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First To Find... Whats The Deal?

OmniCitadel

By OmniCitadel
in How do I...?

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robert

+robert

Posted
Posted

Some like to see how the cache was placed by the hider. Over time the hide can change a bit. Also there can be a valuable FTF prize in there. Others do it for the fun and heart-pounding possibility of opening a fresh logbook. Drawback is if there are bad coords on the page, you may come home with nothing.

 

Me, I prefer to just get to the cache when I get to it. If that's first, great. 27th, that's great, too.

 

:rolleyes:

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welch

+welch

Posted
Posted
So is there any REAL reason why one would race to be the first to find a cache?

Nope.

Mostly people do it just to see if they can beat others in the area (or be the first to find out the coords are way off). Usually there isn't anything of great value inside and/or a FTF 'prize' so they do just for the fun.

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Cardinal Red

+Cardinal Red

Posted
Posted

In some area's there is a LOT of competition to claim the FTF. I can only claim 2. the 1st was in a County I used to work in. The other is in the County I live in.

 

As FTF you are the first to be able to evaluate the hiders coords.

But as robert mentioned, if there are problems with the Cache Page information you could come up empty and have to ask the Cache owner to double check their information. This only happened to me once, and after it was fixed I did NOT get that FTF.

 

Neither of my FTF's had a special prize. And that was fine with me. I certainly would not go racing off to claim a "special" prize. But put one in another County I have not claimed one in yet, and I would give it a shot.

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BlueDeuce

+BlueDeuce

Posted
Posted
So is there any REAL reason why one would race to be the first to find a cache?

REAL reason?

 

gaa.....aagh......well, other than someone is first, hmmmm...nope I honestly can't think of one.

 

Now some people like to be first, and I've done a few so I can claim the distinction, but other than that no, there is no real reason.

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tands

+tands

Posted
Posted

There aren't any REAL reasons everybody, so everybody, just be cool and patient about new hides, ok? No need to race to them. Give them a day or so. That way y'all can feel mature and all priorities-in-order like, and I should be able to get to all of them first, hehe.

 

- T of TandS

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Kit Fox

+Kit Fox

Posted
Posted (edited)

A good reason to strive for FTF, is when the cache contains a White Jeep TB, or custom, trackable geocoin you haven't logged yet. This way you get a chance to log them before they disappear.

 

It all depends on how motivated you are. Take me for example, if I see a new micro cache listed 20 miles away that is "log only", I won't go after to FTF, unless I happen to be going in that direction. Now if it a new cache that has items that I like to go after (Jeep TBs, Geocoins, etc) I have been known to find them, in the dark while everyone else is sleeping.

 

There are no points for FTF!

Edited by Kit Fox
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sassydil

+sassydil

Posted
Posted

I'll pretty much only go after them if it's very convenient. One I tried for, well, I was the first to get there and couldn't get the container open - it was really jammed tight. I emailed the owner and he went right out and loosened it a bit. A few days later he adjusted it more and I eventually went back, but was not the first to sign the log. Another one I went after was muggled before I got there. It was about a 50 mile round trip in a direction that I had already done the other caches on the way. Oh,well. I managed to go a bit further and get a Virtual that was on my list so it wasn't a complete waste of gas.

 

One very surprising FTF is up in the Colorado mountains at 12225 feet. Initially I wasn't sure how close I could get in my vehicle and I thought someone in a 4WD would blast right up to it, so I wasn't in any rush to try FTF. I did some research and no thanks to the information people at the local Forest Service office who told me the road was 4WD the whole way, found out that a passenger car could get to about 1.5 miles away. I wouldn't have minded a longer hike if it had been further, but I sort of like to know what I'm getting into before I head out. The cache was placed on September 12th and I got to it on October 7th. No one had logged on line, but I figured someone had probably been there before me. I was very surprised to be FTF and so far, I'm the only one who has found it. Great view from the hiding place!

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IC1

+IC1

Posted
Posted
You are the only person who finds it exactly like the hider hid it.

 

Also in KC it is sure to be an promptitude event. I sometimes meet 3 or 4 cachers at a FTF attempt.

The Impromptu Events that happen around here are just about the best reason to go after FTF's! I have met more cachers this way than just about any event! FTFs around here can be a fairly competitive sport!

 

I know after finding a cache that hasn't been found for months, I get the same exhilaration.

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geospyder

+geospyder

Posted
Posted
QUOTE (geospyder @ Dec 18 2005, 10:42 AM)

FTF? You get to really find it. There is no geo-trail to follow. 

 

Unless the coordinates are off...then you get to be the first to look, no the first to find.

 

 

I'm too stubborn. Here is a log from one of my FTFs

 

FTF! ...and this was a hard one to find because the given coordinates are off by almost 200 feet. Until the coordinates are corrected, concentrate on the "No Bull" clue and work your way from there until you are about 190-200 feet from the cache. Start looking at that point. We took the box of fishing lures and the Happy BDay - 2 TB. We left a couple Dutch coins. Thanks for the hunt.

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JohnnyVegas

+JohnnyVegas

Posted
Posted

Why a FTF? Why not a FTF? It has to be someone, might as well be me B)

 

I have been known as a FTF hound, were I use to live I got so many FTF that one night at around 11PM I found a new cache the first place in the logged said it was reserved for me :P

 

Now I have mover to a new area and there must be 12 cachers that go after FTF at all hours of the day so now I do not get to log as many FTFs. B)

 

What makes matters worse is that I accidently got a job as a buyer in an outdoors store that is cutting into my free time B) AND THEY DO NOT SELL GPS PRODUCTS :blink: maybe I can fix that though. B)

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Thrak

+Thrak

Posted
Posted

I do it because I CAN! :)

 

It's kind of a rush to see that empty log and know that you are the very first one to find the cache. I've only been caching for 2 months but I have 20 FTF. It's not a competition with others - it's just something I like. I've never found a special FTF prize (I've missed those) but I've left them for others. This cache GCRJXJ has (had) a FTF prize. It was collected at 12:15 AM. The series of 6 was published around 9:00 PM and the last two involved round trip hikes of maybe 2.25 miles each on widely separated trails. A number of different folks were out looking in the dark in order to be FTF. I'm not the only one who likes it. ;)

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Melrose Plant

+Melrose Plant

Posted
Posted
You are the only person who finds it exactly like the hider hid it.

 

Also in KC it is sure to be an impromptu event. I sometimes meet 3 or 4 cachers at a FTF attempt.

Yes, I think that going for first to find races are pretty much the only times I meet other cachers out there on the hunt. And it can be very exciting at times. Maybe it is a relatively safe excitement substitute for someone who normally doesn't do anything illegal or dangerous.

 

One time I was trying for a first to find before work at probably 5:30 in the morning. The cache area is notorious for bad GPS reception. I managed to walk straight into somebody's private fence, making a loud clanging sound when my GPSr was going nutso. There were lights on at the house. Nothing happened. I found the cache. First. Then the flashlights appeared. Bright flashlights. Aaagh, it's the cops! I swear I didn't do anything! Just accidently ran into a fence! Nope, it was the second finders. We chatted for a while in the dark. I went to work as usual. You can't get this anywhere else.

 

Melrose

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