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Good Winter Caches


J.A.R.S.

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I've got the February blahs and want to get out there and do some more caching but I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to winter caching. I don't want to get stuck in a snow-filled parking lot, I don't want to slide into a snow-filled ditch when I try to park beside a country road. When I get to the cache site I don't want to try to find a cache that's somewhere within a 10m radius under a foot of snow.

 

Recently I found TTs Langdon Trails caches and I want to find more like them (parking lot plowed out, well-travelled packed down trails, caches protected from snow coverage).

 

Any suggestions?

 

R of JARS

Guelph, Ontario

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More seriously, looking for the mention "winter-friendly" in the description is a good start. Winter-accessible is also a good sign, though the meaning mught vary (some people consider it accessible if the trails are not officially closed, even if the cache is under feets of snow). The cache page might also tell you if you need skis or snowshoes or if there is a year long hiking trail.

 

But the best way to tell if you want to go looking for a particular cache in winter is : look at the logs. If it was found in the last couple of weeks, you know it is probably accessible right now, plus the logs might tell you if the previous cacher had to struggle through a meter of snow and dig the cache out. Logs from previous winters can tell you if the cache is usually accessible in winter, but if no one found it in a few months, it might be stuck in ice (happened to me this year on a few caches protected from snow but not from freezing rain or from melting/refreezing conditions).

 

Winter caching has definite advantages still... time to get all the caches near mosquitoe-filled swamps!

 

Have fun out there.

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Hi J.A.R.S. !!

 

You mean like this?

 

Fortunately GC.com just recently added a new feature where cache owners can mark their own caches with some valuable information... stuff like "Kid Friendly", "24/7 accessible", and yes, even "Winter Friendly"

 

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any means to search for caches using these things as search parameters... not too much use if you can't use 'em in a search if you ask me! Maybe I'm just doing something wrong...wouldn't be the first time.

 

Anyway, until such time that gc.com allow searching with these parameters (or I figure out what I'm doing wrong) we're pretty much left with only the logs of others to give clues about how easy/not easy the find will be.

 

If your thirst for tupperware is really getting to you, another idea may be to try a day of drive-by 1/1 caches. There are a pile of these down in the Burlington area. Although they aren't usually the most exciting hike, they can be an interesting diversion.

 

Another way that I've found to alleviate some of the frustration of winter caching is to go with a group of people. If the annoyance is spread out over a bunch of people it's not quite as bad! The bonus here is that there's usually somebody willing to dig through that pile of snow for you! (That somebody usually isn't me!)

 

Anyway, if you want to get together and do a gang cache day, just add another new forum post...there are lots of us now that would love to join in.

 

Cheers,

-TT-

:rolleyes:

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What!!??? Lives in Canada and doesn't like...*gasp* winter caching??!!!! MEDIC!!!!

 

Winter caching is a total blast! There are no bugs to worry about no heat strokes to worry about, usually the gps signal is bang on with the lack of leaves etc etc!!

 

Where's your sense of adventure Jars!!?? (and don't say in Florida for the Winter!!) :rolleyes:

 

Yes , slogging down A ditch can be a apin ( but thats why I have Jeep) and yes it can get hecktic tryign to walk thru hip-high snow ( but thats why I got snowshoes)..its the adventure... the drama Yes..the digging sucks... Ive swept out a whole forest looking for one cache in particular recently ( Stamina by Earthquake) hahaha but hey!! It's all part of the game!!!

 

Enjoy it while ya can!!!

 

-Jayloki-

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Hi J.A.R.S. !!

 

You mean like this

 

Fortunately GC.com just recently added a new feature where cache owners can mark their own caches with some valuable information... stuff like "Kid Friendly", "24/7 accessible", and yes, even "Winter Friendly"

 

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any means to search for caches using these things as search parameters... not too much use if you can't use 'em in a search if you ask me!  Maybe I'm just doing something wrong...wouldn't be the first time.

 

Anyway, until such time that gc.com allow searching with these parameters (or I figure out what I'm doing wrong) we're pretty much left with only the logs of others to give clues about how easy/not easy the find will be.

 

If your thirst for tupperware is really getting to you, another idea may be to try a day of drive-by 1/1 caches.  There are a pile of these down in the Burlington area.  Although they aren't usually the most exciting hike, they can be an interesting diversion.

