Geocaching and Geocachers

[L Roebuck]

Last I heard about Geocaching, the NSS had established a Geocashing Committee " to address developing situations of placing geocaches in sensitive and/or potentially dangerous caves and also to prevent cave locations being posted on the Internet."

Any updates on this? Any more geocashes being found in caves?

[Vader]

pretzlgirl said:

Any updates on this? Any more geocashes being found in caves?

I used to own 11 Geocaches that were placed in different caves around Colorado.

All but 3 have been removed for various reasons. I.E By Myself, By law enforcement or by other cavers. The three that I still own are in Granite caves. One of them is now a virtual. They are all still getting visits from Geocachers.

[Sharon Faulkner]

Lynn,

There was a blurb regarding this committee in the last AVP report, but no real information on what specifically is being worked on:

8. Geocaching Subcommittee Plans involve monitoring geocache websites and promoting the message of conservation when karst lands are involved.

www.caves.org/nss-business/reports/mar06/avp.html


Hi Vader,

There are a handful of geocachers in the grottos I belong to. Apparently geocaching is fairly common in the Southeastern U.S. More so than I was aware of anyway. I have no idea if the geocaches involve placement in caves or not.

[L Roebuck]

nssmembersforum said:

Lynn,

There was a blurb regarding this committee in the last AVP report, but no real information on what specifically is being worked on:

8. Geocaching Subcommittee Plans involve monitoring geocache websites and promoting the message of conservation when karst lands are involved.

www.caves.org/nss-business/reports/mar06/avp.html

Maybe I am wrong but it seems to me when the Geocaching committee was formed the topic became pretty quiet in the caving community. Or perhaps I just haven't been paying attention?

vader said:

All but 3 have been removed for various reasons. I.E By Myself, By law enforcement or by other cavers. The three that I still own are in Granite caves. One of them is now a virtual. They are all still getting visits from Geocachers.

Hey Vader, I hope those aren't sensitive caves?

[madratdan]

Lynn,
I can assure you that the caves Dan is talking about are not sensitive caves like your thinking about, but boulder granite caves.

Not many people go caving..........it's just not a main stream sport. Because of this, IMO, not many geocachers even think about putting a cache in a cave. I know it's rare when one does get listed, and the ones I've seen lately aren't even in the United States. We are one of the few countries that really try to keep our cave locations secret. Since there hasn't been any problems between the two groups, the committee has nothing to report, but they still have to send something in. I'm sure that's the reason for the lack of information in their report.

[L Roebuck]

I wondered why it was quiet. Thanks for the information Dan.

Vader seems like a straight up guy so I didn't think he would place a geocache in a sensitive environment. Truthfully, when I posted I never even thought of Vader but recently I had read a newspaper article about a geocacher and his kid that reminded me of geocaching and the NSS committee.

[madratdan]

Actually, Dan is one of the better cavers I cave with. He's small, an excellent climber, and not afraid of tight squeezes. He can fit where I can't, that's for sure. He also attended the recent CCRN seminar and helped me set up the command tent for the mock rescue. He has a good idea of what a cave sensitive cave environment is all about.

[Vader]

There are too many caving Forums. I watch 2 here in Colorado, and then there is the NSS, This one, and then a Forum for Utah Cavers. I forgot I made a post here.


Jun 1, 2006, 11:25am, madratdan wrote:
Actually, Dan is one of the better cavers I cave with. He's small, an excellent climber, and not afraid of tight squeezes. He can fit where I can't, that's for sure. He also attended the recent CCRN seminar and helped me set up the command tent for the mock rescue. He has a good idea of what a cave sensitive cave environment is all about.



Thanks for the kind words Dan.

Of those three Cave Caches that are left; they are all in well-known granite caves.

Palmer Lake Ice Cave is popular and occasionally visited by locals. That Cave Cache has had 138 hits in the last 3 and half years. It is a Boulder Cave located in a streambed. Where the water barely flows. This cave isn't sensitive or particularly dangerous.

The Fault Caves are located just outside of a town here in Colorado. Locals often visit them and for the most part these caves are trashed with graffiti and beer cans. The Cache here is a Virtual. That means there is not a physical cache here, instead there is a question that must be answered by the cacher and that question can only be answered if that cacher is in the location specified. This one has been hit 128 times and it has been here off and on for Four years. I was thinking of pulling it and placing a new one in a different cave in the same area. These caves are not sensitive, but because they are pretty popular it seems like somebody gets hurt there every year.

The last cave is a small shelter cave which is located just a mile or so off a popular hi-way. As far as I know this cave has no value to cavers. It has been used as a shelter for a local jobless man. This cache has had 61 hits in the last 2 years that it has been here.

Geocachers are not flocking to the caves and over running them. Many of the things that were issues when this debate first started have not come to fruition. I have helped fewer than a dozen Geocachers start a caving career. A few of them still go caving on a regular basis.

I am glad to see the issues between cavers and Geocachers are being going away. I wonder if this is because the two land users are starting to learn to live with each other or because Geocachers have caved in to Pressure from Cavers. No pun intended.

Hi Sharon Glad to see Geocaching if popular out East. It's a fun sport and growing all the time.

[L Roebuck]

All in all I guess I really do not understand what thrill there is in geocaching.

So what's the thrill?

[Vader]

pretzlgirl said:

All in all I guess I really do not understand what thrill there is in geocaching.

So what's the thrill?

That's a tough one. I still don't understand why I like to cave so much, yet every chance I get I am either caving or thinking about it. Is it the adventure? the discovery, or just the fact that it's unlike anything most people will ever see?

I suppose it's the same with Geocaching.
There are several reasons why.

