The evolution of Geocaching.com’s logo.

I was doing a little searching on the Wayback Machine and found some old Geocaching.com listings.  While searching for some historical geocaching events, I noticed an evolution of logos used on that site.  Here are a few of those logos:

February 3, 2001

April 13, 2001

August 5, 2001

June 2, 2002

NCGO Cito Event Schedule Change.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the City of Hickory has asked us to move the the event date to Sunday May 3rd. The event will start at 11:00 AM. Here is the link:

http://coord.info/GC1P0HZ

This event has also been listed as a Terracache.

http://www.terracaching.com/viewcache.cgi?C=TCDEA

Please bookmark these cache page listings for any updates. You can also visit this site for updates:

http://CITO.CarolinaCacher.org

Thank you.

NCGO State-wide CITO: NC Foothills

NC Foothills Geocachers will be hosting the NCGO State-wide CITO event for the foothills area. Each year geocachers gather at this time to clean the geocaching playgrounds of North Carolina. Please join us to give back to our communities.

The foothills area CITO will be at Geitner-Rotary Park in Hickory, North Carolina. Please visit the CITO event listing on Geocaching.com and sign-up. The event will be held on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009. The event will start at 11:00 AM. Here is the link:

http://coord.info/GC1P0HZ

This event has also been listed as a Terracache.

http://www.terracaching.com/viewcache.cgi?C=TCDEA

Please bookmark these cache page listings for any updates. You can also visit this site for updates:

http://CITO.CarolinaCacher.org

Thank you.

Introduction To GPSgames - Marion, NC

CarolinaCacher will be hosting another "Introduction To GPSgames" event. This time it will be on the flyingpita farm in Marion, NC. This event will be on Saturday, March 14th, 2009 at 4:00 PM.

Flyingpita is hosting the second annual "Creekside Campout & Chili Cook-Off" and has asked me to give a presentation on the buffet of games available on GPSgames.org. The "Creekside" event will start at 1:00 PM. This event has been posted on Groundspeak and Terracaching.

GPSgames.org is a service for geocachers. All variations of geocaching are provided, as well as several other games utilizing the GPS receiver. I liken GPSgames.org as the geocacher's buffet! Some of the games available on GPSgames.org are Shutterspot, GeoGolf, GeoPoker, GeoVexilla, and others.

If you are a not yet a geocacher, this will be a good opportunity to learn about the hobby. If you are seasoned veteran, you will be surprised at the other games available to you. I look forward to seeing you there!

Look for this lawn sign:


There will also be some "door prizes" given away! I have designed a few unique GPSgames.org items:



So, come one, come all and partake in this event within an event! A good time will be had by all...Be a part of the, now historic "Creekside Campout & Chili Cook-Off" and the Introduction To GPSgames - Marion, NC event.

Geocaching ethics.

I am sure many of you have read the news articles where the local bomb squad was called out to dispose of a "suspicious object" and it turned out to be a geocache. In almost all cases, the container was larger than a micro and hidden on private property without permission.

An example is the Walmart parking lot geocache. Two things could keep the public from calling in the suspicious package report. Don't hide anything larger than a micro on private property that is being frequented by the public and get permission from the property owner!

Most of us who hide geocaches are guilty of not getting permission to place it on private property. The Walmart parking lot is private property! Ask the manager if it is ok to hide it there. You will probably get a "no", but at least you respected the property owner and you protected yourself from possible criminal prosecution.

Our sport is growing to a point where we are on the radar scope of the local law enforcement authorities. Sooner or later, a geocacher is going to be charged with a crime for placing a geocache. Don't let it be you!

NC Foothills - Geitner Park CITO (Winter)

The winter CITO event for the NC Foothills Geocachers has been set. The CITO event will be at Geitner-Rotary Park in Hickory, North Carolina on Saturday, February 28th at 11:00 AM.

I have submitted the geocache listing on Groundspeak, GPSgames.org, and Terracaching. I will post the listing Terracaching in a couple days. I will keep you updated on my CarolinaCacher CITO page and on the NC Foothills Geocachers event forum.

A CITO event is a great way for new geocachers to meet other geocachers and to get tips and tricks.

There are several geocaches from Groundspeak, GPSgames.org, and Terracaching in Geitner park, so bring your GPS reveiver!

NC Foothills Geocachers CITO events for 2009

I have submitted my schedule for the 2009 NC Foothills Geocachers CITO events to the City of Hickory Parks & Recreation department. I should hear from them soon.

The tentative date for the first CITO event is February 28th at 11:00 AM. It will probably be at Geitner Park.

I will provide updates here and on the NC Foothills Geocachers forums.

You got a GPS for Christmas...Now what?

Santa brought you a brand new GPS receiver (GPSr). Now what?

If you have a friend who is into geocaching, he or she is the person that can be of most help. But if not, here are few tips.

Garmin has an interesting page, "What Is GPS?" This page is a little technical, but does explain how a GPSr works.

Garmin has also produced a good document, "GPS Beginner's Guide." It is not very specific, but is worth reading.

