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Using hints


Eshel

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I look at hints and recent logs before I get to the cache GZ or at least before I really start looking. Do you do the same or do you only look at the hint/logs after you have already started searching?

 

I read all the hints and logs from previous finds. I also check out satellite photos of the area before I set out to hunt.

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I actually read the hints memorize the summary and go through at least 50% of the user comments lol. I hate when i cant find something when i get there. Especially if its an easy one and if you miss one small detail like "need extraction tool" it can get frustrating.

 

My buddy however doesn't listen to anyone including the gps. He will start just looking in trees and bushes several hundred feet from GZ because it looks like a good spot for a cache lol.

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I agree with briansnat, I started out reading the hints until I realized there was not much "hunting" involved in just walking right to the cache. Now I use them as a fallback when I can't find the cache.

 

I have had a couple the hint didn't even help!! :) You might try not reading them, based on the difficulty posted on the listing. If it is a 1 skip it, if it is a 2.5 or better its worth a look.

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Typically, I arrive at GZ and take a few wild swings, but if I don't find it within a minute or two I read it all. I can see where some only use the 'additional hint' after searching and not finding the cache, but my attitude is that I'll take whatever the owner is willing to give me. So yeah, I read it all.

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Before I got my 550t, I was all about printing out every cache description, so I knew everything about the cache before I got to GZ. Now, I just select "Next Closest" and try to find it sans input. If I have a hard time, I'll read the description. If I'm still stumped, I'll take a look at the hint. But I really have to be in a bad way to do that...like traipsing through the woods for an hour. Sometimes, none of it helps and I'm still stumped.

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It depends. Early on I read everything, because I was new and didn't have a clue what I was looking for. Not to mention I was hunting with my car GPS and not sure how close it would get me. After the first 5-10 I decided to try without reading first. I quickly learned the hard way to at least look at the first few logs for smiles and recent dates even if I didn't read them. Now it kind of depends upon my mood and who I'm hunting with. Usually I will wait until I feel like I've either give it a good look or I'm in an area that I need a bit more, to read the hint and logs. Like yesterday I ended up in the middle of some woods and my GPS was jumping. Where it was leading me was a place I would have to crawl to get to. So I sat on a handy log and started to read. The logs indicated that GZ could be up to 62 feet off. The hint didn't seem to help at all. My husband and sleeping son were waiting in the car. I decided to check out 2 places that were not further into the tangled mess and then leave. Thankfully it was in the second spot (the logs and hint would have been a big help when I walked right past the spot on my way in thinking it was too far away to investigate.) If I’m in a hurry or my DS is with me and I want to make sure he gets to find a treasure box, I will sometimes look first. If I want a challenge then I will try it without looking. I always look before I give up on the first try, but don’t always read every log, unless I have to go back again. I’ve only done a few caches at night, but for those I think I always read everything I can. My feeling is you shouldn't let yourself get frustrated before using all the info you have. The more caches you have the easier it is to enjoy the hunt as much as the find. I do what it takes to keep the balance on the fun side.

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I'm one of them, but I think too many people look at the hint even before they start searching for the cache. As such, I often won't put a hint on a cache I think doesn't deserve it or if I really want the cacher to earn the find.

 

Other times I make a hint just to mess with somebody like this one...

a long hint is usually not very helpful since most gpsr units FENCE cut off POLE after 30chars

 

Anybody with a Garmin 60 that loads hints into their GPS will get a bunch of useless nonsense and not the actual hint in caps. :wub: Obvious this varies by GPSr, so your results may vary, but the Garmin 60 series is one of the most popular in our area.

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I need all the help I can get. I read the hints and skim through the recent logs. If the hint says, "No hint needed", then I know I'm gonna have trouble.

 

But seriously, for me it's the journey to the cache, not the challenge of finding the cache. Once I get to GZ I wanna find it, fast. Nothing frustrates me more than going in circles around the same tree for 40 minutes.

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If the CO had intended you to read the info in the hint before looking for the cache, he or she would have put it in the main portion of the cache page.

