Anyone else into Geocaching?

Other than Oyjord (see http://www.hpcfactor.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=667&posts=1), is anyone else into Geocaching? I was once looking for a GPSr to plug into my J720 to use, but decided to go with a Garmin eTrex Vista--a more appropriate tool for such a rugged sport. Still, there are functions the J720 can perform, like storing information. There are a handful of programs one can use to assist the geocacher, and I was wondering if any HPCers had geocaching experience.

If you have no clue what I'm talking about, and are still curious, check out http://www.geocaching.com and poke around the FAQ. I'm a newbie to the sport, but if I can answer any questions, I will.

Fellow 'cachers: you can find me on the boards/logs with the same nick as to the left.

(Edit: added geocaching website link)

Edited by KBoyKool 2005-07-12 6:49 PM

I do a little geocaching now and then. Started about nine months ago and logged some 70 finds since. Quite an interesting way to lure computer geeks like me out into nature - just give them a reason to go there and take their geek stuff with them .

Most of the time, however, I don't take one of my hpc's out, but a 'HTC Magican' pocketpc smartphone instead. Its 320x240 screen is big enough to display maps (OziExplorer), cache descriptions (which I copy-paste at home to a text file) and spoiler pictures. When searching for a multi cache with several stages to visit and some mathematics to do before one gets the final coordinates, I usually prepare an excel sheet and simply fill in the numbers on the way. Since the 'Magican' is a GPRS powered smartphone I sometimes even take the chance to go online and read recent log entries when standing stumped in the middle of nowhere.
GPS is either a Garmin eTrex Venture or a cheap Taiwanese model named 'Fortuna GPSmart', the only GPS handheld device I know of with both its own display for basic navigation and a bluetooth port instead of serial or usb cables. Bad luck neither Garmin nor Magellan have anything similar available, cable connections are a little obstructive out in the woods.

Ahh, good to see I'm not the only one enjoying both of these pastimes. Has geocaching caught on in Europe to the degree it has, stateside?

I cannot compare, I don't know what it is like in US . To give you an impression: I'm not yet willing to sit in my car for hours to reach an interesting cache location. It's not yet necessary either. I've found about 70 caches till now, none of them more than 30 kilometers from my home. And there are at least another 70 in this area I haven't searched yet. I'm updating my waypoint files for this region once per week and I get an average of three, maybe four new caches with each update. So yes, geocaching is quite vivid here, I'd say .

one of my friends is crazy about geocaching we live in hungary

Well, I'm glad I read this thread. GC looks like a riot! I always wondered what is was about.
Unfortunately, I'm not mobile enough to do the hiking and whatnot. The best I could do is overfly the cache and make note of it, hardly in the spirit of the game.

Such a shame, there are caches near me I would love to visit. Mumford mine cache looks really interesting as I''m a former explorer of abandoned hard-rock mining districts.

The nice thing about geocaching is that it is available for all levels of mobility. There is a terrain and difficulty level rating, noted as T/D. If I remember correctly, terrain level 1 by definition is wheelchair accessible. Difficulty refers to the challenge of the find. There is even a site linked from geocaching.com that identifies the caches that are wheelchair accessible. This is especially useful, as cache-hiders are responsible for their own ratings and may not follow the guidelines. Thus, those with limited mobility--even wheelchair-bound--are able to join in the fun. I hope you can find this information useful. If you have any questions, drop them here or email me.

Thanks,

Hey, that sheds new light on things. I'll look again for caches in my area that are more easily accessible. Problem is, north of me gets a little rugged, (canadian sheild) and south of me is to be avoided at all costs, being the city of Toronto. TO supposedly has the worst traffic of any NA city, even topping LA for gridlock.

uh maybe i'll have a closer look at this... i always liked the idea...