What we will cover in this article:
(Part 7) Advanced Geocaching
If I did a super in depth post about even some of the “advanced caching practices” it could fill a book… Here I am going to give you the jist of it and give you a link to go learn more. so here we go…
Travel Bugs and Geocoins – Travel Bugs attach to an item and are tracked at geocaching.com. They move from cache to cache (not for you to keep). When you take a travel bug out of a cache you enter the tracking code on the geocaching website and then you report on the cache page when you drop it off. Geocoins are the same for the most part just they are coin like. more on travel bugs - more on geocoins
Paperless Caching - Paperless caching is just that geocaching without paper. When most people start out caching they print out the cache pages to take with them… This can be a bit much if you plan on trying to find multible caches in a day (cache run). So people have turned to using PDAs to store the cache data. You can read more about paperless caching here & a two part how to here (part 1) (part 2)
Geocaching Bags - Most cachers have a caching bag. Some have this bag with them at all times and in this bag you will find everything would ever need to find a cache plus some. You can read more about what you might find in a caching bag here
Multi Stage Caches and Puzzle Caches – These caches are a little harder than your normal cache… Multi Stage caches you have to visit multiple caches to get the location of a final cache location. and Puzzle Caches off a puzzle that has to be solved to get the location of the cache. You can read all about the different cache types here
That wraps up my how to on caching…
Here is a list of geocache blogs for you to visit if you wish to learn more…
What we will cover in this article:
Photo by cmiked
(Part 6) – Caching with kids
Geocaching with kids can be tons of fun and educational for kids. Keeping them interested might be a bit of a challenge. I am going to share a few tips that I might help.
Kids these days are very good with computer so let them be part of the of every part of the hunt even learning to use the GPS, finding the cache on line, the hunt, and logging the cache. It will be more rewarding for them. The most important thing is letting your kids find the cache, even if you spot it let them find it. If they are having a hard time give them hints until they find it. Also when it comes trading items you should teach them it is not about what is in the cache it is about the hunt, and being out in the woods. Some caches bring you to places of great history teach your kids the history of the area. Make sure that when you head out that you are extra prepared. Bring water, bug repellent, sun screen, snacks, ect. This stuff will help keep kids happy when the times are getting tough on the hunt…
Things to remember:
- Let them find it
- Let the kids be pare of every aspect of the caching experience
- Teach them about leave no trace
- Teach them item trading is not all that caching is about
- Go prepared
Part 7 – Coming Soon!
What we will cover in this article:
Photo by René Ehrhardt
(Part 5) – The Hunt
Drive near the cache you are trying to find… With your GPS on and satellites found you will want to select the cache waypoint. This will once again vary by model but you should be able to do it from the map screen or the main menu by choosing waypoints. After you select the waypoint (geocache) you want to find it should take you to the navigational compass screen. It will have an arrow (that points in the direction of the cache you are looking for) and some data fields that you can customize.
So here is where it gets fun, At the very least you should be looking at an arrow and distance on the screen. Walk in the distance that it is telling you to go. When you get close, around 20-30 feet start looking for a hidden cache. Places to check, base of trees, in downed logs, the the crevices of large rocks. Once you find a few you will know where to look. Most times the hiding place will look just a little to unnatural, like a pile of sticks, or a leaning log, ect. If you are having a hard time you can decode the hint on the cache page, if that still doesn’t help just move on try the next one and come back for that one after you find a few… Hey! look there you found it! Congrats! Now open it up sign the log check out the contents. Remember you DON’T have to trade items and if you do ALWAYS TRADE UP leave something or equal or greater value to keep the cache contents alive. Next when you get home you have to log your find on geocaching.com. Go back to the cache page on the website (did you save that paper you printed) and click on “log your visit” in the upper right corner. Publish your log and move on to the next. Now you are HOOKED!
Part 6 – coming soon!
What we will cover in this article:
Photo by LollyKnit
(Part 4) – Picking a good first cache to hunt:
All caches are rated 1-5 stars in difficulty and terrain. For your first hunt you are going to want to pick a cache with a low rating, something between 1 or 2 stars would be good. Also you are going to want to pick a cache with a larger container, no micro or small caches they will frustrate you in the hunt. It would also be helpful to pick a cache that is away from populated areas this way you can have a leisurely hunt and not worry about muggles. A muggle is a non-geocacher, you want to make sure a muggle never sees you remove or replace a cache. When a non-cacher sees someone remove a box from a secret hiding place and rummage through the contents and put it back in said hiding place it’s gets their curiosity flowing. They will take it out, look it over, and hopefully realize what it is and put it back. But sometimes people are not so nice and the cache can become vandalized or stolen. Now this location has been ruined for other players. Nothing is worse that coming to a muggled cache site and seeing cache contents strewn about and the cache container smashed to pieces.
