Here comes a new challenger!

[Koganite]

Hey everyone! My name's K and I'm a newbie geocacher based in beautiful Austin, Texas.

 

I discovered geocaching recently, and after seeing the plethora of caches hidden all over my fair city, I had to get involved. My goal here is to exploit my tendency for obsessive treasure-hunting in video games in a manner that gets me outside (100% treasure find in Sid Meiers Pirates AND Assassin's Creed 4, anyone?). Apart from giving me an excuse to get outdoors more frequently, I also love how GC-ing forces me to explore new places and learn more about the history of my area!

 

I also confess I'm off to a rough start. After finding 3 in a row, I've been on a losing streak for 2 weeks with few finds out of many, many attempts. At first I thought it was just my not-always-reliable GPS on my phone or maybe the c:geo app I've been using, but now I've got a proper Garmin ETrex M from a friend and I'm STILL not having any luck! I wonder if it's because I'm somehow going about this the wrong way? Here's the skinny:

 

• 
   
  
• I've had the worst luck closer to downtown where I work. Could the city be throwing off the coordinates on my GPS or my phone? The best accuracy I've gotten was 15 feet, and even that was very slow to respond to where I was standing.
  
• I don't think I'm a suspicious looking person, but I felt conspicuous as all getout when I've been looking for caches in residential areas. I imagine this hobby often involves conversations with police and security.
  
• Is there any kind of cache conventions for parks or public areas that I'm missing? Scouring through urban areas during daytime makes me feel like some kind of cut-rate cat burglar (see above.)
  
• I'm really fascinated by the "letterbox" idea, because it's like getting achievements I can physically track and that unfortunately motivates me because video games. However, it seems there's very few in the Austin area. Any reason for that?
  
• The one that REALLY has me hooked is Santa Anna's Gold. Brings back memories of Carmen Sandiego! Can anyone recommend other good puzzle caches that have a historic or treasure-hunting theme to them?
  
• Nothing else to add. I just like bullet-points.
  

Now I know that's a lot of jibba-jabba for a newbie, but I'm really enjoying this whole idea thusfar and would love to continue now that the sun has come back out. Thank you in advance for any pointers!

[+Semper Questio]

Hey everyone! My name's K and I'm a newbie geocacher based in beautiful Austin, Texas.

 

I discovered geocaching recently, and after seeing the plethora of caches hidden all over my fair city, I had to get involved. My goal here is to exploit my tendency for obsessive treasure-hunting in video games in a manner that gets me outside (100% treasure find in Sid Meiers Pirates AND Assassin's Creed 4, anyone?). Apart from giving me an excuse to get outdoors more frequently, I also love how GC-ing forces me to explore new places and learn more about the history of my area!

 

I also confess I'm off to a rough start. After finding 3 in a row, I've been on a losing streak for 2 weeks with few finds out of many, many attempts. At first I thought it was just my not-always-reliable GPS on my phone or maybe the c:geo app I've been using, but now I've got a proper Garmin ETrex M from a friend and I'm STILL not having any luck! I wonder if it's because I'm somehow going about this the wrong way? Here's the skinny:

 

• 
   
  
• I've had the worst luck closer to downtown where I work. Could the city be throwing off the coordinates on my GPS or my phone? The best accuracy I've gotten was 15 feet, and even that was very slow to respond to where I was standing.
  
• I don't think I'm a suspicious looking person, but I felt conspicuous as all getout when I've been looking for caches in residential areas. I imagine this hobby often involves conversations with police and security.
  
• Is there any kind of cache conventions for parks or public areas that I'm missing? Scouring through urban areas during daytime makes me feel like some kind of cut-rate cat burglar (see above.)
  
• I'm really fascinated by the "letterbox" idea, because it's like getting achievements I can physically track and that unfortunately motivates me because video games. However, it seems there's very few in the Austin area. Any reason for that?
  
• The one that REALLY has me hooked is Santa Anna's Gold. Brings back memories of Carmen Sandiego! Can anyone recommend other good puzzle caches that have a historic or treasure-hunting theme to them?
  
