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What have you learned?


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Always remember to keep your caching bag in the car, even if you don't think you'll be making any cache attempts today.

 

Always keep several pencils/pens in your caching bag.

 

Always bring two pencils/pens to hunt the cache.

 

Always remember to keep your hiking stick and camera in the car, even if you don't think you'll be making any cache attempts today.

 

Always bring your hiking stick if you have to go more than a few feet from the car.

 

Always bring your camera if you have to go more than a few feet from the car (at one cache I missed taking pictures of a week-old or so fawn and a 140+ year old train tunnel, because my camera was in the car several hundred yards away and WAAAAY up a hill).

 

Never attempt a cache over 2-star terrain in dress slacks and smooth-sole shoes, especially after a rain.

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Always carry spare batteries, and the car charger for your cell phone.

 

Always keep at least one flashlight in the car, preferably two.

 

Always bring at least two light sources with spare batteries when entering a 140+ year old abandoned train tunnel (yes, I'm very glad I did).

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This is an interesting topic for me as I'd thought of starting the same one.

 

Apart from things specifically related to geocaching I've learned a lots of things about the area around me:

 

- I can now identify lots of different types of trees and bushes and I know which species are considered invasive weeds.

- I can identify several different types of snakes

- I've learned how to properly read a top map, how to locate and read trail maps and I can usually choose the best route to take to get to a specific location.

- I've learned that piles of rocks and sticks rarely occur naturally in nature.

 

The most significant thing of all is that I learned to enjoy hiking and the open spaces around me.

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I've learned that a 30cal ammo can can survive unscathed after being driven over by a Toyota 4x4.

I've learned that, tugging on strings in the woods may cause ammo cans to hit you on the head.

I've learned that, if an ammo can falls in the forest, hitting you on the head, and there is no one around to hear you scream, it still hurts.

I've learned that expressions such as, "That mud hole can't be too deep" can result in you spending the night in the woods.

I've learned that falling into a 20' deep ravine, riding a broken tree bridge, doesn't always result in broken bones.

I've learned that marking your parking spot is a REALLY good idea.

I've learned that reality, as portrayed in the forums, and reality as experienced on the cache trail, are polar opposites.

I've learned that whatever process Groundspeak utilizes to deliver Vinny's meds needs work... A LOT of work.

 

Most importantly, (having participated in many varied social activities spanning several decades),

I've learned that geocachers, as a whole, are some of the finest folks on the planet. :D

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I've learned that:

 

Any cache can become a 5/5.

Hip boots don't help if the mud is over your hips.

Most times, quality is better than quantity.

I CAN climb that large hill of sand/walk through mud/cross that log bridge in high heels/dress boots/sandals.

Hiking boots are my friends.

Chiggers aren't.

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I'm supposed to be learning something? :) Is there going to be a test?!? I thought this was supposed to be fun!

 

What have I learnt? I know the difference between a pine, a yew, a cedar and a fir. (It would be nice if the cache owners did too.) :D

Chiggers is nasty critters! But it's the ticks that give you Lyme.

The strange guys walking about in the woods are basically harmless, but they are curious as to what you are doing there. Better not to stare.

I don't like rats. I prefer bears and snakes!

Mountain lions are mythical in the northeast. Even the ones you've seen. The same with bobcats.

 

All kidding aside:

Geocachers know the best little, hidden parks.

I can trip over a 1/1 and still not find it!

The cachemobile prefers not to drive on sand roads in the Pine Barrens.

Finding benchmarks can be every bit as rewarding as finding caches.

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There are lots of places to hide caches.

 

Normal people would never think anything might be hidden in many such places.

 

Just because something looks like it belongs where you see it, that does not mean that it actually belongs there.

 

Others on this forum have learned many of the same things as I have, but I didn't realize I'd learned those things until I read this thread.

 

There are some very stupid threads and they never seem to quite die away.

 

Most hide-a-key boxes are not used to hide keys.

