Groundspeak Weekly Newsletter – April 4, 2012

This Week…

Be a Better Hider

 

Being a better hider begins long before a lucky adventurer claims a FTF (First to Find) on your brand new geocache. It even begins before you submit your freshly hidden geocache for review. Some geocachers are already experts at hiding great caches. For the rest of us, here are four quick pointers to be a better hider.

1 — Land Owner or Manager Permission
Make sure to get permission from the land owner or manager before placing a geocache – even many public locations require permission. This step will help to offer a great experience to geocachers without them being concerned about seeking the cache at that location, and means you won’t need to worry about cache removal.

2 — Location
Geocaching guides treasure-seekers to a precise set of coordinates. The adventure begins there. Make sure that “there” is the right “there.” You should double (even triple) check your coordinates using a dedicated GPS receiver. Avoid using smartphones to establish coordinates for new geocaches.

3 — Weather Proofing
Do your best to ensure the cache and the log sheet are weather proof. A soggy log sheet can dampen the joy of geocaching. See examples of great geocache containers that help keep the log and contents of the cache dry.

4 — Creative Caching
Place the geocache in a location you would like people to visit. Ask yourself, “Would I show my favorite person in the world this geocache?” Is the geocache placed in a scenic overlook? Does it reveal a hidden history or is the geocache experience creative? If you answered at least one “yes,” you’re on the right rack to placing a great cache. Check out some creative cache ideas here.

You can learn even more. Get to know the geocaching guidelines. Your geocache needs to meet all the guidelines before it is published.