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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Ashbourne, Derbyshire
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    Question How did you discover geocaching?

    How did you discover geocaching?

    I first heard about it is a my Corps Magazine (the Craftsman), they ran an article submitted by a minor unit in 7 Air Assault Bde. Basically it explained what geocaching was all about and what they were doing about promoting it to a wider audience including sending our some Bde flashes out attached to travel bugs to spread the word about who they are and what they do.

    As I have had a GPS for a while I thought I'd give it a go and after finding my first cache realised that it was a great idea for getting my two lads away from the Xbox and the rest is history. Since starting the hobby I have managed to get eight other members of my familly including my parents into geocaching. They love it as they are retired and have loads of time to get out and about.

    So over to you, what got you into it and how did you discover the activity?
    Last edited by studlyone; 31st October 2008 at 09:10 AM. Reason: Speeling
    "I Cache, therefore I am"

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    Stevenage, Herts
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    How did you discover geocaching?

    I looked up the coordinates on the web, bought myself a GPS, and there it was..........

    LiS

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jun 2003
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    Wiltshire
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    I noticed that one of my websites was getting visitors via a link from a site called geocaching.com. The term geocaching was new to me, but as I've had a lifelong interest in maps and navigation and such, and that name suggested it just might be related to that sort of thing in some way, I took a look... And what I discovered fascinated me - the next day I found my first cache! After six finds and one DNF, working only from a map and the hints, I decided it was time to buy a gps unit...!
    ​​Do not go gentle into that good night.
    Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (Dylan Thomas)​


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Jurassic coast
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    I was told about caching way back in 2001 by some American friends. At the time I never had a GPS and they were quite expensive so I decided not to bother investigating further. I then bought a Garmin Venture a few years later (I still have it and use it) and saw the Geocache Found/Unfound icons on it, remember the site and off I went.

    My first cache was a Hornet Holiday Hide! How things change!
    Cheers,
    Stuey
    ___________________________________________


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Nr Pershore, Worcs
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    We had a guy called Tim who was a techy for EDS, our site computer support people, who tried to get me interested in ’03, or there abouts, but I simply didn’t have the time to get involved then, unfortunately.

    Fast forward to February ’06 and a visit to the In-laws, It’s Spitting!, near Chorley. We were dragged out for a week-ends fun and the rest is history, we ordered a Legend GPSr that week from the USA and we’ve been quietly logging them ever since.

    I often wish I hadn’t lost contact with Tim. He was based in Cheltenham at that time, and if I remember correctly had hidden at least one cache in Gloucestershire. I’ve tried to work out which one it was, to no avail, but if any one remembers him or the cache it would be good to do the cache and get in touch with him again.

    H

  6. #6
    keehotee Guest

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    Nobby.Nobbs is firmly in the frame for my intro.......... and where is he now ???????


    LOL (hello Matt!!!)

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Leicestershire
    Posts
    18

    Default How I got into Caching.

    I work at a Big Gardens open to the public, and whilst picking up litter one day (August) we found a small plastic box full of bits... looked at the website written rather scruffily inside and discovered a whole now world. :socool:

    (Did replace box and am now it's caretaker)

    33 caches found to date, am about to place my 1st cache soon, and have just made a request to another cache owner to adopt his several in my area as most of his have been shut down by admin for non-maintenance.

    Expensive hobby from scratch though. h34r:

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jun 2003
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    Chippenham, Wiltshire
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill D (wwh) View Post
    I noticed that one of my websites was getting visitors via a link from a site called geocaching.com. The term geocaching was new to me, but as I've had a lifelong interest in maps and navigation and such, and that name suggested it just might be related to that sort of thing in some way, I took a look... And what I discovered fascinated me - the next day I found my first cache! After six finds and one DNF, working only from a map and the hints, I decided it was time to buy a gps unit...!
    Well, I had to link to some good information for my cache, didn't I?

    I started after reading a short description in a magazine in February 2001. I went to the website, found my nearest cache was 40 miles away "The First in Wales" and out of bounds due to Foot and Mouth.

    Forgot about it until August 2001 when I saw Moss Trooper's article in a computing mag. Went to find our second closest cache (35 miles away) and then the following day our closest cache (10 miles away).


