Jenischmeni

I've been caching for a number of years and very seldom have I ever encountered another geocacher out in the field. Trust me, though, there are lots and lots and lots of us! I recommend that you attend an event. That's an excellent opportunity to meet up with others who share your passion for the hobby. It's a great chance to gain some tips and maybe even hints on those difficult hides. The event calendar is about 2/3rds of the way down on the main screen at www.geocaching.com. Look for days with Indiana (or even Michigan - you're not that far away). If you're a premium member you can even set up a notification so that when an event is published, you'll get notification. And...the events are listed on the weekly newsletter too.

I'm going to have to follow this carefully. We were planning on heading out there at the end of March. I guess I'm glad that I just hadn't got around to booking airline tickets and hotel reservations yet!! You'd think that the areas would have liked the extra tourism dollars.

The reason that they both show up as needing maintenance is because they were marked as such. One of them back in August of '08 and the other one in March '10. Both of the NM logs were for legitimate reasons. I'm guessing that the owner (or good samaritan) fixed it but the owner never posted the "Owner Performed Maintenance" log which is what would remove the "Needs Maintenance" attribute.

Maybe it's just me but.... I could swear that the new cache publication email *used* to contain a link to the hider's profile. I really do think it used to be there. And then...one day... it just disappeared. I can't remember when I noticed the link to the hider wasn't there any longer. It just seems like once I wanted to check who hid it and the hider's profile link was gone. It must have got lost in an update somewhere.

Let me echo the sentiments expressed by the other posters and say "thanks for handling this is such a level-headed fashion". Since you've now contacted a reviewer, the reviewer will now know to not publish caches on your land without making sure that permission has been granted. You could even give thought to establishing a permit system. Cachers who wish to place caches would have to meet with you and secure a permit prior to caching. They would have to email a copy of that permit to the reviewer prior to having a cache published on the land that you manage/own. That's how we have to do it for caches located in state parks here in Indiana. There's no charge for the permit, but it gives the park managers the ability to approve a cache placement prior to it being published at geocaching.com. An Indiana reviewer will not publish it until they've received a copy of the permit for that particular cache placement.

To the OP: Wow, that's kind of harsh. You're angry because a reviewer asked that your cache adhere to the guidelines? (Which is how the rest of us have to do it.) Then, you're angry because a reviewer couldn't be present at their computer at exactly 7:30 a.m. to publish your caches. Comparing a geocaching.com VOLUNTEER to being a volunteer fire fighter is like comparing apples to oranges. How many fires do you get in a typical week? In my state about 150 caches publish a week. That's a lot of "fires" for one volunteer. And....I will add this because I think it's worth mentioning: Are you sure that the reviewer didn't try to publish the cache this morning? I submitted a Pocket Query very late last night (early this morning, actually) and it still has not run. Maybe your cache is stuck in the system and it's not even the reviewer's fault at all?

About 3/4ths of the way down the main page of geocaching.com, is a link to the event calendar. Attending an event is the best way to meet other cachers. Many areas (like mine) don't have organized geocaching groups, but do have active cachers who attend events. I have met some of the greatest people from attending events. Many of which I am honored to now call close friends.

Welcome Cache$Bros! I'm in the Central Indiana area but you are in an active caching community. In fact, there's a trail mix happening this weekend if you'd like to get out and meet other cachers. The trail mixes are lots of fun. It's a group hike (and picking up some caches along the way too). Again, welcome to the hobby and welcome to the forums!

That's great news Johnny And Jewels! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the hobby and enjoying the eXplorist. To clear the track log, go to "Tools" (it looks like a wrench and screw driver), then "Settings", then "Track", and the last option is "Clear All Track". Click that. You *may* think that it's not doing anything because it could take a long time to clear. (Especially so if you have a lot of tracks built up.) By the way, I highly recommend that you turn the track log back on. It's a great idea to have it log your tracks if you're doing any hiking/caching in the woods. It's a lot easier to get lost in the woods than you'd think. If you have your tracks logging, you can figure out how to backtrack your way back to the trail head and/or your car. I know you didn't ask this of me, but here's a link to the manual: http://support.magellangps.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=125&nav=0,1,143,149 It's a pdf file so you probably didn't book mark it and probably downloaded it. (That's what I did and I thought the same thing as you!) Good luck!

