Lost in the Woods !

[+Legallysane]

Yes, I'm new to this wonderful sport/hobby but I am sitting here with bumps, bites and scratches right now typing this. Today I thought I'd get one that is not too far from my home that said "..there is a trail ..." so I put on my long pants (learned that lesson on my first hunt!), drove to the little park and did indeed find a trail of sorts leading in the right direction. Feeling smug and happy I set out with GPS in hand only to have the 'trail' disappear about 100 feet in. 1 hour later, after stumbling my way through dense underbrush, stickers and the biggest spiders I've ever seen my GPS finally said it was ground zero. Whew! Searched for a half hour but never found it.

 

That is when I looked up and realized I had NO idea where I was. Oh poop! I had no cell phone and no idea which way to go so it took another hour of stumbling, stickers and a big stick (to beat off those spicers) and lots of dark muttering before the idea to use another waypoing to try to get out occured to me. This finally worked but my question for experienced cachers is: how do you keep from getting lost?

[+ngrrfan]

When you get to the jump off point, you set a waypoint in your GPSr. That way you can get back to where you started from. The other option is to turn on tracks, and use a Track Back feature to get out.

[+hudsonfam]

Didn't anyone tell you that's the newbie initiation? Extra stickers and big spiders were added just for you.

 

hehee...yeah, marking your waypoint on the way in is the best way to go. Sorry you didn't even find the cache after all that, but it's ok! The more experience you get the easier it becomes to spot the cache.

 

Welcome to geocaching!

[+SkellyCA]

I mark my truck as a waypoint before I start hiking

 

My GPSr has a backtrack feature too

[+briansnat]

Yes, I'm new to this wonderful sport/hobby but I am sitting here with bumps, bites and scratches right now typing this.

That means you are a geocacher! We wear our bumps, bites and scratches with pride.

 

Seriously, the first thing you should do is mark your car.

 

If you forget to do that, every handheld GPS that I can think of leaves breadcrumb trails. Switch track or map screen (depending on your unit) and you can follow your trail back to the car. Better yet, learn how to use the "track back" function of your unit. When using "track back" the navigation screen will follow your route

in reverse (which may be a good or bad thing).

[+JackQuest]

Waypoint the truck and the track/backtrack feature and extra batteries.

 

Because the next challenge will be getting lost and having the batteries go dead!

[+StarBrand]

Rule #1 - Mark your car.

 

Rule #2 - You will get bumped, bruised, scratched and hot and thirsty. So take a first aid kit and some water with you.

 

Rule #3 - Don't panic. Keep your wits about you. In what general direction is your car/town?

 

Oh - yes - and have fun!!!

[+SkellyCA]

Rule #1 - Mark your car.

 

Rule #2 - You will get bumped, bruised, scratched and hot and thirsty. So take a first aid kit and some water with you.

 

Rule #3 - Don't panic. Keep your wits about you. In what general direction is your car/town?

 

Oh - yes - and have fun!!!

 

Aweee yes, nothing like scratching for a week with Poison Oak with the satisfaction of finding that cache...or not!

Edited August 28, 2009 by SkellyCA

[+niraD]

Aweee yes, nothing like scratching for a week with Poison Oak with the satisfaction of finding that cache...or not!

Only a week? You got lucky. I was using topical Benadryl for two weeks, and wasn't completely healed for a month.

[+burtsbodgers]

Your GPSr is a great bit of kit which ever you use.

but they can fail batteries dye etc.

when caching in an area you dont know it is advisable to have a MAP and COMPASS with you, yes i know it old and out dated but if you know where you started you stand a chance of getting back.

+ all the above comments work as well and i am sure there will be more to come.

[+dakin55]

Yes compass is a great tool for when you are close to GZ as Gps dont like to be at GZ just get ya close, Second if ya headed west to get in I recommend heading east to get out If you forget to mark a waypoint on the way in!

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Yupper................ take a compass, rose

[+Legallysane]

Yupper................ take a compass, rose

Thanks to all for your wonderful advice. (Now where were you when those 2 feet long green and yellow spiders were attacking me yesterday!) Just kidding.

 

OK THINGS I'VE LEARNED THANKS TO YOUR ADVICE:

 

1. what that 'set waypoint' thingie is (etrex E) and how to use it

 

2. that a sweet looking little patch of woods next to a park is just camouflage designed to suck you in. It is actually a nasty, 10 mile square, geocacher eating trackless swamp about 50 feet in. I swear I could hear it giggle and smack it's lips as I tripped for the 10th time.

 

3. the 'treckback' or breadcrumb feature should be used early on, not after you have hacked blindly for 30 minutes attempting to get out. It will gleefully lead you right back in the same blind circles to the cache area where you started. (or so it seemed to me when I looked up from the GPS to see the same ground zero I had left hours ago).

 

4. to set a waypoint at my car

 

5. to set a waypoint at my car.

 

5. to set a waypoint at my car.

 

6. to bring a compass, cellphone and batteries and pay at least a bit of attention to my direction.

 

7. to have fun. !!!!!!!!

