Sol seaker

I've found a couple. I was with non-caching friends who did not want me to be caching as we hiked through a cache filled park. I just kept my eyes open as we walked and did spot a likely place. They're harder to find without a GPS. Another time I found the final a multi under a bridge that was disabled and presumed gone.. I signed it then went to log it online and realized it was a multi. I asked the cache owner if I should still log it because I hadn't found the waypoints. He said YES log it, I had found it. And he was really happy to have his cache found and back in the game.

Nope, never give up, never surrender! I have slowed down when life gets in the way but it just makes me want to cache more. I injured my back looking for a cache. I couldn't walk more than about 50 feet for four months. Did I give up? No, I just did drive up caches for a while I've ripped clothing (a lot) fallen, gotten scraped up, banged up and bruised. Beats the heck out of watching TV. I had a friend take a bad fall on a terrain 5 cache. He cracked two ribs, and was bloody all down his right side from top to bottom. Badly bruised and scraped, did he give up? Heck no. The following weekend he grabbed me and dragged me along so he could try again and have someone nearby to call 911 if he fell again. We both made it this time and signed the log. It was really hairy and scary and dangerous. What a lot of fun! I wish there were more caches like that!

I got a brand name lock and lock and it only held up for two years. I replaced it and the new one was leaking within two years. REI does sell boxes for geocaching that probably hold up better. I agree with not abusing their return policy. It drives prices up and is not within good integrity. I know these days integrity is no longer a priority in our culture but it is to me.

I found one the day before yesterday that hadn't been found in a long time and had a few DNFs. The hint said, "the other stump" and it turns out it was totally overgrown. You couldn't see it at all. I finally found it with my foot. These things happen. If I think its not there when I DNF a cache then I put a watch on it. I'm usually surprised to see others find it. If it gets a lot more DNFs, then I place a NM on it, the exception being if it has has a huge string of DNFs with a NM and an owner that hasn't logged on in a while. Then I will post a NA. That puts it on the reviewers list to watch and I don't have to.

If you get a premium account you can run pocket queries and filter out the caches you don't want to search for. The more caches that are placed in the city the more micros we'll have. Placing ammo cans downtown really doesn't work well. The other thing is, the more caches you find, the more you're likely to appreciate the micros. I've found this to be the case. The more I geocache the easier it gets. I need a good challenge now and then or the game gets boring. I prefer ammo cans in the woods though, so that's where I go the most.

That looks like a good fix, but if you still have problems you might try contacting Garmin directly. There could be a problem with your GPS. Contact them soon in case it's under warranty. Garmin is really great about helping out on the phone. They have great customer service. They once spent 45 minutes on the phone with me to try to fix my GPS. They could have just told me to send the old unit in for repair, but instead they spent a lot of time trying to fix it for free. I was impressed. I just went to google the number for you and found this: Garmin "just answer" It seems to be a Garmin site set up to answer questions. They say they have technicians online that answer immediately. When I found it it said there were 7 technicians online. It sounds worth a try.

I use "Easy GPS" and can have this problem sometimes. When it happens it means that I've got the wrong GPS selected. I'm not familiar with "Base camp" but maybe it's got a way to select a GPS on it. It should. Check what the setting is on. If it's set for a GPS that can only take coordinates then it will only send coordinates.

I would definitely put out more caches in that area if I were you! Edit:typo

Getting started on the new year? Happy new year! May it be a great caching year, along with everything else.

I agree that units for both are not ideal. They are two separate uses. The auto unit also is short on battery life for hiking, along with the other things mentioned previously. Handhelds are for hiking and geocaching. There is no great unit for both driving and caching. The Garmin Oregon series does beep when you need to turn, but is far less than ideal for driving, although great for caching. There are many great units out there. Consider a unit that is "paperless", that is, will download all the cache info, not just the coordinates. The lower end Garmins will not. Since you already know you are going to play a while, then put the extra money out to get a paperless machine. They have come way down in price recently. There are GPS reviews in the forums for technology I believe. I will link there when I get to a computer, or perhaps someone else will beat me to it.

It sounded like you might be going hiking. If this is the case, then consider taking "ten essentials." You don't need these for city caching, but if you hit the trails, don't forget them. There are actually different lists out there. I'll try to remember the basics. 1. Navigation: map, compass, GPS, extra batteries. (the compass is case the GPS fails) 2. Extra clothing. Consider if you were to twist your ankle and had to wait for help. A wool hat is always in my pack along with scarf and gloves. In the summer if I ended up out over night with nothing else extra those would go far in helping. In the winter I add an extra sweater, a dry synthetic shirt if I'm hiking far and could sweat a lot etc. 3. Extra food and water. 4. Flashlight with extra batteries. I carry 2. I got a light-weight wind-up light for my back-up. That covers it if my main light gets switched on in my backpack, or if I've used the spare batteries in my GPS. 5. Knife. A multi tool is good for caching but heavy for hiking. 6. Fire starter. Waterproof matches and a small candle to get a fire going is one possibility. 7. First aid. It's best to take a class so you'll not only know what to bring but what to do with it. 8. Cell phone. Be prepared that it may not get a signal. The original 10 essentials called for a mirror for a signaling device. If you're really going far you might consider it. Otherwise grab your cell phone. 9. Gear for inclimate weather. I believe the list states "rain gear" but if you're in snow country then plan accordingly. 10. Tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back. I should add 11. HAVE FUN! That's essential!

The biggest problem I see with a plaque is, as Hydnsek pointed out, that in order for it to be a cache it has to have a container. The Oregon plaque has a container nearby. Once we put out the container, we're back where we are now. I'm pretty amazed it was taken. I helped replace it last time and it was pretty tough to take. For what it's worth, I'm available to help again. Just give me a little advance notice.

