How to Go Geocaching - wikiHow

Paul Gillin's personal annotations on this page

Pgillin bookmarked on 2008-12-27 geocaching reference

Some sound advice on the WikiHow entry on geocaching, particularly in the areas of safety and how not to get lost.

A common mistake by novices and young cachers is to "bee-line" for the cache, ignoring whatever obstacles may lay ahead. Geocaching teaches us the value of planning ones strategy and route. Use your eyes and ears and knowledge of the area to stay on roads, trails, and footpaths for as long as possible, even if this means you may be heading away from the cache for a brief period of time. Even experienced cachers find themselves traveling many miles only to find themselves on the wrong side of a ravine or river.
It is possible to triangulate the position of the cache. From 100 feet away, follow the arrow on your GPS towards the cache. Repeat twice walking from a different directions. Where these three paths meet, hopefully one point, should be the cache location. This technique usually gets you within a step or two of the actual cache so if it is hidden well you know where to concentrate your search. If you choose to hide a cache, you should use this technique to get the best coordinates for your cache.
Minimize environmental impact by sticking to trails for as long as possible, and follow CITO. Cache In, Trash Out simply means that you pick up garbage on the way out to keep geocaching's impact on the environment positive. Often, you will find an official CITO bag inside of a cache, but you should bring along your own plastic bag as well.
- Common acronyms for logbooks and your online log:
  TNLN - Took Nothing, Left Nothing
  TFTH - Thanks For The Hike
  TFTC - Thanks for the Cache
  SL - Signed Logbook.
- Wearing Jeans: Jeans are strongly discouraged as they "wick" moisture from the pant legs, take forever to dry, and do not keep you warm.
- Many people underestimate on how muddy (or at least wet) their feet are going to get, so wear a good pair of outdoor hiking boots. A pair of extra socks doesn't take up much space and can go a long way in case your feet get wet.
- Planning for the cold and rain: Remember to protect your extremities first in colder conditions (i.e.: your feet by wearing wool or fleece socks, your hands by bringing a pair of good gloves or mitts, your ears and head by bringing an warm toque). Dressing in layers is best so that you can plan for changing conditions.
- Planning for the sun and UV: Even if it isn't sunny out, UV rays are burning your skin. Geocaching is a lot of fun and 30 minutes of exposure to the sun can feel like 5, so wear a hat and apply sunscreen.
Before you leave to go geocaching, tell somebody where you're going and when you expect to be back. It may be helpful to leave a copy of the cache details with them. In case you get lost, this individual will have specific coordinates to help in a search effort.
Once you are forced to leave an area you are familiar with and venture into the woods, create another waypoint. If worse comes to worst and you get disoriented or lost, you can always navigate back to this waypoint.
In this era of heightened security you need to consider the environment when you plan your cache placement. For example you should not hide containers near areas or buildings that may be considered terrorist targets. If you cause an unintended bomb scare you could face fines, criminal charges, or will be required to pay restitution for public expenses.

This link has been bookmarked by 24 people . It was first bookmarked on 19 Oct 2006, by Quentin D'Souza.

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Paul Gillin
Some sound advice on the WikiHow entry on geocaching, particularly in the areas of safety and how not to get lost.

geocaching reference
- A common mistake by novices and young cachers is to "bee-line" for the cache, ignoring whatever obstacles may lay ahead. Geocaching teaches us the value of planning ones strategy and route. Use your eyes and ears and knowledge of the area to stay on roads, trails, and footpaths for as long as possible, even if this means you may be heading away from the cache for a brief period of time. Even experienced cachers find themselves traveling many miles only to find themselves on the wrong side of a ravine or river.
- It is possible to triangulate the position of the cache. From 100 feet away, follow the arrow on your GPS towards the cache. Repeat twice walking from a different directions. Where these three paths meet, hopefully one point, should be the cache location. This technique usually gets you within a step or two of the actual cache so if it is hidden well you know where to concentrate your search. If you choose to hide a cache, you should use this technique to get the best coordinates for your cache.
- 7 more annotations...
- - Minimize environmental impact by sticking to trails for as long as possible, and follow CITO. Cache In, Trash Out simply means that you pick up garbage on the way out to keep geocaching's impact on the environment positive. Often, you will find an official CITO bag inside of a cache, but you should bring along your own plastic bag as well.
  - Common acronyms for logbooks and your online log:
    TNLN - Took Nothing, Left Nothing
    TFTH - Thanks For The Hike
    TFTC - Thanks for the Cache
    SL - Signed Logbook.
  - Wearing Jeans: Jeans are strongly discouraged as they "wick" moisture from the pant legs, take forever to dry, and do not keep you warm.
    Many people underestimate on how muddy (or at least wet) their feet are going to get, so wear a good pair of outdoor hiking boots. A pair of extra socks doesn't take up much space and can go a long way in case your feet get wet.
  - Planning for the cold and rain: Remember to protect your extremities first in colder conditions (i.e.: your feet by wearing wool or fleece socks, your hands by bringing a pair of good gloves or mitts, your ears and head by bringing an warm toque). Dressing in layers is best so that you can plan for changing conditions.
    Planning for the sun and UV: Even if it isn't sunny out, UV rays are burning your skin. Geocaching is a lot of fun and 30 minutes of exposure to the sun can feel like 5, so wear a hat and apply sunscreen.
  - Before you leave to go geocaching, tell somebody where you're going and when you expect to be back. It may be helpful to leave a copy of the cache details with them. In case you get lost, this individual will have specific coordinates to help in a search effort.
  - Once you are forced to leave an area you are familiar with and venture into the woods, create another waypoint. If worse comes to worst and you get disoriented or lost, you can always navigate back to this waypoint.
  - In this era of heightened security you need to consider the environment when you plan your cache placement. For example you should not hide containers near areas or buildings that may be considered terrorist targets. If you cause an unintended bomb scare you could face fines, criminal charges, or will be required to pay restitution for public expenses.
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wikiHow article about How to Go Geocaching.

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Geocaching is an increasingly popular, inclusive, fun and healthy pastime for individuals of all ages. It is also great for groups like families, friends, classes and youth groups working as teams. The core of the sport consists of using a handheld GPS re

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