PS. I am gonna find that cache !!!!!!

[+Legallysane]

Maps. How do I get them to bring with me? The ones on the internet are not very detailed.

[+ngrrfan]

Maps. How do I get them to bring with me? The ones on the internet are not very detailed.

You find a map store, such as McVan Maps. Also outdoor stores such as REI usually have a map section.

[+Jeep4two]

I'll add as emphasis:

 

Extra Batteries that are either new, or freshly charged. Trackback and waypoints on the geomobile aren't much help with dead batteries.

[+dakin55]

Maps. How do I get them to bring with me? The ones on the internet are not very detailed.

Have you looked at google earth lately, in my area it is pretty detailed and as premium member I can refresh the caches up to 250 times a day, I forget the limit if not premium will try an image dont know if it will work

Edited August 29, 2009 by dakin55

[+Indotguy]

LEARN ABOUT AND USE THE BACKTRACK FEATURE OF YOUR GPS!!!

[+Arrow42]

My GPS leaves a really handy breadcrumb trail on my map. Makes finding my way back a breeze.

 

Google earth or google maps both provide excelent maps and they are free. You should never not know what your getting into if you know where your going ahead of time.

 

Final note... I consider a cell phone as standard caching equipment. Doubly so if I'm alone. What would I do if I broke my leg out there alone? I'm not in great shape I'm even more at risk for some things that might make hiking out impossible.

[+coggins]

Download, and read the following: Using a Garmin® GPS with Paper Maps

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Yupper................ take a compass, rose

Thanks to all for your wonderful advice. (Now where were you when those 2 feet long green and yellow spiders were attacking me yesterday!) Just kidding.

 

OK THINGS I'VE LEARNED THANKS TO YOUR ADVICE:

 

1. what that 'set waypoint' thingie is (etrex E) and how to use it

 

2. that a sweet looking little patch of woods next to a park is just camouflage designed to suck you in. It is actually a nasty, 10 mile square, geocacher eating trackless swamp about 50 feet in. I swear I could hear it giggle and smack it's lips as I tripped for the 10th time.

 

3. the 'treckback' or breadcrumb feature should be used early on, not after you have hacked blindly for 30 minutes attempting to get out. It will gleefully lead you right back in the same blind circles to the cache area where you started. (or so it seemed to me when I looked up from the GPS to see the same ground zero I had left hours ago).

 

4. to set a waypoint at my car

 

5. to set a waypoint at my car.

 

5. to set a waypoint at my car.

 

6. to bring a compass, cellphone and batteries and pay at least a bit of attention to my direction.

 

7. to have fun. !!!!!!!!

PS. I am gonna find that cache !!!!!!

 

We like your attitude Doittoit!

[+spektrum2]

Note avatar and quote below............. I used to moose hunt Northern Canada before the GPS came along......Yep! some late nights getting back to camp to be sure!hehe the good ole days!I love my GPS!

[+Night Stalker]

2 Stories. Some may remember a number of years ago about the cacher that set off in some swamp land looking for a cache. He did not mark his starting point. He did not know how to use his gps properly, and he got really and truly lost. He finally called for help and they sent an emergency rescue team to find him. To add injury to insult he had to pay for the rescue.

 

2nd story. I consider myself an accomplished cacher. I had marked my car and figured I have everything covered. The problem was that while opening the cache and signing the log I bumped my GPS which was hanging on my belt. I came loose and started bouncing down this hill and finally landed in a river. This was in the Chicago area where I was working at the time. I s*** a brick. Not only did I not know my way back to my car, but I had no idea where my motel was even if I found the car. I was lucky. I hiked down the hill and found my Garmin GPS in about 2 feet of water. The screen was nice and bright and easy to see under the water. I retrieved the GPS dried it off and went back to my motel to change my underwear.

 

So you see some of us old timers can screw up also.

[+Original A1]

We can smile at your descriptions because you are safe. But we all know it could be different out there (you don't mention where you were seeking the cache - I'd like to know so's to avoid those spiders!).

 

Lots of useful comments. Could I just add one other which is never to overlook your surroundings. Whilst the GPS/maps are great, it can be tempting to have your head down following whatever they say without observing things around you. If you see three white rocks by an oak tree on the left of the path, and a stile on the right of the path, etc., try to remember these and other "aide memoires" so that you can mentally tick them off the list when you're on the return journey (and therefore more likely to be tired than when you set out). Check where the sun is; is it high in the sky summer or low on the horizon winter? (If you're in Scotland of course, there won't BE a sun, but this is hopefully just a passing phase.) If you get truly lost, following telegraph wires will lead you to civilisation (although where they put half the pylons might NOT be where you want to follow!). Likewise, are there streams you can follow back down again, etc.?

 

And if you find Lord Lucan or Shergar, don't forget to mention them in your log!

 

[+bluedoberman]

it may be what people are calling track back, but my zumo has a feature that defaults on to log your route. there is always a little purple line showing me where i was. if i got rid of that, there is a travel log that would show me my previous route. i have had to use it once in a situation like yours.