Does geocaching always start off being this disappointing?

[magnusdeus123]

This is my fifth DNF in a row now. I come home to log my failures and all I'm greeted by are comments of how much of an easy find it was for others. I know it's me, but this is starting to get pretty depressing. I make sure to pick the beginner-friendly caches, look through the comments and hints to get an idea. (Gave up a while ago on trying to find them without the hint)

 

I know this is probably just any another noobish post-DNF rant for the veterans you guys are but I probably have the tolerance for two more non-successful geocaching sessions(around another 5 DNFs) before I just post up an ad on craigslist to sell my GPS or something.

 

Help me out here. Is there a way to find out the best geocachers in my area and contact them to request that I tag along or something? I really want to be able to like this hobby, but this is getting ridiculous.

[+Sol seaker]

Don't worry about it.

If I didn't have someone to show me I never would have caught onto this.

I think the first 20 caches, my friend found rather than I. I tagged along, tried to find them, and learned.

 

Try looking for events in your area.

Post in the local section of the forums for someone in your area also. You'll find a lot more takers there.

[+RVgeos]

Hi Tadpol,

 

You wrote what I was thinking too!..ha ha and there are two of us searching, it is actually quite hilarious. We are both fairly competent in other things, and we could not find anything!

 

Then we finally found one...we were starting to think they had all been taken by Muggle's. We went back to one three times and still did not find it, and it was an easy one too...we actually got right of track and we had been in the right place the very first time.

 

The owner of the Cache contacted me after I said we cannot find ANYTHING!..and gave us some more hints..And also said she will take me out next week for some caching..what a relief as I do need some training..lol...hang in there ...Sol Seaker gave some good tips.

 

Cheers

[+Chief301]

A common mistake of most newbies is trusting the GPS too much....They walk around in circles at GZ (Ground Zero) trying to get the number to count down to absolute zero. They expect the unit to put them right on top of the cache. That's not going to happen...even the best units' accuracy is measured in yards, not inches. So when you get within about 10-20 feet of where your unit is indicating, just put it in your pocket and start looking for likely hiding spots. One of the clever things about this game is that caches are (usually) VERY well hidden...sometimes fiendishly so. Sometimes they're just concealed by the surroundings, sometimes they're cleverly camouflaged to appear to be PART of the surroundings. Search the forums for "Cool Cache Containers" to get some idea what you're looking for.

 

Be prepared to "look" with your hands as well as your eyes....feel under, behind, on top of, and inside where you cannot see. Particularly with micros, you'll find more with a sweep of the hand than by spotting them with your eyes. Some caches are magnetic, so look for metal objects that they could be stuck to.

 

Look for things that look out of place, or unlike the things around them, or just doesn't seem to belong there. That extra bolt that doesn't seem to be fastening anything, or that rock that's not quite the same as the rest of them. Look for the odd bit of monofilament tied off to something that may indicate that there's a micro cache container hanging on the other end of it.

 

If you can make contact with some local cachers, I'm sure they would be glad to help!

[+JeepFreak81]

I was lucky enough to find my first 3 caches, but the very first one we went too I think we spent 45 minutes looking and were about to give up before we found it. Micros are definitely not my thing yet, I've looked for a couple and DNF'd a couple. Keep at it, and like others said....don't trust your GPS too much once you get close. Once mine says it's 25 feet or so away I start to look for good hiding spots. Think like your hiding, not finding.

[+mwellman]

Welcome to Geocaching magnusdeus123,

 

BC is a beautiful province. We hope to get back there this winter.

 

Have a look at http://www.bcgeocaching.com/index.php where you should find some cachers to follow along and learn the ropes. Events are a great way to meet other geocachers, too.

 

Geosenses may take some time to develop: oh, that looks like a geotrail or that's where I would hide a cache. Using the hints is a good idea when you are starting out. Remember that your GPS will not get you exactly to zero so starting looking when you are 10-20 feet away.

 

Don't give up, when we first started we had no idea how to imput coordinates so we were driving back and forth over one of Grande Prairie's bridges, with me saying getting close, too north, too east, until we finally parked and hiked to an unknown park and somehow found the cache! No idea about the maps or compass view.

