Sloopy

I cache alone sometimes, but I don't have a lot of advice to offer other that what has already been said. I always take my cell phone and a small first aid kit with me in case of emergencies. Just being aware of your surroundings and leaving if you feel uncomfortable are two other good strategies.

As a finder, I think I would feel a little uncomfortable searching around/in a cross at the roadside (especially if in view of non-cachers who wouldn't know what was going on). Kudos for trying to think of a creative idea, though -- maybe something more secular would work.

If the problem is with the number on the tag not working, and there is an "O" in the number, try using a zero instead. That was something I came across with the jeep I found.

Hopefully! My dad is a geocacher too, so I was thinking of hiding his Father's Day present geocache-style. Then, if the weather is nice, we can hit a few real caches.

Thanks Scook! I'll check those out. If I get to the Mohican area this summer at all, I'll be sure to look for your cache too. I enjoy the ones that require some hiking (just won't have time on this particular trip).

I'll be driving through Wooster on Route 30 in a couple weeks (going to a wedding). I wanted to do some quick caches on the way if the weather is nice. Any recommendations? Thanks!

My dad has caught the geocaching bug and goes along with me sometimes. He bought a GPS V after our first cache hunt together, and then a couple weeks ago he splurged on one of those new wrist GPSrs that Garmin makes because it would be "easier for geocaching." It's kind of funny how enthusiastic he is about it. My mom and sister have both been caching with me, but neither of them are really outdoors types, so they didn't enjoy it all that much. I also took my brother once, and he seemed to think it was okay, but he hasn't gone again (he's still in college and doesn't get a chance to come home often).

I was told when I bought my Legend that I needed to buy MapSource software to see more detailed maps, and that it cost ~ $100. I passed on that for the time being.

Bigredmed is right about aerobic training and VO2 max. In order to get a good aerobic workout, you need to challenge yourself enough to raise your heart rate to within the aerobic training range (an easy way to estimate this is to subtract your age from 220, and then shoot for a heart rate of 65 to 75% of that number), and then keep it in that range for at least 30 minutes. Aerobic metabolism takes a little time to kick in (about 20 minutes IIRC), so figure on a good 45-60 minutes for a good workout. If you consider this, then caching could be a good exercise strategy, or it could be an ineffective one. It depends on what you do. If your style is to stroll to the cache at a leisurely pace, and most of the caches you go after have a terrain rating of 1, then it might not be the most effective way to exercise for you. However, if you quicken your pace and go after caches that require going up and down hills, hiking a long way, etc., then you probably are getting a decent workout. That's a little oversimplified and doesn't consider age, fitness level, medical problems, and the like, but you get the idea. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can get a good workout from caching if you try, but it's not always the case. On the other hand, any increase in activity is better than no increase in activity, so go for it! As always, if in doubt, it's best to check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.

I think it's a good idea to find enough caches to allow yourself to get a feel for the game before hiding one of your own. For some people that might be as little as two or three finds, and for others it could be many more. Briansnat is right, though -- there's nothing stopping you from going back and improving your own cache after it's hidden. It's fun to get a taste of both sides of the sport (hiding and finding).

I haven't found that many caches yet, but I really enjoyed #1 Tuscazoar.

On the search page you can set a search radius around the zip code. You could try typing in the zip code and then setting the search radius for, say, two miles and see what you get, then go from there.

What a great story! Thanks for sharing. Hope you had a happy anniversary!

Not to advertise premium membership, but this is an area in which I've found it to be really helpful. You can zoom in on the map on the cache page, and that makes it a lot easier to figure out where you are supposed to go and plan a route (especially if your GPS doesn't have maps).

Doesn't matter if it's a state quarter, it's still only worth 25 cents.

I've been geocaching about a month and a half, and I've already found a number of new places I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I've only lived in this area for about a year, so geocaching has helped me to learn my way around the city a little more.

I heard about it on another message board I visit. It sounded like so much fun, I almost went out and bought a GPS unit right then and there. Instead I made myself wait a few days and read up on it a little more before jumping into it. I haven't regretted it so far!

I'm a physical therapist in acute care (saw another PT posted earlier in the thread -- hi!). I usually tend to go caching in the early afternoons on the days I have off. I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far!

I tried to order one just now and it came up "page could not be displayed" when I clicked on the checkout button. Has anyone else had this problem? Not sure if it is my computer or the server.

There is also the risk of injury that would normally be associated with hiking. Just be sure that you look up from your GPS every now and then to see where you are going!

I'm definitely a lurker, as you can tell by my tagline. I discovered geocaching back in October from a post on another message board I frequent, and I've been dragging along anyone I can find to go with me on cache hunts. The people at work are getting tired of hearing about geocaching! I just released a travel bug last week, and now I'm impatiently waiting for somebody to pick it up. I've been reading the message boards pretty much since I discovered GC.com. My post count is only at 2 because I don't really have anything to add at the moment (still learning about the game). I've been a member of several other message boards when moderators were introduced, and I remember those boards going through the same boundary-testing and growing pains as this one is currently. Hang in there, everybody, things will work out okay. Happy geocaching!

Is it considered acceptable to take a travel bug you've had before and move it to another cache? As far as I can tell there aren't any rules against it, but I wasn't sure if it was something people do. There is a TB I've moved before that is now sitting in a cache I was planning on finding in the near future. Thanks!