Geocaching in the snow.

[+The Cache Checkers]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

 

It's not the cold that I'm asking about, I'm from Northern Michigan, it's the digging through snow that I'm not so sure about! Should I bring a snow shovel, snow blower, or other gear to find the cache? LOL

 

I'm new to this and have already struck out on the only two my son and I have attempted so far. Do you do more detailed research on the caches you have your eye on?

[+StarBrand]

I continue caching all winter. Certain types of hides become nearly impossible but I go where I can.

 

I use a walking stick to poke the snow at likely spots and dig only with my hands. The most snow I general cache through though is about 2 feet.

 

My best advice for winter caching is to be careful not to give the hide away to muggles by giving them an easy to follow path through the snow. I leave "fake" trails to multiple spots and dead end trails along the way to keep somebody from looking at what I was looking at.

[+trainlove]

A 100,000 BTU Propane Area Heater makes a nice snow remover.

 

I've had great luck using a cross country skiing pole (without basket) as a probe to find caches. And just my hands to dig to said cache.

 

As for obvious footprint paths. I've been known to walk past a perpendicular spot, by up to a quarter mile. Then backwards walk in my tracks. Then pole vault so far into the woods that the landing spot is invisible.

Edited November 17, 2008 by trainlove

[+FireRef]

I did some caching last winter for the first time, and although I came home wet and cold, had a great time - I agree, there are some kinds of caches that are just darn near impossible to find in the snow (especially if there is a decent amount of it), but ammo boxes in the woods aren't that bad.

[+Flip flops]

I don't know where in MI you are from but this may help.

To make your first few caches easier you may want to try this bookmark list.

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...ff-1534a94f74c6

[J.A.R.S.]

It certainly is difficult to go caching when there's a lot of snow on the ground. One of the challenges is parking. There were many times when I had to abort a geocache hunt because there was hazardous - i.e. the trailhead parking area was covered in a 2 foot layer of snow (didn't want to have to call a tow truck to get out); you can't park on the edge of a country road for fear of sliding into a snow-filled ditch. Then there's the problem with caches that are hidden at ground level and are covered by a foot or more of snow or caches hidden where water can accumulate and freeze the cache in place.

 

That's why I decided to start a bookmark list for winter-friendly caches in my area - for caches that have safe parking and where the cache is accessible (above the snow line and not likely to be frozen in). I figured if I would like to know which caches are accessible in the winter, others might want to know too. Of course, there's also the winter-friendly attribute to look for on the cache listing.

[Mr.Yuck]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

 

It's not the cold that I'm asking about, I'm from Northern Michigan, it's the digging through snow that I'm not so sure about! Should I bring a snow shovel, snow blower, or other gear to find the cache? LOL

 

 

Western N.Y. checking in. Yeah, it can be tough to locate caches in the snow, that's for sure. Really, only my first winter of geocaching (2003-2004) did we have like 2 feet of snowpack most of the winter, and local caching pretty much came to a standstill. Of course all caches in my area were "in the woods" back then. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

I like to go with the stick-poking, as someone else said. This works best for the light fluffy stuff. If there have been some freezing/thawing cycles, many caches will become frozen in. I like to think you can still find anything in 4" or less of snow.

[+WatchDog2020]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

 

It's not the cold that I'm asking about, I'm from Northern Michigan, it's the digging through snow that I'm not so sure about! Should I bring a snow shovel, snow blower, or other gear to find the cache? LOL

 

 

Western N.Y. checking in. Yeah, it can be tough to locate caches in the snow, that's for sure. Really, only my first winter of geocaching (2003-2004) did we have like 2 feet of snowpack most of the winter, and local caching pretty much came to a standstill. Of course all caches in my area were "in the woods" back then. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

I like to go with the stick-poking, as someone else said. This works best for the light fluffy stuff. If there have been some freezing/thawing cycles, many caches will become frozen in. I like to think you can still find anything in 4" or less of snow.

