How do you guys cache in deep snow

February 8, 2010

Do you guys even go out to hunt caches in deep snow? I'm trying to figure a way to sort the caches so I can go after appropriate caches. Any suggestions on how to do this?

19k · February 8, 2010

Do you guys even go out to hunt caches in deep snow? I'm trying to figure a way to sort the caches so I can go after appropriate caches. Any suggestions on how to do this?

Minnesota here. You bet we do! You will be tearing up gloves digging in the snow, but that's just the way it goes. Get good clothes... snow pants & waterproof boots particularly.

You will still be able to see the stumps and logs even in deep snow by the lumps they make.

Especially when you are first starting, it might be wise to only go for those caches that have been found since the snow first fell. Not so much to follow the tracks in (although that may help) but just to have the confidence in knowing that it can be found in the snow.

When you're out there, be sure to appreciate the lack of mosquitos!

2.8k · February 9, 2010

Deepest snow I've tackled was about 2' in Syracuse, NY. In reading the cache description and logs I figured it would be an easy find even in snow (which it was). Just had to do a little digging, that's all!

February 9, 2010

a small waterproof metal detector helps tremendoulsy also.

I just had one of my caches published righ before a massive strom rolled through our area (Hershey, PA) and dumped 18" of snow on us. The drifts made it alot worse, and we are now expecting another 6-12"s tomorrow on to of it. My cache GC23B5R was still found after the cacher decided to try. granted he jumped over a gaurd rail into a 5ft drift instead walk trying to walk around, but that's what makes this game fun.

Odie

7.4k · February 9, 2010

I've dug caches out from several feet of snow. In Ottawa, typical winter caching gear consists of snowshoes, a good hiking pole, and various tools to dig and pry caches out of snow and ice.

4.2k · February 9, 2010

actually we did two night caches in the winter, in knee high snow, was more like swimming lol

and while never took any tools we did use hands, and whatever nature provided to dig/dislodge caches

most recent one we went to was funny actually, the trail is along a farmer field and it was all covered evenly, at first sight, with snow and no footsteps to guide us, but we soon found out the field was tilled, when we kept sinking past knee height, every other step...also a good way to tell we were straying from the trail

5.6k · February 9, 2010

Since you're a premium member, I'm surprised no one has suggested that you select for the "Winter Friendly" (snowflake icon) attribute when you run a Pocket Query. Granted, not all COs bother to use the attributes, or may neglect to select this one even if it's appropriate, but if it has been selected, there's a much better chance for success when the white stuff starts to pile up, and your trip is more likely to be productive.

Beyond that, watching the other caches of interest for finds right after a decent dump will not only leave you a potential geotrail, it indicates that at least some brave soul had some success.

Edited February 9, 2010 by ecanderson

19k · February 9, 2010

I'm surprised no one has suggested that you select for the "Winter Friendly" (snowflake icon) attribute

Speaking for myself, I hestitated to suggest it because of threads like this one . To sum it up, there is some confusion as to the true meaning of that attribute.

38.2k · February 9, 2010

A lot of it is cache sense and a lot of it is luck. I've found caches under as many as 3 feet of snow. There is often still evidence of the typical hiding spots above snow. A tree stump, a cluster of trees, a boulder. You still look for the same kinds of places then start digging.

February 9, 2010

A lot of it is cache sense and a lot of it is luck. I've found caches under as many as 3 feet of snow. There is often still evidence of the typical hiding spots above snow. A tree stump, a cluster of trees, a boulder. You still look for the same kinds of places then start digging.

Don't tell anyone but Brian said the "D" word!! bolding was mine

1.5k · February 9, 2010

I load the caches for a pocket query into GSAK and filter out caches not found since winter's first major snowfall, which, better than the "winter friendly" icon, indicates there is a good chance of finding the cache with a significant amount of snow on the ground.

I also take a collapsable avalanche rescue shovel with me to help with snow removal and prying frozen containers out of icy tombs.

February 9, 2010

Now say you are out there in a foot of snow and can't come up with the find. Log as DNF? What is the geocache philosophy on this issue?

1.5k · February 9, 2010

Now say you are out there in a foot of snow and can't come up with the find. Log as DNF? What is the geocache philosophy on this issue?

I arrived at GZ, I searched, I didn't find the cache, I write a DNF log. But, we log all our cache attempts...example.

