The art of winter caching

It was Boxing Day, 2007. I didn’t have much going on in the morning but was heading to my folks place for a family dinner in the afternoon. I had my morning and the early part of the afternoon to kill and wasn’t sure how best to go about it. Then I got a call from FunkyNassau who instructed me to get ready as we were going to go geocaching. He said he’d have me back by 4. This would be my first outing, and it would be in the middle of winter.

Coming up on three years of caching, and the first snowfall of the year here in Moncton, I come to think about a recent log entry I saw on an event around town. The log read something like how they wouldn’t be able to cache because of the winter. It got me to thinking about the differences between caching in the spring/summer/fall months, vs the winter. Caching in the winter does present it’s own challenges, but also provides it’s own rewards.

The biggest issue with caching in the winter is obviously the snow factor. Many containers are hidden on the ground under trees, and in other low lying areas. Thusly, these caches become much harder to find in the winter time as the snow covers them. Cachers who are truly determined can go digging for them, but it does tend to add another layer of difficulty. The snow also presents a certain challenge in the terrain department. What used to be a simple walk down a trail may turn into a strenuous hike because you keep falling through the snow. I learned that the first year I was caching when I did the Evangeline series with fellow cacher HollywoodNB. Many a time did we fall down in the snow as we went from cache to cache. I have since purchased a set of snowshoes which has definitely helped.

The last deterrent to caching in the winter is plain and simple: the cold. A lot of people don’t like going out in the cold and therefore they end up staying inside where things are nice and cozy and they leave caching behind until springtime.

So with the heavier terrain, and the lower amount of caches to be found due to the snow, and the cold weather, you’d think that winter time would be a good time to sit back and skip caching for a few months. Well, not so within the province of NB.

It seems that many NB cachers try their best to make their caches “winter friendly”. By winter friendly, it’s typically implied that the cache is easily accessible in winter. This usually results is containers being “hung” from somewhere where they won’t get completely buried in snow. This allows anyone to be able to continue to cache in the winter months, without worry of not finding at least a few caches. Granted, there are still many that are on the ground, and some hardcore cachers will dig, but there seems to be a movement within the NB caching community to try and keep caches off the ground so that they are winter accessible.

NB cachers are also known for some very specific winter caching activities. The hide contests that have been going on the last few years have spawned a LOT of new caches throughout the province. Fredericton in particular saw a huge explosion of caches during the hide contest for last year. The contests inspire cachers to get out of the house and go hide caches for other people to find and add to the sport. This has both a good and bad effect on geocaching within our province. It does in fact add a lot of new caches for people to find, but there are the odd times where these hide contests end up producing a large rash of low-quality caches just for the sake of hiding something. It sort of depends on where you live and the types of cachers in your community. Some years this isn’t an issue and other years it is. Remember, we need to be able to continue to put out quality hides while still participating in local contests. Regardless, the contests do get people out and about geocaching in the winter.

This year, the contest is a bit different where it combines both the hiding and finding together and for what I think might be the first time, it’s a province wide contest as opposed to a local one tied to a specific city. Only time will tell how our local cachers like the contest, but it still keeps folks busy during the cold months.

Another well known event held every year during the winter is Ma & Pa’s Ice Walk. A great event which has folks making the hike from their home to Shediac Island to snag finds on all of the caches over there. It’s always a great turn out and having a nice hot bowl of soup or coffee to come back to is always welcome after the long hike across the ice. Anyone who has done the Ice Walk knows that the crossing from the house to the island can be brutal. It’s even harder coming back, especially if you didn’t wear appropriate winter pants as I learned the first year I did it.

So the ups of caching in the winter are several. You get to participate in some local contests which always allows you to interact with other cachers from your area. Cool (pun intended) events allow you to explore caching with others in your own region. But I think the biggest upside to caching in the winter is that it gets you out of the house and gives you some exercise. Many folks get so stuffed up in the house that they pack on the pounds. Put on a heavy jacket, a good hat, some boots and snow shoes, and head out on the trail. It might take a little longer than in the spring time but for one, there’s no bugs, and it gets you out and moving, doing something.

For myself, I honestly can say that I don’t do a lot of caching in the winter, but I try to get to as many events as I can, and I do the occasional trek from time to time.

How about you? Do you enjoy caching in the winter or would you rather wait for spring/summer?