Not so long ago, geocachers wondered why a group of cachers organizing a day of caching could not create an event to invite more people. Well, for a limited time this is now possible.

The Ontario reviewers got together and discussed using Ontario as a test bed. The idea of creating an event for group caching has limitless possibilities. It encourages a community of cachers to come together to enjoy each others company while hiking the trails, or the urban sprawl laid out before them.

In my opinion, this is long overdue. After all, GroundSpeak encourages events. This will bring together even more.

One group that goes out on a monthly basis that I have had the pleasure of joining is GHMGC. It is always a fun filled day with friends and I have always met someone new. GHMGC has always used facebook as a tool to announce their events. Now adding an event on geocaching.com will be another tool in Res2100”s toolbox to help spread the word.

Groundspeak will allow group caching event listings in Ontario until December 31st and will limit the amount of events in one area. All the same rules apply to posting a group caching event as you would for a regular event. They will also be reviewing the logs for these events, so please keep it clean and praise these events as best you can.rnrnI look forward to this being a new way to create events and hope I can organize one of my own soon. Maybe there will be a new event icon in the future? We can only speculate!

Group Caching Event GC Forum Post

I have been reading lately about more areas banning geocache placements.

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation has sent a request to Ground Speak to NOT ban caches along it”s highways but to NOT PUBLISH any new caches. But in the mean time it seems that Ground Speak reviewers have taken it to start disabling caches along the road ways.

The forums at Groundspeak have some chatter about this.
Geocaching in B.C. Dramatically curtailed

British Columbia Geocachers Association”s forum originally posted August 18th. Roadside Cache Ban

Ontario Geocaching Association has a post. BC Ministry of Transportation Bans Geocaching

As a result of a complaint lodged by the Ministry of Transporation, Groundspeak (Geocaching.com’s ™ parent company) has asked that no roadside geocaches be published until further notice in BC. This means no caches by a highway, road, lane, pullout, intersection, traffic circle, median, highway rest stop, boulevard or any land or equipment that may be remotely considered owned or maintained by the Ministry of Transportation, unless you are able to provide written/emailed proof of permission from the BC MOT or other agency (local highway department, public works department, etc.) who may have jurisdiction over the location of your cache.

As per “The Wiz” at “The Blog from the Bog”

This will be an interesting follow to see if other provinces follow suit or wait for the possibility of something happening before they take actions. I know of a series near London, Ontario that has others wondering what the MTO may take upon themselves.

In my opinion on this topic, I can truly say that maybe geocaching isn”t for everyone. It seems to me that the concern isn’t for placement of caches or the caches themselves. I believe that after the cache is placed it is the following “crowd” of cachers that don’t seem to care about where they are or who they are disturbing. Putting themselves in harms way isn’t what I am worried about, it is whom the cachers put into harms way. The person that placed the cache is not always at fault. It is the respect of the cachers looking for the caches.

As we see this sport becoming more popular we are going to see more and more of this. It is too bad in a way that a few can ruin a great sport for the many.

So remember, if you are caching, respect where you are, respect those around you, keep safe but by all means remember the safety of everyone (other cachers AND non-cachers). If you park on the side of the road, park safely off the traveled path. Park off the road, where it is safe and use your four way flashers if needed. If you are putting others in harm way, forget the cache and move on.

Melting snow, rain storms and warm winds are starting to appear in Southern Ontario. Rivers and tributaries are going to change drastically. It’s time to be aware that those geocaching hikes next to rivers may end up not being a dry one. River waters can rise in minutes. What looks like a warm sunny day where you are could be a rain filled day up river which could be flushing our eco-system of that four letter word “Snow”.

Per The Brantford Expositor –

The upcoming warm spell will melt a lot of snow and ice throughout the Grand River watershed but the risk of flooding this spring remains high, Grand River Conservation Authority officials say.

“The flood risk for spring is high due to the high amount of water contained in the snowpack,” Stephanie Shifflett, a water resources engineer with the GRCA, said Wednesday. “The flood risk due to ice jams is high, due to the volume and strength of the ice in the river system.”

Prior to the current warm spell, there was an above-average amount of snow in the northern portion of the watershed and south of Cambridge. Snow cover was average in the central portion through most of Waterloo Region and Wellington County, she added.

At the same time, Environment Canada is predicting a return to normal winter temperatures and above normal precipitation over the next three months. That means there will be lots of time to replace the snow and ice lost this week due to the warm weather, said Shifflett.

“Given the high amount of water in the current snowpack and the saturated or frozen ground conditions, the potential for a major flood is higher than normal if a significant rain event occurs along with a rapid spring snow melt,” she said.

Meantime, the Coast Guard icebreaker Griffon was expected to arrive Wednesday evening offshore at Port Maitland, in Haldimand County, to begin ice breaking operations Thursday morning. Two years ago, an ice-choked Grand River flooded Dunnville and other Haldimand communities.

When geocaching this spring remember:

• Be aware of your surroundings near water.
• Ensure that you have high ground to escape to if needed.
• River banks are slippery and weak, don”t always trust that it will be stable enough to hold your weight.
• Cache in groups if you are following a river.
• A cell phone could be your lifeline but it may not work if it gets wet.
• Mud can bog you down, make sure you wear waterproof, tight fitting foot wear.
• Stay safe
• Most of all HAVE FUN!