Loch Cache
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Posts posted by Loch Cache
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So far I've only encountered one cache that had deliberate decoys. Basically as I approached the coords for the final, I spotted the good old "suspicious pile of sticks" against the base of a tree. Whoo hoo! Zipped on over, and behind the sticks was ... nothing. Hmmm... Looked up, and there, a short distance away, was another "suspicious pile of sticks" against the base of another tree. Hey-hey, good to go! Quick-stepped over, and behind the sticks was ... nothing! Hmmm.... Started turning around, and saw several more trees, each with a nice neat "suspicious pile of sticks" at their base. Frankly, I just started laughing at that point, and took a fresh look around. Soon found the cache, hidden in a rather different (still traditional, but more subtle) manner in the same area.
Would I want to find decoys on every single cache I did? Heck no. But encountering a decoy setup every now and then, especially something so tongue-in-cheek, would continue to tickle my geocaching funny-bone.
Gee, that wasn't mine was it?
I routinely make piles of sticks near my caches. It is an obsession of some sort. Stems from my childhood when Granny would sing 5-6 pick up sticks, 7-8 lay them straight. Granny would have been a good geocacher.We've never found an unlabled decoy, but there are a couple very fun local caches that use them.
The first, very near the posted coordinates is an out of place pile of small rocks. They hide a small decon container which when opened has the message, "This is not the the cache GCxxxx, but thanks for looking." There's a second decoy that just says "You're getting warm."
There's puzzle cache that has more than one part to it, the easier part to find is labelled, "This is not the cache, but you can see it from here."
In both cases you get that, "Aha, the cache" which quickly turns to "drat...grumble...sneaky hider...." which eventually leads to the , "AHA, you can't outsmart me! I'm a Geocacher." In other words, when done like we have encountered them, we like 'em.
I have used decoys in different ways and think it adds to the difficulty of the cache. I don't always let on that there are decoys until you find one. HOWEVER, I do let you know in the decoy container that it is a decoy. One of my multi caches uses decoys at many stages. One of the actual stage containers has been mistaken as a decoy many times.
Loch Cache
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I'm fond of puzzle hides that don't even appear to be puzzles. You read the page, you reach the end and say "huh?"
For example:
Paul
Yes, NTPP is fond of puzzles. One of his had local cachers pulling their hair out going, huh? What? Help!
If Extradition Were Possiple This is one of them I was fortunate enough to solve. (Although the name has changed several times.) it is not as easy as it seems.
A puzzle I recently did has to be in my top ten list. Even if you are not from New England I would still suggest you solve it because it will help you with other puzzles. AlfaBet Soup The owner clearly put a lot of time into creating it.
Loch Cache
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After attending an evening event in Manchester, NH, a fellow cacher decided to do a few caches on the way home to Massachusetts. Since we had driven up separately I followed him down the interstate. At one stop we pulled into a gas station to get munchies before continuing. Being past midnight there weren’t many places open. As I paid for my stuff my friend said I will see you over at the Park & Ride and walked out. As I walked out I passed a local police officer getting coffee.
At the Park & Ride we got our bearings, parked at the far end of the lot and headed into the woods to find the TB Hotel. As we came out we saw not one, not two, but three police cruisers. They wanted to know what two 40 year old men were doing in the woods at 12:30 in the morning. Need I say more? Fortunately my friend was able to educate them on the sport of Geocaching quickly and we were on our way. No more night caching in that town.
On an ironic note, two years earlier I had been pulled over for speeding in that town and spent a night in jail because of expired tags. I can't say for sure, but that officer did look familiar.
Loch Cache
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Just this morning I was checking on a cache had found before that's hidden under a narrow footbridge. I had put my pack on the footbridge and was standing in the gully with the cache in hand when two runners came down the path behind me and cross the bridge. They jumped over my pack and just kept on running. I wonder what they thought I was doing.
Loch Cache
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You know you have ALMOST hit rock bottom when you are going to a burial and you check for caches on route. You have hit rock bottom when you stop in the cemetery to do the cache, BEFORE going to the graveside service.
No, I have not hit rock bottom because I have not gone to any funerals lately.
Loch Cache
Edit: Caskets cannot be used as cache containers if they are burried. However, how about one in a mausoleum?
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I like themed caches and have traded at both a books in the woods cache and a DVD cache. One cache I went to was a patch trading cache and I had to TNLNSL because I did not have a patch to trade. I would suggest you mark the cache/log that it is a themed cache so those who just download coords without reading the page will know when they get there.
Here are some examples:
OK, the last one is not what the name implies. LOL
This one is one of mine:
As the name implies you need to trade Mickey D Toys. No TNLNSL allowed. So far I have not had anyone break that rule. (Occasionally someone will sneak in a Burger King toy.) A few people grumble about it, but they got over it. So if you have that type of rule make it clear.
Loch Cache
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Out of 51, 26 have been archived. All things must pass, and I get to put out new ones!
