Geocaching Hobby: How I Became an Experienced Geocacher
I’m going to tell you a story about an experience I had with my brother. I think it, in its singularity, taught me all the basic skills (and maybe not so basic) that a geocacher needs. It is ingrained in my memory and is the perfect example of any typical geocaching adventure.
My brother lives in Rochester and got me started in geocaching. I went out to visit him one weekend and we decided to find a couple boxes. He knew where to start so he drove us out to this “park”. About all we knew was where we could leave our car and that the boxes were on trails. I had been caching for 2 years and my brother perhaps a year longer than that so we felt pretty comfortable in our skills. We also grew up near the Adirondack Mountains and were completely aware of all hiking safety guidelines and such. My brother had his cell phone with him and I had my GPS. It didn’t look like it’d be too far or take us too long to complete.
My first mistake was feeling over confident and taking for granted the fact that I was in a city. This “park” was large and the trails were overlapping and confusing. We didn’t have a trail map or any idea where some trails led. We figured we’d follow the GPS and sometimes that’s all you need but on this particular day, it wasn’t.
So we get to a point where there is an intersection of about 4 trails. The GPS arrow points to the right, so off we go. From this field of intersections, we pick up some nasty deerflies that refuse to leave us alone. We had forgotten the bug spray, heck, I hadn’t even brought my hat! I was in Rochester! I was in a park! The cache was still over a half mile away and we wondered if we should pursue it. We had to meet the rest of the family for lunch so we were also keeping a close eye on the time.
Next mistake, hurrying through a cache. It’s always better to take note of things that might help you if you get lost or set upon the wrong trail. If you only have so much time, and get to a confusing point, turn around and leave it. It’s better than getting yourself lost or injured.
We continued on and so did the deerflies. But we came out into some deeper trees and they left off for awhile. We zigzagged among trails trying to keep track of what “color” we were on as we followed the arrow. Then, as often happens in deep woods, my GPS started acting a little crazy. This way, that way, over here, over thereâÂ?¦it wouldn’t settle down. We went off trail several times but found nothing and got stuck going up some inclines that we could have avoided. We got back onto a trail but weren’t sure of which one it was. I tried to reset the GPS and get better satellite coverage.
I have no idea why GPS receivers “whack” out. But I’ve often found it may be because of low battery power. I always try to keep fresh batteries on me in case I need them. Sometimes, they just lose a good signal. In that case, I always just turn the thing off then back on and let it start all over again. It usually helpsâÂ?¦usually.
The receiver settled down and we continued to follow the trail. I believe we missed the intersection with this trail earlier or didn’t take it because the arrow wasn’t distinctly pointing down that way. But we ended up along a ridge near a bay and we began to search fallen logs for the cache. Finally, we found it, a nice ammo can with a logbook. What a trip!
When we opened the cache, there wasn’t much for trade in it. That is why trading evenly is important: one for one or at least a fair exchange. One criticism of caching is that the containers are litter. Put items in a cache that you think others will find valuable. Save the small dollar store toys for children. Place items that are unique or individual in caches, those are real treasures to find. Some geocachers have their own signature items that they leave behind. I love finding those and keeping those. It really is a rare commodity. If you don’t have a signature (sig) item, don’t fret. I don’t. But I do leave geocaching creed pins in my current finds. They are also great to find and a lot of cachers collect them. They can be purchased on-line or through the website.
We didn’t trade anything but did leave our mark in the logbook using our trail names.
Trail names keep a person anonymous. It may relate to what you like or what you do. My geocache trail name is AdkDragon. I like dragons and I live near the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. Pick whatever suits your personality.
We were sure to put everything back in the cache and put the logbook back in its baggie. Not that it really needed it since it was in an ammo can. We replaced the container back in the exact same spot where we found it and covered it with bark so that it couldn’t be seen from the trail.
This is one of the most important steps of caching and should not be overlooked. I admit that I rush through this sometimes. Maybe someone is coming up the trail, maybe you’re short of time, but either way, the cache needs to be concealed. Don’t just throw it back anywhere nearby. It must be in the exact spot you found it since that’s where the coordinates lead. And if you can see it from the trail, anyone can. An inquisitive child might wonder what that thing is and then the cache goes missing. Just leave a little piece exposed maybe around the back side away from the trail. That way a cacher will see it but non-cachers, just out for a hike, won’t.
This is where the story gets good. Having replaced the container, we realized we had to get back to the car because of our aforementioned time constraint. So we went back to the trail but wondered which way to go. After all, we had gotten to this trail partially by bushwhacking and partially by following the GPS. So our question became, does this trail loop around? My brother had a good feeling that it did so I followed him, keeping the GPS on and handy.
Mistake: never assume anything. The best way to get out is the way you came in unless you have a trail map. We didn’t have a trail map, just a joint fumbling sense of direction. Good thing I kept the GPS on and active. That way it recorded our movements throughout our trip. It continually saved our progress and when we decided we were going the wrong way, I could tap into the “track back” feature and follow our path out. If you turn off the GPS, it disappears. Know where you are or how to get back to your car before you shut down the receiver.
So we got lost. Lots lost! There were some grueling inclines and I hadn’t brought any water. I mean, I hadn’t brought a lot of things for this little trip. (Bug spray, my hat, water bottle) But through the back tracking, we got back to an intersection on the trail. My brother believed it to be a shortcut to where we had started. Checking the GPS, it appeared that the trail might just connect to another portion of the trail system we had walked in on. I wasn’t sure whether we should or not. We had already had one bad turn. But with the GPS running, I felt a little better so we set off down the unknown trail.
Lesson learned here? Always mark your car. I hadn’t on this trip. I have a bad habit of forgetting to do it in the parking area. I get excited about the hike and the cache and never think to mark my point of entry. If I had marked the car in this situation, there wouldn’t have been any doubt about where we were going. We would have navigated our way out the same way we had navigated it in.
As I watched the “bread crumb” trail on the GPS, I saw that we were coming out to where we had walked before and we seemed to be okay for getting back to the car. My brother called his wife and told her we’d be late since we had gotten lost. (She wasn’t surprised!) We came out at the “field of intersections” and we knew where we were. I shut down the GPS and we chuckled about getting lost in a park in Rochester.
Cell phones are great to call for help or just to let someone know that the trip took a little longer than expected, but don’t rely on them. Even if my brother had called earlier, how is someone going to find you, if you don’t know where you are? And if your GPS can’t get a satellite signal, what are the chances that your cell phone can get coverage? It’s great to laugh about these experiences after they happen, but let me tell you, I was getting very tired, thirsty, and scared for awhile in there. Even if I was in Rochester!
I learned a lot on this little adventure. The cache we found, by the way, was Heron Bay. Its not the only cache in that area but it is a hybrid cache which means that it is a letterbox and a geocache. The difference between the two is that one uses a GPS and contains trade items while the other uses written clues and a stamp image for exchange. Letterboxing is also a worthwhile pastime if you’d rather not invest in a GPS and all you need is a logbook of your own and a personal rubber stamp. To find out more about letterboxing, go to www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com.
So if you’re up for a caching adventure, go find Heron Bay in Rochester, NY. Just be sure to take your bug spray, water bottle, and hat. Remember to mark your car and if you can find a trail map of the system, it would be invaluable. Geocaching is a great hobby and it gives you life experiences that can’t be matched.
