Geographic & Cultural Differences In Cache Hiding

[+Team Maccabee]

I've been told that there are variations around the country and world on what is considered a "normal" hide or appropriate hide (or evil hide). Can anyone from this area give examples?

 

Team Maccabee

[+WeightMan]

Here in the great NW a typical hide might be inside a stump or covered by bark. I'm talking real boxes here, not some urban micro thingy. I have heard that in the SE they tend to cover the box with pine needles. I have seen several along the California coast placed under a low shrub.

[+Recdiver]

As said before, Geo-stumps are popular. Placed under a log, in a log, under a pile of sticks, hidden in low growing evergreens or ivy. Since we tend to get a little water here they tend to take that into consideration when placing hides. For example if you put it in a hole in the ground that hole at some time will likely be full of water.

[+Stump]

As said before, Geo-stumps are popular.

What's not to love about a geo Stump?

 

My experience is differences are at the local scale not just regional. Portland and Seattle hides are very different. Redmond is known for it's evil hides and Yakima for it's parking lot caches. Battleground is full of multis. Port Orchard crams most of it's caches into one or two parks and puts the rest into cemeteries.

[+Shop99er]

In central Texas we found caches in URPs...Unnatural rock piles.... no stumps in that part of the country.

[+Renegade Knight]

In Utah I was completely amazed to find caches in plain sight once you made the hike.

[+Pepper]

In Utah I was completely amazed to find caches in plain sight once you made the hike.

Renegade Knight ditto, I have yet to find ammo box covered down here in my part of TX. The boxes are just sitting there? I always give them a little cammo when I rehide them. Also stumps are out...oh how I miss a good everygreen stump hide.

 

Pepper

[+Team Maccabee]

I'm beginning to think that this topic may blossom in the General - Geocaching Topics forum. How do I request that it be moved over there?

 

Team Maccabee's Abba

[+Wander Lost]

I actually think it's been done there. Try a forum search to find out for sure.

[+EraSeek]

Lutefisk, lutefisk,

lesfa, lefsa,

we're the mighty Luterens

Yah yah you betcha!

 

I always pack my cache boxes with a top layer of lutefisk. Keeps the animals away.

[+Half-Canadian]

Lutefisk, lutefisk,

lesfa, lefsa,

we're the mighty Luterens

Yah yah you betcha!

 

I always pack my cache boxes with a top layer of lutefisk. Keeps the animals away.

EraSeek,

Have you been hitting the bottle again??

[+Wienerdog]

Lutefisk, lutefisk,

lesfa, lefsa,

we're the mighty Luterens

Yah yah you betcha!

 

I always pack my cache boxes with a top layer of lutefisk. Keeps the animals away.

EraSeek,

Have you been hitting the bottle again??

Too funny H.C.! I was thinking the same thing and then I scrolled down to your post!

 

So where have you been EraSeek? Still in "silent" mode?

 

Not that I ever dissappear.... I am trying real hard not to hibernate this winter.

 

Hey... what have you been up to H.C.?

Edited November 7, 2005 by Wienerdog

[+EraSeek]

*belch*

[+The Jester]

Lutefisk, lutefisk,

lesfa, lefsa,

we're the mighty Luterens

Yah yah you betcha!

 

I always pack my cache boxes with a top layer of lutefisk. Keeps the animals away.

EraSeek,

Have you been hitting the bottle again??

I figure it's the left over pain meds from the broken ankle...

[+Nerves]

Here in New England, Tupperware and Tupperware wannabee containers are used alot as well as ammo boxes and all variations of micros including bolts, pine cones, alot of magnetic containers, fake rocks, etc. Rock walls are popular hiding spots and the countryside and seashore are filled with rock walls. You sometimes have to move the rocks to get to the cache so it can be a little bit of a challenge not to demolish the entire wall.

[+Kiersolvd]

Here in New England, Tupperware and Tupperware wannabee containers are used alot as well as ammo boxes and all variations of micros including bolts, pine cones, alot of magnetic containers, fake rocks, etc. Rock walls are popular hiding spots and the countryside and seashore are filled with rock walls. You sometimes have to move the rocks to get to the cache so it can be a little bit of a challenge not to demolish the entire wall.

