RE: Looking for some input
As some of you may know I've interviewed both Bearfirefighter and Nor'eastar and I've started writing up the feature story. I hope to make this a big story and as such have a few sidebars. One sidebar on the necessary equipment to get into geo-caching and another sidebar on the lingo of geo-caching. Looking for some input here on these sidebars . . . I'm trying to keep things on the simple side (hence not explaining about WAAS, lat and long, etc. If there is anything you can think of that may be worth adding . . . .
GPS: Learning the Lingo
Cache: Pronounced "cash", this is the hidden container with a logbook and often small trinkets available to trade.
CITO: Cache In, Trash Out – many Geo-cachers practice a philosophy of leaving a cache site in a better condition than they found it. At one site in Jackson a geo-cacher filled up three bags of trash and over 100 returnable bottles.
Coords: Short for coordinates, the latitude and longitude location of the cache site.
FTF: First To Find, this is often recorded in logbooks and on-line whenever the first geo-cacher finds the site.
Geo-muggle: A non-geo-cacher. This term, also known as "Muggles" comes from the Harry Potter books and refers to someone who may either wonder why a geo-cacher is wandering around in circles or to someone who accidentally finds a cache.
GPS: Global Positioning Satellite, a system of satellites which work with a hand-held receiver to allow the user to figure out their location on the planet and to find caches.
Signature Items: These are trinkets which are unique to a certain geo-cacher. Some signature items include a John Deere tractor on a key ring with information about the geo-cacher, a photo marble with photos taken from around the State of Maine and a cardinal sitting on a stone.
TFTC: Thanks For The Cache, a simple log entry indicating one’s appreciation to the person who hid the cache
TNLN: Took Nothing, Left Nothing, a log entry made when someone decides not to trade for anything in the cache
Travel Bug: A tagged item that moves from cache to cache. Some Travel Bugs have specific goals (i.e. to go to California, to head south, etc.) Travel Bug travels can be tracked on-line.
Virtual Cache: A location where there is no actual cache container. Sometimes used for sensitive areas or in places where hiding a cache is nearly impossible or not advised. In some cases the person who created the virtual cache may require the geo-cacher to answer a question with information that they could only get by finding the site or to take a picture of them at the site.
You might mention that...
Many (most?) libraries have free Internet.
Used GPSrs and PDA are available on eBay for less $.
It might be a good idea to find an experienced cacher to go with for a find or two--I know lots of folks here are more than willing to help out a new cacher.
Instead of dollar store items, many folks trade hand-made signature items, and many others collect them.
Other necessities:
Bug spray
Walking stick (for rough trails and poking around for hidden caches)
Sun Block
Bug spray
TP (for the longer hikes)
Bug spray
Nice to have:
Camera (for those awesome views).
Binocs
Water bottle
You might also mention the events--those are my favorites.
Just my two cents!
Michael