Originally Posted by
arkfiremedic
I too, like jclaudii, really don't like to see threads like this. I have no intent by my response on this thread to take anything away from mountainborn's opinion and agree it is well within his right to speak his mind in any forum he so desires. What I do want to say, however, is that at times I haven't really understood ChuckWalla's rationale for approving caches, and it probably has came from my mouth a time or two about questioning if other states have such a strict reviewer like him. In all honesty though, and especially in ChuckWalla's defense, I in no way, shape, form, or fashion believe he has been any harder on me (or my daughter) in our cache placements than any other cache hider within the confines of his reviewing area (Arkansas). I believe ChuckWalla interprets the rules of the game literally and enforces them equally. He has always offered an explanation why, in detail, he took the actions he did when he didn’t have to. He simply could say because “What I say goes and because I said so”. We must always remember this is an UNPAID position. He devotes tremendous amounts of time to this 'sport' daily and I wouldn't be afraid to say he devotes MORE time than any particular individual in our state to this 'game' we all have came to love. I just wanted to post a reply to this thread to publicly offer my sincere THANKS to ChuckWalla for what he has done in the past, present, and future to ensure Arkansas has the best geocaches (meaning that to the best of his abilities the caches and their placement follow the letter of the geocaching.com rulebook) of any area in the world. I wouldn't want his job, not even for a day, and just how long has he been doing it now? THANK YOU ChuckWalla for what you do for our sport. In all our communications we have shared I have always tried to convey my thanks to you, even if I really didn't agree with your stance on a matter. In the end I knew you were right and that you have interpreted the rules equally to all cachers, regardless of if we live in rural LA (Lower Arkansas), the Delta, the River Valley, or in the mountain regions of our great state. After reading a thread like this it would be easy for you to simply throw your hands up and say, that's it- I'm done, it is not worth it and someone else can have this headache... but please remember there are many of us who are VERY appreciative of what you do and are not afraid to speak out in your behalf. THANK YOU AGAIN.
arkfiremedic
Justin Murphree
El Dorado, Arkansas