Doing lets other cachers know it could be a challenging winter hide and the cache owner that there may be a problem.

Edited February 9, 2010 by Ladybug Kids

February 9, 2010

I'm working on a century streak, so I've been out all winter. I am also in a rural area, so I have to travel farther to get to caches. I was doing about 50% finds when I discovered the "found in last 7 days" option, since then, I have done much better. Sometimes though, I think I would rather be the first to find after a snowfall. Once snow is moved, it sets up, and is hard as ice.

People throw snow back on top to cover the cache, it sets up, and is tough to find. I don't trust the snowflake icon anymore either. 4 of us looked for one for over 1/2 hour, only to read the logs, and one person said "winter friendly if it doesn't snow", another the day before that, was under a pile of snow from a plow.

19k · February 9, 2010

I forgot to mention in my previous post that one of the most useful tools here in Minnesota for caching in the snow is a swim mask. It allow you to easily tunnel beneath the snow, where you can see what is really under there. You'd be amazed at how quickly you can spot the caches like that. Swim fins and a snorkel help, too, but you will need oversized fins to go over your galoshes, and it is common to attach up to 6 feet of 2" PVC to the snorkel. Trust me... around here, you will be "diving" that deep.

And remember... when you're snow diving, always use the buddy system!

February 9, 2010

I cache in the snow here in WI during the winter. It makes for a fun time: no bugs, no sweating, no wet swamps (they freeze under the snow), no boats required on terrain 5's (ice). It is a beautiful thing. I usually drag my five year old on a sled behing me and she carries a couple kid size shovels. We tend to ignore the urban caches, because those guardrails, bus stops, and signposts usually get plowed in.

9-16 inches of the white stuff on the way tonight looking forward to the weekend.

13.7k · February 9, 2010

Depending on the Winter attribute, we may sometimes bring along a Garrett Super Scanner (hand-held metal detector used at airlines) just to get us a bit closer. Grabbed it cheap on eBay.

Gpsr may get us close enough, but the detector keeps us from digging twelve snow burrows in a 15' radius.

So far, haven't had enough snow to warrant taking it along, may change today.

Also works great for that pesky bison tube in a pine tree we may miss repeatedly.

6.7k · February 9, 2010

The winter icon and metal detector already mentioned seem like good ideas.

Moving to where it doesn't snow is a better one.

I came as close to dying while caching as I ever want to come on a snow-covered hillside when I almost slid down and over a bluff into a frozen lake. Be careful out there.

The best snow caching experience I have had was with a blind cacher in Pennsylvania... neither of us could see the cache and he found about as many as the rest of the group!

6.7k · February 9, 2010

The winter icon and metal detector already mentioned seem like good ideas.

Moving to where it doesn't snow is a better one.

I came as close to dying while caching as I ever want to come on a snow-covered hillside when I almost slid down and over a bluff into a frozen lake. Be careful out there.

The best snow caching experience I have had was with a blind cacher in Pennsylvania... neither of us could see the cache and he found about as many as the rest of the group!

It doesn't snow in Alabama? It did in Anniston on my first day of basic training. A cosmic April Fools joke.

38.2k · February 9, 2010

Now say you are out there in a foot of snow and can't come up with the find. Log as DNF? What is the geocache philosophy on this issue?

Looked and didn't find it. That's a DNF in my book.

19k · February 9, 2010

A lot of it is cache sense and a lot of it is luck. I've found caches under as many as 3 feet of snow. There is often still evidence of the typical hiding spots above snow. A tree stump, a cluster of trees, a boulder. You still look for the same kinds of places then start digging.

Don't tell anyone but Brian said the "D" word!! bolding was mine

Tattle-tail!!

February 9, 2010

Now say you are out there in a foot of snow and can't come up with the find. Log as DNF? What is the geocache philosophy on this issue?

Of course. DNF it (english version after local one). Where is the problem?

24.7k · February 9, 2010

How do you guys cache in deep snow, caching in 14" of snow

For a mere 14" gators are handy. I also drop Micro's from my list. Especailly the ground dwelling types. Larger caches are still good. At 2' I read the descritpions a lot more closely so I have a chance of finding it. At some point trapsing through snow becomes wading and wading is real work. Snowshows are good then.

6.7k · February 9, 2010

Set a watchlist for the caches that you want to find.

