Available in Winter?

[mafab]

I just got into geocaching a week ago. Got myself a GPS and yesterday my six-year-old daughter and I went out to try our luck. We went to several geocaches within a few miles of our house, some of which had the little symbol indicating that it was "available in winter".

 

What exactly does that mean? The reason I ask is that I live in Western Pennsylvania which has for the last month or so been buried under at least a foot of snow. Does available in winter mean that it won't be covered by snow should there be snow? Or does it mean that if you have the right shovel or snow plow you ought to be able to find it?

 

Also, that brings up a good point about leaving the cache hidden. Nothing screams out to passersby that something might be worth looking into that a set of tracks through a snowy field, followed by a lot of cleared snow in a given area. Is it bad etiquette to go geocaching in the snow? Is geocaching a fair-weather hobby? We're really anxious to find my first cache, but with the amount of snow we have around here, I'm thinking my daughter's and my enthusiasm will have to wait at least until the place thaws out.

 

Comments?

[+StarBrand]

Two schools of thought on that attribute.

 

Some believe it indicates caches that you can physically get to in the winter despite any snow. Might have to dig though. Many areas around where I live are closed to people in the winter months. I have seen it used to indicate the area is open and not closed or the opposite.

 

Some believe it indicates a cache that is up off of the ground and still easily findable in snowy conditions or not.

 

The owner of the site once stated that he intended the 2nd definition but many still use the first.

[mafab]

Two schools of thought on that attribute.

 

Some believe it indicates caches that you can physically get to in the winter despite any snow. Might have to dig though. Many areas around where I live are closed to people in the winter months. I have seen it used to indicate the area is open and not closed or the opposite.

 

Some believe it indicates a cache that is up off of the ground and still easily findable in snowy conditions or not.

 

The owner of the site once stated that he intended the 2nd definition but many still use the first.

 

So basically it's not worth much since some people mean it one way and others mean it another? I was excited after we got our last big snow to see some caches were listed as "available in winter". It seems most in my area are as available in winter as a buried cache would be in summer. "Bring a shovel" doesn't seem like something I want to deal with. So it looks like until we have a major thaw, my introduction to this hobby is going to be on hold.

[+briansnat]

We went to several geocaches within a few miles of our house, some of which had the little symbol indicating that it was "available in winter".

 

What exactly does that mean?

 

Since nearly all caches are technically available in winter, the definition accepted by most is that someone would have a reasonable chance of finding it with snow on the ground. That would include both the area not being closed and the cache being findable within reason.

 

Nothing screams out to passersby that something might be worth looking into that a set of tracks through a snowy field, followed by a lot of cleared snow in a given area. Is it bad etiquette to go geocaching in the snow?

 

Not at all. By the time you're done searching the tracks and cleared snow will usually be so widespread and random that it probably won't give away much. You can always add to them once you've found the cache.

I guess you could always bring a vial of water with yellow food coloring to dump at the end if your tracks.

 

Winter is my absolute favorite time to go caching (and hiking). No poison ivy, no ticks, no mosquitoes and there is something about being outdoors in conditions that keep most people snug in their homes. In this area there is no slowdown during the winter months. In fact judging from the logs I receive over the years, more people are out there now caching in the snow than are doing it in the dog days of August.

[+PearlHound]

I am so glad to see these questions and some responses! I started looking in late December in upstate NY and found my first two immediately (including a TB!). Then we got DUMPED with snow and ice. Have been out four times since and NADA. We have about 18 inches of snow and sheets of ice that have made it really tough to look under logs, near the bases of trees, or anything on the ground (I have used a trowel for getting through what I can). I brought a friend with a great GPS last time thinking that perhaps it would help. After several hours looking for 2 in the same area gave up. I LOVE the challenge of finding them in the winter--but would appreciate some hints. So far, I know to look for those that indicate winter finds (even with the discrepancies in meanings someone already mentioned). And it was mentioned to meet with others to get tips--how do we find out about get-togethers? I really don't want to wait until spring when it is so much fun now--and I really feel an urgency to get this TB on its way.

[+PearlHound]

I am so glad to see these questions and some responses! I started looking in late December in upstate NY and found my first two immediately (including a TB!). Then we got DUMPED with snow and ice. Have been out four times since and NADA. We have about 18 inches of snow and sheets of ice that have made it really tough to look under logs, near the bases of trees, or anything on the ground (I have used a trowel for getting through what I can). I brought a friend with a great GPS last time thinking that perhaps it would help. After several hours looking for 2 in the same area gave up. I LOVE the challenge of finding them in the winter--but would appreciate some hints. So far, I know to look for those that indicate winter finds (even with the discrepancies in meanings someone already mentioned). And it was mentioned to meet with others to get tips--how do we find out about get-togethers? I really don't want to wait until spring when it is so much fun now--and I really feel an urgency to get this TB on its way.

[+ghettomedic]

For me, anything I place I only put "Available in winter" if you can physically get the cache without it being under snow.

I wish more people would use it that way but I have noticed a lot that they use it simply because you can enter the area in winter.

 

As for when I find them in the snow, I then walk around a lot to create false tracks and I also Dig the snow away from several areas so that you can't identify which location had the cache.

[+cooshiker]

I have begun to enjoy winter caches and have a pocket query sent to me each week with local caches that have the "winter friendly" attribute. Because of the two plus feet of snow currently residing in northern NH I look at the logs of the caches and see if other geocachers have been able to find the cache. Several veteran cachers (4000+ caches) note in their logs when a cache with the "winter friendly" attribute is not in reality winter friendly. The understanding among local cachers is that if it has the "winter friendly" attribute the cache must be off the ground .

 

Good luck