Poll: How do you use hints?

[Mole_n_Opossum]

We almost never use the hints, and prefer to take advantage of the cache owner placing a challenging cache. Some caches that stand out are Cornered (GCN3V1) and New Park Basil (GCKKR3). Sometimes we just download waypoints to the GPS and have no idea what we’re looking for ( http://www.geekteck.com/~pointman/geocaching/m37atv/ ). Nope, our numbers aren’t in the hundreds, but we have a lot of fun and a story to tell on almost every find.

[Team Hemisphere Dancer]

I usually leave the palm in the car because I want to just go find it. So my wife, not wanting to be eaten by all the types of bugs, stays in the car. So I end up using a Phone a friend palm hybrid type of help.

[Mother Wolf]

I always ck the hints 🙂 Then again being an ‘A’ type there is an entire process I do. When I started caching almost a yr ago I went thru pages & pages of caches within about 100 miles of home. The ones that caught my attention I read. If they looked like ones I would like to do I condensed & printed. Also cking map quest with aireal veiw. I would then draw my own little map with hints etc (to save paper). I then put them in a binder. After a time I divided the area into 4 grids. These stay in my truck except when Im updating so if Im out & I have a few mins I can pull the one I need for that grid & pick 1.
If Im planning on a day out (the night before)I run down the cache page to make sure all are up & running, refresh my memory, which isnt what it once was 😆 read the latest logs for any surprise then head out. I know, sounds pretty stupid but Im not a wizard when it comes to equipment & I like to enjoy the time out & this way I mostly just need to get to the general area then I can play the head game. I do have alot of the waypoints in my eTrex so I do use them sometime but often when I get to the area I write down the coords on a little note sheet & just use my satelite & nav keys.
I dont take much with me. My phone, ALWAYS, in an emergency since I almost always cache alone. My stick for obvious reasons, my buck knife, H2O & a pen.
I dont get out nearly as often as I would like but when I do go it is usually an event for me so I make it fun for myself.

So……I use the hint………& I always log. Ta Mother Wolf

[SammyClaws]

@Cheesehead Dave wrote:

Thanks to the magic of POI files, I have the decoded hints at the ready in my 60CSx in case I need them.

And here I had created my own language trying to stuff hints in the notes of the waypoint. I need more info on that magic.

[kweejee]

By the time I get to where I’m going to search, I’ve forgotten everything but the name. Once there, I start with the coordinates. After a few minutes I look at what size cache I’m trying to find, then reread the description, then if still nothing I use the hint, then logs.

One time I had hints for two caches written on the same paper. I accidently read “rocky road” for the wrong cache. Turned out each one was under a piece of old road in rocks.

[Author]

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