fnaqzna

Any geocachers here (other than Ruprex)?

Just had to ask... I posted a few pics in the photography forum from my last couple of days at it and it got me wondering.

Anyway... If you haven't heard of it, there's information at http://www.geocaching.com


I'm fairly new at it. Just got my receiver a couple of weeks ago and I've been getting out to hunt every few days or so. I'm having a blast.

djtestudo

What is it?

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Tirian

Recently started fnaqzna

11 finds to date !!! - I'm working on a fun TB already.

Fact is, I was going to start a thread on TFP. I think it would have a better chance in General, since I'm not sure it qualifies as a sport so much as an activity.

Halx

I have a GPSr.. Magellan Sporttrak Pro.. now I just need to get into it.

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MontanaXVI

I want a Garmin Rhino :P


I have looked at it in the past but never got into it since I am too cheap to buy a GPS.

I hear that some models work great for caching can be had for around $100 or less is this true, anyone care to share personal experiences for the rest of us?

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Tirian

Montana - I read it's true too, but since I also wanted to use my GPSr for other activities as well, I ended up with the more expensive model. (meridian platinum) There are lots of GPSr on E-bay, the geocaching.com site has a garage sale forum in the forums etc. GPS city appears to be a good online store. Likely sources for a deal.

Halx - get out there - go for a walk - discover some new sites - it's fun !!

fnaqzna

Yeah... I wasn't sure about the proper forum. For me it involves hiking and offroading so I thought this would be a good place.

fnaqzna

Basically, it's a world-wide scavenger hunt.

Force 10

I call it a sport and so will the other Geocachers. It is, really. I hike my arse off. It isn't odd for me to throw on a pack and hike 10-20 miles in a day. A sport it is, I can assure you!

Should anyone need anything relating to geocaching or mapping, you migh want to PM me for suggestions....

flamingpeach

We bought a GPS that hooks on to our iPAQ 5555 the other night. Yesterday after noon we went geocaching for the first time and it was tons of fun. We're going to go out again today and see what we can find. There are literally TONS in my area of Washington.

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Tirian

I plan to place a cache about 1/2 way down a trail that I like to backpack down each summer. That will place it about 7km from the nearest road. A cacher will hike close to 14km if they wish to get the cache and back out in a day. Of course this will be easier without the extra weight of overnight gear.

onetime2

As posted, it's kind of like a scavenger hunt but you use GPS. There is a "cache" placed by a fellow "player" and they post the GPS coordinates and perhaps some clues to go along with it. Since GPSs vary in their accuracy and the cache is usually secreted in the area so random hikers or passersby don't disturb it, it can be quite challenging. Inside the cache (quite a few people will use old ammo cans and the like to hold the cache) are items left by other players. I believe the idea is to take an item and leave an item. There's also usually a log book so you can enter your info and record when you found it. People use the internet to post coordinates, offer clues, give directions, verify the last time a cache was there, etc.

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jujueye

I linked over from the photography forum... Hey guys! Well, I have to say I really have spent many hours reading through the geocaching.com website...And the gpsinformation.com website...and any other GPS stuff I can find. This really looks like a lot of fun. I am considering a Garmin Legend for starters. I think it will have just enough extra features that I will get some extra use out of it beyond geocaching. I read that Garmin will have a $30 rebate starting in May, so that could be even more enticing. On the other hand, I saw the same unit in the "garage sale" area for a quick $150. Not a bad deal!

fnaqzna

I just bought a Garmin Legend. So far, I'm happy with it. It get's me to the cache I'm looking for. The only thing the Legend is missing is an electronic compass. I typically carry a magnetic compass with me and use both it and the GPS receiver during a search.

Typically, I use the compass rose display on the GPS when I'm close. I get the bearing to the target and then compare it with a compass. Mainly, I do this because the GPS unit does a poor job of computing my course while moving very slowly, but the bearing to the target seems to be accurate regardless. If that makes sense...


