[Asking for coords on puzzle cache]

I would probably give them a hint on how to solve the puzzle. Then leave it at that. However you do it is up to you though.

[How does one become a "preferred" cache hider?]

If you want to be a "preferred hider" then go to a event with your reviewer and have a beer with him or her. That is what we did. Awesome guy! Then the next day we hid a cache about stuff we learned at the event about hiding puzzles. It didn't have any proximity issues and we now know the guy so it should all be good to go!

NOPE! It got denied and questioned. My point is that it is all about the cache. Not the CO. They are not being personal about it just doing there job. However I think being cool with your reviewer could help. Just be friendly. We are all working at the same goal to have fun with this game.

[Has anyone ever gotten into a foot race for the FTF?]

I have been in many. Most times it is just cool to meet another cacher out there and we find it together and claim co-FTF. Other times the other cacher only wants it if they find it first. Either way is fine with me.

One time that comes to mind is there was 2 new caches. As I walked up I found a cacher who was just finding it. I obviously wouldn't have claimed co-ftf on that one as he was there and found it first. Then we talked and walked over to the next one. He explained to me on the way that there could only be one FTF so whoever found it first was the one. I said Cool. No worries. He went to the wrong spot and I walked right up to it and found it. We then found a bunch of caches on that trail and he told me about his rules of geocaching and how strict he was with them. All fine with me. Last I checked he was no longer caching. I think maybe all his strict rules made it not all that fun. Maybe it was another reason.

I try and just keep having fun with the game. In the FTF race it will depend on who I meet out there. Most times it is "Cool someone else to help find it" Other times it is a race to find it first. I just make sure to have fun, That is why I like to play.

[Evil caches that are SIMPLE to make.]

Like everyone is saying. I will enjoy and possibly even favorite a evil hide as long as the coords are right and there is possibly a cleaver hint. But if there is no hint and the coords are 20+ feet off and it is just hidden evil then it won't probably get a favorite.

[What would you prefer?]

I'm shocked at all the multi talk. I usually cache outside of my local area and avoid multi's.

 

So am I... about the trads. There are so many traditionals around that finding a decent multi is almost a D4 task these days. For the whole of Belgium (26000 caches) there are 70% traditionals and only 10.9% multis (including 3.5% "takes less than an hour"). This means we can hardly go out within a 20 Km radius. In summer we drive up to 80-120 Km (one way) for well done, longer multis and a few times a year we even spend a weekend at a B&B further away from home to be able to go for those "better (for us) multis/wherigos.

Hence the preference for more multis, especially if a series of trads is set up as if it were a multi.

 

BTW, your area is literary littered with trads so it looks you're well catered for

 

I try to always hide multicaches now, when I can. Be it a multi-cache (proper), a Wherigo, or a field puzzle. But they're usually short and sweet. Generally speaking, it reduces maintenance because it keeps those not so serious cachers away, which in turn, reduces the need for maintenance. (not to be confused with "eliminate" the need for maint).

I guess it is just something I don't care for multi's because field puzzles and Wherigo's are my favorite caches.

[Asking group cachers to sign log with individual trailnames]

There is however no excuse at all in my opinion for a find log without having been at least in the area of the final

 

I don't think or at least I hope no one is arguing this point. That is a completely legit concern. I think it is more about deleting logs with a group name when everyone was actually there. If I read the request I would definitely sign it with our name. The main time I might not read the request would be when I was out caching with a group. When group caching I will often be talking with someone when otherwise I would be reading the cache page as I walked to the next one. I might just pop up the coords and start looking. Maybe look at the hint but not read the whole thing.

 

I could even agree with a rule change that everyone has to always sign every log with there caching name but until that is in place I can't see deleting logs from those who didn't sign it in that way. If you have any reason to believe they were not there then I can see it but if the only reason is they signed as a group at this time I can't see it.

 

I find 95% of caches alone or with my daughter. So the rare group caching days are in most part getting out with others I only know from logs and there hides. It is fun to get to know them and on those days often it can be as much about hanging out with others enjoying this game we all play then actually spotting that one hide. I can do that the next day by myself. I have already spotted thousands by myself. If the hide turns out to be very special I will be asking questions and checking out how it works.

