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What Would You Have Done?


Old Bill

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Just got in from a cache run. A new series of 6 popped up, and very nearby. I simply couldn't resist this many FTF chances. However, I decided that I was going to play the game my way, which is to say play nice with others. Rather than run out and snag all 6 (which was a real possibility) I did the 3 nearest to home and called it a night, leaving the remaining 3 to other cachers. I may have only done one had these 3 not been within a mile radius of one another. :unsure: At any rate, I would not have felt right about snagging all 6 in one fell swoop.

 

So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?

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Just got in from a cache run. A new series of 6 popped up, and very nearby. I simply couldn't resist this many FTF chances. However, I decided that I was going to play the game my way, which is to say play nice with others. Rather than run out and snag all 6 (which was a real possibility) I did the 3 nearest to home and called it a night, leaving the remaining 3 to other cachers. I may have only done one had these 3 not been within a mile radius of one another. :unsure: At any rate, I would not have felt right about snagging all 6 in one fell swoop.

 

So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?

Why...I would have gone for them all. Done it before and will do it again. Snooze you lose.

 

Actually, you're BOTH right. Everyone plays in their OWN way.

 

ME? I agree with ZZ. Ya snooze, ya lose.

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Why...I would have gone for them all. Done it before and will do it again. Snooze you lose. :unsure:

?? There's a prize for FTFs?

 

I like getting the occasional FTF, but only if its convenient to me, and if I think I'm not going to be "racing" with anyone else. Because there's really nothing to worth "racing" about.

 

Snooze you lose. What a silly thing to say. Especially for something that is as ultimately meaningless as a FTF.

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??  There's a prize for FTFs?

 

Depends on the cache and most importantly the habits of the hider. There's lot's of threads about FTF prizes on these forums. :(

 

Why...I would have gone for them all. Done it before and will do it again. Snooze you lose. :)

 

I like getting the occasional FTF, but only if its convenient to me, and if I think I'm not going to be "racing" with anyone else. Because there's really nothing to worth "racing" about.

 

Snooze you lose. What a silly thing to say. Especially for something that is as ultimately meaningless as a FTF.

Meaningless??? Your FTFs were important enough for you to list them on your profile page. :unsure:

 

Who said anything about a race? :unsure:

 

FTF is not my drug of choice, but I'm an opportunistic cacher. The chance to get get 6 more FTFs all at once would get my feet movin'.

 

I don't worry about other's approval in MY GAME. I wouldn't worry myself with someone else's standards of what is fair. In my opinion, ya snooze, ya lose. Second place is first loser on a brand spanky new cache in these parts. Some of the prizes are fantastic.

Edited by Snoogans
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So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?

Well I think that was nice of you to do. Even though you didn't get all six, maybe you gave some newer cacher a thrill of FTF. Prize or no prize in the cache, reading some of the FTF logs of newer cachers shows how tickled they are to get it. Read the log of a FTF hound, "Jumped up and got FTF".

2cents.jpg

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So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?

Well I think that was nice of you to do. Even though you didn't get all six, maybe you gave some newer cacher a thrill of FTF. Prize or no prize in the cache, reading some of the FTF logs of newer cachers shows how tickled they are to get it. Read the log of a FTF hound, "Jumped up and got FTF".

2cents.jpg

It's a far farrrr sweeter FTF when you beat the "hound" at his own game.

 

I'd rather do THAT than have a gimme FTF.

 

Our local FTF hounds are great people. No one sees them as greedy and speaks it out loud. That would be cheap and petty to call someone else greedy just because they got beat.

 

The early bird gets the worm. Who doesn't get that?

 

But yes, I guess it was a kinda nice gesture on OB's part. To each his own.

Edited by Snoogans
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You were very nice to share, but you know those other FTF folks just beat you to those caches. Don't go trying to spoil their sense of victory by saying that 'you let them.' :unsure:

 

When my wife lets me win, and I figure out that she did (a very rare occurrence-the figuring out, a very common occurrence-the letting me win) I am very upset.

 

So, it's cool to be so cool and share, but you don't want to come across as thinking you're so good you have to let others get the FTF. I'm the only one who's that good!

 

- T of TandS

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So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?

