> Am I good to go armed with the Emap, Mapsource Roads & Rec, Delorme > Topo, a laptop, and the paper forest maps I've been using for offroading? > > Are there localized associations that gather and participate or is > this a solitary hunter and his clan kind of thing?
Addressing your questions above I'd say your more than armed for the adventure with the Emap and the rest of the goodies. And yes there are a lot of local associations or groups that have formed to enhance the cache seeking game. Some have big cache finding challenges and in other areas it may only amount to an annual get together for a picnic in the park wherin the location is disclosed by giving the coordinates.
I'd jump on Geocaching.com and start following the caches in your immediate area by zip code and if you check it frequently you will find all the information you will need. Typically any get togethers will be established there.