What is Reddit's opinion of
Geocaching?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
100 reviews of this app found across Reddit:
I find that geocaching is quite fun and can be done by using your smart phone or gps. It's kind of a world wide scavenger hunt where people hide things in woods, parks, and other public areas and you go and find them with your gps. It costs little money except for gas and gets you out in nature and exploring areas you might not have known about otherwise.
You can find a list of caches in your area here.
People hide small containers in interesting places, post the GPS coordinates online, and you go find what they hid. If you have a smart phone you can download an app for minimal cost and then head off on any manner of adventures. I love hiking caches because I discover new trails and new parks every week.
Geocaching. All you need is a GPS or a smartphone. You'll get some exercise and explore new places.
Edit: I forgot to add a link to their website for anyone that's not familiar with Geocaching. http://www.geocaching.com/
Doesn't even necessarily have to be as extravagant as going to Morocco/Egypt, especially for a seven year old (I might wait until he was 10-12 for these more grand adventures). Have you guys explored your surrounding history; national parks, forests, graveyards, monuments? It sounds like he might enjoy the national park angle. Things like camping, hiking, spelunking, climbing, and hey if he "happens" to find some old fossils, arrowheads, pottery, animal bones, along the way that just "happen" to be there more fun all around. Also, probably the most authentic thing like Indiana Jones on a budget, Geocaching. Get him a GPS unit and teach him how to find caches then help him plan and set up caches of his own.
Wow. Thanks for the info! I'll see if I can find a blacklight flashlight of some sort to see if anything else appears. Also, maybe you can check out part one and post it? If so, I can try to complete part one to get the code...
Reading the actual geocache posting is even creepier.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2EB9C_coyote-rest
"Poor Elsie met up with the local carnivores and didn't make it. This cache is dedicated to her.
It's a nice pleasant stroll (albeit very long) out to the cache location. Should be an easy find the way I left it. You knever know if the local fauna will decide to rearrange things though. Enjoy"
The phrasing and sentence structure are very similar. Also the "enjoy" at the end.
Bizarre shit.
IMPORTANT EDIT: it appears this geocache was created in 2010, so it's probably just a coincidence.
Look up Geocaching: http://www.geocaching.com/
Some of the advantages over your original plan are: 1) You get to be part of the team and hunt for the treasure along with your kids. 2) The treasure is already buried by someone else and you don't know what's in it. 3) You get to contribute to the community and add your own treasure for others to find. 4) You can create your own cache and have OTHERS find it if you want.
Why keep it so small when you can make it so BIG!?
Actually I just spent the last 20 minutes reading about Geocaching:
>Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device[2] and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.
>It is a derivation of the outdoor sporting activity of Geotrekking.
>A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek"[by whom?], sharing many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking.
I went on the website http://www.geocaching.com/, did a proximity search and found out there was about 5 hidden caches within a half mile radius of where I live. One in particular I have apparently jogged by at least 50 times without noticing it was hidden a foot away from me. Mind blown. Another one is apparently in the dog park literally next to our building. I might go find them with my girlfriend on our day off. I have a feeling this random adventure game is totally her type of thing.
if it makes you feel any better, i had a cache that lasted literally 4 hours after it went live.
as we all know, one of the rules of GC is discretion. military-grade stealth when hunting for a cache. ESPECIALLY if there are muggles about.
my wife and i placed a rather involved cache under a bridge outside of a military installation. to be clear, this cache was at the end of an almost-never-traveled road, and the part of the military base to which it was somewhat near is a field with literally nothing going on. and the cache was placed several hundred yards from the fence line. having worked on this installation for well over a decade, i knew that this location was perfect.
someone was mowing the field outside the fence near the bridge. and by "mowing," i mean he was a very good distance away from the bridge. he just happened to see some kids rustling about near and under it. he drove his mower over to the area, asked the kids what was going on, and they told him, in his words, "mind your own business. this doesn't concern you." rather than taking the time to explain what they're doing and what geocaching is, they got into a rather heated discussion with the guy, who ended up calling 911.
the bomb squad came out and "diffused" my cache. glow sticks, little trinkets, waterproof notebook and pen ... all gone. they figured it was a cache, but they had to be sure, so they took it.
i know all of this because i worked very closely with local law enforcement and the bomb squad. they told me that i wasn't in any danger of legal retribution, but they also said that whoever the kids were need a swift kick to the asphalt for being such jerks.
you can read the comments here. i wasn't gentle, and i wasn't kind.
