Geocaching Tips - Finding the Illusive Cache
Hints for Locating That Pesky DNF Geocache
Oct 18, 2008
The growing hobby/sport/game of geocaching, which involves hunting (and hopefully finding) hidden treasure with the aid of a GPS device, has a built in frustration factor. The inability to always find those well-hidden, trickier caches is inevitable, but with experience comes a greater degree of success.
Every geocacher is familiar with that sinking, frustrating feeling of having to log a "DNF". In the world of geocaching, a "Did Not Find" must be logged on the geocaching.com website right alongside those victorious "Found It!" finds. The fact that DNF's are accompanied by a "frowny face" doesn't help matters. Here are some tips to help geocachers find more of those illusive caches and rid the world of frowns.
Some of these tips are more obvious than others, but they bear repeating if they'll save a second trip down the trail.
Before Going: Scour the Geocaching.com Logs
Getting into the habit of carefully studying each cache log may seem obvious, but those logs often reveal the sentiments of frustrated cachers who wish they had noticed, for instance, that the six previous cachers found the hide 65 feet from the posted coordinates. In other words, the logs contain all variety of hints and help from each previous visitor.
This is particularly important if you do not have access to the actual log (via a cell phone or other portable device) while out geocaching. A close study of the log needn't be time consuming, especially if the cacher has a routine of noting the important points like cache size, container type, difficulty and undecoded hint (for later decoding, if necessary).
At the Cache Site: Become the Gopher!
At many (if not most) cache sites, there is a spot that seems to be the obvious hiding spot for a geocache, like a hollow tree trunk or stump. This can be part of the problem if the cacher remains convinced that the hidden treasure simply must be residing within, if only he or she searches for the fifth time! Many are the stories --as seen in the logs-- of hourlong searches of a stump while the cache hung at eye level 5 feet away.
The fact is, the more experienced, wily ol' cache hiders will choose just such a location precisely for this diversion. Keep that in mind. If an obvious spot has been checked twice, it's time to take a new tact: think like the hider. As Carl the groundskeeper said, "You have to think like the gopher, you have to act like the gopher, you have to become the gopher." Take a fresh look at the entire site with new eyes, trying to think like a tricky hider.
At the Cache Site: "Do the Circle"
If ground zero (the posted coordinates spot) has been thoroughly checked, another tactic is to "do the circle". Take 10-15 steps (20-30 feet) out in any direction from ground zero and begin a slow circle inward, searching everything in your path. If more than one cacher is present, go out in opposite directions and circle inward toward each other. Each cacher will have a different angle from which to see, and each inch will be searched twice.
Geocaching in small groups not only increases your "luck", it's fun. Bringing a friend who's new to the hobby is likely to hook a new geocacher. Further, there are no better treasure finders than kids, and few better outdoor family activities than geocaching.
Have fun finding those illusive caches and, as always : Cache In, Trash Out !
 |
 |
