How Do You Decide

[+lilbluyze]

I was looking at caches in the Ft. Worth -Dallas Area, I knew thre would be a lot of them. When I saw how many, I nearly went into a coma. We have realitives in this area and someday will attempt to cache there. How do you decide which ones to hunt. It's so overwhelming.

 

I know you guys love to take questions like this and go off on a tangent. But, seriuosly, how do you decide?

Lilbluyze

[+rusty_tlc]

Las Vegas is a very cache dense area to. I contacted the local geocaching group before my trip they had some great suggestions. Of course they probably couldn't help with the Ft. Worth -Dallas Area.

But you could try here.

[+Team DEMP]

Typically I have 3 caching objectives:

 

1) Quick ones that don't require a lot of hiking/time that the kids like to do most of the time.

 

2) Loops where I can do some hiking and collect multiple caches. Typically it's when you can park once, get some caches on the way "out" and then get caches on the way back "in" to the same location you parked.

 

3) Longer hikes that result in 1 or 2 caches where the hiking is the main focus and the caches are just icing on the cake.

 

I use a program called GSAK to load a GPX (you need to be a premium member) in which allows me to manipulate the caches in my or any area I load. I can sort by caches close to other caches, by difficulty, etc. I typically export data to MapSource and view them graphically and look for "clusters" of caches in areas based on one of the above objectives for the day.

[+Team Perks]

We use pocket queries to filter the types of caches we're looking for, review them using GSAK to filter out ones with a series of DNF's, and then plot them out using MapSource. In a matter of half an hour I can have plotted out the route for a hundred or more caches.

[+CompuCash]

I started by getting the closest ones first - there were bout 15 within 2 miles. Then I started looking at the terrain - can't do a lot of hills and heavy climbing.

 

Then I started ranging out further and further. There are a couple in town I still have to collect but they are relatively easy to do any time I want.

[+LukeH]

The hardest ones. Then if you fail to find, it's no big deal because it was a fun hike anyway.

[+Boot Group]

We put a post in the New England forum recently before we left for New Hampshire to ask for suggestions for kid friendly caches. We got a number of suggestions, and pretty much followed the suggestions while there. For us, we need to pick lower terrain ratings because of the kids. You may be looking for different suggestions like beauty of the area, or long hikes. If you state what you are looking for in that area, fellow cachers are generally more than happy to give you some great suggestions.

[+Enspyer]

After my recent out-of-state trip that included a bit of geocaching, I have a few suggestions:

 

Look for ones that are directly on your route- we did caches on the way to the hotel, instead of making a separate trip. This way you have time to enjoy the cache and the hike without feeling too rushed.

Look at previous logs- This is a great way to see what the cache is really like (was it 'thanks for an easy find' or 'after much work we finally found this one'?) Also, if people mention mud or conditions you're not prepared for, you can know to skip it.

Check for DNF's- If even just the most recent log is a DNF, I'd skip it, because as it is now someone gave up on it. I found the DNF's were for a reason (PI, mosquitos, impossible plant life) I'd rather go to a more inviting cache.

As your relatives- If they live in the area, they might know of the popular parks and nice hikes for the area. Even a non-geocaching local can be very helpful.

 

Happy travels!

[+briansnat]

I just try to fit them in with my plans for the day. If I'm planning a certain hike, I check for caches along the route. If I'm looking for a place to hike I look for some caches that will provide a nice hike. If I'm going to my nephew's confirmation, my cousins wedding, or a job interview, I look for quick,park n grabs in the area.

[dampeoples]

I go for the one's in the parks when the kids are with me, generally the finds are moe kid friendly, and not a lot of hiking.

When i'm by myself, I either go for the urban micros, the long hikes, or the occasional one that's easier to get to by boat

[+ZackJones]

What I do is find the nearest cache to where I'll be staying. I then run a pocket query and download a list of caches that are within x miles from that cache. I upload the cache information to my Palm Pilot. On my computer I run the program Watcher which I allows me to sort caches the way I want them. I then print out the list from Watcher and take that with me.

 

Out on the hunt I use cachemate on my Palm Pilot to read the descriptions and log my finds and DNF's. It's been working well so far.

 

Zack

[+tozainamboku]

You might think of posting a message in the South and Southeast forum asking for recommendations from Dallas-Ft. Worth area cachers. Let them know what kinds of caches you are interested in. I'm sure you'll get back some recommendations.

[+rusty_tlc]

Another method I've used is to load everything in the state you are visiting and leave the GPS on. When everybody needs a break start look in for a close cache. Or just keep one eye on the GPS and stop for a cache whenever you feel like it.

Kind of spontaneous caching.