 

We've saved some Urbans just for the winter because of the snow (N42 - W76 checking in, 100 miles East of the WhiteUrkel)

Edited November 17, 2008 by WatchDog2020

[+Buggheart]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

 

It's not the cold that I'm asking about, I'm from Northern Michigan, it's the digging through snow that I'm not so sure about! Should I bring a snow shovel, snow blower, or other gear to find the cache? LOL

 

 

Western N.Y. checking in. Yeah, it can be tough to locate caches in the snow, that's for sure. Really, only my first winter of geocaching (2003-2004) did we have like 2 feet of snowpack most of the winter, and local caching pretty much came to a standstill. Of course all caches in my area were "in the woods" back then. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

I like to go with the stick-poking, as someone else said. This works best for the light fluffy stuff. If there have been some freezing/thawing cycles, many caches will become frozen in. I like to think you can still find anything in 4" or less of snow.

 

We've saved some Urbans just for the winter because of the snow (N42 - W76 checking in, 100 miles East of the WhiteUrkel)

 

My mom and I are doing this as well so we have something to go after when there is too much snow to find things on the ground. Kinda makes me feel like a giant squirrel hiding my stash for the winter.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Buggheart

[+Millah]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

ABSOLUTELY!!! Being from Minnesota, I initially dreaded the coming of winter as I thought it would put a damper on caching. Turns out that it was a fabulous way to avoid getting depressed, gaining twenty points, and to generally escape the winter doldrums in the northern latitudes. Certainly, there are some caches that are not accessible in the winter but many others are; I always checked the cache page for winter-friendliness and recent logs before heading out for a day of caching so as to not waste an hour searching for a cache buried under 2 feet of snow. The bonus about caching in the winter in the northern latitudes is no bugs, itchweed, burrs, and poison oak/ivy to avoid!

[+usyoopers]

We cache year round, the benefit to winter caching is...NO BUGS!! We do select the caches to go after a little more carefully. A micro hidden at the base of a tree isn't going to be found up here in God's Country, however an ammo can hidden at the base of that same tree has a better chance of being found by the thunking of a well placed stick. We have taken one of those collapsable camp shovels out a few times with great success.

 

Best advise would be to read the cache descriptions, the larger the container the better. Generally the winter attribute means you should be able to find it in the winter. Anything that mentions hanging, needing to be tall etc is going to be above the snow line.

 

We got a good 6 inches of snow here last night, we'll be getting the snowshoes out soon!

[+trainlove]

We cache year round, the benefit to winter caching is...NO BUGS!!

 

better chance of being found by the thunking of a well placed stick. We have taken one of those collapsable camp shovels out a few times with great success.

I've had ticks on me in the dead of the winter, so watch out. Don't be too unobservant.

 

And watch out for how you poke your sticks. Some plastics do not like the cold, and a good whack will poke a nice hole right through them.

[Mr.Yuck]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

 

It's not the cold that I'm asking about, I'm from Northern Michigan, it's the digging through snow that I'm not so sure about! Should I bring a snow shovel, snow blower, or other gear to find the cache? LOL

 

 

Western N.Y. checking in. Yeah, it can be tough to locate caches in the snow, that's for sure. Really, only my first winter of geocaching (2003-2004) did we have like 2 feet of snowpack most of the winter, and local caching pretty much came to a standstill. Of course all caches in my area were "in the woods" back then. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

I like to go with the stick-poking, as someone else said. This works best for the light fluffy stuff. If there have been some freezing/thawing cycles, many caches will become frozen in. I like to think you can still find anything in 4" or less of snow.

 

We've saved some Urbans just for the winter because of the snow (N42 - W76 checking in, 100 miles East of the WhiteUrkel)

 

 

[+MarshMonsters]

We started in January. We basically learned how to cache in the snow. We save the urban hides when we receive a couple feet of snow.

 

There was a guard rail hide where it had so much snow piled around it was at ground level. We had to dig to retrieve it.

[Skippermark]

We can in the winter. When there's a couple inches of packed snow on the trail, we find it easier and faster to walk compared to when there's rocks and roots. Plus, you can often bushwhack right to the cache saving a lot of time.

 

A hiking pole with basket removed is good for probing the snow to help find the container, and a claw hammer is good for cracking any any ice that's frozen around the container and then for extracting it. I've only lost one container to a mis-fired whack and replaced the container next time I saw the owner.

