Geocaching... 'au naturel'?

[Guest Gearboy]

Have many people tried finding caches without using a GPS unit? --I know that, really, that's the whole point of the thing, so I'm sorry if it seems a silly question! --But on the other hand, I always had a penchant for the orienteering units we did at camp and in school... and I'm tickled by the idea of getting back to those roots (routes?).

 

So, is it possible to achieve any degree of success armed with the classics, ie. a map and a compass?

 

Thanks!

 

-Gearboy

[Guest jeo]

I have found 1 cache by just the clues and posts for that cache. ("Mission Impossible" although it wasn't easy) I also have had somebody find one of my caches just from the description and a pretty bad rhyme. lol. That cache "Treasure Island" is near Folsom CA. I was thrilled when I heard they had found it that way.

[Guest Quasar]

I had one where I only got within about 200 metres with the GPS before it gave up due to tree cover. Then I found it from the clues.

[Guest ClayJar]

I know of at least two people that have successfully done "old-fashioned geocaching". One of them studied the topos and arial photos for landmarks, and then went out and found them that way. The other was a long-time orienteering geek* who used orienteering methods to find them. I think both those guys are definitely cool.

 

*Note: "geek" is a term of high praise when coming from a geek; it should not be confused with the same term spoken by stupid people and idiots as an intended insult (which never seemed to work on me, anyway).

[Guest ClayJar]

I know of at least two people that have successfully done "old-fashioned geocaching". One of them studied the topos and arial photos for landmarks, and then went out and found them that way. The other was a long-time orienteering geek* who used orienteering methods to find them. I think both those guys are definitely cool.

 

*Note: "geek" is a term of high praise when coming from a geek; it should not be confused with the same term spoken by stupid people and idiots as an intended insult (which never seemed to work on me, anyway).

[Guest Moun10Bike]

LindaLu up here in the Seattle area had something like 20 finds before getting a GPS. She used maps to get to the general area, then photos and hints to narrow down the search once she got to the right spot. Quite remarkable!

 

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Jon (Moun10Bike)

29H/101F

N 47° 36.649', W 122° 3.616'

www.switchbacks.com/geocaching.html

[Guest Elwood]

my first 2 finds were both without the aid of gpsr, i used the maps and clues on the geocache site and was just extremely lucky from there. i knew the areas around both caches also. but found both and had to buy a gpsr immediately after the second one cause by that time i was completely hooked!

[Guest outforthehunt]

My buddy Ogganities from Calgary has found 6 caches without a GPS. He has just bought an etrex and can now find some of the harder to find caches.He's having great fun with and without a GPS.

[Guest CaptHawke]

Just to expand on Outforthehunt's reference to 'the harder to find caches':

Most multi-caches will move you along from point to point by giving you co-ordinates in WGS84. Most maps are in NAD27 or UTM. There can be a 200 meter difference if you use your NAD27 map with a WGS84 co-ordinate. Anyone who has entered co-ordinates improperly into his GPSr can tell you of the frustration this leads to. And you wouldn't want to try doing the conversion manually in the field. I would expect that going after a multi-cache (and 7 0f the 12 caches within 20 miles of my home are multi-caches) would be next to impossible without a GPSr.

 

Cephas Hawke

Bedford NH

[Guest Gearboy]

Wow, thanks for all the great feedback, folks. Heartened, I will try to fit in a little 'old-fashioned' geocaching before the snows come...

 

Thanks especially to CaptHawke for highlighting the multicache issue. For better or worse, not too many of the caches in my areas are multis.

 

Cheers!

 

-Gearboy

[Guest redd]

quote:

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Originally posted by Gearboy:

Wow, thanks for all the great feedback, folks. Heartened, I will try to fit in a little 'old-fashioned' geocaching before the snows come...

 

---

 

If geocaching san GPS floats your boat, you might find letterboxing of interest. Check out this thread: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/001035.html

 

Scott

redd@interbug.com

http://interbug.com/pigeon

[Guest web-ling]

I just started geocaching today - without a GPS. I call it "O-Caching", or Orienteer-Caching. I just punched the coordinates in at www.topozone.com, printed out the map, and used the map to find the caches. So far I'm 2 for 2. I plan to do more of this.

