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Options for logging 100-200 caches after long trips.


Annie & PB

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When I'm on a trip, I log like this...

 

First paragraph, tell the story of the trip. Where I'm going, why I'm going there, is it on the motorcycle, who is with me?

 

Second paragraph... tell about this day of the trip. Where we started the day, where we ended the day, weather, anything interesting we saw...

 

Third paragraph... tell something about the visit to the cache. I've seen/never seen this hide before... place was interesting... cool story/history.. someone in my traveling party did/said/thought something interesting...

 

That way I cut and paste some of it but each cache still gets a unique log.

 

That's how I do it. YMMV.

 

Thats pretty much how I do it. Just write each one down in the order/when you find them.

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paper and pen is best to jot down some memory jogger.

 

I know not an option for you, but the "log attempt" on the newer paperless units (e.g. Garmin OR, CO or Delorme PN-XX) lets you construct a field notes file which automagically records time you found cache, found / DNF / unattempted / needs maintenance etc and add a small comment. This file can be uploaded to gc.com which results in a nice ordered list you can edit one-by-one how you like as you submit them as an actual log.

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My missus and I recently did a 29 day, close to 9000km caching trip by motorbike, with 372 finds and god only knows how many DNF's on the trip. We also carried a travel bug with us for the entire trip that is owned by a group of school kids from Pennsylvania, which we dropped and retrieved into caches along the way, so they could follow our trip- it was, and is a geography lesson on Australia. We also maintained a blog during the trip.

We carried a laptop and mobile broadband modem, and logged caches each night, sometimes up to 30 in a go. I admit a lot were cut and paste entries with the generic info, but then each entry was edited to suit the find or DNF. This was heaps better than in the past, where logging a couple of hundred finds took days and days. Even so, very late nights became common.

 

Cheers

Bundy

 

That is SO cool! I bet those kids loved it.

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One thing nobody's mentioned, is trackables. If you pick up or more importantly, drop off a TB or geocoin, try and get it logged quickly to let the owner know where it is. For the record, I have my trusty notebook that I write everything in - I've lost too many odd scraps of paper or cache listings with notes on them. Despite all the electronics available, it always gets admiring looks at events!

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My missus and I recently did a 29 day, close to 9000km caching trip by motorbike, with 372 finds and god only knows how many DNF's on the trip. We also carried a travel bug with us for the entire trip that is owned by a group of school kids from Pennsylvania, which we dropped and retrieved into caches along the way, so they could follow our trip- it was, and is a geography lesson on Australia. We also maintained a blog during the trip.

We carried a laptop and mobile broadband modem, and logged caches each night, sometimes up to 30 in a go. I admit a lot were cut and paste entries with the generic info, but then each entry was edited to suit the find or DNF. This was heaps better than in the past, where logging a couple of hundred finds took days and days. Even so, very late nights became common.

 

Cheers

Bundy

 

That is SO cool! I bet those kids loved it.

 

If anyone is interested, TB2J6NF is the travel bug mentioned. The cache locations visited were plotted on a map of Australia. The blog is http://www.expeditionaustralia.com.au/4weeksonabike/ The production of the CD's are still in progress, to send over to the kids.

 

Cheers

Bundy

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We're going to have this situation too. Heading to Alaska via Seattle from Kelowna, BC and we're caching on the way, and while on the cruise. We're taking our laptop with us and I usually use notepad or something to write what I'd put down in the log and then keep a record that way. But we will be logging as much as we can whenever we get a wireless connection or an internet cafe.

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One thing nobody's mentioned, is trackables. If you pick up or more importantly, drop off a TB or geocoin, try and get it logged quickly to let the owner know where it is. For the record, I have my trusty notebook that I write everything in - I've lost too many odd scraps of paper or cache listings with notes on them. Despite all the electronics available, it always gets admiring looks at events!

 

We usually keep trackables till we get home before we decide what to do with them. I have little cards that I attach to bugs that we drop saying we're not going to be logging for a few days along with our caching names and email addresses.

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I've taken the laptop -without internet access- with me (so I can use GSAK!) and written the logs at the end of the day as normal, but save the text. Then copy and paste into the log when back at home with internet access.

