Geocaching in the snow

[+giannelli55]

I am fairly new to geocaching and I am excited to use my new GPS. Does anyone go geocaching in the snow? We just got a couple inches here and falling....

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I am fairly new to geocaching and I am excited to use my new GPS. Does anyone go geocaching in the snow? We just got a couple inches here and falling....

 

I've done it on more than one occassion. "Worst" case was about 2' of snow in the Syracuse NY area. I went after a cache with a very explicit hint, near a feature that would be visible in that much snow. The .25 mile slog was awful, but I made the find.

 

Locally I've done it in several inches of snow with a pretty good success rate. I got a pair of snow shoes last year (MSR Evos) and it's a lot of fun. A walk in the woods with just a dusting of snow is quite peaceful and enjoyable.

[knowschad]

I am fairly new to geocaching and I am excited to use my new GPS. Does anyone go geocaching in the snow? We just got a couple inches here and falling....

 

Sure we do! You need to dress for it, but since you are from upstate NY, you already knew that. Good, durable gloves or mittens are important, since you will be "digging" snow away. Fallen logs, stumps, boulders and such are generally still apparent, even when covered with snow. You will see the bumps.

 

The Available During Winter attribute can sometimes help, but the meaning does vary from region to region, and even between cachers. To some, it means the cache is hidden above the typical snow level, for others it means that you should still be able to find it if you move enough snow.

[+A & J Tooling]

It's a good time to nab those lpc's everyone hates.

[knowschad]

It's a good time to nab those lpc's everyone hates.

 

Or not.

[Mr.Yuck]

It's a good time to nab those lpc's everyone hates.

 

There could be two feet of snow on the ground, and I was a day out of hip replacement surgery (which I will need some day), and nope, not gonna do it.

[Mr.Yuck]

I am fairly new to geocaching and I am excited to use my new GPS. Does anyone go geocaching in the snow? We just got a couple inches here and falling....

 

Sure we do! You need to dress for it, but since you are from upstate NY, you already knew that. Good, durable gloves or mittens are important, since you will be "digging" snow away. Fallen logs, stumps, boulders and such are generally still apparent, even when covered with snow. You will see the bumps.

 

The Available During Winter attribute can sometimes help, but the meaning does vary from region to region, and even between cachers. To some, it means the cache is hidden above the typical snow level, for others it means that you should still be able to find it if you move enough snow.

 

I live probably 70 miles from the general area of your 3 finds, and yes, we cache in the winter. I'll just go with what this guy says above.

[knowschad]

It's a good time to nab those lpc's everyone hates.

 

There could be two feet of snow on the ground, and I was a day out of hip replacement surgery (which I will need some day), and nope, not gonna do it.

 

Not to mention that often the lamp skirts are buried under twenty feet of plowed, packed snow.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I am fairly new to geocaching and I am excited to use my new GPS. Does anyone go geocaching in the snow? We just got a couple inches here and falling....

 

I've done it on more than one occassion. "Worst" case was about 2' of snow in the Syracuse NY area. I went after a cache with a very explicit hint, near a feature that would be visible in that much snow. The .25 mile slog was awful, but I made the find.

 

Locally I've done it in several inches of snow with a pretty good success rate. I got a pair of snow shoes last year (MSR Evos) and it's a lot of fun. A walk in the woods with just a dusting of snow is quite peaceful and enjoyable.

 

My "worst" was a cache not all that far from Syracuse too. I was going to be going to Europe for the first time after I started cache and thought i "should" bring a travel bug or two with me. I found a cache somewhat nearby that I hadn't yet found which had a couple of TBs in it. It was about 1000' from the parking spot through about 2' of heavy snow. I spent about 20 minutes digging through the snow (with my gloves) and amazingly, found the cache.

 

One of my favorite finds was for a rarely found cache (only 13 finds since 2007) that about 2.1 miles from the nearest place to park. The first mile or so is on a fairly level fire road and the rest of the hike on a fairly vague trail but the trees are sparse enough to bushwack, and most of that was over a few inches of snow.

