Geocachers

SO and I got our first "first to find" cache today.

We'd planned out four in a relatively similar area, but after finding two and having no luck with a feasible trail to the other two, SO decided he wanted to head home and get the grocery shopping done early. We'd try the other ones another day. I agreed, and some how we got on the topic of "FTF" caches as we rode the motorcycle home. I think it was because one of the ones we'd nabbed was recently placed and local cachers were decending upon it quickly, one by one.

At home, I logged our two finds and looked a the map of the area for the two left behind caches. That's when I spotted two green cache pinpoints that were close to other caches we'd done before.

I KNEW they must have been new - why else would we have done everything around them and left those open? I checked and sure enough, both were published today. One had already been found, but I input the coordinates to the second into the GPS and we flew. I wasn't even concerned with the whole "hiking down a hill means we have to hike back UP it" thing, I was so freaking pumped.


Luck was with us! We nabbed it! I was so excited, I was dancing on the cache site! I wrote in huge letters on the log and then happily logged our find from the laptop in the car, near the grocery story. I'm such a geek, I couldn't wait. :D

I have a geocache that's in a state forest. The spot itself has several run down buildings and ruins, but the DEP has labeled them "do not trespass under penalty of law" and "not open to the public" and are they boarded up. People choose to ignore these signs and break down the boards anyway. There's even a big stone tower that's gone from a normal locked door to heavy iron bars because people keep breaking the door down and getting inside.

Now, I can't stop what people do. If they want to blatantly ignore the signs and break down the boards to get inside the buildings even though there are warnings of legal prosecution, they can do what they want. However, people have been including pictures and statements that they've done this, when logging their find on the cache listing.

Today, I included another warning on the page (there was one in the main listing, but I included it as part of an owner maintenance log) that I will be deleting any such evidence of being inside restricted areas, because I do not wish any responsibility on MY listing for folks that are breaking the law, or encouraging others to break the law.

Someone sent me a message and basically yelled at me, saying this is rude because it screws with people's finds.

Rude or not, it's my listing and I don't want folks to get the impression that doing things that are expressly forbidden by the DEP are encouraged by myself and my SO, who over-see the geocaching.com listing. There's nothing that prevents them from logging it again without the questionable bits.


Is there a happy medium?

I posted here the other day about losing a dog tag to my travel bug and wondering what my options were. I finally decided to go to PetCo or Walmart and get one of those personalized, engraved pet tags with the bug numbers on it.

It also has a purpose, now. It's a cancer awareness bug! As the bug page explains:

"As you place this tag from cache to cache, take a moment of silence for those that have lost their battle with cancer; or say a prayer for those going through it, and those in remission.

I wanted to release this bug to coincide with what would have been my mother's 50th birthday on May 22nd, 2008. While contemplating ideas for the bug, it came to me. Both (my SO) and I lost our mothers to cancer way before we were ready to let them go. At 54 and 43 respectively when they passed, this intimidating disease has left imprints on the hearts of not only (my SO) and myself, but anyone with loved ones, friends or family that have experienced dealing with cancer. I thought this would be a way to help the memories -and the hope for better and better cures!- live on in our hearts forever. Positive energy brings about positive results!"

A while ago, I got a travel bug, but I couldn't think of a good purpose, so I didn't release it. I DID create a page for it, though. I've since moved and I can't find the dogtag anymore.

I have the tracking number, can I simply etch that on something without the tag? If not, is there any way I can get a replacement dog tag for it, or are all signs pointing to "you have to wipe it off the map and start again with a new one"?

Anyone here an avid photographer as well? I got a camera/laptop bag for my birthday and I'm wondering about usability while geocaching. I can fit other things into this backpack, but I'm concerned that it's going to be a huge hassle when it comes to digging into it to change lenses or whatever. I'd rather just leave it at home and get something else, if that's the case.

Thoughts?

Hi and welcome to geocached!

I firmly believe that all participants of a community should have a say in how it's run, so while I've placed some preliminary standards for conduct on the user info, I'd like to know what you'd like to see encouraged or discouraged here. I'll need help to maintain, as well, so once we've got a good base of people going on, I'll be looking for volunteers.

Feel free to comment and leave ideas. This community belongs to ALL of us.