 

We have 208 DNFs out of our 973 finds, still a good ratio. Some of our best stories are our DNFs.

 

Enjoy your Geocaching Adventures!

 

mwellman from Alberta.

[+and off we go]

I also have a lot of DNF loggen in a little notebook I keep. I still try when ever I am in the area. My biggest DNF issues are my little ones who seem to have to go to the bathroom just as we get to GZ. AHHHH. Also you can look for evidence of cachers before you..we all leave traces behind us.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

magnusdeus123, if you are still listening (or reading, really).....

 

Find and attend an nearby Event Cache as soon as possible.

1) You meet the faces that go with the logs you have already read, and they turn out to be REAL people. You find out that they started just as you did -- little guidance, if any at all, but have now learned the tricks of the trade (and they are happy to share them with you).

2) You will make friends with some of them very quickly and maybe even make some excursions with them -- what better way to learn?

3) Event Caches are some of the best "finds" that you can have. Many are out-and-out fun, some are Meet 'n Greets, some are coffee and donuts with friends, many are beer & brat events, a few (really good ones) are weekend getaway camping events.

 

Once you do an Event or two, you will see that you really aren't alone out there.

What does this have to do with your find/DNF ratio? A lot! You learn to fine-hone your senses by talking with others, not posting on forums (that ain't bad either, just not nearly as good).

 

The spoken word is far better than the typed word, as it allows for a 5-minute discussion to learn what two days of reading cannot possibly teach you.

[+niraD]

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small size, regular size, and large size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro size caches, some of which are smaller than most beginners can imagine (sometimes called "nanos"). Save those for later, after you have some experience.

 

Also, stick with caches that have a difficulty rating of no more than 2 stars . Save the more difficult ones for later. You may also want to choose caches with easy terrain ratings. (The difficulty rating tells you how hard it is to find the cache once you get there. The terrain rating tells you how hard it is to get there.) And it is often best to start with traditional caches, which will be at the published coordinates. Multi-caches or mystery/puzzle caches or other cache types can require more work just to figure out where the container is located.

 

Under ideal conditions, a consumer GPSr will be accurate to about 3m (10'). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 15-20' from ground zero under ideal conditions. Under less than ideal conditions, both GPSr readings can be much less accurate. Once you get within that distance of ground zero, put your device away and look around for places where a container could be hidden.

 

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.

[+BlackRose67]

I'm fairly new at this myself with 4 finds and 2 DNFs.

 

On Saturday I went out to attempt several caches that are close to where I live.

 

I figured I'd be out and back in an hour. Nope - I spent almost an hour looking for the first cache (while also trying to not look like some creepy dude hanging out in the woods while people walked along the nearby path )

 

The GPS in my phone is horrid at the best of times, but even worse under tree cover, so I can't rely on it too much.

 

On the first cache I ended up using the hints and satellite map to figure out where I should have been, but even that was tricky.

One of the clues mentioned "rolling stone" and "moss". When I arrived, I found an old culvert laying on it's side (rolling stone?).

 

I figured that was the reference point - it wasn't. I looked around and there were about a dozen moss covered rocks.

I looked at them closer and as I approached one of them it seemed odd that there were 3 logs laying in a manner that would not occur naturally. I could not see anything from above, but when I moved behind I was able to see better and found the cache.

 

That was the second cache I have found where unnatural tree placement gave up the cache.

 

The second cache was an evil little micro that I found just before I was about to give up on it.

I only found that one because I went to the other side of the patch of trees and happened to look down and spotted it.

 

The third one was a DNF. There was too much tree cover so my phone was pretty much useless.

After spending about 45 minutes wandering around aimlessly (and scaring birds and squirrels), I went so far as to look at photos people had posted with their logs to see if I was in the right place.

I did find a location that seemed perfect for a cache, but after poking with a fallen branch and using a neutral white LED flashlight to look into the hole, it wasn't there. It seemed like the ideal location for a cache.

 

In the end, I logged it as a DNF and will attempt again when I get a dedicated GPS unit that can at least get me close enough to GZ.

