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I'm new, I'm old, and I'm a girl-please be patient with me


Vijoge

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I don't even remember how I initially stumbled on this site but I've been lurking here for a few weeks just thinking about how much fun this all sounded. I've read, reread, and read again just about every word on this board as well as on geocaching.com and it still sounds like fun!

 

After reading all the pros and cons I ordered my Garmin 60csx last night and it's due to be delivered on Tuesday. I considered going with a more basic eTrex or something similar and then decided to go full steam ahead. I hope I can figure out how to use it or my husband will kill me! :unsure:

 

Probably won't be doing much with it til spring as I'm in the Chicago area and it's cold as a witches t*t here right now (remember, I'm old) but I figure this way I'll have time to find the on button before the weather warms up a bit.

 

Vicki

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Welcome Vicki

 

I think you have made a good choice in your unit, Garmin makes a very good GPSr device.

If you want to look for caches in the winter then look for caches that have the winter friendly attribute, it looks like a snowflake. Caches marked this way are often placed above ground so they don't get covered with snow. Geocaching is creating adventure worldwide and every day more people discover all the benefits of becoming a geocacher. You might want to check your home area for Event or CITO caches, these are a great way to get to know other cachers in your community.

Have fun.

 

David

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Welcome aboard. No need to apologize in advance for any of those three traits. We were all new here once. Both here and where I used to live (San Antonio, TX), we have retired women that leave pretty challenging caches in large numbers. Practice makes perfect with the GPSr use, and no matter what you do to the Garmin, you can't break it by poking at the buttons, so don't be afraid to explore its use.

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I appreciate the encouragement. I also ordered "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching" . We're leaving on vacation next week so I plan on taking both book and unit to keep me occupied while enroute. It's a 20 hour ride so hopefully I'll learn something.

Edited by Vijoge
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don't be afraid to go out in the cold! just wear good gear and don't stay out too long.

 

and if you've been readign and rereading the forums and this STILL sounds like a good idea, you have all the strength it will take to be a really great cacher.

 

good luck to you.

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I found my first cache without a gpsr. I currently have it on my desk because I was teaching a gf of mine how to cache. I freaked cause I saw it on the ground and there was weed in it.

 

So, being a girl is no big deal caching. I was pregnant for my first 20 some odd cache finds too.

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I appreciate the encouragement. I also ordered "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching" . We're leaving on vacation next week so I plan on taking both book and unit to keep me occupied while enroute. It's a 20 hour ride so hopefully I'll learn something.

Welcome young Lady.

My only addition to the good advice already posted--If you go off the beaten track, please take someone with you. My neighbor and I did a very challenging cache and I overestimated my abilities be a large margin. If he hadn't been with me, I might still be out there. Nearby caches are great for doing by yourself, but it sure helps to have someone you can count on for the harder ones.

Enjoy, it is a wonderful sport. And good choice on the GPSr. I use a Garmin 76csx myself and haven't regretted the cost one bit. A great and accurate unit.

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First off let me say "Welcome to the fun!!" I have a 60CSx and it is a very nice piece of equipment. One thing I would recommend is becoming a premium member. That will make it much easier to download caches to your GPSr. You can run pocket queries of up to 500 caches in an area, or along a route you are traveling, then you simply use a program like EasyGPS or GSAK to transfer them to your 60CSx. Good Luck and have fun with your new toy!

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I don't even remember how I initially stumbled on this site but I've been lurking here for a few weeks just thinking about how much fun this all sounded. I've read, reread, and read again just about every word on this board as well as on geocaching.com and it still sounds like fun!

 

After reading all the pros and cons I ordered my Garmin 60csx last night and it's due to be delivered on Tuesday. I considered going with a more basic eTrex or something similar and then decided to go full steam ahead. I hope I can figure out how to use it or my husband will kill me! :unsure:

 

Probably won't be doing much with it til spring as I'm in the Chicago area and it's cold as a witches t*t here right now (remember, I'm old) but I figure this way I'll have time to find the on button before the weather warms up a bit.