Well I think that was nice of you to do. Even though you didn't get all six, maybe you gave some newer cacher a thrill of FTF. Prize or no prize in the cache, reading some of the FTF logs of newer cachers shows how tickled they are to get it. Read the log of a FTF hound, "Jumped up and got FTF".

2cents.jpg

It's a far farrrr sweeter FTF when you beat the "hound" at his own game.

 

I'd rather do THAT than have a gimme FTF.

 

You are both right. I did it because there is a "hound" involved and I was hoping (dreaming?) to lead by example. Yes, I could have had all 6 just to say I "beat" him, but I would have also "beat" all the other cachers who may have wanted an oppurtunity as well, and started looking like another FTF hound in the process.

 

Thanks to Snoogans other thread, last nite before I went out, I asked myself, "This is MY game, how am I going to play it?" And I did.

 

This isn't about "beating" or "revenge" or any other angsty thing like that. I simply wanted to play the game MY way, and last nite was MY way. :unsure:

 

Cool responses, keep 'em coming.

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I don't see anything wrong with an occasional FTF. I usually do a contest with my caches to make it a race to see who is going to get it first. One particular cache that i did like this is http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...42-79e7582fde6a

 

I think that reading the logs, the people who won something thoroughly enjoyed the cache, especially with the caches that are little more involved and that you have to work at to find :unsure:

 

But on the other hand, sometimes I let the newer cachers in the area get the FTF so they can get that infamous first FTF log.

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If the opportunity exists to get all 6, go get 'em. ... If you were on a cache hunt, you would have gotten all 6 on any other day, correct? ... I agree with CR, to let someone else win, well, that just doesn't taste right on either side of the plate. It's like pitching underhanded to Barry Bonds. You let him hit it out.

 

With that said, your sense of Sportsmanship is nobel. If you feel good inside, then you did the right thing. :unsure:

 

:unsure:

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If the opportunity exists to get all 6, go get 'em. ... If you were on a cache hunt, you would have gotten all 6 on any other day, correct? ... I agree with CR, to let someone else win, well, that just doesn't taste right on either side of the plate. It's like pitching underhanded to Barry Bonds. You let him hit it out.

 

With that said, your sense of Sportsmanship is nobel. If you feel good inside, then you did the right thing. :unsure:

 

:)

Yeah, if I had just DL'd a PQ and was already headed out, then yes, I would have done them all I s'pose.

 

As far as "letting" them have it, I know that, you know that, but unless cachers from my area are reading this (and doing some research on top of it...), then they WON'T know that. Far as other cachers are concerned, I got too tired or ran out of time/gas to make the other 3. The best good deeds are the ones where the recipients don't know who did it. :unsure:

 

FWIW, I did go back this a.m. and snagged another one. I did try for #5 out of the 6, but with too many muggles I didn't even hit "go to" on the GPS. Besides, I was running late for work already. :(

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Sometimes I enjoy getting a FTF. Especially if I can snatch it from under the nose of a local retired guy who has time to snag most of the FTF's. I have even left my house at about midnight, just minutes after it was approved. But most of the time lately I have been working 6 and 7 days a week being gone from home about 13 hrs a day. Not much time for snagging a cache let alone a FTF.

 

What would I do?

 

Just the same as you. There are some new cachers here that would be excited to get a FTF, just like I was on my first one.

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Way back in the olden days nobody cared about FTF. A few cachers got into local competitions like I did with TravisL (who was always happy just to actually find a cache) and it seems to have exploded from there.

 

FTF is no big deal. If another cacher is hurt or angry that you got too many, they’re too thin skinned to be playing. Tell them to piss off.

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I don't worry about other's approval in MY GAME. I wouldn't worry myself with someone else's standards of what is fair. In my opinion, ya snooze, ya lose.

Of course you do, or you wouldn't go to such great lengths explaining why you do (or don't) do/see things the way that you do.

 

I say, if someone wants to drop everything and run out of the house to grab some FTFs, good for them. Good luck and go for it. Don't gloat if you get them, and don't get mad or whine about it if you don't. I don't agree with that "ya snooze, ya lose" nonsense, but of course I agree the people who hold that opinion are entitled to it.

 

Regarding the subtopic concerning geocachers competing for "valuable FTF grandprizes": I believe most of the adults playing this game have the disposable income to purchase themselves the equivalent of any FTF grandprize, or better. In my opinion, the entire situation of allowing oneself to be manipulated into dropping everything in pursuit of a token prize is downright silly. To me, that's when the game has crossed over from being a healthy recreational activity to being an unhealthy obsession.

