Distance And Terrain

[+aintnorock]

I'm sure it's someplace and I just can't find it, but, well, I can't find it!!!

 

I'm looking for a legend for the Distance/Terrain numbers that you find on geocaching.com. I.e., What does a 1/1 really mean vs. a 5/5.

 

My wife and I letterbox, and want to start geocaching and we're planning on a trip to North Central PA where there are a lot of geocaches, but due to my wife's health, we can't be walking for miles and up and down hills. We can do a little more than that, but we've found that letterboxers sometimes are extremely vague as to how difficult a box is to find, and how far. One we found wound up being a walk of over 2 miles (no way to get closer by car) and it was listed as an "easy walk". Not for us in 90 degree weather. I was expecting less than a half mile.

 

So, where is the legend? How far is a 1, a 2, a 3, etc. What distinguishes a terrain of 3 vs. a 2? I'm sure it's all explained somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it.

 

Thanks for the help

 

carl

[+Team JSAM]

I have never seen a legend it is juged by the cacher so they are all really different I have hunted some down that where a diff. of 4 and found in 10 min. and some that where a diff. 2.5 and did not find they are there to give you a general idea but it is based on the hiders idea of how hard it will be but everybody has their own opinion.

[+Team JSAM]

Rating system

[+Renegade Knight]

Geocache Rating System

Your cache has been rated 1/1.

 

Difficulty rating: 1

* Easy. In plain sight or can be found in a few minutes of searching.

** Average. The average cache hunter would be able to find this in less than 30 minutes of hunting.

*** Challenging. An experienced cache hunter will find this challenging, and it could take up a good portion of an afternoon.

**** Difficult. A real challenge for the experienced cache hunter - may require special skills or knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days / trips to complete.

***** Extreme. A serious mental or physical challenge. Requires specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment to find cache.

 

Terrain rating: 1

* Handicapped accessible. (Terrain is likely to be paved, is relatively flat, and less than a 1/2 mile hike is required.)

** Suitable for small children. (Terrain is generally along marked trails, there are no steep elevation changes or heavy overgrowth. Less than a 2 mile hike required.)

*** Not suitable for small children. (The average adult or older child should be OK depending on physical condition. Terrain is likely off-trail. May have one or more of the following: some overgrowth, some steep elevation changes, or more than a 2 mile hike.)

**** Experienced outdoor enthusiasts only. (Terrain is probably off-trail. Will have one or more of the following: very heavy overgrowth, very steep elevation (requiring use of hands), or more than a 10 mile hike. May require an overnight stay.)

***** Requires specialized equipment and knowledge or experience, (boat, 4WD, rock climbing, SCUBA, etc) or is otherwise extremely difficult.

[+wvcoalcat]

Take a look in this thread. It contains some helpful links too.

[+aintnorock]

Thanks everyone, that helps. Guess I'll be sticking to 3/2 or less.

[+Renegade Knight]

Thanks everyone, that helps. Guess I'll be sticking to 3/2 or less.

 

Most people don't know how to use that scale. You will find that looking at a map to see where the cache is located and reading the logs gives you a better feel.

 

In my area 1/1 can mean brutal hide at the end of a brutal hike. I just found a 4/4 that was a 1 for difficulty in finding (in plain sight) but it did earn the 4 to get there.

[+team5150]

First off I would like to say welcome to the fun/addiction!! To the above posts, I would like to add that something that I find helpful is reading the found and dnf logs for a cache. It will often lend some insight into the d/t also. You can see what other people have said about their find (or lack of... ) . You can see if recent searches have yielded multi-dnf's, which might incidate that a cache has been muggled, or if it was a great easy to find cache. I cache with my three kids, so its nice to know where we are headed. Have fun and enjoy the hunt!

[gerboa]

I set one in a park, that required the use of a pedal boat on an ornamental lake, that I was obligated to list as a terrain difficulty 5, (special equipment).

The monitor lizards under the bridge could have been quite a hazard though.

Edited May 5, 2006 by gerboa