mraudrey

You are correct, and it does on a cache by cache basis. Older hides will likely have more finds and probably more fav points. That tells me that if a CO is still actively placing hides, the ratio says even more about how good their caches are. But yes, it's not a perfect metric. Use it if you like or don't.

It's not an available stat AFAIK. I just look at a CO's profile page, note the number of fav points and number of hides, then use a calculator. It's interesting to check around your area and see how the prolific hiders stack up. I'm happy to be above 4:1 myself, but I don't own many hides. I try to place good ones and I'll never hide a power trail.

If you want to find geocaches worthy of favorite points, look for caches hidden by COs who have a high favorite point to hide ratio. The best CO I know of around where I live is WarNinjas with almost 8 points per hide.

I quit trackables because of this. My first one immediately got taken to Europe and traveled around for a while (to caches & events that had nothing to do with the goal) but now has been with the same person who essentially quit the game and still has it. Not one person ever posted a photo of any of the places it had been or mentioned the goal of the trackable in any way. I'm done with them.

After finding 20 preform soda bottles in a row on the trails, sometimes all it takes is that one ammo can.

Sure off topic, but a useful post! I never knew apricot logs were a thing. I love all things apricot. Once again, geocaching gives me a gift I didn't know I needed. Thanks!

I'm with you in this type of situation. If I have located the cache but can't access it, I'll go with a write note log. Posting a DNF doesn't seem to me to be helpful to the CO if I know the cache is not missing. But I would also contact the CO directly, as the OP clearly has done.

Cachly absolutely rules for iPhone users. Big fan.

I've read through almost all of this thread, which has taken quite a while. But after giving it some thought I decided that nothing actually irks me about geocaching. That's the beauty of the game. If any particular cache doesn't suit my taste or mood, I can move on to another. At worst I may find a cache boring, uninteresting, or maybe not well maintained. In those instances I move on. At best I have found some caches to be the most fun I have ever had. Overall, I just can't really complain. Geocaching has given me too much.

Thanks for the insight. I'm suggesting that that isn't enough. It clearly hasn't stopped several people from posting multiple times, going well beyond answering the questions originally put forth. At least you only posted four times that I can see. I lost count on some.

I have a suggestion for improving the thread in the user insights forum. Stop allowing users to make multiple posts to it. According to this post that thread is not for back and forth discussion, and yet much of that is occurring. It adds significantly to what one must read through to see what has already been suggested before attempting to contribute.

I think the answer is yes. But there is not a set number of caches that are too many. For some COs one might be too many. If they aren't maintaining their hides then they probably have too many.

I rarely post in these forums but I'm one of those guys. I babble in logs. I'll admit it. If I ever find one of your caches, though, don't fret. Just skip to the end, where I almost always type TFTC! Honestly, my logs generally tend to be directly proportional in length to either the effort that was put into the cache or the effort it took to get to or find it. A long, detailed log should be a compliment. To the OP, when I got stung nine times by hornets while running up a creek canyon to get to a cache, there was no way I wasn't going to talk about it in my log. When I got swarmed by mosquitoes while grabbing another? Okay, maybe I could have left that out. But there were a LOT of mosquitoes at that cache.

Have you tried double tapping the arrow icon at the lower right corner of the map? That works for me.

I removed the new app from my phone for this very reason. Thankfully I have a different app I can keep on my phone to geocache with, and it doesn't force me to open it when I want to use safari to access geocaching.com. I really wish Groundspeak would address these deficiencies in the new app, but it's beginning to look more and more like they won't.

I work in a metal fabrication shop, so I have access to plenty of very nice stainless steel filler rod that we use for tig welding. Small quantities of it should be available at any welding supply store. It comes in several thicknesses, and the thicker stuff can be difficult to work with, so I would suggest looking for .040" size. It is very durable, resistant to abrasion, and will likely last longer than any preform. It is also environmentally safe. For my hides near the coast that are hangars, I won't use anything else. One thing that might put off the average geocacher is the price, so you may want to split the cost with a few others.

Thanks so much for pointing out the Cachly app. When I recently got a new iPhone, for some reason it wouldn't run the classic app when I transferred it from my old one. I couldn't find updates for it so I downloaded the new app. When I tried to use it I wanted to cry. It is virtually useless for the type of high terrain caching I like to do. So I was stuck using my old iPhone 4. Cachly seems to address just about every deficiency in the new Groundspeak app and it's very easy to use. The map support alone is well worth the $5.

I just happened to catch this movie recently and it has always been one of my favorites. With geocaching eyes that scene by the stone wall definitely is more enjoyable. You can really appreciate Red making the find. If he didn't that would have been the worst DNF of all time. I love how he makes sure to check for muggles.

There are many I ignore but they seem to be fun for others. And I have found several that I really enjoyed searching and qualifying for. I'd be fine with them returning, but I just think that CO's should be required to qualify for any challenge caches that they hide.