Caching in Alaska

[LadyEngineer]

Well, we're back. What a great place to visit, specially when the high in Arkansas is 100 + and the high there is 72. It was great. The scenery is like nothing you could imagine. It was absolutely breath taking.

However, I was somewhat disappointed with caching. Granted we only did 11 caches because all that we were trying to see in a very short time but each of them, though in a great location with a great view, were very limited on trade. I'm not really talking about the quailty of items but the quantity. A regular size ammo can would have about 5 to 6 things in it and a log book. That's it. We had 4 young girl cachers all younger then 9 who would have loved to rummage through the contents and there was nothing there for them. I know most don't like McToys or Oriental Trading toys in their caches but for the kids you just can't beat one that is full to the gills with them. That was kind of a let down.

I can say for that reason alone I'd like to thank each of you that work so hard to make cache in Arkansas a family fun treasure hunt where the prize may not be a new gps (not that I found anything like that there either) but something at a child could love. I believe that is part of our mission as a member here, right? THANKS Arkansas.

I did love my caching experience in Alaska, don't get me wrong. We are planning to go back so we can find more and more, because the location of each of the caches we found showed us a part of Alaska that we fell in love with. I could be persuaded to move there........

[TheAlabamaRambler]

"I could be persuaded to move there........"

Plan your next visit in the winter, when plowed roads become 19' deep trenches through the snow, you have to have flags on tall poles on your car so folks can see you approaching an intersection, every car is brown and dented from sliding into stuff... you'll REALLY appreciate Arkansas then! 8O

Ed

[polijn]

My friend's lived there the past two years on a little island called St. Paul in the Bering Sea. She really really missed the sunlight. She said the winter wasn't nearly as nice as the summer.

[BACKPACKNJACK]

However, I was somewhat disappointed with caching. Granted we only did 11 caches because all that we were trying to see in a very short time but each of them, though in a great location with a great view, were very limited on trade. I'm not really talking about the quailty of items but the quantity. A regular size ammo can would have about 5 to 6 things in it and a log book. That's it. We had 4 young girl cachers all younger then 9 who would have loved to rummage through the contents and there was nothing there for them. I know most don't like McToys or Oriental Trading toys in their caches but for the kids you just can't beat one that is full to the gills with them. That was kind of a let down.

I can say for that reason alone I'd like to thank each of you that work so hard to make cache in Arkansas a family fun treasure hunt where the prize may not be a new gps (not that I found anything like that there either) but something at a child could love. I believe that is part of our mission as a member here, right? THANKS Arkansas.
Not trying to hijack your thread LE but I think you made such a good point here. I took one of my ready to place ammo cans filled with the same stuff I’ve been placing in my caches to the “jakes event” for a birds eye view of what kids like the most. There was a table most graciously filled with free stuff for the kiddies and I’m not saying they ignored it but I didn’t even get any caching done because of watching the kids rummage through that can. They asked if they could have this stuff and I told them they could have anything they wanted and no exchange needed but only one thing each. They had so much fun rummaging around and deciding what they wanted, then even brought other kids to choose what they wanted. Hard to believe they could have so much fun rummaging around in that one can with all that other free stuff about but that is the nature of adventurers (young or old I suppose).
Since it’s inception, I have soo admired the thoughtfulness behind GK38’s “depot” because kids like finding and rummaging around in packed caches. Even though I don’t take anything from caches of course, I do hate to find an empty one anyway.
Sorry if this is OT but I just had to jump in and say….. YEP, to the sadness of lots of empty space in a cache, be it in AR or AK.
Welcome back LE. Did you bring us ice?

[HercRx]

Alaska is a very interesting place to cache. I started caching there (well, actually not there, but I lived in AK when I started caching....my first cache log is in Thailand) One thing that I found different about caching in AR is that there are no snow tracks to the cache here like there are for about 6 months out of the year in Alaska. Makes caching there much MUCH easier. As for trade items, I can't say I saw any real difference other than that you had to be worried that whatever you put in a cache would be muggled by the homeless (in Anchorage). The caches were ALOT more scenic there and there seemed to be a lot less on private property. On the flip side, you don't have to worry about being mauled by Bears and Moose here but you do have to look out for poisonous snakes, poison ivy and ticks in AR and not in AK.