TwoSox Trekkers

My 100th, 200th, and 300th all happened to be special. 100th: I was really being bitten by the geocaching bug and was close to 100, I think I had 94. I was DETERMINED one Tuesday to get that 100th. My better wasn't able to go out but wished me luck and sent me on my way. In an absolutely downpour of rain, I went looking for a geocache under a freaking fishing pier in Alki (an area of Seattle right on the water). I managed to find it, and realized -haha!- I left the freaking pen in the car. So I get out from under the pier -no easy feat in driving rain and on sharp shore rocks- and do a Rocky-like "YES!" before sprinting to my car. I signed the log and then gingerly replaced the cache. I headed home drenched but happy. 200th: Our friend Seattlegeekgrrrlz had joined us for a biking/cache day up on the Mountain Loop Hwy, NE of Seattle. Somewhere along the way she lost her keys. But by the time we realized it, they had been found and turned into the ranger station- which was closed. So the next day I drove her back up to retrieve them. After we got them -and her truck, which we'd had to leave- we decided to do a little caching. I wasn't really prepared except for my GPS and the proper attire- no water or whatnot. Welllll.... it turned into a hike from hell in about 15m. After the 10th switchback I was ready to cry. After an eternity and a gallon of sweat, we made it the cache was Barlowe Point- GCJNP1. The elevation gain from the parking lot was significant. I found the cache and I realized, "Whoah, this is 200!" So an accidental milestone, but cool nonetheless. 300th: We made a trip at the end of March to the WA peninsula. On our way home we cached a bit, and again found ourselves close to rolling over another 100. This one was special because my better half was able to be with me, and she picked it out. We found it, in a gorgeous little thicket off I-5, and celebrated in the woods with a couple high-fives. I can't wait to see what the next ones bring.

I've not gotten any PQ's I've done in the past week. Mine were all set to be run once then deleted. Nothing especially fancy/data-heavy, either.

I geocache for a variety of reasons, but the one that comes to mind is that it melds three things I like: challenges, nature, and technology. There are several challenges- planning, gear, puzzle caches, etc. Nature -well, that can be anything from desert to rain forest, of course. And I love the online community aspect as well as the actual gadgetry. Personally, I feel there is something of a social media aspect to geocaching- not strictly the same as Twitter or Facebook, but similar. You are interacting, via logs, with others. It is a bit more passive I think than "traditional" social media forms/sites. More reading/vicariously experiencing than discussing/relating. Hope that helps!

I've had similar experiences as explained above. On clear days, I get very good GPS reception with my iPhone 3g. For urban caching days, I often will bring my GPS but not flip it on unless I am getting crazy bounciness. On hikes, cell reception can and often does wane, so a hand-held GPS is a must. I think if one is truly interested in continuing, it just makes sense to invest in a good GPS. There are many kinds- and many threads about which ones are good and which ones aren't, and many opinions in between.

Definitely an upgrade on the paddles. I love Werners'. But a good deal on the boat for sure. Nice job, Costco!

If you get the chance to venture out this way again, do the Monte Cristo area sometime. It's a really nice trail and it has some cool caches, not to mention fascinating history.

I'll try to keep this from sounding maudlin, but no promises. Our best pals talked to us about geocaching in late 08 early 09, and we planned on looking into it. We were just about to get going when my Dad became ill, suddenly. He was hospitalized a short while then he passed. During his hospital stay, I decided that he would not want me to completely stop everything in my life. So I bought my GPS, set up my account, and a few days after he died found my first cache. That may sound weird, but sitting still in contemplation does not help me deal with emotional upheaval. My Dad would have LOVED geocaching- he loved to hike, fish, and camp in his younger days. He was also a tech geek. Every time I go out I imagine what it would be like to tell him about a great hike, or a really neat container. I can even imagine his chuckling, if I could relate my scrapes and slips and bruises. He would have good, thoughtful questions and great suggestions for cache containers. So really, I do it in part because it makes me feel closer to him. He has always been strongly associated with the outdoors in my mind. And in feeling closer to him it helps manage the grief, which has benefits across all planes. On the physical side, it has definitely helped me maintain my weight and muscle tone- important since I am a desk jockey. It also inspires me to train for longer, more difficult hikes. Mentally, it drives me to be a better researcher/planner and to visit places I would NEVER have thought of going to previously. Nice question, OP. Thanks for asking about this.

Good questions, HHH. Do you do anything to protect your smart phone when geocaching? Yes, I have an Otterbox Defender case. Do you carry phone insurance because you intend on using it more outside and if something does happen the insurance will cover it? I have Apple Care, but no other additional insurance. Any helpful tips, tricks or techniques you use that would be helpful to others in regards to the applications or use of your smart phone while geocaching? I don't really have any tips or techniques that aren't already being utilized by others. Which smart phone do you use for geocaching and how much? I have the Apple iPhone 3g, and I use it about 50% of the time in conjunction with my regular GPS. Depend somewhat on whether I am caching alone or with my better half.

