Getting The Upper Hand!

The Cache page offers a wealth of information. (click to enlarge).

Have you ever wanted to get the upper hand in certain situations? Perhaps you are playing a game and losing terribly. You sit there and desperately try to find a way to get the upper hand. As a child, I was always trying to get the upper hand when I played a game of chess with my older brother. I succeeded only once in all my attempts and I suspect he may have let me win. I have witnessed it with my own kids. When playing games with them, they were always trying to get the upper hand. You might be asking what this has to do with geocaching. Well, have you often looked at veteran geocachers and wondered how they are able to find caches quicker than you and have found caches that you were not able to find? Well, there is a way for you to get the upper hand, so to speak, and it is all contained on the cache page. Many geocachers do not pay enough attention to everything that is provided on the cache page. While paying more attention to all of its information might not give you the actual upper hand, it should make you a better geocacher.

The following sections of the cache page deserve more scrutiny as they contain a wealth of information:

• Cache Name – You can often get a clue from the name of the cache. If you see a word in the name that is completely capitalized, it is a good bet that that word is a clue. One example of this is one of our own caches called
• Cache Hider – Sometimes, certain cachers have patterns to how thay hide their caches. Knowing this could give you an idea how to find the cache.
• Hide Date – When was the cache hidden? Much older caches probably have less accurate coordinates so you may want to expand your search a little.
• Difficulty Rating – If you can’t find a cache, check its difficulty rating. A rating of 1 probably means the cache isn’t here. If it is rated a 5, then it is a very tough hide.
• Terrain Rating – A terrain rating of 1 indicates that wheelchairs can get to it. A rating of 5 indicates extreme hiking or special equipment required.
• Related Web Page – Sometimes, the cache owner posts a hyperlink to a related webpage. Check it out as there might be some useful information there.
• The Attributes – Attributes are very important. You may not be finding a cache but the attributes may be telling you that the cache isn’t available 24/7.
• Personal Cache Notes – Might contain some valuable info.
• Inventory – If a cache has some inventory listed, then it is big enough to hold that inventory. The inventory will help alert you to its probable size.
• Maps – Satellite view is extremely helpful. On one particular cache, I kept going to the area and the GPSr told me the cache was inside a private parking garage that was gated. When I looked at the satellite view, I discovered the entire structure was a parking garage and that the cache was on the open, top floor and could easily be accessed.
• Logged Visits – A cache with a lot of consecutive DNFs likely isn’t there anymore. Also, many cachers record certain details such as a place being very wet and needing rubber boots.

As you can see, the cache page offers a wealth of valuable information. Taking a few minutes to look at them can save you from wasting countless minutes hunting for a cache that isn’t there. Give it a try! It will definitely give you the upper hand!

What is your story? How has something on the cache page helped you avoid countless minutes searching for a cache without success. Tell us by leaving a comment below. We would love to hear from you!

Happy Caching!!!

Frank (Jewel)

Caching Three Stars – April, 2013

Wow! It is been a fairly busy month, both on the personal front and the geocaching front. We were able to find 39 caches this month which is amazing! I have been so busy with work and family that there was little time for caching. Work, however, brought me to beautiful and historic Quebec City for five days to get some needed training. While there, I found 22 caches. Because of how beautiful Quebec City is, my three stars this month come from there.

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Château en vue (Castle view)

The Chateau Frontenac as seen from the cache.

One of the many sights that I planned to visit as soon as I found out I was going to Quebec City was the famous Chateau Frontenac. Lucky for me, LesMarcheurs.com placed a cache very near the Chateau! The cache was aptly called Château en vue (Castle view) (GC46BZ4).. It was located in a very busy spot filled with shops, restaurants and MUGGLES!!! It was easy to find the cache but took awhile to retrieve and even longer to replace. I managed to leave a couple of travel bugs in the cache and then sat and enjoyed both the view and the atmosphere. This cache, by far, was my favorite of the month!

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Oeuvres d’art de la St-Charles

The Wherigo cache takes you around this beautiful trail!

In my couple years of caching, I have found many types of caches. I have found traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual, earth, letterbox and event caches. There have been a few, however, that still manage to elude me. I haven’t been able to attend any mega-events and I haven’t been able to participate in any Wherigo caches…until now! What is a Wherigo cache, you ask. Well, it is sort of a multicache with one main difference. With a multicache, you must find a stage and then input the coordinates contained in that stage in order to find the next stage. With a Wherigo cache, you download a cartridge to your Garmin Oregon or Montana GPSr, or your smartphone, and everything you need is there. You must navigate to each of the stages and, as you near each one, the cache is automatically tick off as completed. As soon as you find the last point, you are given the coordinates to the final cache. As soon as I noticed this cache on the map of Quebec City, I had to try it. I had to use my Android smartphone with the WhereYouGo app installed in order to complete it. Finding all of the stages took me on a 4km hike around a river in the Victoria Park area of Quebec City. The cache is called Oeuvres d’art de la St-Charles (GC38RZA) and was placed by Zubulus. It was a great change of pace and allowed me to find yet another cache type. It was also fun to do! For that reason, it earns the Second Star for the month. Stay tuned as I am now in the process of creating one of these Wherigo caches near downtown St. John’s!

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Sous le manteau

The hint is written in the chair!

Our third star goes to another Quebec City cache that had a neat way of giving us the clue. The cache was placed by rigue and was called Sous le manteau (GC35PPN). The phrase “Sous le manteau” translates to “Under the cloak.” Therefore, when I arrived near ground zero, I immediately noticed a metal sculpture that resembled a cloak of some kind. I spent awhile looking for the cache there but the actual ground zero to me into the center of a bunch of stainless steel chairs, approximately 30 chairs. I looked at the hint again and began to wonder. Each chair had an inscription written on them that was a famous quote by a famous person. As I started reading them, I was very intrigued! It took me reading fifteen chairs before I seen a chair that started with the words “Sous le manteau.” It was a famous quote by Gilles Villaneuve, who was a famous Canadian Formula One race car driver who died in a car crash many years ago. I quickly found the cache after using a bit of stealth. I really enjoyed finding this cache and stayed for awhile and read all of the chairs.

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