[Are Premium Only caches less likely to get stolen?]

I think in some situations it does help. We had one in a very popular area. It got muggled a few times. We moved the spot and changed it to PM only and the problems have been a lot less. We still only do it for our placements that show it might be a problem and leave the rest for all to find.

[Asking group cachers to sign log with individual trailnames]

Here is one of only a few times I have encountered a group singing situation.

 

We (my daughter and I) were invited to join a group to find a crazy hard multi that was a crazy long hike. We all met up at about 8 am to start our journey. We were with a bunch of experienced cachers. I would say there was 15 or more of us. They said we will sign as (I don't remember now) and we headed off and found some before getting to stage 1. We were all there at each cache. I would have signed but they said we would sign as a group.

Weird thing was we did the multi that had I think 5 stages of regular sized containers that all had field puzzles in them. When we got to the final it was a blinkie and we all signed that one with our names and filled up the log way way up the mountain. I remember feeling bad about that knowing the CO and knowing he now had to hike up there to replace the log.

The rest of the day finding caches we signed with the group name. We were all there and all seen the caches but just added the one signature. My daughter and I were invited to go so we didn't say "Hey I need to sign that one" After spending a whole day hiking a mountain over a hour from home and for no reason of our fault that we would have known about at the time, our logs got deleted I would have felt really bad.

Of course if my daughter and I had gone alone we would have singed each one with our cache name but we were with a group we didn't know to well saying this was the way to do it.

Another thing on that trip that might have affected possible favorite points we might have given to a cache is we didn't have service on our phones. I would normally log a cache as I found it and award a favorite on how I was feeling at the moment but that wasn't possible. By the time I got home and was tired from the long day they all kind of blended together.

That was also the first time I kind of got tired of finding ammo cans. Pretty much every hide was a ammo can. After about 6 ammo cans we found a micro in a stick and it was a welcome find for me. Then back to ammo cans. I still love to find a ammo can but on that trip it got to be a bit to much.

 

Anyways this is the day I think of when I read this thread. We were just a part of a group and told that this was the way to do it. We didn't come up with the idea and after all that days work to have our logs deleted would have not left us feeling good about it.

[Asking group cachers to sign log with individual trailnames]

I don't see how possibly deleting logs from cachers in your area that might cache in a group would add to your overall favorite points. Even at that cache I would guess some might find it odd that they had to change there caching ways for that cache and would reduce there chance of giving it a favorite.

Then later after you deleted there find when they are at another cache of yours they might be less likely to favorite it remembering that you deleted there find for something they probably feel they didn't do wrong.

You could give it a shot and some might follow it if they read it but I don't see deleting found it logs adding to favorite points.

[HI! Caching Noob Here!]

To help with the noob part. A Noob is anyone with less finds then my friend I like to cache with. For some reason he always thinks he is the new guy. So whenever we are out I say something like... "I never trust a cacher with less then 412 finds" Then on another trip it will be "I never trust a cacher with less then 516 finds. What ever number he is under.

 

Sounds to me like you will make a great cacher. You will make many friends over time and soon you will be the one hanging out with the group of cachers that new cachers will be wondering how to meet.

[Logging FTF unpublished caches]

LOL. I laugh at those that are SO pure that they won't log a find on a cache if they were anywhere in the vicinity during the hide or maintenance. Of course for the FTF side game, reserve a space for the true FTF'er. But to never log it as found, ever? That gets the eye-roll-of-the-year award.

Why's that? Why is it so wrong for me to choose not to log any cache? I guess i could go the other way and do the eye roll thing towards people that think they have to log every cache, by any means. I'll call you on your roll and double it towards those who log a cache after witnessing it being hidden.

Reminds me of a time I took another cacher out on my kayak and we hid some caches. I tried to look the other way when he hid them! I have gone and fixed them up a few times but never logged a smiley on them.

[Prescription pill bottles]

Ha Ha! I have thought the same but with the little ziplock baggies. I will be on a corner in San Francisco trying to stuff some white paper into one of those little baggies as people walk by looking at me!

