Old Caches

[bscott03]

My son and I recently discovered this cacheing bit -We wanted to give it a try. On our first trip out we struck out... Some of our targets were initially hid several years ago. Do people, for the most part, maintain these sights that long? Or when I find one on the map that's more than a year or so old should I not even try? Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

[+42at42]

Read the logs. See if it had been found recently or if there are DNF's Did not Find. For the most part if it is on the map, it is usually still there.

 

Also read the logs for clues on how it is hidden.

 

Check the difficulty rating. Start with ones and twos. Start with small to large size caches. This should make it easier until you get the hang of it.

[+GrateBear]

Odds are they are still there. If they show up in a search for caches near you, read the logs and see if there is a string of DNF logs. And, you might want to check out the "getting started" forum for a few hints.

[+briansnat]

There are many old caches that are still going. My first, placed in 2001 is still getting finds. I found one placed in 2000 a while ago.

 

Check the logs. If you see recent finds then you know it's probably still there

[bscott03]

Thanks for the replys!! Hadn't even thought to check logs (didn't notice they were there- we're learning.)

 

Another potentially dumb question: What type of GPS do people use? We have a garden variety Garmin Nuvi. When I use the "my location" feature it gives me the grid coordinates. Is this what folks do? Is this device accurate enough? I feel I'm missing something having gone 0 for 3 today...

[+Chokecherry]

I use a Garmin 60csx. I don't know how the Nuvi works but I know other people on here know.

 

Anyhow, if you're looking for caches where there's a lot of tree cover etc. it will affect the accuracy. Plus the hider's accuracy might not have been great. Went after one today on this old dirt road that is hardly ever used and the coordinates put me right in the middle of the road. Had I read the logs beforehand I would have saw this happened to a lot of people. At that point I put the GPSr away and used some good old fashioned searching to find it.

 

Also along with DNF logs I look at attributes (needs maintenance). Then I'll usually go back and see what the story is about that. Other than that, I mind the difficulty and size when looking for easy caches.

[BCProspectors]

Welcome to the Geocaching community!

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "garden variety" Garmin Nüvi. But the Nüvi series is designed for use in a vehicle, so you may experience a lot of difficulty using it for Geocaching.

[bscott03]

yes, it is very much designed for use in a vehicle... I swiped it out of my wife's car thinking it would serve a dual purpose and my son and I could get into this hobby w/ little expense. Is that not going to work??

[+wolfslady]

Maybe if we knew which one's you were hunting we could give some ideas to help.

 

I used a nuvi when I first started and it was OK. Just a Pain because even on pedestrian mode it wasn't very helpful once I got close. I'd have to switch to my location or coordinates and then keep updating it as I moved around. (I had an older one and so I'm not sure if the newer ones move with you.) Then I needed to figure out which way I had to move to get closer to GZ. I had pretty good luck with it, but not as nice as the one I have now.

 

I did pretty much stick to the easy ones until I got the hang of it. I also did a lot of reading on hides and containers to get an idea of what I might be looking for. For the first few weeks I read the hint and logs right off the bat. After that I stopped looking at them, unless I didn't have much time. Until I realized that it would be a smart thing to at least make sure their weren't a bunch of DNF's stacked up before I went searching. I wasted a long time on a couple that were missing and then when I went to log them I saw all the frowns. Oops.

 

Some quick tips. Keep the name in mind, a lot of times it's your best hint. Don't assume you will find it right where your GPS takes even with the best GPS. So consider the discription and hint over the GPS. Look for a pile of anything. Bricks, sticks, leaves check there. Holes too. A stick comes in handy for these.

 

Hopefully you will find your first soon.

[+briansnat]

Thanks for the replys!! Hadn't even thought to check logs (didn't notice they were there- we're learning.)

 

Another potentially dumb question: What type of GPS do people use? We have a garden variety Garmin Nuvi. When I use the "my location" feature it gives me the grid coordinates. Is this what folks do? Is this device accurate enough? I feel I'm missing something having gone 0 for 3 today...

\

Most geocachers use hand held GPS. Automotive units are generally poor choices for geocaching. They usually don't have a compass navigation screen which many geocachers find to be important for geocaching.

Nevermind that that battery life in automotive units is insufficient, they are not waterproof or rugged and are kind of awkward to hold.

[+captnemo]

This is very good for using a NUVI for geocaching. I use mine all the time.

 

 

http://pilotsnipes.googlepages.com

 

I also use a Garmin GPS V as it has a much longer battery life.

 

And back on the subject, Old caches are super I love them have several of my own, but I always check the logs first and hold off if there are a bunch of DNF's

Edited June 6, 2010 by captnemo

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

One of the best cache placements that we found recently was hidden 5/28/2001. In a high-muggle area and very well maintained! What more to say?

[+Team Geo-Clarks]

yes, it is very much designed for use in a vehicle... I swiped it out of my wife's car thinking it would serve a dual purpose and my son and I could get into this hobby w/ little expense. Is that not going to work??

If you have a modern cell phone (touch screen) you might have better luck, assuming you can get on the internet with the phone and search for apps (usually free) that work with your phone. I have a HTC Touch Pro2 that works great with the app that I installed, I found 12 yesterday.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I use a cache statistics program that among other things tells me how many caches I've found for each year that they were placed. Just over 50% of my finds were placed in either 2008 or 2007. The oldest cache that I have found is one called "The Spot" (GC39), placed in May 2000. I've found two others that were placed in 2000. Some of the original owners of very old caches may not be around anymore but others have adopted those old caches so they continue to be maintained. A cache that is 3 or more years old may actually be better maintained than some that only a year old or less. A cache worth maintaining will be maintained over the long haul.