Old England banned the placement of caches in rock walls for that very reason.

[+mgoose]

In Oklahoma we have a wide variety of caches and the way they are hided.Some of the Darkmoon caches are very challenging and fun. Some of the best camo come from Kand caches and the Cedarbend gang.They can camo a ammo can to a five gal. bucket that is unreal!!! Have hunted these at events and regular caches and can be very challenging .I have done some very cool micros to 5 gal. buckets in town and in the woods. Any where from Rocks,tree stumps,bolts,camo tupper ware,in the air over water.Getting tougher all the time!!!! mgoose

[+geospyder]

Nevada - Sagebrush and rockpiles guarded by rattlers and scorpions.

[+briansnat]

In northern NJ, the parking lot micro is almost unheard of. The vast majority of caches are good hikes (1 - 5 miles RT) in what we call mountains here. Ammo boxes are the container of choice for most hides and rock crevices are the preferred hiding spot.

 

Even in suburban areas most caches require require at least a half mile walk and often a mile or more RT and there is an ammo box or good sized Tupperware container at the end. Puzzle caches here aren't very popular. List a cache as a puzzle and odds are very few geocachers will try it.

 

We don't see many of the uniquely camoed caches and clever hides here either. No fake rocks or sprinkler heads. Its basically the "here are the coords, go find it" school of geocaching. The challenge is often the terrain (which can be surprsingly rugged).

 

But drive an hour or two towards central NJ and you will find a lot more micros. Parking lot micros start to appear more frequently and puzzle caches abound. Place a puzzle cache in central NJ and people seek them out. Owners seem to try to out do each other with their puzzles and clever hides. Maybe its because the terrain is flatter in this area, so puzzles are used to add to the challenge.

 

I've been in other areas (western NY state and northeastern Ohio come to mind) where nearly every cache is no more than a few hundred feet from parking. Usually hidden under a pile of sticks or bark. The longer hikes are extremely rare.

Edited November 8, 2005 by briansnat

[+fauxSteve]

In Belgium I came across several places where hiders found perfectly rectangular holes in the ground that snugly held an ammo can. They then place a board over it and covered it with dirt, leaves and such. A stick to hit the ground with was handy in helping to find these. I've looked for similar holes here in Washington, but all of ours are much more organic in shaped and depth.

[+hydnsek]

In Belgium I came across several places where hiders found perfectly rectangular holes in the ground that snugly held an ammo can. They then place a board over it and covered it with dirt, leaves and such. A stick to hit the ground with was handy in helping to find these. I've looked for similar holes here in Washington, but all of ours are much more organic in shaped and depth.

I know of one cache on the East Side (SE of Newcastle in May Valley area) that fits the Belgium description.

[+The Jester]

In Belgium I came across several places where hiders found perfectly rectangular holes in the ground that snugly held an ammo can. They then place a board over it and covered it with dirt, leaves and such. A stick to hit the ground with was handy in helping to find these. I've looked for similar holes here in Washington, but all of ours are much more organic in shaped and depth.

I know of one cache on the East Side (SE of Newcastle in May Valley area) that fits the Belgium description.

With a surprising wood lining also! It's amazing what happens in nature.

[+fauxSteve]

With a surprising wood lining also! It's amazing what happens in nature.

Indeed, a couple of the ones I found in Europe demonstrated that same phenomenon. I wonder if an animal is responsible for that?

[+WeightMan]

It must be that dratted woodchuck chucking wood.

 

[+Shop99er]

Lutefisk, lutefisk,

lesfa, lefsa,

we're the mighty Luterens

Yah yah you betcha!

 

I always pack my cache boxes with a top layer of lutefisk. Keeps the animals away.

And me!!

[+The Jester]

It must be that dratted woodchuck chucking wood.

 

So THAT's the answer to that age old question - he chucks just enough to cover an ammo box!