Geo-cashe...I'm addicted!

“So I hopped on GeoCashing.com yesterday and figured out how to use it and found a lot of cool cashes right near me. I downloaded the EasyGPS program and you can download the cashe right to the gps! Way cool! Honey Dog and I went splashing through streams, sliding down muddy hills and over hills and dales in the afternoon. It’s cool to read the log book and see how many people were there and what they left.

I’m thinking of putting together a small cashe for each time I go backpacking now. There are some really cool spots I’d like to leave one at but a few of them are really secret and I’m wondering how respectful most cashers are to sensitive areas? One spot is at some hidden cave/waterfalls I know of but I don’t want to put one there if the place will be trampled or vandalized. Is it pretty much unwritten law that you tread lightly? The cashe would be a pretty hard one to get to so I’m planning on making the goodies extra sweet with stuff like McD’s gift certificates, an LED chain light, ect. What do you guys like to use as starter goodies in your cashes? Is it considered irresponsible to put a cashe somewhere that I will only be able to maintain or restock once or twice a year?”

“geoCACHE”

“Nowonder it didn't come up in the search! My bad.”

“I’m wondering how respectful most cashers are to sensitive areas?

Not very. Some cachers follow LNT and some even carry out garbage, but most are just computer nerds with GPS's that follow the compass right over mountains and through brush avoiding trails. And then if you notice by the contents of most caches that have been visited by 10-15 people--they degenerate fast and suck because people are greedy. I put Pepsi-can stoves in my finds now with my website URL on the can. Most people like them.”

“That’s a cool idea on the stoves. I found that once I did find the CACH I was able to see evidence of others. Like the ground being a bit flattened near it. I mixed up the leaves a bit when I left to hide the path a bit.”

“Most of the time I find the caches by looking for a lot of wear on the surroundings. Especially the ones in and around Columbus. I have a map on my website with some of the caches I've found and pictures--haven't updated it in a long time.

Geocache page”

“It is addictive. I am about to break the 100 found mark and have found out that when I travel, I usually find some neat things.

Additionally, the kids have learned to read maps and understand how a GPS works while we have cached.”

“Doesn't this hobbie go completly against LNT?

I wouldn't have a problem with an urban cache system, but something about leaving stuff in the woods to have others come hacking by doen't seem like it fits with outdoor ethics.

I'm not really trying to poo poo yer new hobbie - The concept sounds real neat. I know I can count on TTer's lke nigal to make sure they are responsible, but it's the others I worry about.”

“I heard about this for the first time this weekend. It sounds like a lot of fun. I have to try it.”

“Laqtis, I have found several in National Forests and I have never had any problem with the location. In most instances, without having the information on the cache, including the coordinates, you would walk right by it and never notice.”

“I guess I just don't know enough about the hobbie to comment, then. I have no other choice but to go face value and maybe that's not very fair to all the cachers out there.”

“"Doesn't this hobbie go completly against LNT?

I wouldn't have a problem with an urban cache system, but something about leaving stuff in the woods to have others come hacking by doen't seem like it fits with outdoor ethics.

I'm not really trying to poo poo yer new hobbie - The concept sounds real neat. I know I can count on TTer's lke nigal to make sure they are responsible, but it's the others I worry about."

Not really. The ones that I found were very close to the trail. I wouldn’t think anyone will “hack” their way to a cache. It’s very much akin to when backpackers bushwhack. I will be sure to stress LNT on any cache I start because most will be off the beaten path.”

“"Additionally, the kids have learned to read maps and understand how a GPS works while we have cached."

I was kind of surprised when the wife expressed an interest in going.”

“It depends laqtis (very good point). I've seem some damage by people who placed caches off existing trails. As a result new trails were created and that's not very LNT. And some cachers don't follow trails, they bushwhack straight to the cache. However, some people follow trails and some (if not most) caches are places right beside an existing trail. Still though I have found a ton of caches by looking for signs of wear on the ground near where they are hidden.

The best one I have found to date was in a metro park in Columbus. It was a micro-cache--someone hollowed out and hung a huge pine cone from an oak tree. You don't notice it even though it is out of place.”

“Sounds like a neat thing to do and jeepers, if you can get family members together outside, that's also a big plus.


Tear it up!!


not realy, but you know what I mean :)”

“Sure beats having the kids sit around watching Nickelodeon all day.”

“Are micro-caches considered to be lame? I’m not planning on hauling a frickin’ ammo box along on backpacking trips but thought a 1 qt. Gladware with smaller more valuable things is what I might do.”

“Depends Nigal.

I have found some micros in really neat places where a conventional cache just couldn't be hidden. (usually in city parks with a historical reference). Going to look for them allowed me to find out more about the history of a place than I otherwise would have.

Also, the kids like to stop at rest areas when we travel and stretch their legs looking for a micro for a few minutes. Sure breaks up a long trip into managable parts.

