Remember when you first started geocaching - What Frustrated You The Most?

[+JaxDog]

With only 19 finds, we clearly have that 'new car smell.'

 

The toughest right now is having to learn two completely different GPS systems.......mine as well as my wifes. Yesterday we wasted 45 minutes driving back and forth looking for a turn that was two turns ahead on my PN-40. Clearly, not an idiot-proof device.

 

Micros in a region known for a bit of snow. What is wrong with you people?

 

Cache maintenance. In spite of so few finds, I have gone through more baggies than the rasta dude that hangs out in the park downtown.

 

Who knew that a rusty nail, a rubberband, and a piece of chewed gum clearly fell within the definition of swag. Hit the Dollar Store. If you failed to bring swag and find something in the cache that you can't live without, LN and take it, being extra generous during your next outing or cache run.

 

Forgetting to grab my swag bag prior to staggering through the bush. Apparently I didn't get muddy enough or collect enough bleeding scrapes and thorn holes the first time.

 

Rembering at GZ to stop staring at the idiot box and just look around a bit.

 

Understanding when it's appropriate/acceptable to ask a question here without someone unleashing the Hand of God. Tippy Toe is my motto. I have met IRS agents with more warmth.

 

On a serious note, my wife and I are having an absolute blast. We thank all of the CO's, volunteers here at Groundspeak, and GC'ers everywhere that make this hobby, sport, game what it is.

 

I have to get my route homework for today's run done now before JMansMom wakes up or I'm going to be in serious trouble. It is way to early in the morning to have her flying around the house on her broom.

[+n0k1a]

It wasn't that long ago that I started officially, even though I have experience with GPS dating back to the early 90s, had my own GPSr for like 10 years, and have worked with mil-spec GPS boards in telemetry encoders for missiles. So, I had a bit of an advantage when I started caching.

 

Fortunately, I had the benefit of a caching mentor who happens to be a coworker. He introduced me to a lot of different types of hides. I too remember being amazed when I first learned about lamp pole skirts. I still actually like them (along with guard rail MKHs and such) for those occasions when I want to do some caching, but the below freezing or otherwise suboptimal weather is not really conducive to long hikes in the woods (which I really like).

 

Some of my frustration arose in the form of waiting for my caching mentor to finally make the find on caches which I had already located and subsequently wandered away nonchalantly, giving him the opportunity to do the same (I much prefer this methodology to the oh-so-common 'I found it!' being shouted to the world by the first finder in a group!). It's really funny, because my preferred GPS device since before getting into geocaching has been a smartphone. He was surprised, shall we say, by the relative consistency with which I could often beat him to making the find with my 'inferior' smartphone, while he was using a 'proper' handheld GPS receiver. It was great when this happened while I was in single-digit find territory! Of course, it has taken some experience to gain more geosense. It should also be noted that I do not use the more mainstream North American smartphone models, which don't necessarily have the same level of performance as mine.

 

Actually, the first finder in a group shouting out immediately continues to be one of my biggest frustrations. Another is the proliferation of caches which cannot be found at night. Why do so many places have these ridiculous dawn to dusk hours? This time of year especially, there are two parts of the day: work and night! I'm quite pleased that we have state gamelands and such around here with many caches which can be found at night. That's actually another benefit of a lot of the parking lot and guard rail caches: they can usually be found at night.

[+simpjkee]

When I became a cache owner for the first time I hadn't met any cachers so no one really knew me. My first cache was a tricky first cache to own and it was broken quite a bit. I didn't mind that it was getting broken by cachers. It won't hurt my feelings if you say you broke my cache on accident. I was a little frustrated that the cachers werent saying anything to me about it in their logs. I checked the cache a lot, but it would have been infinitely more helpful if I was given just a little heads up when necessary.

[+Lime Candy]

DNF's due to not knowing about fake rocks and the like. Great sense of satisfaction to find them on a second visit though!

 

Forgetting to take any spare batteries and the GPSr dying a quarter of the way round a really good cache series.

[+Chief301]

Some of my frustration arose in the form of waiting for my caching mentor to finally make the find on caches which I had already located and subsequently wandered away nonchalantly, giving him the opportunity to do the same

 

Just wondering, do you have some kind of code word or just "Found it" or "Huckle Buckle Beanstalk" or something to let the other know you've spotted it? I have this image of two cachers walking around in circles around GZ, both having already spotted it and each waiting for the other to say something

[+kpanko]

I have this image of two cachers walking around in circles around GZ, both having already spotted it and each waiting for the other to say something

I met a cacher in my town by accident while searching for a cache. We both use smartphones, not the bright yellow garmin units. I thought she was a "muggle" for about 10 minutes until I realized, we are both just circling around the same general spot... Hmm, maybe there is a reason for that!

[+ThePetersTrio]

Unmaintained caches.

