10 mistakes to avoid while geocaching

[Ageleni]

On 2/26/2019 at 7:44 PM, barefootjeff said:

I couldn't let this slip by without comment, could I? From my 971 finds to date, I've only put something on my feet twice and both those involved oyster shells. The rest of my finds, DNFs and hides were all done barefoot. Anyway, what's wrong with a bit of mud? And in bare feet I'm much more sure-footed when navigating steep and slippery.

 

 

I think a better rule would be to make sure your feet are comfortable and sturdy, regardless of what is (or is not) on them.  For some, that is sturdy shoes.  For me, it's flip flops!  I hold my footing MUCH better in flip flops than in bulkier shoes.  People are built differently and have different walking experiences, so one person's $600 hiking boots might be another person's stumbles.

[Ageleni]

On 4/30/2019 at 10:17 AM, RocTheCacheBox said:

11  - DO NOT replace a cache you think is missing without first notifying the CO and getting permission.

 

This one should be in the top three.  Throwdowns are my pet peeve!

 

[+colleda]

10 hours ago, Ageleni said:

 

I think a better rule would be to make sure your feet are comfortable and sturdy, regardless of what is (or is not) on them.  For some, that is sturdy shoes.  For me, it's flip flops!  I hold my footing MUCH better in flip flops than in bulkier shoes.  People are built differently and have different walking experiences, so one person's $600 hiking boots might be another person's stumbles.

I have done quite a few tours of middle eastern archeological/historical sites and my footwear of choice is sandals, never a problem. I wonder what the locals were wearing 3,000 years ago?

[+barefootjeff]

12 hours ago, Ageleni said:

 

I think a better rule would be to make sure your feet are comfortable and sturdy, regardless of what is (or is not) on them.  For some, that is sturdy shoes.  For me, it's flip flops!  I hold my footing MUCH better in flip flops than in bulkier shoes.  People are built differently and have different walking experiences, so one person's $600 hiking boots might be another person's stumbles.

 

I have an impaired sense of balance due to Meniere's disease so I think being able to directly feel the ground through my soles helps compensate for that, but ever since I was a little kid I've always preferred to walk barefoot everywhere. I feel awkward and clumsy if I have to put any footwear on.

[The 2 Dogs]

On 2/27/2019 at 10:46 AM, niraD said:

There's a new blog post: 10 mistakes to avoid while geocaching. The short version is:

1. Forgetting to bring a pen
2. Not reading the cache description
3. Not checking the latest activity
4. Not using your geo-senses
5. Forgetting to make a List
6. Not CITO-ing
7. Not being safe
8. Not staying aware of your surroundings
9. Not wearing the right shoes
10. Letting mistakes ruin your geocaching outing 

 

So, what's missing from this list? I'll suggest: 4b. Relying too much on your geo-senses.

 

Some of my longest searches have been for caches that were near one or more "obvious locations", but the cache wasn't hidden in one of those "obvious locations". After spending far too much time examining those "obvious locations" in minute detail, I finally took a step back and spotted the cache, which was hidden nearby in a different manner from what I was expecting.

All rules broken by me lol

 

[+VAVAPAM]

On 2/27/2019 at 7:33 PM, K13 said:

On 2/27/2019 at 6:42 PM, The A-Team said:

I started typing a reply similar to this yesterday and then got sidetracked. It does seem like the importance of the description is minimized in an increasing number of places. If anything, things like the official app should be encouraging REQUIRING users to at least open the description. It might not be a bad idea to have new ALL users be forced to open the description for the first X all the caches they seek, in order to reinforce how important some of the information in the description can be.

 

On 2/28/2019 at 2:56 PM, EggsTheBest said:

Another thing I can add, is checking the attributes

 

From a recent log on one of my caches.

Quote

After looking for a few minutes for what I guessed was a micro I decided to do what I should have done first, read the description and size. After that I was sure I knew where the cache had to be, but it just looked so undisturbed. Sure enough, that was where the cache was hiding.