Knights Becoming and a Lady in Waiting

Geocaching Revisited

Because I was, apparently, a little vague on the whole Geocaching thing, I thought I'd walk you through what a "typical" (okay, it's never typical with my crew...) hunting trip is like for us.

First, I usually go on the computer the night before to find a cache or (if I'm really feeling ambitious) caches.  I log into www.geocaching.com and usually just search for caches near my home coordinates.  If you don't want to log in and/ or you don't have a GPS-receiver, you can search by zip code from the home page as well.

Now I go through the list of caches in my area.  We're not very good at this yet, so I usually look for a 1/1 to 1.5/1.5 cache.  The first number is the difficulty level of the cache.  This is subjective, so it's better to not get too ambitious to start out.  The second number is the terrain of the cache.  Alone, I'm not too nervous about levels 2-4, but with four kidlets under the age of seven, I generally try to stick to those with little bushwacking.

So, now I've selected a cache.  I open it up and read it over to make sure there are no notes that say "Don't try this during April" or "Don't bring the kids."   I then print out the cache page to take with me, as many of them have little clues or hints that make finding the cache much easier.  Sometimes I'll "cheat" a bit and print out a map to get me close to the cache location.  I pack up my bag with a few items for trading, my GPS-receiver, extra batteries, a pair of gloves (I'm not fond of sticking my hands into places I can't see), a flashlight, and at least one writing utensil.

The next morning, we head out.  We drive to roughly the location of the cache, park, and start the hunt.  We follow the GPS-r until it says we are very close to the cache, then the actual work starts.  We have to find it.

Caches come in four "basic" sizes: micro (usually film cannister size), small (think smaller tupperware containers), regular (roughly cake pan or so sized), and large (could be anything).  You should keep the size in mind while you're looking.  Likewise, some people are very creative and your cache could be hidden in something that blends in with the environment a LOT better.  I've had two that were just plain old inspired.  The more you do it, the better you get at figuring out things that might work as containers. (Level 1 caches are usually not as hard to figure out).

So, now we're searching.  We'll say this time we're looking for a medium cache, 1/1 difficulty, in a park that is currently deserted (busy locations add a whole new dimension to the sport).  We all spread out and look under rocks, in stumps, in nooks in trees, etc.  Eventually one of the boys finds a well-camoflaged container under a large fallen branch.  We carefully remove it from its spot and open it.

Inside, usually inside plastic bags to provide extra protection against dampness, will always be a log.  This is where you sign that you found the cache.  For the sake of our example, though, we'll say this cache has quite a bit of stuff.  McDonald's toys, some interesting coins or post cards, a few "theme" items (that go along with the theme of the cache), maybe even a travel bug (which is a subject for a whole different post).

We sign the log, first, using our Geo-names (ChathamMommy, the Three Princes, and Princess Moo... or CM, 3P & PM), date it, and be sure to note whether we took anything and what we left.  If you don't take or leave anything, you can shorthand with TNLN (took nothing, left nothing).  If you do take something, you should always try to leave something of equal or better value.  Don't leave a McD toy for a pocket pedometer!  Finally, we put TFTC at the bottom-- thanks for this cache.

Everything gets sealed back up and we carefully put the container back where it was, trying to remove all signs of us having been in the vicinity.  Voila!  We have a cache under our belts!

When I'm home later that night (or several nights later, if I'm having a hectic week), I'll log our finds on the computer and add them to our list.  With a few keystrokes, I can let the cache owner know that someone has been there and appreciated his handiwork.  I can also make note of any situations, such as the log book being out of paper or the cache being wet (happens a lot).

And that's it in a nutshell.  There's more to it, of course, but "them's the basics."  If nothing else, this is a great way to get outdoors and get a little exercise in.

Hope this helped. :D

Ooooh! I'm giddy with excitement!

2:00 AM, Apr. 27, 2006 .. Posted by grace4gayle

I can't wait to try this out! What a hoot! I think this could be something our whole family would have fun doing! Thanks for the tip!

Gayle

Thank you!

5:12 AM, Apr. 27, 2006 .. Posted by maureenmichele

Chelo, it means so much to me that you posted a comment on my blog to encourage me. Thank you for taking the time to do that. Your words were gentle and kind, and helped me a lot. Thanks for praying.

Geocaching sure looks like fun! I wonder if there is anything like that around where I live (Perth, Australia)!

fascinating!

6:53 AM, Apr. 27, 2006 .. Posted by MuckFootMom

I put in our zipcode and it sounds like there are a few in my area ... but we have no GPS .... but I'm intruiged. I'll have to see what dh thinks of it, it would make a fun outing with friends, maybe. :) I'm glad to learn of it thru you! Thanks!

thanks

8:55 PM, Apr. 27, 2006 .. Posted by Juliestew

for stopping by and thanks for praying for kelly. i know she misses andie so much. i don't understand it all but i know she needs prayer.
see ya round...
IN HIM
julie

Ok, I'm Hooked!

2:52 PM, Apr. 28, 2006 .. Posted by grace4gayle

We did our first gamily GeoCacheing (geochache?) today! What a blast! I'll leave you in suspense until I get a chance to blog about it, but I think I found a new hobby! Thanks for your comments on my blog and we DID start our family early. We couldn't figure out if we wanted to do the quiverfull (No birth control) thing or not and so....Ta Dah a honeymoon baby! Then we still couldn't decide and...Ta Dah, 14 months later another one. Then I DECIDED! We took a little break before the next 2 arrived! Anyway, now I'm rambling on and on. Have a great day and thanks for the fun Geo tips!

Gayle