When you get an email that one has been found go follow the finder's trail through the snow.

Simple! :tongue:

February 9, 2010

I don't always log a dnf for a couple of reasons. If you get to GZ, and there is no "obvious" place to look, I don't start moving snow from a 30 foot diam, because that is too much work. Sometimes in the woods, coordinates are off, which makes it harder. Chances are, a CO is not going to check til spring anyway. Caches on the ground at the base of a tree that looks like any other tree can be found without snow, but snow makes it impossible without a lot of time, so I don't waste a lot of time, just go on to the next.

3.8k · February 10, 2010

Found 23 caches last Saturday in what is the snowiest winter for MN since about 1996. Only two DNFs. Just takes the correct clothing and persistence.

19k · February 10, 2010

I don't always log a dnf for a couple of reasons. If you get to GZ, and there is no "obvious" place to look, I don't start moving snow from a 30 foot diam, because that is too much work. Sometimes in the woods, coordinates are off, which makes it harder. Chances are, a CO is not going to check til spring anyway. Caches on the ground at the base of a tree that looks like any other tree can be found without snow, but snow makes it impossible without a lot of time, so I don't waste a lot of time, just go on to the next.

If you logged your DNF, then before I went to try it, I might be able to figure out that the cache is on the ground at the base of a tree that looks like any other tree, but the snow made it impossible for you to find without a lot of time. Thanks for letting me know that.

February 10, 2010

Right around this time of year a few years ago we had a storm that dropped three feet of snow on the ground. I was trying to keep my reviewer happy by fixing a disabled cache. I had to post-hole my way to the cache and back. (post-holing: walking by taking a step where you lift your leg up over the snow and drop it down, then pull the other leg out of its hole, lift it up over (the three feet of) snow and put it down slightly ahead of the other.) I'd take two steps, my feet would get stuck in the snow but my forward momentum would throw me off balance and I'd topple face forward into the snow and this was repeated all the way to the cache. It was then that I decided to buy the snow shoes.

Two guys found my other nearby cache. They must have walked through this snow as I did and using the clue found the cache (a micro)which was hidden under a rock and buried under three feet of snow- I'm still impressed.

We're supposed to get hit with a big snow storm tonight. Get to try out those snowshoes again.

Edited February 10, 2010 by Luckless

1.3k · February 10, 2010

I try to save alot of the guardrail or LPC or even micros in trees for winter caching when I might just need a quick caching fix. When the snow is gone, I'll go after the more difficult rated caches and leave a good dose of the "easy" ones for when the snow piles up.

As for caching in deep snow, it can be soooo rewarding to finally uncover that cache sitting under two feet (or more!) of snow...but it can also be soooo exhausting and frustrating. You can scoop out a huge pile of snow, inches away from where the cache is sitting and not see it. Snow is a great camoflauge.

So, expect to spend alot of time down on your knees, digging through snow. Take measures to keep your feet, hands and pants dry by wearing good boots, gloves and snowpants. Any of those three things get wet and you're pretty much done for the day.

Also make sure you have enough water on hand. I prefer to wear my Camelbak (if it's really cold, I wear it under my coat to keep the drinking tube from freezing). Walking, snowshoeing, skiing or digging through snow is a good workout and you'll be sweating. You have to keep hydrated!

Then after a great day out caching in the deep snow, treat yourself to a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Repeat until the snow melts. :tongue:

February 10, 2010

when you get near the cache hide follow the footprints that are coming out. They should lead you right to the cache. :tongue:

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

19k · February 10, 2010

when you get near the cache hide follow the footprints that are coming out. They should lead you right to the cache.
Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

Not when I was there before you!!

But often enough, it is true. Much better than following the tracks in!

February 10, 2010

when you get near the cache hide follow the footprints that are coming out. They should lead you right to the cache.

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

deane

looks like we have to start over after the snow yesterday and today...no footprints anymore!

February 10, 2010

when you get near the cache hide follow the footprints that are coming out. They should lead you right to the cache.

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

Don't follow my footprints, you'll make yourself dizzy, for sure. I love looking at the GPS when i'm done at a hide. Its amazing the path taken to find a hide. The GPS dance.

19k · February 10, 2010

when you get near the cache hide follow the footprints that are coming out. They should lead you right to the cache.

