Is it always this horrible?

[+WoodlandAlliance]

My first geocache was great. I followed the coords and picked up the cache in 5 minutes.

 

But the second one, the trail was so flooded I couldn't even get to the coords.

 

And the third one, I spent an hour and a half searching everywhere within 50 feet of the coords and NOTHING.

 

What am I doing wrong?

[+El Diablo]

You may be doing nothing wrong. The cache could be missing. Could you give us the link or the name to the cache you were looking for? Then maybe we can help.

 

El Diablo

[+WoodlandAlliance]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

[+wapahani]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

 

As a rule what I was told. Search once, then wait a week or more and try once more.

You should also read the log. If you find several of the previous visitors left notes that they couldn't find it, chances are it got muggled.

Also, I recently found one that was well away from its cords. Sometimes people move them.....dunno why.

 

As for the flooded one, that is just a no brainer. Wait it out.

[+flask]

yes, it's often that bad, and worse.

 

crashco says you're either having a good time or you're having a good story to tell.

 

today i was an what should have been an easy cache and the coordinates were off by about 100 feet and i managed to get a small head wound and go to brush the sweat off my forehead and instead got a handful of blood, but i manged to find the cache, even knowing that the guys at the business across the street were watching and laughing and the container was full of nasty water which poured out onto me as i retrieved it, nevermind trying to sign the log, so i signed the lid and got outta dodge.

 

if you've had a good day you should come home smelling bad, covered with dirt, and bleeding a little. if you've had a VERY good day you have sticks in your underwear, pictures to upload, and a dozen logs to write.

[+Team Rijon]

 

But the second one, the trail was so flooded I couldn't even get to the coords.

 

 

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't half of the state of Wisconsin get flooded just this last week.

[+El Diablo]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

 

The one you couldn't find is a bison tube with a difficulty level of 2. This means it's a micro cache and they can be a bit difficult to find. If you don't know what a bison tube is....it's a small cylinder about 2 inches long and about as big around as your pinky finger. Sometime the are camofluaged which makes it even harder to find. You might want to move on to another cache and come back for this one after you've gotten a little more experience.

 

El Diablo

[+FamilyDNA]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

From the description, I have a pretty good idea of what you should be looking for. I've found a couple like this, but it's not a "typical" hide. Notice the container is listed as ? (other).

 

Pick out a couple of regular size traditionals to look for. Also, the one above has not been found yet. There's always the possibility that a new cache might have poor coordinates or other issues. As a new cacher, you might want to search for caches with recent finds.

[+WoodlandAlliance]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

 

The one you couldn't find is a bison tube with a difficulty level of 2. This means it's a micro cache and they can be a bit difficult to find. If you don't know what a bison tube is....it's a small cylinder about 2 inches long and about as big around as your pinky finger. Sometime the are camofluaged which makes it even harder to find. You might want to move on to another cache and come back for this one after you've gotten a little more experience.

 

El Diablo

 

That small? How can anyone find something like that?

 

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

[+Miragee]

Check out this thread to see what you are up against . . .

 

Welcome to the "addiction."

[+El Diablo]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

 

The one you couldn't find is a bison tube with a difficulty level of 2. This means it's a micro cache and they can be a bit difficult to find. If you don't know what a bison tube is....it's a small cylinder about 2 inches long and about as big around as your pinky finger. Sometime the are camofluaged which makes it even harder to find. You might want to move on to another cache and come back for this one after you've gotten a little more experience.

 

El Diablo

 

That small? How can anyone find something like that?

 

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

 

They can be a whole lot smaller, as small as a pencil eraser. For now when you look for a cache be sure to look at the top of the cache page for container size. You'll see that in the top left hand corner of the page. It's represented by a series of red dots. The smaller the dot, the smaller the cache. Start by looking for the larger containers.

 

El Diablo

[+lrosell]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

 

The one you couldn't find is a bison tube with a difficulty level of 2. This means it's a micro cache and they can be a bit difficult to find. If you don't know what a bison tube is....it's a small cylinder about 2 inches long and about as big around as your pinky finger. Sometime the are camofluaged which makes it even harder to find. You might want to move on to another cache and come back for this one after you've gotten a little more experience.

