A new ape geocache?

As a follow up to my last note I point people to Jeremy Irish's facebook status.

He had a few interesting posts.

FOX passed on an official Project APE promotion for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but we're going to do something cool without them. Expect a blog post next week or so about it.

and

It was pretty much a free promotion, like before, though they did donate props from the movie in the first promo. No money exchanged hands, though.

and

...Also keep in mind there were APE caches outside of the US the first time, including one in the UK.

No, we won't be bringing back the original archived APE caches. That doesn't mean we won't have new ones, however. Details are still being worked out.

More to come..stay tuned on the geocaching blogs.  That is cool news.

Update on 2011-06-24 02:12 by firennice

Two ape geocaches... now just one.

Sorry to get back to this in such a long time.  I spent a lot of time getting ready for and attending a scout camp. There was a little news while i was gone.

I guess it was only a matter of time.  A matter of time for all the caches out there.  This is the perfect example.  After turning up missing the cache owner for the last US ape caches decided that it was time to archive it. 

The threat of it turning up missing again and again was high enough that it was decided to archive the cache.  So now there is only one ape cache left. 

I was going to try and go up last fall and go for it, but the entire thing fell through.  This year I was hoping to go and grab it, now I guess it is gone and there is not much chance for me to actually make the run for it.

Oh well.  I guess this is the same as any other cache.  Eventually there is time for everything.  Someone that steals any cache on a regular basis could lead to the owner just giving up and walking away.  It happens every day, but this time it is one that everyone is watching.

Update on 2011-06-21 04:24 by firennice

Thoughts on Earthcaching

Earthcaching is becoming more and more popular.  More and more people are looking into listing them and taking the steps needed to create one.

What is an Earthcache

Earthcaches have been around for a while, and have gone through a number of subtle changes over the years.  There are a lot of them out there now. I do not know the exact number, but I am surprised at how many appear.

Many mistake that they are just a virtual.  They are created to be educational, and point out a specific location, or geological site to others.  Because of the educational nature, they are to teach you about the different locations.

There are a number of Earthcache subjects that are considered acceptable.

 

• Geological materials - Rocks, minerals, fossils, sands, soils, etc.
• Geological processes - erosion, weathering, deposition, volcanic activity, glacial action, etc.
• Geological land form evolution - glacial valleys, reverse topography due to rock properties, waterfalls with geological explanations, use of geological materials - building stones, etc.
• Geological phenomena (not included above) - impact craters, geysers, mineral springs, etc.
• Tools used by geologists - index fossils, rocks, historical geology sites.

A number of others are not acceptable

Biology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Atmospheric observations, Oceanographic observations, Geodesy (unless specifically linked to the location), Archeology, History (unless it has a geological theme), a building (unless it has a geological lesson), Engineering (unless it has a geological theme).

Also there are a number that are limited or restricted because of how many there are.

• Watershed Divides
• River Confluences
• Waterfalls
• Artesian Wells/Springs
• Glacial Erratics

Recent Changes

In the last year there are a number of changes that have taken place.

Geocaching online Earthcache Submittals

At one time the only way there was to submit a cache was to go to the Earthcaching site and list it.  From there it was translated into the geocaching site by the reviewer.  It was a time consuming and long process.

Addition of many Earthcache Reviewers.

There were not many reviewers and the few that were involved were dealing with the entire program, and looking at all the Earthcaches.  That meant long delays of 4-6 weeks before any look at an Earthcache took place.

Defining of acceptable Earthcache types.

There are many caches out there that seem to not fall into the acceptable sciences.  Those caches were done in a different time under different circumstances. 

No photo requirement

Just like it says there are no photos required for Earthcaches anymore.  Many are not ready for it, or ready for the change.  It is not just the new caches but older caches cannot require a photo anymore.  Earthcaches are not like a virtual.  It is not about the visit, it is about the educational value. So many were turning into virtuals, and people were deleting logs for no photo.

How can I get my Earthcache approved.

