First Time Out

[+wbscs]

I just started my hunt yesterday. I heard about this from a neighbor, told a g/f whos husband had a gps. So I went on the web site printed some chaches off and off we went. Man were we lost. I did later read that we should have put in our "waypoint" in the gps. Well that will be a lesson for another day. We will be much better prepared next time out! Is there a web site that we can go to and put in the coordiances from point A to point B and we could then have driving directions so we have a better idea as to where we are going? I am happy to say we searched for a little less than 2 hours in a small wooded area to find what was said to of been and ez find.

[+Team Neos]

Welcome to the wonderful addiction of geocaching!

 

There are ways to get driving directions, but the only ones that I know of require membership at GC (to get PQs) and/or special mapping programs for the GPS. I am sure that some of the folks that use the mapping programs will tell you all about them.

 

But...that doesn't mean that you have to have those things to be successful right now. When you put the waypoint in the GPS, it will help tremendously. I can't stress that enough. If you don't know how to do that yet, figure that out first! Someone on here will give you step by step directions if you need them--just tell us what kind of unit you have.

 

My only other hints for the brand new cacher (Wow, that was me this time last year!):

Pick fairly easy ones to begin with...and maybe not micros at first---they can be a lot harder than you might think. (Lots of places to hide tiny things!)

 

Look at the maps on the cache page. Try to orient yourself before you go. Maybe even write down a couple of notes "looks like its on the right side of X street just before the railroad tracks"

 

Why drive yourself crazy trying to find the site and the spot at first?

Pick places that you know very very well for your first three or four caches. Ones that you think that you can figure out where the cache 'must' be before you even go there. After you find the first few, you start to recognize the kinds of places to look. Then you can add the challenge of trying to find the cache location/parkingplaces/trails etc.

Edited June 21, 2005 by Team Neos

[+tabulator32]

I tried the "walk around until the numbers match the numbers on the printout" thing one time. Yep. I agree. Its MUCH easier to put the coords into the GPS and just sneak up on the little dot on your screen.

 

 

[+Robespierre]

If I've said it once, I've said it...... Oh, never mind. You've already found the forums. Go to the regional section you are in (and I was too lazy this a.m. even to check your profile) and ask about a buddy for a couple of caches. Going out with an experienced cacher is how I got started, and it really takes a lot of the worry out of it.