I like extreame caches. One's that are tough to get to. Ones that most people wont do. It's just the challenge.

I like Geocaching Community. Most cachers are willing to help you out at a moments notice. I just lost a Cache out in the Paradox Valley. It was found by the last Geocacher to be strewn across the Mountain. A guy from Ouray that I had never met stepped up and offered to replace the cache for me. I don't get out that way to often, so I took him up on it. There are some really neat Geocacher out there.

There is also the Family aspect of it. Geocaching is something I can do with my family. You can pick the difficulty of the cache and even select only the ones that are kid friendly. My 5 year old really lights up after searching an area and finally finding a cache.

I probably haven't done it justice, but those are some of the reasons I like to GeoCache. I think you will find there are as many reasons to like Geocaching as there are people you ask.

You should try it sometime. You might be surprised

[madratdan]

pretzlgirl said:

All in all I guess I really do not understand what thrill there is in geocaching.

So what's the thrill?

I think there are many reasons.........but to name a few.

The hunt for hidden treasure.

A chance to visit somewhere you have never thought of visiting before.

A good excuse to get up from behind your computer and get out doors.

Family time with the kids.......looking for hidden treasure and trading for toys.

That's a slow start..........and one else care to add to the list?

[itabot]

Its like a treasure hunt...

Its high-tec hide-n-go-seek...

We bought our GPS to find caves. Not caches. I have been to one cache that's close to my house. It was cool to find it.

I guess I get the same thrill when I get the coordinates for a cave I haven't been to and I go find it. It is thrilling and fun too.

[Brian Roebuck]

I am sure that it can be a fun ing to do and getting people off the couch and outdoors is a good thing. Placing them in caves is questionable depending on if the cave can be adversely affected just as placing them in fragile wilderness areas would be. I imagine there are enough places on the surface of the world to allow everyone a chance to go hunt them down with a GPS and not have to impact the fragile places that are left intact. Any way it sounds fun and worthwhile as long as it is done correctly. Have fun out there!

[Vader]

pretzlgirl said:

All in all I guess I really do not understand what thrill there is in geocaching.

So what's the thrill?

Lynn,

The other day I made a post on the Geocaching Discussion board using that question. I posted a link to this discussion, thinking that a few Geocacher would chime in over here and post a few reasons for Geocaching.

They started a new Thread over on the Geocaching discussion board. Just like Geocachers. You need to be very explicit with your directions. LOL ;D

If you are interested the link is:

forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=135315

[L Roebuck]

Thanks for the link Vader, it was very helpful. Reading the posts helped my understanding of why geocachers geocache. But its kind of sad to hear that many people didn't go outside until they started geocaching. I really can not conceive that since it is in my nature to explore and ramble around this great country of ours, to find out where roads go, what an area looks like, etc, etc. So needless to say detours from the regular driving route on vacations are frequent. Yes the journey is the reward! ;D

But am I understanding correctly that the treasures are mostly toys, candy bars, etc?

[Sharon Faulkner]

Vader...that's a nice web site. It even has a section on geocaching for or in the Southeastern U.S. forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?act=SF&s=ca7592bb7ddd6a6e351877faedc74cfd&f=22

I noticed a thread in that section started by some of the geocachers from Birmingham grotto too.

From reading the replies to the original topic, I can see some parallels between the searching and collecting of geocaches and the seach for and collection of pits (caves) over 100' deep. The basic principles are the same. If you are trying to collect TAG pits over 100' deep (and some of us cavers aspire to do that) you will end up going to some really out of the way places to cave that you might otherwise have overlooked or not visited.

Interesting discussion. Certainly makes one take all sides into consideration.

[Vader]

pretzlgirl said:

But am I understanding correctly that the treasures are mostly toys, candy bars, etc?

Food is not allowed, because it could spoil. Many of the more difficult caches only get hit a few times a year. That candy bar would be kind of fuzzy after a while. There are a few other items that are to be avoided when putting a cache together, Weapons Matches, Alcohol,Drugs and things like that.

You are right in saying most of the treasures are toys, etc. Small items that usually cost under a buck or so.

Some caches will have a prize for the first finder, and it could be something good like 20$ or so.

When I put a cache together I like to include several items that I can buy for around a buck or so, tools, toys, key chains and stuff like that .

[L Roebuck]

Thanks for all the information I have a better understanding now.

[Azurerana]

The purpose of geocaching is to learn how to use those GPS thingies. Eugene and I had no use for geocaching, (being perfectly competent with topo and compass) but when a GPS showed up in our lives (now we have 2) well, you've got to do *something* with them, so why not figure out how they work by plugging in some numbers and go wandering after them?

Sort of like a souped up street car would be useless, if NASCAR had never been invented...

[L Roebuck]

No doubt I walk to the beat of a different drummer as I use our GPS for caving but also for research purposes like locating old family cemeteries, homesteads, property boundaries, etc, etc.
To each his own, 'eah?

[Vader]

azurerana said:

The purpose of geocaching is to learn how to use those GPS thingies.

I don't think you really get it.

As of Today

There are 269,715 active caches in 221 countries.
In the last 7 days, there have been 166,158 new logs written by 28,750 account holders.

In the last 7 days 28,750 account holders have been
Caching. Way more than the 12,000 or so NSS members who haven't been caving for months.

Not to start any thing, but it seems like cavers are in the minority here.
I have more people ask me why the heck do you cave, than I have ask me why I Geocache.

;D Remember I am not trying to start any thing ;D

[L Roebuck]

vader said:

Not to start any thing, but it seems like caver's are in the minority here.

But isn't that comparing apples to oranges?