[Logging a cache]

As a CO of tree climbs I wouldn't delete someones log because they didn't climb it as long as someone in the group did. That is just me though. I can see a different CO doing that and they should be able to if that is how they feel.

 

We place caches for other cachers to have fun and hopefully enjoy the game. My hope is they will keep playing and searching for our hides and maybe even decide to come up with fun hides for us to find.

 

Lets say I have met some local cachers at a event that is a father son team. Both with different accounts and the father has some health issues. They cache together all the time and find our hides and we find there hides. We often go caching together and have became friends in this game. I then place a tree hide and they go out and find it. The son climbs up the tree and takes it down for the father to sign. So now I should delete the fathers find because I know he didn't climb it? To me that would be a jerk move. I would want the father to be able to get the find on our cache as well. So I also wouldn't delete a log from someone I don't know doing the same thing.

 

Anyways that is how I would handle it as a CO but others could handle it how they feel is right and I wouldn't think anything of it. It is there cache.

I used to have a tree climb cache that was difficult to get to. I too allowed finds on it from people who didn't make the climb but were with a group where one person did the deed. Like you said, it's up to me how i want to handle it. The CO that deleted the OP's find log is on the other end of the spectrum though. We may not be as strict but i defend his right to be. He placed a difficult cache and wants everyone to make the climb before they log a find on it. It's his cache and as long as he doesn't break GS guidelines, people should respect his wishes.

 

There are tons of caches that i'm not capable of doing. I love tree climbs but i wouldn't log found if i came across one at a time when i wasn't physically able to make the climb. It's too easy for me to just shrug it off and move on until another time when i felt better. If it turned out that i couldn't get it in my lifetime, then so be it. No biggie!

Agreed. Like I said it is his cache and if he wants everyone to climb it then he should be able to do so.

[What would you prefer?]

I'm shocked at all the multi talk. I usually cache outside of my local area and avoid multi's. Especially if it has 5 or 6 points to visit. If you were placing it close to where I live I would get around to it but if it is far away I would be more likely to find the individual ones over many trips and add the codes to my notes. As far as size I would go with what ever works for the spot. A good micro can be as fun or sometimes more fun if done right. Good luck with it!

[What Irks you most?]

What irks me - When one person places way too many caches and monopolizes a whole town or parkland. Surprised there isn't a rule to limit how many you can place near each other. What if someone else wants to do some hides in her town or along her favorite trail? Worse, for finders, there may be little to no variety in cache/hide style in a given area.

What about the flip side to this. There is a lake near me that didn't have any caches on it. Caching had been around for about 10 years before I started. No one I know of had ever placed a cache there. I went out fishing and placed 3 caches. A few months later I went and placed a few more. Many months later I took some others and we added more. Making a cool spot for some to pick up a bunch of 5* terrain caches in one day if they wanted. We pretty much filled up the lake with caches. Later cachers came to find all the cool caches there and some complained they wanted to place a cache there? I am almost certain if I didn't place those caches there that no one would have ever thought to do it. The only reason they want to now is because they are there finding the ones we put out.

I have heard the same thing from another CO about a popular island you can drive to. Not many caches there over the years so he added a bunch and others complained.

I am working on a crazy long streak and have more then enough caches to maintain so I am not placing them to take up space. If someone would have placed one before me that is great!

Anyways I am just saying it might not just be a person being a jerk taking up space. Like with the lake I thought it would be cool to set up a course that others could come get some 5* terrain caches. I am betting that if I hadn't placed the first one that they wouldn't have even thought to place one there. If I thought they would add a bunch and maintain them I would let them have the lake for themselves and go get the finds!

