First geocache adventure.

[+Team_Vod]

Today, Sunday April 3, 2016 was my first geocache adventure. I had selected 9 geocache locations to visit and locate the hidden cache's. I made it to 6 because my smartphone battery got too low to visit all 9. Of those 6 I found 4 hidden cache's. For all of them I noticed on the geocache app it would show how many feet I am from the cache.

 

The first one I visited which was the first I found I saw where it was hidden when I was within 3' of it. I pulled it out, opened it, photographed it, and signed the log, put it back in its container and placed it where I found it.

 

I could not find the next two even though I was within 3' of each one. One of those I even crawled on my hands and knees and lay on my back like a mechanic lays under a car beneath the structure it is supposed to be placed under. But I did find, on the ground, out in the open a kids toy in very good and usable condition. It is a pair of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Nun-chucks. I was thinking about using it to hide as a my first geocache site. Because it is rather large and bright orange I need to figure out a way and place to do this where it is not noticed. Or maybe if I find an existing cache site with a large enough container I can trade it.

 

At the other cache location I did not find I cut my hand on a sharp edge of a railing and shed some blood. I think I need to call the city about that as it is on a city right of way/public property. I did not expect to bleed for this hobby, at least not right away. I treated it with items in my first aid kit and was no my way.

 

The second cache I found was the 4th one I visited, which was a extra small or nano. Photographed it and signed the log.

 

The 5th cache site and 3rd one I found was good size with many items. I it very easy if one does not get frustrated and follows directions.

 

The fourth cache I found, which is the 6th one I visited was displaced by the 14" of snow we got during the last blizzard a few weeks ago. I placed it back on what I think is the metal object it was attached to using the magnets that are part of the container. But the log was too wet to sign. I sent a communication to the cache owner about it.

 

I did all this via my bicycle today. Along with the geocache app I also run an app called Map My Ride which is my bike computer and speedometer. I also run Rhapsody for my music. I cannot ride without my tunes. I have it connected via bluetooth to an Altec Lansing speaker. Because I was running all these apps together the phone battery did not last as long as I thought it would, even with using an external battery to draw power and help the phone battery last longer. Going forward I am going to have to plan on not trying to visit so many cache sites at once when I do this on my bicycle. instead of trying to visit 9 and actually visiting 6 limit it to just three or 4. I look forward to continuing this new hobby and may even get my wife to join me.

[+T.D.M.22]

You where not 3 feet from them. Your gps said it was 3 feet from the posted co-ords of the cache. ALL gps have some potential error. So if one or both are off, or the cache wasn't hidden where the co-ords where taken, or someone didn't put the cache back in the same spot, or someone entered the wrong location by mistake it would be off.

 

As a general rule when you get that close, search in a 10m (30 feet ish) radius.

 

Also remember caches can be very tiny. And very well camo'd. Don't give up.

 

And yes, leaving blood is normal. Plants, animals, sharp pointy things, whatever. You're not a real cacher until you leave blood, and take the hard way, find the cache, then see there's a real easy way.

Edited April 4, 2016 by T.D.M.22

[+Team_Vod]

The first one I found when the app said 3' I was right next to a small to medium size evergreen tree. The branches extended from the trunk about 3'. I looked down at the base of the trunk on the ground as I circled the tree and saw the cache. Dropped to the ground on my knees and reached under the lowest branches and grabbed the cache. I am pretty sure the way GPS works is based on linear feet, not vertical. While I was standing and holding my smartphone at about waist to mid chest high and I am almost 6' tall it continued to say 3' as I circled the tree and as I dropped to my knees and set my phone on the ground it still said 3'. It was about a 3' reach to grab the container the cache items are in.

 

The same thing happened at the second one I found. As I got closer the linear distance would change. The clue obviously meant a bench along the trail one could sit on. There are no trees in the immediate are to hide a cache around or in. There is a busy divided 4 lane roadway. This section of the multi use trail is an interchange that offers users options on which direction to go or to stop and sit on the bench. I used deductive reasoning and logic to figure out it is likely the bench where the cache is hidden. To make sure I was right I decided to experiment a little and walked away from the bench. As I did so the distance increased and the directional arrow would flash and point which way I needed to turn and would stop flashing when I needed to walk straight. I got to a distance of about 20' away. I started walking in a circle and the arrow kept indicating which way I needed to turn which was back toward the bench. I did so and the distance kept getting smaller until I reached the bench and the distance said 3'. I then figured out where in the frame of the bench the cache is hidden. I do not agree that I was within 3' of the cache location. I can judge distance really well without a tape measure.

 

I disagree with anyone's assessment or statement that if you do not bleed for a hobby you are not doing it right or are not a real participant until blood is shed. Especially when it is a structure installed by the local municipality such as a railing meant to be used as a hand hold, something to grab onto or something to prevent moving traffic from going down an embankment. The railing this happened on is coated with a galvanized color paint to prevent corrosion. When the coating was drying the under side of the round railing was not wiped and the paint dried in a sharp ridge. I do not buy the statement leaving blood is normal. I doubt the founding members of geocaching want people to get hurt, shed blood, etc. for this hobby.

 

I do have a question about the term camo. Is it used as a general or generic term or as a true camo color used by the military or someone who hunts? I served in the military and used to hunt wild game so I know a thing or two about camo used to stay hidden and concealed from an enemy or from the game I was trying to hunt. One of the geocache's I could not find, the one where I cut my finger, uses the term camo in the description. So here I am looking for something of camo color like what is used in the military or for hunting and could not locate it. In fact nothing where this cache is supposed to be is concealed in any sort of military style or hunting camp at all. Unless someone hide this thing in ghillie suit fashion I may never find it. Conventional camo, even desert camo, used by the military or hunters is not all that difficult to find if you are right near it. But ghillie suit is pretty impossible to locate, especially if the object is stationary, like a geocache.

