Geocaching  |
Purpose |
A great way to get out and see places you otherwise wouldn't |
| Design |
Tech meets nature |
This summer I got a GPS receiver so that I could measure distance on runs and bike rides. As soon as I started using it, I relised that the possibilities for these things is quite limitless. How cool is it to have a device the size of a cellphone that will tell youexactly where you are located on the earth? A few days later I discovered geocaching. I had been hearing about it for years, but didn't realize how popular it had become. A few cahces later I was hooked.
This page is intended to give a short introduction to geocaching, and give some suggestions on how to manage cache locations using the various software optins available. This is how I do things. It is not intended to cover all possibilities.
GPS Receivers
I use the Garmin eTrex Legend. The etrex line is quite small, and quite rugged. The Legend has basic mapping capability, so you can download maps to it and see your tracks as you hike, and all that fun stuff. The screen isn't big enough to use very easily while driving or anything like that, but it is good enough for hiking. I got mine from amazon.com, and paid about $150 for it. Be sure to get the data cable with it. If you can spend a little more money, the eTrex Vista adds a built-in magnetic compass and barometric altimiter, which will allow you to take a bearing while standing still, and measure altitude more accurately. The Vista will also create an elevation map of a trip, which would be nice for things like road cycling. I think the Vista is about $80 more than the Legend. If you are ona limited budget, you could also look at the less expensive eTrexes, which don;t have mapping, but should be fine for geocaching. They still give you the screen that shows the distance and bearing to the cache, which is the mode I prefer to leave my GPS in for most geocaching situations. The map is nice though, when you need to tell whether there is a canyon or something between you and the cache, or if you are caching by car and need to navigate streets.
Software
There does not appear to be a single application that does everything a geocacher needs. I use a combinatioin of tools: geocaching.com, the Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK), and Garmin Mapsource.
geocaching.com is the largest (but not only) database of geocache locations. This is where you find the cache locations in your area. geocaching.com allows you to download search results to your computer in a format they call .loc. As a starting point, I would suggest creating an account and entereing your home coordinates. Then you can do a search for all of the caches near you. Go through the search results screen by screen selecting all of them and downloading the .loc file to your computer. Be sure to name each file differently so you don't overwrite any of them.
Once you have a list of caches on your computer, you need to put them into your GPS. To do this, get the Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK) and install it. Then you can import the list of locations in the .loc files. Most importantly, GSAK will allow you to save the locations to your GPS. Just plug it in, select the autodetect function, and download the coordinates to your GPS.
Garmin Mapsource is the software that provides maps other than what is pre-loaded in your GPS. Even if you don't have a mapping GPS, this software is nice because it provides a way to visualize maps, geocache locations, and tracks. Mapsource does not allow you to open the .loc files you got from geocaching.com directly, so to have these caches show up on the maps it provides, you need to download them to your GPS with GSAK (or something else, but GSAK is my favorite) and then upload the locations from the GPS to Mapsource. Clunky, but it works.
Other miscellaneous equipment
A buddy. It is always best to go out with someone else. When it comes to finding caches, two heads are beter than one, and in case of emergencies you have someone to either help or get help.
A Cellphone. In case of emergencies of course, and also so that you can call to tell people if you are going to be late. You told someone where you were going, and when to expect you back right? Always a good idea.
A Backpack. A mid sized daypack is essential for carrying enough stuff for a potentially day long outing. I like hydration packs because you are going to need to carry water, and they are so much more comfortable than having a 1 liter Nalgene bottle bouncing against your spine :) I use a Camelbak Hawg Military model. It carries 3 liters of water, and has lots nice features like and insulated reservoir, map pocket, and lots of external lashing points for carrying things like bulky ammo boxes for placing your own caches.
Maps. Most of the geocaching in my area is in a non-urban environment. Topo maps are a great way to see where a cache is, and how best to get to it. It can be very frustration to hike for hours to find that you are seperated from a cache by a cliff, canyon, river, or private property. A good map of the area should keep you out of these situations. In an urban environment, a map is even more essential since you probably can't just take a bearing and start walking straight towards a cache :)
Essential environmental gear. This is the stuff you need just to go outside for an extended period of time. In some places this might include bug spray and raingear, but in New Mexico it is usually a hat and sunscreen. Whatever this equipment is, just put it in your pack and leave it there so you don;t walk out of the house without it.
Flashlight. Chances are, if you hike enough you will eventually get caught out in the dark. I would recommend using a flashlight that uses the same batteris as your GPS so any of the batteries can be spares for eachother. A headlamp is also a very convenient option.
Radios. If you cache in groups, FRS/GMRS radios can be very useful. Spliting up and searching a large area is much better done when you can talk to the other people in your party, and radios work better than cellphones in areas without coverage or when you will be talking off and on for hours. Even if you are alone, a radio could possibly reach people in emergencies where a cellphone could not. Geocaching.com mentions somewhere in thier FAQ that the "official" geocaching channel is channel 2, so perhaps you will be able to hear other people geocaching around you. Since geocaching attracts the geeks among us, there are quite a few geocachers who use ham radio to communicate. A portable 2 meter ham radio would certainly outperform an FRS radio.
Food. I like to carry a couple Cliff Bars or Odwalla bars (mmm... superfood...) or something even on short hikes. For long hikes I like to get a baguette and some nice cheese and an apple or something. Break off a hunk of bread and a hunk of cheese and munch as you hike. Makes you feel like you are in the Alps. A half liter Nalgene bottle of red wine is awfully nice for mountaintop picnics too. I also like to take along cans of Fruit juice or nectar, especially the Mexican brands like Jumex and Sonrisa. Much better than a candy bar for dessert :)
Benchmarking
One overlooked aspect of geocaching is the list of benchmarks available on geocaching.com. Benchmarks are survey markers placed by the United States Geographic Survey (UGS) in a nationwide surveying effort. The benchmarks I have seen are typically small brass disks set into rocks, possibly in groups of 2 or 3 marks 20 or 30 feet apart. They are typically placed in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and are usually still there, although they can be very difficult to find. I think finding benchmarks is in some ways more exciting than finding geocaches because they might not even still exist, and it is awfully cool to find something that was places in the 30s and perhaps has not been seen since then. Plus you are doing you rpart to verify the existence of these markers, and in some cases can even submit a report to the UGS to let them know that thier mark is intact.
