griffsmom

I also have the Dakota 20, and here's what I do to get to the cache description while in the field. Select the cache you want to find; press "Go." on the map page press the "x" which should take you back to the home screen. Press the "Geocaches" button again and it should give you a list of options, such as Show Description," "Show Logs,", "Show Hint," "Log Attempt," etc. Press "Show Description" which will take you to a screen that has the cache's description. To read the hint from this screen, press the arrow button and it will take you back to the options screen. When finished reading descriptions/hints, press the "Go" button and it will take you back to the navigation screen. It's cumbersome, but that's how I do it. If there's an easier way, maybe someone more knowledgeable will share it. Hope that helps!

Well I hope it's okay for a very noob to jump in here and add her shiny new .02 I have a whopping 7 finds, 5 of which I've really enjoyed b/c I found them with my 4 y/o DS. Geocaching for my family and I is something that we've decided to do as a way to spend more time together, get some exercise, see some cool things and places, and ultimately, just have fun at home or when we go camping. I do have a couple of finds by myself from work lunch breaks but those were b/c I'm now hooked on how fun this is and not b/c I care about increasing my numbers. In fact, I doubt my numbers will ever get very big, just b/c I really enjoy caching with my family, and well...a 4 y/o lives and moves in a totally different time continum! Now IMHO, that's not to say that those GCers who enjoy pushing themselves to get some crazy big number of caches are out of line or playing the game "wrong." I think that just as with any sport, the players all play for different reasons, whether it's the competiton, the comraderie, or whatever. One isn't more right than another--they're each just different, and right for them I guess I just don't understand why there's any reason to complain in this game. At it's most basic premise, isn't it all just about what's fun for you?

I'm glad to read your replies. Although I'm awfully fond of my little one and tend to take a lot of pictures of him when we're treasure hunting, I wasn't sure if anyone really cared to see a picture of an adorable four-year-old beaming from ear to ear with a cache. Good to know I'm on the right track.

I have a question for cache owners: When I go gc-ing with my family, I take my digital camera and enjoy taking pictures of our hunt. I will usually upload 2 to 4 pictures when I log our find. I'm very careful to not include anything that would be considered a spoiler. Here's the question: Do you like it when finders of your cache post pictures? Or do you prefer that they didn't? Again, this question assumes the pictures don't include spoilers. Just curious. TIA.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Pease keep 'em coming!! So far, I have a 4 y/o son who loves to go geocaching, although he seems to draw more attention to us than away from us! I have already used the cell phone trick, and have tucked the "kitty, kitty," clipboard, flora/fauna book ideas away for later use. I also thought if ayone ever asks me what I'm doing, I may say that I'm investigating an accident/dog bite lawsuit, etc. I'm drawing the line at the HazMat suit, though.

Went to find a brand new cache during my lunch hour in an urban area. It was only my 2nd find, so even though I try not to be, I'm still kind of obvious when I'm looking for the cache--holding my GPSr out in front of me to see which way the little arrow is pointing. Although I felt dorky walking around, I couldn't help but also feel (1) curious about whether the people I saw were fellow geocachers; and (2) suspicious that they would see what I was up to. And I certainly don't want to lead muggles to the cache. Anyone have any tips for a newbie on how you should act when looking for a cache?

I have now found 3 caches, 2 of which were with my 4 y/o son. He loves looking for the "treasure boxes" and has caught on to the concept of "cache in, trash out." Maybe too well--on our first find when I told him about being a good geocacher and picking up any trash we might find, he would see the smallest piece of paper and start yelling "I see trash!! I see trash!!" and then run to pick it up. It took us twice as long to get back to the car with our little trashmeister on the watch!

Here's my two offerings: Geocaching: The Game of High-Tech Treasure Hunting Geocaching: The Thrill of the High-Tech Hunt

I have visited the site off and on for about a year but haven't posted b/c I haven't actively sought a cache. Well, Dh is out buying the Garmin Map60CS as we speak, so I guess it's about time to make an appearance. We'll be camping this weekend and are going to try to find our first cache. I am looking forward to it, especially since we'll be bringing our 4 y/o DS along. I hope he has fun and we'll be able to find another fun way to spend more time together as a family.