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Some thoughts for new cachers.


Tim & June

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The caching guidelines say no alcohol or tobacco or foodstuffs. There are plenty of other goodies you can put in instead, so the answer is simple: don't do it.

 

Many adults don't cache for the goodies anyway so they probably should be biased towards children.

 

If you want refreshments while out caching of the alcholic or non-alcoholic kind, here's a plan: take your own with you (which is what I do). BTW if you are in need of warming up, alcohol is actually very bad - it makes your body think it's warm when it isn't.

 

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jeremyp

The second ten million caches were the worst too.

http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching

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If you are thinking of placing food in a cache - don't do it in a tupperware container

 

I was on a scout camp some years back near East Grinstead. The squirrells on the site have a reputation for being complete scavangers. We went out for the day - thinking we would be secure as all our food was stored in a large plastic dustbin (with the lid tyed on). We had forgotten that one of the leaders had been given a surprise cake by a boys mum to give to him on his Birthday. When we got back we discovered that the squireels could smell the cake even if we couldn't. They had slipped under the flysheet of the tent then eatten through the cotton of the inner tent.

Once they reached the tupperware box the cake was in they eat straight through the plastic and demolished the cake (except the candle holders). Hence no surprise cake that day.

 

As for the dustbin with our food in it - it managed to survive the week, but only just. After 6 nights of attacks it had a 3 inch long by half inch hole in the side. It sure wouldn't have lasted much longer.

 

Tupperware ain't gona resist critters!

 

Bear rescues a speciality!

London & UK Geocaching Resources: http://www.sheps.clara.net

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In reply to Slytherin's earlier post about hte disgusting cache he found...

 

I have just (in my immense bordem) been trying to find which cache it was he logged, anyway found it and it was this one ...

 

Absolute classic....

 

I was going to paste the funniest log I have ever seen on a cache page on here but due to its nature I have decided against it....I'll point you towards it instead.. SEPTEMBER 18TH GeoCraig! LoL. Wild absolutly Wild!

 

Anyway.....back to topic.... icon_biggrin.gif

 

--------------------------------------------------------

One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them!

 

www.buckscaching.co.uk

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quote:
Originally posted by Travers:

I wouldn't leave sweets, not only because critters may find them attractive, but also because of the fact that they are liable to go soggy...and no, I wouldn't eat anything that was left in a cache...I would drink something though if it was in a can!


From the number of caches I've found with a sticky mess at the bottom, I'd have to agree with you...

 

...however, at 2am after a very long day's caching, finding an airtight bag of wine gums in D&P's "Egg on your face" was a godsend!

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quote:
Originally posted by TreeBeard (Pid):

In reply to Slytherin's earlier post about hte disgusting cache he found...

 

[snip]

Absolute classic....

 

I was going to paste the funniest log I have ever seen on a cache page on here but due to its nature I have decided against it....I'll point you towards it instead.. SEPTEMBER 18TH GeoCraig! LoL. Wild absolutly Wild!

 

Anyway.....back to topic.... icon_biggrin.gif

 

--------------------------------------------------------

_One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them!_

 

http://www.buckscaching.co.uk

 

Can't beat that. Although I did return to my car in Stevenage to find 2 Policemen waiting to talk to me. It transpires that having parked in a quiet cul-de-sac, got out of the car, dresed in waterproof clothes and hiking boots and walked off into the adjacent park, one of the locals had called the Police to report my 'suspicious' activity.

Turned out the woman was in dispute witht he local council and had thought I was a council officer.

It took about 15 minutes for them to sort it out, they were very polite, and apologised for troubling me, but ended up threatening to charge the woman for wasting police time. It could have been quiet awkward, but since I had nothing to hide, and was completely open about what I was doing, it made it easy for them.

 

Best wishes

 

Mark

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quote:
Originally posted by conedxf & family:

Can't beat that. Although I did return to my car in Stevenage to find 2 Policemen waiting to talk to me. It transpires that having parked in a quiet cul-de-sac, got out of the car, dresed in waterproof clothes and hiking boots and walked off into the adjacent park, one of the locals had called the Police to report my 'suspicious' activity.


 

Surely not? Lost in Space in drag causing trouble again. icon_wink.gificon_wink.gificon_wink.gificon_wink.gif

 

_________________________________________________________

 

It is better to regret something you did, rather than to regret something you didn't do.

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quote:
Originally posted by conedxf & family:

 

Although I did return to my car in Stevenage to find 2 Policemen waiting to talk to me. It transpires that having parked in a quiet cul-de-sac, got out of the car, dresed in waterproof clothes and hiking boots and walked off into the adjacent park, one of the locals had called the Police to report my 'suspicious' activity.

 


 

 

You have me fascinated as to what cache you were attempting in Stevenage - I thought I knew them all.

It must have been the Hornet trying to sabotage one of my caches - probably out to get some innocent kids drunk!