Edited by Skovar
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Just got in from a cache run.  A new series of 6 popped up, and very nearby.  I simply couldn't resist this many FTF chances.  However, I decided that I was going to play the game my way, which is to say play nice with others.  Rather than run out and snag all 6 (which was a real possibility) I did the 3 nearest to home and called it a night, leaving the remaining 3 to other cachers.  I may have only done one had these 3 not been within a mile radius of one another. :unsure: At any rate, I would not have felt right about snagging all 6 in one fell swoop.

 

So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?

I would have snaged all 6, One morning I snaged 5 FTF that were 20 miles from my home, the STF was another cacher that traveld 20 miles and he was just minutes behind me. If non of the Local cachers do not want to put in the effort for a FTF that is not my problem, and there were plenty of locals that could have gotter hours before me of the cacher the got the STF. Were I live now it is really hard to get a FTF, there must be a dozen of use that will take 0ff 24/7 for a FTF. One day 8 of use arrived at a new cache at about the same time, and the coordinates were so bad non of us found it after over an hours of seraching.

Edited by JohnnyVegas
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Were I live now it is really hard to get a FTF, there must be a dozen of use that will take 0ff 24/7 for a FTF. One day 8 of use arrived at a new cache at about the same time, and the coordinates were so bad non of us found it after over an hours of seraching.

Haha; sorry, but that's hilarious! I wonder if that was really a mistake, if the cache had actually been placed, or if it had been intentionally hidden (temporarily) outside of the standard deviation?

Edited by Skovar
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The replies in this thread graphically (and probably unintentionally) illustrate why I purposely avoid FTFs on most caches any more. I would hate to be seen the way I perceive those who grab as many as they can without a second thought. It's amazing to me how people can turn everything into a competition. Maybe finding lots of FTFs makes them feel better about themselves somehow, but it certainly doesn't make me admire them. Of course, the same goes for the big-numbers people, so I am probably an exception, since everyone else seems to think that higher numbers = better cacher.

 

In my opinion, FTFs on 1/1 caches are generally of little or no value to somebody with more than about 100 finds; they only indicate who was most obsessed with getting there first.

 

FTFs on caches that have been out a while, on the other hand, can be something to be proud of. A puzzle cache that hasn't been solved in a month, or an especially grueling hike that nobody has done for months -- those are FTFs worth working for.

 

I am proud of the OP for being considerate of newer cachers and giving them a chance to experience a side of the game they might not otherwise see.

Edited by fizzymagic
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I would have gone for all 6 if they were nearby, since I wouldn't want to make another trip to grab the remaining ones.

 

Whether I end up being FTF would have been secondary, but I would have gladly accepted them. In my area, if all the FTF hounds are on full alert, there is NO WAY one person can get FTFs on all six of them. What's really cool is that FTF hunts end up as mini gatherings around here.

 

I don't subscribe to the Instant Notification feature, and I no longer check for "Newest in California" very often, so those actions should tell you how I feel about FTFs now. :rolleyes:

 

On fizzymagic's comment:

 

There is a sense of adventure mixed with anxiety for hunting caches that have not been found for months, FTF or not. Add to the anxiety if DNFs preceded it. With common sense, these types of caches should improve your searching skills, since there ain't no way you are going to give up quickly after making the long hike, and/or long drive.

 

Relieving anxiety after a successful find --> feeling of elation.

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Someone posted in another thread, (I'm paraphrasing), "If you get to a cache first, that's a bad thing. But if someone else gets it first and then you go get a week later, that's a good thing?"

This makes no sense whatsoever! They are both good things.

SFox, I agree. Its the question when FTF's are attacked by others who aren't FTF. :ph34r: I mean, when those who attack others who are FTF and they scream "FOUL". Somehow being FTF is a bad thing then but if you get it second, it's okay. Only those who are FTF are screwing caching up for those who aren't FTF.

 

See what I mean? :(

 

:rolleyes:

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Hear, hear, Fizzymagic! A few FTF fiends can suppress the enthusiasm of others who'd like, just for once, to get there first. I'm not going all squishy--it's their right to play the game the way they wish--but it's definitely classy to occasionally sit one out and let someone else enjoy that new cache smell.