 

Executives of hide-a-key manufacturing companies erroneously believe they provide a valuable public service by providing a means of hiding keys under cars.

 

Car thieves are always amazed at how few hidden keys they find given the glowing sales figures contained in hide-a-key manufacturing company annual reports.

 

There is no good way for an adult to look under a newspaper machine and look natural about it. However, a child looking under a newspaper machine draws no attention if an adult is nearby yelling "get out from under there."

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I've learned that my wife gets a little touchy when I'd rather go out on a Saturday morning to geocache instead of helping clean the house.

 

Man, I just lived that last week, except my day is Friday!

 

Other lessons I've learned:

 

It is easy to become a cache snob. And yet, the cachers I like aren't.

 

There's always a new trial somewhere in this small town.

 

Cachers are cool people. Most of them, anyway. (Opps - that one slipped out. As you can see, I can be a bit of a snob.)

 

Lame can be a game.

Vancouver Island isn't exactly a small town when you consider the geography. Sorry that you seem to have a snobbery element there. The Seattle caching scene seems to me to be pretty open to anyone without a lot of judgement being bandied about. Of course there are squabbles from time to time but they certainly do not dominate the landscape.

 

To clarify, the snob mention was a confession, not an accusation. I have learned that my tendencies toward cache snobbery do not make me a better cacher!

Edited by doingitoldschool
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Before geocaching, the only use I had for a computer was to check email, order stuff on Amazon.com, and do my paperwork at work.

 

I've learned that now I go into deep withdrawls if I go more than 36 hours without internet.

 

I've learned a little HTML coding. You really needed to KNOW some on the old version of this forum.

 

I've learned that geocachers are one of the most interesting and unique subsets of humanity and that my wife thinks we're all silly nerds. (My poor son will have do deal with the handicap of being born half muggle.)

 

I've learned to enjoy the same aesthetic argument over and over and over while trying to think up new ways to say the same thing in my pithy Snooganesque way.

 

I've learned that talking about yourself in third person doesn't always mean you're crazy.

 

I've learned that Garmin beats the snot outta Magellan. (Former Magellanite turned Garminarian here.)

 

I've learned that it's fun to poke at the people who take themselves and this activity a little too seriously.

 

I've learned that there's more than one lane on the geocaching highway, but after trying them all, that this one is the best one and the only one I really have time for anymore...

 

I've learned, back in the days that I still cached with a Magellan, just to turn it off and follow the folks with Garmins. :lol:

 

I've learned that I will never fully understand my 60CSX. The wife got it for me. She was ashamed of being married to a Magellanite. :)

 

I've learned many homeless people are better dressed than a well seasoned geocacher on a cache findin' mission. :lol:

 

I've learned to greatly respect folks that can answer the same question over and over again in the forums without becoming too sarcastic.

 

I've learned that you can't bring people into geocaching. They have to come to it on their own.

 

I've learned that the average lifespan of a NEW geocacher is often shorter than that of a worker bee. (About 6 weeks)

 

I've learned to recognize the new cachers who will stick with it when I meet them at events. They are usually the ones helping clean up at the end.

 

I've learned that it IS possible to hide a cache in plain sight and that it can last for YEARS if done right.

 

I've learned that over rating terrain and difficulty will keep the willy-nilly unprepared cachers from killing themselves finding my caches.

 

I've learned that if you place a cache on private property and CLEARLY WARN cachers of the dangers of crossing other private lands to get to it that they can be escorted to my cache at gunpoint when they disregard my warnings. B)

 

I've learned some of the biggest forum 'gurks' can be quite personable and fun to be around in person. Online and real life personas very seldom match up equally. I.E. Folks always tell me how normal I seem in person like it's a compliment or sumthin'. :lol:

 

I've learned that a great log on one of my caches can make my whole day and with really great logs and pictures the glow can last for several days.

 

I've learned that really active cachers will go outta their way to help you get the most out of a trip to their territory and all you really hafta do is say, "Hey, I'm headed thataway." :D

 

I've learned to enjoy the enthusiasm of NEW geocachers.