 

El Diablo

 

That small? How can anyone find something like that?

 

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

 

Ahh wouldn't it be nice if it worked that way. At least sometimes.

 

Unfortunatly GPS in some terrain have an accuracy of about 20 feet, meaning that when the GPSs says you are 'standing on it' you may in fact be 20 feet away from it. This of course assuming that the coordinates recorded by the cache owner is dead on. If they are in fact off by some 5 feet you could be 25 feet aways from it. In any direction!

 

That... is what makes Geocaching fun!

[+Prime Suspect]

My first geocache was great. I followed the coords and picked up the cache in 5 minutes.

 

But the second one, the trail was so flooded I couldn't even get to the coords.

 

And the third one, I spent an hour and a half searching everywhere within 50 feet of the coords and NOTHING.

 

What am I doing wrong?

Some days, you get the cache.

 

Some days, the cache gets you.

[+Annie & PB]

Try these ones in your area.

 

link This one was found today

 

Link This one is really small, but there should be no problems with the terrain

 

link This one seems to be highly recommended.

 

We've done over 500 caches -- probably about three of them we walked up to zero on the GPS and turned over something and saw the cache. It's very, very seldom that easy!!!!!! But it's almost always fun - whether you find them or not!!!!

 

Hang in there.

 

Annie

[+derangedlunatech]

 

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

 

If they were all easy to find, they would all be muggled.

 

Take it from a fellow newbie. Yeah, it can be frustrating. Yeah, sometimes your GPS (or the cache planter's GPS) can be off by 50' or more. Yeah, sometimes someone else found it and "helped" by moving it to a "better" spot. Sometimes it got muggled.

 

My first several finds went easy - even a little bison tube one stuck in a pretty rough spot. Tonight I was 0-3 on what should have been fairly easy caches right near my house. I still haven't found the one right across the street from my house.

 

It all just makes the ones you do find all the more sweet If they were all easy, I daresay most of the people "playing" would have quit a long time ago...

[+uxorious]

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

 

If it was that easy, I think I would have tired of this game long ago. I've had caches that the GPSr led me right to, no real hunt at all. Then there are the caches I've spent 45 min. to over and hour, to find it 60 ft. away from the posted coordinates. Most of the time it is the hunt that makes this fun for me.

[+Rattlebars]

Bison Tube. An inch long half inch in diameter. Could even have camo tape on it. Might need tweezers to get the log book out.

 

[+theGeOJos]

My first geocache was great. I followed the coords and picked up the cache in 5 minutes.

 

But the second one, the trail was so flooded I couldn't even get to the coords.

 

And the third one, I spent an hour and a half searching everywhere within 50 feet of the coords and NOTHING.

 

What am I doing wrong?

 

yea, i suppose it gets bad, but i promise it gets better.

 

i've looked for a local cache, right beside where my mom has been working since i was a kid, about 6 times and cant find it.

and then people log it saying "i dont unerstand the dnf's, this was a quick find!"

Oh you better believe im not happy, but hopefully my new gps will help!

[+Mother Wolf]

Welcome Joey to your new addiction & frustration

 

Hang in there. There are days when you find everything youre looking for & wonder 'Whats hard about this' then there are days when you wonder what the CO was on when they hid this cache because youve tried everything & still cant find it. We've all been there & we're all still here so keep caching. In the end the good DOES outway the bad. Mother Wolf

[+...The Girl]

yes, it's often that bad, and worse.

 

crashco says you're either having a good time or you're having a good story to tell.

 

today i was an what should have been an easy cache and the coordinates were off by about 100 feet and i managed to get a small head wound and go to brush the sweat off my forehead and instead got a handful of blood, but i manged to find the cache, even knowing that the guys at the business across the street were watching and laughing and the container was full of nasty water which poured out onto me as i retrieved it, nevermind trying to sign the log, so i signed the lid and got outta dodge.

