Planning a Cache Hunt

[+todd300]

I know everyone have their own methods on how they plan a day of cache hunting and I have mine.

 

I have a Dell Axim Pocket PC loaded with the Smache caching software. I use it with a bluetooth GPSr. For the computer, I use GSAK to organize my GPX files that I get via pocket queries.

 

This is what I do anytime I want to go look for a bunch of caches in any one area.

 

I open up the drag-able google map of caches in the area I want to hunt in. I filter out my finds then drag the map around to see what caches in that area interest me and open up their associated cache homepage.

 

Once I get an idea where I want to start, I write down the GC number and cache name on a steno pad and go to GSAK to flag the cache. I drag along the route on the map to the next cache, write down the GC number and cache name, then flag it on GSAK. I keep doing this until I'm satisfied I marked all the caches in that area that I want to find.

 

Then I go back to GSAK and set the filter so only the flagged caches are on the screen. I then export the flagged caches to a GPX file and put the GPX file on my pocket PC. I confirm that Smache has successfully imported the GPX file, then I'm ready to go. I made the mistake of leaving the house once with a corrupted GPX file, meaning I had no files to cache with. Luckily I was still close to home, so I had to go back home to re-install the GPX file on my Dell Axim. I made sure from that point on that any time I import a GPX file to my Dell Axim, the file actually is good before I leave the house.

 

When I'm the road, I look at the steno pad to see what is the next cache to go to. I drive to that cache location, fire up the GPS and look for the cache. I either find it or I don't. I usually carry the pad with me unless it's a quick park and grab. The pad provides cover as carrying the pad along with my pocket PC makes me look like I'm an inspector of some sort. Very helpful on urban caches. The pad is also useful for me to write down tracking numbers of TB's so I can log discoveries if I don't take it.

 

I return to my car, mark on the pad "Found" or "DNF" next to the cache name, then look at the list of caches on the pad to see what's next on the list. Then I drive (or walk if nearby) to the next cache on the list.

 

Sometimes due to time constraints, I have to make a decision to cross out a cache on the list if it appears that I won't have time to find them all. That has happened a few times.

 

Once I'm done for the day, I head home and log onto the internet. All I have to go is enter the GC number of the cache that I wrote on the steno pad and log my finds/DNF's/notes. With the GC number at hand on my pad, I can log several caches very quickly if all I write is something like "Quick Find. TFTC." I do detail some caches if it was very interesting, took me some searching, had a nice view or had an interesting experience (See my log for GC1T8EY for an example of an interesting experience that I had with that cache.)

 

I know for some of you this seems like a lot of work. It was a lot of work at first, but as I have been doing this system for a while, I got to be fairly efficient about it and can get it done in no time. If all I want to do is look for just one or two caches, my Dell Axim usually has the latest unfiltered GPX file in it, so it's just a matter of grabbing the Dell Axim and GPS'r and off I go.

 

I do pretty much paperless caching for the most part. The only paperwork I do is my steno pad. The only cache pages I do have to print out are some puzzle caches. But otherwise, it's mostly paperless.

 

How about the rest of you? How do you go about planning for a day of caching?

[+skeezicks]

I just became a premium member yesterday,so I am anxious to try caching out the along a route feature.Usually,I just see what caches are available in the direction I am going and pull them up on google earth and plot my course accordingly.It works very well because I can see the roads I need to be on and can plan my drive to get them in the best order along a route.

[+Bubbles&Bonkers]

If I don't have a smiley, I go get my smiley. )

[+undertree]

I have an acer netbook that I use with MS S&T. I can load my pocket queries from it into my hand held. The streets and trips is nice because I can create a route with the caches that I load into it. It is especially handy when you are planning a numbers run in town. It is also very nice when you are planning to hit a few on the trail.

 

I give my navigation unit to my mother because the netbook is the perfect size and is much more powerful.

[+BrrrMo]

See which way my car is headed, how much time I have, load GC #'s and go.

[+Pat in Louisiana]

I keep the caches loaded in my Nuvi on the dashboard and my Oregon.

Start driving.

When one shows up on the GPS map I go get it.

If there is not one showing I go to My Favorites in the Nuvi and pick the closest one.

Fairly simple huh?

[+todd300]

Sounds like you are the spontaneous type, Pat. I like to plan what I'm going after though I can set up my GPS software if I wanted it to look for a nearby cache on the spur of the moment.

[+Kohavis]

A few days before my planned hunt I look for caches in the area where I can route a good approach - it might be a string of bosque (what we call the woods along the Rio Grande here) caches, or it might be ditch caches or even a series of urban hides.

 

Once I have a plan of attack and have identified where I'll park and what order to go after them, I download the caches to my GPSr, copy the pertinent details for each cache, along with a satellite map of the area, to Pagemaker, and print a single page printed on both sides. Then I head out with that sheet folded in my back pocket, my backpack, and some water. On rare occasions where the path is complex, I might use the route feature of the GPSr so I can see it on the map page.

 

It's a system that suits my caching style perfectly

[+Zolgar]

Alone? I run a 200 PQ for the area (due to DS cache only being able ot have 200 WPs), plug the PQ in to DSCache, and my Vista HCx. Load the backpack up and find the closest one to where I am, get on the bike and go thataway! get there, make the find, hit 'find next' and go.. THATAWAY!

 

.. with the 'rents. It's a much more drawn out process...

[+todd300]

It's interesting to see all the styles of pre-caching preparations.

 

Some are spontaneous. Others plan it out. Those that plan do it differently.

 

Everyone is different and what type of planning may work for one person may not work for another. It depends on the GPS, what software is used, and so on.

