Kenshi Clay

i can only speak for myself, but i'm new to this as of 2 weeks ago, and I am definitely not a lazy cacher. i love it for the "indiana jones" feel of it, of being outdoors, and places not many people would go to find "treasure" but then again i've always LOVED the outdoors, be it for camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, etc. I can't imagine playing this game on asphalt and concrete, and thank god i live in upstate ny where that's still the minority, it seems. the problem i've seen here, as in almost ALL outdoor activities, is that people are just not raised to respect the outdoors anymore. In this tv, video game, computer using, internet browsing society, all activities seem to be brought indoors, instead of out. Each generation of children that comes up seems to be raised with less and less exposure to the outdoors. Hence all the bunches of people caught on a state park trail in flip flops, and ill prepared clothing. Does it affect the way *I* approach the outdoors? not at all, to each their own,and i'll still do things the way I do things, and raise my daughter with a love for the outdoors too. Is it DISAPPOINTING and SADDENING? yes it is...to witness all these people who don't know what theyre missing, and raised deprived of the great things the outdoors can show, teach, or instill upon you. Yes, it is sad.

knife flashlight gloves extra batteries trail mix/granola bars water swag extra pen emergency blanket small first aid kit

somebody on these forums actually put out a more detailed map that included streets and parks and bodies of water, that was cleared by garmin as not voiding the warranty. It's in the GPS forum i believe, i just dont have the direct link, as I am at work right now. But I'm using them now, and they work GREAT, dead on accurate for my area, as far as i can tell...look into that first, if you just want basic maps w/ streets and basic info, before you drop a bunch of money. now if you want topo ..youll have to pay for that.

how longs it been since the last find? any DNF's recently? i wouldnt quite call it muggled yet...did y ou ask the owner for hints? are there any hints on the listings ? i've found the gps can only get you within range of it, the actual finding it is up to you, your observational skills, and instinct. don't depend solely on your unit. I had a cache that had coordinates that were 100' away from where it was supposed to be, and i found it eventually by using the hint, even though the gps told me it was 100' in the other direction.

yes, i only have a handful under my belt (8) but i've learned a lot in those 8, considering most of them have been either long hikes, or hidden in forests or places w/ heavy canopy cover, and what not. Patience is the key. And what I learned is that the GPS is just a tool to help you get CLOSE. it's up to YOU still to train your eyes and senses to be able to spot possible hiding places. And when it comes to accuracy, ya, some common sense as to potential hiding places become developed over time. I learn a little bit more everytime I go out. Remember: GPS = Tool...in the end it's YOU that finds the cache, not your GPS.

cmon now..where would the fun be in your gps telling you with pinpoint accuracy where the cache is? part of the fun is finding it...it's an accomplishment when you do. no gps available to us in the general public can pinpoint a location. Just know that when your gps technically tells you you're zero'd in, start looking within a 30ft radius, with you at the center of the circle. What i'll do is i'll start looking when my gps tells me i'm still 30-35 ft away.

like someone sorta mentioned already, why dont you just split the final cache's coordinates between the previous caches? Like have one of the prelim caches have the longtitude coordinates, and the other one have the latitude coordinates...that way they cant have the whole coordinate w/out having visited the other two caches.

n/m got it to work hehe.

so, uh, is something supposed to happen while i install? i just appoved it to install, and didnt get a progress bar, or anything..it took forever to initialize the install..dunno if this is normal..now i dont know what its doing, is there an install screen? i opened up mapsource, in case it was installing in the background..but no map info.

exactly. knives can be just as deadly or deadlier than a gun, since a knife is more manuverable , and people for some reason dont take knives as seriously. I would carry a handgun with me, but my county in NY has strict laws on handguns, and even STRICTER laws on open/concealed carry. and a shotgun is too unwieldly to carry when you dont know where a hike and i imagine a GC will take you. your more likely to hurt yourself carrying a shotgun in uneven terrain (when not hunting that is)

the number one thing i have with me anytime i step into the woods (hunting, hiking or whatever), and it is an invaluable tool whether it be for self defense, or even just survival: a knife. I always have a dedicated knife looped over my belt, ready at all times. Notice I said "dedicated" knife...not a multitool, or a swiss army knife, etc..just a plain old knife. In the heat of a situation..be it faced with a bear, pervert or attacker, most people would be too shaky with fear and anticipation to properly pull out the blade that they need. and it's not hard to use..you dont have to be trained in it in a survival situation, its pretty easy to remember to keep the edge and pointy side away from you.

awesome...found 2 of 3 caches i had planned today. It was awesome fun, and I'm hooked. I didnt find one because i thought itd be simple, and i tried to knock it out before work. but i got there, and found Id have to find some way to get down to the area since the road is at the top of a tall gorge. oh well i'll be back.

nope..im a technophile, so i figured it out pretty easy, and the way it works, operates a lot like a pda, which i'm very used to. And the other stuff i figured out as i went on..i.e. when i tried to autoload a gpx file from geocaching.com, it told me i needed to have a program installed, got that, and now everything works permanently. my only question i guess is that is there any way to have longer notes on the waypoints? for now i'm going to just print out the notes/clues on paper, until i hear whether or not i can have longer notes on the gps. I already have 3 lined up for early tomorrow morning before work. My other question is if theres any cheaper versions of topo maps out there that would work just as well w/ my venture HC, as topo USA 08. That price tag is pretty hefty.

thanks guys for the welcome, appreciate it. i'm messing with my etrex venture now.

Hey everybody. I guess I've been living in a cave these past few years, because I've never even HEARD OF geocaching until 2 days ago. Funny thing is that I only came across it while researching which handheld gps I was planning to buy. I live next to an 11,000 acre state forest called Connecticut Hill, and I just moved here a year ago, and figured after ill planned turkey hunts this year, that the only way to have better luck the following turkey seasons is to get to know this forest. So I was planning on using the GPS to help me in my mission to walk as much of the park as I could, and still help me get back to my car safely. While I was reading reviews on Amazon, I kept reading "I use this gps for geocaching and its great" over and over again, until I was finally like OK, WTF IS GEOCACHING ALREADY?! then decided to wiki it, and was fascinated by it, and found how huge this world really is. My wife is now excited as well to take it up, as well as my daughter. I just checked UPS Tracking and my Garmin eTrex Venture HC was delivered today, so after I mess with it a little tonight, I will be ready to go. Some "useless" info: 28 married 6 years, together for 8. One 5 year old daughter, one on the way in Sep. Too many hobbies to list, this will just be one more LOL. Any other questions give me a holler..but I just wanted to introduce myself.