 

As long as the temperatures are not too frigid, geocaching in the winter can be quite enjoyable but expect that your DNF rate will go up. On the other hand, caching in the snow has some advantages. The leaves are off the trees so satellite reception can be much better, making it easier to find ground zero. If you go out after a recent snow fall, and someone else has looked for the cache before you get there there tracks in the snow can lead you right to the cache. The trick here is as you're approaching the cache, follow the footprints coming *from* the area where the cache is hidden. Urban caching can also be good during the winter because there will be fewer muggles about.

 

Look for caches which use the winter accessible attribute and those that have been found recently and you'll have more success finding them.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

double post

Edited December 28, 2011 by NYPaddleCacher

[+BMndFul]

I cache year round in Lake Tahoe, CA/NV. As mentioned, snow caching is about being properly geared for cold weather so you don't get wet. Lots of patience, willingness to do a little (or a lot) of shoveling are needed. I snow cache in wilderness areas, which sometime requires snowshoes or gaiters. The most important consideration is not to exceed your limitations. Depending where you are caching, cold weather can be dangerous in numerous ways: frostbite, hypothermia, slips, falls, getting lost, getting stuck etc, etc. Overall, it a great outdoor experience. Just be careful.

[+NJ Phil]

It's a good time to nab those lpc's everyone hates.

1pc's? What's an 1pc?

[+giannelli55]

Thank you for all the tips. One question, what is an lpc?

[+Kochibu]

One question, what is an lpc?

 

Lost Place Cache. These are often hidden in abandoned buildings

Edited December 28, 2011 by Kochibu

[+humboldt flier]

Son and old G.F. were caching in suburban Buffalo a few years back and broke through an insufficiently frozen feature covered with snow. Feet wet to mid calf, however, things could have been ...

 

SOOOOOOOOOOOO, use caution young Jedi

[+humboldt flier]

One question, what is an lpc?

 

Lost Place Cache. These are often hidden in abandoned buildings

 

Not nice to lead the new one astray.

 

LPC Lamp Post Cache. (lift the skirt)

[+bflentje]

My biggest find months ever were last January and february here in MN. Last year we had more snow than usual. Just have to have the right clothing and tools and motivation.

[+humboldt flier]

Had a great time last winter seeking out Mr. Yucks " Eternal Flame " cache. I felt that the winter experience made it more memorable.

[+giannelli55]

Where can I find the attributes for the caches? It is very snowy today and would like to know what caches are visible in the snow.

[+Mr. Wilson & a Mt. Goat]

Where can I find the attributes for the caches? It is very snowy today and would like to know what caches are visible in the snow.

 

Right side of cache page, underneath the first map.

[+The_Saints]

The "Available During Winter" attribute can be a poor measure of the cache's availability in the snow. I have abandoned it's use in my PQs. Because 50% of the caches I went to that displayed this attribute were buried by snow or deep in evergreen trees. There is no clear definition of it's meaning. In my area it seems that some people think that it means that you can drive to the area of the cache, not that you can actually find the cache.

 

I have had much more success by parsing the information by hand. Use the satellite image mapping feature and hints to exclude hides in trees, rocks and such. Look for magnetics, as they tend to be off the ground.

[+GeoLobo]

Every geocache i hide is winter friendly, and i would hope all geocachers who place caches in environments where there is the potential for snow would take this into consideration. One of my favorite things to do in the winter, is geocache!

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=177c95a3-9309-45f3-ac41-8fdbb2a4644b

[knowschad]

The "Available During Winter" attribute can be a poor measure of the cache's availability in the snow. I have abandoned it's use in my PQs. Because 50% of the caches I went to that displayed this attribute were buried by snow or deep in evergreen trees. There is no clear definition of it's meaning. In my area it seems that some people think that it means that you can drive to the area of the cache, not that you can actually find the cache.

 

I have had much more success by parsing the information by hand. Use the satellite image mapping feature and hints to exclude hides in trees, rocks and such. Look for magnetics, as they tend to be off the ground.

 

... and, for older caches, looking at last winter's logs (or the absence of them)

[7rxc]

I'm particularly fond of the fact that it is NOT HOT. Warm is fine, but hot isn't for me.

