switchdoc

Heyas Tadpole, I'm not in NM so I can't speak to any groups there, but seemed a shame no one had popped in to say welcome to caching so... Welcome to caching! -Switchdoc

I guess for me it depends on who it is... I definitely share hints with friends and people I have cached with before, and would likely try to help out someone who seemed to be a 'newbie' as well. within reason. And definitely a hint, not the exact location. If you are a complete stranger and I get the sense you aren't really trying too hard, the maybe not so much. I'm actually worse when I am out with people to a cache I have been to before. Then it is great to walk around, whistling casually, and watch them struggle!

This is the key of it right here. The people who care probably did it by accident, and if you are the kind of person to completely false log finds, I doubt the cache owner yelling at you or deleting a find is going to help much unfortunately.

One of the best things I did when I got started was reach out to other cachers in my area. They helped me learn the ropes, showed me a ton of new stuff, and made outings a lot of fun!

Head out into the area around Rachel and Area 51. Awesome and beautiful place to visit!

Don't have a Colorado, but both my Wife and I have used Garmin products for years and couldn't be happier with them. I think you made a great choice!

Heyas Moose Mob! I still have great memories from that geocaching trip we took out there... exploring the ET highway, Rachel, and the gates of Area 51. Hows the caching out in cali? Team Laxson, my wife works in Longmont so she's up there all the time. I should check to see some of the caches out here. I always loved the cloak and dagger aspect of the game when it came to fooling the muggles.... talking into my GPS so people think it's a phone or bending down to tie my shoe while stealthily putting that micro back under a park bench Nowadays with the proliferation of smartphones its not nearly so unusual for someone to be walking head-down muttering at an electronic device as it used to be! Some of the best times I had have always with other cachers. TheWife and I used to spend a lot of time with people like Imajika, AtoZ, Vader, and Spammer. I don't see any recent forum activity for them but they were really great folks and I hope they are doing well. It looks like you do a lot of caching up in the hills, which we haven't tried yet... how do you find it compared to Urban caching (which I actually really enjoy)?

Team Laxson, Thanks for the quick reply and nice to meet you! Some of the names you mention definitely ring a bell and I think you are right, what coloradoan worth his salt is anywhere near a computer on a nice day like today? I find myself in a Sherlock Holmes themed bar slurping down Corona's and surfing the forums, so that's my excuse. Where North are you? Greeley and Ft Collins are familiar haunts for me... -Switch

Welp, I think it's time to dust off the ol' Garmin and take up the treasure hunt again. My wife and I were really active several years ago and met a lot of great people along the way who really made the hobby a lot of fun. Lately, when we've tried to get back into it, I've realized it's the people I've missed even more than the game itself. So, this is a general inquiry. Who is still active and running around the Denver, Metro area? My wife (TheWife) and I would love to meet some of the people in this area to maybe hook up with and hunt some caches together. Or even if you are not up for that, it would just be enjoyable to know who else is out there. So... Denver area... sound off! We want to get to know you after a long absence! Switchdoc and TheWife

Isonzo Karst, Thanks for the information. It sounds like Florida has a lot of caching opprtunities so I am excited about the prospect of moving down there! It's also good to hear the particular area I am thinking of is pretty active. The heat is probably my primary concern. It gets hot in Colorado, but its so dry even 100 degree days are pretty tolerable. I'll probably melt like cheap ice-cream the first day it gets over 80 down there -Switch

Nice to meet you road rabbit and thanks for the reply! I'll check out the link. Just out of curiosity, how many cachers did you have there BEFORE you guys started putting ammo cans in alligator infested swamps? -Switch

Hey all! I've been living in Colorado for the last dozen years or so and found it to be a great area for caching. A lot of people here are outdoor oriented to begin with, plus we have lots of open space, parks, the mountains, etc. I think we've been really spoiled to be sure. Now it turns out my wife and I (also a cacher) may have the opportunity to move down to the sun and fun for a while and I'm curious about how caching is down there. Is there anyone in the Melbourne Beach area that can give me a run-down on the cache scene? I'd imagine the weather makes it easier to cache year round but I've also heard the summers are pretty brutal. I'd be curious about the relationship between local cachers and the local parks-and-recreation authorities (are the open to caching, etc?) and just about the caching community in general. If we do move we'd sure like to meet some like-minded folks to go caching with as well. Any information appreciated. No reasonable offer turned down. Your milage may vary. Does not include tax or deal prep. Don't forget to tip your waitress. -Switch

I have a verizon 6700 SmartPhone which runs Windows Mobile 5. Would love to try this out. I'm using Smache currently and it constantly crashes on me.

