+Cyclometh Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Been interested in GC for some time, but haven't had the gear. A fellow GCer has hooked me up with a Garmin eTrex and I've gone to town- 5 caches in 3 days. I took my son out for a hunt this afternoon and we hit six sites, found 3. The ones we couldn't find were micros, so I obviously need more experience in locating those! I'm looking forward to lots more fun with geocaching, and glad to have found this community/site. Regards, Cyclometh Quote Link to comment
DAD-DONT-GET-US-LOST Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 WHILE MY EXPERIENCE IS GETTING BETTER, ALMOST 30 NOW SINCE SUMMER, THE MICROS ARE USUALLY MAGNETIC. EVEN THE FILM CANNISTERS I FOUND WERE MAGNETIC IN THE BOTTOM OR TOP. MOST OFTEN ARE KEY HOLDERS. GUARD RAILS ARE BIGGIES. Quote Link to comment
+Coastiegirl04 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) Now, now not all mirco's are bad, when searching for one just think small, and look in all places and keep a sharp and i mean a sharp eye out, cuz you might look once and not see it but its that second time that you will spot it.. it might take longer but well worth the search.. i admit i love micros.. just the accomplishment of finding a tiny containor in the big bad forest/park is oh so worth it! i love them the smaller the better.. yes am weird but i'll get over it... Oh by the way Welcome to the obsession! its a great place to be! Edited January 29, 2006 by Coastiegirl04 Quote Link to comment
+GPSOkie Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Welcome aboard ! Don't get down because you had trouble with micros. I am at 51 finds and I have difficulty with some micros as well. In fact, I looked for two last weekend and DNF'd them both. I advocate a team approach (the more eyes, the better) and lots of practice. You will eventually get good at spoting micro hiding spots Quote Link to comment
+badlands Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 I still have trouble with micro's and I've done a few . They get easier after you've done a few. Welcome to the sport. Quote Link to comment
+Fenris Wulf & Marzipan Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Never done a micro, have really only done 5 and couldn't find 1. BTW, welcome to GC Quote Link to comment
+RustyBeerCan Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 and welcome Cyclometh Quote Link to comment
+Team SAR-Dogs Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Welcome Cyclometh! Don't feel bad. We have over 200 finds and still stink when it comes to locating a lot of micros, especially those of the parking lot variety. I think we just don't feel comfortable poking around in such areas. Good caching! Quote Link to comment
+Team Cotati Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) My $0.02 worth.............don't hunt micros. They are not worth the frustration, effort and time investment. As you get into this activity, you might want to consider becoming a premium member. Then you can easily filter out micros from your cache searches on the www site. The Team used to hunt micros....The Team now filters out micros. The Team now enjoys hunting caches much more than before. Depending upon their location, the magnetic variety aren't too too bad but the others pretty much suck. Edited January 29, 2006 by Team Cotati Quote Link to comment
+Zzyzx Road Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 The micros were have found have all been where they shouldn't be. Magnetic key-holders stick up under things where you wouldn't think to look. Sometimes the crazy things are not "Down", but up on a surface that perhaps the hider was tall and you are short and don't look at that point. Relatives of mine are only about 5'2", and had a hard time seeing one that was eye-level for me, 5'11". Standing back and just observing a while often helps. Especially in the parking lots. Quote Link to comment
+Torry Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Also, read the cache pages and logs to get clues about what and where. There are some very creative hides out there and some interesting placements in locations where a large cache is not feasible. Don't get so hung up on the hunt that you forget the rest of the fun. Welcome to the fun... Always remember: Pigs are your friends. Quote Link to comment
+humanloofa Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 I started by going after the bigger ones, and than going after some micros. I have one I've been looking for for about six months ( off and on). I would sugest going to a few events and trying to hook up with someone with some experiance. Once you find a few micros you'll get the hang of it. Welcome to the obession. Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 (edited) A word of caution about micros. Just because the cache page says "magnetic container" or "magnetic" doesn't mean it is affixed using the magnet. I've found a number of magnetic key holders that were affixed to wooden items using velcro. Yes, the container IS magnetic - they just aren't using the magnet for anything. [Edit] Also a note on filtering out micros. You might miss out on some other stuff. I recently placed a 6 cache series. The first 4 are micros where you write down the RED number and the BLACK number on each one - making note of which micro you got the numbers from. The 5th cache is about a 1.25 mile hike (each way) on a wooded trail and is a small rather than a micro. Inside it is small swag and a laminated card. The card tells you to plug the red numbers into the coordinates and the black numbers are the combination to a lock. The 6th cache is a .50 cal ammo can hidden half a mile down a trail in the hills - not the same trail or area as the 5th cache of course. This can is stuffed full of swag and there is an excellent view back down the canyon to the valley from the cache site. If you filter out micros you will miss this sort of cache. I checked your profile and you are nowhere near to my area. Otherwise I was going to offer to take you out caching and let you see some of the different types of micros in the area. Once you find a few they tend to get easier. Of course there are some evil ones out there. Edited January 29, 2006 by Thrak Quote Link to comment
