n00b excitement

[Lear_West]

Hi folks!

 

I am brand spanking new. I heard about Geocaching for the first time on Tues when the episode of 'The Forgotten' aired, and of course my curiosity (and laptop) were wide open, so I searched and found this site.

 

I have in the days since DLed the app for my phone, talked my husband and my mother into it, and discovered there are a TON of caches within a 10 block radius of my house!!

 

I'm hooked, needless to say.

 

I wanted to ask for tips, words of advice, or even warnings for the brand spankin new group we have here

 

 

oh, and we found 4 or 5 in our first day out.

[+StarBrand]

Here are some general hints:

 

Look for caches with a difficulty of 2 or less for your fist few caches. Stick with regular sized caches for your first few. Micros can be quite hard to find sometimes. Stick to areas you are familiar with. Look for anything out of place or unusual. Look for unusual piles of sticks, grass, leaves, rocks, sand, etc. Feel where you cannot look. Think vertical, not all caches are on the ground. Look up or at eye level. Look for traces of previous searches to zero in on the spot. Think like the hider - where would you put a container in this location? Look for things too new, too old, too perfect, not like the others, too many, too few. Change your perspective - a shift in lighting can sometimes reveal a cache. Keep in mind that many micros are magnetic or attached to something (via string, wire etc). Slowly expand your search area to about 40 feet from where your GPS says ground zero is. Bring garden gloves and a flashlight - they help! Be prepared to not find the cache more often then you think.

 

Most of all - have fun!!

[+Mosaic55]

 

oh, and we found 4 or 5 in our first day out.

 

Congratulations, it sounds like you're off to a great start!

[+macatac1961]

Welcome to the game. I opened up a map on one of your finds and see that there is an event near you on May 1st. No better place to get helpful hints for the Myrtle Beach area. 10 Years of Geocaching - Myrtle Beach

[Lear_West]

Thanks guys

 

We didn't find 2 of the caches we looked for, and I'm sitting here, thinking and thinking.... I'm gonna have to go back soon to satiate the growing monster in my head.

 

macatac - My husband saw that while we were out hunting, we definitely plan on going!

 

 

How do I go about finding other folks from my area online? I looked on FB, but Myrtle Beach doesn't seem to have any groups.

[+HedgeMage]

How do I go about finding other folks from my area online? I looked on FB, but Myrtle Beach doesn't seem to have any groups.

 

The best way is to post in your regional forum here, and to sign up for the weekly update emails from geocaching.com -- they include a list of caching events and their distance from your home (you can also search for nearby events as a pocket query if you have a premium membership).

 

Happy caching!