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Post by davemeister on Nov 7, 2011 8:45:06 GMT -9
Just went to my winter pocket query which only includes caches with a "snowflake" attribute. My caches went from over 1000 down to 200-300. I know a lot of caches are not winter friendly but I also know that folks don't take the time for one reason or another to place attributes on their caches.
Just saying....
I don't carry a shovel with me and I don't dig for caches. Hard enough to find caches without the snow but can be extremely difficult when the white stuff buries them.
'nuff said.
Thanks for your attribute contributions.
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Post by nccachegeek on Nov 7, 2011 11:18:52 GMT -9
Well said.
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Post by NorthWes on Nov 7, 2011 13:28:48 GMT -9
I totally agree, davemeister! Which reminds me... I should review my own cache listings and update some of them with the newer attribute choices.
Too bad there's not a way to add "attributes as given by finders"....
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Post by SSO JOAT on Nov 8, 2011 23:23:58 GMT -9
I've been conflicted with the use of the snowflake myself. There are many caches that "could" be winter accessible, but it depends on the snow and the weather leading up to the day. Thus, I've only placed this attribute on caches that are most likely to remain winter accessible. Those that are ify, I tend to leave the attribute blank and might make a comment in the listing about winter access. Those which are definitely not winter accessible get the slashed snowflake.
With that in mind, one might generate a couple GSAK filters. First, get your +snowflake cache list. Then generate one that eliminates anything with the -snowflake. The downside of that middle group is that it will pick up anything that has no attributes selected, so further sorting will be required.
Don't forget to bring into play the ski & snowshoe attributes!
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Post by li1gray on Nov 9, 2011 23:34:06 GMT -9
Yep I can see SSO JOAT's point as well. Not to bash LBK but heard if you can did it out it is winter friendly with such good hints he gives you to find the winter caches he has up on the hills. Which I am glad I could find them based on that. I suppose I should be carrying a probe and shovel in the back country anyway. I would just rather tag along with the cache owner on a maintenace check on some of those! I am trying to get a certain Karma123 challenge done right now (25 days in a row) and sure would love seeing the not winter friendly attribute on some of the caches that are on the ground to begin with. So like Team Meister I ran a query of Winter caches within 100 miles and came up with 173, then I deleted some of those based on location/terrain I am not going after a 4 or 5 terrain cache as it would take all day to get to it. I will take my chances on town caches for the winter or some in the Crevasse Morraine or Wasilla caches where the wind seems to blow it all away! Still would like to grab 100 caches before winters end to break the 4K barrier this year!
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Post by ladybugkids on Nov 11, 2011 16:18:20 GMT -9
...usually means exactly that. I've made an effort to place ammo cans with a purpose along scenic trails. Between being placed in a tree with the aid of a bungee cord and/or being placed at a geobeacon with a rock solid clue, I make no apologies for any of our "available in winter" caches requiring a bit of snow removal. If someone's hunting one of these caches, they should have a shovel and probe (or in most cases, at least ski/trekking poles) with them anyway as basic safety equipment/backcountry gear. I do have a small cache at the start of a Section 36 multi marked "Available in Winter" that folks have had a hard time with. However, snow cover isn't the issue. The final is an ammo can at an easy to locate spot, though getting there now might require snowshoes. I differentiate the above from a micro cache stuffed in a squirrel midden in a stand of nondescript black spruce trees. There are plenty of caches like that which I agree are especially tough in winter. I use "unavailable in winter" when accessing a location will take someone into avalanche country or would require a ridiculous amount of digging to access (such as our ammo can in an area of Turnagain Pass without big trees which disappears under ten feet or more of snow each winter).
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cavyguy
Silver Cacher
Posts: 175
GeocacheAlaska! Membership Level: Sourdough
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Post by cavyguy on Nov 13, 2011 12:07:04 GMT -9
I agree most ammo cans I consider winter friendly as you can probe for them without damaging them...
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Post by SSO JOAT on Nov 13, 2011 12:17:04 GMT -9
Hmmm, you know what they need to add is an Ammo Can attribute. That would be awesome if you could sort caches by those which are reported to be an ammo can.
I also agree that there should be a means by which cache finders can flag attributes for a cache that are either wrongly in place, or should be in place (including all those caches with no attributes available).
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Post by NorthWes on Nov 13, 2011 21:00:01 GMT -9
I agree most ammo cans I consider winter friendly as you can probe for them without damaging them... Yeah - unless you probe with an ice axe! I agree totally with SSO JOAT's excellent parsing of the three categories for classifying caches when developing GSAK hunt lists. But, any given day the weather (whether summer or winter) may overwhelm whatever attribute the cache owner has selected. Still - that little snowflake attribute would be a nice hint that the intention was to make the hide locatable in wintertime! With so many demands on my time, I've pretty much given up on wintertime searching for micros in the woods here unless they're part of a larger journey's plan. Those hides are time-consumptive when conditions are at their best, and that kind of time just isn't in my schedule right now. It's why so much of my winter caching is done on vacation outside. There I can craft a journey of discovery around a few cache hides that will create a memorable experience for me, and of course bring me to a few spectacular benchmarking opportunities as well.
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Post by akstafford on Jan 5, 2012 12:21:09 GMT -9
I just went back through my caches, all four of them. I've chosen to *not* give them the snowflake attribute. I made a note in the cache description that winter accessibility will depend on snow level and the cacher's determination.
On December 31st the wife & I were needing 5 more caches to hit the 600 mark by the end of the year. We visited over 20 caches in the Mat-Su to get our 5. I was wishing that Cache Owners were more effective in their attributes listings.
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Post by NorthWes on Jan 8, 2012 17:23:02 GMT -9
This is certainly the winter to test 'winter accessibility', isn't it? I did cache maintenance on 3 caches this week, and the heavy snowfall had impacted access to all three in one way or another (most especially in parking!) The snowpack moved me three feet closer to the hiding spot at two sites, and only a foot closer at another site. All three had been placed to be accessible year-round.
Another location where an ammo can had to be replaced last week meant an off-trail jaunt; normally that's no problem, but with one arm bound up in an abductor sling I reinforced my new-found respect for cachers who go on the hunt despite physical disabilities! An accurate description of the cache site is valuable not just for the 'average' cacher, but for folks caching with kids, persons inexperienced with the particular terrain of the placement, or with physical challenges not experienced by the 'average' cacher as well.
A good combination of accurate coordinates, guiding comments as necessary on the cache page, and well-chosen attributes all help cachers better focus on what caches to seek. I so understand and agree with AKStafford (congrats on 600, by the way!).
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