To use The Force you must ...

[+TeamThom]

I'm new, only been geocaching for a few months and just logged my 50th find. Although what I learn from each cache find is helping me make new finds, I certainly don't feel like I'm anywhere near using "The Force" to help locate a cache. How many finds did you have before you felt that "The Force" was actually a tool that you could use for finding a cache? Please describe your first force usage experience.

[+michigansnorkelers]

I had a very difficult time my first couple weeks of geocaching. My very first search was a DNF, as were many others.

 

Near the end of the month, my confidence increased. I was picking up a sixth sense in locating SOME caches. Yes, it was like using the GEOCACHING FORCE. I would come upon a footbridge and immediately sense the cache hidden underneath.

 

Be forewarned though! There is a dark side to the force. It took me by surprise one month into geocaching when I slipped down a hill and broke my ankle. I used the FORCE to find a sturdy stick for use as a crutch, and hobbled in pain the 8/10 of a mile back to my van. And it still hurts one year later.

 

Happy Geocaching, and may the geocaching FORCE be with you!

[knowschad]

I frequently have to force myself to keep looking. I've also had to force myself to stop looking on occasion. I've had to force some stubborn containers open.

 

But aside from those applications of "The Force", I think the force exists just to play with us. The Force will make it easy to find a 4.5 difficulty micro in the woods one day, making us feel like a genius, only to make us DNF a 1.5 difficuly ammo box the very next day to humble us. The Force will work for us only often enough to keep us coming back for more.

[+Lacomo]

When you get my age you have to use "The Force" to get out of bed some mornings.

[+The Leprechauns]

Great question! It made me go back and look again at my early finds, and I laughed as I recalled some of my aimless stumblings. I started caching in June 2002, and I really started hitting my stride during my first long-distance caching roadtrip in early September, about 75 finds later. It was on that trip that I really remember feeling confident for the first time... not only in finding the caches quickly, but also in parking at the right place and making the correct trail selections.

 

There's another level of "The Force." Yesterday, my daughter and I were searching for a multicache in a neighborhood park. For the life of us, we couldn't find the micro with the coordinates for the final cache container. Finally, we just decided to look around and think "where would I hide a medium size lock 'n lock in this park?" We went in a straight line to a far corner of the park, into some woods. In the first place where my daughter checked, we found a decoy cache that said "this is not the cache, but you're getting warm" and then I found the cache at the other end of the same fallen tree. THAT was fun!

[+Isonzo Karst]

I couldn't tell you when I first used the Force - although I do remember the first time I cached with someone who used it in abundance. This was several fews years back, she had the most finds in the state at that time, watching her just go to stuff like she'd watched the cache owner place it was amazing.

 

Anyway - just today I was working a multi, looking at this

Take (B X C)+(C X 2)+3=E. Take ((((D/A)/A) X 3)-C+B+B+.25)=F.

Final co-ordinates: N 28° 14.F W 082° 34.E

 

and then my eye wandered out into the distance and something there said, "ammo can". And it was.

[+Jhwk]

100 you must, but stumped you will still be.

 

Yay I a geocacher am I

[+StarBrand]

For me I think it was on a run between 300 and 400. For about a week there I could do no wrong. Walked right to all the caches I was seeking - even several that had multiple DNFs. If I calm down and allow myself to see the area as a hider, then finding the cache becomes a lot easier. When I blindly try to line up the GPS - then I will fail.

[+Rattlebars]

About 80 or so for me but with a qualifier. You get to know the locals pretty well and their style, GPS coordinate accuracy, container types and hiding style. It's kind of like "tells" in a poker game. Pay attention to who the hider is and that will get you 30* of the force....

 

the rest is up to you.

 

But, the problem with the force is that you get easily frustrated when you are having an off day.....

[+TeamThom]

Good stories so far, keep 'em coming.

