complete waste of time

[deckard123]

OK so I thought I would take the kids out on an adventure. 6 & 8 and really up for it. Downloaded the android app and set of for the closest one; a logical pub car park hedge. after 15 mins of watching my children rummaging through piles of dirty rubbish, cans, bottles and other filth I thought `this is ridiculous and so we went to the next one. This was supposedly at the bottom of a pole in a quiet lane. About 30 mins later, all poles checked, and then just about everything that slightly resembled a pole, two very bored & frustrated children (and one adult) returned home. What did we do wrong? Admittedly, the app or phone was absolute pants with the map not giving any accuracy as to where we were in relation to the cache. How do I know if they are still there and not missing? Is there something more I should have done?

[+L0ne.R]

So sorry this was a lousy first experience. I'm guessing you were looking for micros - about film canister size or smaller. Your kids might like finding something with trinkets inside. I would suggest looking for Regular size caches to start with. Also read the last couple of logs to see what the last finders thought about the cache. Check for Favorite Votes. Maybe select a regular size cache that has at least 3 favorite points and has a few good recent comments.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Try this out, if you major concern is the kids....

 

Go out and find them first. Don't tell the kids you did that, THEN take the kids.

 

Rummaging around through stuff, especially garbage, cans and bottles isn't really the thing to do.

The caches are secreted (supposedly) to not have the occasional passerby notice it. There are many ways to hide one, not just by sticking it under other stuff. Sometimes you will look directly at it and not realize that what you saw was a cache, many times in plain unfettered sight.

 

Truly, downloading the app and running out to do it, really opens the door for disappointment. Geocaching is easy, but keep in mind that it is easier when you know what you are doing. Don't go into it with preconceived ideas -- that is a recipe for failure, even after many other finds.

...a logical pub car park hedge.

Logic has little to do with geocaching... especially when you haven't done it before.

[+Chief301]

You might want to try going out by yourself and finding a few, just to get a little experience and have some idea what you're looking for and how and where it might be hidden. Stick to size Small and above for now. For one thing, Micros can be fiendishly difficult to find, even for an experienced cacher....doubly so for a newbie. Smalls and Regulars should be a little easier to spot. Also, kids tend to get more excited about the "treasure" part of the cache....the trinkets and swag to be discovered and traded. Micros only have space enough for a small log sheet, no trade items, so small kids might get bored with them quickly.

 

Read the recent logs on the cache....if there are a few Did Not Find logs in a row, or a Needs Maintenance log, there is a chance that the cache might actually be missing, so there's something else to consider.

 

You might even try contacting one of the more active cachers in your area (you can contact them through their GC.com profile) and see if they'd be willing to go out with you and show you the ropes, and maybe point out a few of the better kid-friendly caches in your area.

 

Don't forget, too, that caches are not always on the ground, and seldom in plain sight. Be prepared to check inside, under, behind, and on top of nearby objects. Feel around (carefully!) with your hands where you cannot see. Look for signs of human activity like trails, disturbed vegetation, unnatural looking piles of sticks or rocks, and the like. For micros (and some other sizes too) know that some of them are magnetic and may be attached to nearby metal objects.

 

This game is a lot of fun for both adults and kids, but like any new hobby you should expect some growing pains at first as you learn how to do it. That's why we suggest going out by yourself first and learning how to find them before taking the kids along....children don't generally have that kind of patience and you want this to be fun for them! Take them out again once you have a little more confidence that your outing will be successful. And even when you have some experience, don't expect to find them all! Even experienced cachers generally have a 10-20% DNF rate, based on some discussions of the topic in the Forums.

 

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[+The_Incredibles_]

Plan ahead instead of just picking caches that happen to be close to you.

 

Pick a location you'd like to go anyway, for instance, a public park. Make sure the geocaches you're going for are small, regular or large (no micros). Read the logs ahead of time to see that the cache has been found recently and is in good shape. Go for caches where most people say it was a quick easy find. Bring swag with you. If the kids are disappointed with what's in the cache, let them pick something from your bag. 3 geocaches are probably enough with kids and take them by a playground or go out for ice cream after.

