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What is Geocaching?

Submitted by King Boreas aka Ian on
Forums
All About Geocaching

Flash Intro-"Geocaching" 
6 minute Movie-"Searching for a cache" 
Basic Info

 

  • Buy or borrow a Global Positioning System receiver. A basic unit is the Garmin eTrex GPS or Magellan GPS 315. Both cost about $100 and can be found at stores such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy or online at http://www.amazon.com
  • Find a cache near you at <http://www.geocaching.com> Enter a ZIP code and the site will list nearby caches. Select a cache, such as "Geocache by Ray" or "Arboretum One" and click on its "details" button. Write down the cache's coordinates and print out the description. Use the online mapping site link at the bottom of the page to get driving directions to the location.
  • While still at home, enter into your GPS receiver the coordinates of the cache as they are listed on the Web site. Coordinates -- such as N 39 degrees 24.661; W degrees 094 14.86 -- describe the latitude and longitude of the site.
  • Follow the driving directions until you can drive no closer to the cache and park your car. Follow the arrow on your GPS receiver as it leads you to the cache. Be aware that heavy tree cover can block the GPS signal. Once you leave your car, it could take anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes to find the cache.
  • The GPS signal will fluctuate once you are within 100 feet of the cache, so from that point on, you're on your own. Check around stumps and under rock and leaf piles. Remember that almost all caches are placed above ground, so no digging!
  • Congratulations! You've found the cache. Take an item, leave an item and record your experience in the logbook. Reseal the cache and put it back exactly the way you found it.

  • When you get home, e-mail the person who hid the cache and let him know you found it. Also, post a description of your experience on the cache's online page at <http://www.geocaching.com> 
     Have Fun !

    GPS info ... Minnesota Geocaching Association ... Geocaching videos 

    Attachment:etrex.jpg

 

me2

that is extremely COOL that that man left his empty pack and played the game and left a "story"

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 8:22 AM Permalink
Clue Master

That looked like a good time. I like trying to guess on who is who.
Here's KC and myself looking in the wrong spot high atop Crosby last Sunday.

Attachment
Geocaching-1-11-04-CM-KC.jpg
Thu, 01/15/2004 - 10:56 AM Permalink
KC0GRN

Cool CM, that's a great shot. One thing I did like was all the limestone ledges up there, and that big ledge that had caved in on the other side of where we were standing there.

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 11:07 AM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

If you get down to the Ice Palace, can you get me coordinates? I just beggedfor approval on a virtual, but my coordinates are in the middle of 7th Street. I don't know if it'll be approved, but better coordinates will help.

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 1:07 PM Permalink
Clue Master

10-4

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 1:08 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

I went back to Crosby to pick up the Boreas medallion. Didn't take my GPSr, because I just hid it, right? Ha. I looked all over, then decided I was on the wrong hill. Checked out another one, then went back and found it. GEESH

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 1:09 PM Permalink
Clue Master

LOL! I love it! That makes me feel much better. hehe

That's where we were the majority of the time too.

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 1:10 PM Permalink
KC0GRN

Hahahahaha, that's great Ian!

See CM, we knew it was too tough, Ian just proved it ;)

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 1:29 PM Permalink
me2

I went back to Crosby to pick up the Boreas medallion

maybe if we talk about the Boreas medallion at Crosby throughout the treasure hunt it will make people think it's the pp medallion that is hiding there. oooooops :)

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 8:58 PM Permalink
KC0GRN

haha me2

I got another extra one, maybe we should have some fun and hide it out in a park ;)

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 10:39 PM Permalink
me2

I saw the webcam tonight and the palace was all washed out by the bright lights you couldnt even see what they were doing - how has this effected the 'flip book' KC?

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 11:03 PM Permalink
KC0GRN

oh you can still see stuff, obviously it's better in the daytime, but it still works overall. A compressed version for the web might not be practicalwith the night stuff, but the video CD should still turn out fine.

Thu, 01/15/2004 - 11:08 PM Permalink
me2

thanks for the info Ian - I almost showed up at BW3's but the less I am out before the hunt the better for my ....husband :)

Fri, 01/16/2004 - 7:55 AM Permalink
Clue Master

Hey Ian, why are the coordinates different from the cache page compared to the map page for that particular cache? Which one is correct?

Sat, 01/17/2004 - 12:25 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

the coordinates on the cache page are correct

mapquest uses a different system of coordinates. they're both "correct"

Sat, 01/17/2004 - 2:33 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Well the coordinates for this one was right anyway.

Oh and I got those coordinates for the Ice Palace. See if they're close to yours. I took them at the corner.
N44 56.743
W93 06.098

Where did you take yours?

Attachment
Half-Way.jpg
Sat, 01/17/2004 - 6:51 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

N44 56.654
W93 06.181

I was on 7th street turning right onto Kellogg.