Interesting. How do you know that?

for me, it varies. often my goal is a good hike with a few caches along the way. I don't really want to spend a lot of time hunting for the cache. In those cases I'll read the hint from my explorist 500 when I get within 200 feet or so. If I'm just going for a single cache, I'll usually look for a while first to make the experience last a little longer. In the rare cases where it's an urban micro, I'll read the hint and the previous logs because I want to walk right up to it and grab it if possible.

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I use a car gps, loaded with several thousand geocaches as poi, but all I get with them are names and coordinates. No descriptions, no hints, not any clue as to size or type. So when I'm in the mood for a serious session, I looks up the area I plan to be, and read/take notes. Otherwise I just wing it and search off the poi listing. Most of the time I end up finding something without the notes.

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I need all the help I can get.

That's exactly what I was gonna say! On some cache DNFs, I'm so lost, the CO -- and even various local cachers -- offer me sympathy hints. I didn't even ask. A "hint" as in "It's right there [in that real obvious place]". :laughing: I don't think my log reflects my cluelessness -- maybe it does. Or maybe it's the fact that everyone else on the WHOLE PLANET has found that cache no problem. :rolleyes: On a side note, some of those encrypted "hints" are things you really need to know before even heading out.

 

Anyway, yes, I read the hint. But I don't always remember it.

Edited by kunarion
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I look at hints and recent logs before I get to the cache GZ or at least before I really start looking. Do you do the same or do you only look at the hint/logs after you have already started searching?

 

We do the exact same thing. Always have....always will.

We enjoy the journey to the location. We do not enjoy scrounging around trying to find the thing.

 

Some times even the journey isn't that great but at least we are out and about knocking them down.

Lately we have been doing more hiking than hunting.

 

Ahhhhhh, the great outdoors.

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If the CO had intended you to read the info in the hint before looking for the cache, he or she would have put it in the main portion of the cache page.

Interesting. How do you know that?

Because that's the WHOLE POINT of having a separate, encrypted section. :laughing:

 

I agree with Prime Suspect in thinking that the hint should be used sparingly. Seems pretty obvious,, it's encrypted for a reason... All the information that the cache owner wants you to have straight away, is in the cache description. Although i can't control this, hints that i place on our caches are meant to be read after a cacher performs an initial search but was not able to locate the cache.

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I use a garmin map 76 (older one) and in the waypoint screen I have an extra spot to put 2 or 3 words in. And I load the caches by hand... I put the hint, somed up most of the time, on that spot (Just in case you have this unit, its where the DATE is on the waypoint page).

 

I have so many caches in the unit that I am never able to remember which one is which.

 

Just in case I cant find it then I check the hint. And Don't know if anyone else uses this system, but I have figured a way to remember what size is which by doing it this way; I put the name of the cache or most of it and for the very last spot for a letter I put a number.

 

1= Micro

2= Small

3= Regular

4= Large

5= Unknown or Mystery cache (I use 2 spots on the name on this one. 5? or 5X for whatever is on the size icon thing on the GC.com cache page.

6= Multi (I make 2 spots on the name for this one. The other would be size. i.e.. 63 which is a multi with a Regular sized cache at the end)

8= earth cache (for the hint spot, I put what I need i.e... Pic or guess on size etc...)

 

It does help out a lot doing it this way. Funny, but now my family askes for size and I will say "Its a 1" instead of a micro...

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I've been using my car GPS, too--I get size, name and location. I enjoy getting to the place, but I've found I really enjoy the rush of finding the cache, seeing the hide and spotting it (caching with a group and being the first to spot a tricky hide is quite possibly my favorite).

 

Since I have to load caches by hand, usually, I'll try keep an eye on the difficulty. If it's 2.5 or more, I'll read the description.

 

Unless I know I'll be going without my GPS in hand (grabbed one just down the road from the office today at lunch that way), I NEVER do more than skim the logs to make sure it's there (and usually not even that)--it's too easy to get a spoiler in the logs.

