› Forums › Geocaching in Wisconsin › General › Cache Attributes
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zuma.
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12/15/2010 at 3:12 am #1731241
Well winter here is again. And my pet peeve is rearing it’s ugly head again.
I cache as hard in the snowy months as I do in the summer months. The only difference for me is that I must single out the caches that tend to be winter friendly. I read the cache description and pass logs to see if it is worth my time to see if I can find the cache. Their has been a new trend
as of late. Where new cache owners are not using the cache page attributes at all. If they would it sure would help the people like me who cache 12 months a year…. SO, I’m asking if you can please take the time to use the attributes. Especially the winter friendly one. Thanks for letting me vent!!12/15/2010 at 2:55 pm #1940378As a fairly new member to geocaching and especially this site, I have to agree completely. One of the few times of the year my wife and I can cache together, is over the holiday season. This usually equals snow. When your home is located in a remote area, and the trip is planned, we often bypass what looks like an enjoyable cache if there are no attributes listed. No one wants to travel the remainder of the distance to the relatives with iced and frozen pants legs… Well at least not Mrs. Northwoods…
I might also add Fee Area. I don’t camp anymore, so I like to group these for a year when I buy a sticker just for the purpose of collecting these caches.
12/15/2010 at 3:09 pm #1940379@benny7210 wrote:
SO, I’m asking if you can please take the time to use the attributes. Especially the winter friendly one. Thanks for letting me vent!!
You’ll find I use attributes in unorthodox ways and they often don’t represent the real attributes of the listing. SO, I’d suggest ignoring any S|S cache you come across during winter, you’ll never know what you are in for.
12/15/2010 at 3:39 pm #1940380The snowflake icon doesnt mean its winter friendly, if you mouse over it, it means available in winter. I put this on almost all of my caches because I don’t disable or remove them when we get snow, you can expect to dig for alot of mine if you just go by the icon.
12/15/2010 at 6:29 pm #1940381My opinion is that almost everything is fair game in the winter. The only exception are those that either state in the description that snow is a problem or that include the “Not winter findable” icon.
Without either of those, I assume it’s fair game and it’s up to me to find it. Challenges include the following:
1) A P&G guardrail cache might be winter findable until the plow puts 3 feet of snow over the guardrail which turns to ice. Findable yes, but not friendly.
2) A pill bottle / matchstick holder in the crotch of a cedar tree (3′ above ground). The natural snow can bury it making for an interesting search of multiple spot and potentially can become frozen in place. Findable yes, but not friendly.
3) A pill bottle hanging in a cedar tree (i.e. WSQ). The cemetery isn’t plowed and you have to walk 300’+ to reach the tree. Findable yes, and friendly in my opinion.
4) Rock pile hide (or breakwater) that gets covered in snow (or ice). Findable maybe?, but probably not winter friendly (but some of us are determined enough to do it anyways).Just my take on some of the experiences from my first winter last year. I think the definition of “Winter friendly” vs. “Winter Findable” varies drastically from cacher to cacher. I did discover that as you learn the MO of the CO many times you can guess at what you’re going to be up against and how they normally list their attributes.
Keep in mind these are only my opinions on what the icon means, and that I also carry a trench shovel, gaiters, and snowshoes in my car all winter just for caching.
12/15/2010 at 9:14 pm #1940382I describe in writing on my cache descriptions what you will be in for when hunting them in winter (a “winter friendliness rating”) and I do use the available in winter/not available in winter attribute when a foot of snow will either have no impact or a big impact on making the find.
Some of my ‘In a Rut’ series caches are disabled during snow cover because that was part of the stipulations for getting land manager approval. They also have wording in the description indicating not to hunt them when there is > 4 inches of snow cover. Not all caches should be hunted in the winter.
As far as winter caching goes, when I go, I look for caches that have been found since snow started piling up or have been found in prior winters. Rather than try to rely on a very arbitrary attribute.
Have fun out there in the snow!
12/15/2010 at 9:24 pm #1940383@-cheeto- wrote:
They also have wording in the description indicating not to hunt them when there is > 4 inches of snow cover. Not all caches should be hunted in the winter.
This is exactly what I was referring to.
12/15/2010 at 10:07 pm #1940384@benny7210 wrote:
Their has been a new trend
as of late. Where new cache owners are not using the cache page attributes at all. If they would it sure would help the people like me who cache 12 months a year…. SO, I’m asking if you can please take the time to use the attributes. Especially the winter friendly one. Thanks for letting me vent!!All very interestng and valid points, but after re-reading benny7210’s post, I even jumped past another point he makes in his post. That being how often individuals who create caches, frequently don’t even bother with the attributes.
12/15/2010 at 10:44 pm #1940385I always try to use attributes for things that I think should be obvious or very important (i.e. available 24×7), but some things aren’t so clear or might even be a spoiler. When I use the snowflake it automatically tells the user that the cache is above knee height, which rules out some other spots.
I do think it’s beneficial for many things like 24×7, entry fees, and the like, but some of the other attributes are just too open for interpretation to be very useful.
12/16/2010 at 12:16 am #1940386It may stand to clairify the issue by stating in the cache description that a cache MAY be available in winter but, “MAY NOT” be winter friendly…
What is available/not available and or friendly/not friendly to some, may not apply to others, within reason… But, there are always a few who go beyond reason… This also goes for winter parking… I placed several WSQs this fall in which I described some unusual parking spots, having not been to them in winter, I added that parking MAY NOT be available in winter and to use best judgement when seeking those caches… That’s all anyone can really do when publishing a cache…
I agree with all of the posts regarding the non-use of attributes, they’re there for a reason, use them, it’s that simple, and they’re simple to use… If I’m not sure of the presence of ticks, poison ivy, etc. that MAY be in season at one of my caches that I’ve placed out of season, say in early Spring, late Fall, or Winter, I’ll add those attributes to err on the side of caution… I don’t do it to discourage anyone, only to ensure their awareness of a possible/probable issue…
Oh… Well… ‘Nuff said… Time to Lurk the FTP’rs in the Off Topic Forum…DON’T FLAME ME ‘BRO!!!
12/16/2010 at 3:10 am #1940387Well stated Pirate Monkies. No flames from me I think you’re right on target.
We’re in WI, so I expect ticks / poison ivy in season any time I’m off the sidewalk. I also expect to have more challenges in the winter due to snow / ice, but that just comes with the seasons.
12/16/2010 at 3:27 am #1940388Winter cachin and snow. All ya need is some snowshoes and the Yooper Brothers’ Secret Snow Cachin’ Tool! And a good pair of Swampers and if the snow gets REAL DEEP 😯 , A Snow Panker. 😉
12/16/2010 at 10:47 am #1940389I only been to Hayward once… Ain’t nobody mentioned nuttin’ ’bout no Snow Panker 🙄 …
12/16/2010 at 11:13 am #1940390@The Pirate Monkies wrote:
I only been to Hayward once… Ain’t nobody mentioned nuttin’ ’bout no Snow Panker 🙄 …
HA! No, a snow pankers is a Yopper thing.
12/16/2010 at 11:46 am #1940391Anybody know what a Snow Panker is???
C’mon us southerners gotta’ work together…
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