Here's a list of a few things I do, some being straight up free, others requiring a start-up cost:
- Geocaching - Basically, high-tech urban (and sometimes not so urban) hiking and treasure hunting. If you have a smartphone you don't even need a GPS
- Photo safari - Going for a walk with a camera, with the specific purpose of recording the world around you. If you want, you can select a theme for each outing, to make it a little more challenging.
- Be a tourist in your own city. I don't know about you, but I'm definitely guilty of overlooking everything my own city has to offer, so by doing some research with your area specific subreddits, travel books from the library, and Googling, it's reasonably easy to come up with a bunch of free events and walking tours in your own city.
- Hiking and biking
- Board and video games
- Participating in a book club (use the library to make this one free)
I win!
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC15FF_pingy-head-south-central-flas-1st-geocache
To be fair ive never been to that cache, but it was a scavenger hunt of a different type.
I looked at what you've posted on Reddit and didn't find any clues.
However your proposal video (which was awesome BTW) was posted on an external site that lists your real name and Youtube username, since your Reddit username is unique, most users use the same username across services and your Youtube name is the same as your GC name, looked at your recent finds, filtered by large, two ammo cans mentioned, looked through photo logs and spotted the 30A sticker. Thanks for the hunt, of a different type.
Hecla is a mountain, the summit of which is here
There's no active cache listing within 10 miles (I also checked other listing sites, again, nothing).
So it doesn't look likely that it's a geocache unless it's an old archived one (but then it probably wouldn't be in pristine condition, they do tend to let in some water eventually). You can often find archived geocaches with careful Googling but a drew a blank on that one too.
I'd love to see this one, especially if it's a double AMA: Richard Garriott, the man who invented the Ultima games, is also a second-generation astronaut (his father was an astronaut, he paid to go to the ISS as a tourist). Then we could learn about being an astronaut, plus what it's like, inventing one of the longest-running RPG series out there.
Also, he has placed the first, if not the only, extra-planetary geocache, which is on the ISS. This man is just all-around awesome.
"This cache has been hidden by the High squadron of the scout group Lawn 1, which has its headquarters in the parish of S. Paul to Stagnana."
Someone else on a geocaching site found that item (or a similar one) and that is their info from it, translated from Italian to English.
Have you thought about geocaching? It's a "real world treasure hunt," which sounds pretty damn interesting. Not to mention, it's a really cool way to get you to explore your city/surrounding areas plus you pick up a few treasures along the way. The website: http://www.geocaching.com/
>Why would a cache go so far out of its way to be conspicuous?
As duncast said, I have found plenty that aren't hidden in any way, but are puzzles.
I'm willing to bet this is a geocache as well, as I've seen one nearly identical to this.
There is most likely water in those jugs, and you use them to fill up the pvc pipe, which contains a waterproof geocache that floats when the water is added.
OP if your friend can look up the spot on google maps, they can find the longitude and latitude and look it up on http://www.geocaching.com/ to see if it's listed. It may be a "premium" geocache which requires a subscription, but it's worth a try.
I found one less complicated, but it looks pretty similar.
Hey! I'm in the same boat, but recently I've started geocaching. It might seem somewhat silly and childish at first, but I really recommend it! I've been out more in the last week since I started than in the last two months combined!
geocaching.com and /r/geocaching for more info!
Okay. You ready for this shit?
Seriously, it is such an awesome daytime date idea. Here's why: 1) It is a mildly physical activity, always good for a date. 2) It involves a lot of walking, giving you both the benefit of conversation and the memory of having visited a lot of locations with you. 3) Searching for stuff and finding it is super exciting. Its like being a pirate. 4) Geocaches are often hidden in trees. Which means you get to lift her up to take a look. 5) Finally, when you find the cache, you get to sign your names in the little log inside. Which is a cool "us moment" opportunity.
I recommend talking to a few friends who already geocache so you can make sure your trip includes a few "sure finds." Basically caches you already know the exact location of so you can search around for a bit then point her in the right direction so she finds it.
I'm not sure it's a trackable; It seems like another cacher's personal tag, something they leave to show they've been there.
Edit: Yet there's this one that's apparently a GC?
First, I would start here:
http://www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx
Spend a good half-hour browsing through all the links under the video.
A muggle is someone who is NOT geocaching. Basically, say you're looking for a cache and it's hidden under the skirt of a light post or something like that. The light post it's on is on the corner of a shopping mall parking lot. In this case a muggle would be all the people in the parking lot who are there to shop. You do not want them to see you lifting up the skirt of the lightpole to get the cache because they may come check to see what you were doing, find the cache, not care and then leave it a mess/unhidden/steal it.