 

if you've had a good day you should come home smelling bad, covered with dirt, and bleeding a little. if you've had a VERY good day you have sticks in your underwear, pictures to upload, and a dozen logs to write.

I had sticks in my underwear once - that was a freaking awesome caching experience!

[+Renegade Knight]

 

That small? How can anyone find something like that?

 

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

It makes it harder.

 

As for what you thought geocaching was...a lot of people think it's that easy. I've been within 10' of a full sized ammo can and it still took me half an hour to find it. The coordinates get you there. Finding the cache can be like trying to find a raise.

[+MarshMonsters]

I am a newbie too. Trust me it gets better. Don't sweat it... The first time we went we couldn't find anything. Now we have days where we will be on a roll and find 14 and DNF two. Other days DNF five and find two. The thing I learned is have fun in the adventure itself. The caches are meant to bring you to a cool location. Sometimes the locations are so cool I don't care if we had a DNF.

 

Like others have said it is even more fun when you come back muddy, wet, with geostripes (scratches from brush) and have sticks in your hair and underwear.

[+she_wolf]

This is an awesome topic, and here are my two cents, ok with inflation, make it a quarter.

The caches are also relative. I found one ammo box (my first by the way), under a pile of rocks, so sort of easy to spot. The hardest part was figuring out how to work my GPS. My second one was deceptively easy as well, 5min & was about 2"x3" and buried in a little dirt mound. Here is my but... they were actually both listed as "small". So after finding the first, I was actually looking for something the size of the ammo box. As I said #2 was pure luck.

I was hooked after #1, but #2 solidified my addiction.

Now after 6, I feel like a PRO (just kidding), but what I have learned it to go for the "regular" sized ones.

See now that I have the hang (kind of) of my GPS AND how to manuever and download my coordinates ~ I am smart enough to go for the little larger ones to learn and explore with.

Now if I could only figure out how to locate a cache without following my GPS along the "as the crow flies" route .... I think I am supplying the MN state insect, the mosquito, with enuf blood to feed them all season ~ of course who notices during the hunt ~ it's the next day when I show up at work looking like I have the chicken pox....

[+Keruso]

there was one day about two weeks ago that i had found 10 and DNFd 9. i have set in my GPS some of the ones that i couldnt find, and on my next day off, ill go see if i can find them. they are mostly micros and nanos. very hard to find sometimes

[+Seasoned Warrior]

 

That small? How can anyone find something like that?

 

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

 

If that was all there was to it why bother? Its a game, its supposed to be challenging.

[+Kit Fox]

 

Maybe my idea of geocaching is incorrect. But when I get coords I expect to be able to walk to those coords, look down, and see that cache underneath a rock or something.

 

If they were all easy to find, they would all be muggled.

 

Caches hidden in muggle free areas don't need to be well hidden.

 

As for Joey, a good tip is to check the cache size description before going on a hunt for caches. It has been my experience that 95% of caches listed as "unknown" are actually super tiny micro caches. To confirm your suspicion that the cache is most likely a tiny micro, read past logs. If you never see any reference to other cachers taking and leaving items, in all likelihood the cache is too small for trade items.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

yes, it's often that bad, and worse.

 

crashco says you're either having a good time or you're having a good story to tell.

 

today i was an what should have been an easy cache and the coordinates were off by about 100 feet and i managed to get a small head wound and go to brush the sweat off my forehead and instead got a handful of blood, but i manged to find the cache, even knowing that the guys at the business across the street were watching and laughing and the container was full of nasty water which poured out onto me as i retrieved it, nevermind trying to sign the log, so i signed the lid and got outta dodge.

 

if you've had a good day you should come home smelling bad, covered with dirt, and bleeding a little. if you've had a VERY good day you have sticks in your underwear, pictures to upload, and a dozen logs to write.

 

Amen! I DNF'd the first two caches we looked for and then spent an hour and half finding a micro hidden in plain sight. Still a great story later, but the best stories to date are always the mishaps and often are accompanied by much laughter later on.

