[Cheesehead Dave]

A note to people who emailed me about having trouble uploading their GPX files:

There’s a security check to make sure you’re actually uploading a valid GPX file and not some malicious script. For some reason, people were getting “Invalid File” errors, but when they sent me their file, I could upload it just fine. I did some tinkering and I think it should work for everyone now, so please try it again.

Also, don’t upload the *.zip file you get from GC.com. You need to extract it first and upload just the GPX file.

[Cheesehead Dave]

@PCFrog wrote:

Hope to be able to complete in the next two – three years. 🙂

You’re telling me… Four years of caching and I only have twelve pages covered. I need to get around a little bit more… 😳

By the way…

The rules are not chisled in stone. If you see some obvious blunders or have some “What if…?” situations that need to be addressed, please let me know.

[Cheesehead Dave]

@PCFrog wrote:

This is not a jab at anyone here but wow. I can’t believe the number of people so far that are against the photos.

I love seeing photos, in fact, I wish GC.com would automatically send notifications when someone attaches pictures to my caches!

Take pictures of the area! Take pictures of the kids digging through the container!

Just please don’t post close-up shots of the cache in its hiding spot.

That;s right up there with posting pictures of travel bugs showing the tag number.

[Cheesehead Dave]

Under the “questionable grammar” category:

A Stealth of Cachers

[Cheesehead Dave]

When a cache is retracted, what happens to the finds of the people that already logged it? Do they remain or do they vanish?

[Cheesehead Dave]

I found it via a post on Slashdot. I opened an account and saw Cache Cows’ “Entwive’s Tumor” was the nearest to my house (If it were still there, it would probably be the 100th closest now.)

I convinced Mrs. Cheesehead to let me buy a GPSr (Which I’m still using today, over four years later. Garmin Legends are pretty rugged!) And two days later, I had my first DNF! 🙁 (I guess I shouldn’t have started with a four star difficulty cache…)

I went back the next day to try again and found it, as well as my first fellow cacher on the trail (wiracer24… are they still active?)

What I’m kicking myself over is that I know I read about when Dave Ulmer hid the first cache after SA was removed and Jeremy Irish opened up the original GC.com site. For some reason, I just ignored it them, but I could have started back in 2000 rather than 2002. Oh well…

[Cheesehead Dave]

I don’t know the reason for sure, but when the cache popped up last night and I glanced at the map, I thought, “I wonder if it’s in that little city-owned cemetary that’s surrounded by houses?” Sure enough, zooming in, it was smack in the middle. I decided not to try a late-night FtF attempt.

I’ve driven past it before and decided that there’s no way I’d ever consider hiding a cache in there. I debated contacting the reviewer about it, as the “park” doesn’t seem to actually show up as being a cemetary, but decided to give the hider the benefit of the doubt, even if it was their first hide and they only had one find to their credit.

Looks like someone beat me to it, as I read the logs of the first two finders which didn’t seem too positive.

[Cheesehead Dave]

@Digital_Dan wrote:

So we should expect in the not too distant future, a form to fill out and send it to land managers for every public land in order to place a cache? Hard enough finding out who the few managers are for State land. Can’t imagine how difficult it will be to find who the land manager is for every piece of public land……..

How do you jump to this conclusion?

[Cheesehead Dave]

I have a personal coin that I log into every cache I find, physical or virtual. I feel it falls under the “It’s not affecting anyone, except those that seem to be continually unbunching their undies.”

Although I only log it into caches I’ve actually found.

[Cheesehead Dave]

@tyedyeskyguy wrote:

@LightningBugs Mum wrote:

@NeverLost Mark wrote:

I guess one nice feature would be to sort the search results further by state.

This feature has been requested more than once, but it continues to fall on deaf ears at Groundspeak. *sigh*

Yeah, and how about not having to get the spelling EXACTLY correct in a search?!?!? I’m admitedly one of the worlds worst spellers, and get frustrated when I have to figure out exact spellings.

For instance There is a cache in Milwaukee called SSSSSSlither to the Totem Pole. I’m suposed to know how many S’s are there? I still don’t.

Sorry, I got a little off topic. Guess I should put this in the suggestion box huh?

You just need to search for the right terms. It’s result #3…

[Cheesehead Dave]

@Ms. WISearcher wrote:

A huge thank you for the efforts with this! It is good to see that some of the disabled caches are finally getting cleaned up or removed. Great job Tie!

Ditto from me, and I’m also glad to hear that you’ve gotten zero flak over it as well! 🙂

[Cheesehead Dave]

@Digital_Dan wrote:

My Beef with the DNR Policy is this……… Who else in the General Public (Of which we, Geocachers are a part of), has to Notify the DNR that they intend to use a specific piece of DNR land?? Does a Hunter have to notify the DNR that they are going to Hunt on a particular piece of DNR land? NO. Does a Hunter have to notify the DNR that they are going to put up a deer stand? (I doubt it) Does a Fisherman have to notify the DNR that they intend to fish on a particular lake? NO.