 

I also only rarely use Bing maps, again, only if it's a tough cache or I know I'm going in 'blind'.

 

If I DNF on it, though, then every thing's free game: hints, maps, logs, anything and everything I can do to find the dumb thing.

 

I hate fumbling around when there's a lot of people around. But really searching...that's half the fun!

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AND 1 more note:

 

I put a hint that tells you EXACTLY where the cache is (West pine tree hanging in branch).

I hate driving all the way to some caches and find there is no hint.

 

I like people to only have to go to my caches one time. If they want to go back some day, good for them. \

What are they going to see the second time they haven't seen the first.

 

Put a hint!!! And save some cachers some gas....

 

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE: A cache that is hanging in a tree 2 stories up and you have to find a fishing pole of string to let down the cache, Don't leave that in the hint. I would leave something like "Its a Rare Type of cache"

Edited by gps_junky
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I use a garmin map 76 (older one) and in the waypoint screen I have an extra spot to put 2 or 3 words in. And I load the caches by hand... I put the hint, somed up most of the time, on that spot (Just in case you have this unit, its where the DATE is on the waypoint page).

 

I have so many caches in the unit that I am never able to remember which one is which.

 

Just in case I cant find it then I check the hint. And Don't know if anyone else uses this system, but I have figured a way to remember what size is which by doing it this way; I put the name of the cache or most of it and for the very last spot for a letter I put a number.

 

1= Micro

2= Small

3= Regular

4= Large

5= Unknown or Mystery cache (I use 2 spots on the name on this one. 5? or 5X for whatever is on the size icon thing on the GC.com cache page.

6= Multi (I make 2 spots on the name for this one. The other would be size. i.e.. 63 which is a multi with a Regular sized cache at the end)

8= earth cache (for the hint spot, I put what I need i.e... Pic or guess on size etc...)

 

It does help out a lot doing it this way. Funny, but now my family askes for size and I will say "Its a 1" instead of a micro...

Since types and sizes each have unique starting letters, I just use that. TM = Traditional Micro; MR = Multi Regular; US = Unknown Small. No need for remembering a number system.

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Since types and sizes each have unique starting letters, I just use that. TM = Traditional Micro; MR = Multi Regular; US = Unknown Small. No need for remembering a number system.

When I was caching on my eTrex I have the size / difficulty on it too. 1=1, 1.5=A, 2=2, 2.5=B and so on. Not my idea - GSAK does that for me.

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We use the logs and the hint - especially helpful when the GPSr is telling us to go another way! I would rather have no hint than one which when translated reads "none needed" or "do you really need a hint?" We always read the cache description too.

 

At one time, I used to think that I would like to meet those type of hint leavers, I no longer think that.

I have enough strangness in my life as it is.

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I usually will read the cache description and scan the log entries before I download the GPX file, but I rarely read the hints.

 

In the field I always try and find the hide without referring back to the description. Part of the appeal for me is the actual hunt so I like to give a good go at finding "who-knows-what" before I refer back to the description or the hint field.

 

If I am coming up empty handed though, I will have a look at the hint, or if something just seems out to lunch I will refer back. The initial hunt though - it's no notes, no hints.

 

Just my personal preference.

 

People I take caching with me always ask ... "what are we looking for?" I always answer ... "I dunno" and hand them the device so they can read it if they like.

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Before heading off on a caching spree i usually try and read alll the descriptions as well as plugging the coordinates in to bing.com maps to get a basic idea of what i am up against. If i cannot find the cache after searching all of the "obvious" places i will just pull up the hint, though it seems lots of caches in my area either dont have hints or the hints arnt useful at all.

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Before heading off on a caching spree i usually try and read alll the descriptions as well as plugging the coordinates in to bing.com maps to get a basic idea of what i am up against. If i cannot find the cache after searching all of the "obvious" places i will just pull up the hint, though it seems lots of caches in my area either dont have hints or the hints arnt useful at all.

 

I'm a newb 2 weeks and as of today April 1st I don't have a GPS and use Satellite images and hints to search for caches. Found 22 so far.

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