    Caching since 2001
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  9. #9

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    Apr 2008
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    Longformacus
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    I'm a gadget head, so when arock&ahardplace asked me what I'd like for my birthday in May 2005, I said one of those GPS things. Not really knowing how to use it, I looked on the net for advice, and found geocaching!

    Our first cache find was almost our last, though?
    While looking for one of the boxes at Roolku's "Craigmillar's one of four" multi-cache, we happened upon a cache of firearms and spent several hours with the police while they recovered them.

    But, we just kept going, and were soon hooked.
    I'm just going outside, and may be some time!

    www.jacobitecaching.co.uk

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    10

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    Mr TC had bought a yellow etrex on holiday in Florida in 1999 ("of course I'll use it..." ) so when I read the infamous Moss Trooper article in Computeractive thought "oh thats something we can do with that yellow gizmo thats been in the back of the drawer for the past 2 years..." Checked out the site and the closest cache at the time was Scotlands First which with a couple of small kids and not much hillwalking experience just wasnt going to happen so we forgot all about it.

    In May 2004 we saw an article on caching in our local newspaper (Dundee Courier) so had another look and saw that there was now a cache a couple of miles out the road at a castle we have always wanted to stop off at so with the thought that ""we can really do something with that yellow gizmo thats been in the back of the drawer for the past 5 years..." we were out the the next day. Cleared all the Angus caches (OK one) on that first day then the next day we drove over to Fife and cleared half of them!

    Have never looked back since. A couple of weeks ago we adopted the cache that started us off
    Last edited by team clova; 17th October 2008 at 10:34 AM.

  11. #11

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    May 2008
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    County Durham
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    Whilst living in Larkhill, Salisbury we took the kids out for a snowy walk to Stonehemge. On the way there we were playing hide and seek when one of the kids shouted that he had found a treasure chest!!!!!! Upon looking inside we found some goodies, a logbook and some instructions. From that day on we were hooked and have never looked back
    There is NO job in the Field Artillery for the weak, the timid or the indecisive...........

  12. #12

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    Acomb, York, North Yorkshire
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    I read a poster in blacks that mentioned Sat Nav's for Caching.

    When I got home I enter "geocaching" in google and couldn't believe what I was reading.

    I set out for a cache that was 400 yards from my house and my first trip resulted in a DNF.

    However after thinking about it a while I went back out and have never looked backed since.

  13. #13

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    Essex
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    I was visiting a friend of mine in Wales (the world famous SatelliteKid!), and he said he'd come and visit me where I was staying, come up early and get some caching in.

    I googled it, looked vaguely interesting, so I asked him about it when we met up. Without any further ado, he shoved his gpsr into my hand and off we went to 'The Devil's Congregation - Tintern', one of the Blorenges' caches.

    And that was it, I haven't looked back since!

  14. #14

    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by geotrowel View Post
    I was visiting a friend of mine in Wales (the world famous SatelliteKid!), and he said he'd come and visit me where I was staying, come up early and get some caching in.

    I googled it, looked vaguely interesting, so I asked him about it when we met up. Without any further ado, he shoved his gpsr into my hand and off we went to 'The Devil's Congregation - Tintern', one of the Blorenges' caches.

    And that was it, I haven't looked back since!
    I knew I knew your name from somewhere!

    But I have to say, if you associate with Satellite Kid there's just no hope for you ... I've just found the log that he put on that cache on that day - At least the events as recorded by him didn't put you off caching for ever!
    Last edited by Mrs Blorenge; 12th November 2008 at 12:29 AM. Reason: To give a typical example of one of S'kid's logs.

  15. #15

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    Apr 2008
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    Leeds & York
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    Mine is fairly mundane. Had a life long interest (ie, fascination) with maps, found Teasels web site, saw something called a 'cache' near the trig points... and the rest, as they say, is history.
    Last edited by dannable; 12th November 2008 at 12:49 AM. Reason: Can't spell.

  16. #16

    Join Date
    Apr 2004
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    Shropshire
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    Mark used to read the blog of whil wheaton and he is / was a geo cacher and he linked to the GSP site. I followed the link and thought thats interesting. The family were going walking most weekends for excercise so we went and sought one of our nearer caches (30miles) and found it without the GPS. We then found a second one again no gps.

    We went on holiday with some print outs but could not find the caches with OS map, compass etc alone so we stopped.

    A year later Lynn did a leran direct course which offered a free GPS if she passed.

    Certainly made it easier to find em after that.
    "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning."

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