Geocaching for ROTC

[AGalazzo]

Hey all,

 

I'm an Army ROTC cadet in college at Syracuse University. A friend told me about this Geocaching thing so I checked it out and got really excited. Then I realized, this would be a great way to improve land navigation skills if I could get the physical coordinates and map them on a 1:50,000 standard map of the area. I was even hoping to get a club/team started here.

 

I'm new at this and was wondering if anyone could tell me if getting the physical coordinates and not using a GPS is possible?

 

Regards,

AGalazzo

[+lil_cav_wings]

Oddly enough, it is. I've done this before. I've used both 1:50K and 1:25K for a local area. When you go on the geocaching.com website and pull up a cache, you can also pull UTM along with the standard coordinates that most of the civilian world uses for their GPSr.

 

1. Go to website

2. Find desired cache

3. Note that, under the LAT/LONG, there is a UTM grid too

4. If you desire other conversions... click on the hyperlink for 'other conversions' to the side of the LAT/LONG.

5. Enjoy your home-made land nav course.

Edited April 21, 2010 by lil_cav_wings

[AGalazzo]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[+lil_cav_wings]

Okay, and now for your safety brief (because I am responsible and s***)...

 

1. Don't get lost

2. Don't roll in poison ivy

3. Don't roll in something squishy

4. Don't forget to drink water

5. Don't forget to wear sunscreen

6. Don't forget to wear long sleeves and pants

7. Don't forget to do a tick check when you're done

8. Don't pet any critters

 

Okay, now I feel better about that whole leadership/ responsibility thing... I think I'm going to go drink a beer now.

[AGalazzo]

are you military? because I've never been given a safety brief by anyone other than my BC or cadre (aka all military personnel). i also noticed your location is Fort Rucker. and thank you.

[+Panther&Pine]

Yep, she's an LT (see the tagline).

 

The only things I'd add are:

Don't put anything that smells nice in the cache.

Don't mess with the wildlife (I served with a kid who decided that the rattlesnake was a danger to him so he tried to cut off it's head with an e-tool. It didn't end well.)

Don't move the cache, just sign it.

 

 

If you want some 'real' practice.

Night LandNav is fun. But then some one needs to make sure all the caches are good sizes for that- don't make someone look for a camoed bison tube at 4 in the am.

[AGalazzo]

Ah. Well thank you. Pretty common sense things. Unfortunately common sense isn't so common. Doing this at night would be very interesting. I'd need to try it myself before I send someone else after a cache in the dark.

[+Panther&Pine]

If it is common sense it probably needs to be in your safety brief.

LT's and future LT are not always the best for common sense (disclaimer, I was an LT and I did ROTC with and ECP unit- Gary Owen Battalion).

 

The only thing we did with Night LandNav compaired to regular is that everyone had a buddy.

[+SgtSue]

Forget the safety brief, instead take an NCO and do what you are told.

[+Panther&Pine]

Forget the safety brief, instead take an NCO and do what you are told.

 

Yes 1Sgt! I'll be in my office if you need me, 1Sgt.

 

Of course the joke being that a new butter bar only need to know a few phrases.

And they are:

Yes 1SGT!

No 1SGT.

I don't know 1SGT, but I'll find out 1SGT.

And

I'll be over here until you need me 1SGT.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

If it is common sense it probably needs to be in your safety brief.

LT's and future LT are not always the best for common sense (disclaimer, I was an LT and I did ROTC with and ECP unit- Gary Owen Battalion).

 

The only thing we did with Night LandNav compaired to regular is that everyone had a buddy.

Hahahahaha...

 

Our LTs, CPTs, and the like were very smart. They left the navigating to the non-coms! We just loaded them up as pack mules.

[+Panther&Pine]

If it is common sense it probably needs to be in your safety brief.

LT's and future LT are not always the best for common sense (disclaimer, I was an LT and I did ROTC with and ECP unit- Gary Owen Battalion).

 

The only thing we did with Night LandNav compaired to regular is that everyone had a buddy.

Hahahahaha...

 

Our LTs, CPTs, and the like were very smart. They left the navigating to the non-coms! We just loaded them up as pack mules.

 

I've always found the NCOs to be much smarter in practical ways.

Sure I have a degree but I'd much rather trust your 15 years of service then my OBC training.

Edited April 23, 2010 by MooseJawSpruce

[+lil_cav_wings]

Yep, she's an LT (see the tagline).

 

Actually, I'm senior CPT (they're even going to make me a Major... honestly, the Army will promote anyone these days). No worries though. It just means that I've got 3 weeks in the Army, instead of just 2!

 

I did ROTC as well. Oddly enough, Land Nav has always been my favorite training... that, and Gunnery.

[+Panther&Pine]

Yep, she's an LT (see the tagline).

 

Actually, I'm senior CPT (they're even going to make me a Major... honestly, the Army will promote anyone these days). No worries though. It just means that I've got 3 weeks in the Army, instead of just 2!

 

I did ROTC as well. Oddly enough, Land Nav has always been my favorite training... that, and Gunnery.

 

Sorry, I just guessed based on your tagline. I don't know that you could make one for CPT or MAJ... Although I did once date a person with the last name Ball, needless to say they weren't looking forward to being a MAJ.

 

I agree with you. Land Nav is the best, some how I can do Land Nav with no issues but heaven help me in a store or parking lot (no LPC's for me).

 

I always laugh when someone 'breaks' an ammo can and the lid falls off- so easy to put back on.

[+lil_cav_wings]

The tagline is actually a throw back to one of my warrant officers when I was a young platoon leader in Germany. He would swear up and down that I was going to get lost in the wilds of Bavaria every weekend that I went camping or hiking or "communing with mother nature." I always managed to be back to work after the weekend, but it never stopped him for saying it.

[+Panther&Pine]

The tagline is actually a throw back to one of my warrant officers when I was a young platoon leader in Germany. He would swear up and down that I was going to get lost in the wilds of Bavaria every weekend that I went camping or hiking or "communing with mother nature." I always managed to be back to work after the weekend, but it never stopped him for saying it.

Probably the best I got was "What are you?!? A Tree Huggin' Tapeworm?" I was from Washington State in Basic at Ft. Knox and I'd just finished three large plates of chow and was still hungry so I was munching on an MRE. I'm female and at the time I was all of 17 but goodness was I hungry and apparently it was something worth harassing me about.

 

I wish I'd known about geocaching when I was still in, it would have made some of those FTX 'adventures' more enjoyable.

[+Gratusin]

Long before I heard about geocaching I was tasked with setting up a land nav course at Ft. Huachuca for my unit, but my training SGT gave me the completely wrong maps for the bivouac site. I rushed to figure something out, and the end result was a sort of geocaching/letterbox hybrid. I shot a bunch of azimuths and tracked my paces, so that when a soldier would start at one part of the course then find a small film canister giving a new azimuth and pace count to the next canister. I set up 5 different courses in about an hour an a half. If I had my Garmin Colorado, I could have made it so much better. This would be a great idea for ROTC, especially since its easy enough for a dot to figure out!