What does "40 paces" mean to you?

[+Globetrotter]

Recently, I have seen more and more geocaches where the instructions include something like, "The cache is 40 paces west of the big oak tree."

 

Each time I try counting off paces, invariably my number is way off from the number suggested by the cache hider. Sometimes I need a lot more paces to reach the goal, and other times, I need far fewer paces.

 

This got me to thinking that maybe what I consider a pace, isn't what others use.

 

So here's the question... what do you consider a "pace"?

[+Desert_Warrior]

One Pace =

 

2.5 feet

30 inches

7.5 hands

76.2 centimeters

1.25 Ropes (brit)

0.03788 chains (gunthers)

0.025 chains (ramdens)

 

so... 2.5 x 40 = 100 feet.

 

Now, does everyone know this and follow the standards? I doubt it. If they are measuring their "natural pace" while walking, and the pacer is 7 feet tall, I bet 120 feet is more like it. A 5 foot tall person might be more like 90 feet. YPMV (Your Pace May Vary) *GRIN*

 

Hope this helps.

 

Mike. KD9KC.

El Paso, Texas.

 

Seventeen minutes after her FIRST call for help, police officers arrived to find Ronyale White dead.

 

Prohibiting self defense is the ultimate crime. Police carry guns to protect themselves. What protects YOU ???

[+Salvelinus]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Globetrotter:

Recently, I have seen more and more geocaches where the instructions include something like, "The cache is 40 paces west of the big oak tree."

 

Each time I try counting off paces, invariably my number is way off from the number suggested by the cache hider. Sometimes I need a lot more paces to reach the goal, and other times, I need far fewer paces.

 

This got me to thinking that maybe what I consider a pace, isn't what others use.

 

So here's the question... what do you consider a "pace"?

---

 

It seems obvious that everyones "pace" is different so I don't get hung up about it. Actually, I prefer not to see that much pinpoint information, unless I really need it.

 

If all else fails, start using visual and mental clues (aka. The Force) as soon as you begin your paces. Then be sure to take many more paces than suggested just in case the cache placer is 6'10"

 

"The trail will be long and full of frustrations. Life is a whole and good and evil must be accepted together"

 

Ralph Abele

[+Salvelinus]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Globetrotter:

Recently, I have seen more and more geocaches where the instructions include something like, "The cache is 40 paces west of the big oak tree."

 

Each time I try counting off paces, invariably my number is way off from the number suggested by the cache hider. Sometimes I need a lot more paces to reach the goal, and other times, I need far fewer paces.

 

This got me to thinking that maybe what I consider a pace, isn't what others use.

 

So here's the question... what do you consider a "pace"?

---

 

It seems obvious that everyones "pace" is different so I don't get hung up about it. Actually, I prefer not to see that much pinpoint information, unless I really need it.

 

If all else fails, start using visual and mental clues (aka. The Force) as soon as you begin your paces. Then be sure to take many more paces than suggested just in case the cache placer is 6'10"

 

"The trail will be long and full of frustrations. Life is a whole and good and evil must be accepted together"

 

Ralph Abele

[+parkrrrr]

Letterboxers typically get around this by having a "calibration leg" whose purpose is to allow you to determine the ratio of your pace to the hider's pace. So, for example, the letterboxer might say "starting at the large oak tree, go 100 paces at a heading of 285° to the old concrete fencepost. From there, go 150 paces at a heading of 75° to the treasure."

 

If the calibration leg takes you 120 paces, you know that you should go 180 paces from the fencepost to get to the treasure.

 

[+Globetrotter]

quote:

---

It seems obvious that everyones "pace" is different so I don't get hung up about it. Actually, I prefer not to see that much pinpoint information, unless I really need it.

---

 

I'm with you, I would normally consider that much information excessive, even annoying. However, in the case of my most recent cache attempt, explicit details are a must. It involves reading information off of a specific headstone in a cemetary, this information in turn is a clue to the next leg of the cache hunt. I was unable to find the correct information, and thought that perhaps this was due in part to the inaccuracies in my counting off paces.

 

Here's the cache I'm talking about.

 

On a side note though, I have since been informed by the cache hider that he may have listed the incorrect names to be found on the headstone. So, no matter how "perfect" my paces would be, I'd still be out of luck.

[+Globetrotter]

quote:

---

It seems obvious that everyones "pace" is different so I don't get hung up about it. Actually, I prefer not to see that much pinpoint information, unless I really need it.

---

 

I'm with you, I would normally consider that much information excessive, even annoying. However, in the case of my most recent cache attempt, explicit details are a must. It involves reading information off of a specific headstone in a cemetary, this information in turn is a clue to the next leg of the cache hunt. I was unable to find the correct information, and thought that perhaps this was due in part to the inaccuracies in my counting off paces.

 

Here's the cache I'm talking about.

 

On a side note though, I have since been informed by the cache hider that he may have listed the incorrect names to be found on the headstone. So, no matter how "perfect" my paces would be, I'd still be out of luck.

[+Sabby]

About 100 feet away from the angel look for a stone with Peter and May on it. If its not obvious then start going in widening circles around the spot you stopped at, out to a distance of 30 or 40 feet.

[TrollGRG]

Paces are a good method of measuring long distances when travelling through heavily wooded areas and I have been teaching it for 20 years now. However, wouldn't it be better for the author to just use distances e.g. 40 metres, yards, feet, miles etc then we can all use our own distance measuring to get there.