• Nothing else to add. I just like bullet-points.
  

Now I know that's a lot of jibba-jabba for a newbie, but I'm really enjoying this whole idea thusfar and would love to continue now that the sun has come back out. Thank you in advance for any pointers!

 

Welcome to geocaching. I'm one of the Austin area old-timers. I can't address all of your questions at the moment, but to get to the locals, you need to check out our Yahoo Group. Also be sure to check out events in the area and you will definitely want to checkout the Texas Challenge coming up in Bastrop in a VERY few weeks. Don't be shy about the group or the events. We have a very welcoming bunch of folks around here and I'm sure you will even find just the right person to go caching with to show you the ropes.

Edited February 12, 2014 by Semper Questio

[+niraD]

I also confess I'm off to a rough start. After finding 3 in a row, I've been on a losing streak for 2 weeks with few finds out of many, many attempts.

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.

 

• I don't think I'm a suspicious looking person, but I felt conspicuous as all getout when I've been looking for caches in residential areas. I imagine this hobby often involves conversations with police and security.

I've found more than a thousand geocaches, many of them in urban/suburban locations. I've had only a few conversations with police, security, rangers, etc., and most of them have been of the "Is everything okay?" variety. I explain that I'm geocaching, explain what geocaching is if they aren't already familiar with it ("A kind of scavenger hunt using GPS"), and that's that. But there's a Law Enforcement Encounters thread if you're interested in others' experiences.

 

• Is there any kind of cache conventions for parks or public areas that I'm missing? Scouring through urban areas during daytime makes me feel like some kind of cut-rate cat burglar (see above.)

Some of the park systems and open space districts around here have a formal geocaching policy. Generally, they don't require permits or explicit permission, as long as the geocache meets certain rules (which can be more strict in some ways that Groundspeak's guidelines). Is that the kind of thing you're interested in?

[+terrkan78]

Welcome to the obsession! I'm impressed by the 100% treasure find in the video games! (I haven't played those particular games, but I love finding hidden stuff in video games.)

 

I find urban hides to be particularly challenging. Often times to find a cache, I end up having to get down on my knees, touch absolutely every square inch of everything around, feel every branch of the tree, wander around in a circle, repeatedly, and I find this really awkward when there's an audience. If I have some privacy (like trees/bushes between me and the potential audience), then I have a much better success rate. If I'm just looking with my eyes, I frequently don't find it.

 

Enjoy discovering your home town in a totally new and different light!

[+suchanana]

I find urban hides to be particularly challenging. Often times to find a cache, I end up having to get down on my knees, touch absolutely every square inch of everything around, feel every branch of the tree, wander around in a circle, repeatedly, and I find this really awkward when there's an audience. If I have some privacy (like trees/bushes between me and the potential audience), then I have a much better success rate. If I'm just looking with my eyes, I frequently don't find it.

 

ditto on these sentiments - thought there might be others like us in geocaching...

 

Welcome Koganite to our ever expanding geo-family...have FUN...

[+Jayman11]

Welcome to the community K!

[+Semper Questio]

[*]I've had the worst luck closer to downtown where I work. Could the city be throwing off the coordinates on my GPS or my phone? The best accuracy I've gotten was 15 feet, and even that was very slow to respond to where I was standing.

 

Getting next to tall buildings can cause you some problems. Many of the caches downtown are pretty tricky for a newcomer and there are a bunch of puzzles around there. As others have suggested, cut your teeth on small or regular caches of easier difficulty levels for a bit yet to develop you "geosense" a bit more, then go after micros outside of the downtown area and then move into the more difficult ones. If you get stuck, ping me via my profile. If I've not gotten the cache you are looking for, I probably know someone who has.

 

[*]I don't think I'm a suspicious looking person, but I felt conspicuous as all getout when I've been looking for caches in residential areas. I imagine this hobby often involves conversations with police and security.

