New And Ready To Quit

May 30, 2006

Today was my first day looking for caches. I went to two sites, both within five miles of my home, needless to say, I am really not enjoying this new "hobby" so far. I will try again one more time, and hopefully this "hobby" will pan out.

22k · May 30, 2006

What's up?

I've been doing this a bit and I still have those days.

What have you been looking for and how's your gps working for ya?

May 30, 2006

Well I'm new here also, but apparently I've had better luck so far. Could you give us more information about your attempts? I purposely tried for the easiest caches in ammo boxes first. I read through about 15 different potential hunts and picked them according to how easy they were. I excluded micros. I'm using a Legend CX which gets within about 20 feet of the actual cache.

My first cache, it took me right to it. But others I don't get so close. Today I found the cache 35 feet from what I would have called ground-zero. It took me 45 minutes to find that one. And then there are a couple I had to give up on. But I will go back and try again.

Give us some more information and hopefully someone can chime in with some suggestions. Maybe team up with a fellow cacher. I met someone in the woods the other day who was also geocaching and we're getting together in a couple of weeks to tackle some.

May 30, 2006

Well the first cache was a set of Native American Indian ruins in the middle of the city. The site is fenced in on three sides by a stone and steel wall and the "rear" of the site is a long neighborhood wall. I checked the clues and I looked at the other cachers log posting, I went to the place where the last person found it and there was nothing in the area and here's the actual site description for you.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ae-545e99ff45b9

May 30, 2006

Well the first cache was a set of Native American Indian ruins in the middle of the city. The site is fenced in on three sides by a stone and steel wall and the "rear" of the site is a long neighborhood wall. I checked the clues and I looked at the other cachers log posting, I went to the place where the last person found it and there was nothing in the area and here's the actual site description for you.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ae-545e99ff45b9

With that cache description I'd be looking for a magnetic key box under a bench. Maybe a velcro-ed film cannister. Either way, think low.

Edited May 30, 2006 by Team Teuton

May 30, 2006

There are no benches, there isn't anything around it but sidewalk and private property.

May 30, 2006

Down low,"check your shoelaces", close to the sign, under a bench(magnetic or velcro), Sounds like everyone is having to look hard for this one. Try a regular or large cache first.

22k · May 30, 2006

That cache is not a 1/1. There are people with hundreds of finds having trouble.

(Be right back, gotta check something)

May 30, 2006

sprinkler head, flat stone,stick, snail shell, loose stone in wall, anything small in the grass?

May 30, 2006

Actually ... reading the description since there's no benches and you mentioned fencing ... I'm thinking it might be a container inside one of the fence posts. Got a mirror?

May 30, 2006

sprinkler head, flat stone,stick, snail shell, loose stone in wall, anything small in the grass?

9.2k · May 30, 2006

That cache is not a 1/1. There are people with hundreds of finds having trouble.

(Be right back, gotta check something)

No, not really. Besides the OP, there are only 2 DNFs, and only 1 of those has triple digit finds. And that log states "Stopped by to check for this one. To many mugglers coming and going. Will stop again. Thanks".

5.7k · May 30, 2006

It is a micro. Forget about it. Find 'small' size or larger and don't even start with small ones, regular or larger to start out. Even virtuals are super fun if they let you avoid micros. I'd wait 2 or 3 years before I tried a micro. Try and find every other cache within 30 miles before trying to find a micro. Most micros are good for one thing and one thing only..........FRUSTRATION. You are living proof. If you really want to experience the joy of geocaching, do not hunt micros. Lately lots of hiders have been pushing the definition of 'small' to the extent that they are in all fairness really micros on steroids. You're going to see lots of contrary opinions on this but let your direct experience and common sense be your guide. Trust me, I've visited your part of the world and there are literally hundreds of non-micros from which to choose, all within easy drives of your location. :rolleyes:

Edited May 30, 2006 by Team Cotati

May 30, 2006

Actually ... reading the description since there's no benches and you mentioned fencing ... I'm thinking it might be a container inside one of the fence posts. Got a mirror?

That's a good idea. The description say it's a micro but people are leaving small trades so it can't be too small.

Rattslinger, post some pictures of the area around the cache if you can. We'll find it.