 

 

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Web-ling

www.web-ling.com

[Guest O-Boy]

I've found 5 with just a map and compass now. Topo zone put the coords on the map within a few feet of the actual cache location in most cases.

 

Be careful though... one time I went to TopoZone to see the location of a cache and its location was off by about HALF A MILE!! Luckily I double-checked before I went looking for the cache. The second time (and third and forth) it was right on. Some kind of java script error or a wrong calculation I suspect.

 

I'll probably get a GPS eventually to help find more difficult caches but I think it's perfectly doable (and a lot of fun) with just a map and compass.

 

Have fun,

O-Boy (the "O" is for orienteering)

[Guest Iron Chef]

quote:

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Originally posted by CaptHawke:

...Most multi-caches will move you along from point to point by giving you co-ordinates in WGS84. Most maps are in NAD27 or UTM. There can be a 200 meter difference if you use your NAD27 map with a WGS84 co-ordinate. Anyone who has entered co-ordinates improperly into his GPSr can tell you of the frustration this leads to. And you wouldn't want to try doing the conversion manually in the field...

---

 

I would agree that doing conversions in the field would be a pain. I used to have a HP 48GX graphing calculator that would do the conversions for me though if I needed it too. Too bad I sold it before getting involved in geocaching. As it stands right now, I always carry a calc with me out into the field in case there is some random multi-cache part to it that involves anything more than basic math. My TI-89 has helped me with a few successful finds and I now consider it standard geocaching equipment.

 

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-Iron Chef

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

agefive.com/geocache/ ~ Fe-26

Lets Drive Fast and Eat Cheese!

[Guest web-ling]

quote:

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Originally posted by O-Boy:

Be careful though... one time I went to TopoZone to see the location of a cache and its location was off by about HALF A MILE!! Luckily I double-checked before I went looking for the cache.

---

 

I've been double-checking maps with topozone.com, mapquest.com, and terraserver, as well as on the actual USGS topo maps when I have them.

 

 

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Web-ling

www.web-ling.com

[Guest JasonW]

I read the title of this and thought it was about naturists going caching - what a relief to find that it was people going without a GPSR

[Guest Fotogg]

quote:

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Originally posted by JasonW:

I read the title of this and thought it was about naturists going caching - what a relief to find that it was people going without a GPSR

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Now there's a thought! Just think of the potential. The media attention. What a way to take this hobby to the next level.

Hmmmm... wait a minute.... briar patch.....skeeter bites.....

 

Nevermind...

[Guest wapa2ee]

by the title my mind said nude caching no way

to many thorns

 

but i will say anyone here who has learned how to read a map and plot courses using the conventional tools

as in military survival training

would have to agree that using the old methods are just as if not more accurate than a gps

and not hindered by tree canopy and other things that make a gps inaccurate

so i would think the harder caches deep into the forest would be easier to find using mapping knowledge

[Guest Huaso]

I have found a number of caches without the aid of a GPSR. On my first cache attempt, I just happened to know the area very well and quickly found it, after nearly sitting on it first!

 

The next cache, I got awfully close just using a Terraserver image overlayed with a Topo map. Problem was the scales were slightly off, and thus the search area.

 

About this time a little program, called USAPhotoMaps, came out. It allows you to mark coordinates directly on the Terraserver image. Using printouts from this program and a topo map, I was able to find the cache and a couple others (3 more pending). I just related features on the printout to actual landmarks in the search area. Never did use a compass.

 

All of this came about out of necessity: I don't own a GPSR (yet). I also scouted several other caches this way and hunted them using a borrowed unit. I probably could have found them without the GPSR.

 

I believe this method works best in open, sparsely vegetated areas. Heavy brush or tree cover would make it difficult. No doubt these 'au naturel' finds were a lot of fun!

 

Good Luck!