[+W7WT]

Sometimes the force can work against you. I get tunnel vision and waste a lot of time looking where I think it is. Way back in 2001 when I had found all caches near Bremerton (3) I expanded my quest to north of the Hood Canal Bridge. I was prepared. Had on my boots so I could wade in the water to get around trees blown over in the water. My GPS showed me it was in driftwood. I even found GZ. I took off my coat and Threw it over the end of the driftwood and looked and looked. After about 30 minutes, I grabbed my coat to leave and there it was. Just reached down and grabbed it. I didn't even see the cavity when I threw my coat over it. Over 2000 finds and I still get tunnel vision.

[+IAOhana]

This is a fascinating topic. We just had our first 'perfect' day (9 searches, 9 finds in about 4 hours) and we were in a zone. Mrs. 'Ohana walked right up to the last one and while I was reading the sign on the stone in the park, she pulled out the cache and said "Tada!"

[+Kryten]

I thought the force had kicked in when I managed a run of over 100 finds without a DNF, but it was only playing with me and normal service was soon resumed, worst luck.

[+Bushlight]

I thought luke skywalker had the force?

[+bitbrain]

Somewhere in my first 20 or so is when I first encountered the force. I think I referred to it as Zen caching that day, though.

 

Had a micro (they were pretty rare back then) that was giving us fits. There happened to be a swing nearby. One of those really tall, A-frame deals with the long chain so you could swing extra high. Well, I had decided to sit and swing for a few minutes to clear my mind.

 

I closed my eyes and swung. Faster and higher. Feeling the wind rush past as I arced through the parabola. I opened my eyes and looked at a spot on the ground. I knew the cache was there. Hopped off the swing, walked over, raked a little sand out of the way and retrieved the cache. w00t!

 

[+Belfrypotters]

I was going to say that we were still waiting for The Force, but then I realized that some time in the last year it must have quietly joined us, because even though our new GPSr doesn't seem to want to settle whenever we get within 100 meters of GZ, we still keep finding the caches (never should have given the old Explorist 100 away, it wasn't fancy but it used to lead us right to the spot). And this past summer we found a cache that had been archived, unfound, because the coordinates were off by almost six kilometers. The Force must have been with us then!

[+rhelt100]

 

There's another level of "The Force." Yesterday, my daughter and I were searching for a multicache in a neighborhood park. For the life of us, we couldn't find the micro with the coordinates for the final cache container. Finally, we just decided to look around and think "where would I hide a medium size lock 'n lock in this park?" We went in a straight line to a far corner of the park, into some woods. In the first place where my daughter checked, we found a decoy cache that said "this is not the cache, but you're getting warm" and then I found the cache at the other end of the same fallen tree. THAT was fun!

 

 

I had the same situation a few months back. Another area cacher and I were doing a three stage multi on the grounds of a small town historical center. Stage 1 was hidden on a caboose and after about 20 minutes of searching we just couldn't come up with it. We knew from the page that this was a three stage cache with 2 micros leading to a small. The entire area was only around an acre so we just stopped and looked around and picked appropriate hiding places based on what we had both seen in the past. Not 5 minutes later we had stage 2 in hand and proceeded to the final.

 

 

These type of situations balanced against the DNF'd 1/1 micros is what makes it so much fun.

[+Renegade Knight]

The force is with me, or it's not. Either I walk right up and it's in the exact place it should be...or I'm going to be spending some time looking.

 

The force just happens in my world. The best use was a cache that had bad coords. The wrong side of the river and a good distance off. I KNEW I could find that cache if I just put myself in the shoes of the hider. It wasn't instant but we found it within 20' of the place the force told me "should have been"

[+Stargazer22]

We've experienced the force a few times in the last few months. We were searching recently for a particularly difficult micro in the woods that lots of folks log a DNF on for their first trip. It's on a 4WD road so it's not all that convenient to go back there multiple times. We searched for about 30 mintues and decided to give it up and come back later. On the way back to the Jeep I felt something pulling me back to the area and felt that if we gave it a few more minutes, I would find it.