 

Hi, thanks for your perspective. The lake series sounds very cool. After reading the thread and thinking about the issues more, I'm learning there are a few main strains in geocaching and one of them is about numbers. Not just numbers, but numbers are important to that cohort: how many caches total, how many in a day, how many owned, etc. I've just spent an astounding amount of time helping my employer get a five-cache series ready to launch. The caches are big and beautiful and filled with cool stuff, and they're planted about 7 miles apart in cool spots in a thematic series about our region's history. Lots of repeat trips to the sites, research, etc. So, I'm not at all about numbers, don't love nanos, don't love park-n-grab, but I recognize that many people enjoy playing that way, and maybe my goals will change over time. For now, I'm happy to spend half a day hiking to one or two cool places, solving clues and finding a cool cache or two, and logging one or two finds. And a big thank you to those who placed them in interesting ways. I do envy those who can travel to get caches in a zillion states or countries - just can't wander too far from home anymore. So, maybe I'm more disappointed than some when it comes to trying to place caches in my native town or nearby parks. Mainly, I"m bummed I didn't discover geocaching ten years ago. Oh well. I'll try to be less irked about saturation.

Sounds to me like you are a great cacher and will add a lot to the game! You will find places to hide cool caches in time. Just enjoy the game. If the caches around you are not all that great if you keep playing those ones will go away and new ones will pop up. You will be driving by one of those places you wanted to hide a cache and notice the spot is now open. There is some work involved in keeping a cache alive for years and if that CO is doing that then they care about it, if not it will go away. After you own some caches you will see this. Just keep having fun with it.

[Logging a cache]

As a CO of tree climbs I wouldn't delete someones log because they didn't climb it as long as someone in the group did. That is just me though. I can see a different CO doing that and they should be able to if that is how they feel.

 

We place caches for other cachers to have fun and hopefully enjoy the game. My hope is they will keep playing and searching for our hides and maybe even decide to come up with fun hides for us to find.

 

Lets say I have met some local cachers at a event that is a father son team. Both with different accounts and the father has some health issues. They cache together all the time and find our hides and we find there hides. We often go caching together and have became friends in this game. I then place a tree hide and they go out and find it. The son climbs up the tree and takes it down for the father to sign. So now I should delete the fathers find because I know he didn't climb it? To me that would be a jerk move. I would want the father to be able to get the find on our cache as well. So I also wouldn't delete a log from someone I don't know doing the same thing.

 

Anyways that is how I would handle it as a CO but others could handle it how they feel is right and I wouldn't think anything of it. It is there cache.

[What Irks you most?]

What irks me - When one person places way too many caches and monopolizes a whole town or parkland. Surprised there isn't a rule to limit how many you can place near each other. What if someone else wants to do some hides in her town or along her favorite trail? Worse, for finders, there may be little to no variety in cache/hide style in a given area.

What about the flip side to this. There is a lake near me that didn't have any caches on it. Caching had been around for about 10 years before I started. No one I know of had ever placed a cache there. I went out fishing and placed 3 caches. A few months later I went and placed a few more. Many months later I took some others and we added more. Making a cool spot for some to pick up a bunch of 5* terrain caches in one day if they wanted. We pretty much filled up the lake with caches. Later cachers came to find all the cool caches there and some complained they wanted to place a cache there? I am almost certain if I didn't place those caches there that no one would have ever thought to do it. The only reason they want to now is because they are there finding the ones we put out.

I have heard the same thing from another CO about a popular island you can drive to. Not many caches there over the years so he added a bunch and others complained.

I am working on a crazy long streak and have more then enough caches to maintain so I am not placing them to take up space. If someone would have placed one before me that is great!

Anyways I am just saying it might not just be a person being a jerk taking up space. Like with the lake I thought it would be cool to set up a course that others could come get some 5* terrain caches. I am betting that if I hadn't placed the first one that they wouldn't have even thought to place one there. If I thought they would add a bunch and maintain them I would let them have the lake for themselves and go get the finds!

[Beyond Frustrated! 3 Time in a row Cache not approved!]

When one "battleship" cache was placed less than 200 feet of the actual puzzle cache location, I published that cache without comment.

That is very cool!

 

To the original poster. You need to just realize it is part of the game. Finding a spot is part of it. We have been playing for over 4 years and have out almost 200 hides. We still get ones blocked on the regular. I would guess about 100 or so have been blocked. I just keep it as part of the game and never let it bother me. Sometimes the cache blocking our hide is our own. I am always ashamed when that happens!

[Made a Rookie/Newbie Mistake]

I would send the CO a message and see if he/she would be willing to cut you some slack being new and send the codes for the ones you found. Worth a shot.