 

Huaso

 

[This message has been edited by Huaso (edited 08 October 2001).]

[Guest cleenjeep]

quote:

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Originally posted by wapa2ee:

by the title my mind said nude caching no way

to many thorns

 

---

 

Well, considering this is the guy who was caught geocaching earlier this year sans his clothing, save for the underoos, you might have been right about the nude-caching!!

 

I was tempted to don a swimsuit and get wet at whites bridge myself, but I let the dog get wet then soak me by shaking off... lol

Michael

 

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Webmaster and List Admin for Southern Michigan Rockcrawlers

Personal Site is Cleenjeep's Site

[Guest cleenjeep]

Oh, crikey, I thought the poster was BEEARBOY, he he he... a cacher in michigan who shed his clothing when he got wet, then continued on to a few other caches. Oops.. my mistake!!

 

------------------

Webmaster and List Admin for Southern Michigan Rockcrawlers

Personal Site is Cleenjeep's Site

[Guest Fractaljack]

Here is yet another 'au naturel'cacher...2 finds out of 3 attempts since finding out about this sport 2 weeks ago! My whole family is having a blast figuring out clues and maps to the locations. I have to wait a little longer before purchasing a receiver but we are quite content using the ol'noggin to nab the caches so far. I will echo the difficulty in multi-cache hunting. Locally here in the PNW, Steveonne's Hovander m-c gave me and my family fits!(You can read the log.) It looks like LindaLu is my inspiration to keep on trying it this way. Does anyone have stats on the most caches bagged w/o a receiver? UH-OH!! A friend of mine who I told about geocaching just called and is letting me use his Old Yeller etrex for a week...hmm...should I or shouldn't I?

[Guest ClayJar]

I'd say go for it, but be warned, once you've tasted of the GPS, you can only give it up with great effort and greater patience.

[Guest ClayJar]

I'd say go for it, but be warned, once you've tasted of the GPS, you can only give it up with great effort and greater patience.

[Guest Zhanna]

I found my first cache without a GPS (it was Riddler's Revenge -- the riddle really helped, as did the fact that I knew the area well). Still, I almost didn't find it -- the area I was searching was just a little off. It was only when I turned to leave that I happened to see the object of the riddle and therefore found the cache.

If more riddle-type caches existed, I'd probably try them without a GPS. On that day, I didn't yet have a GPS, but I'd gotten some bad news about a friend and I needed to do something to occupy my mind for a while. Searching for the cache really helped.

[Guest found]

When I told my dad, an ex- Marine, that I was getting into the caching and explained what it was, he was delighted. Then he told how they used to train by doing just that, using only a map and a compass. They went out in 5 man teams and had to find their C-rations, which would be buried. If they wanted to eat after hiking around all day, They had to be able to read those maps!!

 

As for the natural caching, LOL, I was thinking it would be a great game of hide and seek with my husband out in the woods.

[Guest found]

When I told my dad, an ex- Marine, that I was getting into the caching and explained what it was, he was delighted. Then he told how they used to train by doing just that, using only a map and a compass. They went out in 5 man teams and had to find their C-rations, which would be buried. If they wanted to eat after hiking around all day, They had to be able to read those maps!!

 

As for the natural caching, LOL, I was thinking it would be a great game of hide and seek with my husband out in the woods.

[Guest wildman]

We used to do something similar in Boy Scouts, this was about 35 years ago. It was a "beeline" hike. We got dropped off along a road somewhere, with a topo map and compass, and our destination marked. Had to take the bearings, following cross country, bushwhacking to get there. It was a contest with other patrols. Wonder if the scouts do this nowdays? We didn't have any adult with us either.

[Guest CaptHawke]

quote:

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Originally posted by wildman:

We used to do something similar in Boy Scouts, this was about 35 years ago. It was a "beeline" hike. We got dropped off along a road somewhere, with a topo map and compass, and our destination marked. Had to take the bearings, following cross country, bushwhacking to get there. It was a contest with other patrols. Wonder if the scouts do this nowdays? We didn't have any adult with us either.

