Anyone going Geocaching this weekend? **NEW CACHERS...POP IN!**

[Pin Wizard]

Glad you got back home safely! That sounds like it was quite a journey. It's a bummer you couldn't find the cache. Might there be info on the cache page that might help? The hints themselves I find may or may not help much. But I'll read further back in the logs to see if anyone mentions anything that clicks.

If you really want to try that cache again, you could e-mail one of the previous finders for some help. Or you can e-mail the cache owner for help, too. My personal experience has been that previous finders are more of a help than the owners. At least around here. I once e-mailed an owner because I couldn't find a street to take me to stage 2 of a multi. He seemed to beat around the bush and then mentioned the street. I never would have guessed. When I mentioned this to someone that I know is pretty close with him, she said he tends to not want to give anyone too much information. She didn't think helping with the name of a street was too much either.

You should try the cache that's 1/2 mile from home. Maybe you will have better luck today! I know some days I do great, other days I have more DNFs (did not find) than finds. I don't like those days!

Happy caching!

 

[lilallybean]

I agree with going after the other one and trying the to get hints on the first one. Even after caching for a couple years and having a few finds tehre are days that I just can't get the caches. Last weekend was a perfect example of that----5 finds and 6 DNFs!!! I hate those days too!

Our family is going to an event this weekedn... GC1JRZ7, it is called Paparazzi & Pasta Palooza! it is a digital camera hunt. This will be a first for us and I am really excited about it. Happy hunting all!

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Glad you got back home safely! That sounds like it was quite a journey. It's a bummer you couldn't find the cache. Might there be info on the cache page that might help? The hints themselves I find may or may not help much. But I'll read further back in the logs to see if anyone mentions anything that clicks.

If you really want to try that cache again, you could e-mail one of the previous finders for some help

It's funny you say that. Last night I was checking my email and a previous finder had dropped me a little hint. When I decide to go after that one again, I'll have to remember that hint. I wrote it down.

Ok..now. On to this morning's DNF.
It's pretty chilly out (in the mid-upper 30s) and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go out. But I thought, "The sun is out and I'm dressed eh..maybe warmly enough and it's not THAT far. Maybe I should go check it out."

So once I dropped DS at school, I plugged the coordinates in and headed out. I was getting a confusing reading from my GPS, so I plugged in the parking coordinates (it was a park-n-cache). I found the parking coordinates easily enough and once there, I plugged in the cache coordinates which led me to the general direction. The cache was..is...supposed to be hidden in a kind of woody area between a bank, a major road (the same major road I walked by yesterday on my way home s'matter of fact) and a manmade pond (lake???) behind a subdivision.

Once my GPS started hopping about 5 ft..15 ft..2 ft..I knew I was in the right general vicinity. The clue said something about looking inside a fallen tree so I backed up to get a better view of the area. I found the most likely candidate ( a large log laying on the ground) and grabbed a stick. I wasn't about to stick my hand in someplace dark where there might be spiders or scorpions or god knows what. Poked around for 15-20 min before I saw a cop go by on the road. I didn't know if he saw me or not, but I decided to go ahead and get out of there just in case.

As I was leaving I heard a pathetic 'whonk whoooooonk whonk!", so I turned around. I wish I had taken my camera with me..a pair of geese landed on the pond (lake??). I also spotted, farther out than the geese, what appeared to be some kind of large, white heron (??) in the water. There were also, of course, some ducks.

It was a nice little jaunt and even if I didn't find the cache, at least I got some exercise.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I agree with going after the other one and trying the to get hints on the first one. Even after caching for a couple years and having a few finds tehre are days that I just can't get the caches. Last weekend was a perfect example of that----5 finds and 6 DNFs!!! I hate those days too!

Our family is going to an event this weekedn... GC1JRZ7, it is called Paparazzi & Pasta Palooza! it is a digital camera hunt. This will be a first for us and I am really excited about it. Happy hunting all!

That sounds like fun! Have a great time!

 

[Pin Wizard]

It's funny you say that. Last night I was checking my email and a previous finder had dropped me a little hint. When I decide to go after that one again, I'll have to remember that hint. I wrote it down.

Ok..now. On to this morning's DNF.
It's pretty chilly out (in the mid-upper 30s) and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go out. But I thought, "The sun is out and I'm dressed eh..maybe warmly enough and it's not THAT far. Maybe I should go check it out."

So once I dropped DS at school, I plugged the coordinates in and headed out. I was getting a confusing reading from my GPS, so I plugged in the parking coordinates (it was a park-n-cache). I found the parking coordinates easily enough and once there, I plugged in the cache coordinates which led me to the general direction. The cache was..is...supposed to be hidden in a kind of woody area between a bank, a major road (the same major road I walked by yesterday on my way home s'matter of fact) and a manmade pond (lake???) behind a subdivision.