 

TrollGRG

 

A Troll, A Lady and Duncan the Dog

[+Don&Betty]

I like to use paced-off distance and bearing offsets in my geocaches. I give them in feet and degrees. Throw your shoulders back and try to achieve and maintain a uniform 30-inch hup-two-three-four "marching" pace. Since 30 inches is 2.5 feet, then starting with your left foot, count 5-10-15-20 feet... each time your right foot comes down. If you've got to pace a long distance, keep track of the hundreds of feet by tallying them on you fingers. Extend another finger for each hundred you count to. Beware, in the woods, because its rough going, and because you may not be going in a straight line, you better try to stretch your paces out to the 30 inches--or add in a few more paces.

 

If 30 inches is hard for you to maintain, then measure (sometime, and remember) how many of "your" natural paces it takes you to go 100 feet. Then use a little arithmatic to determine how many of your paces you need to go the required distance.

[+Gliderguy]

40 Paces is WAY too much picante sauce to go through to get to one cache.

 

"Left numerous empty salsa jars, took bulk pack of antacids..."

 

[+Gliderguy]

40 Paces is WAY too much picante sauce to go through to get to one cache.

 

"Left numerous empty salsa jars, took bulk pack of antacids..."

 

[+wcgreen]

quote:

---

Originally posted by A Troll, A Lady, and Duncan the Dog:

Paces are a good method of measuring long distances when travelling through heavily wooded areas and I have been teaching it for 20 years now. However, wouldn't it be better for the author to just use distances e.g. 40 metres, yards, feet, miles etc then we can all use our own distance measuring to get there.

---

 

I use paces in the clue to my Arbustum cache. Although I want to help the frustrated seeker, I don't want to make it *too* easy for them.

 

wcgreen

 

--

Wendy Chatley Green

wcgreen@eudoramail.com

[TriCityGuy]

I guess I'm lucky at 6'4" where my normal pace is about 35", but can stretch a tiny bit and nail 36" consistently. 100 yards +- 1. It makes the mental math all so much easier for yards, feet, and fathoms. I can't quite stretch to a meter without pulling a muscle, but them's the breaks.

 

But, since we have the handy dandy GPS units I would never consider putting paces on a coordinate and would measure actual leaving the walker to calibrate paces on their own.

[+Icenians]

quote:

---

Originally posted by KD9KC:

One Pace =

1.25 Ropes (brit)

---

 

What the hell is a rope? All right apart from the obvious.

 

I'm a Brit and never heard of it.

[+Web-ling]

From my orienteering background, I've always been told a pace = 2 steps. Therefore, for most people, a pace is between 4 and 7 feet. Mine hits 6 feet on the nose most of the time.

 

[+sbukosky]

One of my caches the hint was 20-25 paces at 180 degrees. This is realizing that my grandson and I have very different paces as do others out there. I appreciate such hints, knowing the differences in stride.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

[+jonboy]

In search and rescue we are taught that a pace is two steps, and this is considered the most accurate method of determining distance walked, providing the pace has already been calibrated. On rough ground 100 meters equals 60 of my paces and 70 paces on smooth ground, which means my pace is 0.6 meters on rough ground and 0.7 meters on smooth. I don't understand why people persist in using feet, and have to deal with conversions to miles.

[Night Tracker]

Comes out to 215 yards.Six out of 8 arrows from my bow hit the target. The Leica lazor range finder showed 217 yards not bad. To me one pace = one yard, been doing it for 25 years and it still

works for me today. I'm 6'1" BTW..

[RossOlson]

I am in the Army and have done a bit of land nav. My pace count is 63 steps per 100 meters. From my exp most soldiers pace counts are 60-70 per 100 meters. This over even terrain. The terain will play a part in it also.

 

Ross

 

[This message was edited by RossOlson on August 14, 2002 at 08:13 PM.]

[Dru Morgan]

quote:

---

Originally posted by RossOlson:

I am the Army ...

---

 

That is pretty impressive. Anyway. Here is a link that has many measurement conversions. But, pace is nowhere to be found.

 

Hmmm, this Pace's made in New York City? Get a rope!

 

"Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out." -Dru Morgan www.theheavenlyhost.com/dru

[RossOlson]

in the Army. Fixed

[+vds]

if you're a golfer, one pace = one giant step = one yard. Very helpful to be able to walk off distances from yardage markers.

[+Desert_Warrior]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Icenians:

quote:

---

Originally posted by KD9KC:

One Pace =

1.25 Ropes (brit)

---

 

What the hell is a rope? All right apart from the obvious.

 

I'm a Brit and never heard of it.

---

 

Oops... fat fingers. It is 0.125 Ropes = 1 Pace.

Acording to my engineering reference manual, it is an older Brit unit of measurement, equal to 20 feet. I do not have any other information, and when I type it in to a search engine, you cannot imagine how many companies sell rope. *grin*

 

Hope it helps.

 

Mike. KD9KC.

El Paso, Texas.

 

Seventeen minutes after her FIRST call for help, police officers arrived to find Ronyale White dead.

 

Prohibiting self defense is the ultimate crime. Police carry guns to protect themselves. What protects YOU ???

[solohiker]

30 inches is a pace according to my Drill Instuctor thirty years ago. I have marched with as many as 1000 men at once and we all moved at the same pace. 30 inches.

 

30 inches X 40 paces = 100 feet