We have an Oregon.... and It'll never be as good as having a dedicated 'street' navigation GPS. I see a couple flaws with using it: The Oregon doesn't have speakers, so the instructions will never be spoken to you. The Oregon screen is way too small and would require you to take your eyes off the road to clearly focus on such a small screen to see where your next turn would be. Street navigating GPS's are very inexpensive and you can actually load them up with geocaches. BE SAFE and buy the right tools for the job. Street navigators have big screens, 'speak' the instructions, will automatically zoom in & out for clearer views of upcoming turns/intersections. A friend of mine uses her Oregon for driving all the time. It beeps when she is supposed to turn. Once for right, twice for left, or the opposite, I don't remember.

Yes, I agree. I would imagine that you need to double check the parameters you set on the query. Such as "caches within so many miles". If you set it for say, 5 miles, and there are only 382 caches within that 5 mile radius, then all you'll get will be the 382. Check all the things you checked off in that query. I would imagine that would be it.

I use at least most of the benefits of being a premium member. If you're using a GPS it is so much better to be able to load a whole lot of caches at once with a pocket query than loading them one by one. I can't imagine caching at this point without pocket queries. I also use a lot of the other benefits. I also couldn't see not getting the premium member caches. I'd really hate to go somewhere, say a really nice hike in a nice park, and discover later there were caches there I could have searched for but didn't find because they were premium member caches. I do like the idea of supporting Groundspeak too. I use their website a whole lot, so it is well worth it to support it.

Hi there. Welcome to a fun game. You've got a lot of good questions, and I'll try to hit a couple of them. First, how to not get lost. There is a function in your GPS to create a waypoint. Perhaps your son knows that one, but there should be a button for that in your GPS. Before you go into the woods, or into the mall, mark the waypoint at your car. Then later you can follow that back. You have some common questions about finding caches; not dumb questions at all. Generally we suggest people start with traditional caches (not multis or puzzles) and start with large caches that have an easy rating. That will give you a chance to get used to your GPS and begin to learn the game. Once you get to within as close as you can to 0 on your GPS, what we call "ground zero" then you'll need to search within a 20 foot radius or so. Begin in wooded areas or parks and they'll be easier to to find than in the city. Just be sure to mark your car with your GPS. You can find others in your area to cache with too in your local forums, and they can be a big help for a lot of details. More later. Have fun!

"you sign the cache." "no, YOU sign it. I signed the last one."

O The difference is one in a hundred thousand light posts might have electrical issues. EVERY SINGLE rat bait trap is going to have dangerous poisons in it. A lot of them have arsenic. That will cause brain damage in low doses. High doses will kill you. Traps used as caches don't have poison in them. And just opening one doesn't mean you will be handling the poison - if the poison could get all over the place, the trap itself would contaminate the area, and would be dangerous - the poison is in something the rat will eat, NOT loose in the trap. I was taught to wash my hands before eating, and assume parents teach that today, so I don't see the problem. That's a pretty big assumption that you're betting a kids health on. I know a whole lot of adults who don't wash their hands before they eat. I know many times when I'm out in the car all day and don't get a chance to. I've seen parents who bother with their kids so little I'd be really surprised if they told them to wash their hands.

I'm Sorry this happened!! Thanks for the useful information. Probably the best piece of advice you gave was to be sure to bring a stick to search with. A friend of mine has a mirror on a stick that comes in useful. We have avoided some nasty spots with this device. I'm going to get one of those too.

Every spring they do ask people to check their caches. Spring is the logical time since a lot of them wet or damaged by freezing in the winter. If people aren't noticing this is happening now, how would any of this change that?

Are you volunteering to help us out?

Try running pocket queries. I don't know how people cache without pocket queries. Then you'll begin to appreciate the membership. Then look for some "member only" caches. Then complete a challenge cache and use a bookmark list to do it. So much easier! Then...

My guess there is a lot of abuse of the system by people who are trying to get certain GC numbers. To get a certain one they may have to get a lot, and then all the rest just sit with no intention of being used. I would imagine the active database would be different than just the storage space used for archived caches, but I'm no expert. It doesn't make sense to have a lot of caches lying around in the active database that no ones going to use. If they say it helps them to archive them, then what the heck. Archive 'em. They have kept premium membership prices the same for years, so I'm all for keeping it the same and keeping their costs down.

With a Garmin and a MAC you can just drag and drop the caches into the folder if you've got the cable hooked up right. I've never used a magellan, but I would imagine it would be the same.

ClarinetQueen, don't take this on. This is not uncommon and has nothing to do with you. It is good these issues come out. You can post in the Getting Started Forum and have a much friendlier exchange. I'm sure some of these people are having fun by debating this stuff, so let them have their fun and don't take it on. As far as my opinion on the original question, We've got a series near my house where the cache owner wanted to hide a monopoly game series. He decided to let others help him, and left cards for other players to create those caches (like railroads, or utilities). The problem was a lot of the cards were removed from the cache (probably with good intentions) and the caches never created. Only a few in the series ever were made. Now it is a few years later, and we have an incomplete series and the original cache owner is no longer even playing. He had promised a 100.00 prize for the one who won the game (although I don't remember what that entailed) and it all has fallen apart. Some of the caches created will be beginning to be archived soon, if some haven't been already. So we have a small handful of monopoly caches with instructions that make no sense, and a final that people can log, but no one can complete. I like the idea, that if someone has an idea they should play it out. If you'd like to create a series with other caches, try finding some cachers at local events or on your local forums. Otherwise, you came up with one great idea, I'm sure you will come up with some other great ideas too.