Geocoins are mentioned in the link under "What are trackables?". If you find a geocoin, or TB (travelbug), it's basically a coin or some other item (usually a small toy/stuffed animal/figurine, but not always) with a number on it. You go to geocaching.com and when you sign the log on the website you can also type in the number to the associated coin/TB and it will update the page for the trackable to show that you have it and when you drop it off at another cache you will update that same web page (within geocaching.com account) so it's progress can be updated.
Many times, trackable items, especially TBs, have a small message attached to them that says what their specific goal is. Some of them want to make it to every continent, or every US state, or I had one that requested to be kept within a certain distances of airports/hotels or things like that. That way you can hold on to it until you're at the best cache to leave it in accordance with it's goal.
Hope that helped!
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9567451e-a1b8-42aa-9fba-90ac20e5b96f
Someone created a replica of the Arc of the Covenant and placed it in a cave. Still my favorite cache. And this is me with it- http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/323a6cad-2ae9-4a8f-8d79-536b5175c3a6.jpg
Everyone has told you WHAT it is, but few folks have told you WHY its there.
I cannot be certain, but I have seen one of those stuck to a palm tree down in Anaheim, CA. It contained a GeoCache.
GeoCaching is a game where you use a GPS unit to find things hidden about. Read more here: http://www.geocaching.com/
I own a geocache and I love reading the comments of people trying to get to it without getting "spotted" in the log book.
Here it is for anyone interested.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4103T_happy-birthday?guid=dc8c358f-e2fc-4009-9f76-2ee915f45eb3
EDIT: forgot four words.
There is, as a matter of fact. It's a part of the Headquarters Geotrail, a Geotrail within walking distance of the Geocaching HQ. They even have a little passport for the trail. As someone who lives in an area with many nanos, this tour was great as it was everything except nanos, and this one was no exception.
She spent all of 20 minutes searching. Some old timers will be cursing that little factoid.
Luck or something else, her find looks to be about 0.75 times as tall as an Arkansas State Quarter Dollar, which appropriately enough features a cut diamond emblem.
Suomi Tour on aika kiva sivusto, jos haluaa etsiä paikallisia outouksia.
Toinen idea: tee itsellesi tunnus geocaching.comiin ja etsi geokätköjen avulla paikkoja, joihin et muuten sattuisi vahingossakaan.
Here is the original discussion, in which I asked /r/geocaching to help me decide how to word my cache. The essence of it is: it's a multi-cache that requires two players to go to two separate locations at the same time, in order to collectively determine the location of the final cache. One player going to one waypoint and then the other won't work, thanks to some sorcery and stuff.
If anybody's in the Oxford, UK area, the cache just went live today as GC591VV - You Can't Do It Alone!
I found a girl floating face down in lake Ontario when I was caching, called 911 and the police boat scooped her up about 5 minutes later.
I was from out of town so I emailed the police a few days later when I got home and they said she survived.
Log: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=25799179-e7f1-443b-83c5-1ff76a34945b
You're thinking of the archived multi cache Baby Talk. It was a llama, not a horse or cow, and the llama's collar had the coordinates to the final on it. Apparently the llama stopped coming over to people who called for it and the cache had to be archived (if I remember correctly).
Yep... had one the other day close to a guard rail. A very nice man, on his way home I assume, stopped and asked “Are you okay buddy, do you need me to get help?” To which I replied “I appreciate it, but no thank you. I’m just geocaching”
Quizzical 🤨 look ensues. Drives off slowly, and bewildered.
For good measure, here’s the geocache referenced
Although it is annoying, that's a minority. Just happened in a sequence! People after them had better logs.
I like the idea behind the cache (in honor of volunteer firefighters) but to be honest from a foreigner's perspective it's a fairly typical cache (ammo can in a stump in the woods.) Maybe there's a nice view or the trail is great, I don't know, but 345 finds and 1 favorite point suggest otherwise. The quality of a cache is proportional with the quality of the log, for the most part.
As someone whom spends a alot of time in the bush in and around the lower mainland I shudder at the thought of opening up all the old FSRs.
If you have ever been out behind Mission on the Lost Creek FSR or along Stave and Devils Lake on Burma Street/Florence Lake Road you would understand my fears. Just one group recently pulled 70, 000 lbs of garbage from the east side of Stave Lake and I know of several other groups including the district of Chilliwack that pulled similar amounts from the west side.
As nice as it would be to drive to your destination rather than hike in, it simply allows really uncaring and thoughtless folks to seriously damage the land cost us all money in clean up and remediation.
Oh, I see! You are going a little "old skool" with this, and you tell each other, to make a little expectation.
What to do on a date
- Go bowling.
- Go to a bar, play darts, pool, or something else. Or just sit and talk.
