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A lull after summer?


PeakFault

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Being new to this game I'm just wondering if I'd be right in thinking that Geocaching activity increases during school holidays and weekends?

 

And that during school term most people work and therefore do less caching Monday - Friday?

 

I was talking to my friend at work and we've both placed caches very recently and after an initial bit of interest (due to people wanting FTF perhaps?) the week has gone by with no one finding any of our caches.

 

I'd just like to point out at this stage that I didn't expect people to be queueing to sign my log book. Nor am I bothered that there has been no further activity during the week! Was merely looking for an answer to my theory!

 

Anyway 3 people are watching my cache so I have a feeling at least one of those may get it this weekend as they are off work (and possibly their kids are off school if they have kids!)

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Winter is for placing caches. You know how muddy its gonna get, it probably wont get any worse (water wise) for the caches durability, and there is little, or no vegetation, so you then know that in the spring its gonna be hidden even more!

Place them in the winter, check on them a month later, get all your goodies (unwanted? Christmas pressies) and load them in your new caches and come Springtime, give the reviewers some work to do! and the hunters a whole load of new places to go.

 

Well, thats the plan.

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Perhaps a mention of how orienteering works through the seasons might be useful?

(By the way, geocaching is discussed on www.nopesport.com orienteering forums)

late autum / winter / early spring - vegetation (particulalry nettles and brambles) dies back, so woods are used for daylight and nighttime (with head tocrches) races

spring - bird nesting season, so some woods & moors are off limits to orienteers, although restrictions on general public, often with dogs, are rarer

summer - light evenings mean midweek low key events in city parks and country parks are organised

September - most popular month for CATI (Come And Try It) events, so now's a good time to use a search engine for the name of your lcoal city / county and orienteering, then get along one weekend this month (some may already have happened

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Hooray, did someone say the nettles and brambles will be starting to die off. :blink:

 

A nice time to go caching now, will have to get my hiking boots out as the

paths I walked this week were a bit muddy.

 

Maybe a good time to go and grab some of the more urban caches

as there will be fewer muggles about during the day.

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I agree with Sandra!!!

 

I tend to cache more around home in the winter, lots of us meet up every now and again and go off for a walk and cache or three, whereas my caching in the summer is centred around camping events, and thus I cache very little around home.

 

Caching in winter IS far easier, better GPS reception, no tree cover, no nettles.... and (hopefully) lovely cool, crisp weather, perfect for wrapping up and heading off for a good walk!

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As a family we will definitely be slowing up now until next April, purely because the sport we follow has started up again (ice hockey), and that tends to dominate our weekends in the winter months.

 

We have never done much weekday caching due to working full time. A tiny bit on the longest summer evenings, or on rare days off, but that’s about it.

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The apparent lack of interest in a new cache after the FTF flurry might be because people are saving it for the future - I do this all the time, I earmark a particular cache or series for a particular time of year. My nearest unfound cache is less than half a mile from my house, but I'm saving that for an afternoon walk later in the year.

 

I cache further away from home in summer, and reserve the ones on my doorstep for the winter.

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The apparent lack of interest in a new cache after the FTF flurry might be because people are saving it for the future - I do this all the time, I earmark a particular cache or series for a particular time of year. My nearest unfound cache is less than half a mile from my house, but I'm saving that for an afternoon walk later in the year.

 

I cache further away from home in summer, and reserve the ones on my doorstep for the winter.

So this, I've been tempted all summer to hit a few circulars etc really close to home. But instead we just went out further away.

 

Keep all the close to home ones for the really short days midwinter :)

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As a family we will definitely be slowing up now until next April, purely because the sport we follow has started up again (ice hockey), and that tends to dominate our weekends in the winter months.

 

Likewise for me only in my case it's curling, both playing, umpiring and occasionally spectating.

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I agree with Sandra!!!

 

I tend to cache more around home in the winter, lots of us meet up every now and again and go off for a walk and cache or three, whereas my caching in the summer is centred around camping events, and thus I cache very little around home.

 

Caching in winter IS far easier, better GPS reception, no tree cover, no nettles.... and (hopefully) lovely cool, crisp weather, perfect for wrapping up and heading off for a good walk!

 

I have to 3rd that! :D I really enjoyed my first winter caching.

You know how to dress for the day and not get surprised by a cold wet morning turning into a heat wave.

You can walk further, follow caching trails in the snow :) and then you get to come back to a warm house, hot drink and relax with a warm glow while logging and uploading a millions pics :D

I can't wait for the Winter!

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As a family we will definitely be slowing up now until next April, purely because the sport we follow has started up again (ice hockey), and that tends to dominate our weekends in the winter months.

 

Likewise for me only in my case it's curling, both playing, umpiring and occasionally spectating.

 

I must admit I never had Chelmsford down as a curling capital!

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... winter caching is better (As long as its not raining) but a good gale or frosty clear day cant be beaten.

 

Agreed!

 

We've had some great caching days during Winter.

If going further afield we'll stop overnight in a Premier Inn/Travelodge etc the night before to make the most of the daylight ;)

 

 

Mark

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Winter is for placing caches. You know how muddy its gonna get, it probably wont get any worse (water wise) for the caches durability, and there is little, or no vegetation, so you then know that in the spring its gonna be hidden even more!

Place them in the winter, check on them a month later, get all your goodies (unwanted? Christmas pressies) and load them in your new caches and come Springtime, give the reviewers some work to do! and the hunters a whole load of new places to go.

 

Well, thats the plan.

 

Yep, find a lovely secluded spot and then find that within 5 months you can't get within 50 yards of it because of the nettles growing to head height!

 

I remember one cache near home where the setters renamed it "The Summer Nettle Challenge". They said to wear long trousers... I went out on the bike in shorts only to find they weren't kidding!

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