since daylight savings. When can a person cache during the week in the winter except at lunch and at night?

Summer night caching is even better obviously because it is warmer and also because it is cooler then the heat of the day.

Believe it or not I feel that I do better at finds during the night then during the day. I believe it has to do with less distractions. During the day it is hard to hone in just one branch or one area on the ground. At night you can only see where the flashlight beam is so you are, so to speak automatically honed in. The biggest problem I have with night caching is the limited hours of some public parks and land. Most are open til 10:00pm while others close at Sunset. Just this evening I did a designated night time cache. You know with reflectors and you have to find the next one and then look around for the next one and so on. As I'm leaving the parking lot at 7:30pm the local law enforcement asked me what I was doing. I told them and they told me the park closes at Sunset.

1) The sign at the entrance to the Park says 10:00pm.

2) It was dark when I entered the Park, why weren't the gates locked?

Well after explaining the posted 10:00pm sign the COP said "I thought the Park closed at Sunset?" He still took down all my personnal information. For what reason I don't know. He didn't tell me to leave or make a big deal out of it.

Still things like this make me wonder if night caching is such a good thing to do.. I won't stop doing it, I'll just be more careful about the rules and regulations. Which by the way local communities like to hide this info quite often. They lack consistent signage and consistent times. This just makes it harder to find out if it is OK to actually be on the property after dark.

[+CrazyPeople]

In these times, when it gets dark very early, night-caches are the best Caches to do!!!!!!!!!!!!

[+SniperChicken]

My wife and i are both obsessed cachers,we find ourselves doing a lot of night caching, we most always start out during the daylight hours but not wanting to stop we keep going...."just a few more caches"...then,"ok, just a few more"....looking at our GPS with all those cache symbols..."but these are just right down the road a little ways".Next thing you know we HAVE to head home so we can get some sleep! We have to go to work in the morning! I work 2 jobs,leave for work before sunrise and get home after sunset usually.Nights and weekends are pretty much the only time for "goofing off" we have.We love night caching,as long as you have a decent handlight and extra batteries it really isn't that much harder for the most part.I have actually found a few caches that i don't believe i would have found if i had not been searching with a flashlight.

Night caching anyone?? Count me in for sure!

[+daraconn]

The sun sets at 4:11 this afternoon - for several months of the year the choice is between caching in the dark or not at all. Sometimes even during summer months, I find I have run out of daylight when there is still a good cache nearby*, or that I'm driving near a cache after sunset, and I decide to give it a try. Having said that, I have never actually gone out well-prepared (i.e. carrying a flashlight) and have generally relied on night-vision for getting to the cache location, and the backlight of my GPS (it's surprisingly powerful) for finding, logging and trading.

 

This has been a surprisingly successful strategy, and has added one or two points of difficulty to forest caches, as well as providing the unusual experience of wandering about in the forest at night. I have been told that I "wasted" one of the best caches in Ireland by doing it in the dark, but I have no regrets - it was quite a spooky and memorable experience to be so far from the road in the pitch dark, with deer crashing around nearby. Even the sound of a pigeon taking flight from a nearby tree can set your heart thumping, and I was once terrified by two dogs that came running past me at full speed.

 

* It's worth explaining that the density of caches in most of Ireland is far lower than seems to be the case in similarly populated areas of the US, so it's well worth taking extra trouble to find one, and "nearby" in this context could mean 20 miles away by road.

[+chuckwagon101]

For me, caching at night would be the same as flying a colorful kite at night......there is just something "unholy" about it. ( I heard Marge Simpson make that statement once about Bart flying a kite at night!

 

My limited number of caches were done during daylight....most with an eager set of grandkids.

And therin lies the joy for me.

 

Chuckwagon