Geocachers Opa&PK recently sent a letter to Groundspeak Headquarters titled, “Opa’s Rules of Thumb for Caching.”  The rules embody lessons learned over years of geocaching. The team has been geocaching since 2003 and has found more than 2000 caches.

Opa taught geocaching classes with another geocacher, Lynn from “QuantumFarms.”  The experience helped Opa develop the rules you’re about to read.

Opa says, “I do think they could be used as a teaching tool for ‘newbies.’ Even though tongue-in-cheek, every one has a practical application as well.”

Here’s ten of the rules that they discovered on the geocaching trail:

1- No matter how much advance research you do, the cache will be on the other side.

2- Any references to water/swamps/mosquitoes/tics in a cache’s description or log entries should be believed.

3- Always take the official bushwhacking distance and multiply by 3.62.

4- Waterproof footwear isn’t waterproof — unless the water is already inside.

5- You are allergic to some form of plant life; you just don’t know which one yet.

6- Always carry spare batteries, always.

7- If something looks out of place for the locale, it could be the cache.

8- If something looks absolutely authentic for the locale, it could be the cache.

9- Sometimes you have to just trust the instruments; at other times go with your experience and instinct.  The trick is figuring out which approach to use for THIS cache.

10- Excessive coffee drinking does not go well with caching.

There are many more rules out there. Post a comment. What rules of thumb would you add?