Ottakee Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 My girls and I made our first attempt at Geocaching today. I finally figured out how to download some caches to my garmin etrex 20. Then we walked over to the local park to start hunting. I need lessons on reading the GPS---esp. when I try to zoom in I lose what I was looking for. One dd found 2 of the 4 we searched for. The other 2 it said we were right on them but we couldn't find them. There is a very good chance though that those are long gone as it doesn't look like anyone has found them for years. We just tried those 4 as they were in the township park near us. Any great hints, tips, ideas, etc? The girls were pretty excited to try this and it is a good way to motivate them to get out walking and hiking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 We have the iphone app and only use our phones' gps and have found a great many that way. My kids LOVE geocaching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 When you are starting out you don't really know what you are looking for. Read the logs to see if they have been found recently. After you get a few finds go back and try for the DNFs again. Some caches are really tricky, they can be camouflaged so well. I don't like hunting for micros (the tiny caches with just a log) as much as a regular cache but after a few finds you'll figure out a type you like best. You can search the geocaching forums for different types of challenges. There are some 50 state challenges, my state has one for every county, I've seen some for trying to find the most in a day. Have fun! I haven't been in awhile but I love geocaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 We found a cache that was tiny, it actually looked to be about the size of a small socket such as one uses with a socket wrench. We also found one that was disguised as a plate that was attached to an electrical box. They can be tricky. We have had some fun with it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I love geocaching! We don't go often enough. Now that I have an app it makes it easier to do at the spur of the moment. Be sure to note the size of the cache...if it is tiny it can be extremely well hidden! The GPS just gets you in the area, as you do more you'll be more familiar and notice hiding spots more readily. Don't hesitate to decode the hint if one is provided. On the geocaching site you can click to highlight good family caches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Thanks. I am wondering if it is worth the $20 to pay for the premium stuff on geocaching.com That would give me more details, the hints, how recently they were found, etc. One we found was a tiny little cylinder but the tiny paper roll inside had gotten wet so we couldn't read it or add our names. The 2nd one was a 8 cup or so Rubbermaid type container but the lid was broken so everything inside was wet/yucky but it had been a neat one in its day with tiny treasures for the kids to exchange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Thanks. I am wondering if it is worth the $20 to pay for the premium stuff on geocaching.com That would give me more details, the hints, how recently they were found, etc. One we found was a tiny little cylinder but the tiny paper roll inside had gotten wet so we couldn't read it or add our names. The 2nd one was a 8 cup or so Rubbermaid type container but the lid was broken so everything inside was wet/yucky but it had been a neat one in its day with tiny treasures for the kids to exchange. You can look at the non-premium caches on geocaching.com for free; you just have to set up an account but there is no cost for the basic account. You can see the details, read the logs, etc. If you want to look at all the details on your Garmin, then yes, I think you have to get the premium account. You can always use a paper printout or handwritten/typed notes if you don't want to get a premium account. I found about 2000 caches before I upgraded to a GPS receiver that had paperless capabilities. Yes, that's a lot of notes. :) Also, were you looking for traditional caches (green box icon)? If you were looking for other types, that could be why you didn't find them. PM me if you want, and I can look at the caches to see if I can help. Geocaching is fun and I always want to see new folks succeed. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Agreeing with pp...you do not need to pay to see details, hints etc. You can set up a free account so that you can log your finds. You can also add "cache needs maintenance" notes to the ones that were broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Today friend took me and we found 6 more. She showed me how to use that handy dandy compass feature on my GPS and wow........that makes it a lot easier to figure out which direction to head :-) We are heading to Shipshewana IN this weekend so my girls want to find some down there. Nice basically free activity (since we are already going there and we already own the GPS for horseback riding) that gets us outside and active. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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