Heyas, I live about 20 mins from Lakewood and we can probably work something out for Friday evening (Night Caching!) or Saturday. Send me a PM if you are interested! -Switch

I got it to install, looks good and I like that it uses googlemaps. I also can't figure out how to load a GPX file. How do you do it?

I recently went out and got the suction mount for my Garmin 60c. Now I can stick it right where I can see it easily without it blocking my view of the road. No more swerving GPS dance for me!

Night cachinghas always been one of my favorite things to do in the summertime. The air is cool, there aren't that many muggles about, and you get to play with flashlights!

Next time you head north drop me a line. I have geocached a LOT in fort Collins. But I have not almost nothing outside of the city. I am up for caching in cheyeene, loveland, windsor, estes park, etc. if you come north. And I am always up for helping other geocachers cache in the Fort Collins. Lief Youngs Hey Liefy, Sorry for the late reply. We'll defintely make sure to get in touch next time we head down that way! We haven't been out to much lately due to work schedules and not being a fan of snow, but hopefully in the near future things will pick up! -Switchdoc

Hey Liefy, TheWife and I cache in the Denevr area but we get down your way sometimes. Feel free to drop us a line sometime -Switch

Peter St. Peter and TheHuntersScoville feel free to drop TheWife and I a line as well if you wish. We cache in the Denver area and heck, it'd be fun to hit the Springs even. Oh, and, welcome to the last hobby you'll ever wear (err.. need).

Just checked into RAM site. Looks like they do have some danged nice mounts. Problem is they appear to take up the whole passenger seat! How am I supposed to explain to the TheWife that she'll have to ride in the back so the Laptop can ride shotgun?

Working on a difficult multi in our area that no one had found yet, I watched it so I could read the logs of other folks who were trying to find it to make sure that the FTF was still up for grabs, check to see who i was competing with, and to hopefully gleen hints from their DNF logs

Urban night caching is one of my absolute favorite things to do, especially in the summer here in Colorado. The weather is cooler, there are less muggles about, and there's just something so 'uber-stealth' about it. That and creepy and a little scary at times, which makes it all the more fun. We use LED headlamps and handheld flashlights (with an adjustable pivot neck for easier use) when we go out. To echo whats already been said, definitely go with at least one other person although I personally feel much more comfortable with at least two friends along. For the most part we did open-space type caches where there weren't really any rules about being in the area at night, or caches downtown where the area is open 24 hours a day. To reinterate the point about the housing challanged, this is definitely a possiblity in urban areas at night. We had a surprise run-in with a poor fellow who was sleeping in a bush very close to the cache we were looking for downtown... that'll about put you off your wheaties a while when it happens. We tried to avoid neighborhoods although I admit to pushing my luck on this once or twice when the cache was just out of the way enough that it seemed like it would probably be okay. You just want to avoid doing anything thats going to freak out the neighbors too badly. If you haven't done this, get a few folks together and go for it! And of course, make sure to look for caches in your area designed to be found at night.

My wife (TheWife here on geocaching.com and the mb's) have a 2 1/2 year old brown tabby named Wrigley. She is a total "Mama's Baby Kitty", so we do not take her with us. We have been geocaching for almost 2 years. Good luck with the project! -Switchdoc and TheWife

Another trick I have found helpful, similar to the triangulation mentioned earlier. If I get to the area and I'm off 20 feet or so, or I'm getting conflicting readings and just can't find the cache, I strike off about 50 feet in a random direction and then head back. I'll note where the gps takes me to, then strike off 50 feet in another direction and try again. Rinse and repeat until you've narrowed it down to a definite area. Usually this will give me a good idea of where I need to be.