Edited May 30, 2006 by Team Teuton

May 30, 2006

When starting out, micros are a bit annoying, they seem to be almost impossible to find. When going for micros low in the ground, i tend to use a stick to poke around in the grass or the forest floar. If i see anything lose that shouldn't be there, i see what it is, even if it's a bear can. if it is not the cache, pick it up, and practise a little CITOing, (Cache in Trash Out) Start out with easy caches first and move from there.

May 30, 2006

One of the cachers posted alternate coordinates. N 33° 26.028 W 111° 50.678 This would put you a few feet one way or the other.

I'd agree with the other posters, micro's are not a good place to start unless you have a high tolerance for frustration. I spent an hour looking for one today that was listed as a 1/1.

It's a great sport, but not everyone is good at every type of cache. (I stink at Suduku Puzzles). Find the one's you like and ignore the rest. You can't do them all anyway.

5.3k · May 30, 2006

Forget miros when you are startng out

This one should be easier

This is larger

May 30, 2006

It could even be a fake or hollow rock. They can be incredibly hard to spot if they have a good camo job.

Start with larger caches... ones that specifically say they are large or an ammo can. Best of all, go with an experienced cacher for the first couple. We literally stood on the rock and sticks hiding the ammo can of the first cache we looked for. We were lucky an experienced cacher just happened to come along and helped show us what to look for.

May 30, 2006

I have a good idea how you felt the first time going out and coming up empty, My first hunt ended with 1 find, one where I needed a hint, and one DNF. I went after caches that were in an area I used to go to alot when I was much younger so I knew the area pretty well. all 3 were micro caches.

The first stop was a pair of old rusty foot bridges over a small river. there was something, magnetic hidden on one of the bridges (at least thats what the clue indicated) there was pretty heavy tree cover, and the coordinates put you in the water right between both bridges. I had the great luck to actually walk up on a pair of experienced geocachers trying to find the same thing. We all got frustrated after a good 45 minutes of looking everywhere and getting covered in rust and walked to the next closest cache down a trail.

This one I knew the area fairly well, coords led to a metal staircase. we were all searching everywhere, looking at the stairs from every angle with not a bit of luck, we were re-reading the clues, I gave my little knowledge of the local area and sat down at the base of the stairs to rethink my idea of getting into this whole silly game. Well, the experienced cachers took my knowledge of the local area, and used it to find the cache, as they were coming down, I asked em if they were giving up, they said nope, we found it, I asked for a clue, got one, and within 5 minutes had the blasted little thing in my grimy hands. Signed the log, put it back where I found it,

Walking back down the trail to the bridges, we gave another half hearted look for it, still no dice. The experienced cachers decided to go off on thier merry way and I sat on a bench and looked at my gps, found another cache that was nearby, thinking it was just across the road, turned out to be a good ways farther than I thought, found an entire new park area that the city had built, the coordinates were spot on, and I had my 2nd find, both of the day and my career. It was a much easier micro cache.

It took close to a month of me going out and finding those dagum micros before I hit a cache that was an ammo can, I was looking for a micro among the branches of the tree, on the ground, everywhere I could think of, with not a bit of luck, then I spotted something that was much bigger, I examine it closer and its an ammo can, I had read about those things online, but had never seen one before. I figure out how to open the thing, start digging thru whats inside, and sign the log, took some little silly jacks out of the cache, put a deck of cards that I had in my bag (didn't really want the jacks, but hey it was my first chance to trade something ever!)

I definately prefer going after a good range of caches, even micros, but I prefer them to be hidden fairly well, in an at least challenging way for the micro to be a satisfying hunt, (tho some days my geosense seems to be completely off and I can't find anything, then its 1/1 micros for a while til my brain recovers)

1.5k · May 30, 2006

Hey! Don't give up!

I still get upset after I cannot find a cache.

Once I couldn't find 4 in a row.

I ended up leaving the entire city, and going to another city to cache.

As it turns out, someone was stealing all the caches in the area I was looking.

Sometimes I just put the cache on my WatchList, and then wait for someone else to log it.

Another suggestion is to find a local cacher with lots of finds and ask them to help you get started.

If there are events in your area (check the calendar), that's a good place to begin.

If all else fails, e-mail the owner of the cache (there's a link on the cache page near the top).

