b_storch

How about first DNF? I bet I can get more of those than anybody! -ben

Don't be "that guy" And what guy is that? The guy that points out the obvious? No, the guy who makes a mean spirited comment about somebody who is looking for help. If you feel the question beneath you, then don't answer it. If you feel that they haven't studied the guidelines thoroughly enough then point them to the relevant provisions. Seeing that sort of rude comment makes someone like me with 0 hides and only a few finds (even fewer logged finds) less inclined to participate more fully if at all in this game for fear of being needlessly criticized when asking for the help or opinions of more experienced players. I probably shouldn't have said anything about your comment and I'm sorry if I've offended you. My original comment was meant partly in jest and partly because I thought you might be having a bad day or something. I've little interest in picking a fight on an internet forum with someone I've never met. Maybe we'll get to go caching together someday. Cheers. -ben

Might be bad luck

[ I'm in Sugar Land, but I work inside the loop. I'm a shameless self promoter. Come to my event, W.E.G.E. #7: Three Decker Sauerkraut & Toadstool Sandwich With Arsenic Sauce!!! & meet the locals... Looks like fun! I'll definitely try to check it out.

lol Hey now. I'm from Houston! It may be as humid as an armpit and sometimes it smells a little like an armpit, but it aint so bad. What part of Houston are you in?

I would be very interested to see what people say. A friend turned me on to this game a few years ago and I did it for a while before life got in the way. Recently I have started again and I plan on getting my wife into it too if she ever gets another day off. Unfortunately I've never gotten to place my own cache but hope to change that soon. I've spent the last couple of days plotting and seeking out a good location. My first choice is occupied by another cache that I plan to find tomorrow which is just as well since I want my first cache to go somewhere more meaningful anyway. Sorry to ramble. Happy hunting! -ben

Don't be "that guy"

I started caching a couple years ago then stopped and am now starting again so I haven't hid any yet, but this website should be of interest to people who wish to make their own logbooks. I am an elementary Art teacher and have made several with my students so they aren't too terribly difficult. Enjoy! http://www.booklyn.org/education/000240.php -ben

I have an etrex legend and I like it a lot. I do all the activities you described and a few more and it has worked fine for me. I've bounced it off rocks, dropped it in creeks and mud. It's flown off my ATV and landed on hard ground etc. Currently I am looking at getting a nicer unit (the garmin astro) to help keep up with hunting dogs as well as handling all my other gps activities but the Legend has served me well up to this point and I feel confident recommending it to someone else. Hope this helps! -ben

Pesky double post.

I like your site. I know that area pretty well. I actually used to date a girl that had some family around there, and I have spent a fair amount of time in that area myself. Anyway have fun with your new hobby. I have found that it is way cheaper than fishing, which is the only other thing I know of to do in that part of TX.

What part of SE Texas are you in? I'm also in SE Texas, in the Houston area.

Here ya go. Link

Hardcore Gangsta Rap, Dude! Just Kidding. Usually just whatever was on the radio on my way over.

Plot them on a map and use the scale at the bottom.

That's hilarious. I am on my second Garmin...I pretty much just used my new hobby of geocaching as an excuse to upgrade, and I have absolutely loved both of them. In fact after I got my new one, I sold the old one and now I am kicking myself because I should have kept both!

Go "Fear Factor" style, and make people jump over a pool of sharks, or eat something really disgusting or something.

I'm 24, I'll be 25 in April. So far I have had a blast doing this, despite the occasional frustrations. I'm really looking forward to getting to cache more this summer when the weather is nice and I don't have to work. (I'm a teacher) As far as GPSrs go, I just upgraded my plain Jane yellow etrex to the Legend, and I have been very happy with it. However, I don't demand as much from a GPS as some you guys do.

Thanks for all the help guys! I look forward to trying your suggestions as soon as I get home from work this afternoon.

Okay, the box says that it is the United States TOPO program. According to all the details on the back it is comparable to 1:100,00 scale USGS maps. It came with three CDs: East, West, and Alaska and Hawaii. My deer lease is found on the East CD and is in the neighborhood of N30 46.062 W94 35.463. Most of my geocacing is done in and around Houston TX so sooner or later I will have to buy a program that has all the city streets and whatnot on it, but I'm not really too worried about it right now. However, I do spend a lot of time in the Montgomery County area which is North of Houston and has plenty woods, creeks, and other types of terrain, none of which is depicted on the program. Montgomery County and Houston are both on the West CD. As far as transferring data to my GPSr I am waiting on a serial/USB adapter from RadioShack (they were sold out the other day) Thanks again for all your help and suggestions. I'm pretty good with maps and orienteering skills, but am not so great with computers so part of the problem might be me.

That's actually what I'm after, and why I am so upset. This program doesn't have any contour lines, or anything even remotely resembling a topo map. All it has is a few major highways. I bought it intending to use it for geocaching and also to mark important areas on my deer lease (such as where everyone has their stuff set up, game trails etc.) but the program is absolutely useless for this as the only detail I can find where my lease is supposed to be is a blank white area in between two roads. It doesn't even mark the cemetary down there let alone any of the terrain. That's why I was wondering if anyone else had run into this or if this was an experience unique to me.

The box says it is the USA topo version.

I just got started doing this stuff a couple of weeks ago, and used it as an excuse to buy a new GPS. (I've been wanting a nwe one anyway) At the same time I also bought a copy of Mapsource to go with it. However I am extremely dissatisfied with this product. It does not have nearly the level of detail that the box indicated. In fact the base map that came in my GPSr has more detail. I really feel swindled and was wondering if anyone else has had similar problems/issues with this and if so what you did about it.

Cupholders

The best book I have found for learning those skills is called Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter, and GPS by Bob and Mike Burns and can be found on Amazon for about ten bucks. Even though the subject matter isn't hard, I would suggest taking a class so that you can ask questions if you get confused.