Snow? Sounds like NIGHT CACHING weather!

What do you do when it snows in April in Michigan?  NIGHT CACHE!

Tarabusi Creek Group Photo

Sitting with TaGeez (Steve) before last night’s night cache (GC4THAD Night Caching Tarabusi Creek), I asked him his favorite ‘night caching’ tips.  Together, we’ve probably found over a dozen of them.  This is a brief list of tips we came up with.

• Best to go in early Spring or late Fall.  There’s less muck & mud, vegetation is dormant (to navigate and to see reflectors), the sun sets earlier, less bugs out and snakes are dormant.
• Buy a headlamp.  They are relatively inexpensive and widely-available.  Using a headlamp keeps your hands free for blocking tree branches, climbing over logs, and searching.  We recommend using it on a lower setting or angling it slightly down so you don’t blind the other Cachers.
• Even with a headlamp, keep a spare flashlight in your pocket.  This is particularly useful when searching the final GZ or if something happens to the headlamp.
• Wear safety glasses because branches aren’t easy to see in the gloom/dark.
• Wear long sleeves, long pants & (optional) gloves to protect from the thorns.
• Read the cache page for special equipment.  We recently did an older night cache that required a strong, older flashlight.  New-fangled LED lights weren’t powerful enough to set off the beacon.  In addition, we’re seeing more demands for UV flashlights in our area.
• Bring glow sticks.  If you get separated from your group, hang glow sticks from nearby branches and stay by that tree as you call someone for help.
• If using a Smartphone for navigating, dim your light so it doesn’t effect your night vision.
• Waypoint your car before setting off because landmarks are harder to see on that return trip.

Consider these (plus basic safety tips) next time you go out and night caching will be less scary!

Where the Dead People Live - GC165F

Last month I spoke of visiting Virtual Caches (looks like the San Francisco trip is a bust – bummer).

I love Virtuals – again, they take you to places you may never know existed.  Steve and I visited this really cool forgotten cemetery up in Auburn Hills this weekend.  Except for the immediate neighbors (who obviously take care of the grounds), we geocachers are probably the only people who know it exists!

It’s directly across the street from larger Eastlawn Cemetery.  Except for the wooden fence and tiny gravel path, there’s no indication that it’s anything more than just an empty field.  No sign.  No proud headstones near the road.  But as you step into the cemetery and meander towards the back, odd shapes loom out of the dusk.

I’m sorry some of the pictures are a little darker.  We were running late due to work commitments and dusk settles fast this time of year.  Afterwards, we wandered 10 miles down the road and met some friends for a very interesting night cache called the Haunted Series 1.