Best way to deal with mystery caches?

[+nedyken]

My wife and I have basically avoided mystery caches. Recently, we noticed a large group of 50 of them listed around some local hiking trails.

 

Here's how the large group of mystery caches appears on the iOS geocaching app with the first one in the series selected:

 

 

Obviously, as you solve the puzzles, the actual coordinates of the geocache location greatly differs from where the mystery is placed. For instance, we solved the first one and you can see the final coordinates are pretty far north of where the puzzle is placed.

 

 

I do like that the iOS app gives you the ability to plug in the correct coordinates and start a route towards them, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any way to just pull up the map with the solved locations appearing by default. This is a problem, because on hiking trails, it's difficult to know exactly which trails I need to take to get to the geocache.

 

I'm able to see hiking trails on my Garmin Oregon 450 and have some experience loading pocket queries on it with traditional caches. For instance, here's how the that same system of trails appears on my Garmin:

 

 

I'm just wondering... what's the best way to load the solved coordinates of several mystery caches on the Garmin?

 

Ideally, I want to be able to look at a map of trails on my garmin and instantly see the locations of all the solved coordinates of all 50 mystery caches. I'm just not sure the most efficient way to do that.

 

I hope my question makes sense. Any help would be appreciated.

[+on4bam]

I'm just wondering... what's the best way to load the solved coordinates of several mystery caches on the Garmin?

 

1. Solve mysteries.

2. Enter corrected coordinates on the cache listing.

3. add cache to bookmarklist

4. make bookmarklist a pocket query

5. run PQ

6. load PQ onto your GPS

7. Go find them

8. log them online

[+koselig]

Between steps 5 and 6 I often click the map this link and will print out the mapped set f caches to identify my route before leaving home.

[+nedyken]

I'm just wondering... what's the best way to load the solved coordinates of several mystery caches on the Garmin?

 

1. Solve mysteries.

2. Enter corrected coordinates on the cache listing.

3. add cache to bookmarklist

4. make bookmarklist a pocket query

5. run PQ

6. load PQ onto your GPS

7. Go find them

8. log them online

Thank you on4bam. I played around a little with this. I figured out one step you didn't list. I realized that if on the main geocache page I search all caches with the filter "Has Corrected Coordinates", it will very quickly show me only mystery caches we've solved. Then I can add them to a list and do a pocket query as you said. I appreciate the help. Thanks!

[+on4bam]

For myself the list is shorter:

 

1. Solve mysteries.

2. Enter corrected coordinates on the cache listing in GSAK.

3. add cache to bookmarklist

4. make bookmarklist a pocket query

5. run PQ

6. load PQ caches onto GPS with GarminExport macro with GSAK so solved caches have a special icon on the GPSmap.

7. Go find them

8. log them online

[+noncentric]

That is a great series of puzzles. I've solved all 50, but haven't yet gotten out on the trails to find the finals. Hopefully this summer.

 

Regarding your original question. The first thing you'll want to do is enter the corrected coordinates on the cache page. You'll then see the solved locations when the cache is downloaded in a PQ.

 

You'll also be able to see the final locations via the website:

 

Play -> Find a Geocache -> Enter city -> Search -> Map These Results -- Mystery question marks appear at the 'corrected' coords.

 

Play -> View Geocache Map -- Mystery question marks appear at the original 'listed' coords. For this series, the icons represent a Tardis.

[+noncentric]

Additionally, just thought I'd mention what I do to manage mystery caches in general.

 

I have a bookmark list for solved mystery caches. I add mystery caches that have corrected coords, are completed challenges, or if the mystery cache functions as a field puzzle. I then have a PQ for this bookmark list.

 

All of my other PQ's exclude the Mystery cache type.

 

When I look at caches on my GPSr, then I know that caches (or the start of multis) can be found at the icons shown on my GPSr. I don't have to wonder whether the question marks on my GPSr are 'solved' or 'unsolved' ones.