We found one in Memphis near a piece of artwork down close to the river. We had passed this thing a hundred times without noticing it, but while looking for the cache, the kids and I took about 20 minutes to study the design and talk about what the artist was trying to express. While I am not much of an art critic, it was very insightful to listen to the kids take on it. They gave it much more thought than I ever believed was possible.”

“Some microcaches are lame, like when they stick a film canister in a hole in a tree beside OH315, but some like the pinecone I found are cool. I found another that was an altoids can painted black and attached to a black light pole by magnets. Very tricky.”

“BTW, don't mention bears in the geocaching forum. Those dudes are convinced that if they don't carry a $40 can of counter assault that a bear will eat them in the woods of Ohio. After a long discussion they determined that you are more likely to die of a bear attack while geoaching than driving to the cache.”

“I was whining to a buddy that almost no one was hitting my caches, he reminded me that most of my caches were level 4/5......and that most Geocachers weren't outdoor people.
I about had my head taken off when I posted LNT suggestions on one of the forums.

There are rather strict guidelines about how and where caches should be placed...some folks ignore them and a few don't realize that they are "breaking the rules when they place theirs. This cache was considered in violation, so it was requested that it be removed. I did find it ironic that I packed out a bag of trash getting to it, while having to search for an hour to find it.”

“There is a cache rated 5/5 in the Irish Wilderness that Stickmon and I will attempt next fall. I think that in terms of challenge, it is probably a 5, in terms of terrain, it is probably over rated and deserves about a 3.”

“Perhaps this cache?”

“and disagree with a few. I can't remember which is which, because I was tokin on my opium pipe and am all in a haze.

But, I did my first geocache and learned something about an area that I didn't even know existed. An old Civil War battle site called Chalk Bluff Ark. It wasn't very hard to find, but it sure was a cool way to start a new hobby.

The comments on getting children involved is a GREAT comment and can certainly build many different levels of educational intelligence.

I need to spend more time and learn how to actually use the gps that I purchases. and also how to download the various waypoints and maps and such....

Have you all paid for membership on geochaching.com?”

“Nigal, remember when I got in trouble for one of my caches? Well, regardless that the cache is no longer at the location, there is still the rock pile in which it was in. And everytime I go back to the area (btw - this weekend I found that dead body while hiking there) I pick up any and all rocks and place them on the pile.

Well, I've cleared almost every rock from the surrounding area so far and keep having to go further out to get them. I've put so many freaking rocks, some veeerrrry large on it, that you'd think that the pile would be alot bigger now. But nooooooooooo, imo it still isn't big enough.

I now understand what it must've taken for farmers to build such large rock fences and such from clearing their field of those lithic nuisances.

Until the day I die, everytime I go back there I plan to ever so slowly make the pile bigger by adding new rocks.

Have fun with the activity...I know you will.”

“Wha'da'ya say I make a cache location to the sex doll? lol”

“Heeheeeheee, good idea Buddur!

I had so much fun checking out your "forbidden Cache". Almost makes me wish we had a gps.”

“ok, someone slip budd a valium in his beer....”

“Yeah, there are "rules" about where to put and not put geocaches. You should really check with the agency on whose land you'd be putting it.

And here is an example of one "rule." I noticed in the Chatahoochee National Forest over the weekend that personal property could not be left for over two weeks in the forest. Now that could be a tent.... and in a lot of places that includes a geocache. Ya just need to check.”

“Call me a rookie (because I am) but what a Pepsi-can stove. I mean besides the obvious, how do you make one.”

“It's a small alcohol stove made from a pepsi can.

BTW- welcome to TT.”

““I have found some micros in really neat places where a conventional cache just couldn't be hidden. (usually in city parks with a historical reference). Going to look for them allowed me to find out more about the history of a place than I otherwise would have.”

Something I thought would be cool is to create like a Tour of Your Home Town gps rout. You could make a rout to all the great historical sights in your town like museums, landmarks, interesting shops, ect. Maybe even slip in a waypoint to the best restaurant in town in the middle somewhere.”

“Wow! I went digging through my junk drawer(s) looking for geocahe stuff and I found a bunch of good stuff! Plus I'm getting rid of a lot of stuff I don't even need.”

“YAY! I got my first cache up and running!

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=8353328f-35d4-4075-bf20-da038d5b09fc”

“Found 3, placed 1.....nice ratio.”

“I did my first multi today and it was a bear! I went to the spot and walked away and came back like 15 times and every time it pointed to this one general area. I found it in a log nearly 30' away. It just made the hour I spent looking for it all the sweeter. And I found a travel bug on only my third try. Yay dipshlt!”

“Nigal...Something to consider...Magellians have a tendency to "over shoot"...to compensate, you might try and stopping when it shows you about 50' from the cache, wait a min or two for it to settle down, then follow the arrow.

I usually can stop a short distance from the cache, put my GPS down on a rock, wait a min and the arrow almost always points exactly to the cache.

Remember too, the person placing the cache might be off a tad too.

Oh yea...congrats on your first hide and your first multi. Has anyone shown you the secret handshake yet???”