 

I've learned to avoid new geocachers who publish their own "How To" guides to geocaching. :D

 

I've learned that the debate over personal aesthetics/entitlement/expectation will NEVER go away and just to have fun with it when it arises.

 

I've learned that geocaching gives me a creative outlet that keeps me sane. I don't know what Vinny's excuse is... :lol::D

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After going back and reading the whole thread, I thunked of some more stuff:

 

I've learned that when it comes to the actual activity of geocaching, cachers form 2 camps, Hiders & Finders, and that it's a rare cacher indeed that goes about both with equal gusto. I also learned that I'm mainly a hider.

 

I've learned that 4WD is essential for at least 1 of the family vehicles.

 

I've learned that people who are light sleepers shouldn't pitch a tent near mine.

 

I've learned that if you want a smaller crowd at your event, you need to submit it right AT 14 days out and that if you want a bigger crowd to submit 60+ days out.

 

I've learned that 6 "Will Attend" notes on an event I'm hosting means no less than 20 people will show.

 

I've learned that the best time to post a new cache is on Monday or Tuesday, so it makes it into the weekly cache notification email for that week.

 

I've learned that you can move a trackable hundreds of miles closer to its goal and the owner will still complain that you didn't post any pictures. :lol:

 

I've learned that traveling/released coins disappear less from events than from caches.

 

I've learned that there is no I in TEAM, but there sure as heck is an M & an E.

 

I've learned that you can't throw a rock in Jacksonville and have it land MORE than 528 feet from the nearest cache. :lol:

 

I've learned that big guys with tiny little dogs are irresistable to most women.

 

I've learned that if you post that you're headed out to get FTF on a cache, you can sometimes sleep a little longer. :lol::D

 

I've learned that trackables are way more fun than their expectant owners. :lol:

 

I've learned that a single guy doesn't need camping reservations for a campout event because there is always another geocacher with space available when you offer to share expenses.

 

I've learned that the door seals on a new Xterra are water tight.

c64bdc87-c8e8-44cb-a3d0-87ce5aa17bd7.jpg

 

I've also learned that people read my posts in this forum better than they read my cache pages. :)

Edited by Snoogans
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If Snoogans is normal....then so am I :laughing: .

 

Not bad for an old, one legged fatman. (Left leg amputee since 1999) :huh: .

 

That you can even DNF a Lamp Post hide :laughing::laughing: .

 

I have gone farther and done more then I ever thought I could caching :huh::huh: .

 

I swear I looked there before....someone must of move the cache.

 

By the time you remember the DEET....its too late :laughing: .

 

That black cloud coming your way is not rain. It's a swarm of mosquitos and your lunch.

 

Mosquitos in Texas are as big as B-52s....or is it the other way around.

 

It's easier going down the hill then up the hill.

 

You don't hurt as much going up the hill then rolling down the hill :laughing: .

Edited by JimBrownG
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Ive learned that this:

 

geocaching: Wayyy more chances to contract West Nile, or Lyme Disease than the average person.-Snoogans (sometime in 2003)
840f47bd-f595-4214-b367-8fc1800f155b.jpg

 

Even though I made it up as a joke, has turned out to be farrr more prophetic and unfunny than I would like. :laughing:

 

But, it's STILL kinda funny. :laughing:

Edited by Snoogans
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Here's something I've learned:

 

If the cache notes say the cache is on a pole near a blackberry bush, look at how long the cache has been there. Apparently, 3 years is enough to go from "near" to "deep inside".

 

And related to that: Ziploc bags don't always keep the water off the piece of paper in them that has the coordinates to the next stage of the multi.

 

By the way, since I had to crawl several feet inside a blackberry bush to retrieve the useless soggy paper, I logged it as a find, especially since I had to go down a 1/4 mile long narrow trail overgrown with blackberry bushes on both sides just to get to that particular bush the cache was inside of. Oh, that reminds me of something else I learned:

 

Expensive hockey jerseys snag and get runs very easily on blackberry bushes.