 

Another way that I've found to alleviate some of the frustration of winter caching is to go with a group of people.  If the annoyance is spread out over a bunch of people it's not quite as bad!  The bonus here is that there's usually somebody willing to dig through that pile of snow for you!  (That somebody usually isn't me!)

 

Anyway, if you want to get together and do a gang cache day, just add another new forum post...there are lots of us now that would love to join in.

 

Cheers,

-TT-

:huh:

Thanks TT.

 

I'm mostly caching alone these days (actually I usually take Tuque my dog with me). I slid off into a ditch the other day trying to park on the side of the road. Lucky I had cell phone coverage but the tow truck people didn't know where the heck I was even after giving them the name of the road and side road (I was near Moffat but they didn't know where that was). It was unnerving.

 

Eventually after flagging a passerby down and then having 3 more motorists stop to assist I got pulled out of the ditch and a couple of the men helped guide the car back onto the road. Ahhh, the kindness of strangers, it's heartwarming but it's not something I want to repeat. However, I don't want to stop geocaching if I don't have to.

 

I've noticed that there are a lot of caches that don't say whether they are winter friendly. Some people manage to find them but I'm really bad at finding a cache under snow. The cache I was going for when I got stuck, was found the day before but it had snowed that night so the parking conditions were not good. Another cache I tried to find had been found in January so I thought maybe it could be found in the winter but with all those above 0 degree days back in January they may not have had to dig through snow.

 

I look forward to being able to search by attributes and I hope cache owners will use the attributes. I read somewhere that it will be possible to limit by attributes, but not yet.

 

How much notice does one need to put a call out for group geocaching? I'm usually a spontaneous cacher, usually not sure if I'm available to go caching until the day before, depending on what I've got planned, what plans fall through thus giving me some time to cache, and what the weather conditions are like. But I would like to join in occassionally.

 

R of JARS

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Another way that I've found to alleviate some of the frustration of winter caching is to go with a group of people.

 

How much notice does one need to put a call out for group geocaching? I'm usually a spontaneous cacher, usually not sure if I'm available to go caching until the day before, depending on what I've got planned, what plans fall through thus giving me some time to cache, and what the weather conditions are like. But I would like to join in occassionally.

 

With the group of folks that we have in this area, there always seems to be a gang cache hunt in the works. A forum post on a Friday afternoon would probably elicit a response. If you knew earlier in the week that you wanted a rubbermaid fix on the weekend, you could try joining the Golden Horseshoe Chat on Wednesday nights. Plans are always being cooked up there!

 

(It's still a SECRET, but an application is being tested where you can enter a list of cachers, and enter a coordinate. The app will then return a gpx file with the 50 closest caches that NONE of the cacher list have done yet. I've seen it in action and it is very, very cool.)

 

There's also the "very last minute" cache groups that get formed via Messenger conversations and phone calls. You just need to make it known that you are interested, and pass along your contact info to one or two of the folks you already know. Then if a phone call comes and you are available...off you go!

 

Cheers!

-TT-

:P

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How much notice does one need to put a call out for group geocaching? I'm usually a spontaneous cacher, usually not sure if I'm available to go caching until the day before, depending on what I've got planned, what plans fall through thus giving me some time to cache, and what the weather conditions are like.  But I would like to join in occassionally.

 

There's also the "very last minute" cache groups that get formed via Messenger conversations and phone calls. You just need to make it known that you are interested, and pass along your contact info to one or two of the folks you already know. Then if a phone call comes and you are available...off you go!

 

Cheers!

-TT-

:)

I've emailed you privately with my cell number and email address. I would love to be included in some caching outings.

 

Speaking of spontaneous, I went out at lunch and tried End of the Line on the Marden Tract. It's a good winter cache - wide plowed shoulder to park on, wide packed snow trail and the cache is hidden so that it won't end up covered by snow. It made my day.

 

R of JARS

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Speaking of spontaneous, I went out at lunch and tried End of the Line on the Marden Tract. It's a good winter cache - wide plowed shoulder to park on, wide packed snow trail and the cache is hidden so that it won't end up covered by snow. It made my day.

 

I liked that one too, right up until I slipped into the creek, which WASN'T frozen at the time! :)

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