[+SageTracey]

PS You need to charge your phone. It's almost flat.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

For myself the list is shorter:

 

1. Solve mysteries.

2. Enter corrected coordinates on the cache listing in GSAK.

3. add cache to bookmarklist

4. make bookmarklist a pocket query

5. run PQ

6. load PQ caches onto GPS with GarminExport macro with GSAK so solved caches have a special icon on the GPSmap.

7. Go find them

8. log them online

 

Running GSAK is not quite so simple if someone doesn't have a PC (and even requires access to a PC to get it running)

 

Here is one of the "easiest" methods if you have a Mac.

 

1. Download Wine Bottler (an application convert the Windows systems calls in a Windows application to OSX system calls.

2. Open the DMG-file and drag both Wine and WineBottler to your Application-folder

3. Download GSAK

3a. If you don't to see nag screens every time it runs, pay $29.954. Start WineBottler

5. Click on Advanced

6. Click on select File... and browse and choose the GSAK installer that you've downloaded.

7. Check the box 'Bundle' (Include Wine binaries, so the app can run without prior install of Wine.Under 'Identifier' you can type "GSAK8"

8. Click on 'Install' and follow the GSAK install instructions

[Note: This is where you have to find a computer running Windows computer just to set up GSAK Authentication]

9. Install GSAK on a computer running Windows (it works fine if you are running Windows under Parallels on your Mac).

10. When GSAK is installed and running:Click on 'Geocaching.com access->Get another access token'Enter your username and pasword, don't forget to check the 'Keep me signed in'-checkbox.

 

11. Click 'Sign In' and then 'Allow access'

12. Click on File->BackupClick on 'Select all Databases' and check the box 'Save GSAK Settings'.

13. Choose your USB memory as the location to save the backup file and then click 'Backup'<br style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: "Century Gothic", Arial; line-height: 18px;">

14. Insert your USB memory in your Mac and start GSAK.

15. Click on File -> RestoreChoose your backuped file on your USB memory (you probably need to browse to: Z:\Volumes\<your USB drive>).

16. Click on 'Select all Databases'

17. Check 'Restore all GSAK Settings'

18. Check 'Remove absolute paths for called macros (recommended)'

19. Click on 'Restore' and then click 'Yes' and after a little while click 'OK'.

20. If every thing went right your GSAK on OS X now should be authenticated with geocaching.com

21. Solve mysteries.

22. Enter corrected coordinates in GSAK.

23. load caches onto GPS with GarminExport macro with GSAK so solved caches have a special icon on the GPSmap.

24. Go find them

 

Note that this is probably the easiest, least intrusive way to run a GSAK on a Mac.

[+on4bam]

For myself the list is shorter:

 

Running GSAK is not quite so simple if someone doesn't have a PC (and even requires access to a PC to get it running)

 

 

That's why I wrote "for myself the list is shorter".

I didn't say the TS should use GSAK anywhere. For what it's worth the TS may not even use a Mac but Linux so your list would be irrelevant too.

#2 works for the app the TS is using.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

For myself the list is shorter:

 

Running GSAK is not quite so simple if someone doesn't have a PC (and even requires access to a PC to get it running)

 

 

That's why I wrote "for myself the list is shorter".

I didn't say the TS should use GSAK anywhere. For what it's worth the TS may not even use a Mac but Linux so your list would be irrelevant too.

#2 works for the app the TS is using.

 

You, as others have done, implied that one can just use GSAK to do this (and other things) but neglect to mention that GSAK is a Windows application and there are quite a few hoops to jump through for anyone not running Windows.

 

Actually, my list for a Linux system is essentially identical except that the Linux version of Wine needs to be installed instead of a package MacOS dmg file. Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on either a Mac or Linux OS (it is not a Windows Emulator).

 

Yes, GSAK is a great application, but I wish that when people recommend it (even when not explicitly), that it was done without the assumption that everyone reading (not just the OP) is 1) running windows, and 2) is willing to spend the money for the non nagware version.

Edited June 22, 2016 by NYPaddleCacher