New to geocaching... thoughts.

[jumbolayla]

Hello community,

 

I've always wanted to try geocaching and recently bought myself a good handheld GPS unit (Garmin 62S) which I have used for work before. Today was the first nice day where I had some time to go out and try it, and it wasn't quite what I expected.

 

First off, deciding where to park the car where the hider had in mind is a bit weird. There was one cache where the nearest spot to the coordinates was a private lot with video surveillance. The second closest spot was the middle of a residential road in between several private homes. I don't think that was intended either.

 

2) One of the spots was right next to a busy place where there were a lot of people resting from biking and hiking. I think it would have been a little goofy for me to go fishing around like a bloodhound with my GPS so I skipped that one.

 

3) Another spot was what I had more imagined. It was secluded and I was able to find the 'area' but not the cache. I was imagining a metal box or something hanging from a tree, but found nothing. There was a birdhouse where somebody logged info, but I don't know if that was just someone who couldn't find it either. Later on, I was reading that hiders use fake logs, or rocks, or make the objects really small. Wow. That's hard. How can you find that if the whole area is trees? The unit that I have is rated one of the most accurate on the market at 20' or so. It could literally take a whole day to find something 'cleverly' hidden within that radius...

 

Overall, 5 attempts and zero finds for my first day. A frustrating introduction to geocaching. Hopefully next time will be better. Tips are welcome.

Edited June 16, 2014 by jumbolayla

[+niraD]

First off, deciding where to park the car where the hider had in mind is a bit weird.

I've found a number of caches where I could drive right past the cache location, but where the nearest (safe and legal) parking was some distance away. So I parked, then hiked back to the cache location, then hiked back to the car. That's just part of geocaching.

 

2) One of the spots was right next to a busy place where there were a lot of people resting from biking and hiking. I think it would have been a little goofy for me to go fishing around like a bloodhound with my GPS so I skipped that one.

As has been said before, this isn't Pokemon; you don't gotta find 'em all. If you feel uncomfortable searching for one, then it's fine to skip it. If you aren't having fun searching for one, then it's fine to skip it.

 

Besides, caches in busy places like that are probably smaller and harder to find than most beginners would expect.

 

Later on, I was reading that hiders use fake logs, or rocks, or make the objects really small. Wow. That's hard. How can you find that if the whole area is trees? The unit that I have is rated one of the most accurate on the market at 20' or so. It could literally take a whole day to find something 'cleverly' hidden within that radius...

What was the difficulty rating of the cache? According to the recommended difficulty rating system, searching for a 3-star difficulty cache "could take up a good portion of an afternoon", and searching for a 4-star difficulty cache could "require multiple days / trips to complete." And those ratings are based on "experienced geocache hunter", not on a novice who has never found a geocache before.

 

In short, some caches are intended to be a challenge to find.

 

Tips are welcome.

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.

[+Touchstone]

I don't tend to hunt for the "drive by's" because of the parking issues you mention. If I'm staying in a city for a bit of time, and have a safe place to park my car or rental, then that's about the only time I'll look for urban caches.

 

I'd suggest finding a park in your area, and see what you can find in those areas. The parking issues tend to go away, and the hunting/finding is much more enjoyable. I'm assuming you're ambulatory, so please excuse me if you have issues getting around on foot.

 

Good luck and Welcome!

[+Chief301]

Did you examine the birdhouse really carefully? Like maybe there's a false bottom or other hidden compartment? I've found several birdhouse caches. To the casual observer they just look like a regular birdhouse. You have to learn to look at things not like a casual observer, but like a Geocacher 😊

 

Study the cache description carefully also. Know what size container you're looking for as this helps you figure out where you should be looking. Again, learn to think like a Geocacher....where would you hide a container of that size, if it were you?

 

Also, even the Regular size containers, like ammo cans, won't be just left laying about in the open. They may be tucked up inside the hollow of a tree, for example. Look for what we call a UPS.....an Unnatuaral Pile of Sticks (or Stones)....they may be concealing the container.

 

Keep at it, it will come to you....the more you find the easier it will become....right now, since you've never even seen a Geocache, you really don't know what you're supposed to be looking for. Toss out any preconceived notions you might have of what sort of container makes a Geocache, open up your mind to notice things that might not be what they appear.

 

Good luck!

 

Edit to add: You say there was a birdhouse where "someone logged info". What do you mean, exactly? Was there something written on the birdhouse, perhaps? Maybe a set of coordinates? Was the cache in question a Traditional, or was the birdhouse perhaps a stage of a Multi? Something tells me that birdhouse figures into this....

Edited June 16, 2014 by Chief301

[+Chief301]

Oh, one more thing (doing my best Columbo impression) ....don't be afraid to log your DNF's (Did Not Find)! They are nothing to be ashamed of and they present a true history of your Geocaching adventures. Heck, some of my funniest logs were my DNF's. Someday, after you've become a seasoned veteran, you'll be able to look back and chuckle over how clueless you felt when you started and how some caches you now consider "easy" really threw you for a loop at one time 😄

 

Plus, a string of DNF's on a relatively easy cache is an important clue to future seekers and the cache owner that something may be amiss.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

There are thousands of caches out there so don't sweat it if issues like parking arise. That happens from time to time. If you aren't comfortable, just move on to easier geocaches.

