[Do you really worry about muggles?]

I used to worry more about when I first started. But then I decided that I actually look more suspicious just wandering around doing nothing. I don't worry at all about the adults. If they are just passing by I wait until they are gone, as to not draw attention. But if they are sitting in the area and not going anywhere, then I just go for the cache anyway. As others have said I worry about the kids and teens. If I see them I usually just go back for the cache at a later time. They are the ones that will move/steal it. My nephew (12 at the time) who thought he understood geocaching, moved a cache once trying to hide it better. But he moved it quite a distance from GZ. He thought he was helping until I explained how that could cause problems.

[Advice on creating ongoing CITO event]

Has anybody thought about (or maybe it already exists) an ongoing CITO event for a long hiking or biking trail? Something like the Appalachian Trail? I'm not even sure how it would work, but I would love to see something to have people CITO along the entire trail (assuming there are caches along the trail)and post logs and pictures about where they were. Is something like this even possible? I'm sure there would need to be several events posted along the trail? Is something like this even possible?

 

There are 2 trails that go across my entire state (one hiking, one biking) and I would love to do something like this.

[Advice on having an events]

I have been living in a small town for about 2 years. I love geocaching, but can't get any of my friends or family to go with me (they aren't outdoorsy people) and solo caching is getting boring. So I would like to start having a monthly (or every other month) social event to meet others. Nothing big, but maybe just meet at the park and make it potluck snack event (everybody brings a snack or drink.) We could trade travel bugs, tell caching stories...I guess the usual. Are events usually successful in rural areas? Any suggestions? I've only been to one event so I'm not really sure how they go.

[What should new geocachers know about trackables?]

I would like to ask a question about trackables. I apologize in advance if this was already addressed. I didn't have time to read all the comments.

 

I was wondering if it's alright to "discover" trackables in previously found caches. If somebody drops a trackable in a cache that I've all ready found, would it be "proper" for me to go to the cache and get the tracking number to discover it? I haven't done this yet, but there are a couple of caches within a few blocks of where I live, and they occasionally have trackables in them. I don't see why it would be an issue, especially if I just discover them and don't retrieve them. But I wanted to double check first. Thanks!

[Who Got You Started?]

This is probably more than what you really want to know. But here is my story.

 

I heard about geocaching on another website forum. They were talking about different hobbies and outside activities. They mentioned geocaching, and since I had never heard of it I had to look it up. It seemed pretty interesting, but I took me about a year and a half before I bought a GPS. I lived in Delaware at the time so started with the Delaware Geotrail. My attempt at the Kalmar Nyckel/New Sweden Center, was a success. That sort of hooked me. The idea that so many people visit and volunteer, but I was one of the few that new about the secret hide was pretty cool. Later that day, I also found the Old Swede's Church geocache. I ended up getting locked in the graveyard though (Tip to new cachers - be sure to check hours where the caches are hid.) I eventually "escaped". It makes for a sort of funny story now. I think it's these types of OOPS situations that add to the adventure and excitement. As long as nobody gets hurt or in serious trouble, it's all fun to me!

[Best Swag Swap Item?]

I've only been caching a short time, but I do clean out the caches and replace it. I never expect to find anything of real value, but I also don't enjoy finding junk in the caches. On several occasions I've found a single playing card or puzzle piece, and I thought "come on. All you have to do is go to the dollar store and spend a couple of dollars." I've also found broken toys. In one cache I found a torso of a small action figure. No arms or legs, just a head and torso. I threw it away. I've never really found anything special. I guess I just try to use items that won't hurt if they get wet, and are pretty durable. They may not be fancy, but they will last.

[2012 List of Geotrails with Rewards]

Does anybody know if the Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail still has coins left of those that find 20 or more caches? I would love to do this trail, but I'm not going to rush if the coins are already gone.

 

And I'm almost positive the coins for the Delaware Geotrail are gone. They only had 6-8 left when I contacted them over 6 months ago.

[New geocacher looking for GPS help (Garmin)]

This is normal. A consumer grade GPSr is only accurate within about 10 feet. So you have to expect at least 20 feet of error when looking for a cache. If the person who placed the cache was off by 10 feet in one direction and your unit is off by 10 feet in the other direction. Then your going to be +/-20 feet from the cache when your unit reads you at GZ. So when your within about 20 feet its time to start looking for hiding places and stop looking at your unit. Of course the margin of error grows with a dense tree cover or any place that has allot of large objects around you and the view to the sky is obscured.

 

The game wouldn't be as much fun is your GPSr could put you right on top of the cache. Now would it?

 

Haha, no it wouldn't be much fun. But 4o feet is more than what I was hoping for. But I will live with it. It's not going to stop me from caching. I just know that I will need to expand my search range in the wooded areas.

[New geocacher looking for GPS help (Garmin)]

I am a relatively new geocacher so I thought I would post a recent issue I have been having, and see if there are any suggestions. I started geocaching about 4 months ago using a Garmin eTrex H. Probably the most basic GPS out there, but still not bad for a beginner. I was pretty happy with it and it seemed pretty accurate, including several times when it put me within 5 feet of the cache. However, the last time I used it I was in a wooded area and it wasn't very accurate. My friend, who I was introducing to geocaching, found the cache while my GPS still said we had 30 feet to GZ (Good for her though-she was excited.) I know there can be some issues with overhead cover, but this time of year I wouldn’t think should really be an issue. There were some pine trees in the area, but I would only call it moderate overhead cover compared to summertime.

 

I was about ready to buy a new GPS anyway because I was tired of manually entering the coordinates, and I wanted to go paperless. So I bought a Garmin eTrex 10. Same thing, I was pretty happy with it, but again I was headed into the woods with moderate coverage. I stumbled across the cache when my new GPS said I still had 40 feet to go before GZ.

 

So any suggestions or ideas? I can't afford a more expensive GPS. Is this just something I will need to deal with? I hope not; I would hate to have to search at least a 40 foot radius for every cache in a wooded area (which is where I usually geocache.) I would appreciate any help or ideas. Thanks!

[Geocaching on a roadtrip]

I just started geocaching a few months ago and am really enjoying it. I am going on a road trip to visit a friend next month and would like to geocache along the way. I will be driving almost 1000 miles, and would like to find caches very close to my driving route. Is there an easy way to do that? Something like google maps but also has the caches along the way?