Jump to content

Hi - Just starting out!


digitalgaia

Recommended Posts

I'm in Summerville SC - I'm an active senior citizen love gardening and reading.

 

I tried to find my first geocache that was really close to me .. it is in a wooded area with RUSTY barbed wire all over the place. The difficulty and terrain was rated at 1.5. I was within 1 foot of it and couldn't find it as I kept running into barbed wire. I had to quit when barbed wire tore my jeans and scratched my leg pretty badly.

 

If this is indicative of an easy geocache was rated correctly at 1.5 for difficulty and terrain, I guess I'll have to quit.

Edited by digitalgaia
Link to comment
2 hours ago, digitalgaia said:

I'm in Summerville SC - I'm an active senior citizen love gardening and reading.

 

I tried to find my first geocache that was really close to me .. it is in a wooded area with RUSTY barbed wire all over the place. The difficulty and terrain was rated at 1.5. I was within 1 foot of it and couldn't find it as I kept running into barbed wire. I had to quit when barbed wire tore my jeans and scratched my leg pretty badly.

 

If this is indicative of an easy geocache was rated correctly at 1.5 for difficulty and terrain, I guess I'll have to quit.

Was it a traditional cache? Is there a hint on the cache page?

Link to comment

My phone was indicating direction and distance. The thing is, I'm thinking that the fact the whole area I was in appeared to have barbed wire that did not follow any logical placement that it's probably not a good place for a geocache to be. If I had known there was barbed wire I wouldn't have gone in there.  I'll try another one tomorrow.

 

Perhaps it might be a good idea to indicate potential obstacles in the descriptions.

  • Helpful 1
Link to comment
46 minutes ago, digitalgaia said:

My phone was indicating direction and distance.

 

It's unlikely that you'll find a Geocache at the "0 foot" point.  Look in the App "Help Center" and watch the "Guide to finding a geocache" video, which shows some of the basics.  It's a short video, and if you still have questions, just ask!

 

 

Edited by kunarion
Link to comment
32 minutes ago, digitalgaia said:

My phone was indicating direction and distance. The thing is, I'm thinking that the fact the whole area I was in appeared to have barbed wire that did not follow any logical placement that it's probably not a good place for a geocache to be. If I had known there was barbed wire I wouldn't have gone in there.  I'll try another one tomorrow.

Perhaps it might be a good idea to indicate potential obstacles in the descriptions.

 

How many others mention barbed wire in logs ?   Mentioned in the description ?   :) 

Fortunately this site doesn't have an issue with safety and caches.  Some are on mountain tops, caves ...many requiring rope.

 - I wouldn't expect there to be any issue with a cache rated 1.5 in terrain...

Could it possibly be that your "direction" was simply on the "other side" of where you were supposed to be ?

 - For example, we had a cache that had parking coordinates for it, yet many talked about the extreme mountain drop they needed to access  the cache.

 - It was off a some-rocky, mostly flat trail from parking, following a stream.   Not sure why they'd go that way...

Link to comment

I didn't see anything that indicated barbed wire in any descriptions. I'm just thinking that a 'difficulty level of 1.5 for terrain and difficulty probably a bit on the low side as I was unable to see any other way of approaching that did not involve barbed wire.

 

As said, this is my first and it wasn't a stellar experience - that said, I will try again tomorrow at another site.

 

Thanks to all for responding.

Link to comment

That's one that I had looked at. Man, those photos in the gallery make it seem like a very easy cache. People are standing next to a road! The container is a nice size. Check out the gallery and see if any of those photos might give you a better idea of where the cache is.

Three months ago someone mentioned that you don't need to go past the barbed wire. So it sounds like you're very close!

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
17 hours ago, digitalgaia said:

I didn't see anything that indicated barbed wire in any descriptions. I'm just thinking that a 'difficulty level of 1.5 for terrain and difficulty probably a bit on the low side as I was unable to see any other way of approaching that did not involve barbed wire.

 

That's what you may type in your DNF log. :cute:

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment

Hi,

 

I tried two more, the park n go and timrod library. The park n go was another wooded area. I got withing 5 feet of it according to my gps and had to go around some dead fall to get to where it appeared it should be .. when I got there, the phone said 45 feet in the opposite direction. I waited to see if the gps would update and it didn't.

 

Next

 

So I tried the timrod library next and got within 7 feet according to my gps, walked around some plants to where I was and the gps said 13 feet in the opposite direction.

 

I have come to the conclusion that geocaching is not the life for me. I apparently suck at it!

 

 

Link to comment
15 minutes ago, digitalgaia said:

Hi,

 

I tried two more, the park n go and timrod library. The park n go was another wooded area. I got withing 5 feet of it according to my gps and had to go around some dead fall to get to where it appeared it should be .. when I got there, the phone said 45 feet in the opposite direction. I waited to see if the gps would update and it didn't.

