Planning Your Day's Cache Route?

[+markp99]

I spent a good amount of time last night planning my day's efforts. Here's what I did, but I feel it mgith have been overly complicated with a weak result:

 

1. Took my latest GPX pocket query and loaded into GSAK to produce an HTML export for my PDA (paperless).

 

2. Uploaded the 200 caches to my eXplorist 500 GPSr

 

3. I made a Google maps overlay to allow me to see the general location of the unfound caches in my area:

 

Red = Not found

Yellow = found

Blue = DNF

 

 

4. I printed out 3 zoomed-in regions of the googlemap and placed numbers next to 25 of the caches I planned to go after this weekend.

 

5. I created an XLS file with the 25 numbered caches labelled by name so I could look them up on my GPSr in the field. I wanted to add complexity/terrain/cache type data to the XLS, but I was just too lazy last night

 

6. Looking at the maps I planned my route.

 

This seemed like a lot of work in preparation. I wonder how those folks with hundreds/thousands of finds manage their efforts? Seems like there must be efficiencies I am missing.

 

What's your method and how might you improve it?

 

Thanks!

 

PS> If i could create an OFFLINE version of this map with clickable links for my PDA I'd be golden.

Edited May 5, 2006 by markp99

[+KKTH3]

Our routine is much simpler.

 

1. Log in and check the newest caches in Wyoming.

 

2. See that no new caches are within 100 miles driving distance.

 

3. wait another day.

 

However, in the summer when we are willing to take a full Saturday off a couple times a month and are willing to drive 400 - 600 miles in a single day, we pick about 5 or so caches in an area we havent visited in awhile. It doesn't take much planning to get info on 5-10 caches at a time (saving some as backups in case plans change, shich they always do.)

[+Renegade Knight]

I'll upload all my waypoints to GSAK and use GSAK to output to NG Topo. Then look at topo, decide where to go and if it's not a town I'll print a large scale map and follow a route.

 

There is seldom a set plan anymore on how many caches to do becasue there are normally more than we can do.

 

Before I used to plan a route if there were 5 caches on it and sometimes I'd have to wait until that happened. It took more planning to make sure there were few caches back then. Now I can throw a dart or just pick a route. The caches will be there.

[+StarBrand]

Our routine is much simpler.

 

1. Log in and check the newest caches in Wyoming.

 

2. See that no new caches are within 100 miles driving distance.

 

3. wait another day.

 

However, in the summer when we are willing to take a full Saturday off a couple times a month and are willing to drive 400 - 600 miles in a single day, we pick about 5 or so caches in an area we havent visited in awhile. It doesn't take much planning to get info on 5-10 caches at a time (saving some as backups in case plans change, shich they always do.)

 

How sad.....and how true all at the same time. Head towards Torrington - lots of new ones down that way but wait till next weekend as I am placing a new one over that way. Only need to do about 250 miles.

 

As for the OP

 

A little complicated. I use GSAK to see my PQs and export to S&T to get an overview map and then head out with my PDA and GPS with the GPX files. I watch the little map screen and then head off to find caches when I get close.

[+KKTH3]

Those people in Torrington crack me up! Not a single cache anywhere near since the dawn of time and then 2 months ago it sprouts like gangbusters - complete with wicked FTF challenges. Rarely does a new cache go 24 hours without at least 3 finds and it seems they are averaging 2-3 new caches a week - which is insane by Wyoming standards. Your last two caches didnt fool any of them We will have to take a trip out that way once it stops snowing. At least today's snowstorm didn't amount to much on the ground and it was melted in under an hour. It's almost like summer time caching weather now!

 

Our next caching adventures will probably be in the Denver Metro area as we are taking a short B&B vacation there at the end of the month. After that weather in Wyoming will probably be nice enough that we can get back to our 1 cache trek a week schedule. Gillette has had a little activity over the last year and of course RS/GR has plenty of caches - that is nearly a 500 mile round trip though and with so amny caches will probably require an overnight stay.

 

Anyway - its getting closer to the time of year to stop talking about going caching and actually going caching.

[70mmkrypto]

^ ^ ^ nothing that fancy!!!

 

I stumble out of bed, curse , trip over the cat who wants nothing but food RIGHT NOW, stumble and bang my way into the washroom, my eyes at the sudden bright white alien light of the overhead flouresent lights, try to hit the bowl with out piddling on the cat , wash my face with icy cold water, gasp for air as a result ....stumble into the kitchen, make coffee...go back 20 minutes later and turn coffee maker on .....feed the cat , look at the computer, try to read the small text, drink hot coffee, some more, pet cat, realize my drapes are open and I'm wearing nothing but boxers get dressed, go back to computer, MANUALLY enter about 5 waypoints into the Etrex, drink more coffee finally wake up fully, walk out into the sunlight and go look for stuff.

 

 

 

get back home at the end of the day, listen to all the swearing on the answering machine (i was supposed to work today??) make dinner, crack open some beers, do it all over again....

