Micros, Traditional Caches, And Me

[nusis]

I'm still new to this - found six, missed three so far. Which is my problem - I don't seem to have any problems finding a tiny 35mm film canister or pill bottle, even when it's out in the middle of the forest, but I've only found 2 of the 5 'traditional' type caches I've gone looking for - it seems counterintuitive that I can spot a tiny container holding only a log book but I can't find an ammo can or a big plastic container so I can only conclude I must be doing something wrong. Any advice or ideas? Thanks!

[+El Diablo]

Maybe you are making it harder than it actually is. The best advice I can give is that when you get in the area put down your GPSr and look in places that you would hide a cache.

 

El Diablo

[+Bill & Tammy]

Yeah, don't sweat it. In my experience micros are generally placed on some man-made object that usually stand out well. In a wilderness environment traditional's can be hid within hollow trees, under brush, rocks and or/ camo'd very well. The tree canopy throwing off your GPSr doesn't help much either. I would look for any un-natural arrangement of limbs, stick, stones etc to start with. Also around here many caches are hidden under larger sheaves of bark.

 

It is when a micro is placed in an are with a great number of possible hiding places that make me start to perspire!

 

Good luck!

Edited January 1, 2006 by Bill & Tammy

[+Thot]

. . . micros are generally placed on some man-made object that usually stand out well. In a wilderness environment traditional's can be hid within hollow trees, under brush, rocks and or/ camo'd very well. The tree canopy throwing off your GPSr doesn't help much either.

Urr. . . he said:

 

I don't seem to have any problems finding a tiny 35mm film canister or pill bottle, even when it's out in the middle of the forest [emphasis added]

[nusis]

Thanks for the tips - I'm thinking about buying a walking stick actually, less for walking, more for poking around. I was in Osceola National Forest earlier today and the cache I didn't find there was so much underbrush there was no way I could search it all.

[+icefall5]

There shouldn't be a cache in a National Forest.....

[+Thot]

I'm thinking about buying a walking stick actually, less for walking, more for poking around.

WalMart carries a functional telescoping hiking stick for $10. It's what I use now.

Edited January 1, 2006 by Thot

[+Isonzo Karst]

icefall5, you're confusing National Forest with National Park. No geocaching in National Parks. There are plenty of caches in both the Ocala National Forest and the Osceola National Forest in Florida.

 

nusis, saw palmetto is a common place for ammo can caches in Florida. It can be quite tough to search. Hidden "Florida style" means covered with palmetto, hidden Georgia style means buried in the pine straw. A Georgia style hide can darn near need a metal detector or cache sniffing dog!

[+icefall5]

Oh. I thought National Forests were managed by the NPS too.....

[+clan_Barron]

Oh. I thought National Forests were managed by the NPS too.....

Nope, National forests are administered by the USDA Forest Service. National Parks are administered by the US Department of the Interior National Park Service.