---

 

Check out the Scout Orienteering website. Many orienteering clubs run special events just for Scouts. My personal observation of Scouts at local O-meets is that their navigation skills are pretty dismal. Sending them out on unsupervised overland hikes would be looking for trouble.

 

Positive note: The Venturing program for older Scouts has included GPS into the navigation requirements.

 

Cephas Hawke

Bedford NH

 

 

[This message has been edited by CaptHawke (edited 17 October 2001).]

[Guest wildman]

quote:

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Originally posted by CaptHawke:

My personal observation of Scouts at local O-meets is that their navigation skills are pretty dismal. Sending them out on unsupervised overland hikes would be looking for trouble.

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This is the point. I think we were better "prepared" back then, than the scouts of today. However, I have been a Scoutmaster, and I would not have had a problem with sending most of my troop out on such a trip. Although, I'm sure many of the parents would not have agreed. It's too bad. Being prepared has a new meaning today. Not a better one though.

[Guest web-ling]

quote:

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Originally posted by Fractaljack:

Does anyone have stats on the most caches bagged w/o a receiver?

---

 

I've gotten 21 of 21 so far, including two multi-caches...Can anyone beat that?

 

Web-ling

(The GPS-less Geocacher)

 

[This message has been edited by web-ling (edited 10 November 2001).]

[Guest web-ling]

quote:

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Originally posted by Fractaljack:

Does anyone have stats on the most caches bagged w/o a receiver?

---

 

I've gotten 21 of 21 so far, including two multi-caches...Can anyone beat that?

 

Web-ling

(The GPS-less Geocacher)

 

[This message has been edited by web-ling (edited 10 November 2001).]

[Guest web-ling]

the next leg, go back home...would be a lot easier with a laptop...

 

Web-ling

(The GPS-less Geocacher)

[Guest hgmonaro]

A 'car rally' is like a multi-part cache but might be hundreds of clues to get you to the destination (longest one I've done was about 300km trip and took most of the day to do - but we won.. yippee!). No GPS required, so it depends on how the clues are written as to whether you could do it without a GPS, or having to get back to your maps to locate the next spot (guess you could have that with you anyway) Spose it comes back to the regular discussion, should the clues lead you to the exact location, or just get you in the general vacinity and then you have to think a bit!

[Guest CaptHawke]

Regarding multi-caches......

 

quote:

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Originally posted by web-ling:

Tough, but not impossible. I've gotten one, and am working on another. I have to do a leg, go home and plug the coordinates into my collection of map websites, go back out, do the next leg, go back home...would be a lot easier with a laptop...

---

 

Or, at a fraction of the cost of a laptop, a basic no-frills GPSr!

 

As an old orienteer, I appreciate your traditional map and compass skills, but sometimes life is just easier with the right tools. You can use them selectively. What I like to do on a multi-cache is get to the first waypoint, punch in the second, then use the GPSr to get a bearing and distance. Then I go back to my map and compass to plot the location of the second waypoint and head out to my next attack point before refering to the GPSr again. Use the appropriate tool for the task. Running home to your computer after each leg of a multi-cache is using the inappropriate tool.

 

On another note, what's the toughest rated cache anyone has found without a GPSr?

 

Cephas Hawke

Bedford NH

[Guest ClayJar]

You know, as long as we're on the topic of appropriate tools and such, has anyone found a terrain 5 boat required cache without a boat? I imagine it would be easier without a receiver to keep dry, eh?

[Guest ClayJar]

You know, as long as we're on the topic of appropriate tools and such, has anyone found a terrain 5 boat required cache without a boat? I imagine it would be easier without a receiver to keep dry, eh?

[Guest laurie]

quote:

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Originally posted by ClayJar:

You know, as long as we're on the topic of appropriate tools and such, has anyone found a terrain 5 boat required cache without a boat? I imagine it would be easier without a receiver to keep dry, eh?

---

 

Humm wait until January when the river freezes???