Permission

Permission is required for many locations.  In parks, fields, forest service, BLM, in the US you need to have permission before it can be listed.  Some areas near a road, or in some countries no permission is required.  If in question ask.  For National Park Service properties you will require specific permission.  That means an email will need to be sent to the reviewer from the National Park authority.  This may also be asked in other areas, such as a Wilderness area.

Topic

As mentioned above make sure that the topic is the proper topic and that is the focus.  Having 15 paragraphs on the history of an area, then one on the geology would most likely not be published. Some had been listed in the past that fit Ecology subjects, botany, or zoology.  Those no longer fit the subject of the Earthcache program.

Site Specific

A polished river rock, has earth science on how it was created.  However they are common and scatted everywhere about the world.  Why is that site special.  It could be the stone is special, how it is tumbled, or something similar, but in general you could have issues getting it listed.  

Something generic.. a moraine, spring, glacial erratic, layering of sedement seen by a highway may be interesting, but tell someone why this location is interesting, why this particular site is special.

Duplicates

Some areas are treasure troves of geologic sites.  Yellowstone is a fantastic example. Hundreds of geysers, many more warm springs, mud pots, etc.  Your cache should highlight the site and say why it is different or special.  While worldwide a geyser may be impressive and worth a listing that is generic, in the heart of Yellowstone an Earthcache on one of 500 geysers should highlight why it is special, and not duplicate another nearby.  Telling the same story with a different geyser, arch, or bridge name, or copying a neaby feature would not be listed.

If you have a similar feature but you add much more information it may be listable.  A cache may highlight the erosion of a canyon, talking about how it eroded.  Another cache may highlight the stone/sediment that makes up the canyon.  It may be the same feature, but the topic is different.  We don't care about the feature, but the topic.

Educational Topic

Teach those around you.  Make the people learn.  Tell them about the location, why it is special.  A virtual cache may point out the pretty rocks at a location. An Earthcache will talk about how there were formed, eroded from the wall, why they rest here, or why the mineral is important. 

The more you teach, the more people enjoy and remember the visit.

Logging Tasks

Remember no Photos.  So you need to do a few things. 

1. Logging tasks need to be Earthcache related.  In other words, the fifth word from the second paragraph on the sign, would not work.  Tell someone about the plants in the area would not work as well. 
2. Make sure they cannot be solved from the internet.  Remember there is a lot of information there.  Google maps let people see a formation from the road, Wikipedia talks about how stones are formed.  
3. Your logging task should make sure that the person visited.  You need to make sure a logging task proves that a cacher was there. What direction was erosion taking place, the size of the grains, or makeup of a conglomerate.  Colors, smells, opinions on how something formed, comparisons, can all be great logging requirements.
4. Measurements tent to be bad.  Asking an altitude is bad.  Especially if you are asking someone to look at a gps.  Anyone can get the altitude from the topo map. A measurement is easily passed around, guessed, or solved from other areas.  In some cases these work, but in many cases they can cause issues.

Other notes and final thoughts

You can do an Earthcache when on vacation, however you can have a number of issues.  If your logging requirements are weak, or if some rework needs to be done, then you may not be able to rework them.  With luck you will have everything ok, if not be ready for alternatives.

If you have an Earthcache, remember you have to maintain it. Some will try and log it and never visit, some will log it poorly and you may need to contact them.  On another note, you may want to make sure that you email them before you delete the logs. 

Enjoy

Update on 2011-06-02 05:31 by firennice

ET Returns

Well after the sudden demise it looks like the ET Highway is on round two.

With the listing of a new event, and a google doc explaining a few things, the ET powertrail looks to be returning.   There were a number of issues with the first one, and possilby some misunderstandings, that led to the archiving of the ET Powertrail. 

Now that those issues appear to be worked through the trail looks to be returning in the next few months.

How it came about

It came about after a trip to Geocoinfest here in Utah about two years ago.  On the trip they decided to do the Shakespear/McGuiver powertrail.  (Now expanded a few hundred caches to the Seinfield series as well that makes up about 400+ Caches).