- Go to a movie. Except for a first date. First dates are for talking and getting to know each other.
- Play volleyball.
- Walk in a park or hike in the woods.
- Go to a museum, or go see some art.
- Go to a concert.
- Do something you both like.
- Wine tasting.
- Beach.
- Fishing.
- Coffee.
- Dinner.
- Karaoke.
- Geocaching.
- Canoeing.
- Paintball.
- Rent a $1.20 move from Redbox.
- Watch streaming Netflix.
You can find some hidden gems on campus by geocaching. At least you'll go on an adventure and may run into something you didn't know existed before.
If they tag along and find the cache with you they most definitely can log it in the logbook and online. For online just use this link and change out the GC code http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?WP=GCXXXX
Other than what's been mentioned, you can go rock-climbing at UNB, or Kayaking (you might have to leave Fredericton for that though).
UNB (and many other people/places) offers cooking classes, music lessons, art classes, etc. (I'd recommend checking Kijiji.ca for class info).
Indoor swimming at the Nashwaaksis school.
I believe the YMCA (or any gym really), always has certain activities happening like yoga classes, zumba, karate, tai chi, etc.
There's a skateboarding park (although small) on Kimble Drive.
Downtown you could visit Clay Cafe, Science East, museums, art galleries, the Playhouse.
EDIT: I'll just keep posting as I think of more.
- King's Landing.
- Geocaching
- Live bands (Lunar Rogue, Capitol, Snooty Fox, etc).
- Dog park on the North side.
- O'dell park on the South side (feed the ducks).
- Klarney (sp?) lake on the North Side.
- Base tour/museum in Oromocto.
- I'm not entirely sure where, but I believe some places in/around Fredericton offer horse back riding lessons/trails.
I see a fairly good number of cache around your town that you can get started with. You might also want to consider going to this event in Heerlen on 17 July to get to know other players in the area and possibly find a mentor.
FYI: We made a hide and seek geocache with lots of boxes in there where one of the boxes had the log, it was completely trashed and left like that, the geocache url (it's in dutch)
found it! bullfrog pond geocache
But no one mentions the silver dollar in the log. Anyway, thanks for telling me about the site. I'm gonna write a little entry in the log.
If you're thinking about adventuring ...perhaps you ought to check out Geocaching.com? Lots of adventures there and you can keep things about as lo-tech or hi-tech as you want.
Not sure if I got you right but according the guidlines geocaches have to include a logsheet or logbook.
Looking at that guy's logs, it seems like he only did this on his first cache. No other caches have the same problem. Still really confused by it all.
Haven't seen it mentioned yet but geocachings my personal favorite. Most people already have a smartphone or simple GPS handy and from there it's all free. Just the cost of walking/driving to different locations.
Granted if you want to really get into and try some of the harder puzzle caches that need more accurate results or if you want to hide your own caches it's best to invest in a more precise GPS but you can usually grab a nice one off ebay when someone upgrades or craigslist for around $100, and that's usually a one time investment if you take care of your equipment.
I guess you could also factor in membership costs if you chose to pay for a few extra features that I really don't see the point of if you don't mind investing a bit more time.
If either of you have a smartphone, and like being outdoors, you could consider geocaching.
Geocaching can be defined as using multi-billion-dollar satellites to find tupperware in the woods.
There's lots nearby.
Check out the /r/geocaching subreddit too.
1100 caches in a day? Is that even possible? Assuming you cached for 24 hours straight, that would average 78.5 seconds per geocache. Each cache has to be 0.1 miles apart, right?
I guess it's possible on a car or bicycle if you're literally sprinting, jumping out, finding the cache immediately, and going to the next one.
EDIT: Is this you? http://www.geocaching.com/blog/2010/11/24-hour-epic-adventure-nets-more-than-a-1100-geocaches/ Apparently this is a real thing!?
If you're a Premium Member, sorting by # of Favorite Points will be a good guide.
Otherwise, here's a couple of my faves
I'd like to make a recommendation for you before you start doing any hides. Admittedly, you've looked primarily in one general area of town, and thus haven't seen a wide variety of caches. Before you hide one, go check out some of the real winners in town. Go to http://www.geocaching.com/seek/ and enter the name of your town, or your home coordinates, to get a page listing the caches closest to you (not a map). Then click on the header at the top of the 2nd column, the one that looks like a blue ribbon. This will order the caches nearest you by Favourite Points. Premium members can assign fav points to caches they really like, and I find it's a good way to learn which caches in an area are really worth finding. Go find some of those to really get inspired about creative ways to cache.
