Hiding Geocaches Trivia Quiz

Answer: Public camping area

Caches near active railroad tracks are, as a rule, not acceptable, though there may be rare exceptions due to special circumstances. Guidelines for the United States suggest that a cache should be at least 150 ft. (46 m) from the tracks. Bridges or other structures that could potentially be targets for terrorism are also unacceptable spots for placing a cache.

While city parks usually make great hiding places, caches are not allowed in U.S. National Parks or National Wildlife Refuges. Such areas are very delicate, and the frequent visitors that a geocache brings could harm them.

Instead, publicly accessible areas that welcome visitors, like camping sites or mountain trails, can provide an ideal hiding spot.

Answer: No

The rules of cache saturation allow geocaches to have a distance of no less than 0.1 miles (528 ft./161 m) between them. If too many caches are hidden in close proximity to each other, it could potentially be confusing for searchers. The cache saturation requirements also apply to multi-caches. If you are hiding several caches in one location, a multi-cache may be a good option. For a multi-cache, the coordinates visible online usually lead to the first container only, and each stage of the multi-cache will reveal the coordinates for the next container.

Answer: It is weatherproof and waterproof.

Sometimes, the best containers in geocaching are free! With some camouflage tape or paint, pill bottles, for example, make excellent waterproof containers that are easily obtainable. Other popular small or micro containers are film canisters, bison tubes (designed to hold medicine), magnetic key holders, and waterproof match boxes. If you are interested in doing a larger cache that can store "goodies" and trackable items, ammo cans and Tupperware or Lock 'n' Lock-style containers make great hides. Whichever you choose, just make sure that it will hold up to the elements and has not been used to store food items, which may have a residual odor that could attract animal visitors.

Answer: Logsheet or logbook

The geocachers who find your cache will need something to sign, as proof that they found it. You can use a small notebook, a printed logsheet, or a simple piece of paper. Even if you are using a waterproof container, it may be wise to place your log inside a plastic bag for protection. If your cache is large enough to accommodate it, a pen or pencil is a good idea. If not, it's BYOP - bring your own pen/pencil! Make sure that your Official Geocache is clearly marked as such, either on the outside of the container or on the log.

In case your cache is accidentally discovered by a "muggle" (non-geocacher), you might want to include a brief explanatory note in the cache, letting them know what it is they've found.

Answer: Keychain, fresh batteries, playing cards

Geocaching is a hobby for the whole family, so please keep this in mind when choosing objects to place in your cache. For obvious reasons, alcohol, drugs, explosives, and weapons are not allowed. Food items are highly discouraged, since animals could destroy the cache while trying to reach the food. Extra batteries, however, are acceptable and might come in quite handy, if a cacher's GPSr happens to be running low. Toys for the kids such as action figures, play jewelry, and fast-food restaurant giveaways make great "swag" (stuff we all got). Geocaching.com suggests that you might give away keys to a new car in your cache, but that's up to you. :)

Answer: Nestled inside a hole you drilled in a tree trunk

Geocaches must never deface public or private property, natural or man-made. Drilling into a tree - even nailing into a tree - would violate that rule. Non-invasive caches are the environmentally-friendly way to go. Wires and string are great to suspend caches, magnetics are often good for "urban" caches (or fenced-in areas), and it's hard to go wrong with trees, logs, and stumps (as long as you don't damage them). Toss a few leaves on top of your container, if appropriate, and you've got a classic geocache.

Answer: Shovel

The GPSr (Global Positioning System receiver) is the staple of geocaching; most caches would be impossible to find without one. The special "tools of the trade" I mentioned could include tweezers, for instance, which are often useful when attempting to retrieve a log out of a very tiny cache such as a nano. Flashlights may be needed to peer inside a dark pipe, which might just be hiding a suspended geocache.

However, even though geocaching has been compared by some to "searching for buried treasure," it's a firm rule that geocaches are never buried nor require digging to retrieve.

Answer: Area amenities and possible hazards

In addition to the title and descriptions, you can choose the size (micro, small, regular, or large), and assign difficulty and terrain levels using a five-star system. The difficulty rating indicates how hard you think the cache will be to find. For the terrain, a level one cache would be wheelchair accessible, whereas a level five cache is quite extreme and could require something like scuba diving or mountain climbing gear.

There are many attributes for you to choose from. You can use them to alert cachers to possible dangers such as snakes, briars, ticks, poison ivy, etc., tell them how long the cache should take to find, and let them know if the area has any amenities like picnic areas and pet-friendly sites. If applicable, attributes may be added to show that the cache is off-limits at night or requires stealth.

Answer: Reviewer

When preparing your cache listing, you should include a note to the volunteer reviewer providing as much information as you can about the area and your hide. You should especially address anything that could potentially be questionable. The more details you provide, the quicker the publishing process will be; otherwise, the reviewer may decide to hold off on listing your cache to find out more information. If the reviewer feels that there is a problem with your cache, or that it does not meet the listing guidelines, he or she may archive (permanently disable) it.

This may also happen if, after your cache is published, you do not keep up with your maintenance responsibilities.

Answer: Paying for any trackables placed in the cache that are lost

Since you will need to visit your cache on occasion to check its condition, you should take into consideration how far it is from your home when deciding on a location. If your chosen site is considerably farther away from your home base than the area in which you usually hunt for geocaches, the reviewer may not accept your listing. You'll also need to keep an eye on the Internet logs of members who have found your cache; if a log turns out to be bogus or inappropriate you are responsible for deleting it.

Unfortunately, trackable items have been known to be stolen or lost in circulation; a cache owner cannot be held monetarily responsible for such losses.