Caching without a GPS

[trance]

I am a very underfunded wannabe cacher. After searching all my local "used" stores and pricing things on ebay, etc I have determined that I won't be getting a GPS reciever for at least 2 weeks. I'd like to do some gps-less caching and was wondering whether anyone has had any success with the easier ones this way. any tips?

[+BrownMule & Jackrabbit]

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Originally posted by Reverend Trance:

I am a very underfunded wannabe cacher. After searching all my local "used" stores and pricing things on ebay, etc I have determined that I won't be getting a GPS reciever for at least 2 weeks. I'd like to do some gps-less caching and was wondering whether anyone has had any success with the easier ones this way. any tips?

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A few caches can be found without a gps. It all depends on your access to maps and mapping software and how much information is given in the cache description. One way to find out is look for the easiest rated one with most description in your area and go look for it. If you can't find it come back when you get your GPS. Good luck.

 

ENJOY THE OUTDOORS

[Hinge Thunder]

I have had one guy find one of my caches using a compass, and a map. And heard of another family hunting caches using topographical maps (though they found a cache, it was not the one they were looking for, which was about 1/2 mile away). It would be quite a bit harder, but it is possible.

 

In the GPS model of the universe, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line...through creeks, thorn bushes, horse piles, whatever....

[spiderlady]

We too were underfunded and found our very first cache GPS-less. It definitely depends on the difficulty of the cache and if you're familiar with the area at all.

 

You have a good chance of finding the "Oregon History Lesson 4" (aka I Hate I-5) without a GPS.

 

 

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Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers (1879-1935)

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[+Hawk-eye]

It is very possible. But your skills with a map and compass and basic land navigation will need to be well honed ... on all but the simplest.

 

Most cachers after some time "on the trail" can pinpoint caches fairly well without total reliance on the GPSr.

 

IMHO ...

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Co-founder of the "NC/VA GEO-HOG ASSOCIATION"

... when you absolutely have to find it first!

[+briansnat]

It's possible in some instances if the clues are good, but probably 90 percent of the time you don't have a chance. For the GPSless, try Letterboxing WWW.LETTERBOXING.ORG. It's a similar activity, but uses written clues instead of the GPS device. The only hard part is making your stamp.

[+Shoebox]

You might take a look at the maps at www.lostoutdoors.com . I haven't tried to find a cache with just those maps but they do help me get a sense of where a cache might be. You can get free aerial and topo maps of the area with a spot placed on the maps indication the long/lat of the cache. Might help.

[+bigcall]

I believe there is a geocacher in MA who has 200+ finds without the use of a GPSr (WaldenRun?).

 

You may want to contact him to get more details on his techniques.

 

Way back in the days when the grass was still green

and the pond was still wet

and the clouds were still clean,

and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space?

one morning, I came to this glorious place.

[basher_boy]

I have been doing it without a GPSr for 28 caches now. I really only go caching once a week, so I am pretty proud of it. I had no more experience with a map and compass than that received by 1st Class in the Boy Scouts (7th grade) and some refreshing on the Internet. I also have yet to find the cash for a GPSr (or the right GPSr for me).

 

You need a topo map that has an accurately placed cache, a decent compass, a pencil, the magnetic declination at the area that you will be caching in, and a little bit of knowledge. The hardest part is the map. You must make sure that the cache position is plotted using the correct w-84 co-ord system. Some topos are printed with that system some are printed to the older NAD-24 system, so you have to find that out what it is on the map that you will be using. In my area the difference is about 80 yards, but this can be up to 200 yards in some areas. The conversion tools to convert one co-ord system to another are mathematical models, and depending on that model you will introduce some error when you convert the co-ords from one system to another. There are inaccuracies in the topo maps themselves, which are exasperated by output errors from your printer.

 

At any rate I routinely manage getting within a few feet of a cache. Eight out of ten times I end up within thirty yards of a cache, and seven times out of ten within ten yards. This is well within what I would expect if I were using a GPSr. When I do eventually find cahes that are giving me trouble I realize that the map and compass didn’t fail me, but my ability to use them failed me. Surprisingly you will find that some of the easiest caches for a person with a GPSr are the hardest for the map and compass, and the easiest for a map and compass are the hardest for the GPSr equipped cacher. This is because easy caches are placed in the open on flat ground with open sky. Although the GPSr has an easy lock on the satellites, the person with a map and compass has few landmarks to navigate off.

 

Those who are expert GPSr users, are also expert with a map and compass. I have been teaching my caching partner how to use a map and compass. She has never had experience with it before, but in one or two days is easily navigating to within feet of an average cache.

 

I can tell you that I will get a GPSr soon. It would sure make finding caches easier. The hardest part about navigating with a map and compass is knowing where you are on the map. While a GPSr’s biggest weakness is telling you which way to go to get to the cache. It is easy to know where the cache is on the map. GPSrs are purpose built to supply you with information about where you are, and therefore when used in conjunction with a map and compass you have all the info.

 

Basher_boy

 

bAsH

BaSh

[trance]

No compass. It was a 1/1, and I used a topo map and a satellite map from lostoutdoors.com. Its gotta be easier with the maps AND a GPSr, but I'm a bit less anxious to get a GPSr now that I have gone and done it. Next up, Ridgeline cache.