[+T.D.M.22]

The whole bleeding thing was a joke.....(although truthfully normal from some cause or other)

 

And camo refers to camouflage as in hide. Not a pattern. Or a net. Or solid green colour if your in the Canadian military . But anything to hide it.

 

In the woods it may be a woodland or tigerstripe camo pattern. In a tree it may be leaves and bark (I've stepped on a cache looking for it before)

 

It may be using an actual object. A hollow bolt, or on a jersey barrier it may be a 15ml tube with a piece of cement stuck on top, so it's next to impossible to find at 11pm with 15 people and several vehicles, spotlights, etc.....but I digress.

 

There's 2 types of camo. One is to make it hard for geocachers to find. Like the jersey barrier example. The other it to make it hard for muggles to find. A black metal dot on a street sign means nothing to most people, but I see that, I'm thinking it's a geocache. It's a beacon to an experienced cacher.

 

Yes a gps is liner, as it is based on lat/long. On the earth's surface there is no difference (for our purposes anyway) on the ground and 120 feet up a cliff.

 

That bench thing, well the device may have been taking into acocunt the potential errors I mentioned in my first post. All aside from the cache being moved, are true with any device, civilian, survey grade, or military grade. The guided missile will go to where it thinks the co-ords are, not where the bunker, or enemy is,

[+lee737]

 

I disagree with anyone's assessment or statement that if you do not bleed for a hobby you are not doing it right or are not a real participant until blood is shed. Especially when it is a structure installed by the local municipality such as a railing meant to be used as a hand hold, something to grab onto or something to prevent moving traffic from going down an embankment. The railing this happened on is coated with a galvanized color paint to prevent corrosion. When the coating was drying the under side of the round railing was not wiped and the paint dried in a sharp ridge. I do not buy the statement leaving blood is normal. I doubt the founding members of geocaching want people to get hurt, shed blood, etc. for this hobby.

 

 

I see your problem - too many handrails! Head out into some real caching areas, no handrails to cut your finger, just cliffs to fall off!

[+Macarthurdad]

Glad I found this message after failing at finding the first two searches! I got close but the mention of being within 3ft and searching within 30ft or so will definitely help. Luckily they're within walking distance of hpome so do-overs won't be an issue.

[+Macarthurdad]

The first one I found when the app said 3' I was right next to a small to medium size evergreen tree. The branches extended from the trunk about 3'. I looked down at the base of the trunk on the ground as I circled the tree and saw the cache. Dropped to the ground on my knees and reached under the lowest branches and grabbed the cache. I am pretty sure the way GPS works is based on linear feet, not vertical. While I was standing and holding my smartphone at about waist to mid chest high and I am almost 6' tall it continued to say 3' as I circled the tree and as I dropped to my knees and set my phone on the ground it still said 3'. It was about a 3' reach to grab the container the cache items are in.

 

The same thing happened at the second one I found. As I got closer the linear distance would change. The clue obviously meant a bench along the trail one could sit on. There are no trees in the immediate are to hide a cache around or in. There is a busy divided 4 lane roadway. This section of the multi use trail is an interchange that offers users options on which direction to go or to stop and sit on the bench. I used deductive reasoning and logic to figure out it is likely the bench where the cache is hidden. To make sure I was right I decided to experiment a little and walked away from the bench. As I did so the distance increased and the directional arrow would flash and point which way I needed to turn and would stop flashing when I needed to walk straight. I got to a distance of about 20' away. I started walking in a circle and the arrow kept indicating which way I needed to turn which was back toward the bench. I did so and the distance kept getting smaller until I reached the bench and the distance said 3'. I then figured out where in the frame of the bench the cache is hidden. I do not agree that I was within 3' of the cache location. I can judge distance really well without a tape measure.

 

I disagree with anyone's assessment or statement that if you do not bleed for a hobby you are not doing it right or are not a real participant until blood is shed. Especially when it is a structure installed by the local municipality such as a railing meant to be used as a hand hold, something to grab onto or something to prevent moving traffic from going down an embankment. The railing this happened on is coated with a galvanized color paint to prevent corrosion. When the coating was drying the under side of the round railing was not wiped and the paint dried in a sharp ridge. I do not buy the statement leaving blood is normal. I doubt the founding members of geocaching want people to get hurt, shed blood, etc. for this hobby.

 

I do have a question about the term camo. Is it used as a general or generic term or as a true camo color used by the military or someone who hunts? I served in the military and used to hunt wild game so I know a thing or two about camo used to stay hidden and concealed from an enemy or from the game I was trying to hunt. One of the geocache's I could not find, the one where I cut my finger, uses the term camo in the description. So here I am looking for something of camo color like what is used in the military or for hunting and could not locate it. In fact nothing where this cache is supposed to be is concealed in any sort of military style or hunting camp at all. Unless someone hide this thing in ghillie suit fashion I may never find it. Conventional camo, even desert camo, used by the military or hunters is not all that difficult to find if you are right near it. But ghillie suit is pretty impossible to locate, especially if the object is stationary, like a geocache.

[+Macarthurdad]

I'll have to remember that walking in a circle near the suspected location. Might get a little difficult in some wooded locations but then again..