Now that you have picked a cache lets get it loaded on your GPSr. Different brands and models of GPS units have different loading instructions, it would be best to look at your user manual for loading waypoints to your specific model. Here I will just go over the basics…
The coordinate info is only available so I hope you signed up for that free account. The coordinates of the cache are located at the top of the cache page just below the title and are formatted something like this “N 42° 21.138 W 072° 40.334” you can enter the coordinates in to your GPSr manually (did you read that manual?), or better yet you can download the GPX file and transfer it to your GPSr using the software that came with your unit. Even better yet if you have a Garmin GPSr you can download Garmin Plugin Communicator and use the “send to GPS” button and it will do all the work for you.
Now it would be a good idea to print the cache page. The info on the cache page will help you in the hunt once you get to the cache site as well as help you find the cache page again so you can log your visit on line after you find that cache…
Part 5 – comming soon!
What we will cover in this article:
Cache Index Page
(Part 3) Now What – Finding caches on line
Next you need to sign up for an account over at geocaching.com. They offer both free and paid accounts, the free account gives you plenty of access to get started. You can get stated here.
Now lets find some caches on line now that you have your geocaching.com account. Now that you are a geocaching.com member you can view full cache pages. All the info you need to find the cache is on the caches page.
I would assume you want to find a cache close to your home or work. You can search for geocaches from the geocaching.com homepage by clicking on the “hide and seek a cache” button on the left of the page. From the “hide and seek” page you can search by address, zip code, state, country, latitude & longitude, keyword, area code, waypoint, found by user name, and hidden by user name. I would search by address or zip code then click go.
This will bring you to the geocache search index page. This page lists all the caches in the area you searched closest being first. Also on this page you will find the cache size, type, difficulty, cache title, last find date, and whether the cache contains a travel bug or geocoin (more on travel bugs or geocoins in part 7). Clicking on ant of the cache titles will bring you to the cache page. This is the page that has all the info you need to find the cache. From the cache page you can do things such as, read logs from other users, view cache location in a map, get driving directions, and more. I suggest browsing different cache pages to get the feel and learn the layout of the site.
Part 4 – Picking a good first cache to hunt
What we will cover in this article:
Photo by RoyP
(Part 2) What do I need:
The only thing that you need is a GPSr. You can get one as basic or as advanced as you would like, the only requirement being that you can input coordinates in to the GPS unit. Many cell phones now-a-days are GPS enabled and ca be used for geocaching. A basic GPSr can be found for $100 or less, if you feel like you need more bells and whistles you can spend upwards of $500 or more. Both will get you to the cache. I recommend a handheldGPSr rather than an automotive unit. Both can get you to the cache but handheld units are made for outdoor use and are much more rugged than automotive type. A common GPSr used for geocaching is the Garmin Etrex Legend HCX.
Part 3 - Now What – Finding caches on line
Photo by Bill.Roehl
I have been posting here about some of the geocaches that I have found. Today I was thinking that maybe some readers might not be aware what geocaching really is and how to get started. Over the next few days I will be posting my 7 part geocaching how-to.
Starting a new hobby can be intimidating, especially one that is based on technology like geocaching. In this article I hope to give you the info you need to get out and start geocaching…
What we will cover in this article:
What is geocaching:
Geocaching is an outdoor “treasure” hunting game in which people use a Global Positioning System Receiver or GPSr to hide and seek containers, usually military ammo cans or tupperware all over the world outdoors and in public places. The “treasure” is typically low cost items such as toys, foreign coins, flashlights, hand warmers, ect. Every cache should have at minimum a log book for you to sign, proof that you where there and to leave your mark. Caches can be found anywhere from your local shopping plaza parking lot to the top of a mountain. There is a cache to meet any one’s caching style… Geocaches are usually placed in laces of interest so this is a great way to find some really neat places you never knew existed.
Part 2 – What equipment you need to get started
SportTracks
I was recently turned on to a program SportTracks. SportTracks is a GPS-enabled exercise logbook. When you import your GPS log to SportTracks it automatically track the time, distance, and pace of your hike run or other workout… They even have a plugin catalog with options to add like Polar HRM manager, geotaging, ect. If you are in to tracking your exercise and want to do this with your GPS than this is the program for you… This program is a keeper for me.
So You Wanna Go Geocaching, geocaching, how to | Jim Bradley (Husky Hiker) | 
December 17, 2008 8:31 pm | 
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