I read that and thought, gee a new cachers with only 51 finds and already over 50% have been archived. That's rough. Then I looked at your profile and saw you quoted your hides instead. Since all your hides except one are over a year old, that is not too bad of a record.
Then that got me thinking of my own hide stats. 29 hides placed since 8/04 and only one archived. (2 temporarily disabled by me for cache maintenance which I expect to have back up soon.) As is, the one archived, Middlesex C, was "Reloaded" and moved 100 feet and has lasted for over a year now. I have had 2 others "muggled" and I replaced them and they have been fine. I have also disabled, repaired and reactivated caches rather then just letting them go. Technically I have 28 out of 29 still active or 97%.
I was wondering what other cachers' hide vs. still active numbers are? And what are the opinions on repair/replace vs. archiving.
Loch Cache
Edit: Added links
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From esastern Mass:
25 out of 280 or 9%.
However, 10 of those are events so really it should be counted as 15 out of 269 or 5%.
(One recent event has not yet been archived.)
Also, I check and all 5 of my virtuals I found are still up and were not effected by the Waymarking move so that does not effect my percentages.
Loch Cache
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Perhaps we are looking at the problem in the wrong way. Instead of limiting the creativity and growth of the hobby by wholesale archival and eliminating another venue, we need to look at the criteria for how any cache is published or allowed to remain published.
All this talk of hating micros makes me want to run out and place one as lame as I can. Then I can get flamed and say, "Hey, I am within the guidelines."
Seems the OP was really proposing a different method of dealing with micros. Rather than trying to eliminate them, learn to live with them and manage them.
Loch Cache
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I will be returning to the Quad Cities to visit my parents June 30-July 6 and I am looking for suggestions on caches to hit and to see if anyone is planning a geocaching event that weekend. (Even if it is just a drink and socialize event.)
Specifically I am looking for good puzzle caches, good kid friendly caches, cool locations, cool hides, interesting concepts/series and high difficulty caches within driving distance of Moline. Any good night cachers out there?
Loch Cache
AKA Peter
PS Moline High Grad, '84
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I will try this as well. I have only a dozen or so benchmarks to date so I know there are a lot in my area I can hit.
Loch Cache
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Nun_of_UR_Business
EDIT: Not really. Maybe Loch Cache Monster.
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I cache because I can. I cache for fun. I cache because if I weren’t caching I'd be walking in the woods past the cache sites anyway. I like to do FTFs when I can. Numbers are a good way of tracking my progress, but not the be all to end all that some would have you believe. I also love the puzzles because of the mental challenge. My favorite part is now placing caches. I like to be creative and see who appreciates the effort.
I cache because I can.
Loch Cache
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I am going to close this topic for now. My plan is to solicit 3-5 geocachers in early January to help me put this together. At that time I will solicit feedback for others as well through the forums. In the mean time if you have questions or thoughts you can email me directly through my profile.
Barring any unforeseen issues, the date will be May 20.
Thank you,
Loch Cache
EDIT: Enjoy the holidays.
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Is this going to be open to people who do not reside in the Boston / Mass area.
I live near Buffalo NY and have been looking for an excuse to pop over there for a visit.
Yes. I have already had several inquiries from out of staters. To do this right I am going to form a group in early January to work on it. Being what may be the first in Boston I want it to be good.
Loch Cache
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Also, I like your idea of a booklet listing the tournament caches. Would we be able to log all of them on the GC.com website?
My initial thought is to have as many as possible loggable on GC.com. A realistic goal, I am told, is 75%.
What do you think is a fair number of caches to shot for and a fair percentage to make permanent?
Loch Cache
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This sounds like a fun project!
I want to make sure that your thread is in the proper forum. Are you mainly looking for local geocachers who would be interested in participating in the contest? If so, then I'd be happy to move this to the New England Forum. Or are you mainly asking for ideas and advice about how to organize an activity like this? In that case, your topic would belong in "Organized Geocaching." Take your pick.
Keystone, thank you for asking. Both is the answer. I am looking for general advise on organizing a tournament, but also want to generate buzz about the event. I have already heard form two cachers that have said if we plan it they will come. Both are from outside New England. For now I would like to keep it general.
Loch Cache
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I am planning on organizing a Boston Geo-tournament in May and am looking for advise and help. I am looking at May 20 as a possible date.
The idea for the event is to hide caches in and around Boston. Most caches will be accessible by public transportation. Our goal is to have caches near interesting areas in the city that can become permanent caches. (I hope to place 30-40 with 50-75% being permanent.) Cachers will gather at the The Boston Globe Saturday morning and be given a booklet with the necessary information. They will have a fixed amount of time to seek the caches and return the booklet with the appropriate notes/stamps to show they found the caches. In the afternoon we will host a gathering at the Globe for all geocachers even if they did not participate in the tournament.
Any takers?
