GEO.JOE
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Posts posted by GEO.JOE
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I first heard of geocaching about a year ago on the travel channel top 10 treasure hunts. While on an October kayak trip me and a buddy of mine had seen the write up on the Garmin RINOs in Backpacker magazine and decided to get a pair to use on our outdoor adventures. The day my RINO arrived I did a search for geocaching thinking this would be a nice way to learn to use my new GPS. Tomorrow I will be taking my buddy out on his first cache hunt. This hobby goes along with many of the other outdoor activities I enjoy doing and it has given me and my wife excuses to get out more on the weekends.
Happy Caching.
GEO.JOE
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Come on, 659 people have viewed this thread, it only takes a minute to vote. We should easily have the highest number of votes so far on this website. Take a minute and help someone win wedding ring, it cost you nothing. And I'm sure they would post a picture from the wedding with the bride and the ring at this website.
magellan315 is right if everyone that viewed this thread voted the geocaching for love would be way out in front. However they are 13 votes behind.
Lets keep it up. This is a horse race.
Geocaching for Love 42.9% (149 Votes )
Finally 52.4% (182 Votes)
GOE.JOE
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I HAVE DONE IT!!! I AM NO LONGER A TADPOLE!!!
NOW I JUST HAVE TO WATCH MYSELF AND MAKE SURE I DON'T BUMP MY RUMP EVERY TIME I JUMP.
Happy Caching!
GEO.JOE
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Do your kids really participate in the caching game?
My 8 year old nephew GEO.LOGO goes caching with me 50% of the time. I use the time as educational trips. Teaching him and my wife, Fairy Flirt, different aspects about nature i.e. Types of trees, poison ivy, mushrooms, ecosystems, beaver dams, conservation, wild live watching and tracking. He has taught me to not worry about the quantity of caches we get in a day and to stop and play on the rocks.
Are they really interested in seeking the treasure?
GEO.LOGO loves the hunt, many times the GPS was off as far as 80ft and he stuck with it until the cache was found, that is the hunt he talks about the most. He has his own trade items now and when we found an empty cache he was eager to put some swag in so The next cacher would have a nice find. GEO.LOGO is responsible for about 25% of our group finds.
Do you let them use the GPSr?
He is very interested in learning all the functions on the unit, Garmin RINO. He enters Waypoints, navigates while in the car 50% of the time, he carries the on RINO about 25% of the hunts. This is also a great learning opportunity. He does great 100+ feet out but then rushes up into the -30 range. He is learning distance and is fairly good at picking out features that are about 60 to 100ft away.
When they use the GPSr, what do you do?
It depends on the situation. GEO.LOGO’s 5th find was at night at a rest stop. He strapped on the head lamp and took off across a 75yrd field unassisted and located the cache within 5 minutes. While he is guiding us through a forest or down a trail I have to remind him to look up from the RINO watch out for limbs and pick a trail to follow, and I have to ask how far? The last cache we were on he crossed a small creek on a log while carrying the RINO, before I could say anything he said “Don’t worry I’ll be OK” he put the RINO in his pocket as he said “and the RINO will be OK too.” If I have already found the cache with out GEO.LOGO and Fairy Flirt I just stand back and watch them without giving any help unless asked. During the time we have been bushwhacking I use the time he is leading to teach him to watch for landmarks, i.e. bent trees, stumps, large or unusual rocks to assist on the return trip. In case the GPS stops working.
Do you allow your kids to have a personal account?
GEO.LOGO began his own personal account but has not maintained it. He wanted me to enter all of his logs because he takes too long to type, and he only gets x number of hours per week on the internet and playing Nintendo and Nintendo won out. This was a poor decision on my part, you will need to evaluate each childes interest and ability to log their finds before letting them open an account.
Do your kids help plan geocaching trips?
GEO.LOGO searches caches in the area on his own and asks me advice on which areas will be more fun, i.e. have rocks to climb etc. We typically plan our trip as a team, on days it looks like it will rain or it is cold we do caches that are close to the car. Nice sunny days we hit the caches with a little further hike. We are saving several caches that GEO.LOGO’s mother and baby brother can participate in with a stroller. GEO.LOGO may take his family on some with out ME and Fairy Flirt when the weather warms up.
How old do you think kids should be before they are allowed to cache without supervision?
That depends on the kids. I can foresee that when I hide a few caches in our local park and state parks we visit and camp at. GEO.LOGO will probably be taking the kids in the group to the caches in these parks by May, because they will be within an area he is familiar with and is already allowed to go without supervision. I don’t know when he will be branching off in unfamiliar areas without an adult, maybe 13??? If I get him his own RINO I will be able to track his location with my RINO and it may be earlier than 13. This mainly depends on what he learns by what age.
I was hunting unsupervised by age 13, riding my bike 5-10 miles away from my home to go fishing by age12 and exploring woods within a 3 square mile area by age 10-11. However, I have known some 15 year olds that were not qualified to go10 miles from their home without supervision.
Do you know of any organizations built around kids and caching? not yet.
Happy caching.
GEO.JOE
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I am wondering what boxes you were looking at? I currently have some of the PLano utility/stowaway boxes and have discovered that only the #3741 has 1 open campartment, however, it is 14"L x 9.13"W x 3.25"H. I bought the #3543 7.5"L x 5.88"W x 4.88"H and the #3645 9"L x 7"W x 2.25"H each have 3 to 4 fixed compartments. I have removed the dividers using a hot knife and rotary cutting tool (not as clean a job as I had wished).