 

Other things I've learned:

 

The places near the truck parking areas at Wal-Mart are disgusting.

 

"Muggles" is a dumb term for non-cachers.

 

My friends who don't cache think I'm a dork.

 

My friends who do cache think I'm a dork.

 

It takes just over 8 pounds of ballast to sink a 1 liter Nalgene bottle.

 

I DNF almost as much as I find.

 

My wife isn't willing to wait for me to find a cache for more than 5 minutes.

 

Sometimes homeless people know right where the cache is, and can help you find it. They spend a lot of time in the outdoors and in parks, and they see what we're doing.

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After going back and reading the whole thread, I thunked of some more stuff:

 

I've learned that when it comes to the actual activity of geocaching, cachers form 2 camps, Hiders & Finders, and that it's a rare cacher indeed that goes about both with equal gusto. I also learned that I'm mainly a hider.

 

I've learned that 4WD is essential for at least 1 of the family vehicles.

 

I've learned that people who are light sleepers shouldn't pitch a tent near mine.

 

I've learned that if you want a smaller crowd at your event, you need to submit it right AT 14 days out and that if you want a bigger crowd to submit 60+ days out.

 

I've learned that 6 "Will Attend" notes on an event I'm hosting means no less than 20 people will show.

 

I've learned that the best time to post a new cache is on Monday or Tuesday, so it makes it into the weekly cache notification email for that week.

 

I've learned that you can move a trackable hundreds of miles closer to its goal and the owner will still complain that you didn't post any pictures. :)

 

I've learned that traveling/released coins disappear less from events than from caches.

 

I've learned that there is no I in TEAM, but there sure as heck is an M & an E.

 

I've learned that you can't throw a rock in Jacksonville and have it land MORE than 528 feet from the nearest cache. :D

 

I've learned that big guys with tiny little dogs are irresistable to most women.

 

I've learned that if you post that you're headed out to get FTF on a cache, you can sometimes sleep a little longer. :D:blink:

 

I've learned that trackables are way more fun than their expectant owners. :huh:

 

I've learned that a single guy doesn't need camping reservations for a campout event because there is always another geocacher with space available when you offer to share expenses.

 

I've learned that the door seals on a new Xterra are water tight.

c64bdc87-c8e8-44cb-a3d0-87ce5aa17bd7.jpg

 

I've also learned that people read my posts in this forum better than they read my cache pages. :sad:

 

I'm learning to share my wit without my nastiness - just like Snoogans. Thanks for the truly well written insights!

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I've learned that...

 

...one well done destination cache is much more exciting than a string of 10 drive ups, but that both can still be enjoyable.

 

...a man well over 300 pounds can still climb up a steep, moss covered, slippery elevation hand over hand, as long as his wiry, athletic son is further up and calling down, "You okay, Dad?"

 

...lame can actually be included in a cache deliberately, and that it can bring a smile to many faces.

 

...creativity is subjective, criticism is universal, tolerance is required and acceptance is preferable.

 

...trolls are real, not mythical creatures.

 

...if a cache has nightmare in the title, then it will be!

 

...Magelleans aren't that bad. Mind you, I haven't had a newer garmin to compare mine too.

 

...numbers are fun, but friends are funner, and caching in groups is funnest.

 

...even small towns look cool from 2000 feet up.

 

... a 94 Aerostar 2WD can still make it to some 4WD preferred cache locations, but not without paying the "dumb tax"

 

78e3f93e-49c9-47c1-b476-8d9dad2068e6.jpg

 

...my kids look good in drag, and I don't.

 

3cabe2f9-f99b-4a4a-91ee-cddf3977f985.jpg

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That super clever, devious container you just created has been done 100 times before and your sneaky 4-star hide is really a one and a half to most finders...

 

Magnetic keyhiders can hold a lot of earwigs. Don't take the unopened cache back to the car to sign the log.

 

Earwigs are much happier living in your car than they are in keyhiders.