 

Vicki

 

Vicki,

 

Welcome to the addiction! I think you got to complicated a unit for a beginner. Send it to me and I'll send you my eTrex Legend. I'll even pay postage both way! :o

 

Seriously, you got a nice unit and should be very happy with it. You'll have some time to RTFM (Read The Friggin Manual) :blink: and learn a little about it. People here are good about helping out when you get stuck, so don't feel self-concious about asking.

 

Have fun. Cache On!

 

JohnTee

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Hi Vicki

 

60Cxxx info here

 

Ok, gotta ask. . . is this as difficult as it looks on paper or will it all come together once I have the unit in hand?

 

I'm hoping the experience will be similar to when I bought my first computer-reading about windows, viruses, downloads, uploads, cut/paste, RAM/ROM, http, etc made no sense and I was afraid it never would. Of course, that wasn't the case. Tell me I'll be able to figure this out, too.

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The Chicago area should afford you the opportunity to find many urban caches. Try them during the winter months. Then expand to the more adventuresome caches.

My sister qualifies as on 'old girl'. (Well, she's older than I am!) Caching alone, she's leery of many cache locations that would not phase me, or my two other geocaching brothers. We claim that she just doesn't have the interest in geocaching that we do. You mention that you are married, so that should not be a problem. Then again, my sister has bagged the twelve 4000' mountains in Maine, and half the 44 in New Hampshire (though half of those were with me.) Do use caution and discretion.

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Hi Vicki

 

60Cxxx info here

 

Ok, gotta ask. . . is this as difficult as it looks on paper or will it all come together once I have the unit in hand?

 

I'm hoping the experience will be similar to when I bought my first computer-reading about windows, viruses, downloads, uploads, cut/paste, RAM/ROM, http, etc made no sense and I was afraid it never would. Of course, that wasn't the case. Tell me I'll be able to figure this out, too.

 

It's actually easier to use than the basic yellow etrex. The most important thing to learn is how to enter a waypoint. It's smooth sailing after that.

 

El Diablo

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There are a lot of "girls" out caching (including my wife and 3 y.o. daughter) and from what I see a lot of "old" people too (I think unless you're really ill, "old" is really just a state of mind, I'm just about to crawl into "middle age" and I hardly feel old at all, especially when I go caching :)) I don't know how old you mean by "old" but look for the profile of a woman in NJ named "Outdoors Lady". Looking at some photos in her gallery I'd say she's at least "early retirement age" and it appears that not only does she cache all winter, but she does some pretty rough terrain caches too (OL, if you read the forums, this is a compliment to you, believe me :))

 

There's a guy in WA state (WJWT is his name I believe) who openly admits he's in his 80s and I think there are caches he does that I couldn't physically handle myself at slightly less than half his age! More power to him! He definitely posts to the forums so look for him......

 

Even in Chicago, I'm willing to bet you have some semi-warm days (like maybe in the 40s) in the winter and I bet there's not snow cover every single day of the winter, so you can probably find some ideal "cache days" even then.

 

Enjoy and cache on!

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Well, it's good to know all geocachers aren't in their mid-twenties. And yes, I'll be dragging my husband along. He thinks it sounds like fun, too, and now that I spent all that money on this Garmin he's going to want to see it get some use. I do have some mobility issues and can't do much climbing but that's where the grandkids come in, right?? LOL

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Well, it's good to know all geocachers aren't in their mid-twenties. And yes, I'll be dragging my husband along. He thinks it sounds like fun, too, and now that I spent all that money on this Garmin he's going to want to see it get some use. I do have some mobility issues and can't do much climbing but that's where the grandkids come in, right?? LOL

Welcome to the fun! I am well past my twenties and have been caching almost three years. My first seven finds were without a GPS unit, borrowed one for the next six, then got a unit for my birthday. It is a basic yellow eTrex, but I have found over 200 caches with it. ;) And I have a 12 year old son who sometimes comes along to serve as a foil or to retrieve caches with his smaller hands. My husband comes along most of the time but not always. And when we go on vacation, it is nice to find a few caches to become familiar with the area or see sites one would not normally get to see. Have fun! :(

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I was a complete first-timer when I bought my 60CSx and I'm absolutely in love with it. Worth every penny I spent. I also agree that the "Idiot's Guide to Geocaching" was a worthwhile purchase as well. And some of the best advice came from Markwell... find your local geocaching organization and attend an event. I just attended my first one last night (in the San Francisco Bay Area). I met an absolute ton of really friendly folk and I'm sure you'd find someone who'd be more than happy to guide you through the early phases of learning your GPSr. Most of all.... Have Fun!