[Mag Magician]

I started geocaching here in the dead of winter, slightly up the latitude scale from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The primary goal is to learn your local cachers hiding types, and forget about the snowflake icon on some! I know I started hiding by putting "Winter Friendly" on some of mine, only to have excess snowfall last year, burying my hides. Some of these hides were 4 feet up in trees.

 

Read the cache description, read the past logs, and when you get to the parking spot, determine if you can get to the site for starters. Other than that, carry a big stick to poke with, and you may get lucky.

[+bubby23]

Around here you don't have to worry too much about covering your tracks. No body else is out in the woods. It's a good excuse to do a little light off roading the jeep on the state forest roads. One thing that I have found to work good for finding ammo cans under snow is a heavy duty telescopic magnet. It locks on pretty good when you make contact with the can. I was out last night for my first cache of the winter in the snow.

Edited November 17, 2008 by bubby23

[+BlueDeuce]

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

 

It's not the cold that I'm asking about, I'm from Northern Michigan, it's the digging through snow that I'm not so sure about! Should I bring a snow shovel, snow blower, or other gear to find the cache? LOL

 

 

Western N.Y. checking in. Yeah, it can be tough to locate caches in the snow, that's for sure. Really, only my first winter of geocaching (2003-2004) did we have like 2 feet of snowpack most of the winter, and local caching pretty much came to a standstill. Of course all caches in my area were "in the woods" back then. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

I like to go with the stick-poking, as someone else said. This works best for the light fluffy stuff. If there have been some freezing/thawing cycles, many caches will become frozen in. I like to think you can still find anything in 4" or less of snow.

 

Two feet of snowpack in Buffalo? Must have been a mild winter.

 

So far my second best caching month (in terms of number of finds) to date was last January. I crushed that number a few months ago when I spent 1 day geocaching in Mountain View, Ca while on a business trip. While we don't get nearly as much snow about 120 miles to the east of WhiteUrkel there was a week last year when we got some nasty ice storms. There were a couple of parking lots that I pulled into that were like skating rinks and I had a couple of DNFs due to the container completely frozen in a block of ice.

 

One of the easiest finds I had I was second to find on a cache about 1/4 mile down a trail and just followed the hider and FTF tracks right to the cache.

[Luckless]

Snow is one of the few times I actually appreciate those LPCs because they are up above the snow.

[Mr.Yuck]

Snow is one of the few times I actually appreciate those LPCs because they are up above the snow.

 

Did you miss post 13? That wasn't me, of course, I don't find them. I just remembered a story where a couple of locals dug an LPC out, and grabbed it from the cache page gallery.

[Dj Storm]

Around here you don't have to worry too much about covering your tracks. No body else is out in the woods.

What nobody mentioned, wild animals, especially wolves. Because of them, I'm a little afraid of going into the woods during winter. When the wolves visit the villages during the night, it's risky to hike one hour into the forest. I'm not afraid of beasts during the summer (encountered bears 3 times this summer, while hiking solo), but I respect the hungry wolves and keep my distance. It snowed yesterday, so I canceled my plans for 2 caches, 45 minutes and 2 hours in-and-out of the forest respectively. Cache safely!

[Skippermark]

Around here you don't have to worry too much about covering your tracks. No body else is out in the woods.

What nobody mentioned, wild animals, especially wolves. Because of them, I'm a little afraid of going into the woods during winter. When the wolves visit the villages during the night, it's risky to hike one hour into the forest. I'm not afraid of beasts during the summer (encountered bears 3 times this summer, while hiking solo), but I respect the hungry wolves and keep my distance. It snowed yesterday, so I canceled my plans for 2 caches, 45 minutes and 2 hours in-and-out of the forest respectively. Cache safely!

We don't have wolves around where I live, but some believe there's mountains lions around here now, even though the state denies it.

 

Everything I've learned about wolves is that they're shy and try to keep away from humans. Is that not the case in Romania?

[+Ockette]

The only time I've ever found a cache in the snow was in late July, two years back. High altitude caching, now that's where it's at.