No, but they still need to be licensed to hunt and fish on DNR land. Not exactly the same, but I can’t just grab my gun and run around shooting critters whenever and wherever I feel.

Does a Snowmobiler have to Notify the DNR that they intend to use a particular DNR Trail? NO. Or a Skier that they intend to be skiing on a particular piece of DNR land. NO. Even in the SNA, I know of no other members of the public that have to notify the DNR they intend to use DNR land.

True, but generally those activities don’t involve leaving the developed trails and abandoning boxes of stuff in the woods.

Does the DNR have a problem with ALL Hunters when they find out some hunter has done something he shouldn’t have done, and then just band Hunting on DNR land? NO. Does the DNR ban boating on lakes managed by the DNR because a few boaters violate some rules or use the waterways inappropriately? NO. Does the DNR Ban Hiking on DNR land because they find that some hikers have left trash along the paths (Not to my knowledge, or there wouldn’t be any trails to hike on now)

This I more or less agree with. It’s a shame that in some parts of the country, a few people have spoiled geocaching and have galvanized officials against it. The DNR policy has the advantage of giving officials they need to trget the bad apples instead of making blanket generalizations about the entire geocaching community.

How do you think all the other users of DNR land would feel if THEY had to send in a Notification form so they don’t upset the DNR in their use of DNR land? and then have the possibility of being told NO, you can’t use the land. As tax payers we have bought the land, pay to have it maintained, pay to use it (you know that $20 a year annual sticker fee) and then are told you must notify us if you want to actually USE the land???

Question: When you go camping in a state park, do you register to camp at one of the regular sites, or do you just hike into the woods and pitch your tent anywhere you please? There are some outdoor activities that involve more than just walking around and enjoying the scenery, and I’m sure the DNR, charged with maintaining the land, would prefer to have a little bit of control to make sure that these activities aren’t badly impacting the land.

It’s not like you’re being forced to pay an extra fee or anything. Do you complain that you have to pay extra for a hunting or fishing license on top of your park sticker fees?

That’s why I say I wish we had never approached the DNR about the use of DNR land for Geocaching!! By doing so, we’ve given them way more control than they should have, and in doing so we are the community that must pay the price for allowing them to “Tell us what we MUST do” It’s wrong, especially when they have very few cases where a geocache has actually caused a problem.

It’s called being proactive. As someone mentioned earlier, note the Minnesota, Illinois, or NPS policies…

In fact, I’m absolutely SURE they have had more trouble with Hunting, Fishing, Boating and just about any other thing people use DNR land for, than they have, or ever will have with Geocaching, yet they don’t band any of those activities.

They’re not banned, but you can’t do them without a license/permit/registration of some sort.

I refuse to submit a form telling the DNR I’ll be using State land for Geocaching. Of course, I’ll have to live by that decision as we can’t approve our own caches, which to me will mean, “No caches on DNR land”

I’m sorry you feel that way, but really, that will just make land available for other cachers who don’t see this policy as negatively as you do.

OK, this is all I’m going to say on this subject, no use beating on a dead horse.

There’s been discussion of the WGA working on a policy with the DNR for years. Now we have one in place that’s only barely more restrictive than “No Policy At All” and suddenly people are all up in arms over it. I don’t get it. Where have these concerns been hiding all this time?

[Cheesehead Dave]

@GeoPink wrote:

@Jeremy wrote:

I was also going to scope out a spot for cache on page 57 in the next couple weeks. Hopefully there is some public land in that small sliver that can be used to hide a cache… otherwise no one will ever complete the challenge 😥 (or we’d have to exclude this page).

Looks like a great place for an underwater cache….

Actually, it looks like the Kewaunee pierhead is on that page. I’m sure someone could figure out how to get a cache out there…

[Cheesehead Dave]

On the Hide and Seek a Cache page, you can search by cache name by putting your terms in the “By keyword:” field.

[Cheesehead Dave]

@Digital_Dan wrote:

There really won’t be much of a problem here in Wisconsin with caches on DNR land, because very few will go to that much effort to get them approved. So, the end result will be the same, No caches on DNR land. Does it really matter if it comes by way of the DNR saying, “No Caching allowed” or by default “No one placing caches on DNR land”?

I guess time will tell.

From personal experience, I have a cache at Bong which needed to be retroactively submitted. It was an excruciating five minutes to fill out the DNR form, and another agonizing minute folding the form and putting it into an envelope. (I almost cut my tongue licking the flap!) I was close to asking for help in addressing the letter, but I managed to do it on my own and even survived the trip out to the mailbox. I got back inside the house and I was spent. I had the Cheese Doodles bring me a beer and I spent the rest of the day crashed out on the couch.

It was a painful ten minutes of my life, gone forever. I can see why this would be a deterrent for future cache hiders.

🙄

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