Any advice?

[jesandsean]

Hi! We're really new to this awesome game, and we don't have any caching "mentors"...is there any advice you seasoned cachers have for a couple of excited newbies?

Thanks!!!

jesandsean

Edited February 4, 2013 by jesandsean

[+StarBrand]

Welcome aboard!!

 

Best advice I have - have fun. Before you try to hide a cache, be sure to thoroughly read the guidelines (see link in my sig).

 

Here are some general hints:

 

Look for caches with a difficulty of 2 or less for your fist few caches. Stick with regular sized caches for your first few. Micros can be quite hard to find sometimes. Stick to areas you are familiar with. Look for anything out of place or unusual. Look for unusual piles of sticks, grass, leaves, rocks, sand, etc. Feel where you cannot look. Think vertical, not all caches are on the ground. Look up or at eye level. Look for traces of previous searches to zero in on the spot. Think like the hider - where would you put a container in this location? Look for things too new, too old, too perfect, not like the others, too many, too few. Change your perspective - a shift in lighting can sometimes reveal a cache. Keep in mind that many micros are magnetic or attached to something (via string, wire etc). Slowly expand your search area to about 40 feet from where your GPS says ground zero is. Bring garden gloves and a flashlight - they help! Be prepared to not find the cache more often then you think.

 

Why isn't the cache where my GPS says it should be?

 

The general accuracy of most handheld GPS devices is around 12 to 25 feet. Remember though you have might have to add your potential error to any error the cache owner had when placing the cache. That means you could easily find yourself looking for a cache up to 50 feet from where your unit says ground zero is. Most of the time you will find them within 20 feet or less but do be prepared to widen your search. Put the GPS away when you are within 20 feet or so and start looking for likely hiding spots.

 

Back off and re-approach the area if necessary to verify you are looking in the right spot.

 

Forget Stealth:

 

I advise you to not try and be stealthy. That just attracts more undue attention. Instead be bold. Be proud of what you are doing - act as though you are doing nothing wrong (mostly because you aren't!!). Act as though it is your job to find that cache, a job you are very good at and proud to do. Find it. Sign it. Put it back and move on. Carry a clipboard and look professional - you'll blend into the background.

[+L0ne.R]

Welcome fellow Canadian.

 

One piece of advice. Don't hide a cache for 2-3 months. The first couple of months is the honeymoon period. Spend the first few months finding caches, getting to know what makes a good cache.

 

One good thing to know as a finder....you can sort your search list and float the caches with the most Favourite Votes to the top. Just click the Blue Ribbon item:

 

 

Use the Hide and Seek page to find caches within a few kilometers of where you'd like to start your caching day then click the blue ribbon.

[+niraD]

Here is some advice that I've posted before. Some of it duplicates StarBrand's advice.

 

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 (10ft). That applies both to your device, and to the cache owner’s device, so you may find the container 5-6m (16-20ft) 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.

 

Where would you hide something? Do you notice anything unusual? Is anything too new, too old, too organized (e.g., UPS: an Unnatural Pile of Sticks/Stones), too symmetrical, not quite the right color or shape, etc.? Don’t look only on the ground; the cache may be knee-level, waist-level, eye-level, or overhead. How might the container be secured in place? With magnets? With a hook? With string? With fishing line? With something else? Does anything move when you touch it? (Be careful when touching things though.)

 

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.

[+Lieblweb]

Just get out there and play.....

 

#1) Get very familiar with your GPS/Phone - It's limitations, it's quarks, and what to expect

#2) Pick easy Difficulty and Terrain caches to start

#3) Pick larger sized caches to start (but don't always limit yourself - try some smaller ones and see how you do)

#4) Try not to get frustrated... Use common sense. Read the descriptions, Read the previous logs to make sure its been found recently, read previous logs for 'hints' and read the hints (if applicable).

#5) If you get frustrated and its no longer 'FUN' ...it's time to move on to another cache or take a break altogether. Go have a cup of coffee (or a beer) and relax.

 

You will soon gain the experience you need to develop a 'cache sense' - when your geosenses home in on caches long before your GPS has settled. LOL

[jesandsean]

Thanks SO much you guys!!! Great tips!!! Really helpful!!! I think we're officially addicted! Lol

[+simpjkee]

Log your DNF's.

 

Don't be afraid to ignore caches that don't interest you.

 

Venture outside the city. Thats where the best caches are IMO.

[+cdnford]

I am new to the game all so ,the only advice I have is to read lots on here and check out youtube under "spoiler caches " there was a man in the UK who posted some really good video's on geocaching.

Sadly life got to much for him and he ended his .

What city in Canada are you living ? .I am in Calgary .

[jesandsean]

I am new to the game all so ,the only advice I have is to read lots on here and check out youtube under "spoiler caches " there was a man in the UK who posted some really good video's on geocaching.

Sadly life got to much for him and he ended his .

