Research Or Spur Of The Moment?

[+Wolkynou]

How much trouble do you go to before placing a cache? Do you research the placing - make a learning experience for yourself - or do you place it on the spur moment?

 

By research I mean: get info, background, history of the area, demographics, geographics, etc

 

The past week I placed a cache after driving past the spot three times ... mulling the placing of a cache over and over in my mind ... that was after driving past the spot for more than fourteen years ... will it be a regular or a micro ... from where will you get the best "exposure" to the natural beauty ... is there any safe parking in the area ... and ... and

 

Other times I drive past and place a cache on the spur of the moment ... see a spot of beauty or of historical value ... some interesting spot ... and pop goes the weasel (the cache I mean...)

 

Now I've wondered... what do you gals and guys do when contemplating hiding a cache on certain spot? Or do you just start driving around until you find a spot?

Edited May 28, 2006 by Wolkynou

[+Team_Tramper]

This would be interesting to know Wolkynou....

 

I must admit, I generally do a bit of research prior to cache placement. The last four for example I knew which area I wanted to place them and worked out the co-ords and then when I went to place them, had to change because of one or another circumstance.

 

My first cache took me almost 6 weeks planning. Sky Earth was one that I wanted to place for people to get out into the outdoors but at the same time was a quick cache for those travelling far or from abroad.

 

I think if there is some history to a place, then its nice to know about it, such as the caches placed at Historical sites and the like.

 

Ive got five caches waiting to be placed and just havent found suitable spots for them yet.

 

Then again I have one in the car with me in case I find a suitable spot when on the road, one never knows

[+Team_Tramper]

Duplication

Edited May 28, 2006 by tramper

[perdix]

I tend to only place caches in areas that I've been to before. My first few hides were researched and I even made a separate website (link on original page) to share some more info. I still dont place on the spur of the moment.

 

Today we drove 200km plus, and did not place a cache, though I set out to place one in the Arc of the 30th Meridian series. I did not place it becuase the obvious route entailed opening a farm gate, there are two more routes to the spot, but I only found time to investigate one other entrance. Same thing - farm gate. Next time I will try the other route and if that harvests the same result, I may just drive through the gate, as many minor public roads are barricaded by farm gates.

 

I did make a couple of mental notes for future investigations / placements though! The only problem with this approach is that I have 100s of hides in memory, yet only a few physical hides.

 

In the end, no matter how well you plan, the caches stand an equal amount of chance of being muggled and more importantly enjoyed by cachers than one placed on the spur of the moment. I believe that a cache should:

1.) take you to a place you would not normally go and / or,

2.) teach you something new and / or,

3.) share a beautiful view and / or

4.) be a great deal of fun to find.

If you can accomplish this, then who cares how much thought went into it, just dont be irresponsible.

 

BTW, I always drive around with a cache ready to be hidden, you never know when you want to place a spur of the moment cache.

[+The Huskies]

A few of our caches have been done on the spur of the moment and others we drive past and look for a long time before placing a cache.

 

Today we drove 345km to do caching and placed 1 spur of the moment. We did, however spend about 2 hours at this place looking for a suitable hiding place and informed the caretaker about the cache hide and what geocaching is about.

 

Our first cache took us about a month to place.

 

We also drive around with a ready to place cache for those spur of the moment hides .

[+John-Gill]

We do a bit of both. Our recent one - Training - required not only research, but a fair amount of preparation before placing - searching for the right materials and prepping the cache, for eg. The So Square series required quite a bit of legwork too. However, we also do a fair amount of in the spur of the moment caches, and always have some gc stuff in the boot in case! I think there's value in both. Sometimes it's great to have the info and learn a lot from a cache, other times you just want a quick and entertaining cache.

[+bear&fox]

A bit of both for us as well. Most of the time we'd find (or know about) an awesome spot, place the cache and then write up the info that goes with it. We have placed some spur of the moment caches, but generally don't do that (although I keep a micro in the car - just in case!) We have also placed two caches and then pulled them out before publishing them - they just didn't feel right.

 

But we always have a list of 12 or so in planning! These are nasties so they tend to stay in planning a looong time. Too long.

[+Discombob]

yes, there's a cache i have been planning to place for 2.5 years, but have never got round to it yet!

[+vespax]

Heading out to place a micro that I have had in planning for many many months now after I finish typing this. Wish me luck!

[+Team JSAM]

I do more "thinking" than reasearch more on how I am going to hide and/or what type of cache it will be I havent done any reasearch on the location, I usally pick a spot and just keep walking until I find a good spot to hide.

[+anlufu]

As there virtually no competition here for placing caches, I think long and hard and then I research and then I ask the rest of the team's opinion. There is a cache that I'm in the process of placing close-by, I have been back to the spot 4 times now, the owner is in suspense (she's very excited and a possible recruit). But maybe next weekend....

[+GlobalRat]

I’ve placed one or two on the spur of the moment, but usually only in a place that I’ve visited many times in the past but without the intention of placing a cache there. So it’s been spur of the moment from the perspective of that I suddenly want to place a cache in an area that I’ve visited many times, but don’t have an exact hole in mind. Most however, have been on the drawing board for months or years. As with Discombob, I’ve had a cache series that has been planned and scrutinized and developed for years…… just a quick count… was thought up in June 2003, and placed two dummy caches in Oct 2003, so that’s 3 years in the making.

