This article was written by Birdin’ of Trekkin & Birdin’ and was published in the June 2013 Newsletter.  Enjoy this blast from the past!

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We have a little caching buddy who goes by Pooh’s Pal. In real life, he is our 3.5 year old grandson, and for the last year or so of his caching career, he “gets” the whole picture of what this is all about. Turning on the Garmin, going to a “cool place to explore,” usually in the woods somewhere, looking for something hidden and if he’s really lucky, finding toys. For the record, he actually likes finding golf balls, too.

Recently, we took him out to place his first cache. He had very strong opinions about his placement, and once we took him to a general area, he did the rest himself. Then we waited. It wasn’t long before a couple of “found it” logs came through, and thankfully, his efforts were returned with nice logs. One even directed someone to sing the log to the tune of Gilligan’s Island to him, which we did…..and which he loved.

It doesn’t take long to write something a little special about your caching experience, if you take the time to do so. Some of us write novellas. Some may just write a sentence or two, but that sentence can tell volumes about that person’s unique experience with the cache.

We started geocaching in 2006, and the norm at that time was to write a short note in the logbook, then write a little bit online to share your experience. Things began to change within a year or so. Micros became the rule, not the exception, which meant a simple signature was all one could write on the logsheet. Power trails became more and more commonplace, which meant that instead of finding 5-20 caches on a good day, 50 finds or more became the new normal.

And then came geocaching phone apps. Trying to write anything on those small touchscreens is a challenge. All of these changes in the game have led to a big change in online logging. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Those of us who have placed geocaches for others to find know how much enjoyment comes from reading the stories of those who find them. “TFTC” at least tells us they found it, but nothing more than that. Generic cut and paste logs from a day of power caching tells only a little more of the story. While the website allows finders to file minimal logs, keep in mind that without hiders, there won’t be anything to find. More than one hider has stopped playing and placing because of the large number of generic or boring logs. Do your part to keep that from happening!

*Log from your computer rather than the phone. You can sit and relive your experience rather than hurrying off to the next find.

*Share a sentence or two about your journey. What did you find along the way? Singing birds? Thick brush? Startled deer running off at your approach?

*If you are doing a cut and paste from a big day, just add one line about the individual cache. Sometimes power trail owners will let cachers know they expect and understand cut and pastes, but we know from experience they still really appreciate that little extra effort.

*Photos are always fun to see as well. It can be helpful if you do include them to make a comment such as “…as the photos we posted show.” This lets the cache owner know that you’ve added them.

Take the extra time once you get back home to share your story. Cache owners like Pooh’s Pals and others will thank you, and feel encouraged to place more for you to find!