 

Driver Carries Cache

(madmike)

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Welcome to caching Vicki!!!

 

I live north of the border, in the Milwaukee area, and aside from the current cold spell, the weather has not been that much of a "cache bar." Just dress for the conditions and have fun. I cached for about 1 1/2 hours today in -1F to +1F weather. I wore many layers and stayed relatively warm. The key is to keep moving.

 

I've only been caching, seriously, since early early September and it has become a real passion. I've met many interesting people and I've seen tooooo many neat and unique places to mention. Caching has replaced some unhealthy lifestyle habits and the benefits of hiking have greatly improved my overall health.

 

The easiest way to start caching is to start caching. Just print out some cache postings, load up or download your waypoints, and head out. It's not about the find...It's all about getting there, seeing things along the way, and meeting people as you go.

 

Have fun and enjoy your new GPSr!!! ;)

 

Matt

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I'd like to add my welcome to Vicki!

I'm also fairly newbie (68 finds), a girl and getting old fast, yet this 'sport' is wonderful for people like us. It gets you outside, using your brain and having fun. What more could we ask for?!

 

Just to throw my two cents in-the way I started out was with a nice thick notebook and my GPS. I learned how to input a waypoint in the GPS and then kept track in the notebook of where I wanted to go, what caches were hidden there and what I called them in my GPS as I loaded them in. Google's maps are great for this as I could print out a map of an area I'd like to cache in and then reference each cache shown on the map in the following pages of my notebook.

 

Hope my idea helps and welcome again to a most excellent sport.

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if I were you, my priorites over the next few weeks would be:

 

learn to download waypoints from the computer to the GPSr

 

learn to use the GPSr to find a waypoint by driving then walking to it

 

find a good fullsize cache with a low difficulty rating and no DNF (did not finds) so you'll be more likely to find your first attempt.

 

good luck.

 

I've always been suprised when reading cache logs from people who say "Found our first cache! this is so much fun!!" but the log was from a year ago and the people haven't gone caching since. Hope you enjoy it and keep with it.

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Well, it's good to know all geocachers aren't in their mid-twenties. And yes, I'll be dragging my husband along.

 

It is a great couple/family activity. 95+% of our finds involve the two women in my life I mention in a previous post (and my wife is actually a couple of years OLDER than I so she is a little past 40) as well as our 5 y.o. son.

 

Also, I'd say based on various past forum threads trying to gauge the average/median age of cachers that it honestly is probably actually about 40 or so with a lot of variation in BOTH directions (and if you don't count the little kids that tag along that number is probably even higher), so it is far from a "young person's game". A friend of our family noted to us an article in the July, 2005 Bottom Line Tomorrow (a rag geared toward retirees) about caching and what a wonderful and increasingly popular activity it is for that group.

 

Finally, since snow cover can be difficult and maybe (though it varies with the person) being out in the cold can be an issue with some, if you really want a caching fix then, you can either try some grandfathered virtuals (which basically involve only a little walking usually and just noting something you see rather than looking around for a physical box, etc.) or these simple little "log only" micros that you often find at mall parking lots or highway rest areas. Little snow cover over here right now, but the cold (though not as bad as that Milwaukee poster) has culled our caching a bit for now, but we did a little of this yesterday since it was otherwise a stunning "no cloud in the sky" sunny day and this let us cache without dragging the kids to a long, cold walk in the woods.

 

I've always been suprised when reading cache logs from people who say "Found our first cache! this is so much fun!!" but the log was from a year ago and the people haven't gone caching since. Hope you enjoy it and keep with it.

 

Me too, it tends to happen around Christmas-time when people get new GPS as present. What tends to happen is one of three things:

 

1) They get "bored" or don't find things initially and get frustrated and give up

 

2) They find they are too "busy" to continue (anyone like that really should cache MORE, not less :huh:)

 

3) They think it's too "weird" or "geeky"

 

Don't worry about it and enjoy!

