Newbie Needs

[CougarAggie]

Went looking for a cache...with a 310 typed in the coordinates and followed the arrows and could not find it.....is this a wrong technique? Are there other tech I should use in addition?

 

please show me the way.....I found 1 cache and my 7 year old is driving me crazy to keep going?

[Keystone]

Moving this topic to the "Getting Started" forum, where lots of geocachers jump at the opportunity to help newbies with questions like this one. Please give him some encouragement!

[+Team Perks]

Went looking for a cache...with a 310 typed in the coordinates and followed the arrows and could not find it.....is this a wrong technique?  Are there other tech I should use in addition?

 

please show me the way.....I found 1 cache and my 7 year old is driving me crazy to keep going?

Welcome!

 

It is true that in its basic sense, geocaching is using your GPSr to locate the coordinates where something is hidden. However, finding a cache is not always a matter of simply going out there and finding the cache as soon as you get to zero.

 

First, it's important to bear in mind that your GPSr is not necessarily a precision instrument--and neither is the one the cacher who placed the cache uses. Depending on factors such as tree cover, time of day, etc., your signal accuracy may differ. Garmin and Magellan have been known to consistently vary by 20-30 feet...and our own two Garmins (one WAAS-enabled, one not) frequently give us contradictory readings as well. Once we're within 30 feet of the area or so, we usually abandon the GPSr and just scope out the likely hiding places for whatever we're looking for.

 

Second, consider that there are a nearly infinite number of possible ways to camouflage a cache. The time it takes you to find it may depend on the size of the cache and its proximity to people (and consequently its likelihood of being stolen).

 

Of course, it's also important to make sure you have entered the coordinates correctly. We download the waypoints directly from GC.com to avoid having that problem, but we've been known to turn things backwards when entering the coordinates manually.

 

You've found one before, so you've obviously had some success. Keep at it, and with practice you'll figure out the best method for yourself.

[+briansnat]

To add to Team PP's post, choose easy caches to start. 1-2 difficulty. Once you've found a few, then go for the tougher ones. Also, try to figure out the size of the container you're looking for. If the page says "micro" you could be looking for a needle in the haystack. larger caches like ammo boxes are usually easier to find.

 

Also, as Team PP said, the GPS is not going to bring you right there. Once you get within 30-40 feet start looking for it. Look for something out of place, perhaps an unnatural looking pile of sticks, or rocks, or a a hollow tree stump, or a crevice among the rocks.

 

If you are still having dificulty, start walking with your GPS. When the arrow tells you the cache is a at a right angle to your direction, turn towarda it. By walking a large circle around the cache with your GPS pointing at the center you'll have a good idea as to where it is.

Edited April 27, 2004 by briansnat

[+the hermit crabs]

I'm still a newbie too -- only 7 seven finds so far. Today is the one-month annversary of our first find. I'm sure lots of experienced cachers will give you some excellent advice, but I thought you might appreciate hearing from someone who is just about as new at this as you are, since I have some learning-by-mistakes so fresh in my head.

 

Here are some things I've learned so far:

 

(1) When you're just starting out, read the cache page (a couple of times) and all of the logs. Read the hints, if there are any. Look at pictures people have posted for the cache. All of this information can be very helpful, and I wouldn't consider it "cheating" at this point -- it's just training wheels. Once we get good at it, we'll rely on this information less and less.

 

(2) For the first few, pick a cache where a lot of the logs say "easy find" or "found it in a couple of minutes". Don't start off with one with a lot of did-not-finds or "got it on the fourth attempt!" log entries. Save those for a later challenge.

 

(3) Use your GPSr to get you within the general vicinity of the cache, but don't expect it to land you right on top of it. Don't worry too much if it seems to be taking you in the wrong direction -- trails can loop around.

 

For instance, for one cache that we were hunting, the instructions said that it was about 50 feet off the trail. As we walked down the trail, the arrow pointed in the general direction of the cache. The closest we got to it was about 500 feet, and then the trail started taking us away from it. After a while we were almost a quarter of a mile from it, so we backtracked to the closest point, and started heading through the woods. That turned out to be a mistake: finally we went back to the trail and found that it eventually looped around, bringing us to a point where it really was only 50 feet from the cache.

 

(4) When you get fairly close (like within 30 feet or so), put the GPSr away and just use your eyes. Think to yourself, "Where would _I_ hide it?"

 

(5) Don't just look down! Most caches we've found have been at ground level, but a couple have been several feet off the ground (in rock walls), and one was over my head (up in a tree). (Never would have found that one if we hadn't read the hint!)

 

(6) If you've looked everywhere and can't find it... look again. More than once we've looked right past the cache, and only saw it on a second pass.

 

(7) When all else fails, don't be afraid to ask for help. We were a bit stumped on a recent multi-cache, and finally emailed the cache owner, and he was very nice and helpful and steered us in the right direction.

 

Good luck!

[+Smitherington]

I well reember needing help to find my first cache. I had tried three or four with no luck. I went after one on vacation and came up dry again. I emailed a guy who had found it recently and asked for help. He suggested I go try one that was easy. He said 'Look under the tree". It happened to be the only tree where the numbers took me. Talked about geeked! So then I went back to the other one and sure enough, after looking some more, there it was. It was at that point that I was able to trust the numbers and the GPSr. I still have DNFs but not often. They are not a deterrent.

 

Good luck.

[CougarAggie]

\

thanks for the help

[+SBPhishy]

Doesn't the 310 only go to 2 decimals? If this is true, while it is still possible to find caches, it will make your "searching diameter" significantly bigger.

[+Mastercacher & Geo"K"]

We've found it helpful to look for things "out of place" such as a pile of sticks, rocks or a bundle of leaves and Spanish Moss. We didn't find our first cache and it nearly drove MasterCacheR crazy until we learned that the rangers had taken it and now it's been archived. Don't give up! Use other people's logs to give you direction if necessary.

[shanni-bugbait-wren]

 

We have found that you're best bet is to look for things that are "UNnatural". Sticks that wouldn't just fall that way, rocks that couldn't possibly land like that.......ect........... Wish you HAPPY HIKING!

[mrbill1226]

I will also add that I usually look for tracks and trails and I actually track past where my GPS says the cache should be and then backtrack from another direction to verify. Sort of like tracking in the wilderness. If you see what appears to be a deerpath or worn area when you get down to 20 - 30 feet, this MAY (and i emphasize the word) lead you to the cache. I've been avoiding using hints like the plague and I almost always use the above technique successfully. I'll go right past perpendicular to where the cache should be (within 20 - 30 ft) and then backtrack, looking for worn ground or "herdpaths". Was able to get 7 caches (including 2 multis!) in one day this way.