 

[+Night Stalker]

Planning we don't need no stinkin planning. I load my pocekt query into my 60CS. grab my caching stuff. Turn on the GPS and auto-Route to the closest cache. After I don't find the closest caches because Idaho cachers have become really sneaky SOB's. I route to the next cache.

[+Tsmola]

I don't plan, I just drive around randomly lol

 

I remember a thread a while ago where it asked how you get to the cache site and people were saying how they view maps and sattellite photos of the area, I don't even do that, I just follow the GPS there, and unless it says the area where it's located on the cache page I usually don't have a clue what the area it's hidden in will be like lol

[+ccindyybubb]

I'm with Tsmola. Besides, we have gps's so we don't need no stinkin maps.

[+ventura_kids]

Since I work 6 days a week , and am still #4 in the Entire world ... I must be obsessed .... um... I mean... I must be a powercacher .

 

We average 50 caches on a slow day, and prefer to grab 80 or so on a powercaching day (daylight hours only).

 

Your method is very similar to mine (GSAK, Cachemate, Mapsource, Excel) (avoid geocaching.com)

 

I load two or three queries into gsak. (only download caches I haven't found)(set up the queries a couple of days ahead).

 

I dump the entire database into my pda using cachemate (just in case someone comes along and wants to vary the route due to accidents on freeway, bombscares closing off cities, etc).(export to cachemate and sync to pda).

 

I export to mapsource, then I Trim away any caches NOT physically near my route.

 

I create a list of possible caches in Excel ( just highlight all the caches and copy, then paste them in Excel) (since we used the smartname and hints and ratings in gsak, I can see all that stuff in my Excel file, and in my Garmin 60CS gps).

 

I then number them all (just like you do) (I include all the possible caches and try to list around 110 or so).

 

I also list any nearby restaurants alongside the list (so we can stop for lunch wherever and whenever we want without stressing about it).

 

I then use gsak to review the caches, crossing off any that may slow us down (7 minute limit per cache...after all... I created the rule) (gsak is very fast so you don't have to wait for geocaching.com, and it can show the last 5 logs (looking for DNF's)).

 

One quick review of geocaching.com to see if any NEW caches popped up while I was at work.

 

One final review of the route on mapsource with the caches that remain after cleanup (eliminate any left turns, U-turns, and big intersections, in the city (redlights take over 1 minute, 2 minutes in some areas).

 

Then I post the route, meeting place, and start time on socalgeocachers.com so anyone who wants to cache with me knows where we are going, and when we are starting.

 

That's it! I know it sounds complicated, but once you get it all set up, it goes pretty fast. I can complete the entire process in about 3 hours. (Just remember that the up-front work at the computer can save you hours of digging in bushes for non-existant caches.... so just skip the ones with DNF's. If they are there... you can get them on the next trip thru the area.)

 

I use the single page (sometimes 2 pages) created in Excel as a quick guide for my navigator.

 

The most important thing, seems to be the method we bounce around thru town. (The navigator always mentions the next cache as we depart the jeep to hunt the current cache. In this way I can plan my next route on the way back to the jeep).

 

Good luck, and have fun hunting.

[+ventura_kids]

My NEWEST method.

 

I just learned how to use google earth (free).

Now I save the file as a gpx file in Mapsource.

Open googleEarth and open that file you just made.

Now you can zoom in and see the actual cache locations.

 

It's great!

[+sarhound]

I try to arrange caches so that I can drive an efficient route (dragging bloodhounds around in a Suburban is getting to be a little pricey.)

 

I pull down a PQ for the area of interest, dump it into GSAK, export it to Streets and Trips. I'll pick a start and an end cache, then let the software figure out an optimized route for all the caches in between. I'll usually run a printout of that route so that I've got something sizable to look at while I'm moving.

 

I also export those caches into a maplet for Mapopolis, and dump them into the PDA for GPXSonar.

 

I load up the appropriate bloodhounds for the day's excursion, crank up the tunes, read off the first cache from the route planned, set my trusty HAL to voice prompt on the PDA, and take off. Since hounds are involved, I seldom get more than a dozen or so caches at a time, but we have a great time while we're out there. A fringe benefit is that Deputyhound has a list of the caches that I'm planning on hitting, so if we disappear into the great unknown, he knows where to start looking for us.

 

Unfortunately, the resource that could find us will not be available to him. He'll have to content himself with using his mantracking skills, since the nose power will be out with the missing person (me.)

[+Lizzy]

I wish I had thought of asking this a long time ago! What great info!

[+Sue Gremlin]

Planning we don't need no stinkin planning. I load my pocekt query into my 60CS. grab my caching stuff. Turn on the GPS and auto-Route to the closest cache. After I don't find the closest caches because Idaho cachers have become really sneaky SOB's. I route to the next cache.

We just got the 60CSX. We cached with it for the first time yesterday. It rocks such that we may be catching up with CCCA shortly. Hear that CCC? You better be looking over your shoulder, we're right behind you.