Finding your first geocache
Geocaching is a lot of fun and we encourage everyone to try it. It is important to get off to a good start so that you have a great time and want to continue on with this fantastic hobby. Here are some suggestions on how to start.
If you have a good friend that geocaches ask them to take you along and “show you the ropes”. Ask them if you can carry the GPS and try to find the cache with them walking along. This way you will actually be a participant rather than a spectator.
If you don’t know a geocacher ask around to see if you know somebody that owns a handheld GPS that you can borrow to see if geocaching is for you. Ask for a quick lesson on how to use it. If not you will have to buy one and understand how to operate it.
Picking a good cache is important to success and fun on your first outing. Things to look for are terrain and difficulty ratings, if the cache has a hint and type of cache. We strongly recommend that you select a traditional cache for your first find. Micros and multi-caches might make your first hunt frustrating. We suggest you select one with no more than a 2 difficulty and 2 terrain rating. 1 ½ on both might be better. You might also want to pick out a cache that is hidden in the woods, but not a long or strenuous hike. Insure that you know how to decrypt the hint in case you don’t find it without the extra clue. Read a few of the most recent logs to insure that it has been found recently.
You probably want to dress appropriately for the area you are visiting and pack a few essentials to take with you. As a minimum you should take some paper and a pen/pencil and extra batteries for the GPS. If you are going during the week after dinner you should take a flashlight or headlamp along in case it gets dark while you are in the woods. Things look a whole lot different in the dark than they do in the light. A bottle of water is always a good thing to take along and if bugs are prevalent in your area some Deet is a good idea. You might want to bring a small trinket along to trade when you find the cache.
Okay, now you are ready to venture out. Hopefully the cache page has parking coordinates or instructions on how to get to parking. If not you should click on the map on the cache page and look where the cache is hidden and try to have knowledge of where to park before leaving the house. This is usually not a big problem for first time geocachers as you can select one that is fairly close to home in an area you are familiar with.
Okay now for the real adventure. Make sure that you turn the GPS on and have it near a window or on the dash of your vehicle so that it can receive continuous satellite reception. We highly suggest that you turn on your GPS and get satellite lock while still in your driveway at home. Select the waypoint you are hunting for and select the compass display to show the direction to the cache. If the cache you’ve selected is a distance from your home, drive toward the area and when you are 5 to 10 minutes from the parking area pull over in a safe place. Turn on your GPS, wait for good satellite reception, select the waypoint, and select the compass display to show the direction to the cache. DO NOT DO THIS WHILE DRIVING – IT IS DANGEROUS. Follow the arrow to designated parking.
So you are parked, and have the compass display on the GPS for the waypoint you are hunting for. Now what do you do? Well first of all start having fun! That is what this is all about. If the cache page has instructions on what trails to follow you are in luck. If not, think of trails like roads. Pick the widest trail that is in the general direction of the cache and head off. Stay on trails as long as you can. This is easier on you and the environment. When you get to within about 100 feet of the cache you should slow down. This will give the GPS time to settle down and give you a better idea of where the cache is. Keep you eyes open. Look for a place that the cache could be hidden in. Rocks, stumps, logs and the base of trees are likely hiding places. If the GPS arrow seems to be taking you in circles you should ignore it and look at the distance. You may never get to zero, but try and get to within 10 – 20 feet if possible. Sometimes walking in a cloverleaf pattern will make it easier to get to ground zero. Okay now you are in the general vicinity. Do you see any thing that is unnatural like a pile of sticks or rocks that look out of place? If so, that is probably where the cache is hidden. Sometimes a hiking stick or a stick you find in the woods is a good tool to use to poke in nooks and crannies in hopes of hearing a plastic or metallic sound. That is a dead giveaway. Been looking for 10 minutes and still haven’t found the cache? Then decrypt the hint. Hopefully it makes sense. Many times they still seem cryptic even after they are decrypted. For example, if it says something like “keep looking and you won’t be stumped” then is most likely in a stump.
Success, you found it! So what do you do now? Well open it up and see what is inside you silly goose! If you see something inside that you like you can trade it for that trinket we mentioned earlier. You should always try and trade for things that are of equal or greater value. If you forgot that trade item, no big deal. It is all about the fun of the hunt. Find the logbook. Write down the date, write a passage about your experience and sign your name. Make sure you seal the cache as best as possible and hide the cache like you found it.
