Apr 21st, 2008
Geographically Speaking Again
Recently my buddy (wilsontribe) and I headed out geocaching once again — the eternal quest to not get lost looking for hidden objects.
Although we did only hit two caches, I did snag my first geocoin (see picture). Geocoins are cool and come in all different designs. This particular one, the redhanded geocoin, has a couple goals: travel to all 50 states, all countries and continents and then return to the US.
After looking at the travel log of this coin I see that it has traveled a total of 77 miles between Utah County and Salt Lake County. So, for my part, I will be taking this coin back east with me in a few weeks to plant it in a cache beyond the Utah state line.
Our second cache was a virtual cache. This is usually a non-traditional cache that has some sort of historical significance or is designed to educate. This one was a memorial to a fallen Utah Highway Patrol Agent. Interesting, but I have to admit, not as fun as finding a little box hidden with trinkets or goodies in it.
Although my second geocaching trip didn’t prove quite as fruitful on the cache side I did learn some valuable lessons about going geocaching and how to make the most of the outing.
So, as a beginner, here’re my 6 tips to get ready for a simple geocaching trip:
- Decide ahead of time the area you want to geocache in.
- Download the cache waypoints and then upload them into your GPS.
- Review the map and choose a couple waypoints as starting points.
- Review or print off the hints for starting waypoints.
- Charge your GPS receiver.
- Be sure to take water and snacks, if needed.
Doing these beforehand could save you an hour or two before you get going, or, in other words, you could find a handful of caches or just two!