[knowschad]

We cache year round, the benefit to winter caching is...NO BUGS!!

 

better chance of being found by the thunking of a well placed stick. We have taken one of those collapsable camp shovels out a few times with great success.

I've had ticks on me in the dead of the winter, so watch out. Don't be too unobservant.

 

Uhhhhh... I guess you've never experienced a U.P. winter, huh?

 

[Dj Storm]

Everything I've learned about wolves is that they're shy and try to keep away from humans. Is that not the case in Romania?

 

Wolves are shy and avoid humans during the summer, when they find food in the forest. But in winter they pack together to be able to hunt large animals. They even visit the villages during the night, attacking any animal they get access to, or "lure" the dogs out and eat them. I heard wolves howling several hundred meters from my grandparents' house in a January night, several years ago. Now it's only the beginning of the winter season, probably won't attack humans yet (temperatures above freezing during the day), but I don't want to take risks (I'm a lone hiker).

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

 

On the way to CNY Falls #1 near Syracuse. It had just snowed 2'+, but I figured, what the heck. It was the longest and hardest 1/4 mile of mostly level trail I've had to hike!

 

Fortunately the hint and location made it obvious where I had to dig, the find was very easy. I didn't worry too much about tracks, because it was Syracuse, and more snow was on the way!

[+Rathergohiking]

We get a lot of snow in Traverse City, Michigan. Already 4 inches in the yard on November 19th and looks like almost a foot more to come in the next few days. I love to cache in the snow. There's nothing like snowshoeing with man's best friend in the back woods with your GPS as your guide.

 

This year though, I'm thinking about taking it to a new level and get a Metal Detector! That should save some digging and no ammo can will be safe! Just have to hope those tupperware containers have some metal swag too....

[+fox-and-the-hound]

Actually, we get a LOT more caching done in the winter and snow than we do in summer. Some of the advantages of caching in the snow:

 

1) no ticks!!!

 

2) less signal bounce without all those leaves!

 

3) no waiting for people to get ready to go (99% back out instantly and the other 1% are already waiting for you)

 

4) 99% of the time you have the trail all to yourself (1% of the time you share with someone else also trying to find a cache in the snow)

 

5) Fox is finally willing to take a day off from work

 

6) nobody cares what the crazy on snowshoes is digging for, they're just surprised that someone is out in the cold and wind

 

7) 5 mile cache-hikes around a lake are now 1/4 mile jaunts across it!

[Skippermark]

I think I'm going to add one of those roll up plastic sheet sled things to my winter caching equipment. Having one here would have made getting down the hills much faster.

 

[+infiniteMPG]

Snow???? What's snow?

 

Just kidding.... actually some of the most fun we had geocaching was slipping and sliding around in the snow and ice geocaching on vacation at Whiteside Mountain in NC...

 

 

Well.... I was the one slipping and sliding, Paddler Found was the one standing there snickering as she reminded me that she told me the pathway I was trying was too icy....

[+WeeWillie]

Send me snow and I will cache.

[Mag Magician]

The cache at the end of this mile long trek was a lock 'n' lock under 4 feet of snow.

 

[+Socorro]

Snow???? What's snow?

 

Just kidding.... actually some of the most fun we had geocaching was slipping and sliding around in the snow and ice geocaching on vacation at Whiteside Mountain in NC...

 

 

Well.... I was the one slipping and sliding, Paddler Found was the one standing there snickering as she reminded me that she told me the pathway I was trying was too icy....

 

Whoa...that's so incredibly beautiful. I MISS SNOW! I'm a displaced Chicagoan living in New Mexico. Caching in snow sounds like a dream...I've done it a couple times. Finding the caches was either impossible or completely easy (dead vegetation right!)

[+TEAM HARTSOCK]

We are getting our first real snow of the season here in Western PA and I have been lamenting over the past two days how this is going to screw up my new obession.

 

Well, I guess looking for the micros in the guardrails and lifting lamp post skirts will keep me on life support.

 

I just found out about the Alleghany GeoTrail caches and the special coins you can get from them too. Might need to buy some snow shoes...

