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Found 6 GeoCache's Today - what a blast.

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
7,443
If you are not into the game - check it out. I totally got to places I other wise would not have - and put some miles on the old Leather Personnel Carriers.

It is a good time.

TF
 
Ok I got some Q's for you geocache guys.

So as far as I understand, a geocache is a little box of stuff buried somewhere, and people post the coordinates on line? So, you find the coordinates and plug them into your gps, then go find the goodies. Am I on track here?

So my question is, what do you usually find in a geocache?

Do you put something back in the geocache once you take some thing out?

What if someone beat you to it, and there is nothing there?

Do you ever just leave the stuff there, 'cause you don't want what's in it, and write it off as a chance to get outdoors?

Is there one place on the internet to find and post geocache locations? If not how do you pick which site to get your coordinates from?
 
stingray4540 said:
Ok I got some Q's for you geocache guys.

So as far as I understand, a geocache is a little box of stuff buried somewhere, and people post the coordinates on line? So, you find the coordinates and plug them into your gps, then go find the goodies. Am I on track here?

So my question is, what do you usually find in a geocache?

Do you put something back in the geocache once you take some thing out?

What if someone beat you to it, and there is nothing there?

Do you ever just leave the stuff there, 'cause you don't want what's in it, and write it off as a chance to get outdoors?

Is there one place on the internet to find and post geocache locations? If not how do you pick which site to get your coordinates from?
Click to expand...

The fun for me is just finding it, and also taking in the beauty of some of the places I've been.. You don't have to take or put anything in them...

HTH
 
stingray4540 said:
Ok I got some Q's for you geocache guys.

So as far as I understand, a geocache is a little box of stuff buried somewhere, and people post the coordinates on line? So, you find the coordinates and plug them into your gps, then go find the goodies. Am I on track here?

So my question is, what do you usually find in a geocache?

Do you put something back in the geocache once you take some thing out?

What if someone beat you to it, and there is nothing there?

Do you ever just leave the stuff there, 'cause you don't want what's in it, and write it off as a chance to get outdoors?

Is there one place on the internet to find and post geocache locations? If not how do you pick which site to get your coordinates from?
Click to expand...


Your basic idea is right, however there isn't always goodies, sometimes the caches are extremely small (called micro caches in the geocaching world) ie about the size of a match case, and they only contain the log that you sign.

In my experience geocaches are usually fully of cheap toy type crap, bouncy balls, my pretty pony pencils, army men, etc. I've found a couple of cool things, like a belt buckle, but it's the exception to the rule. There is usually a better prize for the first person to find a cache (FTF), I've heard of giftcards and/or cash for these (I've never had an FTF)

Ideally you take something and leave something. This means you have to carry around your own bag of goodies in the case you want to take something.

Most of the time I won't take anything, because there's either nothing I want or I don't have something to leave.

Check out http://www.geocaching.com Theres a FAQ and whatnot that will answer all your questions
 
stingray4540 said:
Ok I got some Q's for you geocache guys.

So as far as I understand, a geocache is a little box of stuff buried somewhere, and people post the coordinates on line? So, you find the coordinates and plug them into your gps, then go find the goodies. Am I on track here?
Click to expand...

Yes but there a lot of spins on this basic version as well.

So my question is, what do you usually find in a geocache?
Click to expand...

Honestly, over 90% of the time, just junk. Bugs and coins (kind of geocache collectables/traders) are the exception, with the rare interesting find.

Do you put something back in the geocache once you take some thing out?
Click to expand...

Yes, there are exceptions though.

What if someone beat you to it, and there is nothing there?
Click to expand...
No biggie, record find and go get another. For most, geocaching is about the hunt and find, not the prize.

Do you ever just leave the stuff there, 'cause you don't want what's in it, and write it off as a chance to get outdoors?
Click to expand...

99.9% of the time.



Be careful because geocaching is seriously addicting and an absolute blast. For me its an excuse to get out of the house. The one thing I find fascinating about it, is being taken to places I had no idea that existed yet are so close to my home. It is one hell of a recreational activity if you like being outdoors, camping, hiking, etc. The other fascinatiing thing is standing in an area that you KNOW something is hidden, yet it make take you 30 minutes to 2 hours to find and sometimes it can be as large as a bread box.
 
Stingray,

The website mentioned above makes transferring the GPS coordinates (as well as notes and hints if you have a membership - 30 a year) to your GPS. There is usually a plug in for your computer to make this transfer a matter of one click of a button.

The basic idea is to find the cache - sign it to prove you were there - and move on. However, there is often cool stuff inside - a lot of it for kids - but some not. I scored a Boba Fett button last night for my work bag. There were markers for kids in one.

Also there is idea of travel bugs and geocoins. Travel bugs have 'missions' and are trackable on the website via a specialized code. They are a little dog tag you attach to a silly item - and give it a mission (say to get to a certain place). People find them - move them to another Cache that gets them closer - and so on.

The most fun is finding the cache - people are all creative in hiding them! You can't bury them - but people LOVE to camoflage them. We found one yesterday that you had to lower via a rope. They had even taken bark from the tree - and glued it on the box to seriously HIDE IT. But I scored it!

This has a couple of purposes - make it harder to find - and make it harder to find from people that do not play the game. For instance, one cache we got to yesterday was found by some non players (Muggles as they are called) ransacked, and left open.

Luckily we had some replacement stuff and maintained it. Hid it a little better - and it is BACK in the game!

Make sense?

TF
 
My kids love it and call it "treasure hunting" :D

Once you get the hang of finding caches, there are some things you can do to make it more interesting.

1) Look for travel bugs in caches. Get it home and look up the history of where the thing has been and then move it along.

2) Get a travel bug yourself. Give it a mission and watch it try and get there, or give it no mission and just watch its random progress.

3) Set a "themed" cache. If the theme is known folks are only supposed to trade trinkets that go along with the theme.

4) Ditch the GPS. I look up the UTM coordinates and plot them on a topo map. I then give the GPS to my son and we both try and find it :)

No matter what, I started using it as an excuse to get out and walk around :D

B
 
Ok, cool. It actually sounds like tons of fun, but my wife would kill me if I started another hobby...
Maybe I'll casually look into it in case there are caches near were we're gonna hike, or backpack.
 
I have lived here my whole life and caching had taken me places I never know where in my own backyard. Great excuse to go outside.
Go to geocaching . com and put in your zip code under find caches. I bet you will have 500+
 
I recently got into this myself and have had a Blast playing. Some of the code games are freakin hard! But others are just fun to solve.
I just got an iPhone and have not had it out on the search yet, has anyone used theirs ? How is the resolutuion?
 
sounds interesting. Thought I may try it this morning. Made an account with geocaching.com put in my zip, and the nearest caches are across the Atlantic.
 
Someone should make some W&SS something to make as a travel bug. :)
 
TF,

I have a bug I am not using. If you don't already have one (or have ordered one) let me know and I will send it to you.

B
 
I went out this morning and found three of six. Left some rubber snakes in the boxes.
 
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