[Blue Square Thing]

OK so I thought I would take the kids out on an adventure. 6 & 8 and really up for it. Downloaded the android app and set of for the closest one; a logical pub car park hedge. after 15 mins of watching my children rummaging through piles of dirty rubbish, cans, bottles and other filth I thought `this is ridiculous and so we went to the next one. This was supposedly at the bottom of a pole in a quiet lane. About 30 mins later, all poles checked, and then just about everything that slightly resembled a pole, two very bored & frustrated children (and one adult) returned home. What did we do wrong? Admittedly, the app or phone was absolute pants with the map not giving any accuracy as to where we were in relation to the cache. How do I know if they are still there and not missing? Is there something more I should have done?

 

You probably didn't do anything wrong - other than having the patience to let the kids search in the rubbish; I'd have just left when I saw the location to be honest.

 

If you let us know roughly where you are then someone might be able to suggest some caches that would be nice easy ones to start with.

[deckard123]

Thank you to everyone for their replies. Much appreciated and all very helpful. Some really good advice which I shall definitely follow to the letter! Many thanks again.

[+Team Tryztan]

I know exactly how you feel Deckard, the experience for my wife was similar when she went to her first geocaching tour.

 

Do not be disappointed and try again. I am sure you will love it, when you find your first cache!

 

Good luck!

[+gpsblake]

Good suggestions, and I might add that perhaps finding caches with favorite points would add to a positive geocaching experience. Perhaps sending a message to another cacher in your area could give you a short list of good geocaches.

[+Beach_hut]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience, and I'd echo the excellent suggestions others have made.

 

Whereabouts are you located? I'm guessing UK?

 

As others have stated, getting in touch with local cachers may be a good idea as they can help you out and give you lots of tips. There are lots of local forums and facebook groups, depending on where you are. If you are in the UK, I might be able to recommend some?

[deckard123]

Thank you everyone, this is so encouraging! Yes, I am in the UK, south of england, Haywards heath, burgess hill area. I

I really do feel so much better about this & will try and find some local geocachers. Many thanks.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

Try this. You are in a tough area with lots of puzzles and long trails.

[+Beach_hut]

Thank you everyone, this is so encouraging! Yes, I am in the UK, south of england, Haywards heath, burgess hill area. I

I really do feel so much better about this & will try and find some local geocachers. Many thanks.

 

That's spooky, we cached there last September! Yes they do like their puzzles round there (the ones with blue question mark icons on the map) Those are generally not where the map puts them, and you have to solve a puzzle to find out where they really are.

 

There's an informal group of Sussex cachers that have a monthly get-together in a pub. I don't know if you'll be able to take the kids down but even so it'll be a good chance to meet some friendly faces and get some tips. The next one looks to be in Horsham on the 15th. They're a very friendly and welcoming group.

 

If you're on Facebook, there is a good group to join here, and I believe there's a Sussex Cachers Facebook Group here

[Blue Square Thing]

There seem to be a few "beginners caches" around you - on the list pages these have a green background on them. They might be worth looking at as well - all of at least a non-tiny size and have a low difficulty rating. Although at this time of year the undergrowth does get in the way a bit at times.

[deckard123]

Thank you for all the great advicde and info. I feel very positive about our next outing. Thank you also for the suggested cache on the downs. Great idea. :-)

[+Lonemorf]

We were similiarly disheartened our first time out too - but research on the caches before going out does make for happy children - we had our best run on the hills next to Eastbourne (not a million miles from you, and a fun day out!).

Go look at my log, and you will see the ones we found - rivendell was our first ever find - very satisfying, and set us off on a happy note with plenty more successes that day.

[+Planet]

OK so I thought I would take the kids out on an adventure. 6 & 8 and really up for it. Downloaded the android app and set of for the closest one; a logical pub car park hedge. after 15 mins of watching my children rummaging through piles of dirty rubbish, cans, bottles and other filth I thought `this is ridiculous and so we went to the next one. This was supposedly at the bottom of a pole in a quiet lane. About 30 mins later, all poles checked, and then just about everything that slightly resembled a pole, two very bored & frustrated children (and one adult) returned home. What did we do wrong? Admittedly, the app or phone was absolute pants with the map not giving any accuracy as to where we were in relation to the cache. How do I know if they are still there and not missing? Is there something more I should have done?

