TheresaHPIR

This lovely sentiment was on the entrance to a Pet Cemetery in Winfield, WV. My nephew and I found our very first cache here. Oddly, I had seen a similar sign in a book of funny and ironic signs. The child agreed with me that its kinda morbid, lol.

I take my 11 year old nephew along to about 10% of the caches I seek. He doesn't really care much about the swag, but is always interested in the ones where people leave actual money, even if it is just a quarter, hehe. Usually, he's more interested in finding the cache before his aunt, lol. He doesn't get overly excited about going geocaching itself, but since he spends a few days out of the week at my house, it gives us a chance to get out of the house and do something different together. I'm a paranormal investigator, and that is a hobby he's DEFINITELY interested in, so we try to hit caches that are near local haunted hot spots or cemeteries. I've recently found out that I'm pregnant (7 weeks right now) and the doctor has approved of light caching, hehe. This baby will most likely be following in mommy's footsteps and join her cousin and I on our outings.

Most of the nanos I've seen are so well-hidden, in plain view or otherwise, that there is little chance of someone finding them who isn't specifically looking... But usually I've seen at the front of the log a very small geocaching logo.

A lot of this is repeat, but... I do a lot of caching at night, and the best advice is to just use common sense. I prefer to cache at night because of less muggle traffic, and also just due to practicality, as I'm busy during the day. I stick to caches that aren't really rural...but not exactly urban either. If I get a chance, I'll go out in the day and scope the area out for a few minutes, and come up with a game plan as to where I need to park, and where I think it may be. Then, I can go back after dark and take as much time as I need to look for it. I do go by myself, which actually is kind of not a wise thing to do. Because I do go alone, I don't go too far from my car, I don't go to cemeteries or parks that are closed at night (a given), and I always keep my cell phone in my hand. I also always tell someone where I'm going, and approximately when I'll be back. If I feel uncomfortable, or see someone approaching me, I'll usually head back to my car. And...I'll also stay away from "suspicious areas" hehe...I'm not going to poke around government buildings, bridges, and the like too late at night. As far as special equipment, I have a pen that I bought at Walmart. Its a working ink pen, but it also has a super bright LED light AND red laser pointer on the end. That way I have less to carry.

Hehe, everyone knows me anyway, and I haven't had too many problems yet. Anyway, my name comes from my first name and then the acronym for my paranormal investigation group. Its my screen name for all the message boards I belong to...and all are paranormal boards. Hehe, I can't keep track of tons of different names, but since my group also likes to get together to cache as well, its fitting.

When I'm with my nephew, he always wants to find the caches with a quarter or other coin, hehe, and that's all he's ever taken, which has happened only 3 times. Other than that, I'm in it mostly for the hunt, and I really do enjoy looking at all the goodies I do find! While I rarely trade, I do like to keep a bag full of various sized and valued swag items in my car at all times, just in case I see something I really want, or to help replenish low caches.

I'm also a newbie doing this without a GPS...and I've found 6 out of 9 I've looked for, including a few micros! In addition to the tips already provided, this is what has helped me tremendously: 1. Picking caches in familiar areas and going during times where there is little activity going on. That way I can have ample time to nose around without drawing a lot of attention to myself. 2. Trying to stick to those with a difficulty of 2 or less. 3. Hitting forested area caches during this time of year when lots of brush and tree cover is sparser. 4. And the biggest....REALLY picking apart the clues. Scouring previous log entries, photo galleries, and the clues embedded and/or encrypted in the listing can go a LONG way. It took me two attempts at finding one cache before I read that someone had trouble getting it unstuck from its location...and thus narrowed my search to cramped areas, hehe. I also implement the map features, and just try to use common sense. If there are a ton of recent DNF logs, or the last person to find the cache did so over six months ago, I tend to shy away. I know there will be a time when I run out of easily accessible caches and will NEED a GPS...luckily, I've gotten my best friend involved, who will be loaning me his tomorrow!