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It's almost midnight. Time to go caching


bittsen

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Although I only have 85 finds, the majority have been found at night. Last trip out I was going to bed as the sun was rising due to a particularly difficult nighttime cache (which I finally found).

I am curious if there are many others who cache at night regularly?

 

BTW, as a funny side note. Many of the caches I found last weekend were right after another nighttime cacher. We found 5 of them within a couple hours after he (or she) did.

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I LOVE night caching!! My husband doesn't love it but he'll do it. And it's even better in your pj's! Seriously! The first time we did a night cache I had logged on and saw a new cache that was about 4 miles from home. It was 8:30 pm and dark. I was so excited because we actually had a chance for a FTF. We flew around the house and got our gear and headed out....husband says "are you going like that?" meaning in my jammies. I said "yes I am!" and off we went. It was exciting; turning our headlamps off when cars went by. It was a micro on a busy road. We found it!! That was the best ever. So night caching in your pj's is awesome.

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I am so not picturing myself walking through snake-infested swamps in the middle of the night in my pajamas. Yes, I am a total wimp about these things. That's just the way it is.

 

Are snakes nocturnal or diurnal only? I asked my beloved and he said that he suspected that they could be found anytime day or night. (He's comforting that way.)

 

Carolyn

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Most parks around here are closed at night, so it's generally not an option.

 

And probably 90% of them where I come from. But I'm quite certain the OP obeys all local laws and ordinances regarding parks and bike trails that are only open from dawn to dusk. I'm sure he wouldn't want to give Geocaching a bad name or anything.

Edited by TheWhiteUrkel
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Most parks around here are closed at night, so it's generally not an option.

 

And probably 90% of them where I come from. But I'm quite certain the OP obeys all local laws and ordinances regarding parks and bike trails that are only open from dawn to dusk. I'm sure he wouldn't want to give Geocaching a bad name or anything.

 

A few parks around here close at sunset, but most are open at night, at least until 11 pm. I don't think one has to disobey rules to do night-caching. At least not here in the Midsouth.

 

Carolyn

Edited by Steve&GeoCarolyn
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I am so not picturing myself walking through snake-infested swamps in the middle of the night in my pajamas. Yes, I am a total wimp about these things. That's just the way it is.

 

Are snakes nocturnal or diurnal only? I asked my beloved and he said that he suspected that they could be found anytime day or night. (He's comforting that way.)

 

Carolyn

 

I am not bothered by snakes since the only venimous ones near me need heat to be mobile.

What I don't like about night caching is the spiders and other creepy crawlies.

 

Thank goodness it was my friend who had the huge spider fall in his pants. I would have been scarred for life.

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Most parks around here are closed at night, so it's generally not an option.

 

And probably 90% of them where I come from. But I'm quite certain the OP obeys all local laws and ordinances regarding parks and bike trails that are only open from dawn to dusk. I'm sure he wouldn't want to give Geocaching a bad name or anything.

 

You are correct. Aside from forgetting to buckle up from time to time, all laws are obeyed. I am also conscious of neighbors who may be bothered by flashlights in the middle of the night.

 

I don't know if cemetaries are off limits at night (didn't see a sign anywhere) but there is a certain amount of macabre that comes from searching a pioneer cemetary at 3AM.

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I've had my share of night cachin' adventures although I don't do it much anymore.

 

I used to get off work at 10pm and go cachin. I snagged quite a few FTFs thataway.

 

I have night vision, but it doesn't work well on moonless overcast nights without help from a flashlight and it never has actually helped me spot a cache, but it IS good for not calling attention to myself tramping through the woods near someones home. I.E. No one has ever called the cops on me.

 

I even have a night raid sig item which is usually just something that glows in the dark.

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We cache in the day with the kids and at night, it's kind of like a date with my husband. It's only on our weekends but I love this ritual We're pretty new to caching and so far we've only done a couple weekends at night. I search for ones that say 24/7 and then if it's easy enough. Heavy Metal (GCPR1) was by far the spookiest one. Sometimes it's best to do it at night so there's not a lot of people watching you make a fool out of yourself! Like standing on a booster seat (on its end) attacking a "Citizen's Patrol" sign at 1:00 in the morning. I bet THAT looked suspicious! :)

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I've done about half of my finds at night. Although I've not found a dedicated "night cache" yet, there are a couple in the area that I plan on finding soon. Most of the parks in my area close at 2200, not dark, so we were free to hike around at dark a little earlier in the year before the time changed. All of my first caches were found at night, in my jurisdiction, while on duty. I've even been questioned by a fellow LEO in another county while night caching. Apparently, someone hid a cache at a popular drug dealing spot. I had barely made it out of the car before the cruiser pulled up. Luckily, I didn't have to go through the whole, "this is what geocaching is" speech. Just had to say, "I'm a cop two counties over, here's my badge and ID", and he shook my hand and left. It seems to be easier to snag those FTFs if you're will to go caching at night. I've gotten off work at midnight, seen a new cache posted, and took off after it. Night caching is definately a fun aspect of the game.

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I am curious if there are many others who cache at night regularly?

 

I certainly do. Even before entering geocaching I did a lot of nighttime hiking. For nighttime hunts I usually go for specialized caches which can be found only at night - there are a lot of them here in Germany. But sometimes I just enjoy a normal cache in the dark. Can be quite difficult to spot though, since the light of a torch is very different from the ambient lighting at day.

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Although I only have 85 finds, the majority have been found at night. Last trip out I was going to bed as the sun was rising due to a particularly difficult nighttime cache (which I finally found).

I am curious if there are many others who cache at night regularly?

 

BTW, as a funny side note. Many of the caches I found last weekend were right after another nighttime cacher. We found 5 of them within a couple hours after he (or she) did.

 

As others have done I also have logged FTF's at night.

One of the best times I ever had caching was when we were on Vancouver Island visiting the in-laws and I turned to my NefU about 11:00 pm and said "Wanna go cachin'". He was so excited to be out caching at night and all the issues we ran across (failing lights) it made it a great adventure.

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Night caching/hiking is a blast, especially under a full moon. Every Wed or Th, I get together with some local cachers from 9p to midnight, sometimes beyond. We do mostly urban caching to minimize muggle contact, but we always take a night hike somewhere with our geo doggies, who love night caching. We rarely encounter other hikers on the trails; so, the doggies go leashless most of the time. In my area, we have lot of open preserves and wilderness-designated areas (San Diego County). That means no posted hours or rules ;) . That also means you're on your own with predators such as mtn lions and coyotes. Luckily, we have no bears to worry about.

 

If you're going to go on night hikes, take a friend(s) and let your love ones know where you'll be and what time to expect you back. Some night hiking essentials include at least one walking stick; at least two flashlights (I prefer AA-battery lights 'cause my GPS also uses AAs); batteries; insect repellent; a pocket knife; tweezers; and some water and snacks. On 5+ mile hikes (day or night), my dogs take their own dog packs for their water, snacks and leashes.

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I have known cachers who will go out after midnight and drive fifteen miles or more in order to claim a first. But my wife thinks I am compulsive enough already. I could never get away with that.

 

For me, it was almost 2am and just over 20 miles. It posted about 11:30pm and I figured that if someone had not claimed the FTF by then, I would. It was a nice night for a quick drive and a FTF.

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