 

I don't do residential caches. I don't mind looking a bit sketchy in parks and such, but around peoples' homes is a different matter. But if you get stopped by ANYONE just be honest about what you are doing. If someone asks you to leave, then just leave. A smiley is not worth arguing over and with some folks around here, an argument can escalate REAL fast.

 

[*]Is there any kind of cache conventions for parks or public areas that I'm missing? Scouring through urban areas during daytime makes me feel like some kind of cut-rate cat burglar (see above.)

 

First, just remember that what you are doing is, unless you are trespassing, not illegal. It may look weird, but in Austin that is pretty normal and most folks will only look your way then go about their own business. Just be sure to observe posted hours for parks, don't jump fences, etc.

 

[*]I'm really fascinated by the "letterbox" idea, because it's like getting achievements I can physically track and that unfortunately motivates me because video games. However, it seems there's very few in the Austin area. Any reason for that?

 

There are a few around here, but they have not really caught on here that much. There are several in College Station.

 

[*]The one that REALLY has me hooked is Santa Anna's Gold. Brings back memories of Carmen Sandiego! Can anyone recommend other good puzzle caches that have a historic or treasure-hunting theme to them?

 

I've not done that series but I know several who have and they really enjoyed them. Just not my cup of tea. I do this for fun and relaxation. When it feels like work, I loose interest and that kind of cache is far too much work for me.

 

There are LOTS of puzzles around here, and I mean LOTS as in LOTS. I mean, LOTS. I'm sure you can find something you like. There are a lot that make use of various layered ciphers. For history we have a bunch of really great virtuals and there are many caches around like my "Drake Bridge", "Last Gig at the Skyline", and "Singing Fisherman" caches that are placed to highlight tidbits of history. You just have to look for them.

 

So again, welcome to the game and feel free to drop me a line if you wanna chat, ask any questions, or need some help. And I must reiterate, check out the Yahoo Group and events that I mentioned before. We have a large and friendly cacher community and you'll feel welcome very quickly.

[+briansnat]

I've had the worst luck closer to downtown where I work. Could the city be throwing off the coordinates on my GPS or my phone? The best accuracy I've gotten was 15 feet, and even that was very slow to respond to where I was standing.

 

Yes tall buildings can have a negative affect on a GPS. It is officially called "Multipathing Errors" but more commonly known as signal bounce. Newer units are less susceptible to this, but it still happens. BTW 15 feet EPE is actually pretty good.

 

I don't think I'm a suspicious looking person, but I felt conspicuous as all getout when I've been looking for caches in residential areas. I imagine this hobby often involves conversations with police and security.

 

It's hard for me to address this one. If I feel uncomfortable I move on. Not every caches needs to be found. In 12 years of geocaching my conversations with police and security related to geocaching? Zero

 

Is there any kind of cache conventions for parks or public areas that I'm missing? Scouring through urban areas during daytime makes me feel like some kind of cut-rate cat burglar (see above.)

 

Some people enjoy the cat burglar thing, I don't (see above).

 

I'm really fascinated by the "letterbox" idea, because it's like getting achievements I can physically track and that unfortunately motivates me because video games. However, it seems there's very few in the Austin area. Any reason for that?

 

If you mean letterbox hybrids, they are caches that are meant to be both geocaches and letterboxes. You will probably find few for the same reason you encounter few puzzles, multis and challenging caches. In many areas cache hiders cater to the folk who are only concerned about the number of finds they have, rather than the quality.

 

The one that REALLY has me hooked is Santa Anna's Gold. Brings back memories of Carmen Sandiego! Can anyone recommend other good puzzle caches that have a historic or treasure-hunting theme to them?

 

I can think of a few but none are in your area.

.

Edited February 14, 2014 by briansnat

[+mom2sage]

Just as an FYI, since you mentioned "letterboxes", the ones listed here are "letterbox hybrids", which are a type of geocache. There is a separate, similar game, called letterboxing where you follow clues to find the treasure (which is a stamp, usually hand-carved). You do not use a GPS, but might use a compass. You can google it to find the two main websites that host the clues. There are some of us that enjoy both hobbies.

[+TheHarleyRebel]

Welcome, have fun!