They had so much fun they decided to do their own powertrail. So for their eight hour trip home they planned and worked out the bugs for their own powertrail.  So after a number of months they finally got things finished and the cache placed.

International Visitors

Like our local series there was an explosion of travelers.  Even more than we saw here.  The appeal of 1000 caches drew people in, from all over the world.  It is interesting to follow one cache in the trail and then look at where all the people are coming from.

In fact the Nevada powertrail had so many visitors that the hotel that normally lays people off and has few  visitors during the winter months was still busy.  That was the ideal time for people to go and avoid the head of the summer.

Problems and Archival

As with everything a few people can ruin it for everyone else.  We know those, people that destroy and area to find the cache, or tear things up for fun.  The same was here.

NDOT was having many problems.

• Cachers not pulling completely off the road
• Cachers not paying attention and pulling out in front of traffic
• Cachers stopping IN construction zones while work was be done
• Caches in blind spots or not optimal viewing for approaching cars
• Caches in/on/near guard rails and mile markers. 
  

There was a stretch of highway that went through a pass that didn’t have a long clear view of the road ahead.  When we placed the caches in this area, we were careful to make sure cachers could safely pull off the road and not to put caches on blind corners.  This was fine in the summer, however; in the winter, this is a much different story.  Due to the elevation, highway 375 gets snow.  The snow along with guardrails, windy roads, made a small stretch reason for concern.  There was an incident where a cacher’s vehicle and a snow plow had a close call in this area.  I received a call from the supervisor of NDOT telling me of the incident.  We archived the caches in that area within hours of the notification.  However, the supervisor also notified Groundspeak that day or the next...The day after I got the phone call, caches were being archived.

New update

They have had a number of complaints from geocaching, and the local businesses about the archival.  Leading NDOT to issue a statement that they had no issue with the trail they just wanted to solve some of the problems.

So late august be ready for the arrival of 1500 caches.  They have worked with NDOT, County commissioners and the community to place these, safely.

So those that want to go... enjoy and have fun.

and be safe.

Update 6/7/11

If you are interested to place a trail.. some hints are in this story.

Update on 2011-05-30 20:51 by firennice

Red Hills Hike

I went down to my parents this last weekend for Easter.  It was a great trip, but the nicest part was a hike that my wife and I took.

There was a lot of rain this last weekend, but on Saturday everything cleared up for a little while. 

My family had a big get together, and an Easter egg hunt.

Of course after everything and after the cold weather I decided to head after a cache.  There was a cache up the canyon near my home that had not been found often.  In fact I had looked for it another time and the coords had placed me up a steep rocky slope and scrambling to keep from falling to my death.

Well this time he had updated his coords and we decided to head up and check things out.

So my wife and I took some free time and broke away from the family that were mostly just relaxing and eating candy.  We headed up to the mouth of the canyon.

Like many of the canyons the mouth of this one is full of a lot of trash.  A lot of trash, targets, and many other items that people have dumped.

I grew up near here and had hiked the canyon many times, but for my wife this was a first time up this canyon.  It is really impressive and I love the rock formations.  There are a few old lime kilns from 80 years ago, one at the mouth of the canyon, and another that is ways up the canyon. 

We hiked up the canyon and we looked for a while for the cache. The cache had been placed right under a small gully.  It had a small crack in the lid so the entire thing was full of slimy nasty stuff.  I could not even get the log out, and when I got water on my hands they stank for some time.  It was vile.

In the end I moved it about six feet out of the gully and into a sagebrush.  I put a rock on top of it and hopefully that will help keep the water out when things finally dry out.

After that we started to walk up the canyon.  We headed up another quarter of a mile before we reached a small box canyon where I found a place to hide a new one.

These canyons do not get visited much, and the caches do not get visited much either.  They are kind of off the beaten path.

There is not much growth and many parts of the canyon are scoured clean of rocks and dirt.  The rains tend to clean all the waist out of the canyon and dump them on the roads below.

In all we spent a few hours up here.  I hope to go back and visit more, someday. 

There are more to find, and more caches to place.

Update on 2011-04-26 04:45 by firennice