Edited by HaLiJuSaPa
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My first GPS (it still is my GPS) was the 60CSX. I don't think you are going to find a better unit right now. A beginner might need to be a little patient with themselves (I had a little trouble with that!) but if you can learn your computer you can learn geocaching with the 60CSX! I felt that the manual was more useful after I found several caches, so don't let the manual discourage you! Just play around with it, push all the buttons and have fun!

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You'll find you're not as brain-dead as you thought you might be, if you're like I was before getting into caching. Caching opened up a whole new way of thinking and doing! And that includes 'scary' things like downloading stuff and GSAK and paperless caching... I'm alive! Now when I come home with mud on the Rover, my kids say, 'Holy carp, Mom! Where've you been??' I like being not just wife and mother. I like finding a whole new way to express myself, and get a little mud on the Rover! Welcome to the club.

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Welcome, Vicki

 

I hope you will have as fun with this as I have had. I just started this last spring. Cold? Who cares? I have about 18 finds since the first of the year. I grew up in Des Plaines and my mother still lives there. We have found several caches in the Forest Preserves near Des Plaines when visiting her (haven't been there this winter though). Most of those would be reasonable to do in the winter even with a bit of snow on the ground (note I said a bit, not two feet). One advantage of caching when it's cold is that hardly anyone else is around. We are thinking of visiting my mother in a couple of of weeks. If the weather is good enough to drive in, then it's good enough for this 57 year old to try a few more Froest Preserve caches.

 

Good luck caching!!

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Well, my Garmin 60CSx arrived yesterday. :D So far I have been able to mark my location :D and download 40 caches (the ones closest to me) from this site and transfer them to my GPSr. We drove very near to a cache last night but didn't really look for it-just got close enough for the unit to "beep". It was dark, - 7 degrees, and had just snowed about 6 inches. I know some of you would have looked for the cache <_< and some of you would have found it :) but we didn't (thought about it, tho!). :D

 

I'm actually pretty pleased with myself for what I've done so far!

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Just had a thought - look up a cache or two in a Forest Preserve. Find the ones with a recent visit, and go there. Then follow the tracks in the snow. I know this may sound like cheating, but since you are just starting out, try it. You can then get familiar with how your GPSr reacts in the field.

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Just had a thought - look up a cache or two in a Forest Preserve. Find the ones with a recent visit, and go there. Then follow the tracks in the snow. I know this may sound like cheating, but since you are just starting out, try it. You can then get familiar with how your GPSr reacts in the field.

 

That's a good idea. I wish I had time to try that today but we're leaving on vacation. I'll give it a shot when we get back if the snow hasn't melted by then.

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I found my first cache without a gpsr. I currently have it on my desk because I was teaching a gf of mine how to cache. I freaked cause I saw it on the ground and there was weed in it.

 

So, being a girl is no big deal caching. I was pregnant for my first 20 some odd cache finds too.

 

didn't anyone else notice that this person's first cache find is now sitting on her desk????

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I don't even remember how I initially stumbled on this site but I've been lurking here for a few weeks just thinking about how much fun this all sounded....

 

Vicki

Have you noticed some caches are marked for those in wheel chairs? May I suggest you also obtain a walking stick? Some install a hook on the end to probe dark dens. A mirror can be clamped to the end to see inside and under. I find it is a wonderful assistant helping access on the hills, in the bush and safely probing for the cache. Have fun, it is a wonderful healthy hobby.

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Well, we're back. Had a great time and due to some plans being cancelled which were out of our control we found we had much more time for Geocaching than we previously anticipated.

 

Found about 15 caches, which I haven't logged yet as I'm considering changing my user name to a more couple-friendly moniker as my husband loves this!

 

We walked and walked and walked, met some really cool people, and went places we probably wouldn't have otherwise.

 

Discovered we REALLY need a PDA and better shoes.

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Fifteen... Your hooked! Since I'm retired I have my quires set for the 2.5 or lower difficulty caches. That works for me and I have more than I'll ever find. I did get one the other day within a tenth of a mile from home. I would recommend GSAK as a program for your PC. Keep on goin'

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