[+Sparse Grey Hackle]

We too very much enjoy winter caching. We love it in the Nort Woods of Wisconsin. Over the past two years we have participated in the Great Northwoods Treasure Hunt hosted by the C of C's in St. Germain, Minocqua, etc. That's always fun. Great exercise. And no bugs, poison ivy, or foilage to contend with.

 

We also have found numerous caches via snowmobile. Our winter cache GC19YQ6 for "snomocaching" also inspired a bookmark list of the same vein.

 

We love caching with snowshoes in da Nort Woods which is about the only way you can move about. We also have a winter geo-kit of probes, huge spoons, etc. for finding those buried caches.

 

After a winter of that kind of caching summer caching was a breeze! Caching up in Timberline Echoe's neck of the woods is very challenging and fun. Getting to one or maybe two caches in a day is a good day.

 

First and foremost you have to have the right gear and need to have a solid outdoors sense about you. Half stepping through hip deep snow in the woods is the norm. For us it's a year-round sport which works out great for us because we are out-of-doors in all four seasons.

 

Sparse Grey Hackle and the Blondie Bloodhound

Try it!

Edited November 22, 2008 by Sparse Grey Hackle

[+Sparse Grey Hackle]

We too very much enjoy winter caching. We love it in the Nort Woods of Wisconsin. Over the past two years we have participated in the Great Northwoods Treasure Hunt hosted by the C of C's in St. Germain, Minocqua, etc. That's always fun. Great exercise. And no bugs, poison ivy, or foilage to contend with.

 

We also have found numerous caches via snowmobile. Our winter cache GC19YQ6 for "snomocaching" also inspired a bookmark list of the same vein.

 

We love caching with snowshoes in da Nort Woods which is about the only way you can move about. We also have a winter geo-kit of probes, huge spoons, etc. for finding those buried caches.

 

After a winter of that kind of caching summer caching was a breeze! Caching up in Timberline Echoe's neck of the woods is very challenging and fun. Getting to one or maybe two caches in a day is a good day.

 

First and foremost you have to have the right gear and need to have a solid outdoors sense about you. Half stepping through hip deep snow in the woods is the norm. For us it's a year-round sport which works out great for us because we are out-of-doors in all four seasons.

 

Sparse Grey Hackle and the Blondie Bloodhound

Try it!

[+sleddogs2]

I'm an avid snowmobiler in Northern WI and the UP of MI. Many caches I tried for in the winter near the trails ended up too far from the trail to bother walking through waist deep snow or they were really buried. So I launched a few of my own this summer and tied a camo rope quite high in a tree leading to the cache even if it was buried in snow. It is largely invisible unless you have you geocaching eyes on. Enjoy the winter. sleddogs2

[+TeamSeekAndWeShallFind]

Those of you who might even now have snow on the ground (we do), do you continue this hobby during the winter?

 

It's not the cold that I'm asking about, I'm from Northern Michigan, it's the digging through snow that I'm not so sure about! Should I bring a snow shovel, snow blower, or other gear to find the cache? LOL

 

 

Western N.Y. checking in. Yeah, it can be tough to locate caches in the snow, that's for sure. Really, only my first winter of geocaching (2003-2004) did we have like 2 feet of snowpack most of the winter, and local caching pretty much came to a standstill. Of course all caches in my area were "in the woods" back then. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

I like to go with the stick-poking, as someone else said. This works best for the light fluffy stuff. If there have been some freezing/thawing cycles, many caches will become frozen in. I like to think you can still find anything in 4" or less of snow.

This subject is funny especially reading posts from cachers living in northern michigan and ontario! We live in northeastern Illinois and this is our 2nd winter caching.We LOVE it! Last winter we found 9 caches in one preserve under 8-9" of snow using little wisk brooms!! Today we went out and HID 8 caches in -5 temp and -30 windchill ! No big deal !! This is where we live ! We don't stop living or GeoCaching because it's cold or there's snow on the ground !!

[+The Jester]

A few years ago during the Snolympia Cache Machine (renamed due to the 6 inches that fell) we learned to lay false trails in the snow. That way the teams behind us couldn't just follow tracks.