 

I look at the DNF as an opportunity to go back and try again and learn from it.

 

I plan on getting in touch with the local caching group to meet up with them and tag along to see how they do it and learn from them

[+Chief301]

I looked around and there were about a dozen moss covered rocks.

I looked at them closer and as I approached one of them it seemed odd that there were 3 logs laying in a manner that would not occur naturally. I could not see anything from above, but when I moved behind I was able to see better and found the cache.

 

 

That's what we refer to in caching lingo as a UPS, or Unnatural Pile of Sticks (can also be Unnatural Pile of Stones). It's one of those giveaway clues that you learn to spot after a while

[+popokiiti]

When your GPS says you are at, or close to, ground zero, stop looking at it....and look around. Look for a cachers' trail, flattened grass, footprints in mud, piled bark. We have found that the easiest caches seem to take us the longest for some perverse reason.

Best advice we ever received? Think where you would hide it. Sometimes you can catch it out of the corner of your eye. The cache won't always be low, either. Use the hints, make sure you know the size and relax. It may help having a look at the various containers out there...check out Groundspeak's site for a look see and in Geocaching topics...the thread Cool Cache Containers gives a great insight into the devious, artistic minds out there!

I'm adding my vote to hooking up with a fellow cacher - we were all in your position once. As you get more into this, your DNF rate drops...but doesn't go away completely.

Good luck and let us know how you do!

[C.A. Duke]

I've quite liked my first two and half weeks. Though I signed up for an account a few years back and never did really anything with my old eXplorist 400 except let it get kinda beat up packing it on a few camping trips. I have had several DNFs, sadly in a park that I know quite well. My problem is I want to rush out and grab everyone I can get that is near by. I want to complete 366 day, so I can not as I do not want to be driving to who knows where to grab one cache for the day in a year. That is what is disappointing to me right now and it is my goal, so I need to plan a trip farther away to go geocaching. I hope to replace my 400 with a 710 by end of the year.

[Narcosynthesis]

I would definitely stick at it and give it a couple more tries and see how you get on - I think it is quite possible that there will have been something obvious you have looked over or missed that you will be kicking yourself about after spotting it...

 

Some advance planning might also help a bit too - pick caches with relatively easy ratings and a larger size that should be simpler to find, read the cache page and recent logs to learn as much as you can about the area and the cache and check out the satellite views to give you an idea where it may be.

Also it is well worth remembering the limitations of GPS systems - they are only accurate to a certain distance (which counts both for your unit finding the co-ordinates, and the hiders unit figuring them out in the first place), so when you get close to the cache, ignore the GPS and start looking. Things like odd trails in the undergrowth can often lead the way where many geocachers have been before, and start thinking about where would be a good place to hide a geocache if you were to place one - under big rocks, in wee nooks and crannies and similar, and also look for anything that might give away a location - as mentioned a pile of sticks or rocks that could be covering something about cache sized can be a good place to start, or anything else un-natural.

 

It is also worth saying that once you have a few finds under your belt, you will get the hang of it better - having a better idea of where people will hide things and telltale signs to look for.

 

One other thing to think about would be seeing if there is anyone who could take you out geocaching and show you the ropes - anyone you know who geocachers, or perhaps some of the more experienced locals (check out the regional forums here, or google for any local geocachign websites).

[+JeepFreak81]

I know that feeling, I'd love to find at least a cache a day....I'm getting discouraged thinking that snow is coming soon and there will be far less caches for me find in the white stuff......Oh well, I try to grab at least one or two on my days off each week.....that's keeping me happy for now, haha

[+Brooklyn51]

I know that feeling, I'd love to find at least a cache a day....I'm getting discouraged thinking that snow is coming soon and there will be far less caches for me find in the white stuff......Oh well, I try to grab at least one or two on my days off each week.....that's keeping me happy for now, haha

 

Winter caching.. yes.. a whole new challenge and every bit as fun as caching in any other season. You'll need to develop some new skills for finding things but it ranks right up there. Oh.. it also tends to increase your DNF score

[+A & J Tooling]

I DNF about 20% so get used to the feeling.