We have a general rule of thumb in my hometown for caching: it's best to log 100 finds before doing your first hide. Now that's not to try to discourage new hiders. That's so that you have a chance to see which caches are really great and get inspired, as well as see which ones don't work so well (containers that leak, uninspiring locations, etc.).
I'm happy to hear you're enjoying this great hobby. Definitely go find some of the really great caches in your area and use those good examples to make similarly inspired hides. Have fun!
Geocaching! It's really good fun, and it's a surprisingly big community. It gets you out and about and there are some really inventive places for people to hide stuff.
Edit: That was a bit vague, sorry.
Basically people all over the world hide little (or large) containers containing at least a little notepad which you write your name in when you find it, and also sometimes small items which you can swap things of your own with. You register online and are then given the exact coordinates of where these containers are, and there are so so many that there is bound to be a few within a mile of where you live. They're often hid in really inventive places like under roots or in hollow rocks with cryptic clues, so it can be quite a challenge.
There are apps for it, a subreddit for it, and a really big community. Here is the website for it, I highly recommend it if you like a large scale hide and seek.
Geocaching! It is a ton of fun. You can put as much or as little effort into it as you'd like. Some geocaches don't require any more effort than pulling a magnet off the back of a roadside guardrail and some are so elaborate you have to kayak to them.
Groundspeak has downloads of printable brochures to help explain geocaching to the genral public, as well as specialised information designed for law enforcement personel.
I carry a copy of the first one in my geocaching pouch, and have a copy of the law enforcement one in the car.
Thanks for the heads up. Found it! However membership is required to view it, and I don't want to buy the answer...
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC2P5PR
If it comes to that I will to please the Redditors, but I'll give it a go cracking it myself first...
I heard you were looking for some hidden gems
Edit: GPS not required. My friends and I used to use google map printouts to find these!
Geocaching its a great way to explore the city, very easy to get into and its pretty fun. Can do it with an iphone/android or a cheap gps (a decent cheap one is like 50-100 on amazon.)
This is one of the main sites, Geocaching.com, but there are many. The sites are free. Often the mobile app must be purchased for full access. Someone hides a cache, could be any size, though containers that can container some sort of log book are the most popular. Then you post the coordinates of said cache on a website. Use anything with a GPS to find it! Many are themed, or have something to do with the location. They are hidden with varying levels of difficulty. Other people can use apps or look up on their computer ahead of a trip and research what caches are in their area. You then go on a treasure hunt for it! You then record having found it, either in a log/scroll at the cache itself or through the website/app. I love it! Well worth the money for the app and a fun way to liven up trips or ways to discover new areas.
Well, we don't know yet, it seems to be starting off reallly slowly, some people are comparing it to something called "Kröflueldar" which was a 9 year volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Do you have a smartphone? You can start with the free geocaching app and just search for caches near you. Or go here: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/
And here's a starter guide: http://www.geocaching.com/guide/
How about Geocaching? There's tons around town that don't involve hiking in the crazy summer heat, and you might find areas/art/history that you never knew existed in town!
Scavenger hunt basically. Use GPS coordinates to find a hidden 'cache'. some are easy, some are insanely difficult and hidden. GPS gets you to within 5-7m (?).
As a geocacher, I see the demand and potential viral spread of this app once it launches. I heard about geocaching from a friend who heard of it from a friend and so on... turns out there is a huge worldwide phenomena of 6 million people that do this as a hobby (http://www.geocaching.com/). For this reason, I was excited by the CoinPlant app and see this as gaining some attention from a younger generation of teens and gamers, interested in a new generation of augmented reality gaming (outside! with wearable tech). I like where this is heading and there is nothing funner than the thrill of a treasure hunt.
-Check out the Horticultural Gardens down by Bogue, they're awesome.
-See if there are any Geocaches on campus you could hit up.
-Go to Pinball Pete's and play some pool
-Also the fountain behind the Student Services building is very pretty
-Don't forget treats - MSU Dairy Store, Insomnia Cookies, or Bubble Island have some nice sweets.
If you are all crafty, try making blankets/clothing for the needy, or anything like that. Lots of people knit caps and mittens for premies, or bigger ones for the homeless, as well as blankets. It'll take a chunk of time to do, you'll feel great for having finished something AND for having helped someone out.
Also, since you travel, how about Geocaching?
In realtà per passione dei miei, che sin da piccolo mi portavano su per i bricchi. Da bambino andavo molto spesso con l'alpinismo giovanile del CAI. Poi (al di fuori del CAI, beninteso) ho avuto la fortuna di trovare degli amici a cui faceva piacere fare qualche giorno in cammino fuori, una cosa tira l'altra, ho cominciato a fare qualche giro in più, anche per conto mio.