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

Don't follow my footprints, you'll make yourself dizzy, for sure. I love looking at the GPS when i'm done at a hide. Its amazing the path taken to find a hide. The GPS dance.

That's why you want to follow the footprints that are coming out, not those leading in. :unsure:

February 10, 2010

when you get near the cache hide follow the footprints that are coming out. They should lead you right to the cache.

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

deane

looks like we have to start over after the snow yesterday and today...no footprints anymore!

Yep, 8 inches at my house yesterday and last night. That and the blowing wind took care of any footprints in West Michigan!

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

February 11, 2010

cerberus-1 I would be curious to hear how the Garrett scanner works. According to the specs, it will detect a handgun at 9", pocket knife at 6". Will it detect something under 2 feet of snow? If so, I'm in.

13.7k · February 11, 2010

cerberus-1 I would be curious to hear how the Garrett scanner works. According to the specs, it will detect a handgun at 9", pocket knife at 6". Will it detect something under 2 feet of snow? If so, I'm in.

We've proven it will sound off if it's a 30 cal. ammo can in 19" of wet snow, the deepest we've had in awhile.

I imagine a 50 would be cake. Would do better if the snow was powder too.

May change soon. Some are claiming that much in the snow from just this morning and it's still coming down.

We only go after ammo cans on the ground in snow. We don't want to crack frozen tupperware and lock 'n locks.

Picks up a bison tube in a pine tree about 8" from it. We use it after exhausting a regular search of said pine tree. :unsure:

If we ever get dug out, maybe we'll have to do another product test. :unsure:

13.7k · February 12, 2010

Okay. Since it's gonna be Saturday or so before we can see the road, I decided to play...

Placed 8 30cal ammo cans in the field, in various settings. One already has 40" of drift over it.

We'll hit 'em as soon as we're able and give a non/un scientific report. :lol:

3.3k · February 12, 2010

I have not done a lot of caching this winter, but here is what I am doing now. I have a colapsible shovle for skiing in avalanch country. I bring that with me to clear large areas of snow. I have a huge flat blade screw driver for adjusting my ski's bindings, I bring that with me as a probe.

Also, often the GeoPile can still be visible above the snow. Look for that. The last cache I found, I navigated to GZ, and stood still, looking around. After a minute, I saw a few prospective geopiles by fallen trees. I looked under the most promissing one, and BINGO! there it was.

Edited February 12, 2010 by Andronicus

February 12, 2010

Additional problems..............NJ plowing leaves a lot to be desired.............Parking areas not plowed.....Its NJ not to many of us have snow shoes...........I post holed around my yard, pass.

Its killing me, I miss getting out there, my dog is miserable too. I have to give it another week.

Edited February 12, 2010 by scrapes

6.7k · February 12, 2010

The winter icon and metal detector already mentioned seem like good ideas.

Moving to where it doesn't snow is a better one.

I came as close to dying while caching as I ever want to come on a snow-covered hillside when I almost slid down and over a bluff into a frozen lake. Be careful out there.

The best snow caching experience I have had was with a blind cacher in Pennsylvania... neither of us could see the cache and he found about as many as the rest of the group!

It doesn't snow in Alabama? It did in Anniston on my first day of basic training. A cosmic April Fools joke.

Well, ok, so it snows in Alabama! We're struggling through the Blizzard of 2010.

2.5" of snow today, most of the state is shut down!

I almost had to put a jacket on to BBQ my dinner.

Edited February 12, 2010 by TheAlabamaRambler

February 13, 2010

Supposedly every state in the union except Hawaii had some snow on the ground today. Maybe it only lasted a few moments, but it was snow.

6.7k · February 13, 2010

The winter icon and metal detector already mentioned seem like good ideas.

Moving to where it doesn't snow is a better one.

I came as close to dying while caching as I ever want to come on a snow-covered hillside when I almost slid down and over a bluff into a frozen lake. Be careful out there.

The best snow caching experience I have had was with a blind cacher in Pennsylvania... neither of us could see the cache and he found about as many as the rest of the group!

It doesn't snow in Alabama? It did in Anniston on my first day of basic training. A cosmic April Fools joke.

Well, ok, so it snows in Alabama! We're struggling through the Blizzard of 2010.

2.5" of snow today, most of the state is shut down!

I almost had to put a jacket on to BBQ my dinner.