[+Steve0512]

I'm looking forward to Geocaching in the winter. A couple of good hard frosts should knock down the vegetation that makes some finds very difficult.

[C.A. Duke]

I'm looking forward to Geocaching in the winter. A couple of good hard frosts should knock down the vegetation that makes some finds very difficult.

I got a DNF I hope I can find after some vegetation dies back, but is not completely hidden by falling leaves. Working retail is my fear of getting my one a day, as Nov and Dec come around, I will be working 12 hour shifts some days. Can't wait to be freezing looking for snow covered caches.

[+webscouter.]

In 5600+ finds I still average about 10% DNF's. Don't let it detour you from having fun. Most of the fun comes in finding new, hidden places and meeting fellow cachers.

 

Good advice to find a mentor, go to an event or contact an old timer that has hidden a cache near you.

 

Soon those caches will come easy to you and you will laugh about how difficult they were when you first started. At some point you will start to lament about how lame lamp post caches are.

[+Chokecherry]

We fumbled our way through our first caches. And some days we fumble through our caches now. I learned a lot about beacons. The perfect tree or rocks to hide a cache under. Though don't rely too heavily on this as some people will put the cache in the less likely beacon nearby. but starting out it really helped narrow the searches.

 

I also learned how to read the past logs and look at pictures for tid bits of knowledge for harder caches or caches I didn't find before.

 

I got used to how the various locals like to hide caches. I learned to walk away from some caches by someone locals (the one who always has soft coordinates because of the belief it makes the hide harder).

 

I learned to think out the caches I want to get. If I see a micro in the middle of the forest I probably won't be going after it anytime soon. If I see the micro is in a parking lot I know I have a good chance at finding it (and will save that as a rainy day cache).

 

Some caches I'll take a DNF on just so I can scout out the area and make a plan of attack for the next trip out. Sometimes it just takes multiple trips out for whatever reason. I usually sit on my DNF's and research them a little more thoroughly.

[+Catydid]

In the beginning, we cached only in our home town. This place is loaded with film canister caches, so we usually found them. We were excited and happy to make these finds--every type of placement was new to us. I was terribly excited at finding our first light pole cache! So, it is good advice to start with those rated as easy and those of the larger size, if there are any in your area. It builds confidence and maintains the fun level. You will know when it is time to look for more difficult caches. Also, as folks have already said, don't expect it at GZ. Expand your circle as you look. You are lucky in being a newbie as every find should be exciting to you! Also, having someone to go with is good. With Mr Caty and me, often one of us will make a difficult find that the other wouldn't have even thought of.

[+RThreeSonz]

Some great advice already given.

 

We're noobs too with less than 25 finds. Here are some thoughts -

1) Hard to believe, but here's one we never imagined until an experienced cacher told us after 2 attempts - 'Lift the nearby lamp post skirt'. So, lift the lamp post skirt, turn over the rock, look in the tree stump, tree notch, tug on the fence finial, see if the bark is loose on the fallen tree etc.

2) Try for some kid friendly caches with a big container who's hint is 'stump'. Funny how this got our confidence way up.

3) Try for some easy lamp post caches being mindful of #1.

4) Bring, borrow some kids. My 2 elementary age boys are in the right age for 'hide and seek'. (Kindergartener got two of our finds yesterday!) So, sometimes its best to think like a kid.

5) GPSr merely brings you to the scene, it does NOT solve the crime. You do!

6) For a harder find, we put something at 'initial GZ' and walk toward it from several other directions from 10-15 ft away leaving something at those points. These intersecting lines usually give a better sense of the 'true GZ'. Then do #7

7) Walk back 10-15 feet from the presumed GZ and scrutinze where would be a good hiding place. It may be 10 or more feet away!

8) Events with instructed caching for noobs are wonderful. Even better when the kids score a geocoin for attending!

9) If you have a smartphone too, download the appropriate geocaching.com app and consider using both the phone and the GPSr. We found our 1st cache with the smartphone. (usually not in my possession) Besides my Garmin, we also happen to have a Geomate 'for the kids'. (usually vice versa it seems) It or the smartphone often confirms GZ for us. Sometimes due to differing indications of GZ it reminds us to be more 'open minded' about where the cache might actually be.

