Geocaching

[KarenH]

I'm just learning how to use my Garmin Etrex Legend, hand-held GPS, for geocaching. I'd like to hear what other FGRV folks are doing in that line.
Thanks

[Brian Van Snell]

I'm just learning how to use my Garmin Etrex Legend, hand-held GPS, for geocaching. I'd like to hear what other FGRV folks are doing in that line.
Thanks

Karen:

I had to look at http://www.geocaching.com/ to find out what geocaching is. Interesting hobby.

Brian

[Joe Z]

Been Geocaching for about six years now and it is definitely a good reason to go out and take a walk..... Your GPS will work very well for that sport. When on their site sign in for the free version enter your zip code click on profile then click on map it ..... you'll be really surprised how many are right around where you live.
Have fun
Joe

[KarenH]

Been Geocaching for about six years now and it is definitely a good reason to go out and take a walk..... Your GPS will work very well for that sport. When on their site sign in for the free version enter your zip code click on profile then click on map it ..... you'll be really surprised how many are right around where you live.
Have fun
Joe

Hi Joe - whose site are you referring to?
Thanks,
Karen

[Marinab]

Good Morning,

I've heard of it but haven't tried it yet. What is a good GPS unit
to buy for this? I've heard that it should have lat as well as long.
Thanks, Marina

[KarenH]

Good Morning,

I've heard of it but haven't tried it yet. What is a good GPS unit
to buy for this? I've heard that it should have lat as well as long.
Thanks, Marina

Hi - I'm using the Garmin Etrex Legend. Long and Lat is REQUIRED for geocaching, as that's how people tell us where something is located, and how we tell others where we've hidden something. A website I've found helpful for getting started is the one mentioned earlier - www.geocaching.com.
As well as giving a general overview, it also provides the entries of caches, including level of difficulty, and terrain, for more than 1 million caches. That is all dependent on how many of us take this on, and enter the data into the internet.
I've just started, and it's fun. Have looked in my own neighbourhood for several, and it's amazing what I see when I'm looking with new eyes.
Enjoy.

[Joe Z]

Hi Joe - whose site are you referring to?
Thanks,
Karen

I'm referring to the same site that Brian has posted as this site applies to all of the united states, canada and for that matter the whole world......On the main page no other site is needed for this sport. They even have a great forum for asking questions which i go on often and can be accesed from the main geocaching site
Joe

http://www.geocaching.com/

[Joe Z]

Good Morning,

I've heard of it but haven't tried it yet. What is a good GPS unit
to buy for this? I've heard that it should have lat as well as long.
Thanks, Marina

Latitude, Longitude is definately needed and there are many great ones the garmin etrex legend is a good one.... I have a Garmin Vista Hcx but i really like the Garmin 60 Csx which i think is a little better than the vista ......there are many more paperless ones that cost more but the three i mentioned are well proven and can't go wrong with any of them.... they don't come with much of a map and you really don't need them but free ones can be found online...... battery on the vista and the 60 model is extremely good (about 22 hours) not sure about the legend but i think it's just as good..... I also like to have a SD slot on the gps for entering large maps if i want to..... Oh by the way you don't have to enter the co-ordinates manually as the site will let you load them directly into your machine...... i even geocache with an iphone to show me the terrain while walking but the handhelds are better for almost pinpoint accuracy
Joe

[Leata & Bobby G]

Hubby gave me a GPS for Mother's Day. I've borrowed one before and was ambivalent about getting one. But when I opened the gift I cried. Hubby got a bulls eye for getting me something I wanted, but would NEVER get for myself. I've downloaded the local geocaching sites for starters and will explore when my daughter gets out of school for the summer. I'm quite sure we'll be do it on camping trips too.

I've always liked hiking peaks and looking for the container holding the paper to sign that I'd been there. Was there a name for that before GPSs?

Leata

[Daryl R]

I don't know much about this but I checked the website and there is on within feet of my door and a dozen within a few blocks. looks like a history buff is setting a few as they write the history of the building, thanks for the intro.

[Joe Z]

I don't know much about this but I checked the website and there is on within feet of my door and a dozen within a few blocks. looks like a history buff is setting a few as they write the history of the building, thanks for the intro.

It's a great hobby to get out and walk.... You will find cache's everywhere you go. Have Fun
Joe

[Nancy]

We have the Garmin 60 CSX and have really used it a lot (just for geocaching). That one was our pick because I wanted the compass and altimeter. Neither of those is necessary, I prefer using my old compass, it doesn't need to be recalculated every time I step out of the car!

Before we bought our Garmin we used inexpensive ones that were donated to the MN State Park system (I think it was from a big box electronic store). Our State Parks have a challenge. Each park has an official cache and when one gets done with all of them they get some reward. Only some of the parks had units for use.