 

If this were a real competition, with all participants lined up in the blocks when the starter pistol banged, it'd be an entirely different story.

 

The OP did a nice turn for his fellow cachers.

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Somehow being FTF is a bad thing then but if you get it second, it's okay. Only those who are FTF are screwing caching up for those who aren't FTF.

 

See what I mean?

Yes. I sorta thought that's what you meant.

 

In the earlier years the FTF problem was under control in the SF north bay area. One guy was always was ftf. Everyone knew that and nobody needed to question it. That guy made (makes) a great contribution to the sport and it was all in fun. The coveted position at those caches was FNPTF. (First Non-Plumber To Find)

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Somehow being FTF is a bad thing then but if you get it second, it's okay. Only those who are FTF are screwing caching up for those who aren't FTF.

 

See what I mean?

Yes. I sorta thought that's what you meant.

 

In the earlier years the FTF problem was under control in the SF north bay area. One guy was always was ftf. Everyone knew that and nobody needed to question it. That guy made (makes) a great contribution to the sport and it was all in fun. The coveted position at those caches was FNPTF. (First Non-Plumber To Find)

I know who you mean, that is my old stomping ground. He beat me to a FTF that was less than two miles from my house and he had to drive over ten miles. He just held another great event last thurdsay. When I had just quick working I was getting most of the FTFs in that area, then I moved to FTF hell. ahhhh :( to many FTF hounds in the Sacramento area :ph34r::rolleyes:

Edited by JohnnyVegas
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Old Bill: Someone just placed a cache in the park that connects with my back yard, and it is 250 feet from my back door...I don't think I'm going to go for it today 'cause I want someone else to have the opportunity.

 

Super_Nate: Someone just placed a cache in the park that connects with my back yard, and it is 250 feet from my back door...I know that I have to get to my date at the fancy restuarant in 5 minutes, but I'm going to run over there and get that FTF to add to my stats!

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Its hard to be FTF when you are the one of the only ones placing caches in your area. There was a new one that was placed this weekend that I will go after in a couple of days. A FTF is always nice but I just enjoy the hunt.

 

However if I was going after any (of the 6) I would have gone after them all.

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My multiple FTF story is a bit different. I think I posted this recently in a thread, but I guess it wasn't this one. Three caches popped up in the same area. I was looking for the first one and another cacher showed up. I was still pretty new and he seemed a bit shy, so we talked a bit and he started to look as well. I ended up finding it first and we both signed the log. The next cache was not far so he started hiking toward it. I realized that it was silly for us both to compete, so I said I would move on to the third and let him have at the second.

 

I ended up getting two FTFs that day and he got one to himself, so we were both pretty happy!

 

The ones I hate are the FTDNFs.

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Here where I live I'm waiting to beat FTF Bob (bobolu) to a FTF. It's a challenge to beat him to one. :mad: When he puts out caches he often has a FTF prize - even if it's a film can he will put in a gold dollar. When someone else puts out a cache bobolu is often the FTF.

 

When I hide my first ammo can (soon...... oh, yes..... soon....) it will have a few items to choose from for FTF. A DVD, the Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, etc. The "real" FTF item though will be one of the Christmas Geocoins currently being minted. The only things holding me back from placing the cache is waiting for the coin to be minted and mailed and.... well I haven't found a great place to put the cache yet!

 

I cache mainly for the find but I do get excited sometimes when I find a cool item in a cache. I picked up a 1905 Indian Head penny the other day. Sure it's only actually "worth" maybe 50¢ - 75¢ if you sold the coin. So what? To ME it was a total treasure. :mad:

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So, without angst, I ask....what would YOU have done?

 

Depends on timing location and my mood.

I usally go for caches whenever they appear and are close enough. Not that I haven't passed up probably ftf from time to time, but if I have the time to go caching today, why not?

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Personally, FTF means little (actually nothing) to me . . . so much so that I try NOT to be the FTF.

 

In my experience, trying to be a FTF often means having to who deal with the incorrect coords, errors that need to be worked out, wasted trips and time. :mad:

 

I prefer going after something that IS there, at the coords as described so that I can maximize the return on the limited time and expense (gas) spent on the game. :mad:

 

Visit & join us at the NEW local site . . . www.ncgeocachers.org

Edited by GRANPA ALEX
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