angevine

It depends on the smart phone .... some appear to be smarter than others when it comes to locating coordinates and placing you on top of them. The big drawback to a smart phone, however, isn't the accuracy (or lack thereof): it's the fact that its battery life is so inferior to that of a handheld dedicated GPS device. If you're going out for the day, your smart phone isn't going to be able to keep up. I'd hoped to use only my smart phone when I finally decided to get one ... but I'm back to my Garmin now! Jeannette (I wrote the book on geocaching: http://tinyurl.com/3ffzsuc )

This week I finished a new article in a local publication that serves as an introduction to geocaching. I'd love to get more people in my area interested in geocaching, as we have a relatively low number of caches around here (Cape Cod). And it made me wonder ... I generally have done things like writing articles and teaching introductory workshops to interest others in caching, but there have to be other ways that people get engaged. How do you share your love of geocaching? At this time of year, do you give handheld devices as Christmas gifts? (That was how I started --- sort of.) What do you tell people to interest them? I'd love to hear your stories .... Jeannette (angevine) I wrote the book: Open Your Heart with Geocaching

Lots of alternate sites out there ... but honestly, geocaching.com is the best .... Jeannette (I wrote the book on it: Open Your Heart with Geocaching)

Cemeteries are wonderful places. As others have said, the local historical society should be able to help you. Also check with town hall: sometimes the town clerk knows everyone and everything in a given place. Even if they're not *adjacent* to the church, some cemeteries are connected to a local church, so it's worth checking in there. Enjoy! Jeannette (I wrote the book! "Open Your Heart with Geocaching" at http://tinyurl.com/3ffzsuc )

Yikes. This is a recurring problem, as is the opposite -- bugs appearing in caches that aren't listed as being there. A lot of cachers don't seem to know exactly what do with trackables. Inform, inform, inform. First make sure that it really isn't there (look around: I've found stuff outside of containers from time to time) and then let both the cache owner and the trackable owner know. It may well surface eventually ... I also know people have picked up trackballs and haven't logged them until they're ready to drop them off, which can be weeks or even months later. As I said, they can get very messy. -- Jeannette who wrote the book on geocaching: Open Your Heart with Geocaching available on Amazon, B&N, and at Powell's

Gloves are excellent but to avoid snakebite, always use a stick to pock into holes. It will save you from all sorts of unpleasantness! Jeannette Open Your Heart with Geocaching http://www.amazon.com/Open-Your-Heart-Geocaching-Exploration/dp/1601660049/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318030791&sr=8-1

No digging is permitted at all. Cache finders can't dig to find a cache, and cache hiders can't dig to place a cache. There are many other wonderful places to hide a cache, there's no reason to cause any damage to the environment! Jeannette I wrote the book: Open Your Heart with Geocaching http://tinyurl.com/3ffzsuc

So now I have my first smartphone -- an iPhone -- and it seems to be able to do everything my handheld Garmin does. Is it time to get rid of the Garmin? Thanks! Jeannette, who wrote the book on geocaching Open Your Heart with Geocaching www.booksaboutgeocaching.com

When I moved I was very anxious about two of my caches, which I loved very much and which were very popular. I've been very grateful to the two geocachers who adopted them from me ... they've been very good about keeping me in the loop about the caches and by "following" them I've been able to continue to derive great joy from them. You do need to ask yourself if the caches are important enough to be adopted. Some caches need to just disappear and make room for others. I didn't have *all* my caches adopted; some had been fun, but that was all. There's nothing wrong in closing them down as well. -- Jeannette Yep, I wrote the book: Open Your Heart with Geocaching!

Sounds like people are paying attention. Not every change is a good one! Jeannette I wrote the book on geocaching: Open Your Heart with Geocaching http://tinyurl.com/3ffzsuc

I love series ... two of my caches involve a series of stops, and it's a great way to present a historical theme or area. Think about series when you're putting caches together! Jeannette I wrote the book on geocaching: Open Your Heart with Geocaching, now available as an ebook at www.booksaboutgeocaching.com!

As for #2, it has often amazed me to see how many people do *not* replace caches precisely where they found them. Bizarre. You might even put a note on the cache that your coordinates are correct and that the cache has a tendency to wander a bit. And perhaps #2 is not unconnected to #3 ... caches do wander more when muggles are about. If you like placing them there, then absolutely go for it ... but remember that they *will* disappear, get destroyed, and wander .... Enjoy! Jeannette (I wrote the book on geocaching, literally! Paperback version of OPEN YOUR HEART WITH GEOCACHING is at http://www.amazon.com/Open-Your-Heart-Geocaching-Exploration/dp/1601660049/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308329880&sr=8-1 ... ebook version is at http://www.booksaboutgeocaching,com )

Night caches can be very cool, but one has to be careful when looking at the terrain to make sure that there aren't any obstacles that could hurt someone out there. Something that looks easy by day isn't nearly the same at night! I've always been amazed at how different distances seem to be at night. I was doing a cache by a cemetery one night (yeah .. spooky) and was concerned that some car was coming through the field right at me. The car was, of course, on the road beyond ... but it looked a lot closer. Weird, our perceptions. Jeannette (angevine) Open Your Heart with Geocaching is now available as an ebook! Visit www.booksaboutgeocaching.com for your copy today!