 

I'm tellin ya, either rent a boat or become friends with someone that has a boat OR swim (figuring on lack of crocadiles)...

 

Laurie

[Guest laurie]

quote:

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Originally posted by ClayJar:

You know, as long as we're on the topic of appropriate tools and such, has anyone found a terrain 5 boat required cache without a boat? I imagine it would be easier without a receiver to keep dry, eh?

---

 

Humm wait until January when the river freezes???

 

I'm tellin ya, either rent a boat or become friends with someone that has a boat OR swim (figuring on lack of crocadiles)...

 

Laurie

[Guest HunterGatherer]

I tried to plant a cache nude once... had to swim across a stream to plant on the other side... when i got on the other side, there was a trail that winds it's way back to where i started from

 

so i didn't even get to plant the cache because it was too close to the trail.

 

ps. i ran the trail back to my start point... nude

[Guest HunterGatherer]

I tried to plant a cache nude once... had to swim across a stream to plant on the other side... when i got on the other side, there was a trail that winds it's way back to where i started from

 

so i didn't even get to plant the cache because it was too close to the trail.

 

ps. i ran the trail back to my start point... nude

[Guest JasonW]

quote:

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Originally posted by ClayJar:

You know, as long as we're on the topic of appropriate tools and such, has anyone found a terrain 5 boat required cache without a boat? I imagine it would be easier without a receiver to keep dry, eh?

---

 

Stick your GPSR in an Aquapac? and it doesn't matter

[Guest JasonW]

quote:

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Originally posted by ClayJar:

You know, as long as we're on the topic of appropriate tools and such, has anyone found a terrain 5 boat required cache without a boat? I imagine it would be easier without a receiver to keep dry, eh?

---

 

Stick your GPSR in an Aquapac? and it doesn't matter

[Guest ClayJar]

quote:

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Originally posted by JasonW:

Stick your GPSR in an Aquapac? and it doesn't matter

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Quite true, but even when you're using one to keep it dry, you still have to keep track of it (even if it's tied on), so the point still stands that it's easier without it.

[Guest ClayJar]

quote:

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Originally posted by JasonW:

Stick your GPSR in an Aquapac? and it doesn't matter

---

Quite true, but even when you're using one to keep it dry, you still have to keep track of it (even if it's tied on), so the point still stands that it's easier without it.

[Guest Markwell]

quote:

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Originally posted by HunterGatherer:

I tried to plant a cache nude once...

ps. i ran the trail back to my start point... nude

---

 

We've now heard the other side of the story from this thread.

[Guest Markwell]

quote:

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Originally posted by HunterGatherer:

I tried to plant a cache nude once...

ps. i ran the trail back to my start point... nude

---

 

We've now heard the other side of the story from this thread.

[Guest web-ling]

>

 

On another note, what's the toughest rated cache anyone has found without a GPSr?

 

---

 

My hardest one so far was Give Me Refuge (Texas), which is rated 3.5 difficulty, 2.5 terrain.

 

Web-ling

(The GPS-less Geocacher)

 

 

[This message has been edited by web-ling (edited 01 November 2001).]

[Guest LindaLu]

quote:

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Originally posted by Moun10Bike:

LindaLu up here in the Seattle area had something like 20 finds before getting a GPS. She used maps to get to the general area, then photos and hints to narrow down the search once she got to the right spot. Quite remarkable!

 

---

 

I found 9 of them before getting my GPS. Now that I have one, the game has changed, but doing it without a GPS was fun and challenging...It all depended on the amount of hints. I try not to use the hints now, but still need them sometimes.. [8D]

[Guest web-ling]

quote:

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Originally posted by Fractaljack:

Does anyone have stats on the most caches bagged w/o a receiver?

---

 

I'm up to 33, including two multi caches. However, Bass Pro Shop is having a sale on the yellow Etrex for $80 this weekend, so I'll probably buy one. I still plan to search most caches without it, using it primarily for placing caches. Hey, what can I say? I like orienteering!

 

Web-ling

 

 

[This message has been edited by web-ling (edited 04 December 2001).]