Thanks. It hasn't been denied yet, but it also hasn't been approved.

Sat, 01/17/2004 - 7:23 PM Permalink
KC0GRN

cool CM, so your GPS is pretty accurate

Sat, 01/17/2004 - 8:29 PM Permalink
KC0GRN

BTW I have to get to that site sometime

Sat, 01/17/2004 - 8:29 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Does this look right?

Yup

Nice avatar too Ian.

Sun, 01/18/2004 - 2:06 AM Permalink
me2

would the coordinates be slightly different if you placed the GPS on the middle of the 45th parallel sign instead of the upper left corner? ;p

Sun, 01/18/2004 - 9:27 AM Permalink
Clue Master

Surprisingly they were different

Sun, 01/18/2004 - 9:50 AM Permalink
KC0GRN

Thanks Ian, first find on my own, even found it without a GPS (although a GPS woulda made the search a bit faster, I spent an hour or so out there, then again, first find witn Clue Master probably took that long).

Was a bit cold out, but I was able to test all my winter garb for the hunt, looks like unless we get much colder days, I'll be plenty warm out there.

Attachment
boreasrexII.JPG
Sun, 01/18/2004 - 8:21 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Good Jorb KC!!! Congratulations!

Sun, 01/18/2004 - 9:31 PM Permalink
KC0GRN

thanks ;) btw I don't think you've been to that one yet, might wanna check it out, it's not too bad a one to get to, not too much searchin if you had a GPS

Sun, 01/18/2004 - 9:58 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

J T (KCOQEG) sent me e-mail, and was pretty amazed you found it without "electronic help"

Congratulations

Sun, 01/18/2004 - 10:27 PM Permalink
Clue Master

Who are those 3 clowns in your avatar anyway Ian?

I like your new tag too.

Was that cam-cache approved yet? It looks like it'll be better with that Strib-cam. Too bad they don't auto-refresh just one picture.

KC - That's one way of keeping people like us from DLing each shot, just rotate the shot itself between a few cameras. That's what they did for this Times Square cam that I wanted to capture.

Sun, 01/18/2004 - 10:56 PM Permalink
KC0GRN

I don't think J T was the only one that was amazed ;) I was fairly amazed myself, I had just about given up when I was walking back and figured I'd check this one last place.

Does the Strib-cam have a shot from the front of the Palace? I noticed that was much higher res, might be able to actually see myself in that one, if I can get the timing just right.

Mon, 01/19/2004 - 7:34 AM Permalink
Clue Master

Tan arrows are sightings of naked geocachers.

hehe

Wow, at least now I have an example to give to my wife when she says that I have no life. ;-)

Mon, 01/19/2004 - 9:06 AM Permalink
KC0GRN

I think the Strib cam would be a cool one for the webcam geocache, the timing would be a bit of a pain though, way better resolution though.

I'm still tryin to get one of me on the PP one, seein as I'm usin that fort the video

Mon, 01/19/2004 - 9:23 AM Permalink
Scribe

Ian "After the event you can change it to a *find* " what does that mean?

Fri, 01/23/2004 - 9:03 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

You post a note now saying that you're going. Then you can edit it later saying you went. It's the same as *finding* a cache.

Fri, 01/23/2004 - 9:35 PM Permalink
Scribe

What do you get if you find a cache? Honor?:)

Fri, 01/23/2004 - 9:38 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

yeah, 1 point !

Fri, 01/23/2004 - 9:40 PM Permalink
Scribe

Thats a 100% increase! COOLER!

Fri, 01/23/2004 - 9:42 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

I have a trinket for you tomorrow

Fri, 01/23/2004 - 9:44 PM Permalink
Scribe

COOL Ian...I wish I had something that you didn't already have to give to you..you should send me a wish list! I'll be wearing my Vulc coat and Vulan medal tomorrow.:)

Fri, 01/23/2004 - 9:49 PM Permalink
King Boreas aka Ian

OMG

Look at the end numbers of those two links: In one year 60,000 new caches were placed !

Sun, 01/25/2004 - 8:34 PM Permalink
Centris

Good grief it has been a long time since I was on here.... I was looking for the fireproof room, but I got lost along the way ;)

I had a rant all prepared about a specific idiot who wants every cache archived in a certain park in Coon Rapids.
I have some new ammo cans -- I might just go put ANOTHER one over there this week just to piss him off. grrrrrrrrr.....

Sun, 01/25/2004 - 10:38 PM Permalink
Centris

Wait..... mostly I was checking to make sure there are no photos of me being posted here.... (grin) If you were going to put them anywhere, this would be it... eh?

So Ian??? Are you going to do CAG's cache??
Let me know if you need a photographer along --- (kidding - I might go blind)

Sun, 01/25/2004 - 10:39 PM Permalink