We went back to the same spot where we had been and looked for about another 10 minutes with no luck. My wife was ready to go and log the DNF. I decided to stop moving and clear my mind. Once I had stopped looking for the cache, I just looked around at the area. We had searched diligently with no luck. As I was standing there just enjoying the sceney, I looked down and noticed something right next to my boot. It had some writing on it and I read it out loud. As I read it, I realized that what I said fit the hint perfectly. I picked it up and sure enough, it was the cache. Once I blanked my mind, it was right there all along.

My log stated that I do some of my best work with a blank mind, regardless of what my wife says!

[+simpjkee]

honestly, it was about 4th attempt that I figured out that caches were hidden under lamp post caches. About my 8th attempt I had my GPS and was walking and I thought "I bet its under that lamp post" and sure enough it was. therefor the first time I used my geosense was the second time I found a lamp post cache.

 

I dont remember it exactly so the numbers have been changed but are pretty darn accurate.

[+cgrunrun]

I have called upon The Force; it laughed at me!!!

[+Julian]

"These aren't the caches you're looking for. Move along. Move along."

[+JonInNH1]

"These aren't the caches you're looking for. Move along. Move along."

 

My wife will have to read this thread. Maybe then she will want to go caching more!

[+january14]

The Force is quite fickle... it comes when you least expect it, and then leaves just as quickly. One minute champion, next minute (and for a bunch of them afterwards) it's gone. When I have it, even nano's can't hide. I can look at the gps and from hundred feet away and still in the car, point and say, "It's there." And, sure enough it is. That can last anywhere from 1 to 5 cache attempts.

 

Then the force deserts me and I am left to scrounge in the dirt with the rest of humanity to only discover the Ammo Can behind the log, much later than I anticipated and having invested too much time.

 

I've had particular caches that have stumped me for several visits even, as if the area that I am is immune to the force. I can have the force and think... today's the day, only to leave the area an hour later, empty handed and cursing the owner. LOL

 

Yep, you have good days where you can find Diff 4's and bad days where Diff 1's will defeat you. The objective is to not let it continually defeat you. Find a caching buddy and let it defeat you both. Or better yet, join the local group, and try to cache with one of them. You will notice one thing about an experienced cacher. They put the GPS down once they get to the area and start looking.

 

If you are searching for a micro and the GPS points you into a wooded area... forget it. That's a Force Free Zone. Unless you are good at this, you most likely will not find it, even after a dozen tries.

 

I have been very fortunate in our 4 months of caching... my girlfriend is very good at finding caches. I am only just barely adequate at it.

[+private bones]

Recently I took a friend out for his first geocaching experince. Our first cache of teh day was a level 3.5 difficulty and a 4 terrain. As we approached the cache I apologized to him because the cache logs indicated a whole lot of DNF's accompanied by a lot of frustration from experienced cachers. The coords had been verified and it was just a difficult cache.

 

Probably not the best cache for a brand new person, but we went for it anyway. As we approached the area, I stopped for a few seconds (!!!) to let the GPSr settle down, and suddenly heard "Piece of cake. It's right here." I looked over and he had not actually found the cache but was reaching into a very natural looking area in a massive field of granite. I looked, and there was nothing unnatural or "fake" looking about the spot as the cache had been very well hidden.

 

A minute later his hand emerged with the cache. He is now an avid cacher and has continued to have some uncanny sense "the force?" from the beginning. I, however, still have to force myself to concentrate and make the find...

[+IANNA]

I personally enjoy the hunt and looking around for a cache, I now have a good idea of what to look for as a potential hiding place but if I ever get to the point the force continuously takes the fun out of it and makes it too easy. Then the game is no longer a game but about just the numbers. IMO

[+Scare Force One]

So people are born with the force...some are not. Sorry you must be the latter. Just kiding. As you become more eperienced you will become better at finding things.

 

~.~Scare Force One