Welcome sandyden! I'm glad that you were able to figure it out. It does seem confusing (and overwhelming) at first, but you'll be zipping around the website in no time at all! Welcome and congrats on your first find!

In my honest opinion, like MamaKatO said, using your in-car navigation for the car and your handheld for outside the car is the best route. I had a 60CSX and purchased the maps. It could route me to a cache and be a handheld unit. But the screen was small and it would only beep when I needed to turn. It was also notorious for beeping when I needed to turn. That's great if you're not on a highway doing 55 mph when it expects you to turn! LOL I prefer Nuvi for car navigation, thankyouverymuch! Also like MamaKatO said, TomToms can take coordinates too!

That's great news, KBLAST! Thanks for the update!

To the OP: Since you already have the Nuvi, use it for car navigation. The Nuvi can take coordinates. I use a Nuvi and an eXplorist GC. I input the coordinates into the Nuvi and have it guide me close to the cache. Once I've parked the car, it's the eXplorist's turn to get me to the cache. The eXplorist GC cannot do routing (turn by turn directions) but that's also why it's so cheap. However, it does come loaded with basemaps that generally cost about $100 to add to other GPS receivers. (I had paid $125 for those maps on my 60CSX) It's cool though to have those basemaps because you can tell if a cache is on the right or left side of the road. The eXplorist GC has a lot of bang for it's buck . But it just can't route you to a cache. If you want a receiver that can do both, you'll have to shell out some more moolah!

Hello JohnPound and welcome to Geocaching and the forums! I use an eXplorist GC too. By marking it found in the GPS reciever, it will not automatically log it as found on the website. This can be done a couple of different ways. There is a way to hook up the eXplorist GC to your computer and it will bring up the caches on your computer and you can log them. I am not very knowledgeable about this form of logging your finds. (I did read it in the manual though.) What I do when I get home is either of two ways, depending on how many caches I found while I was out. If it's not very many caches (0-10), I just use the sort/filter function and sort the caches down so that only the "found" caches are showing on my screen. I enter the GC# at geocaching.com and write out my logs, and submit them. If it's more than 10 caches, I will hook up the eXplorist GC to my computer and copy over the geocaching note from the eXplorist to a word file (or notepad or wordpad - whatever you prefer). I will sort that list into order by the time found and then log the finds manually. I never use the automatic logging function because I choose to write a personal log for each cache that I found. (My preference.) After I've logged the finds, I delete the note file from both my eXplorist and from my computer. To help you get started (and so you can read more), here is a link to the online manual for the eXplorist GC: http://support.magellangps.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&download Good luck and welcome!

GIG (Girls in Geocaching) has been very active in the Indy area. We've had monthly dinners (and other events) for well over three years. We finally have our own forums now: http://www.freeforum101.com/girlsingeocach...girlsingeocachi Although the hosting is limited to GIG members (meaning of the female persuasion), our dinners, events, and forums are open to all!

There will be some who say "yes" and some who say "no". If it was me, I wouldn't count it until I could return to sign the log. I have; however, claimed finds on logs that I couldn't sign. This would be because they were a solid frozen block of ice or a gooey mess. In those (very rare) instances, I will take a photo of the log and container and log the find. More often than not though, I'll place a new log and baggie in the container and then claim the find.

Welcome theshows! On the main page at www.geocaching.com, about 2/3rds of the way down is the event calendar. (it's kind of hard to find.) There are frequently events going on in the Indianapolis area (just because it's such a large area/group of cachers.) Tomorrow is an I Love the 80's event (hosted by yours truly), Sunday is our Geocaching Secret Santa and Monday is our monthly GIG dinner. All are open to all geocachers. Attending an event is an awesome way to meet new cachers in the general area! I know attending your first event can be a bit intimidating, but we're a very, very friendly bunch!

