One Happy Dragon New To Geocaching

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 11:03 pm

Greetings ; My status as a Geocacher is this: Never done it, don't have a GPS, and do not have any boxes, coins, or other paraphanalia associated with this sport. I am getting started by having thoughts of doing something with my time besides playing computer games all the time on Pogo.
I made it here!!! Very Happy

So What Now? Any Suggestions?
My Husband George is 100% behind this membership. He taught sailing- and sailed for ten years so we will use his Dad's very old but wonderful Boy Scout Compass. George can read maps. We have recumbent bikes and run the bike trails around Boulder Junction in Northern WI . Amazing- there is a cache about a block from our apartment listed by Nature Lover.
Is a Compass enough technology to Geocache? or do you rely on the GPS to find caches?

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:44 am

Welcome aboard!

The center of all geocaching activity is Groundspeak and they are found at: http://www.geocaching.com sometimes referred to gc.com. You will want to establish an account there for researching, planning and recording your activities.

Once you have established you account w/gc.com, go get'em. Remember that any items found in a cache are not free booty, they are exchange items. always leave something of equal or greater value for items you may take. Sign the log in the cache and leave the cache area as litter-free as you found it or better. Should you find an item in the cache with a numbered metal tag, it is a travel bug, it needs to get to another geocache. Travel bugs are not exchange items, they need to stay in play. Numbered coins are similar to travel bugs, they need to stay in play.

There are a number of geocahers in your area that may be willing to act as a mentor. try dropping a line to them.

Again, Trudy & I welcome you aboard.
Ray Handley [the other half of Trudy & the beast]

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:51 am

One Happy Dragon wrote:

Greetings ; My status as a Geocacher is this: Never done it, don't have a GPS, and do not have any boxes, coins, or other paraphanalia associated with this sport. I am getting started by having thoughts of doing something with my time besides playing computer games all the time on Pogo.
I made it here!!! Very Happy

So What Now? Any Suggestions?
My Husband George is 100% behind this membership. He taught sailing- and sailed for ten years so we will use his Dad's very old but wonderful Boy Scout Compass. George can read maps. We have recumbent bikes and run the bike trails around Boulder Junction in Northern WI . Amazing- there is a cache about a block from our apartment listed by Nature Lover.
Is a Compass enough technology to Geocache? or do you rely on the GPS to find caches?

Welcome, and I hope ya enjoy this great sport.

Generally, most geocachers do use a gps, as caches are hidden and located with the use of coordinates. So, you probably do want to go out and get a handheld gps for Valentine's Day. (Garmin and Magellen are the most popular brands.)

However, it is possible to find a geocache without a gps, and there are a very small number of people who do this, using Google Earth. On the web page, you can click on Google Earth, and it gives ya an overview of the area. I Googled the Oxley Dam cache near you, and you can see from Google Earth that there is a trail to the dam, and that the cache is near the river, close to the bridge/dam site on the north side of the river. In some cases that would be enough to find the cache. However, most use a gps, and it is easier.

zuma

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:19 am

HI there,

We live in Eagle River and would like to help you out. PM us through this site and maybe we could figure out a time and place to meet in the near future. We have taught classes in the area and would highly suggest you get a GPSr of some type. They come as cheap as $50 now.

Overall it would be very difficult to find most caches without one.

Let us know how we can help.
Jim and Cathy

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:22 pm

Hi & welcome to the fun!! You'll find lots of good information here. Don't be afraid to ask anything.

I love Boulder Junction! My family used to own land up there, and we visited it often.

Bec

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:00 pm

Welcome to the addiction.

Now stop reading this forum and go plant a cache! Very Happy