If someone asks me if my cache is missing, I go out there and check, and I am happy to give hints, clues, or just outright tell them where the cache is.

Have fun and relax. This is supposed to be fun

22k · May 30, 2006

That cache is not a 1/1. There are people with hundreds of finds having trouble.

(Be right back, gotta check something)

No, not really. Besides the OP, there are only 2 DNFs, and only 1 of those has triple digit finds. And that log states "Stopped by to check for this one. To many mugglers coming and going. Will stop again. Thanks".

Back now.

No, I didn't say DNF, I said trouble.

May 24 by Little Lost Sole (374 found)

I was here once before for the cache, but had no info on it. My GPSr took me to the sign, and I could not find a way inside. Hmmm...could this be a virtual? I wrote down everything on the sign; got home to log my "find" and: wrong again! Went back today, did some lace adjustments and signed the log.

May 5 by Team RedHawk (710 found)

I swear this was not here last week when I stopped-by. Stopped today on the way home.

-----

Good cache but it's not a 1.0

-----

Looking at the surrounding 1/1 caches I'd have to say that they have a tougher standard on cache levels.

Give yourself a chance and look for traditional caches. Micro are not always easy and I would hate to have you think micros are what caching is all about.

Edited May 30, 2006 by BlueDeuce

24.7k · May 30, 2006

Some tips.

Don't cut your teeth on micro caches. They are hard enough just because they are small.

Read the logs. This cache has a few Did Not Find logs, plus at least one cacher with over 2000 fines said they had trouble. This is not an easy cache and it's probably rated wrong.

Use the 1/* difficulty (* is terrain and not how hard it is to find so you don't need to worry about that so much) to figure out which ones to look at. Then read the logs. Skip the micros. If the logs have sone Did Not Finds then bypass it until you have found a few. After you have found a few you can come back and try again.

May 30, 2006

DONT GIVE UP !!!!!!

We have 200 caches that we have found and some of them took us hours to find and some of them took us hours to get to.

Just relax and if you cant find one go on to another one then when you get more experiance go back and try to find the ones that you couldnt find before.

We went after one 3 diffrent times and finally found it

GOOD LUCK

May 30, 2006

Micros can be very hard at the best of times. I agree with the others to cut your teeth on larger caches and then come back to this one. That being said I'd be looking for something small on or near the ground level. My first thought is a fake rock. There appears to be a sign involved. If it is held up by wood post then sometimes there is an old/unused bolt hole where a mico container can be stashed inside. It might even be a fake bolt.

There have been several 1/1 micro caches where I failed to locate them on my first attempt. It just makes you feel better when you finally do locate them.

Hang in there and give caching a chance.

May 30, 2006

There's a micro near my home & just past a store I walk to each morning for coffee & paper. It's a high muggle area so for several days I took my GPS, coffee & paper to the GZ & looked. It eventually appeared in plain sight & I felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner. Hard part of it was it was a 3 stage micro-multi.. i digress..

The only thing I havent seen mentioned is.. Are you using WSG-84 datum on your GPS? Anything else will put you off track.

Welcome to the crazy world of caching..

6.5k · May 30, 2006

Don't get discouraged so easily, otherwise this will not be a fun sport for you. Often ratings are influenced by the hider's experience level without taking the beginner's perspective, so what would be an easy 1/1 for someone playing for 3 years with hundreds of finds may take you a bit longer.

You have already been told to look low, and since there have been some small trades made here, keep in mind the container will be big enough for at least some coins and erasers. It is easier to find larger containers, but some locations just cannot support them. This sounds like a place worthy of a cache-it brings you somewhere you wouldn't stop ad visit without the cache, but might not be able to conceal anything larger than a micro. Stop looking for the actual container for a few, and enjoy where you are.

Keep you head up, hunt for some others and then return here, and above all have FUN!

Heck I couldn't find over 40 caches this past weekend. (but I did find a few others )

PS don't let the micro bashers bias you either. Make your own opinion!

Edited May 30, 2006 by wimseyguy

May 30, 2006

Ever body has bad days, I went out one after noon to search for seven caches and I had only found one of the seven. Dont give it give it another try!