Welcome to PMO! Now you can have some serious fun! (And your life just got a lot easier!!)

Despite the fact that I am an experienced cacher, I bought the Magellan eXplorist GC. It's available for $150 through the Groundspeak store and several other outlets. It's very easy to use and very accurate. I have a Droid, but it is my least preferable way to hunt a cache. Often it is very inaccurate. It's battery life is only a few of hours when using it as a caching device. It's not practical on a trail. I'd run down my battery before I was finished with the hike. (And then what if I needed to call for help?!) As has already been mentioned, you're going to want something that withstand the rain and occasional dropping into the mud! I think you'd be wiser to keep the phone as a phone (and in your pocket) and pick up a cheap GPSr. Just my two cents worth

This is a pet peeve of mine. I know that many hiders (and finders for that matter) think it's clever when a cache is disguised as some electrical device. But, it's only a matter of time before a cacher is seriously injured (or even killed) opening up something that they shouldn't. I usually try to post a friendly suggestion in my logs, but I don't think anyone has ever actually taken the suggestion. And I agree... we're going to wear out our welcome with land managers if we keep dismantling their equipment

This is an excellent point! It frustrates me when people won't log their DNF. For some reason they view it as a failure on their part. It's not true. Maybe the cache is missing but the owner won't go check because they assume that only 1 person can't find it. Or....maybe the difficulty is underrated because people aren't logging their DNFs. All the other responses are good ones. If the difficulty on the cache is easy (1-2 stars), it could be missing. If it's a hard cache (3-5 stars), you're probably not going to gain anything from reading the logs. It will just take experience (and some luck) to find it. Also, as you make friendships in the hobby, ask a previous finder for a little nudge. (Or email the owner and ask for a nudge.) Excepting for a few very difficult hides in my area, most COs will happily provide a nudge for someone who is having trouble with one of their caches.

fwagschal - I don't have anything to send! Here's a link to the event calendar on Groundspeak's site: http://www.geocaching.com/calendar/default.aspx You can access that from the main page at www.geocaching.com. About 2/3rds of the way down is a small box and a link to show the full event calendar. On Sunday in the Indy area, we are having our Geocaching Secret Santa event http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ef-0d4be1917143 On Monday in the Indy area, we are having our GIG Christmas party: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...eb-f78ad826fac2 On Sunday, in Marion, OH is this event: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...5c-8e1389c12644 On the 26th is this event (which might be close for you): http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...dc-2e1b7ac58910 On the 29th in Ohio: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ed-dbfa42ea4e7b Like I said, events are a great opportunity to make geocaching friends and learn great tips. I've said this many times and it's true: I have made the greatest friends through this hobby!

Sorry, but yes. On the bright side though, you'll be able to run Pocket Queries which are a very easy way to get 500 (or even 1000) of the nearest caches loaded into your GPSr. (and yes, with descriptions and hints!) It'll be so easy that you'll quickly forget that you spent the time putting those other ones in

The eXplorist is already $150 bucks at the Groundspeak store. (http://shop.Groundspeak.com/productDetail.cfm?CategoryID=34&ProductID=311). I have one of these despite having over 2500 finds. I picked it up because it holds the full cache page AND cache page photos. It's very easy to use. The basemaps on this unit are comparable to the $125 US maps that I bought for my Garmin 60CSX. The eXplorist can also take field notes which is great to jot a little note so you can remember when you get home and log the find. The eXplorist doesn't route, but you still can see the maps and figure out where you need to go. (Or what side of the street the cache is located.) I have a Nuvi so I don't need my handheld to tell me where to go when I am driving. I doubt that your son would need it either I like the fact that I spend less time goofing with the GPS receiver (because it's so easy to use) and more time looking for the cache!

I could be wrong now, but it used to be the eTrex units needed a serial connection and why I originally started out with a Magellan. The higher end Garmins (GPSMaps/60 series/62/Oregon/Colorado) had USB connections. The Magellan eXplorist GC does come with the USB cord so there's nothing extra to buy Just food for thought. When I bought my eXplorist GC, it was $200. They're already down to $150 at Shop Groundspeak.