First Time Cacher Bust...

[+Cap'n Dondo]

First geocaching adventure went....well......not so good.... Thought I'd try out the new GPS (iFinder Pro with MapCreate). Messed with it long enough to figure out how to load in a very detailed map of the area. Fiddled with GSAK and GPSbable and got my Pocket Query GPX file loaded into the iFinder (pretty neat how that works too) Got my Cachemate all loaded up with a jpg map of the area in my Tungsten Palm Pilot. Looked at my Gazetter atlas and planned my route. Asked the wife if she wanted to go, said "sure". Picked up the cell phone, grabed the Jeep keys and motored off into the evening. Notice that I left out something? Got just out of town and realized I forgot the GPS (I get excited when I start an adventure in the Jeep) Turned around, got the GPS (and some bug spray) and tried again. The cache I was after was in the SandHills State Park about 5 miles out of town. I decided to take 56th street to avoid the 65 mph traffic on the highway. (Side note, my Jeep is 52 years old and the gearing is extremely low) Anyway, pulled up to the parking lot at the park and realized I forgot my wallet. (Your supposed to pay $2.00 for day use.) Thought I'd take a gamble and go in without paying. As we started along, I turned on my iFinder and told it to take me to the waypoint. About 10 seconds later, it had plotted out a line to the other side of the park, telling me the cache was about 1.4 miles away. If I would have looked at the map, I probably would have figured out that I should have parked in the north parking lot and the cache would only have been about .25 miles away. Oh well, wife and I like walking, so we started north. About 1/2 mile in (and several natural spring crossings later), we looked down at our socks/boots and were literally covered in ticks. I pulled about 30 off, she pulled about 25 off and we decided that we should probably head back to the Jeep and approach this from a different direction. Made our way back (me fiddling with the GPS the entire way) and managed to walk up on a skunk. Took that one REAL WIDE and skurried back to the imagened safety of the Jeep. Looked at the clock, noticed the rumbling in my tummy, pulled off 15 more ticks and decided to call it a day.

 

Chalk this one up to inexpierence and ill planning. I'm planning on heading out there again the end of this week and try finding my first cache from the other direction.

 

Dondo

 

(P.S., are there any other Jeep owning GeoCachers? In case anyone is interested, and because I'm quite proud of it, I have a 1953 M38-A1 Army Jeep. Did the restoration myself along with some help from the local 4x4 club.)

[+BlueDeuce]

Great story!

 

Take some comfort in the fact that even the most experienced cachers have their days.

 

Wait til you actually manage to bring all the necessary equipment and end up leaving half of it at the cache site.

 

Or setting your gps on the roof of your car and driving off.

 

Or....(fill in the blank)

 

One time due to heavy tree coverage and tall weeds I needed to widen my search area, so I set everything down to lighten the load while I looked. I found the cache and then spent an even longer time trying to find where I left my equipment.

[+okpondlady/N5PNE]

I don't consider myself experienced yet, but I am learning to drive around and see if there is a trail-head-parking lot-other way into the cache site. After several tries and LOTS of bushwacking, it will sink in dearie.

 

Then you will find something else you messed up. Believe me.

 

Karen

[+Cap'n Dondo]

Yeah, I "AM" getting a little better at it. I've found 9 or 10 caches now. Yesterday, for instance, I learned that even if you are 10 miles from the landowners house (and he's a farmer), the local good 'ol boy network works fast. Just as I was heading back to my truck, 2 farmers drove up and asked me what I was doing. Of course, I explained and they were not mad.

 

I've out together a little caching survival kit that I carry with me if the cache is more then a mile from where I can park the Jeep. Haven't had to use it yet though.

 

Dondo

[+webscouter.]

(P.S., are there any other Jeep owning GeoCachers? In case anyone is interested, and because I'm quite proud of it, I have a 1953 M38-A1 Army Jeep. Did the restoration myself along with some help from the local 4x4 club.)

Hi Dondo,

 

You should send an e-mail to http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=7c...84-1a3df48ee114

 

He is your approver and also restores old military trucks. He isn't too far away from you and you have probably run into him at a 4x4 track nearby.

[+Cap'n Dondo]

webscouter -- Hey, thanks for pointing that out! I see that he lives in Salina. I grew up in Salina and my folks still live there. Gonna fire off an email to him, see if I might already know him.

 

:-)

 

Dondo

[+webscouter.]

Now you just need to post a picture of your Jeep in your profile so we can all see it. Better yet bring it to Kansas City sometime.

[+Cap'n Dondo]

Just loaded up a picture of my Jeep. This one I took a couple of months ago. As it is now, I have 31" BFG Mud Terrains with some American Racing Outlaw I rims on it. Now it looks like a stomper!.. :-)

 

Dondo