EDIT: Oh... guess I should add... the biggest things I was looking for when searching for a receiver were mapping capability, and memory. A receiver that does auto-routing might be nice to have, but I'm not a city dweller so I don't have much need for it. As for the memory... the Legend has plenty. I've loaded maps of most of the surrounding areas and I still have about 95% available. The other receiver I was considering was the Magellan Meridian Gold. It's quite a bit larger and has auto-routing and uses SD ram chips so memory is not an issue ever with it.

If you're getting a receiver with mapping capability, don't forget to look at the software that is available for your receiver and factor the cost of that as well if you plan on expanding beyond the base maps that come with the unit. The base maps are okay in town, but the topo stuff is non-existant. If you go with Garmin and you plan on caching in the wilderness, you'll definitely want MapSource Topo also.

MSD

You can be hardcore (cheap) like me and do it without GPS, using knowledge of the area and clues about landmarks to find a cache.

fnaqzna

...true!

But then I would miss out on the "using a gadget" aspect of this.

jujueye

Priceless information for me. Thank you.
I am still deciding between the Legend and the Sport Track Map. I also have a PocketPC, but I just think it will be too bulky, non-waterproof, and the software seems really expensive once you add in the GPS unit. So that leaves the Legend and the Map. Legend price today (4/30) is $169, which is great. I read on the forums that the Map is at Costco for $199 and includes Topo software. Damn, tough comparison! I will probably lean towards the Legend, just because of its smaller size. On the other hand, free Topo software is a great deal, plus the Map has a larger antenna. s***!!!!!!!!!!! I'll have to decide soon since I think the Legend is just on a "Daily Special" list. Uh...juju..that means decide NOW!!!


*EDIT* I decided. The Legend it is! Should be here in less than a week! Yay!

fnaqzna

It's been a good choice for me. I guess I should have added... While I was shopping for the receiver, I happened to mention it to a co-worker. She immediately asked, "Do you goecache?" She's pretty heavy into it with over 100 finds and 9 caches of her own hidden. She uses the Legend.

That made the decision easy.

jujueye

Hey Montana! The Garmin eTrex (Yellow) can be had new (online) for only $94. That's pretty cheap when you can spend hundreds more. Does it do everything? Well of course not! But it has all the basic features you need to locate caches. I have seen it advertised for more, but offroute has their unadvertised specials.

http://www.offroute.com

You can link to them from http://www.geocaching.com

matteo101

I recently placed an order for the garmin etrex-yellow. It should be here any day now. It was cheap, and claimed to do what it had to do for geocaching, which is my main use for it. In the future I will probably upgrade, but for now the etrex seemed like a good deal. I will post my experiences in the coming days and weeks

Tirian

I found three more today !!! Yay - we had fun.

matteo101

Well I recieved the etrex yellow on tuesday, and it is awesome! Works great, accuracy is good, and it is just what I need for geocaching. I have found 2, including a 6point multicache, and laid one. For 130 Canadian, it is a good buy. I recommend it. Oh and btw, geocaching is super fun!

fnaqzna

I went out Friday, found two, but searched and searched and couldn't find the last one for the day. I'm having fun though.

jujueye

Wow you guys - you're going nuts! Cool! I've only found one (just today) but it was great fun. Weather's picking up around here, so I hope I catch up And matteo: a multi-cache! Fantastic!

jujueye

Found two yesterday. Had a half mile walk to the trailhead, then likely another half mile into the forest in Wa state. Tree cover made the Legend freak out with the compass changing from...5 feet in that direction to 27.3 feet in that direction! Yikes! Lots of fun and a gorgeous walk. Gonna be heading to Vancouver BC soon and will bring the Geocaching toys with me! Yay!

fnaqzna

You're hooked...