Once my GPS started hopping about 5 ft..15 ft..2 ft..I knew I was in the right general vicinity. The clue said something about looking inside a fallen tree so I backed up to get a better view of the area. I found the most likely candidate ( a large log laying on the ground) and grabbed a stick. I wasn't about to stick my hand in someplace dark where there might be spiders or scorpions or god knows what. Poked around for 15-20 min before I saw a cop go by on the road. I didn't know if he saw me or not, but I decided to go ahead and get out of there just in case.

As I was leaving I heard a pathetic 'whonk whoooooonk whonk!", so I turned around. I wish I had taken my camera with me..a pair of geese landed on the pond (lake??). I also spotted, farther out than the geese, what appeared to be some kind of large, white heron (??) in the water. There were also, of course, some ducks.

It was a nice little jaunt and even if I didn't find the cache, at least I got some exercise.

I'm glad someone sent you a hint! I can't tell you how many e-mails I have just waiting for me to head back to caches I couldn't find. When I'm ready to go back to one, I print the e-mail and staple it to my cache pages. Yes, I still print out caches. I'm not a Colorado GPS user or a PDA user. Paper gets me out of a jam when I run into a police officer!

You will come up with little stories to tell people you come across while looking. We've run into police officers at least twice. And some caches I won't even look for because it just seems to be a place police would check on periodically! I still laugh when I read over a log on one of my caches that is archived. Two guys were looking in the bushes for a micro, and a police officer asked them what they were doing. LOL!

We do have a police officer in the town next to us who is a cacher. It amazes me when he sends us to questionable areas that we think a police car would check on, sends us to an area with "No Parking" signs all over the place but he tells us it's okay to park there. LOL! I think I've had that feeling on every cache of his I've looked for!

Excuses are a bit easier when darling son is along. We usually tell someone we're working on a science project. We once ran into two police officers face to face...literally! We were on our way back to the car, they were on their way into the woods. We met at a little stream we had to cross. I had my GPS hanging around my neck, a hiking stick in one hand and printouts in the other. LOL! They were smiling the entire time...I think because darling son was with me. But we've always found Virginia Beach officers to be very friendly! After explaining that we were Geocaching, they asked us if we saw any paint ballers in the woods. YUP! At that point I walked them to the area where they had been but were gone. I think little kids that had been at the fields for a sports game saw them in the woods, told their parents, and the parents called the police. It all makes for GREAT adventures!!!!

I'm sure the police officer didn't even notice you. If he had and was interested, he would have talked to you as you exited the woods. You should go back! The worst for me about a patch of woods though, is not knowing who actually owns the property. I always check around for any "no trespassing" signs before going in.

Happy caching!

 

[lilallybean]

So glad you were able to get a hint! Most cachers are VERY nice and willing to help out. They have all been very welcoming to newcomers.

We had a blast at the pasta paloozaaa event! The scavenger hunt was so much fun! Some of things we had to get pictures of were: , people sharing pasta like lady and the tramp, conga line (more points for more people), teams jumping rope, karate kid pose, team member in tree....and TONS more!

Well, I am THRILLED to say our team WON!!! We got 148 points and second team got 111. We worked hard and had great team work. DH and I teamed up with another caching couple and it was well worth the 4 hour drive to visit friends, cache, and attend the party!

Anybody else get some hunts in this weekend???

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

The worst for me about a patch of woods though, is not knowing who actually owns the property. I always check around for any "no trespassing" signs before going in.

Yeah it's not really like woods woods..more like a small stand of trees, briars and STUFF between the pond and the road. Like it was left there on purpose to attract wildlife and be purty.

We have a marked trail system that runs by the lake that borders our town and runs right by DS's school and I KNOW there's another one along there somewhere. I've got the coords saved in my Geko and I'm going to try and hit it tomorrow after I drop him off.

Happy caching!

 

[ROIE01581]

We are going to give it a try this spring. I got the web site and there are alot around our way.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Well..I didn't get to go caching yesterday. I woke up yesterday morning around 2 am with this HORRIFFIC pain in my abdomen which I assumed was gas. I took some medicine for it and while most of it went away, there was some that didn't. It felt like a giant fish hook stuck through the center of my body and it made me incredibly nauseated to the point where I was sick every 20 min or so for several hours before it finally went away.

DH wanted to go last night, so we went and looked for two that were kind of in the general area of DS's school. I have decided I am NOT going caching with DH anymore. We were looking for micros that were about a 1.5 difficulty or so and DH got annoyed that we didn't find them right away (didn't find them at all in fact). Urgh.

So I'm going to hit them again this morning, if it's warm enough out.

 

[celerystalker]

Thanks to the odd hobbies forum, I learned about geocaching! I might just try it!

 

[lilallybean]

ODD???Ok now just what is soooo 'odd' about using multi million military satalites to look for little tuperware containers in the woods????

OK, so its a little...'different', but I still love it! Give it a try!