Ti dirò una cosa che negli ultimi mi stimola molto a uscire di casa, che forse ti può interessare, è il geocaching, non so se tu ne abbia mai sentito parlare. Ci sono queste scatolette in giro per il mondo, nascoste in posti più o meno di passaggio. Hai le loro coordinate GPS e devi metterti a cercarle con i pochi indizi che hai, poi ci sono infinite variazioni sul tema. L'idea di base è: esci per trovare le scatolette, e ti ritrovi in posti molto fighi, che non conoscevi. Io di solito mollo la macchina in qualche posto, mi faccio un'oretta - un'oretta e mezza di geocaccia a piedi e poi torno a casa. Ho conosciuto tanti posti nuovi in cui adesso torno abitualmente.
Io ho la fortuna di abitare in una zona meravigliosa, industrializzata sì ma con molto verde e posti spettacolari, mi ci vorrebbe una vita solo per conoscerla bene. Sono convinto che spesso i posti belli sono ad un passo da noi e non li conosciamo, e penso che sia il caso anche per te :)
Hi! This is a cache from Team Gently! Thanks for posting! I hope you enjoyed finding it! I'd recommend any of our caches, but our best one is probably Impregnable which has kindly been adopted by another cacher. EDIT: a word
- yes
- not really
- What I would do is, after they are archived, collect the containers, fill them with new swag and logs, and replant them as new caches in the same spots. I know of a case where someone did that, because the cache was in perfect condition but the CO went awol: GC421WW
We only did two caches, but they were both cave caches. Very tight squeezes that required a lot of maneuvering on my belly and squeezing through some small spaces.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5DNKM_down-the-hatch?guid=0978f680-56d8-4ad7-ad68-75bd00e44b8c
The first one was a fairly short crawl, but still took about forty-five minutes to get to the cache and back out. It was so tight I had to back up in a couple of spots and scoop out some rocks so I could squeeze through.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5B2WM_cave-cricket?guid=c5ab55c4-5f63-4a7b-a4d5-abd3aafc0f0b
The second one was a lot longer, but I was able to hunch down and walk a good portion of the way. The tight areas in this cave were extremely small and I had a tough time getting through.
These were a couple of very cool caches that took me quite a ways out of my comfort zone. The things we do to gain a smiley !!
Great tale you have told. :)
I tried to have a story like that myself. I had a TB circumnavigate the world and come back to the States. I was in Seattle a week after it was but I caught the owner just too late to try to get him to hold on to it and get it back to me.
I thought it would be neat to have a bug go around the world and then come back to me, haha.
Here's a link though if anyone cares. Point of note is thay the TB has now been to TWO annual geocaching block parties in Seattle (2012 and 2015). I have been to zero geocaching events :(
TL;DR I live vicariously through a dog tag...
No problem! Hope you have fun on your caches. There's a whole website dedicated to it, you can join and search for caches in your area and log which ones you've done, and even create your own! I like to geocache the most when I travel because I get to explore bits of new places that one normally wouldn't see.
One of the custom searches here is for "events near me"
https://www.geocaching.com/play/search
If you are in the US, I also like the old State Pages with the events at the top, eg NC: http://www.geocaching.com/local/default.aspx?state_id=34 (also accessible from the old search page at https://www.geocaching.com/seek/default.aspx under "by state page" drop down menu)
You will find interesting things in your area that you didn't even know about because you never had a reason to go there. You'll get exercise and feel adventurous.
When starting out, make an account and then use the map at http://www.geocaching.com to find an area on the map that looks interesting (perhaps something near water or another landmark). Plot out an area you'd like to go, and then use the app (c:geo for Android or the official Groundspeak app for iPhone) to find the caches.
The reason I suggest this is that there's a lot of "park and grab" caches that are quick and easy to find, but not always interesting. If you get into caching after finding some interesting spots, you can use these park and grabs later on to get some quick finds in your area to run up your numbers, if you ever find yourself caring about numbers (I don't, I try to stick to interesting areas).
Personally, I think "partially" is ok. Fake sprinkler heads are "partially buried", and so are the pennies/bottle caps that are popping up lately. However, there seems to be a lot of grey area here and I don't think everyone agrees (including the reviewers).
Looking over the official guidelines it says "If one has to dig or create a hole in the ground when placing or finding a geocache, it is not allowed."
In addition to what /u/aagusgus said, check to see if there are any geocaching websites that cover your area.
I use this: http://www.geocaching.com/mark/ to see if there are more recent recoveries of the NGS benchmarks I'm looking for.
