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Well we finally found it today!! Borrowed a GPS from the neighbor and went out. Bought the $10 app to compare. The area was not heavily wooded, but the app, when the GPS unit finally got us to the cache, the app/phone said we were still 7.7 miles off. I restarted the phone just to make sure, but it still said 7.7 miles. I did use the GPS with just the satellite map and had the iPhone on compass. We used the compass for the most part (even though at times it was dead on saying only .3 miles to cache and other times was way off with distance saying 11 miles to app) until we got closer and then switched solely to GPS unit. Was thankful I had mapped out with google maps and earth where we were going BEFORE I left, otherwise I would have had no idea. I am so thankful we finally found it, but I definitely don't think we will go caching again with just the iPhone unless it is in a neighborhood. Thanks to EVERY ONE for the replies!! It makes me feel good to know I have support!

Thanks everyone!!! I do have a 3Gs (hubby has 4 so maybe he will let us use his?). I was using a compass which works fine even when we have no service, which is why I got the waypoint before leaving the car. The one cache (our second try) we were looking for, I just could not find the path. The other one (our third try and the one we REALLY want to find as it is listed as kid friendly AND has a pirate theme, medium sized container, and easy terrian, easy find), I did not know to read the logs. So this morning I read the logs and think I need to walk through the trail more. The compass pointed right into the bushes, but it might have meant "follow the path and you will get to the other side of the bushes"). I am still trying to figure out how to use a compass. We are going to try the pirate one again later today. Is there a way as a premium member to search for kid friendly caches?? It would be so nice with the iPhone becoming more popular as a way to geocache (I heard about geocaching years ago but only did it once we got the iPhone) that you could tag a cache as iPhone friendly (meaning that it was a pretty easy find with the iPhone). We are going to the Geocaching and Dinosaurs geocaching event in CO next Saturday. Hopefully we will get some tips and pointers that will also help us search with kids. Thanks again to EVERYONE who replied!!! :D I feel much better.

We went geocaching yesterday (for the first time and used the free version of the Geocaching app) and found our first cache. It was great and the girls were so excited, we went looking for another one (again, using the free version of the Geocache app). BOTH were in a neighborhood so I thought it would be easy. We could not find the second cache we were looking for (could not even find the path it was on). Today I went trying again. This time we went looking for a pirate cache and my girls could not have been more thrilled. I got the waypoint before we left in case there was no service (which there was not) in the area. The last person there said his GPS led him right to it. But having an iPhone, and being told by a man just coming off the hiking trail to be sure to stay on the path because he heard a few rattlers, we were a bit nervous. Still I was hopeful that my iPhone would guide me there. Of course the free app would not list this particular cache as a choice for us to find (and even if it had, the fact that service went dead just feet onto the path, the free version would not have helped us anyway). I have Geopher, MotionX GPS lite, and of course google maps and compass. But I could not figure out HOW to use ANY of them. I know we were just FEET from it, but being warned to stay on the path, I did not want to get too far off. I guess I needed more hints other than to just start at the trailhead. Is there a way to geocache with the iPhone? I read others having success, but we only had the one success (and that was an easy find - there were only two bushes it could be hidden in). But some of these others seem like you need something more. Of course just having spent the money on an iPhone, I have no money for a GPS system right now. My kids, whose enthusiasm was a 10 is now dwindling down to a 4. HELP!!! I don't want to become a premium member or pay $10 for the app if my kids don't like this, and I can't find out if they like it or not without being able to find more than one cache.