Keeping track of Geocaches

[+Scootnc]

A question that has probably been answered but here goes. Just got a Garmin Venture HC (didn't want to spend a lot of money just to find it sitting in a drawer later) and first try found 3 caches. It was great fun. I noticed some people have as many as 2000 finds. How do you keep up with your finds so you can keep a personal log and don't download them a second time.

 

Secondly (a little off subject) Could someone explain the proper way to use breadcrumbs for a return trail. I may be hunting this spring in some areas I've never been.

 

Thanks,

[+BrrrMo]

A question that has probably been answered but here goes. Just got a Garmin Venture HC (didn't want to spend a lot of money just to find it sitting in a drawer later) and first try found 3 caches. It was great fun. I noticed some people have as many as 2000 finds. How do you keep up with your finds so you can keep a personal log and don't download them a second time.

 

Secondly (a little off subject) Could someone explain the proper way to use breadcrumbs for a return trail. I may be hunting this spring in some areas I've never been.

 

Thanks,

 

I'm not sure I know how to us breadcrumbs, but I do know that when I have covered up the cache on my GPS screen with them and still have to log a DNF it makes me want to go have several drinks (doubles), after throwing the thing away.

 

BrrrMo

[+dakboy]

A question that has probably been answered but here goes.

That's why the forum has a search feature.

 

Just got a Garmin Venture HC (didn't want to spend a lot of money just to find it sitting in a drawer later) and first try found 3 caches. It was great fun. I noticed some people have as many as 2000 finds. How do you keep up with your finds so you can keep a personal log and don't download them a second time.

Upgrade to a Premium Membership and you can run pocket queries which can be configured to filter out finds.

 

Search results on GC.com can be filtered to exclude your finds by adding &f=1 to the URL. This may not work on all results pages, but it has on the ones I've tried.

 

Aside from that, manage your waypoints in EasyGPS, GSAK, or another application, and keep track of what you've found there. Configure it to not upload found caches to the GPS.

[spacejam1]

A question that has probably been answered but here goes. Just got a Garmin Venture HC (didn't want to spend a lot of money just to find it sitting in a drawer later) and first try found 3 caches. It was great fun. I noticed some people have as many as 2000 finds. How do you keep up with your finds so you can keep a personal log and don't download them a second time.

 

Secondly (a little off subject) Could someone explain the proper way to use breadcrumbs for a return trail. I may be hunting this spring in some areas I've never been.

 

Thanks,

In your "personal" acct on geocaching.com, there will be a list of your finds. Also when you pull up a map to find more caches, there will be a smiley face on the ones that you found. There is also a cacher around here that sells some small nice books, ring binded and all, that have places for you to keep track of your finds and DNF. It has the date, find # at top, GC number, places to check whether your found it or not, what condition the cache was in, what swag you took, what you placed in exchange, and a place for notes on the bottom.

They are pretty cool and I believe hold around 100 finds. I think he sells them for $2.50 apiece and then there would be a mailing cost which would be must as they aren't that big.(which is better then toting around a huge notebook!)

Message me and I"ll put you in touch with him if ya want.

As far as breadcrumbs, not sure about that. But everytime I get outta the car, or leave a trail, I mark where I am at before I leave that place. That way I can find my way back to where I was. Not sure how yours works, but I have a older Garmin Legend, and to mark where I am at, I simply push the "toggle" button down once, screen pops up with coords for where I am. From there I can either remember the number it assigns or change the number to something I will remember.

Hope this helps.

[+Trucker Lee]

On the personal record, should you continue caching, and later decide to become a premium member, you can download a pocket query called "My Finds" directly from the website.

 

As mentioned above, before leaving your vehicle, mark the location. If terrain or circumstances would prevent a direct route back, or you would prefer to go back the way you came, be sure your tracking feature is active in the GPSr. Then, you can go to the map page, and just follow your trail there.

[+Scootnc]

Thanks

[+briansnat]

How do you keep up with your finds so you can keep a personal log and don't download them a second time.

 

If you log finds on the website, it will keep a log for you. It will also place a check mark next to all caches you found so you know not to download them. Also if you become a premium member and run pocket queries you can eliminate caches that you already found.

 

Secondly (a little off subject) Could someone explain the proper way to use breadcrumbs for a return trail. I may be hunting this spring in some areas I've never been.

 

It should be the default setting for your unit to leave a breadcrumb track. Assuming that the Venture HC is similar to other Garmins that I have, go to the Tracks icon and select it, then click on trackback. This will bring you to the compass screen and following the arrow will keep you on your original track.

 

Or you can just look at the map screen and try to stay close to your track.

 

Also, remember to mark your car so you can just follow the arrow back there if need be.

Edited January 26, 2009 by briansnat

[+emb021]

A question that has probably been answered but here goes. Just got a Garmin Venture HC (didn't want to spend a lot of money just to find it sitting in a drawer later) and first try found 3 caches. It was great fun. I noticed some people have as many as 2000 finds. How do you keep up with your finds so you can keep a personal log and don't download them a second time.

 

 

As others have noted, this is why its important to log your finds (and also your DNF) at geocaching.com.

 

For myself, I use GSAK to manage the data I upload to my eTrex Legend HCx. Within GSAK I always update the data for both finds and archives. This way when I upload a new set of data points, finds and archives are not marked as caches to go after. This method works for me and is fairly simple.