I like this idea, and you have my full approval. I was sad to be employed today and would prefer you try to do these one the weekend, if possible.
I understand there is a somewhat healthy geo-caching community here an I'm still upset for having never found Abraham Sinkin. Clues are also great- OP did a good job.
That wooden thing that you thought was a trackable looks like an event souvenir. Trackable codes don't start with GC; those correspond to caches (including "event" caches). Googling the code brought up this event.
While I'm in the US, I hope I can point you somewhere useful:
You might have good luck checking the official forums , not to mention the list of geocaching groups as the pinned topic on that page.
One of the ways that I ended up "latching on" to a group of cachers was by attending local events. You can check the official events calendar and search by country.
(I was kind of hoping to find a country-specific list of events similar to the one I use regularly for NJ but there doesn't seem to be such a creation for each of the various countries.)
Hope that helps!
I've lived here my whole life and one thing my dad and I like to do when we have time to spend an entire afternoon exploring is to go Geocaching. It's a good way to go on little adventures that lead you to new places.
"Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location." http://www.geocaching.com/
There's a geocache at the Veteran's Memorial by the Rec Center, and last I knew there was a cache in the Oval, but you generally don't want to find stuff like that when the area is heavily populated because you don't want someone to just steal the Cache. They're all over town- some of them are in cemeteries, some are in parks, but they're never in a place where you'll get in trouble for trespassing.
Some locations the container has little trinkets in them (you're supposed to leave a new trinket if you take one) and some of them are "micro" caches that just have a logbook in them where you put your username and the date you found the cache.
Carry some of these brochures to help explain what geocaching is.
And, for police who haven't heard of Geocaching, giving them a copy of this wouldn't hurt.
Congratulations on staring out with this great hobby. I remember the feeling how much I wanted to hide one as soon as I found my first couple. I would echo the others and recommend you find more before hiding your first one. I would also recommend reading through the guidelines of hiding a cache to understand what is involved: Geocache Listing Requirements / Guidelines
When I was in college, some nights we'd go for a slow ride up to Portage de Sioux to check out the Our Lady of the Rivers Statue. At night, with the lighting they have on it, it looks like a giant penis. Aside from that, there's a great view of the river.
My favorite aimless drive is down 94 from St. Charles to Hermann. Really gorgeous views, lots of little towns and good restaurants and wineries.
If you're into seeing and exploring neat places, I highly recommend you look into the fine sport of geocaching.
Regarding the "hacker" idea, seen some cool ones in Raleigh, NC area with this theme. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC2AKE0 for example.
I really like the voice mail idea. Would you mind if I did something similar in my area?
Most I've found in one day is 113. Most of those were part of a 99 cache series around the Chicago area. I forget exactly how long it took us, but we started the day out early hitting a few caches on the way to an event cache that included a breakfast buffet, and ended some time after dark. We completed the bulk of the 99 series caches in about 5 hours.
You might be surprised. My mother lives in a town of about 4,000 people and there are 7 caches within the town limits alone. Go to the site Geocaching and put in your post code to check. Failing that, you can always be the first to hide a cache. Making a cache, finding a good (and interesting) hiding place for it, and then watching the logs as people try to find it is almost as much fun as hunting for one.
Have you tried geocaching? You don't need the expensive GPS units to find them, i literally started out just getting the coordinates, plugging those into google maps and then using street view or pictures on the geocaching website to aid me in where to look (this can take away some of the fun factor but for starting out and not know what in the world to look for it was a big help). Best part is it is free! You don't have to take anything from the cache or sign the log but just going and finding them is an adventure in itself and some alone time with your SO is always wonderful. It is actually how i met my fiancee!
As for something cheap but still fun, thrifting is always a blast due to the nature of wandering through flea markets, antique malls, and thrift stores and seeing what you can find. To make it even more fun try doing a $5 challenge and see who can find the coolest thing for that amount. You don't necessarily have to buy it but just saying that you found a metal rose or hand painted egg from china (with certification!) is pretty darn cool! Some friendly competition is always nice. Once again you and your SO get to spend time together looking at some very off the wall stuff and might find something really cool along the way!
Have you ever heard of Geocaching? I am sure there are a ton of cool Geocache locations in Baltimore! It's like treasure hunting - and if you plan ahead you could even create your own romantic geocache.
http://www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx
What are the rules of geocaching?
If you take something from the geocache (or "cache"), leave something of equal or greater value. Write about your find in the cache logbook. Log your experience at www.geocaching.com.
Do you geocache and do you know about this cacheor this Earthcache ?
I think the craziest was what I did'nt find.
