Well, lately I am getting back to the way geocaching used to be and 
searching for caches in rural areas. by hiking, off roading, horseback 
riding, hot air balloon, helicopter, whatever... just getting out into the 
great outdoors to find full size containers in a scenic wilderness setting. 
With that, I have noticed something that has sometimes annoyed me in the 
past and has caused me to have a change of heart! :) Have you ever hiked 
several miles out into the desert or forest or down into a canyon only to 
come out without a find? After 30 minutes of searching you consulted the 
cache page for the decrypted hint, only to find there is no hint!? I did 
just that today. Actually, there was a decrypted hint, but it didnt elude 
any to where the actual cache was hidden, just the general location of the 
cache (which I already knew, the coordinates took me there!). It turns out 
this cache is indeed missing, after an email with the cache owner.

I also got an email from a cacher today asking me where another cache that I 
had recently found was hidden, as I was the last finder of that cache. He 
had hiked up to the top of one of the inner city mountain peaks yesterday, 
only to not find the cache.

I feel that if you are going to send someone on a hike into the desert or a 
long climb to the top of a mountain (or even a 15 mile off road vehicle 
turture test into a canyon)... that there should be a hint included that 
gives some definition to where the cache is actually hidden. The game of 
geocaching has always been about the location. Location, location, location. 
A cache needs to be decently hidden so muggles cant find it. But a cache in 
the wilderness doesnt have to be hidden so hard that a cacher cant find it. 
Afterall, you did bring them to that location to enjoy the location, didnt 
you? This is especially true if you are going to hide a micro in a 
wilderness type setting. Or maybe in a canyon with steep walls around it 
that might cause the GPS to not get a good signal or in a dense forest. If 
after 30 minutes of searching and you cant find it... you look at the 
hint... you can then be more confident that you are looking in the correct 
spot or if maybe the cache is perhaps gone. I spent over 1 hour searching 
for a cache today that I ended up not finding (it is indeed gone missing). 
Even though there was a suspect item that I beleived was holding the cache. 
There were lots of rocks and hiding spots in the area... so I did continue 
to search. Afterall, I hiked 2 miles in to find the cache, I have to give it 
a good effort to try and find it.

Anyways, I am not picking on the one cache I didnt find today... just using 
it as an example. It just made me think about my caches and geocaching 
etiquette in general. My first cache RTW-1 requires a rather tough climb to 
the top of a mountain. I would sure feel bad if someone made a hike/climb 
all the way up there only to not be able to find the cache. I also firmly 
beleive in the 'no log, no find' rule (unless it is a virtual of course!). 
So, with that... I have had a change of heart! :) I have gone back and 
edited both of my caches to provide a decrypted hint on each of them! Prior, 
RTW-1 just had a smart a** hint that simply said "hint?!".  Now, there is a 
hint to give some direction to where the cache is hidden. I also mention in 
the log, as I always have, what kind of container the seeker is looking for 
(an ammo box). There are alot of rocks up there and alot of hiding spots. I 
dont beleive the hint has to straight up tell the seeker where the cache is, 
but it should provide some honest clue that will help someone narrow down 
the potential hiding spots. This way, they at least can be confident they 
are looking in the correct spot and that they didnt maybe input the wrong 
coords into their GPS.

Scott
Team Ropingthewind

_________________________________________________________________
Type your favorite song.  Get a customized station.  Try MSN Radio powered 
by Pandora. http://radio.msn.com/?icid=T002MSN03A07001