Geocache Seminar

[+NancyDrewandJoe]

I will be attending a weekend retreat in about a week and I want to introduce my fellow campers to the sport of geocaching. I consider myself still a novice (225 or so finds) but I so enjoy the game that I would like to share it if I can. We will be at the Sargent Center in Hancock, NH and I can see a number of caches within a short distance of that location - say, in Dublin, NH. So here's my question:

 

What's the best "low-entry" way for someone to do a casual find? I don't want to require everyone to download the upgraded app and purchase the premium geocache membership. I know that when I started there were some "freebie" caches that anyone could see and find.

 

Any suggestions?

[+cerberus1]

Most caches are "freebie" caches, allowing anyone with a membership (basic or pm) to find.

The pmo caches are relatively few in comparison.

You don't need to purchase a premium membership to see/visit the majority of caches on this site.

 

Will every person joining you open an account on geocaching.com?

If not, how will they view them?

Isn't it possible some will go with you just to pal-around with the group?

The "low entry" way would be your friends walking along with you to get an idea what the hobby's about.

If they're interested and decide to join later, cool.

[+niraD]

How much time do you have?

 

When I've attended or taught one-hour classes, they've split the time in half. The first half hour or so is the "chalk talk", explaining what geocaching is, how GPS works, what geocache containers look like (with examples to pass around), what to do with trackables (with examples to pass around), the difference between trackables and trade items, the basic information in a cache description (size, difficulty, terrain, type), etc. Then, for the rest of the time, we go to an area where a bunch of geocache containers were hidden before class (ideally, at least one container per person), and the students take turns pointing out containers. (Some are easy, others are harder.)

 

For longer classes, you can start with the same half-hour "chalk talk", then go find some nearby caches. One of the longer classes that I've helped with uses an old-school power trail, where students can find 8-10 varied caches and be back at the trailhead for lunch. There's actually a "hidden in plain sight" cache at the trailhead, that is used as the first example, with everyone raising their hand when they spot it. Then the class breaks into small groups of 3-4 students, with an experienced geocacher assigned to each. Each group gets a preloaded loaner GPSr, and they set off down the trail to find caches with their experienced guide.

 

I haven't had good luck trying to get newbies to enter coordinates. I'd rather hand them a preloaded GPSr, or take them to a location where I've hidden containers, without having them find the location with a GPSr.

[+niraD]

Isn't it possible some will go with you just to pal-around with the group?

The "low entry" way would be your friends walking along with you to get an idea what the hobby's about.

If they're interested and decide to join later, cool.

I've used this approach for informal ("Hey, do you want to come geocaching with me?") intro geocaching trips. One friend went geocaching with me this way for years, and eventually created his own account and started doing some geocaching on his own.

[Pup Patrol]

I will be attending a weekend retreat in about a week and I want to introduce my fellow campers to the sport of geocaching. I consider myself still a novice (225 or so finds) but I so enjoy the game that I would like to share it if I can. We will be at the Sargent Center in Hancock, NH and I can see a number of caches within a short distance of that location - say, in Dublin, NH. So here's my question:

 

What's the best "low-entry" way for someone to do a casual find? I don't want to require everyone to download the upgraded app and purchase the premium geocache membership. I know that when I started there were some "freebie" caches that anyone could see and find.

 

Any suggestions?

 

If they all have phones, then the free Intro App should suffice, no?

 

And there's no reason to purchase Premium Membership.

 

All that is needed to create an account is an email address. Basic Membership is free.

 

They can log caches using a computer at home, if preferred. Take notes at the time, and then backdate the logs using the computer.

 

Or they can just tagalong, and if they're not interested, then there's no need for any of that. Hopefully an enjoyable experience, some entertainment, and no pressure to continue with it if they don't like it.

 

B.