One really big thing in favour of snow caching is the absence of mosquitoes and blackflies.

 

Crowds are often thinner in some places. Out here the bears (black and grizzly) have mostly gone dormant for the winter. Despite misconceptions they do get up and about occasionally. Still have to consider mountain lions and other large critters. I have more encounters with deer, elk and moose, mostly passive, but one has to watch the moose, they can be possessive of territory and family.

 

You have to prepare for the cold and often wet of course as has been stated, sometimes you really should have good bush skills for some spots. Just start slow and work up to it. Best bet would be to meet up with someone who has figured it out already for the serious ventures. My own favourite cause... Make sure someone knows where you are going caching... there are trip plan forms for that. Should you run into trouble, you can be found quicker. That's just the same as parents ask kids where they are going etc.

Just so someone knows if/when you don't turn up. That should be proportioned to the trip in many cases. Expedition = much detail, trip to the park = less detail.

 

Winter has the effect of amplifying some things, the ground is often slippery than summer time, winds are colder, daylight comes and goes quickly, so does dark. I seldom venture anywhere without a headlight and spare batteries during the winter... skiing or caching, sometimes both at once, same for snowshoeing. This is rougher country than some spots, but anywhere snow exists you should be prepared to get 'weathered out' and not be able to get home. I was chatting with one lady from north and east of you in Ontario who went for a cache that was rated as easier terrain. She managed to get down the hill but could not get up it again! Stuck there with few options, but she was 'recovered' by another cacher who was a bit more prepared for the shift in conditions winter brought.

Given that she was mostly unprepared in any way, it may have been seriously different. Don't mean to discourage, but it is the truth about the outdoors. Just be selective about caches you seek, some are more work than others. Try reading the last few find logs to see if anyone has found it since the snow started and when. That will also tell you if there might be the tracks referred to in an earlier post. You can wait til some appear if you like the easy way. Also remember that some containers are brittle in cold weather, they break easy sometimes. Same for frozen in place containers, many have been seen under ice layers.

 

Doug 7rxc

[+ZeLonewolf]

I love caching in the winter. It kills all of the annoying living stuff that makes life miserable in the forest during the summer.

[+SwineFlew]

Is it against the guideline to dig in the snow with a tool?

[+GeoBain]

 

To stay on topic, we don't get much snow around here. But I've heard it can be easier to find caches after someone else but much more difficult if you are the first to go looking after it snows.

 

I've also heard of people using metal detectors to find ammo cans in deep snow.

 

Have fun.

Edited December 29, 2011 by GeoBain

[knowschad]

Is it against the guideline to dig in the snow with a tool?

 

Yes it is. Don't do it. Even mittens are considered a tool. For that matter, you are a tool.

[+SwineFlew]

Is it against the guideline to dig in the snow with a tool?

 

Yes it is. Don't do it. Even mittens are considered a tool. For that matter, you are a tool.

Its scary that you can read between my lines.

[+sidekeck]

It's a good time to nab those lpc's everyone hates.

 

There could be two feet of snow on the ground, and I was a day out of hip replacement surgery (which I will need some day), and nope, not gonna do it.

 

Not to mention that often the lamp skirts are buried under twenty feet of plowed, packed snow.

 

+1

 

I've been part of a crew digging out a few of those. It's much more fun when you have the LPC Liberation Party rather than having to do it yourself.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

Along with good gloves, wear snowpants. Even if there isn't much snow on the ground. Kneeling in the snow will get your pants wet and that can cut your caching short pretty quickly.

 

Caching in the winter can be much tougher. Walking a quarter mile through knee high snow makes it feel like two miles. Snow is a great camouflage and, especially on a ground cache, if you don't brush the snow off the container, you won't see the cache at all. You could be within an inch of the cache and not know it. You simply can't see through snow. Add in the fact that what might be an obvious hiding spot in other seasons gets covered with snow and anything within a 50' circle becomes almost non-descript. Caches hidden under rocks or in tree roots are much, much tougher to find in the winter.