[+Zor]

I started in January of this year and have hit 254 finds thus far but the first few were brutal. In fact, a week after I got my GPS, I decided I was going to go out and "grab a bunch of easy micros" from within the city. I spent somewhere between 2-4 hours looking for I'd say about a dozen or so different caches. When I was done that night, I had found ONE STINKING CACHE!

 

It became very apparent to me that night that following the GPS to the spot was not all it was about. There was a lot of trying to find the item, and hunting for the item, all a part of the game.

 

Now that I'm where I'm at, I have a pretty good handle on things to expect, but I either read the cache pages before I leave, or I download them to my PDA so when I'm on the trail, or on an urban hunt, I have more info about what I am looking for. Sometimes you can look and look and look and then once you know WHAT you are looking for, it's easy.

[+Kabuthunk]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

Personally, I wouldn't have posted a 'needs maintenance' log on the 'flooded' one. It's not exactly like the cache owner can 'maintenance' flooding. Do what, attempt to drain the area by drinking the water?

 

Some areas are just wetter than others. One of mine tends to get flooded for about 1-week of the year, right in the middle of spring thaw. If it's a good container, it'll hold up.

 

Heck, my favourite cache is DESIGNED to be in an extremely flooded area. Slurping through ankle-deep water the entire way... I found it awesome. It all depends on what you're looking for.

 

If you don't want to get wet/etc, stick to caches that are further from bodies of water. The flooded one that you listed indicated that you had to walk OVER a dam. With a description like that, there's a decent chance you'll be getting your feet wet. If you don't, good... but I wouldn't go to that one 100% expecting it to be dry.

 

But yeah... I wouldn't have posted a 'needs maintenance' log. Perhaps just post something like "someone may want to check if the cache is dry" or "add into the cache description the area may be very wet". If the cache is still in perfect condition in there... maintenance is unneeded, no?

[+she_wolf]

This is the on that I searched and search for and couldn't find

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...13-303ec027abc5

 

Heres the flooded one

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...e2-95fd01d3609f

Personally, I wouldn't have posted a 'needs maintenance' log on the 'flooded' one. It's not exactly like the cache owner can 'maintenance' flooding. Do what, attempt to drain the area by drinking the water?

 

Some areas are just wetter than others. One of mine tends to get flooded for about 1-week of the year, right in the middle of spring thaw. If it's a good container, it'll hold up.

 

Heck, my favourite cache is DESIGNED to be in an extremely flooded area. Slurping through ankle-deep water the entire way... I found it awesome. It all depends on what you're looking for.

 

If you don't want to get wet/etc, stick to caches that are further from bodies of water. The flooded one that you listed indicated that you had to walk OVER a dam. With a description like that, there's a decent chance you'll be getting your feet wet. If you don't, good... but I wouldn't go to that one 100% expecting it to be dry.

 

But yeah... I wouldn't have posted a 'needs maintenance' log. Perhaps just post something like "someone may want to check if the cache is dry" or "add into the cache description the area may be very wet". If the cache is still in perfect condition in there... maintenance is unneeded, no?

 

Thanks for the clarification on the "needs maintenance" - I waivered on that... The hunt was great, the find of course made it a success ~ the cache was a bit soggy, but prior logs indicated this had happened before, so figured iF I logged it as such future cachers would know & the owner could check up.

By reading your note above I think I "guessed" right....

she_wolf - proud finder of #10 last night & one geocoin (double digits is fantastic, but the geocoin is the AWESOMEST!!)

[+NYPaddleCacher]

My first geocache was great. I followed the coords and picked up the cache in 5 minutes.

 

But the second one, the trail was so flooded I couldn't even get to the coords.

 

And the third one, I spent an hour and a half searching everywhere within 50 feet of the coords and NOTHING.

 

What am I doing wrong?