May 30, 2006

Just to throw my 2cents in. There is one cache that I still can't find. It is a micro and I've looked for it at least 8 times now, got tired of putting DNFs down on it and have since moved out of the area. It's supposed to be relatively easy to find, and some logs show things like "My 5 year old walked right up and grabbed it" and "That was the easiest cache of the day" and many more demoralizing things like that.

Needless to say, this cache has frustrated me to no end. I know it's there, I'm sure I've looked right at it, maybe even touched it, but just didn't realize it.

Don't quit yet. Eveyone has some great advice... look for the bigger ones, go to an event, ask a fellow cacher for help getting started. Once you find a few you'll get hooked.

May 30, 2006

I am relatively new myself (8 finds) and boy let me tell you, my first day was awful. All of them were Micros and one was a Nano. I wish I would have started with the bigger stashes and then I wouldn't have been so disappointed my first day.

May 30, 2006

Im pretty new myself only found a handfull so far. I purposely started with easy big caches for the reason that I had my 2 under 10 boys with me, I wanted to FIND them and plus have them be the kind with swag inside so they enjoyed it. The first one we didnt find, it was a high muggle area and that combined with it just being my first time to use my gps we just didnt find it. We then found the next 3 on our list the same day with no problems what so ever and we were hooked at that point. So far there have only been 2 that I havent found and it did frustrate me, it seemed like maybe the coords where not right, or my gps was freakin out cause the location just didnt seem right, but everytime i didnt find one it seemed the nextone my gps took me straight to it, like within 3ft everytime. I plan on reloading the 2 I didnt find and checking again soon to avenge myself, heh. Im sure its just going to be that way sometimes and figure its part of the game.

May 30, 2006

Like everybody said, you should try a larger cache before you give up. Too many new cachers give up because of Micro's. The area you are looking in has way too many micro's. I made a list of regular size and large size caches. Try some of these first.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...64-c2e8959e3e3f

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...af-63a2b47649d8

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ff-3da5fd1d5861

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...d9-9f7889258cd7

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...d8-37298471ad39

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...d0-34ca97fd08c0

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...da-25e28ce8cebe

All of those are REGULAR sized caches and the difficulty level isn't above 1.5 and they are within 10 miles of the micro you were looking for

May 30, 2006

I usually ask the owner of the cache for a hint after I have logged a DNF. If I don't get a reply in a week-I have asked (e-mail) someone else who has found it. This seems to work.

Sometimes the coordinates are off and no one has posted correct ones or mentioned it in a log.

I was just terrible at finding anything, even a big 50 cal can when I first started :laughing: I was lucky to go with someone who did know how to find caches and maybe finding others to join in the hunt would help.

I'm still learning-just saw some different containers this past weekend. :laughing: Good luck to you.

May 31, 2006

I agree, start with standard caches.

I once found a Hide-A-Key, on the underside of sewer grate !!!!

Hang in there.

May 31, 2006

Its across the street where you park at right near the road.

May 31, 2006

As others have said, when starting out focus on small or regular caches. Avoid micros for right now. Also go for caches in local parks, instead of urban areas, that way you can comfortably stumble around looking for the cache without worrying about muggles nearby.

Even regulars might give you a problem. There was one I had to go back for 3 times before I found it, and it was an ammo can.

I also recommend you take a look at the logs. Going for a cache that others may have had problems finding recently can be a bummer.

5.7k · June 1, 2006

I don't know who was telling you that there are too many micro's in your search area. I just ran a PQ and found 300 that are 2/2 or less and not a single one is a micro. And the fartherest one is about 15 miles from Mesa. Trust me dude, you'll be busy for a couple of years with just those.

Edited June 1, 2006 by Team Cotati

June 1, 2006

Hang in there. The previous advice that has been give here is excellent!. Here is a tip do a search on Ebay for "Geocaching" you can see a sample of some of the containers that are out there, its really interesting!!

Edited June 1, 2006 by KC8JZK

22k · June 1, 2006

Let us know how your next cache attempt goes.

June 1, 2006

Found this one

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...4a-3ebcbbe7129b

June 1, 2006

Congrat's on your find!!!!!!!!!!!!

See, they are really there.

2.3k · June 1, 2006

Don't give up yet...both caches are from AZCachemeister, who is one of the few cachers here in the Phoenix area that hides QUALITY caches...many times, his caches are very-well camo'd and can fool ya pretty good.