Loch Cache
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If you want to see some truly tough puzzles check out this series: TNC Series
This one Back on Bunker Hill was a cipher inspired by my love of history. The catch is it is not what everyone assumes. While reading about this code I discovered that the original was different from the current and therefore I used that.
My favorite "brain blast" occurred while commuting to work one day. I saw a cliff along the interstate and said to myself, "Wouldn't be cool to put a cache up there where I could see it everyday as I drove to work?" So I put a five-gallon bucket where I can see it ever day. The puzzle is A- What stretch of road is it on, B- How do you get to the bucket, C- From the bucket you have to add or subtract from North and West coords to get to the final. Here is a link to the page.
This one Pulse Point requires a WiFi device. Then you can find encoded coordinates on a public server.
Keep on caching,
Loch Cache
PS, I am not above copying a good idea.
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Remember that microcaches don't actually need to be containers. The best microcache that I have ever seen was a magnetic strip with numbers on the front and a log on the back, on a traffic light pole passed by hundreds of cars and thousands of pedestians every day. Amazing hide!
Team Maccabee
Where was this cache? Do you have the number?
Loch Cache
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My first cache I ever placed was right along side a local canal that is no longer used and somewhat overgrown. It was muggled a month after it was placed and sent swimming with the fishes in the local canal.
I moved the location a little ways into the woods and replaced it. Middlesex C - Reloaded That cache has been there for a good 6 months and had 75+ finders. I headed out to check on it one weekend and found a college age girl had set up camp within 20 feet of the cache. My dog was not shy and ran up to greet her before I could make an escape undetected.
She informed us she was visiting friends for the weekend and they had lent her the tent. Now I have had friends that made me sleep on the couch, but out in the woods? These are not even the nicest woods because they are a forgotten track of land behind a ball field.I told her I was just walking the dog in the woods for exercise. She saw the GPSr I was caring and asked if I was one of those GPSers who was looking for a box in the woods because there was one right behind her.
So we checked out the box and found it in great condition. I thanked her and left. Two other geocachers found that box that weekend and commented about the tent, but neither on saw the girl.
Later that week the tent disappeared, but the cache did not.Loch Cache
from MASS
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Thanks for the fast reply.
The profile data is the same at this time. The accounts are linked into a single Groundspeak database. There will be additional waymark profile details in the future that will be different than Geocaching.comMore than just extra details, what I hope to be able to do when the site is out of Beta is to have separate profiles on wm.com and gc.com. That way on gc.com I can list my latest cache numbers and show the map with my finds and not list the waymarks I have marked. And just the opposite on wm.com.
Thanks,
Loch Cache
Edit: Fixed quote marks
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I searched the forum and did not come up with the answer to these two problems:
1. It seems the profile page on both wm.com and gc.com are the same. Make a change to one and it is on both. Is the plan to have separate pages in the future?
2. Is there any way to get the Popularity filter to stay at 100%? I tried setting it to 100% but it keeps changing when I jump around categories. When I tried to set it on "My Page", my profile disappeared. Apparently I am not popular.
Thanks,
Loch Cache
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Not necessarily. There seems to be a false assumption that categories will have to be exclusive. It is inevitable that there will be some overlapping between categories.
Assumptions are a terrible thing. Is it wrong to assume waymarks cannot be cross-listed in multiple categories? Could the categories be set to allow one waymark to be shown in more than one category?
As we start linking waymarks to each other (like a coffee shop + wifi hotspot) it won't be a huge deal to point out the same thing twice - it'll just be additional information about a location for the user to read.
Using this example, the one waymark could be shown in both the Coffee Shop category and the WIFI category. Posting/logging this would show as 1 log. (Of course this would require more backend work for the developers.)
PS. Forgive me if this has already been brought up and I missed that discussion.
I routinely make piles of sticks near my caches. It is an obsession of some sort. Stems from my childhood when Granny would sing 5-6 pick up sticks, 7-8 lay them straight. Granny would have been a good geocacher.
She informed us she was visiting friends for the weekend and they had lent her the tent. Now I have had friends that made me sleep on the couch, but out in the woods? These are not even the nicest woods because they are a forgotten track of land behind a ball field.
Later that week the tent disappeared, but the cache did not.
Difficult Caches
in General geocaching topics
Posted
My favorite cache of my own is currently disabled due to muggles.
The final was an easy find, once you got there. The short story is at the posted coordinates you find a PVC ring with two sets of coordinates written on it. Pick one and go. Those will take you to a second, similar ring. Repeat until you find the final. There are 8 rings. Some of the coords are repeated on subsequent rings therefore leading you back to one you might have skipped or already done. Only one ring has cords for the final. The layout of the rings causes some doubling back on the trails. 
The least number of rings to get to the final is four. Most cachers have to find at least six. HINT TO FINDING THE CACHE ----- The trick is to always go to the farthest away set of cords and you can do it in four rings. Of course human nature is to check out the closest set first. ----- 
Now local cachers will know if they read this thread.
Shaker Glen
Loch Cache