One of the best documents is provided on wikiHow. It is titled, "How To Go Geocaching" and should be read completely. Many questions can be answered there.

Take a while to become familiar with your new GPSr. Learn the basic functions, especially how to add waypoints. Most new GPSr's come with a USB cable that allows you to transfer coordinates, but if not, you will have to enter them manually. This can be time consuming and I don't recommend it unless you don't have any other means of entering the information.

Take your GPSr into the back yard or a nearby park and walk around with it. Switch to the compass screen. On most models, the compass screen doesn't work exactly like a compass. A real compass will point north even when standing still. Your GPSr changes only if you are actually moving. This is because the computer inside is looking at several coordinates and calculating where you are, what direction you are heading, and your speed.

Explore all of the features of you new toy. You will find it can be very useful for things other than geocaching!

Happy Geocaching Holiday!

I found a nice, little geocaching holiday greeting on YouTube.



Happy holidays from CarolinaCacher!

Groundspeak announces iPhone application.

Groundspeak announces a new application for the iPhone. This application not only lets you see the geocache pages, but also utilizes the features of the iPhone to navigate you to the geocache location.

The iPhone application is best supported by the iPhone 3G but it is also compatible with the iPod Touch and 1st generation iPhones.

Here are a few screen shots of the new application for the iPhone.





I don't have an iPhone, but this looks like a great way to have an "all-in-one" device for geocaching!

"It was a cold and quiet afternoon."

"It was a cold and quiet afternoon". That is how my geocaching journey began today. GC1JMPG - Foul Ball was the geocache I went to find today. This was the newest geocache in may area and I wanted another FTF (First-To-Find). I wanted this FTF because it put me in the 15% club!

This geocache was a very good hide. The spot was easily accessible, the coordinates were dead on, and the geocache container was very imaginative. Good job five0xpress!

It was a little spooky going in. I get there just as the sun was meeting the horizon. The shadows were long and the only noises I heard was the dogs calling for the moon and the ice crystals crunching beneath my feet. Wow it was cold.

I noticed a very large dog's footprint. By the size and depth, I would say the dog is well over 100 pounds! I'm glad I didn't meet FrankenDog on this geocaching trip! Take a look at the picture.



As I was leaving, I was treated to a lovely scene of nature. The sun was just about below the horizon. I stopped long enough to grab a picture.



This was a good day for geocaching. Thanks five0xpres for getting me out here. Your geocache was imaginative and hidden in a good location.

Add additional waypoints to your geocache hide

Did you know that you can add additional waypoints to your geocache listing on Groundspeak?

When you hide a cache you may want to mark certain locations on the way to the cache container. Parking area, trailheads, reference points, questions to answer for a mystery or multi-cache, stages of a multi, and of course the final location.

All can be added to your cache listing and when the GPX file is downloaded, those waypoints will be loaded to your GPSr!

This makes it easier for the geocachers searching for your cache. Update your current hides and when placing new ones, include these useful reference points to help the geocachers searching for your cache!

Do you "preserve" or "pilfer" the geocache?

When Dave Ulmer created and placed the first geocache, one of the rules was "take something, leave something". He didn't say so, but it should be implied that when you do trade, you trade equal or better.



I placed a large geocache a little over a year ago. In it I placed about $50 of good, new items. I wanted it to be a very pleasant surprise when they found the "Big Store" of geocache swag. After several months I stopped by to check on the cache and to my surprise the cache had been pilfered. No, everything was not taken, but most of the very good, new items was traded for used McD's toys and plastic army men.

So, I did what any geocache owner would do. I restocked the cache with many new items. Several high quality baseball hats were placed in the cache. Now, these were not the cheap hats, but even if they were, they would be worth $5.00 each!

Another few months went by and I checked on the cache again. PILFERED! I just don't understand it. After examining the logs I surmise the following:

Geocachers are not prepared for trading items. They have their GPSr, camera, cellphone, but not much else. When they arrive at the geocache, they see the nice goodies and decide to "just take one". Also, some geocachers cache in groups. Maybe it is their friends, or maybe children and their friends. When the children see all the goodies, they must have one.

Now understand, I don't blame the children. They are just doing what kids do. The adults are the ones who totally miss a teaching experience. BEFORE going geocaching with the children, the parents/adults should explain to the children what it means to trade fairly. The adults should encourage the children to pick a couple of their own toys that they really like. That way, when they trade, they are trading equal or better. If the adults arrive at the cache with the children and the adult was ill prepared, they should explain to the children what fair trading is and since they didn't bring anything nice to trade, they would have to come back another time when prepared.

But, I think, what really happens is that the privacy of the moment just "excuses" the parents/adults from having to exercise parental responsibility. I know it is difficult to tell a child no, but that's part of parenting! Not teaching a child when not to do something is just doing that child a disservice.

The lesson to learn is that if you go geocaching, be prepared to trade or don't take anything from the geocache. Parents should prepare their children in advance so the geocache is not pilfered. If you find the geocache and are not prepared to trade equal or better, then just sign the log and take nothing.