10) Our most recent tidbit - Don't believe every log you read or picture you see. 'The cache is visible from the road' doesn't necessarily mean that it is actually 'visible from the road'. GZ was, but the cache sure wasn't.

11) Sometimes hints are 'hints', sometimes they are 'clever hints'.

12) Buy 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching' and read it. We did and it helped!

13) Micros & nanos are often defying gravity due to magnets.

14) It won't help with the find, but may make the DNF more bearable - Learn what poison ivy & its friends look like. 'Be very wary of vines that are hairy'

Edited October 11, 2011 by RThreeSonz

[+T0SHEA]

This is my fifth DNF in a row now. I come home to log my failures and all I'm greeted by are comments of how much of an easy find it was for others. I know it's me, but this is starting to get pretty depressing. I make sure to pick the beginner-friendly caches, look through the comments and hints to get an idea. (Gave up a while ago on trying to find them without the hint)

 

I know this is probably just any another noobish post-DNF rant for the veterans you guys are but I probably have the tolerance for two more non-successful geocaching sessions(around another 5 DNFs) before I just post up an ad on craigslist to sell my GPS or something.

 

Help me out here. Is there a way to find out the best geocachers in my area and contact them to request that I tag along or something? I really want to be able to like this hobby, but this is getting ridiculous.

[+ollave]

This is my fifth DNF in a row now. I come home to log my failures and all I'm greeted by are comments of how much of an easy find it was for others. I know it's me, but this is starting to get pretty depressing. I make sure to pick the beginner-friendly caches, look through the comments and hints to get an idea. (Gave up a while ago on trying to find them without the hint)

It takes practice. Other replies in the thread already talk about how to meet up with other local cachers, but here's some information from my own experience: I'd found ~130 caches up to 2008, then stopped caching until this year. It took me probably as many caches again to get my skill level back: I too was highly frustrated at up to 30% DNFs and averaging an hour per find.

 

Now that I'm back "on my game" I expect to find anything of difficulty two unless it's not there. The higher difficulty caches still sometimes give me trouble.

 

Don't sweat the "easy find" logs other people make: sometimes what is obvious to one person is anything but to another person. Example: I spent about two hours over two days messing up a difficulty 1, terrain 1 cache last weekend. Made every mistake in the book and then some.

 

On the other hand, at least once I've spotted a cache hide (for a difficulty 3) from 75 metres away, and come home to read the logs saying how tricky it was to find.

 

Too, sometimes it depends on who the hider is: with some hiders I'm just on their wavelength: they put caches where I'd put them. Others ... think differently to me. Then the difficulty rating is chosen by the hider, and hiders' opinions of what is "difficult" varies.

 

Finally, what percentage of DNFs you'll end up with will depend a lot on the caches in your area: partly how hard they are to find, but also how many other cachers are around (was the cache found yesterday? Last week? Last month? Early this year? A year ago). The less recently a cache was found the less certain you can be that it will be there, and clues like "geotrails" won't be present for rarely visited caches, and the hiders' description, hint, and finders logs can get out of date as the locale (especially plant growth, but building works etc too) change the environment the cache is in.

 

So, my recommendations, which you should feel free to take or ignore: do meet up with local cachers if you can. Stick to low difficulty recently found caches where you can until your success rate is satisfying you.

 

If you stick with it, you may end up doing crazy stuff like heading out in the middle of the night while suffering insomnia and finding five caches in a row (two micros, too) in under a couple of hours, a bunch of time which was spent driving between caches; only one was hard 'cos my GPSr coordinates kept wandering. I couldn't have done that until very recently. Daylight caches closer together and I'm faster; higher difficulty caches located remotely and I'm slower. Some days (er, and nights) I'm "in the groove"; some days I couldn't find a cache on a supermarket shelf.

 

(And I still have a DNF on the dreaded 1.5 difficulty cache, where I even believe I know what the cache container looks like. It's just escaping me, and I've looked three times (so far). Other people walk up and find it; I am missing something ... but that one I'll get eventually.)

