Why can't I find micros?

[kruney]

I live in the Richmond, VA area and everytime I go to a micro I have an impossible time finding it. I usuly have to give up. Any tips??

[+Narilka]

Look on things that are metal? Also maybe look online to see some pictures of what micros can look like, so you have an idea what you're looking for, if you haven't already.

[+CacheFreakTim]

Most micro hides are very similar. Many are magnetic, hanging from a tree, attached to a guard rail, etc.... They can be very hard to find, and I bet if I check 90% of my DNF are micros. Start with Regualr and Large caches, then move to smalls. Stay away from Micros until you have a very good feel for the game and are ready for a super challenge.

[+niraD]

You might find a few more small (or larger) caches before trying to find a micro, but that's a temporary solution (assuming you don't ignore micros forever).

 

You could ease into searching for micros ("Less than 100ml") by making sure that you aren't searching for a nano ("less than 10ml"), but nanos are listed as micros, and owners of nanos don't always make it clear how small their caches are.

 

Go ahead and read the cache's additional hints (if provided), and read the past logs and look at any photos in the cache's image gallery. They may help you understand what you're looking for, and how/where it may be hidden. It may also help to look at some of the cache containers available online. For example, check out the cache containers sold by Groundspeak. Also, take a look at the Pictures - Cool Cache Containers (CCC's) thread in the forums.

[+KBfamily]

I take my 14 yr old son - GeoCasey to find the tough ones...he has a cacher's nose and can find just about anything.

[+ON-THE-LOOSE]

My son and I are very much newbies - just found #43. Strangely enough, micros seem to be the easiest for us. We have found it useful to push, tug, lift, etc. on any and all protrusions from boxes, walls, and poles. Feeling along such objects has also been helpful. My hand found one micro tucked into a hole when I felt the wire it was attached to. Ditto for one hanging by a length of fishline that my son found.

[+EdrickV]

Micros can be very easy, or they can be very hard. It depends on how experienced you are and how exactly they are hidden. There is one particular trick that has been used for many micro hides, but which took me I think over an hour to figure out my first time, and that was mostly by accident. Since then most urban micros I've seen (as well as a Nano) have been hidden using that same basic technique. These caches usually appear to be near parking lots when you look at satellite views. If you want more info (aka a spoiler) then here's more info, encrypted in ROT13 so it won't spoil you if you don't want it.

 

Ynzc cbfg fxvegf/onfrf pna bsgra or yvsgrq hc, naq znal zvpebf ner uvqqra gurer. (Hfhnyyl rvgure nggnpurq gb gur fxveg vgfrys be ba gur npghny onfr bs gur ynzc cbfg jurer vg'f obygrq gb gur pbapergr.)

 

The encoder/decoder: http://mcraigweaver.com/rot13.htm