Waypoints Or Not?

[+Michelle_mike]

I still see myself as a newbe but with 25 finds now, I have been reading the threads for a while now and have not yet entered a waypoint in to my garmin 5.

I simply watch the cords clicking up or down as we walk, climb and mostly bushwack our way to the cashe. Just wondering if anyone else caches this way or is entering the waypoint and simply following the arrow has any advantages?

[+Moose Mob]

There's a cacher near Reno that has 1000 caches that way.

 

It is a lot easier with the arrow.

[+Mastifflover]

Have you tried following the arrow yet? It makes is so much easier. That's like having a math problem to solve and using an abacus when there is a calculator sitting next to it.

[+GRANPA ALEX]

WOW . . . I hope this is fun for you, kinda different, though. All I can think of is WHY you would do it this way, no judging just curious.

 

It seems a lot of u-turns would be involved if it were me, but you may have it down to a science. Cache on!

[+BlueDeuce]

Is there a difference between the waypoint arrow and matching coords? I can't believe one is more accurate than the other. Or better yet, does it matter?

 

edit:

 

I take that back.

 

Since my brain can't target a waypoint based on coords as well as the the arrow, I definately like the arrow.

Edited December 30, 2005 by BlueDeuce

[+Chuy!]

At least you won't DNF 'cause you entered the wrong coords . I'm sure that has happened to a lot of us, especially doing a multi.

 

I used your method once 'cause I left my Vista at home and only had a StreetPilot III with me. That's a dashboard model that only zooms in to 120 feet and has no arrow. But, you can take it out of the car 'cause it uses 8AA batteries. I did not want to return; so, I went to the satellite page and found the loot just as you did. I must say it was kinda fun and you quickly learn to read coords and which direction is which if you add or subtract.

[+wiseye]

I started caching the same way. Perhaps because I was used to navigating on water with Loran-C and then Gps in 1993, visualizing the direction to go wasn't that much of a problem. In fact I found it interesting to watch the Lat./Lon. change in responce to my walking about. However I 'd always planned on using all the features and found using the arrow simpler. Both methods work fine and are equaly as accurate. Good luck caching!

[+Isonzo Karst]

I know two cachers that cache without entering waypoints. One of them is pushing 1000 finds. Obviously, it works! I think there are advantages to entering the waypoint, but it may well depend upon your GPS unit. Whatever you're used to I guess.

[+BlueDeuce]

I started caching the same way.

Oh, I definitely admire those who can. I just think it would require much more concentration on my part and therefore increase my low branch encounter experience.

[salmoned]

Personally, I almost never "simply follow the arrow". What if I encounter a fifty-foot wall? I go around it. A fifty-foot cliff? Ditto. A cactus? Same thing. In fact, I usually don't even turn on my "unit" until I'm within .1 mi. (guesstimate) unless I think I may not find my way out. Too much concentration on the machine spoils the hike [for me].

Edited December 31, 2005 by edchen

[+Mule Ears]

For wilderness hikes, I plan detailed routes using topo software. I include additional waypoiints of nearby terrain features to make coordination with the paper topo map and compass easier. Watching the numbers roll until they match? No, not for me!

[+StarBrand]

Did my first 3 caches that way until I figured out the arrow.

 

Much Easier. You can spend more time looking at the scenery and looking for the cache and less time staring at the GPSr.

[+Team Neos]

We also did our first few caches that way. The constantly shifting GPS accuracy as the satellites moved around, coupled with my inability to figure out how to make the latitude go up while I made the longitude go down, had me walking in circles! (My husband is ex-Navy, so I called it the drunken sailor walk--LOL!). I felt very conspicuous, and I was sure that everyone was watching to see that we were doing. Something on the forums that made me realize that setting a waypoint would probably be more efficient.

 

The instructions for our unit were pretty confusing, I thought, but I took it step-by-step and finally figured them out. After we had cords entered in the GPS, we started finding caches in a tenth of the time it used to take us. I was amazed by how much faster it was.

 

Not long after that, we ran into another couple at a cache who had over 100 caches to their credit. We introduced ourselves and they noticed that we had the same unit they had and asked if we knew how to enter coords. We were happy and pleased that we coupld help someone who had been caching much longer than we had~like we had found a way to give something back to the new sport that we enjoyed soooo much!

 

I short, I wouldn't go back to doing it the other way for anything. In fact, not long after that I learned how to run PQs and installed programs so I could upload cords to the GPS from the computer. Now I can load cords for the whole area in the amount of time it used to take me to punch in three or four caches--which is about half as long as it took me to find one cache the "drunken sailor walk" way!

[+ironman114]

I started this way also. It was because I had found my gps laying on the highway in 1996 where it had fallen off someones boat. (it was designed for marine use) since I had no user's manual all I figured out to do was turn it on and get to the page where I could see the coordinates of where I was. (when I got a computer I finally figured out how to download and print a users manual)

 

Years later I found geocaching and found a use for it and looked for caches with it like you are. It was huge...big as a brick and ate 6AA batteries in a day. But it helped me find my first 75 or so caches.

 

Now I use a different model and enter waypoints and follow the arrow, but not usually till I get real close to the cache. I also dont have to write coordinates down on paper when I cache now if I want to mark a place to return to.

Edited December 31, 2005 by ironman114

[bogleman]

only when I am stumped this is how I find MY ground zero then double the accuracy distance and begin a radial search from MY ground zero. Otherwise I follow the line/arrow.

[+Zzyzx Road]

While we are in a rural area, some of the caches we have found are along a river. I look on the PC map as to about wher ethey are, and so far two of them have been on the other side of the water from what the map read! So we get to the general area, THEN use the GPS to sniff in circles until we find it. One of them was under some rocks where we were actually standing looking in a tree. I backed off a little and peeked and there was the cache.

 

I definitely like the arrow!

 

My cousin's boys like following it across the screen too. Got really excited whe I drove past the actual cache (I had to pull a U to get there) and religiously followed it back to the spot.

[ProfessorFlight]

Because my present job requires a lot of road time I have my GPSr loaded with waypoints. I never know when I will be in a location with time to kill.

[+marvin1226]

My 1st 100 finds were done this way. I had an older GPS that only carried 2 decimal points so it wasn't much use for caching. I started using UTM early on and just waited for the meters to tick down. It wasn't to difficult for single point caches, but multies were impossible on a single visit. And even with my PDA loaded with PQ's I had to spend time coverting the coords over to UTM before I could go hunt. That wasn't fun.

 

That has changed however, my brother got me an Etrex Legend for our birthday on Monday. We went out on Tuesday and found 37. Being able to load my new GPS with waypoints and using the find nearest feature made it sooooooo much easier. That and I was finally able to find a multi that was a long iron from my house that had been nagging me for over a year.

 

Thank you Neoncacher for the new toy.

Edited January 1, 2006 by marvin1226

[+GrnXnham]

I still see myself as a newbe but with 25 finds now, I have been reading the threads for a while now and have not yet entered a waypoint in to my garmin 5.

I simply watch the cords clicking up or down as we walk, climb and mostly bushwack our way to the cashe. Just wondering if anyone else caches this way or is entering the waypoint and simply following the arrow has any advantages?

Very interesting! We'll have to try this.