We all need to take care of the geocaches we visit. Be prepared with trade items, blank logs, paper towels to clean out damp caches, etc. Make sure the experience of the next geocacher is better than yours!

"Heritage Trail Freeloader" has been placed.

I have placed a new traditional geocache in Newton, North Carolina. "Heritage Trail Freeloader" is listed on GPSgames.org. I call it a "Freeloader" because it is inside of another geocache that is listed on "the other service".

My hopes is that this will introduce some to the buffet of games available on GPSgames.org.

Heritage Trail Greenway is a project by the City of Newton, North Carolina. It is a nice, little walking trail along a creek just a couple minutes away from the downtown area.

Enjoy the new geocache!

NC Foothills CITO @ Geitner Park

The NC Foothills Geocachers will be hosting a CITO event at Geitner Park in Hickory, North Carolina.

You can participate by joining us at Gaither Park in Hickory, NC on September 21st at 11:00AM. You can sign up for this Geocache event by clicking on the link.

The members of NC Foothills Geocachers have adopted city parks in Hickory. We have agreed to walk through and pickup trash several times a year. During this event we usually have a cook out and always enjoy each other's company.

If you are new to geocaching, there is no better way to meet your fellow geocachers and pickup tips and tricks along the way! Come out and join us for a good time.

Oh, yes, there are several geocaches you can grab while grabbing the trash!

4th Annual NC Foothills Picnic in the Park & CITO

The NC Foothills Geocachers will be hosting the 4th Annual NC Foothills Picnic in the Park & Cito event at Winkler Park in Hickory, North Carolina.

You can participate by joining us at Winkler Park in Hickory, North Carolina on July 26th at 11:00 AM. You can sign up for this Geocache event by clicking on the link.

The NC Foothills Geocachers has a celebration of geocaching every year. It is a gathering of geocachers to enjoy each other's company, food, drink, and geocaching.

The NC Foothills Geocachers have adopted city parks in Hickory. We have agreed to walk through and pickup trash several times a year.

If you are new to geocaching, there is no better way to meet your fellow geocachers and pickup tips and tricks along the way! Come out and join us for a good time.

Oh, yes, there are several geocaches and a couple listed on GPSGames.org that you can grab while partying and grabbing the trash!

Two new geocaches in Catawba county.

I have placed two new geocaches in Catawba county near Claremont. Connor Park is just off highway 70 and is the entrance to The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge.

The "Connor Park" cache is a small Lock-N-Lock container that is camoed, but is easily found. Bring your own pen on this one!

The "Bunker Hill Covered Bridge" cache brings you to a magnificent example of an old covered bridge that used to be plentiful, but are now pretty rare.

The park is only available at certain times. Visit the cache sites for the posted times that they are available.

Note: Both of these caches have also been listed on GPSGames. You can claim a find there, too!

GeoRadio.org

Around three years ago I started listening to a "free internet audio program for the Geocaching Community, by the Geocaching Community." The host, Deltadawg, ended the show around the time of Hurricane Katrina.

The ten shows he posted were very interesting to listen to. They still are!

GeoRadio.org is no more, but I am preserving the shows for future geocachers to enjoy.

Episode 1 - May 1, 2005

Episode 2 - May 8, 2005

Episode 3 - May 15, 2005

Episode 4 - May 28, 2005

Episode 4.5 - May 28, 2005

Episode 5 - July 4, 2005

Episode 6 - July 11, 2005

Episode 7 - July 11, 2005

Episode 8 - July 11, 2005

Episode 9 - July 11, 2005

Episode 10 - July 16, 2005

Enjoy!

Trade Equal Or Better

When Dave Ulmer placed the first geocache he made up some rules. The first rule was "take something, leave something".

This rule should, by extension, also means trade equally. With new geocachers coming into the sport all the time, we should emphasize the original intentions of the hunt. One is fair trading.

I have created a banner that I use on my cache pages. You are welcome to use it if you wish.



Click on the image above to download the full size version of the banner.

GC176WQ / TC99Y - Creekside Campout & Chili Extravaganza

Flyingpita and her husband did a marvelous job. No detail was spared. The land was cleared and the barn finished. I was amazed at the level of planning and the attention to detail on this event.

Activities for the children kept them happy and occupied. I didn't see one bored child. Caching activities were planned to keep the adults busy, too! An event multi-cache was placed on the 26-acre property showcasing many of the interesting aspects of the surrounding points of interest. There was even postings of nearby caches...But who wanted to leave the event!

First, was the chili contest. Seven contestants had prepared their favorite chili recipe. All were good and it was difficult to pick one that was the best. Edwin prepared the dogs and burgers. He kept us all fed! Everyone brought some food and drink and the table in the barn was full of goodies.

After we all stuffed ourselves there was a drawing for prizes. We all sat or stood around a nice, roaring fire as Flyingpita called numbers. It was a great time. I think everyone had a fun time...I know I did.

Thanks to Flyingpita and her husband for putting on a fantastic caching event that will be long remembered.