Very much a newbie

[klsswimsagain]

Okay I just heard of geocaching two days ago. I read this sight and created a name. I looked at a map and was amazed at how many were around my neighborhood! So now I need to know what to do to start. Is my cell phone gps good enough? I clicked on one of the icons on the map and it sounded like it would be simple. The title was something about a bus so I took about thirty seconds to go to the bus stop just to see if i saw anything right away.. I didn't.. and I felt like all eyes were on me looking at a bus stop pole so I got self consious and left instead of continuing to search. Will this feeling go away? If I am having feelings of looking silly should I even play this game? It sounds like so much fun and something my whole family would like. Any ideas on how I should start? Also, are the containers marked with a symbol or anything that I should be looking for? How can there be a log in something the size of a berry ( i just read on another thread someone found a fake berry on a tree)?? Thanks for your time!

[+niraD]

Welcome to the obsession game!

 

Some cell phones have better GPS receivers than others, but most modern ones are good enough for searching for local urban/suburban caches in your neighborhood.

 

And you don't have to find every cache. If you don't feel comfortable searching for a cache (because it's near a bus stop or other busy location, because it's too close to poison oak, or because of anything else), then go ahead and leave. Log a DNF (Did Not Find) if you actually spent time searching for it, but feel free to move on to something you'll enjoy more.

 

And the logs in the tiny caches ("the size of a berry") are often long thin strips of paper that have been rolled into a tiny coil.

 

Anyway, here are some more beginners tips that I've posted before:

 

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small size, regular size, and large size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro size caches, some of which are smaller than most beginners can imagine (sometimes called "nanos"). Save those for later, after you have some experience.

 

Also, stick with caches that have a difficulty rating of no more than 2 stars . Save the more difficult ones for later. You may also want to choose caches with easy terrain ratings. (The difficulty rating tells you how hard it is to find the cache once you get there. The terrain rating tells you how hard it is to get there.) And it is often best to start with traditional caches, which will be at the published coordinates. Multi-caches or mystery/puzzle caches or other cache types can require more work just to figure out where the container is located.

 

Under ideal conditions, a consumer GPSr will be accurate to about 3m (10ft). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 5-6m (16-20ft) from ground zero under ideal conditions. Under less than ideal conditions, both GPSr readings can be much less accurate. Once you get within that distance of ground zero, put your device away and look around for places where a container could be hidden.

 

Where would you hide something? Do you notice anything unusual? Is anything too new, too old, too organized (e.g., UPS: an Unnatural Pile of Sticks/Stones), too symmetrical, not quite the right color or shape, etc.? Don’t look only on the ground; the cache may be knee-level, waist-level, eye-level, or overhead. How might the container be secured in place? With magnets? With a hook? With string? With fishing line? With something else? Does anything move when you touch it? (Be careful when touching things though.)

 

Go ahead and read the cache's additional hints (if provided), and read the past logs and look at any photos in the cache's image gallery. They may help you understand what you're looking for, and how/where it may be hidden. It may also help to look at some of the cache containers available online. For example, check out the cache containers sold by Groundspeak. Also, take a look at the Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's) thread in the forums.

[+Geeky Gal]

Hi there and welcome to geocaching!!

Is my cell phone gps good enough? If you use the app that you buy yes. I've heard the free app has limits to it. I use my phone most of the time. I do have a GPS and use it when there is no cell service and for other things. I feel like my phone spoiled me because I love using the satellite image. I would recommend that after you've been doing it for a while to go ahead and get a GPS. It does come in handy.

Will this feeling go away? After a while you won't care if muggles are watching you. At least I don't anymore. I try to use stealth but I sometimes talk to the cache. Like "ok I know you're here somewhere."

If I am having feelings of looking silly should I even play this game? I felt like I looked silly at first but for me the thrill of the hunt was worth it. I've been asked what am I doing, even had a police officer ask me once. Just explain to them that you're geocaching and then explain what that is. I printed out "muggle cards" that say "Congrats you found a member of Team Bad Wolf not using their stealth skills". I also has the link to the website and a brief explanation.

It sounds like so much fun and something my whole family would like. It is my 2 year old loves going. Everyday she asked if we can go find a geocache.

Any ideas on how I should start? Look for ones nearby. Also to start it helps to look at the difficultly rating. First few you may only want to do a 1-2 star rating. Just keep in mind just because it has a 1.5 difficulty rating do not mean you will find it right away. Check to see if it has recently DNFs (did not finds) it may be missing. Alos, I've ran into a few 1.5s that should have been 4s.

Also, are the containers marked with a symbol or anything that I should be looking for? Not always. Usually the larger ones are. But that doesn't mean they are easy to find..

How can there be a log in something the size of a berry ( i just read on another thread someone found a fake berry on a tree)?? A thin strip of paper rolled up. I've seen some containers the size of my pinkie nail. I personally have on that is inside a bolt. Logs can be in just about anything. You can find a lot of ideas on Pintrest or even Amazon and Ebay to get an idea of what's out there

[klsswimsagain]

Thank you so much for the tips! I think I will venture out when the kids get home!

[+MJKALUZA]

Thank you so much for the tips! I think I will venture out when the kids get home!

 

Thanks for the questions you asked as a few helped me out as well. I have found some but still very new to this and hope to enjoy many more years to come. Thanks all for the wonderful posts and help along the way