It was nice to be introduced via the park system. It helped us decide we wanted to join the game.

We have also transported some travel bugs. We like to watch the progress, but we must not be finding good places to leave our friends. When we go to check on them they are still in the same place we left them. One had a very long history traveling all over the US. We left him in OK and he is still there. The last guy we left in Omaha, NE and he hasn't moved yet either. Kind of like leaving a friend neglected.

Nancy

[KarenH]

Hi - what's a travel bug??
And, I expect to be in Roseau this summer - are you near there?
Karen

We have the Garmin 60 CSX and have really used it a lot (just for geocaching). That one was our pick because I wanted the compass and altimeter. Neither of those is necessary, I prefer using my old compass, it doesn't need to be recalculated every time I step out of the car!

Before we bought our Garmin we used inexpensive ones that were donated to the MN State Park system (I think it was from a big box electronic store). Our State Parks have a challenge. Each park has an official cache and when one gets done with all of them they get some reward. Only some of the parks had units for use.

It was nice to be introduced via the park system. It helped us decide we wanted to join the game.

We have also transported some travel bugs. We like to watch the progress, but we must not be finding good places to leave our friends. When we go to check on them they are still in the same place we left them. One had a very long history traveling all over the US. We left him in OK and he is still there. The last guy we left in Omaha, NE and he hasn't moved yet either. Kind of like leaving a friend neglected.

Nancy

[brslk]

Been geocaching for a couple of years now.

It is an excellent hobby / obsession that goes along very well with camping.

When it's too cold to camp, I cache. The lack of leaves / bugs and people out during said time make it easier to find caches.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Hi - what's a travel bug??
And, I expect to be in Roseau this summer - are you near there?
Karen

A travel bug is special geocache that is supposed to move from cache to cache. The best example is one released right after 9/11 from Seattle. It was tigger toy with the travel bug dog tag. His mission was to go to ground zero and his picture taken at ground zero then return to Seattle. It several months but managed the whole trip by moving from cache to cache.

I'm one of the early adopters. First cache was the "un-orginal" that was place about 20' from the original. I also found some of the remnants of the original. That was of all dates April 1, 2001, 11 months after the first cache was placed and 7 months after the geocaching.com web site was established.

If you want to learn how to use a hand held GPS made for hiking, go geocaching.

[honda03842]

We geocache. We used to use a Garmin but over the last year have used our smartphone. We have a Blackberry and downloaded BlackStar, a free program that cause the phone to br more than adequate for geocaching.

Geocaching is amazing, even crossing Labrador their were caches where you could barely find a person.

Norm

[Joe Z]

I have "Travel Bugs" and "Geocoins" that i found and they are now all over Sweden,Switzerland, Germany and even south Africa as i get reports sent back to my email.The smartphones have an app that is direct from geocaching.com which i use all the time (well not right now...it's too cold).
Joe

iphone app:
Geocaching > Groundspeak's Geocaching iPhone Application

Android app;
Geocaching > Groundspeak's Geocaching Android Application

[Mark P49]

We have been caching since 2007,have a number of Travel Bugs and Path tags out also. It is fun to see them be discovered and moved. We cache with Garmen Oregon after my old Legend died.
Mr Chewy

[lanegr8]

Believe it or not we cache with the garmin from our car. We've never tried it with the handheld units but imagine there better for precise coordinates. when we get close we just often rely on "The Force" to guide us to the final hiding spot. It is hilarious to be out in the woods and the voice of the british lady on the garmin announces "arriving at destination." the garmin allows us to go paperless and we have the caches stored in it for up to 100 mile radius from our home, so we can spontaniously geocache anytime and of course the garmin is always onboard and fully charged.

If you like geocaching you should also try Letterboxing no GPS needed you follow clues people have posted and inside the Letterboxes is a rubber stamp used to mark in your journal. I find i like the "trophy" of the stamp images better than happymeal toys. We look back in our journal and look at the stampings and reminisce about the trail or park we were at and the good times we had. Check out letterboxing.org and atlasquest.com to find clues to boxes near you.

[itlives]

I also have a Garmin Etrex. Like evrything else, you can get betterer and betterer ones, but it is more than adequate for me. Last year, it was too hot to enjoy.
I work in the heat and the last hting I wanted to do was stay in it after work.

However, I was introducing a friend to geocahching, we went on a hike in Ouachita Nat. Forest to find one I'd found a couple of years before. After a 6 mile hike, I'd found out it no longer was out there. The owners are supposed to keep them updated and this probably was. I didn't log into geocahe.com before going to find out.

It is fun and a worthwhile "good" hobby. It beats sitting around a camp and getting drunk anyday! (1+ years sober for me!)