 

But, winter caching can be much more rewarding and a cache hidden behind a tree that is a 10 second find in the summer becomes a 30 minute ordeal in the winter, but you feel elated when you do find it. You don't get that same feeling when you walk up to a cache under a pile of sticks in the summer. You'll have to work harder and your DNF rate will probably skyrocket, but you'll take away alot more from the ones you DO find.

[+Michaelcycle]

Yep, the right equipment is essential:

 

(Carbondale, CO)

 

Often, virtuals are still accessible in the snow:

 

(Glenwood Springs, CO)

[+briansnat]

The "Available During Winter" attribute can be a poor measure of the cache's availability in the snow. I have abandoned it's use in my PQs. Because 50% of the caches I went to that displayed this attribute were buried by snow or deep in evergreen trees. There is no clear definition of it's meaning. In my area it seems that some people think that it means that you can drive to the area of the cache, not that you can actually find the cache.

 

I have had much more success by parsing the information by hand. Use the satellite image mapping feature and hints to exclude hides in trees, rocks and such. Look for magnetics, as they tend to be off the ground.

 

One reason "available during winter" is not the best measure is that there are two schools of thought as to what it means. To some people it simply means that the park or whatever place it is hidden is open in the winter. To others it means that cachers would have a realistic chance of finding it with snow on the ground.

 

Actually I've surprised myself on many occasions by finding a cache that was under a significant blanket of snow. I've found caches under as much as 4 feet of snow. Trekking poles help for poking around. Having a good feeling for the kinds of places caches are hidden is also helpful. Snow also gives some visual clues. A mound means there is probably a boulder under it and if that's at ground zero it's likely the cache is hidden under the boulder. A tree near ground zero would tell me that I should be digging around its base.

Edited December 29, 2011 by briansnat

[+KA&JWest]

I am currently trying to maintain a streak, and the biggest challenge is not snow, but rather short days. I have to go out at lunchtime to grab a quick cache most business days. On the past couple of weekends, my family and I have gone out (in the mud 2 weeks ago Mud on the way up, in the snow last weekend) hunting for caches.

 

Winter Friendly can at least be a clue. You will also get a feel for what that attribute means to the various cache hiders in your area. Even failing due to snow can be fun. See DNF. This is Colorado, where this weekend it was 40 and sunny, with 20" of recent snow in that park. Colder climates may be more difficult.

 

Most of this snow came in on Wednesday, but in the afternoon it was possible to get out, and there was actually a nearby cache where the final was in a public library, tucked in the back of "Geocaching for Dummies", which was ideal with 10" new snow on the ground.

 

JW

Edited December 30, 2011 by KA&JWest

[diggingest_dogg616]

Oooh, if it's buried under some snow then you can be like a pirate and dig for it!

 

Or not. If I was feeling particularly adventurous, then I'd do it, but I don't want the wait of a little shovel to haul around (I'm lazy like that). Thankfully, it doesn't snow much in town. And it usually melts quickly.

[knowschad]

Along with good gloves, wear snowpants. Even if there isn't much snow on the ground. Kneeling in the snow will get your pants wet and that can cut your caching short pretty quickly.

YES!!!

[knowschad]

 

Often, virtuals are still accessible in the snow:

 

(Glenwood Springs, CO)

 

DOC!!!

[knowschad]

I am currently trying to maintain a streak

That is streaking, not geocaching.

[+Doctroid]

Two people have mentioned Syracuse... well, I'm in Syracuse (or suburbs thereof), and can report that it's not as bad as people make it out to be. This December we had only 6.6 inches of snow — officially; they measure it at the airport, and I'm sure I got less than that in my driveway. It was my 3rd best caching month since I started early last year; found 8 regular size caches in the woods just yesterday. The mud was a bigger hindrance than the dusting of snow.

 

Of course last December we got over 70 inches of snow, and I didn't do any caching at all until March.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Two people have mentioned Syracuse... well, I'm in Syracuse (or suburbs thereof), and can report that it's not as bad as people make it out to be. This December we had only 6.6 inches of snow — officially; they measure it at the airport, and I'm sure I got less than that in my driveway. It was my 3rd best caching month since I started early last year; found 8 regular size caches in the woods just yesterday. The mud was a bigger hindrance than the dusting of snow.

