Few Things To Do To To Help Improve Your Odds Of Finding The GPS Cache

As you start looking around, you can do a few things to help improve your odds of finding the cache:

• Find out the maximum distance to the cache. Check the Estimated Position Error (EPE) to see how accurate your GPS receiver currently is, based on the satellite coverage. Remember: The bigger the number, the less accuracy. This helps you roughly determine how large your search area is. For example, if the EPE is 20 feet, your search area is a circle with a 40-foot diameter, with the center at the closest location that you can get to the cache waypoint.
• Follow a magnetic compass. When you’re within 30 feet of the waypoint and your GPS receiver is showing a consistent bearing to the cache (tree cover and poor satellite coverage can cause the distance and direction numbers to jump around), use a magnetic compass to guide yourself to the cache. As you slow down, unless your receiver has an electronic compass, the direction that your receiver shows to the waypoint becomes less precise, and you can easily veer off-course. Handheld magnetic compasses or electronic compasses built into the GPS unit don’t rely on satellite signals, and won’t have this problem.
• Think about the container. Knowing what kind of container the cache is stored in can be a big help in identifying and eliminating possible hiding spots. Sometimes the cache description lists the container type (ammo can, plastic ware, bucket, or whatever), which can narrow your search based on the container size and shape. For example, you shouldn’t be looking for an ammo can in a three-inch-wide crack in a rock.
• Think about the terrain. Look at the surrounding environment to get a general idea of where a cache might be hidden. What natural (or manmade) features make a good hiding place? Remember, unlike pirate booty hiding, geocaching has a rule against burying cache containers, so you shouldn’t be burrowing holes like a gopher.
• Split up the work. If you’re geocaching with other folks, assign areas for people to check. Although you don’t need to precisely measure and gridoff squares, divvying up an area to search is faster and more efficient than randomly wandering around.
• Think like a cache hider. If you were going to hide a cache, where would you hide it? Sometimes trusting your intuition can be more effective than trying to apply logic. After you check the ordinary places, start looking in the unordinary spots.

There’s an old safety saying in wildland firefighting that goes, “Look up, look down, look all around.” The same advice applies to geocaching, which is an excellent way to improve your overall awareness and observation skills.