 

icon_rolleyes.gificon_rolleyes.gificon_rolleyes.gif

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quote:
Originally posted by Lost in Space:

quote:
Originally posted by conedxf & family:

 

Although I did return to my car in Stevenage to find 2 Policemen waiting to talk to me. It transpires that having parked in a quiet cul-de-sac, got out of the car, dresed in waterproof clothes and hiking boots and walked off into the adjacent park, one of the locals had called the Police to report my 'suspicious' activity.

 


 

 

You have me fascinated as to what cache you were attempting in Stevenage - I thought I knew them all.

It must have been the Hornet trying to sabotage one of my caches - probably out to get some innocent kids drunk!

 

icon_rolleyes.gificon_rolleyes.gificon_rolleyes.gif


It was your cache 'Stevenage Stash' (now sadly archieved), which incidently I found OK. However unless your appearance has changed markedly, I'm fairly sure it wasn't you in drag icon_wink.gif. This is rather Off topic, but if you want the full story email me.

 

Best Wishes

 

Mark

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I nearly always place food in caches I set. I've found it very useful to find, and thus I hide it. But I always hide sealed, foil-wrapped foods, such as Chunky Kitkats. You can't tell me that critters can smell a Kitkat that's in an airtight wrapper, and is then in a zip-lock bag, inside an ammo box?

 

It's all a matter of sensibilities. Unsealed foods should never be placed. i.e. boiled sweets, which go gooey, and make a mess of the cache. But cans/bottles of drink (be that water, fizzy or alcoholic...*hic*) are fine IMO, as are sealed foods - if they are sealed to start with, it's immediately obvious if they've been opened/tampered with too, so there are no worries about "eating stuff you find in a field".

 

Just my 2 euro-cents worth.

 

--

**Mother is the name of God on the lips of all children**

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quote:
Originally posted by Christianna:

Sorry if i've offended anyone by planting my own cache before i found 20!!

 

But i don't leave food in caches - does that redeem me a bit!?!


Personally I think all rules about when you are "experienced" enough to place caches and ratios of found to planted are silly. What matters is the quality of the caches. Even then different people have different ideas about what represents a good quality cache.

 

The 20 to 1 thing is only a guideline although I would argue most people have a good idea of what makes a good cache after doing only a few. In fact, if you read and follow all the guidelines and FAQs on geocaching.com you could probably make a fair stab straight away.

 

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jeremyp

The second ten million caches were the worst too.

http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching

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quote:
Originally posted by Christianna:

Sorry if i've offended anyone by planting my own cache before i found 20!!


 

I agree with Jeremyp. Place your first cache when you feel ready to place your first cache. If it's good you'll get positive feedback and you'll plant more like it. Conversely if the feedback is bad (very unusual) or just non-committal you'll attempt something different the next time.

 

The important thing is that you are contributing to the sport.

 

Well done Jaq, here's looking forward to finding your first cache (and hopefully many more) icon_smile.gificon_smile.gificon_smile.gif

 

Peter

 

_________________________________________________________

 

It is better to regret something you did, rather than to regret something you didn't do.

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As a newbie I read this thread diligently, but found that I disagreed with the "find 20 first" idea before setting a cache.

 

I will tell you my short story.

 

I got involved in Geocaching on 02/03/03.

 

I set my own cache on 08/03/03.

 

I found my first (& second) cache on 09/03/03.

 

My cache was first visited on 09/03/03 - please read the log entry Monumental Quest.

 

So I think that dispels this guideline.

 

Saying that, this thread was very useful to me in making sure my cache was of "a good standard".

 

These forums are very useful, but I can't understand why the ones at GeocacheUK are not used instead. It's nice to come here to read what the rest of the world is doing, but why not use our own forums over there?

 

Yours WoodSmoke

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The point of the 20 caches - not a hard and fast number by any means - is to get experience of what works. Some people seem to understand the game straight away others take time to work out the best way to play (ITHO).

Basically, if you are unsure what would make a really good cache, go and find some.

 

The other reasoning behind this is that new players are often unaware of the limitations of the technology. People often don't understand what 8meters accuracy actually looks like on the ground and the effect of tree cover is quite unexpected if you have never encountered it before.

 

It can be quite infuriating to stand in a forest with the GPS jumping 30 meters at a time whilst you are standing still, it is lashing down, you have searched for 45minutes so you decrypt the clue only to be greated with "this is too easy for a clue". Arrrggghhhh

 

Bear rescues a speciality!

London & UK Geocaching Resources: http://www.sheps.clara.net

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quote:
Originally posted by Chris n Maria:

It can be quite infuriating to stand in a forest with the GPS jumping 30 meters at a time whilst you are standing still, it is lashing down, you have searched for 45minutes so you decrypt the clue only to be greated with "this is too easy for a clue". Arrrggghhhh


I would post a not-found note giving reasons in this situation. Most likely the cacher would get the message and be all apologetic and fix the problem.

 

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jeremyp

The second ten million caches were the worst too.

http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching

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