Ftfs On Dedicated Caches

[+FunnyNose]

Doesn't proper geocaching etiquette say that if someone dedicates a cache to another cacher, that as a courtesy other cachers should wait for the honoree to get the cache ??

[+fizzymagic]

In my experience, FTF hounds tend not to be very concerned with etiquette.

[+KoosKoos]

I'd say the FTF should go to the person who finds the cache first and logs it.

[+unicyclist]

wouldnt it be up to the person who places it? Personaly if I dedicated a cache to a certain person, I would give that person the lat/lon before I even submit it to be reviewed.

[+briansnat]

I think if you place a cache and have it published, its fair game. If you want someone specific to find it first, give them the coordinates before hand and submit it for publishing once he's found it.

[+Totem Clan]

I think if you place a cache and have it published, its fair game. If you want someone specific to find it first, give them the coordinates before hand and submit it for publishing once he's found it.

Once again the all-knowing Brian has come to out aid, graced us with his infinite wisdom.

 

 

Oh Geez. Did I just say that.

[+Bill & Tammy]

I think if you place a cache and have it published, its fair game. If you want someone specific to find it first, give them the coordinates before hand and submit it for publishing once he's found it.

 

Right on target Briansnat. If you want a cache to only be found by one individual then don't publish it to the general geocaching audience.

[Mushtang]

In my experience, FTF hounds tend not to be very concerned with etiquette.

I wasn't aware of this etiquette. I'm not a FTF hound, but if I happened to be in a place to find a new cache and it was dedicated to another cacher, I wouldn't hesitate to look for it and be the FTF. Not because I wanted to be mean, but because (as others in this thread have said) I would think it was fair game for anyone.

 

I haven't seen this etiquette mentioned anywhere else. Has anyone?

[+bumblingbs]

I was FTF on a cache published naming someone else, but only after a conversation with the intended finder. Pretty small community here, though.

 

Dedicated caches don't always work out. There was one with my name on it. I woke on a cold, cold windy morning, hoping to sit in front of the fire reading a book, only to check the caches and find this one. Drat! Felt obligated to go out.

 

Inadvertantly returned the favor by hiding one for my geo-friend that he loathed. Just his least favorite kind of cache hunt.

 

Was all well meant.....

[+The Leprechauns]

Well, it's ironic that there was just recently a thread where the cache owner gave the honoree the coordinates ahead of time, and some posters were critical of his actions, as this "spoiled" the FTF hunt.

 

No matter what you do, someone will find a reason to get bent out of shape about it.

[+Wander Lost]

I set up a cache once and asked that the FTF be reserved for the person I was dedicating the cache to. Notice I said ONCE. I had a thread very similar to this one started by a bunch of people very upset about the idea of reserving the FTF for one person in particular.

 

Once it's published it's fair game for anyone to find. If you wanted the person you created the cache for to have the first chance to find it you should have given them the coords prior to it being submitted. But be prepared for the situation that Lep describes above to happen if you do.

Edited July 30, 2006 by Wander Lost

[Pipanella]

For an event, honoring my birthday in 2004, there was a cache placed and we were given the coordinates that morning at breakfast. I'm not into the FTF thing, although I will make a special effort to go, if it's somewhat close to me or convenient. That day, the plans for the group in my car (and I drove), didn't include being in the area of that cache, so when we attempted to find it later in the day, I was pretty sure the other groups would have logged it already, which would have been perfectly fine with me. Either that, or someone not at the event would have seen the cache published and gone after it. Imagine my surprise when I was FTF.

 

It was exciting enough for me that someone placed a cache in my honor. I get more enjoyment out of that fact than being the FTF on it. Having a cache named in your honor is a gift that keeps on giving. Being FTF was just a bonus.

 

Any published cache is fair game, as far as I'm concerned. But if someone places a cache that they want the honoree to find first, they should state their desire in the cache listing, but with the understanding that not all cachers will honor that (although I'd like to think they would). If the honoree hasn't logged the cache in a few days, I'd say that was plenty long enough to give them to do it.

[Pipanella]

Well, it's ironic that there was just recently a thread where the cache owner gave the honoree the coordinates ahead of time, and some posters were critical of his actions, as this "spoiled" the FTF hunt.

 

No matter what you do, someone will find a reason to get bent out of shape about it.

Yep. It's a DIYD/DIYD kind of situation.

[+WascoZooKeeper]

In the Chicago area (as is done in many other areas) we often place caches honoring 1000-milestone caches. Most often, the person being honored is given the lat/long before it's published so they can be the first to hunt for it. The one I placed recently, I asked the reviewer to review, but not publish, the cache. Once the honoree let me know he'd found it, I had it published.

 

If someone's self-esteem is so caught up in being FTF that this gets their knickers in a knot . . . . that's just too dadgum bad. Somebody needs to get a life, in that case.

[+SGT red jeep]

Doesn't proper geocaching etiquette say that if someone dedicates a cache to another cacher, that as a courtesy other cachers should wait for the honoree to get the cache ??

proper geocaching etiquette

that's rich

You post the cache, I'm gone!

FTF shouldn't count for someone if they had the coords ahead of everyone else.

On your marks, get set, go................ B) .....................OK, everyone else can go now too.

I don't get it.

[+Pyewacket]

In addition to what's been stated above, to ensure that a child has FTF honors, wouldn't a parent would have to be involved? That alone would make the parent privy to the coords when the hider hid the cache, I would think.

[+Torry]

Doesn't proper geocaching etiquette say that if someone dedicates a cache to another cacher, that as a courtesy other cachers should wait for the honoree to get the cache ??

 

Um, no.

 

Can't imagine where that became a requirement.

 

Proper geocaching etiquette DOES say that posted caches are ready to be found. That's why they are POSTED on the GC.com website.

