How to find 100 geocaches by OneChordWonder

"I found a lot of cool places. "

How I did it: After several months of 100+ degree temperatures, it has gotten a lot more mild.  So almost every day I've been going out either after work or in the morning. I'd have to check the numbers to be sure, but I think I got more in the past few weeks than my first 6 months combined. 

It is something that gets easier as you learn to plan out routes and what to look for.  I hope I'll continue to get faster because I'm going to post a new goal to find 250. 

Lessons & tips: Plan ahead of time.  I have a tendency to just upload a bunch of coordinates and leave only to find that the caches are along the same trail, are down a cliff, etc.  But my most productive outings have been ones where I make sure to upload all the caches in the area and, if they're in different parks or areas, write down directions on how to get from one place to the other. If available, checking trail maps at the park's website has also been helpful for me.

I have a GPS that records the hints and the descriptions, but if your GPS doesn't, be sure to either print out the page or write down pertinent information. 

Be sure to check recent logs before heading out.  Too many times I've spent 20 minutes or more looking for a cache only to check the logs and see people reporting that it's been missing for months.

Pay attention to the terrain and difficulty ratings.  I also have a tendency to dive in to a cache and spend loads of time bushwhacking or scaling cliffs only to find if I had just stayed on the trail, it would have brought me there.  If the cache owner gave it a 1* terrain and you're doing 4* terrain stuff, you're probably making it harder on yourself. 

Be sure to look at the online map using different settings.  I prefer using the hybrid that displays street names as well as satellite views. On a lot of caches, especially ones in open areas like parking lots, you can zoom in so close you can often pinpoint the tree, bush, or lamppost that's hiding the cache. 

Resources: I've got a Magellan GC explorist that is specifically made for geocaching and it works well for me. 


 

Nov 06, 01:42PM PST | 0 comments | 7 cheers


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