 

I now know that I can imitate Bo and Luke jumping out of the windows of the General Lee

 

Ammo cans will float away, even when securely hidden under a large stump.

 

Large stumps will float away if the water is deep and fast enough.

 

Bees like to make nests in the same holes that are perfect for hiding bison tubes.

 

I'm not allergic to bee stings.

 

Spiders do get that big.

 

A groundhog hole at the proper angle can swallow the leg of a man with a 30" inseam up to the hip.

 

No matter how large, heavy, or awkward a travel bug is, someone will want to move it along.

 

Large, heavy, awkward travel bugs are less likely to disappear.

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.

 

If you place your backpack on the ground before you begin your search, the cache will not be real close by, except unless you search for thirty minutes or more, in which case the cache will be within ten feet of your backpack.

 

If you place your GPS on the ground while handling a cache, it will break it you back up and stand on it.

 

Likewise, if your GPS falls from your hand while you are walking on a sidewalk, and you use your foot in an effort to soften the blow before the unit hits the ground, you may end up kicking the GPS instead.

 

Footballs are made for kicking. GPS units are not.

 

Sometimes it is easier to find a tough puzzle cache without a puzzle solution or a GPS than it is to find an easy traditional cache with the aid of coordinates and a unit.

 

Some things don't make sense. Some things do. See above for details.

 

.

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I've learned that:

  • Creativity knows no bounds. Even after 1000+ finds, I'm still finding caches that impress and amaze me.

  • Even if a game has rules, past the point where the rules stop, everybody has their own way of playing the game. Also, no two people handle waypoints/PQs/GSAK/PDAs in exactly the same way.

  • People are wired differently, which means that some people just can't understand what's so great about this game. My former wife, for example.

  • There's often a shortcut to the solution of a puzzle, and this turns the puzzle into another puzzle: find the shortcut. This also applies to life.

  • Magnets are sometimes stronger than glue. Don't expect quality glue in a 2/$1 keyholder. Don't expect that expensive key to still be under your car. (Reminds me, just today I saw a key on the road...)

  • In any given population, there are probably 100+ different eccentric groups lurking under the surface: witches, cavers, geocachers, perverts, needlecrafters, etc. Everybody can find a niche somewhere.

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I’ve learned to question my assumptions while searching for a cache.

 

I’ve learned that no matter how many times I learn the lesson about questioning my assumptions while searching for a cache, I will have to learn it again while searching for the next cache.

 

And again at the next one after that.

 

I’ve learned that a muggle can sometimes be surprisingly helpful. Sometimes the unexpected and invisible muggle speaking up at you from the bottom of the wooded hillside knows way more than your Garmin does about which direction you should be walking.

 

Sometimes a muggle will even give an unrequested spoiler.

 

I’ve learned that a 0.7-mile hike 'as a crow flies' is sometimes a five-mile slog 'as four happy geeks stumble around.'

 

I’ve learned that four geeks with four GPS units can get lost much more efficiently than one geek with one.

 

I’ve learned that a surprisingly large number of cache owners are completely clueless about what is – and what is not – supposed to go in the 'Encrypted Hint' field.

 

I’ve learned that unscrewing the top of a sprinkler head is definitely not the preferred method of determining whether it is a fake sprinkler head.

 

I’ve learned that any and all reasonably sound conclusions regarding Vinny are inherently unstable.

 

I’ve learned that I always run out of time before I run out of caches to go after.

 

I’ve learned that "just one more cache" is never enough.

 

I’ve learned never to unroll a nano log any farther than is absolutely necessary.

 

I’ve learned that I will never understand what the policy makers at the National Park Service are thinking.

 

I’ve learned never to dismiss a lame-sounding cache too quickly; that occasionally even the most lame-sounding hide can be surprisingly enjoyable, and in the most unexpected of ways.

 

I’ve learned that such intermittent gratification can, paradoxically, be far more addicting that consistent gratification.

 

I’ve learned that long pants are usually a great idea. And that I wish I’d worn some.