 

There are various reasons why the cache hasn’t been placed yet, but some months will still pass before it gets activated. For the record, the two dummy caches are still there!

 

With most caches I’ve made a habit of placing a dummy cache, sometimes two or three, with a few odds and sods in it, and visit it as regularly as I can. After a few months, if all seems well, then the real cache gets placed. This is done for a number of reasons. Mainly to see whether it is relatively muggle safe. No guarantee’s, but by doing regular visits at different times of the day, one get’s a better picture of activity in the area.

 

We’ve debated this before, but the drive to place caches shouldn’t be watered down with poorly placed caches. There will always be some dubious placements, even by experienced cachers, we live in an ever changing landscape.

 

For the record, most times it’s quite obvious that a cache has been “dumped” for the sake of a cache.

 

Let’s keep our caches interesting and of a high quality. And for the folks that find caches, give cache owners constructive criticism where you feel necessary, and of course kudo’s where they should be given. BUT: Don’t criticize a certain type of cache by default because you hate those type of caches, if you really hate those caches so much, don’t do them. The ranking system has assisted in boosting caching in South Africa immensely, but seems some folks have lost site of the unadulterated joys of Geocaching, c’est la vie.

[+batsgonemad and his squirrel]

I usually do alot of research on the cache location, what type of cache will be placed, aswell as trying to make it an interesting cache for people to find, i dont place a cache just for the sake of it, for me it's all about the location most of the time.

[+Discombob]

I've just had a look at my caches, and only 2 of them were spur of the moment, both of these being 2 caches placed outside of Cape Town. Thus all the caches in Cape Town have all been pre-mediated areas to place the cache.

 

Sometimes though, i will place a cache, and in so doing, come up with the cache theme. For example, frodos Journey was never meant to be a themed cache. I placed the cache, and while walking down, it occurred to me how much the scenery in the mist felt like lord of the rings, so i got home, wrote the cache description, bought some LOTR goodies, and went back the next day to change cache contents.

 

Also, with Postcard on the rocks - while driving home from placing the cache, it occurred to me to write a poem, which I had finalized in my head by the time I got home to log the cache. Now if i had written this poem beforehand, the cache would never have been called postcard on the rocks, but probably "King Neptunes Court"

I still want to place another poemed cache sometime!

 

I normally am very disorganized, and dont have ready cache containers lying in my car.

To me what is important when placing cache is the comments I get when someone finds the cache. If I get a couple of "quick find, TNLN TFTC'es", I feel that my cache was a failure.

What really is more important to me than the number of finders, is a comment such as "great view/area, what a fun cache, or as often happens, "Bob, you sadistic bastard!" - that one often brings a warm glow to my heart

[+Team_Farmers]

Hi there everyone,

 

I think what you find is that the majority of "spur of the moment" caches tend to me micros lying all over the place, which should (terrain allowing) be converted into a regular cache. It's too easy to place a micro in the middle of no-where, just to climb the rankings.

 

We prefer doing caches that have taken time to put together... that's what keep us addicted!

[+vespax]

I think what you find is that the majority of "spur of the moment" caches tend to me micros lying all over the place, which should (terrain allowing) be converted into a regular cache. It's too easy to place a micro in the middle of no-where, just to climb the rankings.

 

I have a couple of micros floating around in my head for months now. I just need to actually get them organized and placed. Then you will all hate my Micros!!!!! here in CT. Micros can be premeditated. My last micro placement (The Dream) was. As well as So Many Shops, So many PE Shops, Storms Death Walk. As long as you make them interestiing, they are great fun to hide and find.

 

Have I disclosed too much about me and micros?

[+Discombob]

Yes, micros are great if they are in a really interesting hiding spot!

[+Wolkynou]

About MICRO'S ... a teasing micro is as good as anything ... but then they must be a real treat!!!

[+GS&Dogs]

To me what is important when placing cache is the comments I get when someone finds the cache. If I get a couple of "quick find, TNLN TFTC'es", I feel that my cache was a failure.

 

In that case to many cachers out there all the caches they do are a failure even if you did allot of trouble placing the cache. It all boils down to the numbers I suppose. Why write something meaningful when you get the credit anyway. Sad. Sometimes it makes you wonder why you even bothered placing the cache in the first place. There are however those people who do make an effort to write meaningful logs and those are always the people you enjoy having find your caches and make you go out and place more caches.

[+batsgonemad and his squirrel]

To me what is important when placing cache is the comments I get when someone finds the cache. If I get a couple of "quick find, TNLN TFTC'es", I feel that my cache was a failure.

 

I have to agree with Disco the fact that people enjoyed the cache is important i would hate for someone to slate any of my caches, so i try and consider the location which sometimes leaves me with no option buy to place a micro, as has been the case with my historical series on Durban. I'm not a lover of micros but do enjoy them. I really love urban caches and in a urban area a micro is the way to go.