Hello to all

[+glorynichole]

Hello to everyone, I just signed up today to begin, and wanted to say hi. My two boys and I are always looking for fun and interesting things to do and I saw this site mentioned on " Splinterheads" the movie and thought it sounded like an amazing thing to get involved in. We live in MA. We are planning our first "outing" tomorrow so wish us three luck, well 6 really siince we are bringing the dogs!! I look forward to many finds and also enjoying a different way to look at the outdoors. Good luck to all in their finds, I am sure I will see y'all around.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Welcome!

 

Good Luck!

 

(Don't look for Micro's or Nano's to start with, or you may end up )

[+glorynichole]

what is a micro or a nano? Sorry to ask and I am sure there is a cheat guide to these words, but I am guessing they are very small and hard to find?

[+StarBrand]

Micro is an offcially recognized cache size - listed as something able to hold 3 liquid oz or less. Think 35mm film can (or thereabouts) and smaller. Nano is not offcially recognized but they are generally just slightly larger than the eraser on a brand new pencil.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Micros are just plain smaller than small. Nanos are outright devious (about the size of your little fingernail).

 

As said before, avoid those -- practice on the others. Above all, don't be disillusioned at how "easy" geocaching is... especially for beginners. Practice makes perfect (well, almost).

 

Have fun and enjoy the walks/hikes/hunting.

[hoosier guy]

Hey ya,

To keep it fun for the kids I'd look for caches with a 1/1 terrain & difficulty and also for regualr sized containers. No sense getting all excited then having them disapointed when they can find the 5/5 nano.

 

Have a good time, happy caching.

[+glorynichole]

great thank y'all so much I dont want my boys to be sad, but heck, find or not, it will still be an adventure!!! So I have another ? are all containers the same? And what advice would y'all give to a new girl?

[NordicMan]

Hi & welcome to the sport/hobby/obsession

 

Nope not all cache containers are the same, although the "tupperware style" plastic food holder is amongst the most popular. Next might be literally anything that can keep moisture out! Sometimes they're not even solid. A strong ziplock bag stuffed into a tree knothole is a geocache Ammo cans are also popular & strong. Like others have said, stick to the larger ones to seek out first. Partially because they're usually easier to find, and also because the bigger the container the more potential swag (treasure!) they can hold. Nothing gets a kid (or some adults ) more hooked than swapping loot!

[+glorynichole]

so is it just swapping loot? and how hard is the nano, and micro? We ( meaning my boys and I ) are very good at secrets and love hiking and the more challenging the better!! But again I trust y'all with starting small and working our way up. I love how everyone is so positive on this site.

[+chachi44089]

so is it just swapping loot? and how hard is the nano, and micro? We ( meaning my boys and I ) are very good at secrets and love hiking and the more challenging the better!! But again I trust y'all with starting small and working our way up. I love how everyone is so positive on this site.

Welcome..Not just swapping stuff,Its the thrill of the hunt.Some a hard,some are easy.As far as how hard a micro or nano is depends on how well it was hid,if there are hints ect.They are rated by difficulty and size.Some are puzzles you have to figure out to find the coordinates.Some are riddles.Some are so easy you just drive up and pick them up.Have fun.

[+Bear and Ragged]

so is it just swapping loot? and how hard is the nano, and micro? We ( meaning my boys and I ) are very good at secrets and love hiking and the more challenging the better!! But again I trust y'all with starting small and working our way up. I love how everyone is so positive on this site.

 

Noooooo...

 

Start large and work down!

Large, regular, small, micro. (nano) For the cache size.

 

(Watch out if the cache page says 'size not chosen it often means it's a Nano. Not always, but often)

 

Difficuty of caches keep to D1 /D1.5 /D2

keep away from the D5's to start with!

 

[+StarBrand]

so is it just swapping loot? and how hard is the nano, and micro? We ( meaning my boys and I ) are very good at secrets and love hiking and the more challenging the better!! But again I trust y'all with starting small and working our way up. I love how everyone is so positive on this site.

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!!

[+glorynichole]

thank y'all soooo very much what a wonderful group. Let y'all know this weekend how everything goes.I am sure it will be great,and sorry one more worry, but do y'all ever find that you look for a "cache" and it isnt there? Do people steal them?

Edited April 19, 2010 by glorynichole

[+Bear and Ragged]

Sometimes they just go missing.

Especially the small ones. They can fall out of their hiding place and get lost, particularly if they are on rough ground/in the woods etc.

 

Sometimes non-cachers can find them and remove them -not knowing what it is.

 

Always read the last couple of logs before you go and search.

No shame in posting a DNF (Did Not Find) if you can't find it.

[+roziecakes]

One thing that I like to mention... see if there are any events in your area (look on geocaching.com calendar). You might make some local cacher friends who can take you out on a hunt and give you tips. We had a friend who already cached to get us started in the game, and it REALLY helped I think.