 

Keep an eye out for local meet-ups (events on geocaching.com and maybe places like facebook). This way you can connect with some experienced cachers that will point you in the right direction.

 

and Remember, being new means you have the unique awesome pleasure of experiencing things with fresh eyes. Embrace those "firsts". Don't be afraid to return and ask more (or read other threads on the topic you may be seeking info on).

[+whh0]

I agree with what others have said. Just remember a micro container can be as small as your little finger nail and some people do hide them in trees!!

 

Don't give up, one of the nicest things about geocaching is seeing new areas/parks/countryside that you would never normally come to. If I find a geocache or two whilst I am there, that is great, regardless I log my experience and move on to the next one.

[+eightwednesday]

Besides, there's no need to rush and find them all. Caches are often not placed as quickly as you can find them. If one is difficult for any reason now, you can find it later. For example, it took four trips to local Sam's Club before the circumstances were such we could grab the lamppost cache in the parking lot without sticking out like a sore thumb.

[+Jayman11]

Welcome to the community!

[+briansnat]

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.

 

I think relying too much on the GPS is the primary novice mistake. Use ground zero as a starting point but if you come up empty expand your search radius. Under heavy tree cover, ravines, areas with lots of boulders, etc. you get signal bounce (offical name: multipathing errors) and caches could be 50 or more feet from where your GPS says it is, though LT 20 feet is most common. When you get there put down your GPS and bag to mark ground zero and look for places you would try to hide something. Don't forget to double check your GPS. If you get signal bounce it can tell you that you are at ground zero one minute, then read 50 feet away the next.

[+niraD]

When you get there put down your GPS and bag to mark ground zero and look for places you would try to hide something.

Then, after searching and searching and expanding your search radius and searching some more, you can return to ground zero, pick up your bag and other belongings, and then spot the cache sitting right next to them.

 

Not that anything like that has ever happened in real life...

[+VW Westfalia]

As a newbie also I see tons of great suggestions here. For myself I found an interest in Geo-Cacheing because it encompasses many interests that I already have for hobbies i.e. surfing, camping, metal detecting, mushroom hunting, maps, history, road trips, bike riding, technology, rock hunting, hiking and the list could go on so it fit and I enjoyed the hunt right out of the shoot. If I am doing an urban which is not too often I search maps for parking, look at what others have done in the logs, drive around it sometimes several times looking for best approach. In parks I have been approached by people to see why I was off in the bushes by muggles seeing what I was doing, if I was o.k. or a child molester, wandered away from the old folks home .....good to see that some people are still paying attention, I take the time to explain, answer all there questions and I carry some geo-cache business cards I ordered that will direct them here. The last lady that came to see what I was doing in the bushes turned out to be (after a long conversation) the sister of someone I work with in another town 30 miles away so don't be afraid to be the weirdo in the bushes and answer questions, you are doing your hobby and have as much right to be there as anyone else. you will get more comfortable with it as time goes by and the same with finding geo-caches, you will develop a mind, a sense, and an eye and the more you do it the better you will get. Even though I am a newbie I have found caches with long lists of dnf's for a year or more because I am persistent maybe even obsessed, on a recent find I spent a solid 3 hours looking while being eatin alive by mosquitos annoyed and uncomfortable but obsessed with finding it and when you finally do you also have a great story to go with it. Bottom line: make sure the hobby fits, be persistent, know the GPS will only get you close, be observant, read the geo-caching 101 logs and these logs and learn about the things you don't know, you'll make mistakes we all do, keep a good record of the trackables and there tracking numbers and don't include the tracking numbers in any log you post (someone just did that on one of mine and I had to send them an e-mail asking them to remove the tracking numbers from the log and thanked them for placing it in a great cache), get and register your own travel bug as they are fun to watch travel around and collect mileage and stories. Good Luck and most of all Have Fun.

[+T.D.M.22]

... Geo-Cacheing ... geo-cache ... geo-caches, ... geo-caching ...keep a good record of the trackables and there tracking numbers and don't include the tracking numbers in any log you post

 

For the trackables, well what I, and a bunch of other cachers I know do, is take a picture of the number. No need to right anything down, and it's easily logged, which is also important. LOG YOUR TRACKABLES. I recently pulled one form my cache that hasn't been logged properly in more than a year, but still circulating around.

 

Oh, and it's geocaching (like the name of the app and website), geocache, geocaches, and (again) geocaching. No hyphen needed.

[jumbolayla]

Found my first cache today!

 

The GPS was very accurate and within 8 feet.

 

It was fun and out in the middle of the woods.

 

Thanks for the tips.