JohnAengus

Oh, no, not another 1/1 or 2/2 rating where you get out of the car and walk 50 feet to find the cache.

I would say that is good accuracy! That's pretty close.

We have mountain lions in the Black Hills of South Dakota and one day I came across two! Since then I have carried pepper spray.

Like many, I am a gadget freak and brought the GPS back in the summer of 2002 and stumbled across th geocaching site.

The Legend is only about $20-30 more than the yellow e-trex and had the cable and ability to hold maps. Definately worth it! JohnAengus

If you were that far off, you may want to check and see if your map datum was set incorrectly. The default map datum in geocaching is WGS84. Also, check your coordinates in the GPS - I have entered them wrong before. You can download the coordinates directly to your GPS with files from geocaching.com. Here is a good site: http://www.geocacher-u.com JohnAengus

I think it is imortant to be able to use the map and compass when Geocaching in the woods. I always have a topograpic map of the caching area with me! I have read two books and both are pretty good. The first is "Be Expert with Map and Compass" by Björn Kjellström. It has been around a while, last update in 1994. However, it provides basic map an compass navigation in a clear manner. The second book I read is "Land Navigation Handbook" by W.S. Kals. It has more up to date information including GPS and using altimeters. JohnAengus

Gas prices will not affect my caching. Most of the caches I do take 2-4 hours to complete and twice this week I drove 120 miles round trip to get to caches. I have been cooped up too long this winter and will not let gas prices stop me. Gas here is about $2.80 per gallon, that only translates to $1.50 more for a trip like that this year over last summer. Even at $3 per gallon, it is about $2.50 more. I'm not going to stop caching for $2.50!!!! It makes me laugh when people complain about gas prices, yet spend $3-4 per pack of cigarettes!! Now that is silly!!!!

Do we havey any of hese in South Dakota?

I use mine at work and gecaching. In both places, I wear this case: http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/tuff_a...pda_case_review I really like it! JohnAengus

I highly recommend my Old Baldy cache. It is a fantastic hike - one of the best in the Black Hills.

I carry pepper spray in the very remote case I run into a mountain lion. I saw two one day when I was out hiking here in the Black Hills!

I have never encountered a rattle snake and I wouldn't let their presence stop you from enjoying allthe geocaches we have out here. It seems that I have heard they like hot rocky places - I may be wrong. Be careful, listen, and carry a big stick!

Just called the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center and the brochure is not yet available. The person on the phone said she could give me the coordinates over the phone. I'll keep checking!

I see a cahce that was placed in May of 2001, it is CLIFFCACHE by ERH-IN-WI. Hmmm.....

"The first cache (in South Dakota) was placed in 2003" I was caching in SD in 2002!

So, why do we need the barometric altimeter in addition to the GPS elevation?

On the Garmin units there is the GPS Elevation and then you have the altimeter on some units. What is the difference between these measurements? Thanks, JohnAengus

Here is a site that explains in great detail how to get started : http://www.geocacher-u.com/resources/paperless.html. It works pretty well and you don’t have to have all the papers printed out. Great for taking wherever you go and happen to see the caches on your GPS.

What do I do? I don't like urban micros. I like to find the caches out in the woods and not bother about anyone wondering what I am doing.

I just called the Peter Norbeck Center and the "geocaching" information is not yet available. He said they are about a month behind and expect it to be available in two weeks. Apparently the Needles Highway has been closed for snow or construction and it just opened yesterday or today. There are a couple sites on the Needles Highway and they wanted to check the coordinated before publishing the information.\ I don’t think this is a geocache that is on the site, rather something fun they are doing for visitors to the park. Maybe we could get them to post it – or allow someone to do it. Make the Peter Norbeck Center the first coordinates. I think it would get a lot more coverage that way when people are looking for caches online. Phone numbers of interest: Park Headquarters - (605) 255-4515 andPeter Norbeck Visitor Center - (605) 255-4464. JohnAengus

Have you heard of any rules about placing caches in Custer State Park in South Dakota?

If you are choosing between the Tungsten E and E2, there is one important feature you should consider. The T|E has volitile memory; that means if you let your battery do dead, you loose everything on the unit. The T|E2 does not have volitile memory.

Chris, I have a Garmin etrex Vista monochrome listed here a few messages down. I got a Vista CX for my birthday. John

Etrex Vista monochrome for sale: $150 plus shipping charges. Includes : Lanyard, Garmin soft belt case, reference manuals, and serial data cable. There is a little scratch on the screen – barely noticeable. The scratch is right on top of the word “Satellites.” There is a very small mark on the side of the unit. If you zoom in to the right of the word “Satellites,” you may be able to see it. This has been a fantastic unit, but I got a Vista CX for my birthday. Pictures available. If interested, please cntact me throught the PM or my profile. Thanks!