 

I’ve learned that posting a DNF will sometimes prompt an unwanted spoiler via email.

 

I’ve learned how to recognize even the most subtly trampled areas of the forest floor.

 

I’ve learned that everyone’s individual set of caching preferences is unique, including mine, and that a healthy supply of polite and rational tolerance is indispensible.

 

I’ve learned that there will always be people out there who will hold that against me.

 

I’ve learned how to fish a nano out of a river using nothing but dental floss and a hide-a-key box.

 

I’ve learned that if I get myself into trouble while caching it’s because I either (1) didn’t read the description, (2) didn’t look up from my GPS long enough to look around and use common sense, or (3) made an assumption.

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Putting that special cream on my centroid before local events didn't help matters, it was just embarrassing.

This one puzzles me

 

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centroid a calculator might help with a centroid, but not a cream.

 

And if you meant Hemorrhoid and you're putting the cream where others can see it, you're doing it wrong! :shocked::anicute:

I assumed he was referring to the fact that placing a certain type of medication in a certain anatomical location can temporarily eliminate one’s normal ability to prevent a certain normally non-silent bodily function from occurring non-silently, thereby loudly and conclusively calling blame down upon the one who dealt it.

 

Not that I would know anything about that.

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I've learned gobs!

 

Don’t sit on a hollow log.

 

Always pee before leaving the house and during any stops made between caches as caching partner will always do or say something hilarious and make me laugh til I pee.

 

Don’t wear nice clothes.

 

Keep first aid kid well-stocked as I will always cut myself on something.

 

When I cannot find the cache within a minute or two I have learned to trust my GPS and my geo sense.

 

If a situation feels unsafe, get out.

 

How to run a PQ and get the results on my PDA which I also learned how to use.

 

How to use a GPS.

 

Lots of patience in teaching others to cache and to use their GPS.

 

How to explain geocaching to dentist and dental tech during dental exam (between the scraping, cleaning, and spitsucking) and getting them involved in the hobby.

 

That being out in the woods at night is not nearly as scary as my mind thought it was.

 

To carry a really good and strong flashlight when night caching. Learned that the hard, creepy way.

 

There’s a lot of trash laying around.

 

Learned about some really cool wooded areas near my house.

 

Learned that geocaching is only a game and nothing to get seriously bent out of shape over.

 

To not be upset when I’m (or my mom) is FTF and someone else gets ticked about it.

 

To get to the cache site before my mom does as she will almost always find it first if I let her get ahead of me.

 

To attach a pen to my keychain so I don’t have to run back to the car when I realize I forgotten to put one in my pocket.

 

To keep my GPS connected to the USB cord and near my computer at all times to I can quickly download cords and be on my way.

 

To keep fresh batteries on hand at all times. At home and in my bag.

 

That I can no longer throw away pill bottles and miscellaneous containers that might be good cache containers.

 

I learned all about pathtags and now have some that were given to me by kind local cachers.

 

That most of the local “heavy hitters” in my area are really great people who love to talk up the hobby and help newish-bies like me improve.

 

That many of my non-caching friends/family think I’m a huge nerd for loving it. And that they still love me anyway.

 

That I can persuade my DH to come along with me for a find or three if I phrase the request just right.

 

That due to atmospheric conditions my GPS can send me in the opposite direction of where the cache actually is.

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I have also learned that...

 

...I am no where near as sneaky as I make myself out to be.

 

...even a 12 year old kid can get several otherwise sane and mature adults to leave their warm houses and look for a coffee tin full of toy soldiers and rubber balls at 10:30 on a miserable night.

 

...when the gps take you to the middle of a highway bridge, to call home instead of looking under the bridge near the rushing water at 10:30(ish) at night.

 

...the GPSr gets you to the area, the brain and eyes get you the cache.

 

...3 kroners sounds like a lot of money, but it's only worth 67 cents CAD.

 

... a british pound is fair trade for a Canadian loonie, when you figure on the "where's anyone going to spend this around here" factor.