Let me know if you have found another waterproof box I have not seen.
Happy Caching.
GEO.JOE
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[
Geocacher
Posts: 10
Joined: 16-July 03
Tadpole, Newbie, Ugly Duckling, what is the problem. If a person does not like it, just make more posts till it changes to Geocacher. ]
Brun, You did it! 10 posts.
Wish me luck, I am ready to grow some legs!
GEO.JOE
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When caching alone I like the challenge of just using the coordinates. It has taken me into caches through more difficult routes, i.e. over ridges, through valleys, and from above a bluff or water fall. I enjoy the solitude of the walk and see more wildlife on the these walks.
However, when I am caching with my wife, Fairy Flirt, and/or nephew, GEO.LOGO, I have discovered they like to have the print out with hints and maps. They do not like route finding from the top of a cliff to the base of a water fall to discover a level 1/2 mile trial along a creek waiting at the bottom, knowing they have to hike up hill the entire way back to the car. Needless to say there is no hint to decipher, requiring a longer hunt for the cache. It only took me ONE time to learn this lesson!
I have also been searching for a lot of caches in my area that others have not found or have not even searched for in many months or even a year so I have been using any available spoiler to assist in the hunt to make sure the cache is truly missing.
In park type settings or very short walks to the caches even Fairy Flirt and GEO.LOGO are willing to hunt for a cache without the cache page (as long as it is a short walk to retrieve the hint)
Happy Caching.
GEO.JOE
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a cache that invovled a bit more than a half hour of walking to find, and the log book had several complaints about how much walking was involved to get there!
I have ran across the same problem in Western KY and Southern IL. Any walk past 6/10 of a mile and the log is full of complaints. There are many caches in my area that require 1 mile hikes in beautiful areas that are only visited 1 to 4 times per year. One cache requiring a 2 hour hike was placed at the first of September and no one has visited it yet. Two caches placed over a year ago on the Cache river Cache Cache and Cache Cash Cache (both requiring a boat) have only been visited or attempted by the owner of the other cache.
I began Geocaching in October and thought I would be placing caches all over the place, but I have postponed some of my more adventurous locations until geocaching becomes more popular in the area, or until I resolve some of my Ego issues of wanting my caches to be popular and liked by every cacher.
I have enjoyed getting out to new areas I have never been and taking my wife Fairy Flirt and nephew GEO.LOGO to areas they have never been. GEO.LOGO has taught us that the importance of Geocaching is not how many caches you can log in a day, by asking “Are there any rocks I can climb on there?” Quality and enjoyment of the experience is the most important thing for many people. Therefore, as others have said provide information up front about what to expect from the hike and what the individuals will gain from the hike. If an area is worth a short hike to have a secluded camping experience I would make the trip for that reason alone, and the cache would just be a bonus.
I am planning a road trip the last 3 weeks of January to Salt Lake City, Northern CA and Oregon and hope to see examples of caches in other areas.
Happy caching.
GEO.JOE
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I keep my GPSr North up. Paper maps are North up 80 % of time. While Kayaking, hiking or driving in unfamiliar areas I frequently view the overall trip area North up then turn the map in the direction of travel to pinpoint my exact location and/or search for a specific location.
When teaching map skills to others or showing others where we are in reference to the map I find it best to orient the map so North on the map is facing North and rotate the map as we turn looking at landmarks.
I am male and have never been lost.
Happy caching.
GEO.JOE
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Thank you CAKoala for bringing us that story.
They got my vote.
Happy Caching.
GEO.JOE
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My name came about because I was ready for a change. I have been littljo1 ever since my first Email address in college. Throughout the years I have tried to develop new nicknames but with my name being Joe and other interests being popular with so many other people all the names I come up with are taken. I had not put much time into a new nickname when registering to log my first find, and as always after about a dozen tries all my names were taken. I compiled a list of nicknames from the past such as Blonde headed yard ape - a favorite of my fathers when I was very young, however, my hair has since turned brown. When my mother was angry with me I was Joey Da**it - funny but not suitable. I am known to my sister, younger cousins and nephew as Bubba - but being from Western Kentucky that is way too stereotypical. Therefore, I woke my wife up to discuss the dilemma with her, and in her sarcastic sleepy stupor she said "What about GEO.JOE" and with a thrust of her fist in the air she said "GOOO JOE". Thirty seconds later GC.com accepted GEO.JOE and I love it.
Happy Caching
GEO.JOE
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I believe I have found every cache that was there. I have been caching since October 24, 2003. I have logged 29 finds and 2 DNF's (I am waiting for comfirmation that the caches are gone) When I did not find the 2 caches I contacted the owners with a full discription of my search and condition of the cache area, then logged a DNF as a "heads-up" for other cachers. After contacting the owner of a third cache I did not find I was informed that the cache had been removed and the owner had forgotten to archive the cache, so he confirmed I searched the correct stump and told me to log it as a find.
Happy Caching!
GEO.JOE
Cachers Christmas Convention (online)
in General geocaching topics
Posted
Down to 107 now!
GEO.JOE