Head for home, log into Geocaching.com and log your find. Remember to write a good log about your quest.
Congratulations. You are now a geocacher!
If you have a good friend that geocaches ask them to take you along and “show you the ropes”. Ask them if you can carry the GPS and try to find the cache with them walking along. This way you will actually be a participant rather than a spectator.
If you don’t know a geocacher ask around to see if you know somebody that owns a handheld GPS that you can borrow to see if geocaching is for you. Ask for a quick lesson on how to use it. If not you will have to buy one and understand how to operate it.
Picking a good cache is important to success and fun on your first outing. Things to look for are terrain and difficulty ratings, if the cache has a hint and type of cache. We strongly recommend that you select a traditional cache for your first find. Micros and multi-caches might make your first hunt frustrating. We suggest you select one with no more than a 2 difficulty and 2 terrain rating. 1 ½ on both might be better. You might also want to pick out a cache that is hidden in the woods, but not a long or strenuous hike. Insure that you know how to decrypt the hint in case you don’t find it without the extra clue. Read a few of the most recent logs to insure that it has been found recently.
You probably want to dress appropriately for the area you are visiting and pack a few essentials to take with you. As a minimum you should take some paper and a pen/pencil and extra batteries for the GPS. If you are going during the week after dinner you should take a flashlight or headlamp along in case it gets dark while you are in the woods. Things look a whole lot different in the dark than they do in the light. A bottle of water is always a good thing to take along and if bugs are prevalent in your area some Deet is a good idea. You might want to bring a small trinket along to trade when you find the cache.
Okay, now you are ready to venture out. Hopefully the cache page has parking coordinates or instructions on how to get to parking. If not you should click on the map on the cache page and look where the cache is hidden and try to have knowledge of where to park before leaving the house. This is usually not a big problem for first time geocachers as you can select one that is fairly close to home in an area you are familiar with.
Okay now for the real adventure. Make sure that you turn the GPS on and have it near a window or on the dash of your vehicle so that it can receive continuous satellite reception. We highly suggest that you turn on your GPS and get satellite lock while still in your driveway at home. Select the waypoint you are hunting for and select the compass display to show the direction to the cache. If the cache you’ve selected is a distance from your home, drive toward the area and when you are 5 to 10 minutes from the parking area pull over in a safe place. Turn on your GPS, wait for good satellite reception, select the waypoint, and select the compass display to show the direction to the cache. DO NOT DO THIS WHILE DRIVING – IT IS DANGEROUS. Follow the arrow to designated parking.
So you are parked, and have the compass display on the GPS for the waypoint you are hunting for. Now what do you do? Well first of all start having fun! That is what this is all about. If the cache page has instructions on what trails to follow you are in luck. If not, think of trails like roads. Pick the widest trail that is in the general direction of the cache and head off. Stay on trails as long as you can. This is easier on you and the environment. When you get to within about 100 feet of the cache you should slow down. This will give the GPS time to settle down and give you a better idea of where the cache is. Keep you eyes open. Look for a place that the cache could be hidden in. Rocks, stumps, logs and the base of trees are likely hiding places. If the GPS arrow seems to be taking you in circles you should ignore it and look at the distance. You may never get to zero, but try and get to within 10 – 20 feet if possible. Sometimes walking in a cloverleaf pattern will make it easier to get to ground zero. Okay now you are in the general vicinity. Do you see any thing that is unnatural like a pile of sticks or rocks that look out of place? If so, that is probably where the cache is hidden. Sometimes a hiking stick or a stick you find in the woods is a good tool to use to poke in nooks and crannies in hopes of hearing a plastic or metallic sound. That is a dead giveaway. Been looking for 10 minutes and still haven’t found the cache? Then decrypt the hint. Hopefully it makes sense. Many times they still seem cryptic even after they are decrypted. For example, if it says something like “keep looking and you won’t be stumped” then is most likely in a stump.
Success, you found it! So what do you do now? Well open it up and see what is inside you silly goose! If you see something inside that you like you can trade it for that trinket we mentioned earlier. You should always try and trade for things that are of equal or greater value. If you forgot that trade item, no big deal. It is all about the fun of the hunt. Find the logbook. Write down the date, write a passage about your experience and sign your name. Make sure you seal the cache as best as possible and hide the cache like you found it.
Head for home, log into Geocaching.com and log your find. Remember to write a good log about your quest.
Congratulations. You are now a geocacher!
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