I did the same thing when I started. I read about collecting the codes but it was around 50 miles from home so I figured I would never find them all. Later after playing for a while I realized I work in that area a lot and have found most of them. A local cacher helped me out with the missing codes and even 4 years later I don't think I have found them all and have not found the final but it taught me to start adding the codes to the notes on geocaching.com.

Another mistake I made was going for some very hard terrain caches with codes. It took my daughter and I all weekend to collect them all. I added every code to the note section of my app so I thought I was good to go. Well about a year later we returned to collect the final and I looked for the codes! I didn't have any. Turns out I added the codes to the app on my phone and had changed phones and the codes were not saved on geocaching.com like I thought. I sent a message to the CO and he helped us out.

[Cache Maintenance Etiquette]

Your best bet is to install a dehumidifier and a sump to remove all moisture. Of course, that means you'll have to create a cache large enough for someone to walk into..

I am liking this idea! With a moisture barrier under it!

 

As far as replacing logs...As a CO I am fine with it. Some might not be. Once in a while when I have changed one out I will take a pic of it and send it to the CO so it is a done deal and you can throw the wet thing away.

[Thinking of placing our first cache(s)]

The fun of being a CO is it is all up to you. Think of what you would want to find in a cache. Especially if you were FTF! The only thing you have to leave is a log sheet for them to sign. The rest is up to you and how you want to be known and what you want finders of your caches to find. We are happy just to find a blank log sheet. We also especially in the start of playing liked to find items. Now we are happy with creative camo or a cool place. Now we often find caches stocked full of stuff and just sign the log and move on. If you do leave good items be ready for the fact that it might sometimes not be traded fairly. Sometimes it is and great stuff is left. It is all up to you and the more you hide the more you will get a feel of what you like to hide. The main thing is just to have fun.

[Help! I found something that I don't think is safe]

If you are concerned I would just go back and remove it. I don't think calling the police is in order. Most cachers I know are more into getting to the next cache to find. If someone was wanting to look into info on a kid they would have probably taken the card with them.

I agree that probably shouldn't be in the cache so if you have time go remove it and return it or just dispose of it.

[Team Accounts]

I agree with GS that you should probably only log the ones you found together as a team for your team account. I am also in no way saying you should now log them. But I think what niraD is saying is it will most likely let you do it if you choose to do so.

[A Goecache At The Bottom Of A Pole?]

(Good job not digging up the post: that's definitely not the trick! )

 

That was the funniest thing I have read all day!

 

The original poster seems like a really nice guy and I think he is going to be (is) a great cacher. He was able to put up with this crazy group so I think he will fit in well.

 

As far as if the string broke and the hider just changed it to a D4 is kind of unfair to the first finders who had it easy and are getting the credit for finding a D4 right! Not that I care I just thought that was something someone would bring up.

[Tired of Looters.]

This is EXTREMELY frustrating and tiring

I am glad you are giving the game a go! It is fun but a big part of the fun and game is going to a location and searching for the cache. There are some caches placed so you can just walk up to the location and instantly find the cache and sign the log and get the find. Those should be rated pretty low in difficulty.

 

However part of the fun of being a geocache hider it to place a cache at the posted coords that is kind of hard to find. Make the person looking look around for a while at the spot to later realize they were looking right at it. A lot of hiders put a lot of time and thought into doing this. That is a part of the game that is supposed to make it fun not EXTREMELY frustrating and tiring. Think after you have found around 200 caches or more. How much fun would it be to just go find another one that was really obvious. It would get really boring. It is the ones you have to really look for and then have that WOW moment when you see what they came up with to make it blend in so well.

 

I would say to give it more time and maybe go with some easy ones to start. I think after a while you will like the ones that are harder to find. Some here don't like the actual part of looking for the hidden cache and still have made a fun hobbie out of the game. It is all what you make of it but you can't expect to just walk up and find the cache all the time as that isn't how this game always works.

 

Hope you stick with it and if you ever get to the point of hiding one yourself I am sure you will start to think of "How can I hide this one so it is kind of hard to find"