 

Of course last December we got over 70 inches of snow, and I didn't do any caching at all until March.

 

I live about an hour south of Syracuse and I think we may have had 2" of snow this year. How much snow you'll find in Syracuse depends on where in Syracuse you're talking about an the differences can be significant. I've flown out of Syracuse many times and there's a "line" about a mile south of the airport where I've gone from no snow to blizzard conditions. That lake effect snow can really disrupt ones ability to find caches.

[+cache_test_dummies]

Geocaching in the snow is a way of life in my area.

 

In the winter, anyway.

Edited January 2, 2012 by cache_test_dummies

[+KA&JWest]

I am currently trying to maintain a streak

That is streaking, not geocaching.

LOL.. Pfft!

[+Clicker44]

I was out with my granddaughter last week when there was about 4 inches of snow in the woods. We recovered two caches and it snowed the next day, so our tracks were erased. Winter caching is fun as long as you are dressed for it.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

Two people have mentioned Syracuse... well, I'm in Syracuse (or suburbs thereof), and can report that it's not as bad as people make it out to be. This December we had only 6.6 inches of snow — officially; they measure it at the airport, and I'm sure I got less than that in my driveway. It was my 3rd best caching month since I started early last year; found 8 regular size caches in the woods just yesterday. The mud was a bigger hindrance than the dusting of snow.

 

Of course last December we got over 70 inches of snow, and I didn't do any caching at all until March.

 

I was just at the in-laws in Jamesville, and was able to grab two caches quite easily. No snow on the ground the past few days!

[+edscott]

Winter snow makes finding some of those pesky DNFs from last summer much easier. Put 'em on your watch list, wait for a finder then jump in the car and head out for it.... Actually I try to use unusual routes for off trail caches in the snow so I don't lead other people .. both cachers and muggles.. into them.

[+dfx]

When the snow is so deep that you sink in to your chest, crawl on all fours, you will sink in less. Speaking from experience here

[+ChileHead]

Snow really doesn't slow my caching down too much. I'll go out just as often, but probably find less.

 

Last year I had a date in January I had to fill in to get my calendar filled in. I was in the Adirondacks miles from anywhere, and didn't feel like driving out to find the nearest cache (which was an Earthcache.) I ended up xc skiing about 4 miles to find the cache area, then digging through 3 feet of snow to find a film can at the base of a tree. I still can't believe I found it.

[+giannelli55]

Snow really doesn't slow my caching down too much. I'll go out just as often, but probably find less.

 

Last year I had a date in January I had to fill in to get my calendar filled in. I was in the Adirondacks miles from anywhere, and didn't feel like driving out to find the nearest cache (which was an Earthcache.) I ended up xc skiing about 4 miles to find the cache area, then digging through 3 feet of snow to find a film can at the base of a tree. I still can't believe I found it.

 

WOW!

[+EscapeFromFlatland]

Winter caching in Portland, Oregon the last few years: dodge the rain drops.

Winter caching in Iraq a few years ago: dodge the Egyptian-trained sniper bullets.

So far my winter caching in Iowa: dodge the rain drops. It was over 50F on 12/31... I remember my last winter in Iowa we had 4wks with a high temp below 15F. Darn corn, causing global warming.

I am NOT looking forward to trying to cache if winter ever rears its ugly head here.

 

Edit: July 2010 I used an ice ax to dig down through 3ft of snow and ice to find the cache was in the middle of a pile of rocks filled up with ice on a cache at the top of Mount Adams. That was my last snow caching experience.

Edited January 3, 2012 by bramasoleiowa

[+Doctroid]

When the snow is so deep that you sink in to your chest, crawl on all fours, you will sink in less. Speaking from experience here

 

I'd put my snowshoes on long before that. Some years I've had to use the snowshoes to take the garbage out to the compost pile the snow on top of the compost pile.

 

Of course, at our previous house, we kept the snowshoes in the shed during the off season, and invariably I'd fail to retrieve them from the shed until I needed snowshoes to get to the shed.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Doctroid