Did two really quick ones this weekend. Went back to El Paso Peak and brought sharp-eyed teenagers with me. Found it in minutes. Then I hit another small mound called "Haystack". I was busy climbing the rock and then got to a point and stopped to take a look at my receiver and it said I was within 8 feet. I started looking around and damn if it wasn't practically under my feet.

I'm up to 24 finds... Having a ball.

crewsor

This sounds too good to miss out on. I'm definately going to pick up a GPS soon and try it out. I went to the geocach site and found a bunch of caches on a trail near my house I use frequently.

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fnaqzna

Rather big day caching... five finds in one day (a new personal record) We drove north to visit Darwin Falls. I knew of the falls, but my wife didn't. She was in for a big surprise. The area entering into the canyon is just so harsh and forbidding. Once you walk in a bit, the plant life seems to erupt around you and eventually you find yourself walking through areas of heavy vegetation and the air is just thick with water. It's a striking change from outside of the canyon.

Here's a look at the falls:





Anyway, on the way back we hit five caches... one of them was a microcache in the middle of nowhere.


The view west:



To the east:



...and to the south:



No routes north...


...a pic of my cachemobile:

Tirian

I hiked 15 km this weekend with a HEAVY pack and spent three nights in my tent with fresh snow on the ground each night to place a new cache. Pics are on film so need developing.

Cachemobile = hiking boots....

fnaqzna

Woot! I placed two caches this weekend. They were approved today.

Slate Range Crossing

Pinnacles Sci-Fi Book Box

silent_jay

I found 1 this week, with no GPS, it was totally by accident, I walked off a trail and there was a little rubbermaid box. It had kid toys and little bracetlet for kids and such, so I put the lid back on it and put it back where I found it.

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Tirian

Thanks jay, all geocachers appreciate your treatment of the cache.... Damn hard time typing tonight since I drove a brad nail into my finger this afternoon with the air-nailer.

Guess I should post that in the stupid ways to injure myself thread.

matteo101

Yea, thanks jay, thats cool that you put it back. You should get into it, finding one was a calling lol. Hope your finger heals tirian.

jujueye

Well, I'm up to 9 as of last night. One of them took me three tries! Holy Crap! It was this one http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache...5-204d4439d3dc

If you're not in Wa state, take a look at the spoiler pic and tell me it's not an evil hide!

Anyway, got a day off of work today, so I intend to take full advantage of it. I mapped a handful out last night, and will hit as many as possible.

fnaqzna - good job on getting two caches approved! I'm still scouting out some places up here, just haven't had time.

Great fun!

fnaqzna

I'm working on my next hide. This one is going to be a little different. The lat/long of the cache will be broken up and attached to three travel bugs. To find the cache, they'll have to find all three bugs first.

jujueye

Still thinking about my own hides up here. Full caches tend to be out in the woods, and the micros tend to be more in-town. I will likely start with a micro, then, as it will be easier to maintain. I am (in)actively scouting some spots.

I hit a good multi last Friday. I turned my track log on a bit too late in the hike, but imagine I walked a few miles. Very cool, in spite of the mosquito attacks. I'm slowly getting better at it. I know it will take a few hundred to be really good!

splck

I'm up to number 15.
I have two seven year-olds that really like doing this too. It's a great activity for kids.
I'm going to Vancouver Island the next few days...Got my GPS loaded with a shitload of coordinates.

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fnaqzna

I've been playing with some new tools.

I take the GPX files for the cache and add them to my GeoCaching Swiss Army Knife database. Then, export to html like this. Next, I use a Plucker and download the html cache information to my Palm.

Even if you don't use a Palm. The GSAK is sweet.

jujueye

I just tried it myself about a week ago. Imagine that! The groundspeak forums spoke quite highly of it, and so far its pretty cool. I really like being able to just download the waypoints instead of clicking them in on the Legend. Easy solution.

Found a micro today that was literally half the size of a regular bison container. Not sure where the owner found it, but it sure was cool.

fnaqzna

I placed another cache this weekend. I expect that it will be a few weeks before it's found.