 

Nothing. I've got 450 finds and went out on Sunday for a day of caching and got DNFs on the first four caches I looked for. I ended up with 22 finds for the day though. I found one today that I've searched for four times and have spent over two hours at the location. I had it in had in 8 minutes today. Some caches are just a lot harder to find than others. Pay attention to the difficulty rating, the cache size, and recent log entries on the listing. They'll give you a good indication as to how difficult a cache may be to find. Spend some time searching for large, low difficulty caches that have recently been found to give you some experience. The more you cache the easier it gets (in general).

[+CrippledBlindSquirrel]

GPS is great for getting you very very close to a particular spot on Earth...It was not designed and will not put you exactly on that spot. I'm old enough to remember when GPS was first deployed by the Military - it was and is designed for weapons delivery....an error of +/- 20 feet means nothing to 1000 pound bomb but quite a bit to us while looking for something the size of our little finger - or smaller.

 

It becomes a contest between the person who hides the cache and the person looking for the cache once the GPSr says you are there. That's the fun, at least for me.

 

Try to look at this sport from a different angle...What did the cache owner want you to see when he hid the cache? Where would you have hidden if it were you? Treat every find as a learning experience for the time you will hide your first cache.

 

I admit that I don't like the micro caches as much as the regulars...Unless the micro cache takes me to a place I would have never seen unless I went there following the arrow on the GPSr. Spend sometime reading the logs on the cache pages and pick out the ones that peak you curiosity or interest. Take a look at the cache site on Google maps/satellite images.

 

I don't look at as horrible..It's really a contest of wits between two people of good will - the cache owner and you. Play the game like you would play chess or poker! Cache when the weather is good, Cache with people you like and want to spend some time with and above all don't feel like you have to find every cach in your area...It just won't happen.

[+blb9556]

 

But the second one, the trail was so flooded I couldn't even get to the coords.

 

 

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't half of the state of Wisconsin get flooded just this last week.

 

Look: (Sorry the pic is huge)

Edited June 29, 2008 by blb9556

[+Pottersarah]

We've had issues with caches being under water as well. Our local lake is at record levels, so two caches were in the lake. We found one today that is in a dry patch in a creek bed. Massive rains yesterday, so it probably was under water then; we had to wade through the creek.

 

We haven't been doing this long, we've learned to carefully read the logs (just b/c someone claims a find doesn't mean they really found it). We also started with easy, close to home caches and are now branching out into bigger hikes.

[+emmy1515]

To the OP: I would also like to refer you to www.wi-geocaching.com , the state Geocaching Association. They have really helpful members, really great forums, and if you need anything, you'll always get a quick response from everyone there. they may be able to give you a little more localized help. the active cachers on the board have been all over the state! it may not get easier, but the goods really do come with the bad. not every hunt will lead you to a cache, but 99% of them will be successful in some way.

Edited June 30, 2008 by emmy1515

[+NYPaddleCacher]

there was one day about two weeks ago that i had found 10 and DNFd 9. i have set in my GPS some of the ones that i couldnt find, and on my next day off, ill go see if i can find them. they are mostly micros and nanos. very hard to find sometimes

 

I went out on Fathers day for a full day of geocaching. I left the house at around 7:30am and had my first DNF of the day but 8:00am (I actually touched the cache but it fell into a hole in the rock wall it was hidden in). Then I drove 20 miles and DNFd on the next cache I looked for (a puzzle cache on which my GPS was telling me was located about 90 feet out in the middle of the susquehanna river). Then I drove another 5 miles and picked up two more DNFs (the first had a muggle sitting in a car close to the cache, the other I just couldn't find). I finally got my first find of the day at around 9:30am. I cached until about 2:30pm and got three more DNFs (one was in a tunnel and the batteries were low), but I ended up with 22 finds for the day. I found micros under lamp posts, caches cammoed as a rock in a rock wall, one on a tank, and a bunch in the woods. I had scratches all over my arms and legs (and one in my ear) from a couple of different caches. It was overall, a great day of geocaching.

[+Save The Murlocs]

It's best to start out just doing really easy 1/1's. The first couple we tried to find were 2's, and they were far too difficult for us. So we practiced on easier ones. We still do easy ones, we're still beginners and still learning. The 1's will help you learn what to look for.