Heck! 2.5 inches of snow doesn't even make the morning traffic report around here.

February 13, 2010

Do you guys even go out to hunt caches in deep snow? I'm trying to figure a way to sort the caches so I can go after appropriate caches. Any suggestions on how to do this?

In Alberta I do a Pocket Query with the snow flake(winter friendly) in my attributes.Lets face it if it is on the ground or in a log under 16 inches of snow ....you do not want to be in there ..now do you.?

2.4k · February 13, 2010

Do you guys even go out to hunt caches in deep snow? I'm trying to figure a way to sort the caches so I can go after appropriate caches. Any suggestions on how to do this?

In Alberta I do a Pocket Query with the snow flake(winter friendly) in my attributes.Lets face it if it is on the ground or in a log under 16 inches of snow ....you do not want to be in there ..now do you.?

I always assumed that attribute meant suitable for 'snow flakes'. snow flake = people who like caching in the snow. :laughing:

Pretty sure I got my first FTF yesterday... only got stuck twice over the knee deep. So much for easy.

So I'm pretty sure I am one... a snow flake!

Doug

February 14, 2010

Well, I went out today. Strapped on a pair of snow shoes and headed up the Armstrong Trail (it's a rails-to-trails line) and probably walked about 4 miles working on a Trivia Multi. Each stage had a trivia question and a set of coords for each answer. I got most of them wrong, but I was only choosing the answers based on the direction I was headed on the trail, LOL, so I didn't have to keep backtracking. Well, my legs got worn out and I stopped at several of the coords on the way back and couldn't find the caches in the deep snow. So I didn't get the find, but I had a good day (and a good workout). Monday is a holiday so maybe I'll go out again and pick up a traditional so I can at least get smiley 100. Caching in the snow is challenging, but a fun adventure.

38.2k · February 14, 2010

Found a micro today under 2 feet of snow. Took a little luck and a little experience. Knowing the kinds of places to look is where the experience comes in. From there on it is all luck.

13.7k · February 15, 2010

cerberus-1 I would be curious to hear how the Garrett scanner works. According to the specs, it will detect a handgun at 9", pocket knife at 6". Will it detect something under 2 feet of snow? If so, I'm in.

Okay. Since it's gonna be Saturday or so before we can see the road, I decided to play...

Placed 8 30cal ammo cans in the field, in various settings. One already has 40" of drift over it.

We'll hit 'em as soon as we're able and give a non/un scientific report.

We shoulda hit it yesterday...

8 empty 30cal ammo cans "hidden" in the snow.

40 degrees today. I think the sun killed our game play, but it DID give us a more realistic search than the last time we were out with "next day" wet snow. We had pac boots, but only needed sweatshirts on to stay warm.

The snow from Thursday packed to 16" - 18" from the snow totals of 21" - 26." The drift that ended at 42" packed to 35".

The Garrett DID pick up most (flat ground, under/side of a fallen tree, tree bases and rock ledges), but two we could only hear faintly with earbuds from another unit in (optional w/ the Garrett). Seemed it wanted to give up at 16". CJ pushed it into the snow for all after scanning the top and all signaled, including the two at 18". It's water-resistant, not proof and wiped it down after each search. As we guessed, no signal at the 35" packed drift spot.

So we'd have to say anything over 16" of very-packed snow, forget it, unless you push it into the snow. It does do well in "new" or powdered snow up to 19". Might have done better with 50s, but we don't have any now to play with.

Just for the heck of it, I grabbed my White 6000DI pro (stalk model w/disc, meter at handle) and it found all of them from the top easily.

Now if I could con CJ into luggin' it...

February 17, 2010

When we first started it was January. We got alot of snow that year and spent alot of time digging out caches from snow. One of the caches was a guardrail cache at a scenic overlook. The snow was so high that the guardrail was at our feet and we had to dig down to retrieve the cache.

Edited February 17, 2010 by MarshMonsters

February 17, 2010

Well after reading all the success stories I went out, man I gotta tell ya the snow sucks, parkinglots still covered and iced, road berms plowed high, trees down across the trail, slight hills that are drifts, crashing through hardpack to the knees, blah blah blah, (whine whine whine)

good for you guys that have success in such conditions

Edited February 17, 2010 by scrapes

How do you guys cache in deep snow

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