Let's Go Geocaching

[lakeuk]

Good to see even seasoned pro's have their off days

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...48-6e59c13abbda

[+mongoose39uk]

[+The Klever Boys]

Oh dear, oh dear

[Deego]

More practise needed

[+Simply Paul]

Chill out - He's doing his best! :)

[+Bill D (wwh)]

He's probably getting rusty - I don't think he gets much time to get out there with a gps nowadays...!

[Lactodorum]

This amounts to a personal attack on a very fine geocacher. I have spoken to him and he is feeling devastated that his geocaching credentials are being questioned in this fashion. I think I should come down hard on those who have commented on his misfortune.

 

 

Actually he has conveyed his embarassment and I reckon he's fair game for such comments !!!

[+The Golem]

Out of interest, how many people turned up for the event and do you think it was successful Lacto, sir?

[Lactodorum]

Out of interest, how many people turned up for the event and do you think it was successful Lacto, sir?

 

Over the two days there were probably a total of about 70-80 people. The focus of the event turned out to be more "navigation" based rather than Geocaching. However people were all using GPSr's (owned or loaned) to follow "Geotrails" similar to multi-caches but without a "main" cache at the end.

 

While I was there I set 3 genuine Geocaches (which are being maintained by the YHA manager now). My talks on Geocaching must have attracted around 20-25 people. Allied to the talks, I took quite a few people out on a series of cache hunts to find one or more of my 3 caches. Since the event a number of participants have signed up with GC.com User ID's and have started logging the caches. Others have written to me saying they intend to sign up and give it a go on their own.

 

Interestingly, there was a school group of around a dozen young teenagers. They were probably the most enthusiastic and cottoned on to the idea very quickly. It was amazing to me how quickly they became "expert" GPS users and they went on to find several geocaches in the area. The teachers have indicated they will sign up with a "group" ID for the school and intend placing their own geocache for the children to monitor. They also intend setting up an "informal" series in their own school grounds.

 

There were 2 family groups who were experiences cachers "geokippers" and "Koala Cachers" and who it was good to meet.

 

All in all it was a good weekend and I know we have some new converts. If any of them are reading this perhaps they would like to say "hello"

[+BareClawz]

Be fair, thats not the only cache thats off.

I know of one team that is geregularly getting co-ordinates wrong and one I did in Surrey GCVN85 where the first micro was about 100 feet off. Being placed in woods didn't help either. Being Horsel Common, I'm glad there were no Martians about!

[+Pharisee]

When the aforementioned 'Hornet' was driven out of the Watford area by (as rumour has it) that unruly mob from Berko, I had the honour of being able to adopt one or two of his caches. One in particular "Spooks Up East" gave me a not unrelated problem. A cacher logged that the cache's hidey hole had been taken over by a fox so I went to investigate. Sure enough, the cache box had been evicted, the hole enlarged and there was evidence of vulpine occupation. Being a conscientious and caring sort of a guy, I moved the cache to a location well away from Brer Fox's lair and, as luck would have it, right next to where I'd parked the car This is where the waffle stops and the story really begins.... I put my GPSIII on top of the car (a clue, perhaps) and left it averaging while I went off to do what blokes do in the bushes Yes, you've got it.... look for better hidey holes. I didn't find any so I went home, updated the cache page and all was well with the world, wasn't it? Well actually, no, it wasn't... The next finder complained that the co-ords were miles out and he'd only managed to find the cache by decrypting the hint. So being, as I've already said, a conscientious and caring sort of a guy, I checked the co-ords on the cache page against those that were still saved in the GPSr. No error there so I assumed the cache finder was daft but plotted it on MemoryMap anyway, just to be sure. What's it doing over there....? That miles adrift well, 200 feet anyway.

I went back and recorded a new set of co-ordinates, this time not from the top of the car and all really is OK this time. I have no explanation, yer 'onour, other than it must have been the resident Spooks 'avin a larf

Edited May 16, 2006 by Pharisee