[+Colonial Cats]

12) Buy 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching' and read it. We did and it helped!

Yes, knowledge is power. Also, make sure that your GPSr is set up with the correct datum. The following is from the Geocaching Glossary.

 

WGS84

The most current geodetic datum used for GPS is the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84). The significance of WGS84 comes about because GPS receivers rely on WGS84.

Geocaching uses the WGS84 datum by default. We also use the format HDDD MM.MM, which is a standard for GPS receivers (like the eTrex).

HDD means Hemisphere and degrees. MM.MM are minutes in decimal format. If you have any questions, you can either visit the forums or contact us directly.

It is critical that the format be correct, otherwise geocachers will be unable to find your cache!

[+rdub29]

Go to YouTube and search 'Geocaching'. You really start to get the idea of how clever some folks are. For me my first 2 were supper easy. Then I got put in my place. Now I'm getting alot better.

[Oticus]

I, too, just started Geocaching(First find last night) and I took my fiance(another first-timer) with me. This let the experience remain a challenge while we both got encouragement for a tricky find.

 

I found myself thinking "OK, I'm 7 years old again. Where am I hiding something small and full of treasure?" Suddenly it was like I had a bee-line to the cache.

 

The second one for the night had us wandering around a parking lot for a "Super easy grab-and-go" which took nearly 20 minutes for us to find, even using the compass on my android app. We had to use the hint and the picture and were still stumped until sheer luck revealed the hide. Turns out this part of the lightpost wasnt bolted down and lo-and-behold: the cache was underneath.

 

So my advice from one newbie to another:

1: Get someone else on your level if you cant find a guru. It becomes much more of an adventure and you stop worrying about 'What if I dont find it.'

2: Think like a child. Also makes it more fun, and suddenly hiding spots are obvious if you take the mental role of the hider.

3: Think outside the box. Try moving something that you might not think moves, look behind something that might appear flush with a wall.

 

Dont't give up. Once you get that first find, you get bitten and its all downhil from there.

 

You can do it.

[+Chief301]

 

The second one for the night had us wandering around a parking lot for a "Super easy grab-and-go" which took nearly 20 minutes for us to find, even using the compass on my android app. We had to use the hint and the picture and were still stumped until sheer luck revealed the hide. Turns out this part of the lightpost wasnt bolted down and lo-and-behold: the cache was underneath.

 

 

LOL! You've been exposed early to the ubiquitous LPC or Lamp Post Cache. Those things are never bolted down (aren't designed to be)...I got stumped by my first couple too.

 

This particular type of hide is everywhere and has a sort of bad reputation as being lame....it gets old pretty quick and they're "usually" in fairly uninteresting spots (like parking lots). But when you find that first one you're thinking the person who thought of that as a hiding spot is a genius!

 

It really is a perfect hiding spot, will never be accidentally found my muggles, but there's just so darn many of them and they're so easy (once you know about them) that they've become kind of an inside joke in caching circles. You still find some clever ones occasionally, though, like one where the lamp post skirt is just a decoy and is not the real hiding spot, or cute little dioramas under the skirt.

 

They're great for an easy grab when you need a quick caching fix, though....

[+Tobias & Petronella]

Our record so far is 7 DNFs in a row. After three years and almost 3000 finds we still have problems finding the easy ones now and then. Last year twice in a row we DNF a cache and each time someone with less than 300 finds found it right away. This is one of the fun things about this game is that you never know how good your day of caching is going to be until its over. Sometimes when we go back and find the caches that we first DNF, and we're surprised at how we missed it in the first place.

[piper2323]

try going caching with a friend that is good at it, go with them to see if they can find the caches. DONT SELL YOUR GPS

ps, onces you find a couple caches, you get what i lke to call "geo-senses" (mine aren't very good)

[+niraD]

LOL! You've been exposed early to the ubiquitous LPC or Lamp Post Cache. Those things are never bolted down (aren't designed to be)...I got stumped by my first couple too.

Just a quibble: Never say "never". I've seen several locations around here that use lamp posts that have skirts that are bolted down.