Well, that SECOND cache is pretty hard to miss...glad you got that one!

Try some easy 1/1 (difficulty/terrain) until you get to know different camo techniques, then move on up to the more difficult ones...

June 1, 2006

Found this one

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...4a-3ebcbbe7129b

WAY TO GO!!! Stay with the ammo boxes/tuperware containers and leave the micros alone, for now. The micros will only frustrate you to no end. :laughing:

1.5k · June 1, 2006

Way to go! Just to say it again, STAY AWAY from Micros for awhile.

Also, when you pull up the page look to see what other people have found it, if they're are a lot of newbies finding it without too much trouble that's a good sign.

Stay with the full sizers 2/2 or under for awhile til you get the hang of it, then you'll love it.

You could also see about meeting up with someone in your area that's got some experience. Most of us are more than willing to help someone get started and learn the ropes.

June 1, 2006

patience my son.

June 2, 2006

I know the person who hid those. He is good, they blend in plain sight. I have not done the first one you looked for yet. I am willing to bet it is at ancle level and when you see it you will kick yourself. If there is a rock wall I would look inbetween them in a crack or something. I would also advise you to stay away from anything hidden by Graldrich untill you get a few under your belt. He is truely evil at his hides. I have to admit I did one he said was a 1/1 and it took me a over twenty minutes to see it. than I woundered how the heck I missed it. If you get stuck you can always e-mail the owner for a hint. I know for a fact AZcachemeister will help out especialy if your new. You'll get it and have a great time. Also hit some of the events they are a blast, maybee you can go out with an experianced cacher and they can show you some good ones. Stick with it and hopefully I'll see you at an event sometime. I live in Glendale, if your over on this side of town my son hid a series of them. They are listed under my name.

June 2, 2006

Here is another one you can get with no problem at all.

Link to big cache, wich I own.

June 4, 2006

Today was my first day looking for caches. I went to two sites, both within five miles of my home, needless to say, I am really not enjoying this new "hobby" so far. I will try again one more time, and hopefully this "hobby" will pan out.

Oh please dont quit! I am a newbie too and decided to try to find the caches in or near a particular park near my home the first day. We found 3 of 6. Being new, I wasnt aware of some of the familiar hiding spots and when I logged a dnf, that person was quick to send us other clues. I have to admit I read ALL the clues and posts for hints. I am not stupid, Ill take all the help I can get! I have to admit though, the second one I found was a micro cache.. and never seen one this small since! There is a 1/1 small cache near my work that I have tried to find 3 times and the poor owner has just about told me exactly where it is and I still cant find it! :anitongue: You find one and you are hooked! I dragged my poor kids along one day and after they found their first one, they want to go everyday now!

Livin and Lovin San Diego

Queen of <3

June 4, 2006

Unless you're as stubborn as I am...ask for help. Team up with another cacher and learn to use "The Force". You'll soon find that the some of the hardest, most confusing finds are the one's you'll long remember. I'm posting for the first time because I would hate to see anyone miss out on all the fun I've had over the last four years.

June 6, 2006

Today was my first day looking for caches. I went to two sites, both within five miles of my home, needless to say, I am really not enjoying this new "hobby" so far. I will try again one more time, and hopefully this "hobby" will pan out.

Two attempts and you're ready to quit? Perseverance is the key - never give up. I had a cache that I just could not find. I just couldn't. Made about 10 attempts in the course of nearly a year. Finally, it just jumped out at me one day.

Never give up.

June 7, 2006

First, congrats on your first find!! Believe it or not you learned something about how caches are placed by finding one. Every cache you do will be part of the learning curve of thinking like cachers when looking. It takes some practice. At the beginning it can take a while to find even simple ones and later you get faster.

Just recently I found a cache when caching with a couple of newbies we met on the trail. They were all over the place looking for the cache, just like we were at the beginning. But I had learned something about how this particular hider tended to work. I only looked in a couple of places and found it easily. For me it was a rather straightforward 1.5 difficulty cache for the new people it was a four. It was knowledege learned of how to think like a cacher that made the difference.

The more you do the better you will get at it. Have fun learning, that's part of what makes geocaching the challenge and the interesting sport it is.

JDandDD

New And Ready To Quit

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