Yosemite... Virtuals?

[+mdjfun]

I've always wanted to shoot pictures of Yosemite in the winter, and tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be good weather days there, so I'm going! Just going to camp one night and shoot lots of pics. I'd like to do some caching on the way there, and I understand and agree that caches are not allowed in National Parks. I did a cache search using "Yosemite", and some virtuals come up. To me, a virtual cache seems weird. I haven't done any yet, but it seems weird to just arrive at a spot and say, "I found it!". When doing regular caches, when I arrive at the zero point, the fun is just beginning. Am I missing something?

 

Thanks.

[Spamiam]

I think the point is to just take you to a cool place - perhaps a great viewpoint, or a neat item already in place or something along those lines - where leaving items isn't permitted.

[+drat19]

A well-executed Virtual takes you to a worthwhile place of local interest that you wouldn't have otherwise visited. You are usually required to solve a puzzle or locate some other information to validate that you have indeed located it.

 

Virtuals have been a fairly heated topic at times here on the Forums. Some folks think the idea of Goecaching is to find actual CACHES (read: containers), while others feel it's about locating SOMETHING (whether a cache, or a local landmark) at a captured and posted set of GPS coordinates.

 

Rather than spur that debate again, I would just say this: How you feel about either of these points of view depends, well, on yours.

 

-Dave R.

[+WeightMan]

Why not try one of them and see how it goes. Personally I don't do virts as a rule, but there are exceptions. Some of them are lame and some are great. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

[+Doc-Dean]

Virts don't bite! Try it, you may actuallly like and learn something in the process!

[+Moose Mob]

Virtuals are a great educational tool. I learn a lot from most of them. My daughter learns a lot also. Normaly we don't stop at the roadside displays, but this gives a reason.

 

They also take you off the beaten path.

 

* steps up on soap box *

There is a new cache localy that should be a virtual. It takes you to a new firestation at an out of the way location. It has a Ford Model "T" firetruck, a 1930 era firepole, a 1950 emergency phone, a piece of metal from the twin towers, and sevral other items of historical significance. In compliance with new policy, it is a mystery/mutli. Get a piece of info from one of the plaques and walk across the street to sign the micro. Since there are no great hiding places in this little park or any "legal" nearby location, the cache keeps getting muggled.

 

Many folks are not finding this cache because they only look for traditionals and virtuals. My experience has been that more people ignore multi-caches and mystery caches than folks who ignore virtuals or micros. My experience is with other cachers that don't post on forums. Most of these folks drive around the country in RV's or look for a Sunday outing with thier kids.

* step off soap box *

[+Butano]

There is one "legal" cache in the area. You first have to enter the park and then head to Yosemite West, which is not park property. There is a good cache with a good lookout over the valley there. It is Lizard's Delight. But the last person to try to find it said there was too much snow to do the .25 mile hike in (given the picture they included, I would have to agree). And given that there is probably at least as much snow up there now, I would have to add 1 - 2 stars each for difficulty and terrain. The box is likely to be buried. Should be some awsome views if you can get there. The other virtuals in the park are also quite interesting as well. Though some people think virts are lame, many of these are quite good, and would be worth their while even if physical caches were allowed. If you want to try your hand at benchmark hunting, there are also several in the park. I only found a couple of them. I think the road has been changed quite a bit and destroyed a few markers. The one at Glacier Point is easily found (when you can drive up there) and the coordinates are right on Details for Benchmark: HR2877

[+BigHank]

I like virtuals, but only if I can learn something historic about the area or if it takes me to someplace really fantastic that I wouldn't otherwise get to. Some virts are really good and meet those objectives for me, and a lot of them don't, so I don't go hunting them specifically and only do them if I am going to be nearby for some other reason. Try them and see if you like them...you just might.

 

Hank

[+Renegade Knight]

A lot of people think like you do. The find is the entire point and a box is more fun to find than the 3rd word from the left on the plaque.

 

Virtuals can be well thought out and fun in their own right, often though they aren't thought out beyond the 3rd word from the left, and somtimes that's all you can do. In certain parks virtuals are all you can have and it's either that or nothing.

 

My personal philosophy is box over virtual, virtual over nothing and dump virtuals if they threaten the box.

[+Naturesprite]

If you are going to take photos of Yosemite, you will likely be at these virtual sites anyway since they are placed primarily for the views (and they are good). Why not grab the smiley while you are there. I did those last month and enjoyed the locations.

[+bthomas]

You can leave a physical log in this National Park at GCHV0X http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...9a-0b6aab96ee19

[+mdjfun]

Well, one thing I've learned in the short time I've been geocaching, is that I have seen and experienced things practically in my own backyard that I have never seen in the 12+ years I've lived here. In that respect, GC has really been an eye opener for me. So... I'm going to give a few virtuals a shot in Yosemite tomorrow and Thursday. I printed out a few in the areas I will be near, so I'm going to see how it goes. I will report back with my findings on Friday. I think there's going to be a lot of snow, but hopefully I'll make some (pleasant) memories, and won't just freeze.

[+OKThumper]

My wife and I both love virts. They are a whole lot better than beating down miles of brush, wading through boggs, dodging poision flora, and bitten to death by plasma bandits to finally arrive at a soggy half chewed up "box" cache that has not been maintained.

 

That said, remember there are some of us that are not able to reach a lot of placed caches due to our disabilities. It is a lot of fun, and at times very educational, to do the virtual caches. We have gone to many virts that we feel are more fun and interesting than some of the placed caches. After all the "prize" in the "game" is to find the cache (virtual or boxed) more than what trinket can be extracted. Just how many Mctoys does one need.

 

Sorry for the rant, just wished the virts would be placed back on the menu of caches avalible to post list. It would have to be with the understanding that they would be more closely monitored to insure that they did not become just a lazy way to up your owned cache stats. Maybe the mods could watch the cache page and read what is posted, lame virts would die a quick death, and good ones would survive for others to see.

 

Just my thoughts on the subject.

 

Thumper