I can't say that I agree about the social aspects -- the best way to socialize is to go caching together, organize caching events, etc. But as for the rest ... yeah. I think you're certainly right about the lack of intuitiveness about the website, the really poor navigation, and the ability to lose destinations easily. Instead of adding on, as generally seems to happen, a new website would be grand. Thanks for taking the time to put this post together ... your thoughtfulness is appreciated. Jeannette who write the book on geocaching: "Open Your Heart with Geocaching" available at Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

It's not the end of geocaching. Everything evolves, everything changes, geocaching is no exception. If people are being irresponsible, perhaps this will help call them on it. And perhaps we'll start seeing more and more creative caches --- that wouldn't be so bad! Jeannette (who wrote the book on geocaching: Open Your Heart with Geocaching, available online and at bookstores everywhere)

As others have said, you really need to follow your own imagination and your own resources. If it's difficulty you're looking for, I don't think I've *ever* twigged on to caches that were suspended above my head. My former husband used to place a number of these and my brain just doesn't work that way. it's something to consider trying! Jeannette, who wrote the book! Open Your Heart with Geocaching

From my book, "Open Your Heart with Geocaching": Don’t depend solely on your GPS receiver to get you in and out of anywhere. Batteries fail; devices are dropped and broken. Bring a compass (I have one embedded in the top of my walking-stick) – but take the time first to learn to use it. Pay attention to what is around you: trail markings, trees, anything that can act as a landmark. You don’t have Ariadne’s thread to help you out, and anywhere that you’re lost can feel very much like a labyrinth indeed. Perhaps too obvious to mention (but I’ll mention them anyway) are your organic or chemical companions: sunscreen and bug spray. Not having either can make your geocaching experience extremely unpleasant. Also bring a small first-aid kit, either one you purchased (I carry one meant to go on a small boat, for example) or one that you put together. Always bring a knife of some sort and a whistle. Be prepared for inclement weather. An all-weather hat may be a better choice than a baseball cap; bringing a light fold-up poncho in your backpack is another option. In the fall and winter months I always slip a chemical hand-warmer into my backpack, just in case; I also always have a so-called “astronaut’s” blanket folded there. It adds practically no weight or bulk and could very well save your life if you are hurt and stranded somewhere. Invest if you can in good footwear. What you buy depends on the level of geocaching you want to do. Most into-the-woods-but-not-scaling-rock-cliffs geocachers find that a pair of hiking shoes or boots works well. Do not buy them and immediately set off on a ten-mile walk; break them in gently and gradually and only go geocaching when they’re comfortable. Wear wool socks and bring an extra pair in your backpack; I don’t know any geocacher who has not gotten her feet wet at some point, and dry socks are one of life’s more comforting pleasures. A lot of people find that sticks or staffs are useful geocaching tools, even beyond their conventional use as aids to hiking. There are times when the search for a cache involves poking in a hole, under a log, in a stump – in other words, in places where you might not wish to blindly stick your hand. Your staff is then your friend. Geocaching in the winter in snowy places also quickly shows the value of a staff that can clear away snow or “feel” places where, again, you don’t want to use your arm. You might want to bring some trinkets for exchange when you get to the cache. There is a great deal of discussion about trade items on the geocaching forums, with many people expressing frustration over what they find in caches – usually the kinds of toys one receives in a fast-food restaurant as part of a kid’s meal, or, worse, those same toys, only broken. For reasons beyond my understanding, golf balls are also a typical find in a cache. After a while, you’ll decide whether the trinket exchange is important to you or not; but always have something nice with you, just in case. The conventional wisdom is to trade up – leave something nicer than what you took. Many geocachers develop signature items, trinkets that they buy or make en masse and place in every geocache they visit; Mary Votava spoke of a signature item she creates to leave in caches in her conversation found between the first and second chapters of this book. Finally, spend some time with maps. The better you can read a map, the more you’ll enjoy and feel proficient at geocaching. Topographical maps are the best; while each geocache includes a terrain rating, these ratings can be subjective and your idea of a tough climb may be very different from mine. You can get online topo maps at topozone.com, which you access by following the link on the cache page: learn to read them and pay special attention to elevation and bodies of water. And I can fit it all (with the exception of the stick) in my backpack! Enjoy! Jeannette (angevine) Open Your Heart with Geocaching: http://tinyurl.com/6ysw4lo

I'd go with someone else who has a proper handheld GPS device. Also, make sure you have substantial finds under your belt before you hide ... you learn a lot through finding other people's caches! Jeannette (angevine)

I've had caches adopted ... you need to find someone who shares your enthusiasm for the cache, and ask them nicely ... it works. Jeannette (angevine)

It *is* difficult at first to find even easy caches. Don't get discouraged! It isn't just you. You may want to try going with another cacher at first ... after a while one does rather get a "feel" for caches. Another tip that may help you is to look at the area and ask yourself where *you* would hide a cache there. Often that's where it will be! Good luck! Jeannette

I love it. (Why doesn't Tinker do forums?) Jeannette

Be careful, cemeteries are generally not permitted as hides ... for obvious reasons. Jeannette

Neon fingers, huh? We had a wonderful time geocaching with our children, and now I delight in doing it with my friend and HER children. There's nothing quite as fulfilling: a journey, a destination, a (little) competition ... geocaching has it all! Enjoy ... Jeannette

Neon fingers, huh? We had a wonderful time geocaching with our children, and now I delight in doing it with my friend and HER children. There's nothing quite as fulfilling: a journey, a destination, a (little) competition ... geocaching has it all! Enjoy ... Jeannette

Gosh, if you think that's harsh, J., then you should read some of *my* emails when I'm peeved! No: it's not. I agree that putting the two points together makes sense and would make sense to someone reading it. Everyone geocaches in a different way, but helping people understand the fundamentals -- as you're doing very nicely here -- is essential. Jeannette