10 Tips for the PowerCacher (reposted from April 20, 2009)

[This was written before my biggest day of power caching - on Sept.1, 2009 I found 71 caches while hiking the Dawson Trail in NB. Im currently writing something about that experience, and I came across this old piece while gathering info and thought id just repost it here so i have an archived copy on posterous.]

April 20, 2009

Even before I finished writing this shite, I regretted it. Used to happen to me quite often when writing for the paper. This whole article is boring, unfunny, self-important and not that helpful really. Certainly not inspiring. Which is my feeling about powercaching in general. And worse, while Id still feel the pull of big numbers, I find the whole process of finding that many boring caches quite disheartening. Ive set myself the goal of reaching 1,000 finds this year, but now I have no idea why. More about this is in a post soon.

Geocaching isn't about the numbers, people will say. And I mostly agree. But still there is something very addictive about the searching. As soon as you find one, you want to find another and another and it can be really hard to stop...

At first people are thrilled to find one or two. The next time they go out, they might be ecstatic to find four or five. And so it goes. Then you find a few PnGs (park and grabs), and the wheels in your head start turning. Finally you discover pocket queries (A database search at geocaching.com that lets you load the coordinates for 500 caches into your GPS with the click of a button). Next thing you are wondering just how many you can manage in a day...

I did a big car-based caching tour last week. There is a whole series along the backroads of East Hants called the OHBOY series: Old Highways and Backroads Of Yesteryear.

I was taking my son home from Dalhousie anyway and so we decided to make a day of it. My son drove and I hopped in and out of the car, jumped over ditches, splashed into swamps, scrambled over clear cuts and juanfalls, whacked through the roadside brush, peered under bridges, all the while searching for little camo'ed pieces of tupperware. And signed my name 40 times.

Here are the top ten lessons from my first 40-cache day:

10.) Car-based turbo caching might not be as relaxing as a walk in the park. If you are going for big numbers and want to maximize your use of available time, you will not be taking much time to smell the roses. Make sure the whole team agrees on the goals and the effort that will be necessary to attain those goals. Many roadside caches are boring and monotonous. Racking up big numbers in this manner is not for everyone.

9.) Plan the route to include coffee shops but also bring ample supplies of water, snacks and caffeine. Your route plan might well break down and good nutrition is important to maintaining concentration and energy levels over a long day in the outdoors.

8a.) Prepare a list of caches you intend to find. Pour over the maps the night before and write your list in the order that makes sense to go after them. Include driving directions in between the cache listings, if the driving is less than straight forward. The list is also a big help when it comes to keeping track of your finds and any notes about the caches (like maintenance issues or trades).

8b.) The list should include, at a minimum, the cache name, difficulty and terrain ratings, and the clue if you are a clue reader. (If you are going for big numbers, then you probably want to read the clues.)

7.) Provide each member of your team with a list so that the record keeping duties can be split. Eg, your driver can check off the find and write in the time as soon as he sees you have found the cache.

6.) More than one GPS is a big help even with only one searcher. In our case, my son would have been able to set the GPS for the next cache while I was searching. With several searchers, they could continually be leap-frogging caches. And in the case of tricky hides with poor reception, the more receivers the better...

5.) Keep your pen super accessible. If things go well, you'll be signing your name often and frequently. For example keep the writing stick on a lanyard around your neck or in a pocket protector. My approach: sliding the pen into my watch strap. Works wonderfully.

4.) Drive as close to the cache as possible and then dash for it. Don't however waste time backing up short distances, turning around or parking on the wrong side of the road. The driver should watch the searcher(s) to make sure the car is well-placed when they return. So if the cacher ends up way behind or in front of the car, the driver should adjust accordingly. The car should always be positioned so that it can drive forward once the cachers return.

3.) Your feet are going to get wet eventually. So don't waste time trying to keep them dry. Wear comfortable athletic supportive shoes with as much waterproofing as possible - shoes you wont mind walking in ditches and swamps with.

2.) Take breaks. Either build in beautiful or interesting caches (like an Earthcache at a bat cave) with the intention of taking it slow and enjoying yourselves, or plan eating/ resting breaks. Maintaining concentration will be challenging over a long hectic day. Clear minds are especially important considering that you will be jumping in and out of a vehicle on the side of roads and highways. Stay sharp. Plus it would be nice if you were able to remember at least one of the caches you visit.

1.) Turbo caching will never be as fun or rewarding as the caches that lead you to a beautiful spot you never knew existed, or a multi that challenges you physically and mentally, or as caches that you have to work away at, puzzling, climbing or otherwise striving. Quantity will never trump quality. It is fun, sure, to see how many you can get, but it will never be as fun as the really good caches.

I have no idea what the single day cache logging record is... I know a group of four who logged 83 in a day. I have seen forum posts where people are claiming 240, 260, 270 finds in a day... ridiculous... it would have to get boring - with the only interest residing in the numbers...

For me caching is about so much more... in an upcoming post...