What city in Canada are you living ? .I am in Calgary .

 

We're in B.C. Havin a great time so far!!! Even in the rain! Lol

[+ukbackpack]

 

Sadly life got to much for him and he ended his .

 

 

I believe it was an open verdict of accidental death - only speculation of taking his own life

[+msrubble]

Welcome, new adventurers!

 

In addition to the advice you have received about finding caches, I would like to suggest you attend a geocaching event and introduce yourselves. You can learn a lot just listening to other geocachers trading stories. Who knows? You might meet a potential caching buddy.

[jesandsean]

Welcome, new adventurers!

 

In addition to the advice you have received about finding caches, I would like to suggest you attend a geocaching event and introduce yourselves. You can learn a lot just listening to other geocachers trading stories. Who knows? You might meet a potential caching buddy.

 

Great idea!!! How would I go about finding one?

[jesandsean]

Oops, wonky reply! That's an awesome idea!!! How would we go about finding one of those events??

[+StarBrand]

Oops, wonky reply! That's an awesome idea!!! How would we go about finding one of those events??

If you are receiving the weekly emailed newsletter - local events are listed toward the bottom of the right side.

[+msrubble]

Oops, wonky reply! That's an awesome idea!!! How would we go about finding one of those events??

 

On your profile page, right hand side, under Search Options, click

 

• List newest in British Columbia

 

The first listings will be events. They have a date "placed" in the future. The drawback to this method is that it's for the entire province, and does not indicate how far from you they are. The weekly newsletter is better for calculating distance, if you have entered coordinates for your Home Location in your account settings.

[jesandsean]

You guys are amazing!!!! Thank you SO much for all your help!! We do have another question...we were caching the other day and found a travel bug, but we didn't know what to do with it, so we just left it. We get that we move it to another cache, but do we need a GPS? Do we put it in the log? Or do we just let the bug owner know? Also if we want to place one of our own do we need a GPS or can we just use the phone app like we do to find them? And can we move them anywhere? What's the bug protocol? Thanks!!

[jesandsean]

You guys are amazing!!!! Thank you SO much for all your help!! We do have another question...we were caching the other day and found a travel bug, but we didn't know what to do with it, so we just left it. We get that we move it to another cache, but do we need a GPS? Do we put it in the log? Or do we just let the bug owner know? Also if we want to place one of our own do we need a GPS or can we just use the phone app like we do to find them? And can we move them anywhere? What's the bug protocol? Thanks!!

[+niraD]

You don't need a GPSr to move TBs and log the movement. You don't need one to release your own TB either.

 

Logging a TB is fairly simple. You just record the tracking number, use the tracking number to look up the TB, and click the "Found it? Log it!" link at the top of the TB page.

 

Technically, you can move them wherever you want. But many TB owners specify goals for their TBs, and it's polite to move a TB somewhere that helps it towards its goal if you can.

 

The following Help Center article may help: Logging a Geocoin or a Travel Bug

 

[edit: link text is different for TBs you own and TBs someone else owns]

Edited February 8, 2013 by niraD

[+mwellman]

 

We're in B.C. Havin a great time so far!!! Even in the rain! Lol

 

Welcome to Geocaching jeandsean!

 

Don't forget to check out the BC Geocaching Association - http://www.bcgeocaching.com/

where you will find local advice and links to local groups.

 

Enjoy your Geocaching Adventures!

 

mwellman from Alberta

[+NeverSummer]

Some more advice, in terms of the allure of hiding caches:

Hide caches. But only hide them if you know that you can, and will maintain them. Use high-quality, highly waterproof or water-resistant containers. Baggies for logbooks, and write-in-the-rain logsheets for caches that might be susceptible to rain/snow damage. Be sure to get good coordinates for them by using a GPS, averaging some readings, and "re-hunting" it to be sure that your GPS takes you back to where it should. Use D/T accurately to describe the hide. Use the description to give context. Use a hint to really narrow down a search and decrease the chances of damage to surroundings or of attracting unwanted attention. And be prepared to take some criticism from other cachers...and actually take that criticism as helpful to make your caches better--not as an attack on your person.

 

Lastly: Enjoy. If you aren't having fun, you're doing it wrong.

[jesandsean]

Thanks guys!! We're still a little unclear on how to actually place our own trackable (would we just add it to someone else's cache and log it?) but we're learning! Really appreciate all the help and tips!!!!

Edited February 12, 2013 by jesandsean

[+niraD]

I've started a couple of trackables in my own caches, but usually I just drop them in someone else's cache. Registering it marks it as being in your possession, then you can drop any/all of the trackables in your possession into a cache when you post a log.

 

Don't put the trackables in your "inventory". That's for caches you keep somewhere safe, in long-term storage. It isn't for trackables that you're actually dropping in caches or taking to events.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Thanks guys!! We're still a little unclear on how to actually place our own trackable (would we just add it to someone else's cache and log it?) but we're learning! Really appreciate all the help and tips!!!!