 

... pins can be bought for 50 cents each at the Sally Ann.

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That Southwestern geocachers like to torture other geocachers by placing their tiny micros in mesquite bushes. Time after time after time...

 

LOL Try cachin' in Florida or Georgia. You haven't lived until you hunted a cache in palmetto. :laughing:

 

Haha! I'm looking forward to it :laughing: I just got out of a cache, full of adrenaline, and looked down to see my elbow covered in cactus spines. I love those things.

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Other things I've learned:

 

Wild hogs do not like being stepped on.

 

Neither do rattlesnakes.

 

If it's 98 degrees outside, and 95% humidity, and you stop sweating, it's a bad thing.

 

A feral, 2000 pound Black Angus bull doesn't recognize that you are on the top of the food chain.

 

A 12' alligator looks bigger than a 15' kayak, when he splashes into the water right next to you.

 

Black bears have a better sense of smell than that of vision.

 

Just because a 300 pound black bear is charging right at you, doesn't mean he wants to eat you.

 

Standing still, rooted in place by fear, while a black bear runs at you, looks a lot like courage to those who witness it from a distance.

 

Quicksand is not just in the movies.

 

PVC pipe, while designed to keep liquids in, fails miserably at keeping liquids out.

 

If you break a bone, doing something really stupid, you get less sympathy.

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First of all I love this thread idea! Kudos to the OP!

 

The most important thing I have learned is that in general MOST people (both cachers and noncachers) are good despite what the news might say. More often than not they are willing to help a total stranger in some way or another. Many times I have stopped on the shoulder of a road to get a cache and haven been asked if I needed help. One time a muggle survey crew took me by surprise while searching for a cache. After telling them about the sport they offered to break out their contractor grade receiver which got 1 foot of accuracy compared to my 20 in the dence tree cover.

 

That it's always best to come clean with muggles if directly confronted.

- One time I had to explain to a muggle why people found the stop sign in his yard so interesting. He was not mad in the slightest and said he might become a cacher.

- Another time a muggle thought I was trying to steal his neighbor's car. By the end of that conversation they wished me luck and to stay safe.

 

Know how to read the satellite screen before you hide your first cache. I didn't know how to do this and wound up sending a poor would be FTF to coords 60 feet away.

 

Field check your coords and approaches to the cache at least three times. Once you get home check your coords in Google earth or similar program. Only after that is it a good idea to submit.

 

Sun glasses cancel out the spider webs which seem to occur at face level.

 

That I will always find the easy way to the cache as I am leaving GZ.

 

As said by others, always be prepared! Keep a cache bag in the car and plenty of spare batteries.

 

Never underestimate the usefulness of a Leatherman or other multitool.

 

NEVER EVER GO CHEAP WITH EPOXY!! If its not JB Weld or Fast Steel it's not worth using. I thought large tube of the cheap stuff would be alright, and now I have had to do several repairs.

 

If you stop having fun or feel unsafe it's time to go.

 

That the estimated accuracy is often a crock.

 

How to problem solve.

 

The quality of your shoes can make or break you.

 

Snake boots were the best investment I ever made.

 

Never do wilderness caches by your self.

 

Last but not least, pens and pencils will disappear from a cache faster than the best swag. Always bring spares.

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We learned that a stone skipped across a frozen pond makes *really* cool sounds.

 

We learned that even though the 14 year old "doesn't like Geocaching", he's the best at finding the caches when he does go.

 

We learned.... (that it is time to go caching. forget writing this reply!)

Edited by mdplayers
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winter caching is better than summer caching because.....

 

There is less foliage to block the sig.

 

Way fewer insects

 

way fewer snakes

 

lots less muggles

 

most of all carharts are almost impervious to most sticker plants.

 

Other things I've learned.....

 

Caching is a great way (O.K. the only way) to get my kids out off the house

 

If you see hedge apples on the ground look up before you get snared (by BIG thorns)

 

Lastly if you have a question these forums will get you more than enough answers

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Dog Doo does not easily come off of hiking boot tread.