 

You should have started in a much nicer place, where kids can be kids and have fun.

I would not have had kids searching an urban dumpy area, when they could have been hiking and having fun out in nature. Look for larger caches, don't start with lame micros in a lamp post. Or a micro in the bushes. Start with a bigger cache (size is usually indicated) and read some of the previous logs, look for caches with favorite points, and then tell them the first trip was just a joke, you didn't mean it, caching is way more fun than that. You described two caches that I wouldn't even have given the time of day. Because they are no fun to me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Some people like them. I don't. Your kids won't. If you end up enjoying the game, you might want to later invest in a hand held GPS. Much more accurate.

[+CominInHot]

Geocaching can be SO frustrating...but is SO FUN when you find that cache

Hopefully you all give it another go...it's worth it!

[Alvarop]

Why don't you look for it before you bring your kids, just to make sure the cache is there? Also, kind of a weird question, but are you sure you activated the GPS mode on your android device?

 

I would go for a regular cache with some stuff in it, that'll get the kids excited and happy about the experience. Also, an experience like the one you had could teach them that famous saying : it's the journey not the arrival that matters.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Alvarop

[+ipodguy]

Did you lift the skirt on the pole you were searching? Bet it was in there!

[Blue Square Thing]

Did you lift the skirt on the pole you were searching? Bet it was in there!

 

We don't have those skirt things in the UK (I think we don't anyway - certainly not in these parts). As a result we rarely seem to get micros on lamp posts.

[+Chief301]

Did you lift the skirt on the pole you were searching? Bet it was in there!

 

I think I recall someone mentioning a while back that lamp post skirts are a rarity in the UK and that most poles don't have them. Unlike in the US where they're everywhere.

[+Chief301]

Actually I seem to recall someone saying it longer ago than the post right before mine.....😜

[Blue Square Thing]

Actually I seem to recall someone saying it longer ago than the post right before mine.....😜

 

<cackle>

[Urban2Suburban]

A lot of good info here.

[+Trucker Lee]

.... and when you find one of those caches that appear to be hidden in a landfill, or a place that resembles one, first recheck to be sure you have the right coords and were at the correct location. Then, don't be afraid to log a DNF with a comment about how you chose not to search the location because......

[+Team Microdot]

Your experience is probably fairly typical of many new cachers in the UK - people tend to start off with the caches closest to home - I know we did when we started out.

 

That usually means that you'll start off looking for urban micro caches which will rarely leave you or your kids with a rosy glow.

 

A previous poster offered a good piece of advice - look for locations you might visit anyway, even if there were no geocaches there - maybe a local park or just a nice walk along a footpath nearby that you've enjoyed in the past and THEN look to see if there are any geocaches there. That way, even if you don't find the cache or there's nothing special about it, you've still had a nice walk

 

Look for caches near to you which have lots of Favourite Points awarded - usually this will be a good indicator that a reasonably representative cross-section of the caching community have enjoyed those caches.

 

Reading the logs of previous finders is also a good way to identify the sort of caches you're more likely to enjoy - better caches tend to get better logs which tell a bit of the story of how and why the finders enjoyed them.

 

If you find a cache you like by a particular hider, try looking for other caches by that same hider - you might find them all to your liking. You might not of course - hiders frequently try their hand at all sorts of caches and all sorts of hides but who owns the caches you like can be a useful indicator for future finds.

 

Do make sure if you're caching with a smartphone that GPS is actually enabled - phones will still give location information when GPS is turned off, but this is based on cell triangulation and considerably less accurate.

 

You might also paste the cache coordinates into Google Earth before setting out for the find - to get an idea of where the cache is hidden just in case your phone throws a wobbler while out in the field

 

All sorts of people hide all sorts of caches in all sorts of places - some of them will disappoint - some of them will delight - and with a bit of effort and common sense you'll probably find that you can pick out the ones that are likely to suit you in no time at all