Winter caching?

[DodgingtheDogman]

Anyone know if there's a way to determine if a geocache is findable in the winter season in northern Michigan? I'm guessing if it is placed above ground, it would be findable...is there a way to search the site to locate these types of caches for winter finds?

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

You could search easily enough -- if you were a Premium Member.

 

One can use Attribute Icons to search using Pocket Queries. Choosing the "Winter Friendly" icon would do it.

[+15Tango]

You could search easily enough -- if you were a Premium Member.

 

One can use Attribute Icons to search using Pocket Queries. Choosing the "Winter Friendly" icon would do it.

 

There has been numerous discussions about the "snowflake" icon, which means "Available in Winter," and I think the general consensus is that "Available in Winter" just means that where the land where the cache is located is open in the winter. There are lots of parks that are closed in the winter for various reasons, such as lack of personnel to shovel snow, plow roads, etc.; or caches placed on what is a hiking trail in the summer, but the same trail is for use by skiers or snowshoers only in the winter (for some reason, Nordic skiers get a little perturbed when there's a series of two feet deep holes 3 feet apart on their nice little ski trail). Of course, by local agreement (which some aren't familiar with) in most Northern Climes, some will put that icon on their caches if the cache is located off the ground where it can still be accessed with snow on the ground.

 

Here in Minnesota, people will place "winter friendly" for caches located off the ground in the cache description, and I haven't found a way to filter for those yet in the PQs, but I'm sure someone with enough skill and time can devise something that could seek out "winter friendly" in cache descriptions . During a normal winter, I'll usually check the "found in the last 7 days" box on my PQ after the snow has been on the ground for a while. Of course, that didn't work last winter, and depending on which weather prognosticator you listen to, it might not work again this winter (unless said cache is on a ski slope where they manufacture their own snow).

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Then too.... set up a "watch list".... any cache logged as found during the last few days would have a nice trail right to it.

 

Not really, as some have seen fit to intentionally wander about criss-crossing and making false trails for that reason. All part of the fun, ya know.....

Edited December 7, 2012 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+nohtolsteve]

If the cache is a couple of years old you can check the logs. This might give you a good idea whether that cache can be found in winter or not.

 

Of course you could dig through the snow to look for the cache. I've done this in the past, in snow up to a foot deep, and it can be a lot of fun. I'll note that I usually only do this for regular sized caches.