 

Dog Doo does not easily come off of carpet floormats.

 

Always remember to check the bottom of your shoes for Dog Doo before climbing back into the georig... Always.

 

I can find a dificulty 4 in about two minutes but a difficulty 1 can take me a half an hour or more.

 

Puzzles show me how dumb I really am.

 

When a cache has several DNF's and someone logs that the cache is sitting right there waiting to be discovered, it's not.

 

If you see poison oak, you are too close.

 

If a guy is walking towards you in a dark graveyard with no flashlight, run.

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Always remember to keep your caching bag in the car, even if you don't think you'll be making any cache attempts today.

 

Always keep several pencils/pens in your caching bag.

 

Always bring two pencils/pens to hunt the cache.

 

Always remember to keep your hiking stick and camera in the car, even if you don't think you'll be making any cache attempts today.

 

Always bring your hiking stick if you have to go more than a few feet from the car.

 

Always bring your camera if you have to go more than a few feet from the car (at one cache I missed taking pictures of a week-old or so fawn and a 140+ year old train tunnel, because my camera was in the car several hundred yards away and WAAAAY up a hill).

 

Never attempt a cache over 2-star terrain in dress slacks and smooth-sole shoes, especially after a rain.

 

These are good things to keep in mind...some of the most important things I have learned!

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Staring at the receiver and subconsciously following a fence can get you in a lot of trouble.

 

Parks that advertise geocaching don't inform their police/rangers.

 

Always carry papers with some geocaching logo on them that explain the activity.

 

If you don't have papers then playing mildly retarded gets you out of trouble faster than just say I wasn't paying attention.

 

My tenacity can cause my fingers to get broken a second time to be reset.

 

If I'm in an area where my compass wont work then my receiver wont either.

 

My wife gets awfully smug when she figures out I walked away from a cache.

 

I could make a living wile geocaching if harvesting wild sativa subsp. indica was legal.

 

Geocaches are easier to find in wetlands than carnivorous plants are. Sad but true.

 

And most important, You Never Know.

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I have learned that everyone else has learned most of the things I have learned, but with a few exceptions:

 

I have learned that despite their original curiousity, car-pooling co-workers who don't geocache are now only being polite on Monday mornings when I share the "coolest finds of the weekend."

 

I have learned that 3 year olds aren't patient on the park and grabs and want to get out of their booster seat on EVERY SINGLE STOP we make :laughing: God Bless Him.

 

I have learned that old friends from high school can rejuvenate their friendship by spending more time together, like they used to before responsibilities took over.

 

I have learned that there is reason to re-visit many places that I got tired of before I learned about geocaching.

 

I have learned that distances can be greatly underestimated when looking at a map on a 3-inch screen.

 

I have learned that distances can be greatly overestimated when looking at a map on a 3-inch screen.

 

I have learned that geocaching fits in perfectly with our family's previously established camping (RVing) vacation lifestyle.

 

I have learned that even if you are warned about a startling item in or a near a cache, at the moment of discovery, you will forget the warning.

 

I have learned that logging every single DNF is very rewarding, as an exercise in humility and also in later accomplishments.

 

I have learned that my demeanor and patience level for caching is directly related to my find percentage.

 

I have learned that there a many more beautiful and neat places around me than I ever thought, or would have otherwise ever had opportunity to appreciate.

 

I have learned that geocaching has improved the quality of my life.

Edited by kraushad
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I've learned that:

 

Swamp water at night is colder in November than it is in July

 

My jeep can withstand hydro-lock by sucking up water in the intake and still run OK more than a year later

 

Finding a cache at night in the swamp is more fun with at least 20 people

 

A Smithwick's Irish Ale tastes really good after finding a cache at night in the swamp

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We've learned:

 

To stay low - you don't have as far to fall.

 

Always bark to let your friends know you've found the cache.

 

Geocaching is a great way to find out-of-the-way places to eat.

 

Capt. Freddie Fishstick was right - they really are born that way, and they'll likely never change.

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