 

Keep those stories coming. I'm interested to see how each one of you set out for a day of caching.

[+mahini]

I was just pondering this sort of topic! I was thinking I do it sorta backwards... we've only gotten to go out twice, and we have the geomate jr, so, no pre-programming happens here!

 

the first time, we just sorta turned it on & hit what was closest to us... yesterday, we decided to go to a specific lake, so, hubby looked up the area, so we'd have an idea of what we were looking for... then, since the junior tells ya up to 20 nearest caches, we just kept walking the path, scrolling thru the list for whatever had the shortest distance!

 

i've put in the address of my work, & I know there's a few really close, so, one of these days i'll try in that area!

[+C@H]

Plan as I go on tomtom. Hit a cache, look at tomtom and got to the next one on my route.

 

tomtom makes it easy to see what is in the area so you don't backtrack. might also set a destination in tomtom, view the route in map view and find a cache to hit on the way, and repeat. When i switch to foot mode i turn of tomtom and run beeline. i log the find and write a note, then when i get home i upload the fieldnote from beeline and write a proper log. the fieldnote shows where i have been, when i was there and any note i life like "took tb 123456"

Edited June 8, 2009 by coverthypnosis

[+Zolgar]

Keep those stories coming. I'm interested to see how each one of you set out for a day of caching.

 

Wel, if Team Redsky (the parentile units) is with me.. things get much more complicated.

 

the night before we discuss where we want to go caching. Maybe poke the area a bit to see if there are any that just scream out "FIND US!", of course being sure to pick ones without very high terrain ratings (3 is usually the highest), and without too terribly long of noted hikes. (Mother has an artificial hip).

 

We will run a PQ on the area, and load said PQ on to all 3 GPSrs, moms PDA and my laptop.

 

As we head to our destination, I begin going through Cachemate, looking at what's nearby and what's near the cache we're going to. I'll mention some that look promising and we'll more or less do some ad-hoc planning as we go.

Occasionally we end up.. just kinda going off .. that way, for whatever reason. Like the time we romped around Sanctuary Cove on a caching trip. No geocache, but a beautiful place and a wonderful hike.

 

It's also not uncommon for something to distract us. Be it ruins, a pretty bird, or .. "I wonder what's down there?"

 

... that's why we usually only get like 3-7 finds a trip.

[+Harry Dolphin]

For normal, week to week, caching, Gupy is loaded with all (not ignored) caches within 70 miles, and/or all of New Jersey. That's about 10000 caches. The Paw Pilot (Z22) does not have an expansion port. So we decide which area we want to cache in, and load the nearest 500 caches. (That might only cover 13 miles...) Last weekend, we centered on Secaucus, NJ. Weekend before, we did two centers: Northern Manhattan, and Old Westbury, NY. Delete everything out of Paw Pilot every week, and put in a new set. Easy enough to do.

As for a long trip: Vacation coming up. My sister wants to cache in 9 new states (actually 8 plus the D of C). (5 new states for me.) Set up the route in Google Maps. Acceptable driving time between motels. Then I went along the route in geocaching.com google map, and bookmarked caches along the route (with extras near the motel if we have time). Download the bookmark as a GPX file, and we're all set. So far 242 caches in the bookmark. We are doing distance, not numbers, so we won't find anywhere near that number. We'll probably be lucky to find 50 caches. We plan on having fun!

[+todd300]

I like how everyone does it differently. Keep those stories coming.

 

Thanks for your story, Harry.

[Skippermark]

Our planning style depends on where we'll be and what our purpose is.

 

If it's a numbers run, we'll look at each individual cache at home and mark only the ones we want to. We usually only look to see how close it is to parking and don't worry about terrain/difficulty. As long as it's close to parking, we'll try it.

 

If a cache looks interesting and is either high difficulty or a high terrain one, we'll add it too. We don't mind walking a little ways for a challenging cache, but we'll skip an easy one 1/4 mile in the woods if we're doing a numbers run.

 

Once we have our list, we'll send only those to the GPS and skip all others that aren't on the "to do" list.

 

We also use Microsoft Streets & Trips to put the caches in the most efficient order. We tell it which one we want to start with and end with and then it figures out the most efficient order. We then follow that exactly and try not to deviate.

 

If our goal is to find a certain "special" cache, we'll make that the main goal of the day and then then grab others in the area while we're there. When doing that, we'll just load caches in the area and not really plan anything beforehand.

 

If we're on vacation or wanting to have a family relaxing/sightseeing/touristy type day where we don't want to get dirty, we'll pick caches that are at scenic areas and that don't look like they'll be dirty.

[+JJTally]

We usually start by looking at the area we are going to be going. We plan which cache we will start at, then go from there, creating a route. We write down the names of the caches on a notepad. Since our Ipod is filled with local caches from GSAK, we just look up the name and go. Enter the coordinates into the Mio, and use the Legend to get us there. I wish there was an easier way, but this works pretty well for us. It is the unexpected road trips we take that I wish we had mobile access.

[+todd300]

That's the nice thing about me caching with my PDA. I often park in a hotel parking lot when I'm not at home to "borrow" its wi-fi so I can download some more caches or check my e-mail for notifications.

 

I'm getting my software set up so if I want to do some "Cache as I go" unplanned caching, I'll be able to do that. I've always planned it out in advance. But once in a while, I may take a trip where the GPS takes me, I go.

 

Keep them coming

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Wherever I am and want to cache I fire up Geocache Navigator on my Blackberry Curve 8310 and hit Nearest Caches. Done!