 

[celerystalker]

I've already signed up on the geocach website, but they won't let me access the forums!
I'm impatient!
Anyway, I was wondering if antyone has experience with the lowrance crossover unit?
I'd love to use it for turn by turn directions for the car, but I want to be able to enter GPS coordinates too.
Are the maps that come with it good enough? Or do I need to spend more to get better ones?

 

[Pin Wizard]

lilallybean...Glad you had fun at your event! And congratulations on winning!!!!

sdarwkcabemanmy...Have to love the little patch of trees in the middle of two streets. I had one of those last week. Five guys working at the car wash nearby came over and asked what I was doing. Guess the first finder wasn't too stealthy with her five kids jumping out of the car and looking all over! LOL! Too bad they didn't approach her!

ROIE01581...Countdown to Spring!

celerystalker...Probably best NOT to use the word "odd" with us. LOLOLOLOL!!!! It might be "unique" and fun though! I haven't used a Lowrance. Sorry I can't comment on that. Hopefully, you can access the forums on the site soon!

Happy caching!

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

celerystalker--actually, if I were you, I'd try to find a used Geko 201 (which is what I have). It's really great for beginners, as I have found out and I love using it because it's virtually idiot proof.

I won't actually get to go caching for at least another week and a half..my surgeon said NO strenous activities for at least 2 weeks. Darn that emergency surgery!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Wow! I hope you're okay and it wasn't anything too serious. Make sure you follow your surgeon's instructions!! Too often we feel better and think we can do something, then hurt ourselves in the long run. Hoping you're up and out soon!

 

[honugirl]

Hey all! I'm thinking about getting into geocaching when I get healthy again so I thought I'd join in.

Has anybody gone hunting with someone in a wheelchair? One of my very good friends is a quadriplegic and loves treasure hunting so I think he would love this! How do I know if there are accessible caches?

Thanks! I'm going to need info on a good GPS unit too... don't have one of those yet either...

 

[Pin Wizard]

Welcome to Geocaching!

No, I can't say that I've been caching with someone in a wheelchair. But we do have a wheelchair cacher in our area! She and her husband seem to keep very active. They come to our events, and she loves to help out at them.

Many of the 1/1 rated caches (one for terrain and one for difficulty) should be good choices for someone in a wheelchair. And there is a little wheelchair icon someone can add to their cache page if they like. But they don't always, so 1/1's are probably your best bet. At least in our area, we try to rate the terrain a 1.5 if it's not wheelchair accessible.

I'm a Garmin fan. I started with an etrex and have since gone to a 60 CSx. Lots of fun!

Hoping you're out on the trail soon!

 

[honugirl]

Welcome to Geocaching!

Thanks!

No, I can't say that I've been caching with someone in a wheelchair. But we do have a wheelchair cacher in our area! She and her husband seem to keep very active. They come to our events, and she loves to help out at them.

It's really nice to hear that there are wheelchair cachers out there. I think he'll be pretty pumped.

Many of the 1/1 rated caches (one for terrain and one for difficulty) should be good choices for someone in a wheelchair. And there is a little wheelchair icon someone can add to their cache page if they like. But they don't always, so 1/1's are probably your best bet. At least in our area, we try to rate the terrain a 1.5 if it's not wheelchair accessible.

Thanks! That's good info. I won't be doing any stressful terrain for awhile either, so that helps to know how the rating system works.

I'm a Garmin fan. I started with an etrex and have since gone to a 60 CSx. Lots of fun!

Where's a good place to buy a GPS unit? I'm in the pacific NW so we have TONS of outdoor stores.

Hoping you're out on the trail soon!

Thanks! If all goes well, hopefully by the end of the summer I'll be out hunting.

What are the best sites to find cache info? Are any better than others or used more?

 

[celerystalker]

Geocaching.com is very active! I've learned a lot just reading over the past few days.
Now I have to wait and save up so I can buy a GPS - I've got a disney trip coming up, so all extra cash is going to that!
At least geocaching will be a cheaper hobby than my Disney addiction!

 

[lilallybean]

honugirl ...geocaching.com is the only site that gives the cache info...at least as far as I know. You can always run a pocket cache list to find out what caches in your area are available by wheel chair. If you want you can send me a private message with your zip code and I will run one for you, copy it and email it to you...if you don't know how to. Welcome to the fun and enjoy!

sdarwkcabemanmy...hope you get well soon! You can sit back relax, learn how to use your GPS, and plan some cache hunts!
I sure understand surprise surgerys! I went to the chiropractor on Wednesday to get a simple, quick adjustment....but NOOOO, he made me go for an MRI to make sure I don't need neck surgery! Well, I should get the results back Monday, but he sent me to another doctor who gave me 3 shots in my back and neck, plus three different meds to take. Gesh....somebody should have told me I was hurting that bad! I guess living with the pain for the past 10 1/2 years I have sorta gotten used to it, and didn't realize it had gotten worse.