Read the link supplied by niraD, first.

 

Pay VERY close attention to the differing log types and why they would be used:

RETRIEVED: picked up from a cache that it is listed as being in (only);

GRABBED: picked up from anywhere else -- including a cache it IS NOT listed in;

DISCOVERED: seen but not TAKEN, from anywhere;

VISITED: taken to, but not left in a cache;

DROPPED: placed into a cache, and left for another to move it along;

NOTE: anything else -- usually just information regarding that trackable.

 

More trackables are lost because of mis-logging (or not logging at all) than most would believe.

[+Chief301]

Since nobody else mentioned it, I feel like I ought to....When you come across a trackable, make a note of the tracking code marked on it but DO NOT share that code online or anywhere else, including in your online log. All trackables have two numbers associated with them....the "Tracking number" is the one stamped on the trackable itself. You won't see that number anywhere else. The trackable's reference number is the number found on that trackable's page. Obviously everyone can see that number. These numbers are different.

 

The purpose of the tracking number (stamped on the trackable) is to ensure that only someone who has physically been in contact with the trackable (found it in a cache, discovered it in the hands of another cacher, etc.) can log it. If you post that number online or otherwise put it out in public, ANYONE can log it, whether they have actually come across it or not. Obviously, this can cause havoc if people who are not actually in possession of the trackable start logging it in and out of caches where it is not (it happens).

 

Also, if you decide to purchase and launch your own trackables, a couple of things to note:

 

First, if you're using the "dog tag" style travel bug, it's fun to attach it to some object that fits into the "theme" of that trackable's mission, whatever you decide to make it. But make sure you don't attach it to anything you're not willing to lose. Trackables often go missing (whole cache got stolen, or someone picked it up and forgot to move it along, or some newbie didn't know what it was and thought it was just swag to keep, etc.) Some people make the mistake of making a travel bug out of some family heirloom of other irreplaceable item, with a mission to get to Grandma's house in Ireland or some such thing. Then they panic when they realize the thing has gone missing. Long story short, if you turn it loose in the wild, expect to lose it at some point. Sometimes they last for years, sometimes days.

 

Second, try to place it in a pretty busy cache that gets a lot of visitors. I've had to rescue a couple of TB's from one of my caches that is an ammo can in a very picturesque location, but because of where I live it just doesn't get a lot of visits. So TB's tend to sit there for months sometimes, which is a little disappointing to the owner who wants to see it go somewhere! Look for often-visited caches in your area (more visitors means better chance of it moving along), or caches near a major highway (better chance of some traveler "passing through" who can transport it far, rather than having it just jumping from cache to cache in one small area...unless that's the mission...). Caches that are described as a "Travel Bug Motel" are often good spots that meet one or both of these criteria.

 

Good luck!

[+Chief301]

Thanks guys!! We're still a little unclear on how to actually place our own trackable (would we just add it to someone else's cache and log it?) but we're learning! Really appreciate all the help and tips!!!!

Read the link supplied by niraD, first.

 

Pay VERY close attention to the differing log types and why they would be used:

RETRIEVED: picked up from a cache that it is listed as being in (only);

GRABBED: picked up from anywhere else -- including a cache it IS NOT listed in;

DISCOVERED: seen but not TAKEN, from anywhere;

VISITED: taken to, but not left in a cache;

DROPPED: placed into a cache, and left for another to move it along;

NOTE: anything else -- usually just information regarding that trackable.

 

More trackables are lost because of mis-logging (or not logging at all) than most would believe.

 

I found a trackable (coin) in a cache a couple of weeks ago and decided to move it along, so I took it with me. When I got home and went to log it I discovered that it was still showing in the possession of the previous holder and NOT in the cache's inventory. Obviously I can't Retrieve it because it's not listed as being in the cache. So I Grabbed it from the previous holder and them Dropped it in another cache. So that coin's history is a little skewed...it does not show its visit to that cache.

 

I suppose I could log a Visit to show that it was in the cache at some point. What's the etiquette here?

[+niraD]

I found a trackable (coin) in a cache a couple of weeks ago and decided to move it along, so I took it with me. When I got home and went to log it I discovered that it was still showing in the possession of the previous holder and NOT in the cache's inventory. Obviously I can't Retrieve it because it's not listed as being in the cache. So I Grabbed it from the previous holder and them Dropped it in another cache. So that coin's history is a little skewed...it does not show its visit to that cache.

 

I suppose I could log a Visit to show that it was in the cache at some point. What's the etiquette here?

I give the previous holder a few days to log the trackable, then I:

Grab it from the previous holder, then delete this log (it's still in my possession).

Drop it in the cache where I found it, then delete this log (it's still in the cache).

Retrieve it from the cache where I found it.

Send the previous holder email explaining what I did, and that they can grab it back if they want to log dropping it in the cache where I found it.