Geocaching in Iraq.

[+Coldgears]

I was looking at the Maps the other day and noticed a single geocache in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. Surprised, it made me wonder where else I wouldn't want to geocache. So I thought, and realized I wouldn't want to in a warzone... So I checked the maps for Iraq and noticed there is in fact quite a bit of geocaches there. Everyone I saw were always hidden on a military base. Because of lack of space in a military base the caches are all VERY close to each other.

 

I'm curious if anyone knows any more, I'm quite curious about this... What type of containers are they usually? Because it is a military base does everyone know each other extremely well? Do they use military grade GPS's?

 

Thanks!

[+BulldogBlitz]

they might have really good swag in that cache though... so it might just be worth the risk.

 

 

there is several someones local here that cache in afghanistan and iraq... from my brief perusal, it looks as though they are understandably temporary done by military or contractors.

[+Coldgears]

There is several someones local here that cache in afghanistan and iraq... from my brief perusal, it looks as though they are understandably temporary done by military or contractors.

Aren't temporary caches agaisn't the rules?

[coachgrinnan]

5/5??!??

[knowschad]

Odd... I can't bring up any posts with "Iraq" in it, including this thread. I know that we have had threads discussing caching in the warzone that answer your very questions, but I can't find them.

[+addisonbr]

Odd... I can't bring up any posts with "Iraq" in it, including this thread. I know that we have had threads discussing caching in the warzone that answer your very questions, but I can't find them.

Sometimes the search function defaults to searching the "Help Files" instead of the "Forums". Look for that radio button?

 

Why it would ever default to that I'm not really sure.

[+clumzyfly]

I wonder if they have any trouble getting ammo cans.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

There is several someones local here that cache in afghanistan and iraq... from my brief perusal, it looks as though they are understandably temporary done by military or contractors.

Aren't temporary caches agaisn't the rules?

Yes, but special dispensation may be made by Groundspeak so that our soldiers have the chance to do something fun in the FOB.

[knowschad]

Odd... I can't bring up any posts with "Iraq" in it, including this thread. I know that we have had threads discussing caching in the warzone that answer your very questions, but I can't find them.

Sometimes the search function defaults to searching the "Help Files" instead of the "Forums". Look for that radio button?

 

Why it would ever default to that I'm not really sure.

I'm sure I did, because I selected this forum to search in. But in any case, I just tried it again, and this time it worked, so I must have done something wrong. I found several, but I think this is the thread that I remembered: Geocaching with Sand in the mouth

[+twoodward15]

It's a perk to those of us serving to be able to get a cache in an obscure location! An "I got one in Iraq, did you" kind of thing I guess. It's good to serve, and it's a huge morale booster to be able to do something on your time off. it also will tell you who is a cacher there, you'll have something in commonwith a soldier that you may not know. You can meet with them for water (no beer flowing there).

[+John in Valley Forge]

Of course the combat engineers are even more prone to blowing up mysterious boxes over there than local cops here .

I am giving my favorite Louie my old GPS when he heads back over to Afghanistan so he can give it a try.

 

I suspect that the war zone caches get adopted by other soldiers when the original CO goes home.

 

As far as the special dispensation for non-permanent caches, I think that GS also gave a pass to a cacher who is working on humanitarian aid in Haiti. As I recall, the cache is near the red cross HQ in Port au Prince.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

It's a perk to those of us serving to be able to get a cache in an obscure location! An "I got one in Iraq, did you" kind of thing I guess. It's good to serve, and it's a huge morale booster to be able to do something on your time off. it also will tell you who is a cacher there, you'll have something in commonwith a soldier that you may not know. You can meet with them for water (no beer flowing there).

 

I frequently correspond with a geocacher from North Carolina that does some kind of government related work in Iraq and I know he's found at least one near Bagdad and he's not in the military. I've "Google chatted" with him on more than one occasion while he was in the country.

[+Da Beast]

if they are hidden in a warzone (on a base)then chances are they would be behind a desk were it can always be watched. Hidden things and people looking for them would cause to much attention. plus allways remember IF YOU DIDN'T PUT IT THERE DON'T TOUCH IT!!!!!

[+hzoi]

if they are hidden in a warzone (on a base)then chances are they would be behind a desk were it can always be watched.

 

Not really, if you look at the descriptions for the caches in Afghanistan and Iraq, very few are under guard like you surmise.

 

Lots of micros, some small caches. Not too many regulars or larges.

[+15Tango]

Caches in Iraq and Afghanistan are the same as anywhere else - they run the gamut from bison tubes and film canisters to rubbermaid containers, and there's even a couple Earthcaches that I know about. I never used a military-grade GPS to find caches when I was in country - we are allowed to have our own Garmins and DeLormes and whatnot - we're just careful about OPSEC when we're plugging coords into our personal GPS. They aren't any more temporary than caches anywhere else - when the original cache hider rotates out, there is usually someone else on base that caches who can make sure the cache is okay - like everywhere else, where there are caches where the hider hasn't logged on in years, but they still have active caches where the geocaching community will replace logbooks, replace containers, etc.

[+Da Beast]

if they are hidden in a warzone (on a base)then chances are they would be behind a desk were it can always be watched.

 

Not really, if you look at the descriptions for the caches in Afghanistan and Iraq, very few are under guard like you surmise.

 

Lots of micros, some small caches. Not too many regulars or larges.

i spent 6 months as a civilan cook in Kabul,(this was before i new abut geocaching) People would notice someone searching for somthing all stealth like, especally if they were hiding something. The one thing that the millatry always told us was IF YOU DID'NT PUT IT THERE DON'T TOUCH IT!!!!! This is why i think that would have been behind a desk so it could be allways watched. This was also a Canadain base. Idid read some of the logs from Afganastan and as it turns out they were being hiden but now have been outlawed(mostlikly for being suspisous items

here is one cache page http://coord.info/GC2JFDD

Edited January 26, 2011 by Da Beast

[+hzoi]

Yeah, some bases have clamped down on it, some have not -- up to the installation commander for the most part. I wasn't caching when I deployed, but I've been tracking how it works for if/when I go back.

 

If you were in Kabul (Phoenix? KIA?) it doesn't surprise me that they're more paranoid than, say, Bagram. But as they say, just 'cause you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you...

[+Da Beast]

camp Jullian the Canadian forces base 2005 in between the Kings and Queens castles