Waypoints

[+greyhounder]

I don't even know if this is what is customarily done, but I enter the coordinates of the cache location as a waypoint and then it's saved for future use. Do I need to keep it? I've found the cache -- is there any need to return to it?

 

Looks like the GPS has saved my home and my parking location (I used the GPS to find that too.)

 

Sorry if I sound dense, I can be sometimes.....

 

Bec

[+TeamK-9]

You can keep it in, but if you eventually run out of waypoint space, you'll need to go back and delete them...

 

You're best off just deleting them maybe once every couple months..

[+quills]

I delete mine about once a month. The website keeps track of your finds so you can always look them up again there.

[+Krandor]

The main reasons you would want to go back would be

 

1) You see a message that a cache you had visited may be missing and you want to be a kind soul and go check it out so you can let people know

 

2) If you want to pick up or drop off travel bugs.

 

3) You want to introduce a friend to Geocaching so you can pick a cache you have been to so you can make sure he can find it.

 

Now as for deleting them, in my case I use Pocket Queries so most everytime I get a new download, I wipe out my current waypoints in my GPS, run my Pocket Query through Watcher to filter the caches I want to visit, and reupload to the GPS. However, that is more advanced work.

 

The bottom line is - go on and delete if you are not going to go back soon. You can always readdd it again later.

[+greyhounder]

I'm actually keeping a little journal of my caching adventures. I write down the coordinates and some info about the cache and my experience (such as my two slips on the ice today!) So I do have the waypoint info readily available to me for whenever I might want to see it again (I like the idea of introducing someone to geocaching through a spot I've already visited -- that would be one so far!)

 

You are all so very helpful -- THANKS!

 

Bec

[+Melrose Plant]

To my mind, it's not necessarily a bad idea to log all that kind of thing into the electronic log on the website. Unless it's really personal stuff, there are some of us who like to read about how you wound up on your backside, because we've all been there ourselves.

[+quills]

which cache did you find today?

[+greyhounder]

I found Wild Turkey Roost today -- I wrote about my falls in there (certainly not afraid to share my trials and tribulations ) but an electronic log would be nice as well. I'll bet if you go to this cache while the temps are still cool, you'll see my bum prints in two locations (at the start of the trail and then right before I went sliding on down the slope!)

 

I was planning on checking out a few more places, but given the weather and surface conditions -- thought better of it.

 

Thanks for the replies folks -- it's really appreciated!

 

Bec

[+15Tango]

I usually delete them from my GPS and my iPAQ right after I find them, especially if I'm planning to seek lots of caches in a single day--that way, I don't end up starting to drive towards a cache I've already found. I'm also up to over 450 finds, and my waypoint limit is 500, so I would run out of room for new waypoints to seek if I kept the old waypoints.

[+Lone Duck]

I keep my waypoints. I do that by importing them into a saved folder for Mapsource, which contains all of the waypoints that I've found. Makes it easy to look them up again if I want to check out a found cache for some reason (such as when it gets repeated no finds). I also like keeping them that way as personal record of my caching.

 

It's easy with mapping or free waypoint management software to keep all of the waypoints you want, and organize them as well. I have waypoints set aside for particular routes, areas that I cache in, and so on.

[+Warriorrider]

Hey Greyhounder, you might want to try out a free program called "i-Cache". You can download it at http://www.bigskycachers.com/ It's a cool way to keep track of your cache finds. It has fields for all the different cache related info like coor., description, what you took and left, etc.,etc. You can even add pictures that you may have taken.

As far as the waypoints go, I will download them to my mapping software when I am done with them if I intend to use them later. I only have what I am going to need for the day in my GPSr. But I also have a lot stored on my SD card in my MeriPlat. If you don't have any mapping software yet, you can always use something like EasyGPS. I assume you already have this since it is free and a simple way to download the cache coor. into your GPSr.

[+robert]

Greyhounder,

 

I don't have any experience with them, but you may want to try Geo Journals.

 

http://www.hometown.aol.com/geojournal/

 

I believe there are some posts in the for sale section of the forums about them. Yup, here it is:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=59129

[+sbell111]

I'm with 15Tango. As soon as I find a cache, I record the find in geocache log on my pda and delete the waypoint from my GPSr.

[+Team Shibby]

After a day of caching I upload all waypoints and tracks to Mapsource and save it to disk. This way I have a journal of sorts, and everything is sorted by date. I can easily go back and review the caches I did that day as well as the exact routes I took to get to them! Pics are optional on each trip, but I only keep my logs online.

 

When I am done saving this info I delete all found caches from my GPS. I don't like the waypoint list being all cluttered with finds and no finds.

 

Kar of TS!