 

If I were on a long trip with NO internet access whatsoever...

(I would REALLY try hard to find a way to log the finds at least once in a while...cell phone as a modem, WIFI at a popular cafe)...

there is a 'user Notes' section in GSAK where you could write out your log just as if you were online, and save it for later posting.

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Buy a Oregon -

 

 

1. You go out and find the cache. Once you're ready to log the cache on the unit you do the following.

 

a. Select Log Attempt b. You select the type of log

3506973328_ea095ffd83_o.jpg 3506972338_7f19474d8e_o.jpg

 

c. Then add a note or find the next cache d. and if needed write a brief note

3506166095_f14f5a073d_o.jpg3506189739_b68f034f92_o.jpg

 

This creates a file called \Garmin\geocache_visits.txt on the device.

 

2. When you get home, you upload this file to geocaching.com via this page.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/my/uploadfieldnotes.aspx

 

You get a list of all logs

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And when you click on Post Log

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:anitongue::):lol::laughing::laughing::D:D

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My Nuvi 500 has the same sort of feature, being able to type in field notes but it turned out to be way to laborous for me when out and about.

 

I have previously used the recording function of my PDA to verbally record notes for later translation to logs. You could use some sort of MP3 recorder for the same purpose.

 

In the end, we have found the humble notebook and pen to be the easiest.

 

Cheers

Bundy

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You can write your own field notes. Simply have a text file with a line for each cache you found formatted like this:

 

GC#####,YYYY-MM-DD,Found it,"Your log here."

GC#####,YYYY-MM-DD,Found it,"Your next log here."

 

GC##### should be the waypoint #, YYYY the year, MM the month, and DD the day. Don't forget the quotes around your log. When the opportunity arises, upload your .txt file to the field notes page.

 

Of course, the Oregon is the solution I used. :anitongue::)

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At the end of next month we are going on a long holiday (vacation) and expect to find maybe 200 plus caches.

What options do people use for when you get back from a trip with a heap of caches to log??

 

I've been playing with the GSAK macros CachmateLogging and PPC_CachemateLog but I can't get either of them to work as I am not that computer literate.

 

Are there any other methods that people use that might be easier to learn (other than a boring cut and paste log that is the same for each cache!)

 

Annie

My cousin and I took an 8 day trip for geocaching to Sedona AZ this past March...we learned a little bit along the way, some things that could be helpful in logging all of your finds...One person was the Navigator,and note taker...GC numbers are most important in logging your finds, so be sure to write them down while taking notes of each cache, otherwise you have to use the map on GC and that's time consuming, or you could look up each cache by name, another time consuming way...I feel also that is only considerate to log each cache individually to the owner. They go to alot of trouble and time placing the caches that we all enjoy finding, so please keep that in mind while logging your finds.

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I've never had that many in my backlog to post. I usually am doing well to have 5-6 finds to post at the end of the day.

 

When I'm out, I usually have the printed sheets for the cache with me, and I'll jot down notes for these when I'm at the cache, or walking back out. It might be anything from wildlife I saw on the way in, or cache maintenance, or what swag I traded, or the name and # of a TB or coin that I dropped, if I didn't have it in my inventory already. Maybe I grabbed it earlier today at another cache, for example.

 

If I'm on the road, I will often look for a public library along the way, and stop in and post my finds there. It makes for a good way to break up the trip, and maybe look for a few caches in the area or ahead of me on my route, too.

 

The last suggestion - which I haven't tried yet, BTW - is a laptop with wifi access. Some of the new notebook PCs are so small you could almost carry one in a pocket. You may not have access in the middle of the Great Swampy Swamp, but you can still log everything afterwards when you do get connected.

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We use a journal. We are able to keep track of all of the caches we visit. We also are able to keep track of clues, coordinates, and other such things that don't need to be public--like our true thoughts of the cache.

 

If Groundspeak went belly up tomorrow, we'd still have a complete record of all of our finds.

 

If they somehow lost all of the logs and everyone's finds went away, we'd be able to re-log every single cache from our paper journals. (Not mention GSAK backups.)

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