Winter Caching

[mgillett8]

Hey all --

 

I'm looking for tips for winter caching. I'm in the northeast US and dealing with six inches of snow - should I give up until spring, or have you found ways to deal with winter weather woes?

[+candlestick]

Hey there! I'm from Western New York and feel ya. I put on snow pants, outdoor hiking boots (waterproof), ski jacket, gloves hat extra water etc and sometimes even ski goggles when it's blistering cold out and I need my eyeballs to not be pelted. Although you can guess where many caches might be( and usually end up finding them after some digging) you can always look for caches with the winter friendly attribute that will be off the ground, well, hopefully. I suppose it's up to you if you feel like gearing up and preparing for the cold but it can be done. Sometimes you can get lucky and find footprints right to the cache in the snow 😜

[+cerberus1]

Look for the "Available During Winter" attribute.

Often that offers better odds of actually finding caches in the snow (but not always).

A little common sense helps, with tree limbs, rock overhangs, inside logs, etc possible spots for a hide.

We tend to go after ammo cans during Winter, as chipping into the snow and striking a plastic gladware container doesn't sit well with most COs (but then better containers are available).

 

We don't do them, but many go after guardrail, lpc, and similar hides during this time of year, as they're sometimes well above the snow line too.

Others like to use the really miserable days (we have more ice than snow) to create new hides for Spring, or get their gear in order.

 

We've found a hand-held metal detector (we have a Garrett) doesn't hurt either.

[+cerberus1]

Sometimes you can get lucky and find footprints right to the cache in the snow

 

In areas frequented often, or a buncha folks scrambling for a FTF, this happens a lot.

One guy only went out when he saw others hit caches near him for that reason.

- Even started bragging on on his Found It that he never needed a GPSr.

 

The other 2/3rds made it a point to walk in circles, or in her own tracks after that.

[+Rustynails]

Minnesota is where you find real winter caching. You can also PQ caches found recently. Not all hiders use the snowflake. I have used snowshoes for caching but not often. Take a pole or walking stick for stability and poking in the snow for the cache. If you have good geosense you know where to look and poke. Winter is also an excellent time to get those island caches. The ice here gets pretty thick and if you see ice fishermen on the ice with their truck, your probably safe. Winter caching is fun and no ticks or mosquitoes.

[+narcissa]

Six inches total? We had 12 inches fall yesterday.

 

I'm a winter wimp but over the years I have done some winter caching with snowshoes, which can be lots of fun. Kind of fun to just walk over areas that would be more of a bushwhack in summer.

 

A small shovel for the snow can help. A walking stick is good for keeping balance and poking in the snow.

 

Look for caches that have recent finds - it means they're accessible right now.

 

If you live in a place where bodies of water freeze over, winter can be a good time to get boat or canoe caches because you can just walk to them.

 

It can also be a good time to get caches in marshy, swampy areas because they're frozen over.

[+GO Geiger]

Hey there! I'm from Western New York and feel ya. I put on snow pants, outdoor hiking boots (waterproof), ski jacket, gloves hat extra water etc and sometimes even ski goggles when it's blistering cold out and I need my eyeballs to not be pelted. Although you can guess where many caches might be( and usually end up finding them after some digging) you can always look for caches with the winter friendly attribute that will be off the ground, well, hopefully. I suppose it's up to you if you feel like gearing up and preparing for the cold but it can be done. Sometimes you can get lucky and find footprints right to the cache in the snow 😜

 

Also from WNY, just a little further down the I90. For me (as the rest of the family doesn't care for winter caching), I put on my leather jacket, jeans, hiking boots, gloves, and hat. Sometimes I take a hiking stick. Snowshoes are too much of a liability for me when on a forest trail. The cold doesn't really bother me as long as there's no wind. But then, we haven't really seen any snow in our area to speak of this year. Or the year before. And maybe the year before that, either. (The joys of lake effect snow - Buffalo can get 9" and Rochester can get 12", but in between it can be sunny and 40 degrees.)

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Hey there! I'm from Western New York and feel ya. I put on snow pants, outdoor hiking boots (waterproof), ski jacket, gloves hat extra water etc and sometimes even ski goggles when it's blistering cold out and I need my eyeballs to not be pelted. Although you can guess where many caches might be( and usually end up finding them after some digging) you can always look for caches with the winter friendly attribute that will be off the ground, well, hopefully. I suppose it's up to you if you feel like gearing up and preparing for the cold but it can be done. Sometimes you can get lucky and find footprints right to the cache in the snow 😜

 

Also from WNY, just a little further down the I90. For me (as the rest of the family doesn't care for winter caching), I put on my leather jacket, jeans, hiking boots, gloves, and hat. Sometimes I take a hiking stick. Snowshoes are too much of a liability for me when on a forest trail. The cold doesn't really bother me as long as there's no wind. But then, we haven't really seen any snow in our area to speak of this year. Or the year before. And maybe the year before that, either. (The joys of lake effect snow - Buffalo can get 9" and Rochester can get 12", but in between it can be sunny and 40 degrees.)

 

Yes, the last couple of years have been relatively mild for the amount of snow. But then there was this in November 2014.

 

 

[+Wacka]

I live about 15 miles from G O Geiger. In November 2014 we got 7 feet in about 3 days. A mile north they had only 3 inches. North of that, they had none. I yjink that the narrow band of heavy snow may have extended NE to where he lives. But it warmed up the next week and it all melted.

[+L0ne.R]

 

Look for caches that have recent finds - it means they're accessible right now.

 

That's a good tip.

I would add, also check the logs of the recently found caches before heading over. Some people might log a find on a cache encased in ice.

[cezanne]

 

Look for caches that have recent finds - it means they're accessible right now.

 

I would add, also check the logs of the recently found caches before heading over. Some people might log a find on a cache encased in ice.

 

And an increasing number of cachers log caches they have found a long time ago with the current date. Many of them (but not all) are cachers using the app.

There is an increasing number of cachers who do not seem to be aware of the fact that the log date can be changed.

[+narcissa]

 

Look for caches that have recent finds - it means they're accessible right now.

 

That's a good tip.

I would add, also check the logs of the recently found caches before heading over. Some people might log a find on a cache encased in ice.

 

So bring a butane torch just in case.

[+GO Geiger]

I live about 15 miles from G O Geiger. In November 2014 we got 7 feet in about 3 days. A mile north they had only 3 inches. North of that, they had none. I yjink that the narrow band of heavy snow may have extended NE to where he lives. But it warmed up the next week and it all melted.

 

Yep - for the entirety of the two storms, we got about 18" total. The lake effect band extended SE of us - north of us was almost snow-free (by WNY standards, anyway). The city of Buffalo was shut down for almost a week, if I remember correctly. Just 3 miles south of us got 8'. Two miles north of us got less than 6". Even further north and the snow didn't even cover the grass. Community shovel brigades in West Seneca digging out neighbors, but people along Lake Ontario left scratching their heads wondering what all the fuss was about.

 

Lake effect snow makes life interesting around here.