Winter caching

[Vegas Gamblers]

O.K. so we started Geocaching in June after my back surgery to get some exercise. The weather was great and we have been to many places in the State of Wisconsin and other states that we never would have gone to or seen. The wife and I are truly grateful with the start of this hobby. Now for the question.

What do you do now that winter has set in. 11 inches of snow in Milwaukee, 17+ inches south of here and as winter wears on more SNOW SNOW SNOW?

Do you not go as much?
Do you do less difficult caches?
Do you stay home? (We really don’t want this one)

Just wondering while we rest our muscles after a day of snow blowing and shoveling.

[shine_like_a_star]

I don’t go caching as much in the winter. Although a still, sunny winter day does offer a great time out in the woods. Two of the most difficult caches that I’ve found (Lord of the Rings – A Journey Through Middle Earth and Marsh to the Philippine Islands) were fantastic winter finds. 8)

-katy

[bnb]

My first cache find was after an 8 inch snowfall (I know that seems minor after what you people got hit with today). It was Officer’s Scenic Cache at a rest stop on I-94. Great cache! We had a nice hike up a hill and had to find the cache under the snow.

Snowcover makes it more likely that I’ll read the hint. I also probably won’t try caches that I know are on really steep hills. But, the middle of winter is the best time to look for caches in swamps.

The best part of winter geocaching is the small number of mosquitoes and deer flies.

Ruth

[Team Deejay]

I have to echo Ruth’s sentiments. Caching in snow will almost certainly increase the number of your no finds, but it makes the ones you do find more special. You will get much better exercise, trudging through the snow drifts, and it makes even the most mundane micros a challenge. I personally prefer to hunt forest caches in the winter (less tree cover problems) and also prefer winter for the longer hikes (easier to control body temperature and no bugs, but sometimes your water freezes). Right after a big snowfall, you might find parking to be a bit of a challenge, as most of the places we go are not exactly high priority for snow removal. Usually I just use this as an excuse for a longer hike.

Some hints:

• Carry a stick, even if you don’t normally use one. Its very useful for poking through the snow.
• Use portable handwarmers on your GPS to extend battery life when the temp is below 20
• A small shovel or trowel can be useful.
• Avoid micros that appear to be ground hides. (Actually a good idea at all times)
• Most importantly, take a buddy and let someone know where you are going. If you get hurt by yourself and fall into a snow drift, no one will find you until first thaw.
• Skiing or snowshoeing is a good method of transport when the big snows hit.

Have fun!

[brkster]

I agree with Team Deejay, and another thing you can do is watch the listings to see which ones are being found. Granted some people may throw you off with fake footprints in the snow, but at least you’ll know which ones are findable. Also look for larger containers or ones that are hidden above the snow level. Check attributes for ‘winter-friendly’ caches, and dress for the elements. I’ve been on cache hunts in near zero weather where I’ve actually gotten so into the hunt, that I didn’t even notice how cold it was.

[EnergySaver]

Winter PROS …
No bugs
No Poison Ivy (hopefully)
Little streams are not a problem
No leaves to mess with your reception
No better reason to get out of the house and avoid cabin fevor

Winter CONS …
Ground finds can be tough to find
Ground finds can be frozen tight to the ground
Find containers can be frozen shut
Sometimes tracks of others can fool you (remember they person before you may have gone to the wrong place, or make tracks on purpose, my kids love to do the later)

Personally, assuming it’s not below 30 out, I like going just as much in winter as in summer … I feel more like a concured something in winter. Now the rest of my family might not always see it that way, but if it were up to me, I would not let winter slow us down.

[Ray]

Trudy & I have been caching year-round since we started. We spend less time outdoors in the winter, some days have been limited to no more than one or two. We are a lot more selective in the winter and tend to stick to urban caches. Today we were in Green Bay. We avoid micros in the winter and try to take advantage of winter events. We also cache in the rain. Weather does not stop us.

[Timberline Echoes]

Winter is our favorite season to cache in and we live in Northern WI so we usually have a lot of snow here. If the snow is over a foot we use snowshoes. We have cached every single month since we started caching a little over 2 years ago. We place our caches in a way that is very winter friendly hoping people will continue to go after them year round.

We would also like on the pro list that the bear and skunks are hibernating and the berry thorns are less prickly, and if your GPSr dies you can follow your footprints out.

Timberline Echoes

[LightningBugs Mum]

Some of my best geocaching memories have occurred in the winter, especially after a big snowfall makes everything look so beautiful. I love bundling up and heading out into the cold.

The only time I have logged a cache without signing the logsheet happened on a particularly frigid day. I wouldn’t have been out except I knew the cache was about to be archived and it had been on my to-do list for a while. It was so totally encased in ice, there was no way I was getting it open without an acetylene torch. So I propped my signature item next to it and took a picture that I submitted. The cache owner allowed it fortunately. 😀

On a side note, I’ve heard of people using metal detectors when the snow is deep…

[Team Deejay]

Just an example of our caching today, we looked for 8 caches, had 4 finds, 3 no-finds (including a virtual!!), and 1 “no way are we looking in a rockpile in the snow with muggles within 20 feet” abstention. In deep snow (we had 14 inches), that is about normal. I’m pretty sure all the no-finds were ground level (including the virtual).

[greyhounder]

I’ll be getting my cross country skiis soon, so I’m looking forward to caching in this manner.

I started caching in winter, and do enjoy it. My first event attendance was in winter (Caching Through the Snow). If anything would convince you that caching can be done in winter — that event did! Dressing warmly is the hardest part for me, as I’m always cold

Bec

[TyeDyeSkyGuy]

Simply put, change nothing. Wear warm cloths. Go caching!

[Ray]

➡ This should be a help:
http://www.snowtracks.com
Select “Wisconsin” at the right
Then select “snow cover map” at the right

😆 Team Deejay showed great humor when they took the highground at Bonita vista al mar:

… 3 no-finds (including a virtual!!)…

Many other cachers would have posted the find and waited for my objection 🙄

[Cache_boppin_BunnyFuFu]

Not much stops me, even though I HATE the wind, I have been out in some blizzard type weather. I go for all types on most terrain. I do look to see if it is winter friendly on the listing though. Sometimes I still will take on the challenge. I do prefer temps over zero though. The negative numbers I save for XC skiing… as long as there is NO WIND!!!! I always factor in that.

I, too, have been out on XC skiis looking for caches. That’s always a good time. Driving through Wyoming and SD this spring, I went thru a Spring snowstorm, dumping 15-27 inches. Did the best I could to get through the ones I could even get to. I’m always in for a good challenge. Even some of those Guardrail hides get bumped up to a 4 on difficulty when there is a ton of snow covering them. LOL

I guess it all depends on the adventure you want to take, but always dress warm and have a good time. If I don’t find any for the day….oh well… at least I was outside getting some fresh air and exercise.

HAPPY CACHING!!!

[Cache_boppin_BunnyFuFu]

Oh yeah… and after it gets REALLY cold out there you can go for stuff like these and you shouldn’t need a boat. Just make sure the ice is think enough!!!!!!!!!!

04145_Cram Island

Long Tail Point Lighthouse 1899

Long Tail Point Lighthouses 1859 & 1848

[Author]

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