 

Yep and it is still my biggest gripe. Wet, soggy logs are a close 2nd.

[+Scarlett_Ohara]

Two things bothered me alot - some things I just learned

 

1. Manually putting in the co-ord numbers with a rocker button - I meant to scroll right and I scrolled up and incremented the current number (without realizing it) which ended up with a useless co-ordinate.

 

2. The arrow jumped around when I got close and I wanted to walk right up to it.

 

3. Forgot to cut it off and tracked myself all over the state.

 

4. convert co-ord in other formats - still frustrated

 

5. Starting to late and it gets dark quicker than I could find the cache.

 

6. Avoiding Briars and PI

 

7. Avoiding Muggles - wasn't will to wait or come back

 

8. Trashed containers

 

9. useless trade items

 

10. Can't get a signal here in the holler!

[+Scarlett_Ohara]

I am new at this but allready an advid follower. What bothers me is All the trackables I have pruchased and set free with missions. Never Have I found anything other than a plastic toy, portable toilet paper, or a stray die. I would love to actually find a cache that says and means take one leave one. Then that individual would send it on a mission. Maybe they should come up with duplicates so they can be kept as souvinere and sent on mission. i am new like I said. I will still put my trackables out there, hope to find another so I can send it somewhere. taking a trip to England next month would love to help a bug or coin travel, not a rubber(condem yes I actually found one this week in a cache).. yhttp://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=11a02ceb-1e95-41d1-a18c-d88299def7e0es It did not detour me from my personal enjoyment of the game.

[GOF and Bacall]

I am new at this but allready an advid follower. What bothers me is All the trackables I have pruchased and set free with missions. Never Have I found anything other than a plastic toy, portable toilet paper, or a stray die. I would love to actually find a cache that says and means take one leave one. Then that individual would send it on a mission. Maybe they should come up with duplicates so they can be kept as souvinere and sent on mission. i am new like I said. I will still put my trackables out there, hope to find another so I can send it somewhere. taking a trip to England next month would love to help a bug or coin travel, not a rubber(condem yes I actually found one this week in a cache).. yhttp://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=11a02ceb-1e95-41d1-a18c-d88299def7e0es It did not detour me from my personal enjoyment of the game.

 

Take one leave one rules for travelers has proven to be a problem. Caches that had such rules were called TB prisons. This is because TBs would languish in them forever. Do a search for TB prison.

[+n0k1a]

Just wondering, do you have some kind of code word or just "Found it" or "Huckle Buckle Beanstalk" or something to let the other know you've spotted it? I have this image of two cachers walking around in circles around GZ, both having already spotted it and each waiting for the other to say something

Good question! Basically, the first finder will try not to draw any attention to the location of GZ, and will wander some distance away. He/she will then find a nice log or rock to sit on, or check their GPS unit, or turn off their flashlight, etc.. Sometimes it does end up being sufficiently subtle that the other(s) don't know if it was found, or if the other seeker is simply frustrated. A simple 'did you find it yet?' often ensues.

 

Probably my favorite in this regard was I think my third find ever. After two urban micros as an intro to the whole thing, we headed into the woods for one which he had never looked for. I saw it first, then wandered away. I watched him being stealthy as he made the find, and backed away similarly. The look on his face when I asked if he had found it now too was priceless!

[+lamoracke]

not having trail maps and getting lost in large park systems....thankfully, Northwest Trails solved that, in a lot of cases.

[+n0k1a]

I met a cacher in my town by accident while searching for a cache. We both use smartphones, not the bright yellow garmin units. I thought she was a "muggle" for about 10 minutes until I realized, we are both just circling around the same general spot... Hmm, maybe there is a reason for that!

That's really cool! I never had that happen in that sort of setting. The only time something similar happened to me was on an FTF attempt, in the middle of the woods at night. When I encountered someone else in the same place at the same time with a flashlight, I was reasonably certain that it wasn't a muggle.

 

Talk about frustration...we spent the next hour or so looking for that 'easy' cache, and never did find it until our third respective attempts!

[+GeoGeeBee]

What frustrated me most was loading up a PQ of caches with terrain and difficulty less than or equal to 1.5, and then not being able to find half of them because they are missing and no one has bothered to log a DNF on them.

 

Oh wait, that wasn't when I first started... that was this week.

[+RokMartian]

I'll echo the frustration over the gpsr. I still have a tendency to trust it too much.

I've been able to take a few friends out on their first cache, and noticed that there was some disappointment on the contents of the cache for some of the young ones. I have learned to set expectations, and that giving and finding is the real reward.

[+BulldogBlitz]

my frustration is an ongoing one...

 

i dislike those 1.5/1.5 caches which are stated to be in plain sight or a PnG... which i have to return to over and over (and over and over and over) again just to have it hit me in the face when i finally do find it.