 

Next

 

So I tried the timrod library next and got within 7 feet according to my gps, walked around some plants to where I was and the gps said 13 feet in the opposite direction.

 

I have come to the conclusion that geocaching is not the life for me. I apparently suck at it!

 

 

 

It still seems like you're trying to find a cache at zero feet, instead of putting the GPS away and looking, based on Geocacing tips, and information on the cache page.  Have you watched the beginner's videos, and/or read about how to find a cache?  You'll get it, although you'll begin to avoid some caches.  You may be more selective, and that's fine. :cute: 

 

Start with big caches ("Regular", maybe.  The local "Small" caches seem more like Micro, which can especially tricky).  Read the logs.  The first cache you hunted had several logs warning not to go out into the barb wire.  Find a big container first, and you get a better feel for what the phone is telling you.  It's not a precision instrument.  It's almost more of a... phone. :)

 

 

Edited by kunarion
Link to comment

Yes I watched the video when I first signed up and watched it again this morning.

 

Bummed out a bit as this really seemed like it was something I could do and have fun doing it. I'm far from being stupid and have no problems slogging through the woods or getting dirty and sweaty. I guess I was somewhere out when geocaching genes and brain cells were being handed out.

 

 

Link to comment
47 minutes ago, digitalgaia said:

Yes I watched the video when I first signed up and watched it again this morning.

 

Bummed out a bit as this really seemed like it was something I could do and have fun doing it. I'm far from being stupid and have no problems slogging through the woods or getting dirty and sweaty. I guess I was somewhere out when geocaching genes and brain cells were being handed out.

 

 

 

Sometimes the closest convenient caches are not the best to start with.  I tend to just skip a little pill bottle wrapped in tape.  B)

 

Go to a nice park and hunt interesting-sounding caches along trails.  Pick caches that have some Favorites.  You're already starting with low D/T, so that's good.  Start with "Regular", "Large" or "Small" (but look at the log pictures, maybe you'll see if it's actually more of a Micro which may require more searching).

 

I hunted an ammo can for my first cache.  Good thing I did, because it took me over an hour to figure out how the GPS works for finding a cache, which screens to use when, and where I might look.  I'm so bad at Geocaching, if I'm with a group, they all point out how terrible I am.  But they're very sympathetic when they tell me. :yikes:

 

Edited by kunarion
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
33 minutes ago, digitalgaia said:

Hi,

 

I tried two more, the park n go and timrod library. The park n go was another wooded area. I got withing 5 feet of it according to my gps and had to go around some dead fall to get to where it appeared it should be .. when I got there, the phone said 45 feet in the opposite direction. I waited to see if the gps would update and it didn't.

 

Next

 

So I tried the timrod library next and got within 7 feet according to my gps, walked around some plants to where I was and the gps said 13 feet in the opposite direction.

 

I have come to the conclusion that geocaching is not the life for me. I apparently suck at it!

 

 

We all started out clueless.

I promise that once you find your first cache, things will make more sense.

 

31 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

It still seems like you're trying to find a cache at zero feet, instead of putting the GPS away and looking, based on Geocacing tips, and information on the cache page

I agree. My husband is a numbers guy. He'll walk around for 20 minutes trying to get down to 2 feet whereas I'll start looking at 15 feet. While he's staring at the screen I'll be signing the cache log. Get close, use the hint, and start looking.

  • Helpful 1
Link to comment
40 minutes ago, digitalgaia said:

when I got there, the phone said 45 feet in the opposite direction

 

This happens me too when I try to find a cache using a phone GPS.  Your phone displays also a map. You are supposed to look at the map while searching the cache because the phone GPS is not as accurate as separate GPS receivers are.

Link to comment
5 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

My husband is a numbers guy. He'll walk around for 20 minutes trying to get down to 2 feet whereas I'll start looking at 15 feet. While he's staring at the screen I'll be signing the cache log. Get close, use the hint, and start looking.

 

+1

 

GPS jumps around, it's the nature of the beast.  But if I wander around enough, I begin to notice that the compass is most often pointing at one particular tree.  It may not be actually in that tree, but unless the logs mention that the coords are off, I can bet that the cache is within about ten feet of that tree.  It's a good start for even the trickiest caches.

Link to comment
Just now, arisoft said:

 

This happens me too when I try to find a cache using a phone GPS.  Your phone displays also a map. You are supposed to look at the map while searching the cache because the phone GPS is not as accurate as separate GPS receivers are.

Yes! When our app starts going wacky with numbers I switch to the map.

Link to comment

A common recommendation for beginners is to stick with small small.gif size, regular regular.gif size, and large large.gif size caches. Until you're more experienced, avoid micro micro.gif 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 stars2.gif. 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 2.gif caches, which will be at the published coordinates. Multi-caches 3.gif or mystery/puzzle caches 8.gif 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, and check out some geocaching videos on YouTube.
 

  • Helpful 2
  • Love 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...