DrAwKwArD

Except the neighbor appears to be the "MOM" in which case the cache-owner is justifiably going to be a bit biased. This is an unfortunate set of events that led to a perfectly good cache being archived. May this be a lesson to all of us who at times want a shortcut after seeking a poorly-executed path to the cache.

Why is your son not allowed on your Mom's property?

I see that the owner of this cache has 0 finds. Could that be why this 2.5-star cache hasn't been found in 4 months?

My thoughts exactly! Well, since you asked I ran the numbers. Of my last 9 hides ranging from 2/2 to 2.5/5 I've had 5 total finds. That makes a find every 273.2 days.

I was busy this summer hiding caches but apparently no one was listening. Out of the 8 I hid only 2 have been found. How many of you have caches that have been out several months with 0 finds?

I'm having the same problem. I noticed it on the 29th when a cache on my watchlist was found but I wasn't notified. It seems spotty because I posted a note on a cache and received it via email but one of my caches was found yesterday and no email.

I placed a cache recently for the Oregon Lookout Challenge and there was a sign posted about 1/4 of a mile from the tower stating the watchman's hours. I guess it has been a problem at some time or another. Thanks Teese. runhills also visited First Butte recently and advised the same thing. As a result, I have added a paragraph to the cache page in Red letters advising geocachers that this is a manned lookout. First Butte Lookout. It might be a good idea for others who have hidden caches at manned lookouts to add a similar note on their cache page.

Pick me.. pick me! I have 2 that fit that description. GCYZF3 GC127R2 They are both easy access from I-84 and should take you under 10 minutes.

I was going to place one on Vinegar Hill but you beat me to it. I guess that's better than both placing a cache the same weekend and having to retrieve one. I'm at 6330 for my 11 finds/hides with a couple hides planned around the 7000 range. Are you proposing a reward for highest caches?

I noticed the progress chart of participants is being updated on the cache page. Is this automatic? If so, I have a couple that haven't been credited yet.

Is there anything in the works for FTF? How about a reward for highest combined terrain ratings for the 50 lookouts visited? This could be similar to the CCIO Challenge. Thoughts??

Well, I tried to make an 8th for zone 5...

For those that are interested, I updated my "Oregon's Hghest Caches" bookmark. You can find it here. Let me know if I've left any off the list.

Shouldn't the reviewer have stepped in and checked on the status of the cache after it had been temporarily disabled for so long? Well, it doesn't happen. After 4-6 months you might want ask for status from the cache owner. Then again in 9. After 12 post a SBA. Then you got the attention of the reviewer. You can post a SBA earlier but I haven't seen much difference in the time line. Looks like your area is hard-up for responsible reviewers. Our reviewers archive after giving the cache owner 40-60 days to remedy the problem.

Caching does not seem to be growing much in my area. Most of my caches I placed in 2005 are being found just about as many times this year as the same time period last year, but definitely not more than last year. My puzzle caches, on the other hand, are being found 40% as much as last year.

No conflicts in the state of Oregon for such a cache. I just wish someone with more time on their hands than myself would host it! I'm pretty sure this cache is the highest traditional in Oregon. Beats the tar out of all you northerners at over 9,000 feet.

Moun10bike, Any chance you could run this same query for Oregon? Or at least steer me in the right direction? Thanks.

Here's one I tried to find a few days after it was archived due to rattlesnake habitation: It's a DNF that I was glad to have!

You might think about a couple more in Limassol where the cruise ships dock. We were there last month and the nearest cache was many miles away. The taxi driver took us to Kourion and we were within a mile of one cache but it turned out to be a puzzle cache.

This thread is right up my alley. Longest hike one way to a cache was 5 miles. Although some shorter ones are more memorable to me since they involved 3000+ elevation gains. If you count placing a cache - I hiked 45 miles while placing this one. I believe it's still the highest cache placed in Oregon.

Thank you all for the help. It appears I've been thinking in the right direction. Other cachers just seem to be side-stepping the current rating system.

How do you factor in driving time, road condition, etc. when you hide a cache in the mountains? Is the drive supposed to affect the difficulty or terrain? There just doesn't seem to be a consistent way of rating these types of caches. I recently rated a new cache 3/3.5 since it's on top of a butte at 6100 feet. The shortest hiking route to the cache is 1/2 mile with 500 foot elevation change. The drive in is about 2 miles. But, I've seen some 3/3's that are basically a short drive park and grab. Any thoughts?

I finally made it to the cache location. There was a staircase with many, many stairs up to the top. I counted off 63 stairs, and directly underneath was a micro with yet another puzzle to solve. I had no idea I'd need to solve another greek puzzle to find the final, but here it is nonetheless: EB-vy. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you. EB-vy=??

A few I've been working on lately: Before applying the texture... Mostly all done with caulk, camo tape, peas or oatmeal. The painted duct tape attached to magnets is removed to show the combo for the lock. A mystery cache with actual coords for once.

You all just gave me a perfect idea. I have a couple of those green Groundspeak stickers : They seem so very bright and attention getting out of the box. Maybe after a few months outside they may fade just enough to look good alongside one of my camoflauge caches.