This all depends on what you want to do all day. There will be plenty to see, do, try etc at GeoWoodstock so you probably don't want to lug around a binder and bin of coins... this happened to me at GW5 and hence I then thought it smart to organize the coin-enthusiasts into an event... Midnight Madness... If you have the odd 'keeps' discoverer you can hold onto that at GW8, but I would bring coins to Midnight Madness... some people bring binders with sheets for others to discover, others bring trader bins of unactivated coins... this isn't like Geocoinfest so many of the vendors will not be there selling wares but there will be an event coin available for purchase. There will also be individuals selling coins.... you need a license from the county or town in order to sell. Awesome. Thanks, Avroair. This helps me to get a better idea of how I want to go about things.

Dropped my traveler Symbology this weekend. How are everyone else's doing? I'm keen to see how this all plays out.v

Never having been to a mega event before, I was was wondering how you experienced coin and TB lovers handle your inventory while you're at such an event. Do you take a mixture of activated-but-not-in-the-wild coins and unactivated? Is there a separate place where people meet to discover each others' items? Just trying to get a sense for how it works. I plan on having a binder for my coins by that point. Hope to meet some of you at GeoWoodstock and Lost & Found.

Gorgeous coins! Would you mind sending me the link as well? We've been toying with getting coins made for months but haven't really gotten serious until recently.

I've been caching for a year but just really getting going with collecting. I think I might need a second job to cover the addiction compulsion madness this aspect of the sport we call geocaching. What kinds of coins are others drawn to? I really like Celtic/mythic themed coins, but those are just two that come to mind.

I'm in! Thank you, Tsun, for starting this little venture. My traveler is Symbology: Show Me Montana's Meaning And GBOTS, thanks for the great idea re: a drawing for those who help. I stole it but gave you props.

Renzo, I love your bottle caps! A question, if I may- What are you using to make the designs? Just doing them on your computer then printing them?

Good thought, but I think the execution would still falter. Animals of all kinds have excellent noses- and can be quite determined to get into a container. Think about a raccoon visiting serious havoc on a cache... not a pretty picture! I'd recommend the Dollar Store/Walmarts/Target $1 bins for goodies like pencil sets, carabiners, etc. Of course, everyone loved unactivated TB's and geocoins, too.

No pictures to share, alas, but I have four: -My partner of 6+ years -My best friends, aka Dach n' Cache -My dog, Sumi We go almost every week and text/chat with each other about hunts we do independently. I've know Dach n' Cache for 7yrs, now. Time flies!

TB's and travel coins are not trade items; nothing is/should be expected to be left in exchange for taking them. DoubleBent, I know that- my point (poorly explained) is that they are taken without proper logging, etc. It degrades the quality of the caches because they are not moved as expected. I hope that makes more sense.

I second the HCx. I love mine, and it's very light. The battery life has been excellent. I find it easy to use.

You're on the same track as me. I've been pondering this exact issue for a few weeks now. I think we have to cache by example- and that includes swag. It won't make everyone step up their game, but I do think leaving good things can be inspiring to others. It is to me- which is why I find it so maddening that people (non-muggles) take TBs & travel coins and leave nothing or leave things of much less value. I'm sure there are a mixture of reasons why these things happen- economics (I'm not broke but I can't spend a fortune on swag), how kid-oriented are the cachers out there, are they cheap and stingy. Anyway, I think it just makes sense to ask for good swag in return on the cache page, but do so knowing only some will agree & do the same.

Oh, how I second the gloves. I left mine at home yesterday and had a too-close-encounter with some stinging nettles. OUCH. I bought a cache-bag recently, and here's what I take: -flashlight ($4.99 Dorcy LED light at Target. LOVE it) -GPS -two pens/pencil -Extra ziplocks -Logs if I have any -A ziplock of swag -1st Aid -GLOVES, lol -a battery pack for my iPhone -Leatherman As for swag, I have gone two routes, with a third underway. I've bought carabiners and other useful items at the dollar store and use those. Also, I've found random cool items at flea markets or whatnot. Lastly, we're about to start making our own swag- epoxy/resin bottle caps with designs, as well as small jewelry items. I can't recall the name of the cacher who posted instructions on the resin, but his stuff is AWESOME.

Fellow newbie here, started 3/1 and have 59 finds... Look for the spot, not the cache. I've also found myself checking the ground for disturbances, shoe prints, etc. It seems weird to not look for the container, but looking for the spot ultimately does get easier. When I started out in March, I was very spotty at first. Then I got better at it. I still have and log all my DNF's- they're not a reflection on you, at all. I use them as motivation to go back and try again. Good luck!

Thanks so much for this- I'm decent with puzzles but MATH...gahhh. As Calvin said in Calvin & Hobbes: "I'm a math atheist; I should be excused from this." I have a feeling these primers will help me to feel more confident.

Welcome to the obsession! I suspect you'll love it. I started in early March, and I've fallen head over heels. These forums have been great for answering questions; I've enjoyed the community very much. Again, welcome.

I use MacCaching and like it a good bit. Pretty simple to use.