I was out night caching with a couple of friends I'd met at a geocaching event. We'd done pretty well. No DNFs for the night, but it was raining when we got to the cache "it's down there ":
It's literally down in an extremely steep overgrown culvert with brambles and everything else. We'd found some other challenging caches, but with the rain we weren't sure if we went down if we could make it back up. So we swallowed our pride and moved on to the next cache.
The next day... Valentine's Day... I was at the movie and got a phone call from one of my caching buddies. "Hey remember that cache we skipped...there was a body found there today." She had been missing for days. That night while were out there were missing posters up everywhere. No one knew if she'd been abducted or what. So stumbling around in the dark, with the posters everywhere had felt like a "maybe this isn't a good night to cache" already...
I've never been back to find the cache there. The final story was super sad.
Spectacle pond is a great little hike. ~3-4 miles round trip and unbelievably pleasant. There are also a few nice ones off of Rt 74... The Short Swing Trail into the back of Rock Pond (be sure to take the detour to see the waterfall. If you geocache - Rock Pond Falls) is about 7-8 miles of easy/moderate hiking. Arnold Pond is also pretty cool - short and steep (1 mile each way) but worth it. I've heard Severance Mountain is nice, but I've never done it. Treadway Mountain is probably the best mountain in the area that isn't Pharaoh, but it leaves from the boat launch at Putnam Pond Campground so I'm not sure if it counts as "near schroon lake". Have fun!
It's from the wreck of Conair #24 in 1974 on Stoyoma Mountain in BC
If you're curious where this benchmark is:
http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=GU0103
When you look at data from the same area like:
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/central-valley/delta-mendota-canal-subsidence.html
...I suspect there may have been some systematic error in that fellow's photograph (e.g. elevation/location recorded under a different datum)
The Czech Republic, Prague, is home to the two most found geocaches in the world, both of them having been logged over 12,000 times.
You can find other people's profiles here (if you know their nickname) or by clicking their nickname on a cache's page (i.e. in the logbook). By searching "brainstrained" I only find your new profile.
I have, however, found the profile of Brainstrain, a used from Baltimore (just like you are, looking at your nickname). Is is the right profile?
For the bacon...I weigh it before since I use the grease to cook other elements of whatever I'm making. So if I'm doing bacon and eggs, I use the grease for the eggs. If I'm making bacon to crumble over cauliflower, I cook my chicken breast in the grease. If I'm making bacon to put in my tuna salad, I usually dump the grease into the tuna salad and use less mayo (it's yummy that way, trust me).
For the exercise, got a smart phone? Walk with a purpose and go find a Geocache in your area. http://www.geocaching.com
I started doing this 2 years ago and now have to cycle 30km+ to get to new ones. ;-)
Or, see if your local shelters have dog walking programs you can sign up for. You don't need to walk miles, even 500 feet away from the shelter is pure happiness for the dog and exercise for you. ;-) Hell, even if you don't walk the dog but go to play with the animals you're probably doing more than you do now!!
This one, which is archived now, was a DVD in a video store in California.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2CAE3_30-000-titles
This one, was inside a hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. You had to go up to the front desk and ask for it.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4YXVK_sfgt-la-fonda-hotel
This one was also really cool. It was in a museum in Oregon, magnetically attached to the back of a display case.
You seem like a good CO.
My most notorious hide was this, and ended in a state of heavy river erosion, decomposition, and what seems to be illegal logging and scrap metal looting, probably by the homeless. The general location included an archaeological site, but I don't believe any of these people were digging pits or anything like that. The bugs make the place pretty much unbearable in the summer. Scrap metal person even kept replacing the final on the metal fixtures he left behind. Do you have any advice on what to do in such a situation?
It does exist. I've been there Geocaching. It is located here N 34° 36.116 W 082° 49.303 Here is the website of the Geocache. http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4KCDF_black-walnut-juglans-nigra If the link doesn't work the name of the Geocache is Black Walnut located near Clemson. There are large black walnut trees there as well. It's located in Fants Grove if you know where that is at. I'm thinking it must have been a old homestead at one time.
Great idea, but be prepared to be disappointed.
People don't read the instructions. People don't follow the guidance on what to do when logging the cache. It's just an annoyance in the game to get a smiley.
My proof for this? http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5GNW7_2nd-caringbah-scouts Asked to leave a photo: 10% did do this.
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5J4AV_a-park-with-a-somewhat-dubious-history Asked to leave a historical (dubious) comment or fact about the park: only 2.
So yes, prepare to be disappointed.
Hey now... Those monkeys are highly trained and have very delicate sensibilities.
But yes, it's not the most optimal. Did you see the new blog post about the new stuff we're doing/fixing/upgrading?