I make Geocaching waaaayyy harder than it should be sometimes. Whenever I identify a cache that is located in a remote area then I go to my 1:24,000 scale topo map to try and find it. After I plot the cache onto the map using the UTM coords, I will go to a known point or shoot azimuths from known points to find my current coords and then it is just a matter of measuring the distance to the cache in meters, converting the grid azimuth to a magnetic azimuth while figuring in the magnetic declination for the compass, and finally keeping a good pace count to the cache. Once I think I have arrived I will shoot intersecting back azimuths and adjust from there. It is very difficult to find a small item by using this method. The reason being GPSr on a clear day have very small margins of error whereas a 1:24,000 scale topo map is only accurate to within 24meters 90% of the time. So if you are already off say 50 meters, then your search area has just grown by that much more. I have found 7 desert caches by using this method, but it takes a much longer time to do. I do it just to practice my map reading skills for later hikes. I never use this method while taking my 5 year old out on caching trips. I want her to actually enjoy the experience.
I could see how someone could log multiple GPSr-less finds in urban areas. Especially experienced cachers. Some urban finds are no brainers once you are in the right area. If it is in an area where you can use Google street view to pinpoint its location, that shouldn't count. That is a give me. Try using your satellite maps and memory to locate a cache in a forest.