+Coastiegirl04 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Now you all are bad mouthing mircos, Honestly I don't see the problem with them... I think that they are just fine. You just need a sharp eye, and a creative mind for them, If you don't think they are were you thought it would of been placed look anyway, Also if you think they wouldn't dare look they just might! its not a bad thing just like i said, keep a sharp eye out and be creative! Quote Link to comment
+saturn639 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Our first two finds were micros. Tiny tiny micros. They were magnetic glycerin pill containers big enough for one pill (or one tightly wound log). We were a little disappointed. "Is this what geocaching is about?" But now that we are a little more experienced, we enjoy finding all sizes. Quote Link to comment
+Torry Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Not all of us are bad-mouthing micros .. I have had some lame ones and I had some great ones. .. I have had some that make me want to tear out my hair. .. I have had some that make me want to send the immediate SBA (Should Be Archived) note. It's all a game. Quote Link to comment
+zedd10 Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I don't mind the micro's. They are tough and my success rate on them isn't anything to brag about either... We were just out looking for GCHMMN which is about a mile walk into the forest. Never saw it but did see some fantastic scenery in an area I didn't even know existed. Sure would have been nice to find the micro but we had a great time with a few friends anyway. To me that is a big part of GX'ing. Quote Link to comment
+LeoCaptKirk Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Read the other posts when searching for a micro. Also, remember they are usually magnetic, although I have actually found a few hanging from trees or fences with a piece of string. Sometimes someone will say "I was looking down when I should have been looking up" or something of that nature. Yes, they can be frustrating, but looking for ammo cans in the woods can get a little repititious and in my area, very prickly! I look forward to the occassional micro in the urban setting. Quote Link to comment
+Cyclometh Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 Thanks for all the warm welcomes. I don't have a problem with micros at all- they're just frustrating. Found my first TB today, gonna take it up to Seattle for the next leg of its journey. Who knows, maybe it'll take a plane ride. Seattle's got an international airport. Quote Link to comment
+Chinchilla_Man Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 (edited) I have found one micro, all the other ones I went after were DNF's! I completely suck at finding micros! I guess I'm not experienced enough yet, but I have always been horrible at finding things! I wonder why I like this sport in the first place!? Edited January 30, 2006 by Chinchilla_Man Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 (edited) Now you all are bad mouthing mircos, Honestly I don't see the problem with them... I think that they are just fine. You just need a sharp eye, and a creative mind for them, If you don't think they are were you thought it would of been placed look anyway, Also if you think they wouldn't dare look they just might! its not a bad thing just like i said, keep a sharp eye out and be creative! Hmmmm... I don't see where I'm bad mouthing micros....... I've found a lot of micros. I found one the other day that was pretty hard. Just because it was hard doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. The cache is up in the North Rim Trail area of Bidwell Park. I don't know its current standing but it used to be the 3rd largest city park in the country. It's nice up there on the rim and you get a great view. This is my log for it: January 27 by Thrak (319 found) Evil. Just plain evil. Nice hide and nice to meet Sputnik58. When you see someone headed your way and they are checking something held in their hand you can figure it's another cacher. A nice afternoon for a little hike up the hill - not too far but enough for a good leg stretch. Oh, did I mention that this cache is evil? Edited January 30, 2006 by Thrak Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I enjoy a good evil micro! I do not enjoy the stupid micros. Bison tubes in a manicured park in the prickly evergreens. And it's not good for the shrubbery. Magnetic micros in guard rails in forgettable strip malls become tiring after a while. The bird house was fun! The hollowed logs are fun. Haven't done a dog poop one yet... Quote Link to comment
+Cyclometh Posted January 31, 2006 Author Share Posted January 31, 2006 Found another micro yesterday, once again with my son- he goes on a lot of my cache hunts with me. Nice find too. It's just a skill like any other, I guess. Quote Link to comment
+redwoodcanoe Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 If I come across a micro that is obviously in a bush I spend VERY little time looking for it just not worth it to me, However, a well done micro is a thing of beauty as was this Nutlady cache....GCQ9FZ Middle of Santa Fe trail Quote Link to comment
+badlands Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 If I come across a micro that is obviously in a bush I spend VERY little time looking for it just not worth it to me, However, a well done micro is a thing of beauty as was this Nutlady cache....GCQ9FZ Middle of Santa Fe trail I spent quite a bit of time finding that last micro that was obviously in the bush........couldn't find the stupid thing...........just as I was getting ready to leave I spotted it............it wasn't in the bush Quote Link to comment
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