[+Torry]

I think if you place a cache and have it published, its fair game. If you want someone specific to find it first, give them the coordinates before hand and submit it for publishing once he's found it.

 

I'm waiting for my child support check, Briansnat.

 

At all the milestone events that I have been to the cache coords were given to the person of honor, cache found, and then activated shortly thereafter. Everybody gets their special moment, the cache is christened, the gallery gets some choice photos and the rest of the world gets another cache.

[+CYBret]

I had a cache "dedicated" to me last year. The owner left instructions on the page requesting that other cachers wait to find it so that my daughter, Gracie and I could be FTF. One other local cacher decided he just couldn't wait and went right out that night to get it.

 

Eh, no skin off my nose. It would have been nice to log a FTF with Gracie, but if the only reason I'm getting an FTF is because no one else is allowed to log it yet....where's the surprise? In my FTF hound days I enjoyed the excitement of cracking open the cache and checking the logbook to see if I had indeed made it first or if I had been beaten by one of the other FTF hounds. That's what made them so sweet. Knowing you've got an ace in the hole and that the FTF rights are "reserved" for you just seems kind of cheap to me.

 

As I've said before, hunting an FTF ought to be a little like religion and a lot like sex....you should never know when you're gonna get it next.

 

 

 

 

Bret

[+LifeOnEdge!]

How vain are we to not only expect something in our honor, but to also expect our fellow man to bow down to us as well??? How vail are we to not appreciate our fellow cachers to do all they can do to do what they do best?

 

If I had a cache dedicated to me, I would honored by anyone rushing out and nabbing the cache. If someone wanted to wait for me, wonderful. I would expect that they wouldn't have to wait long before seeing *my* find log! I would hope that they "waiting" to read my log, instead of waiting for me to find the cache.

 

As for someone waiting for me to go out and find they cache honoring me for the sake of allowing me a better chance at the FTF is just pretty lame.

 

If the cache owner wanted me to be the first finder, no, they should NOT give me the coordinates before the cache is published. Rather, they should give me information needed to complete the find, which I could then "supply" to the cache in order to complete it. This would be the form of a mystery cache and I would be part of that mystery.

 

If the cache owner did not stipulate or set things up beforehand, all bets are off. A published cache is fair game for everyone, especially for a standard cache.

 

What is at issue here is fairness and the cache owners wishes. If anything, I would value a cache in my honor much more highly if the cache owner urged his fellow cachers to rush out ASAP and get the cache.

 

Who among us would not come to tears if 12 of our friends not only beat us to the site and signed the log with well wishes, then waited in hiding (or in a semi-drunken mass) near the cache site for us???

[ParentsofSAM]

There was a cache here that was dedicated to a cacher recently. There was an event and the owner gave the coords to the honoree there. Then later that night the cache was published. There were 2 others by the same owner in the same area.....we went out and got the FTF on the other 2 but because we were not sure that the honoree had found the 3rd cache we did nto get it....so it just sat unfound. Then someother cacher found it and said they were not the FTF so we went out and got it finally. But we waited for them to get it first.

 

It took 3 weeks for the honoree to log the find......

[+Recdiver]

I think if you place a cache and have it published, its fair game. If you want someone specific to find it first, give them the coordinates before hand and submit it for publishing once he's found it.

First I don't play the ftf game. That being said if a cache has been published then it is out there for anyone to find. That is where the whole "first" to find part comes in right?

[+Trash4Cache]

/rant on

 

Naw.. how about the cacher that talks to park officials and gets exclusive cache rights for approx 5 square miles of public park. A vast majority of caches are on public land, so I don't get it. All else will be removed, not necessarily by park officials, so don’t bother. I myself have not visited those because of the exclusiveness. All his cache names should start with “Mine….” Probably some grandfather junk from years ago but who can tell. Makes a person want to stick to benchmarking if only because finding them doesn't encourage some peoples sense of self worth.

 

Maybe dedicated caches are treated like a private aspect of this hobby and as such are not supported by the majority or maybe you need to have a bigger reputation to ensure a short time period on those…

 

/rant off

 

Whew.. sorry bout that. I hope that most folks would recognize the special quality of the designation and let it go. I mean, we all use the website for cacheing, so it wouldn't be an accidental find or anything.

[+OHMIKY]

wouldnt it be up to the person who places it? Personaly if I dedicated a cache to a certain person, I would give that person the lat/lon before I even submit it to be reviewed.

 

if you want a particular person to be ftf, it seems to me that is the only way - and ignore any whiners who think that is 'unfair' in their version of the game.

 

(edited to repair misspelling)

Edited July 30, 2006 by OHMIKY

[+Tsmola]

I had one with my name on it hidden by a local. I got FTF just barely (10-15 mins) if they had beat me I wouldn't have cared, no big deal to me.

[+edscott]

I think if you place a cache and have it published, its fair game. If you want someone specific to find it first, give them the coordinates before hand and submit it for publishing once he's found it.

First I don't play the ftf game. That being said if a cache has been published then it is out there for anyone to find. That is where the whole "first" to find part comes in right?

 

agree, agree, agree.... I just don't get the FTF thing. Maybe I'm just too independent to be forced to cache where someone just put a cache instead of where I want to go...

[+WalruZ]

wouldnt it be up to the person who places it? Personaly if I dedicated a cache to a certain person, I would give that person the lat/lon before I even submit it to be reviewed.

 

if you want a particular person to be ftf, it seems to me that is the only way - and ignore any whiners who think that is 'unfair' in their version of the game.

 

(edited to repair misspelling)

 

It really doesn't have anything to do with unfairness. If the cache isn't published, someone who finds it isn't "first to find". The cache has to be published so that multiple people at least have the opportunity to seach for it.

[+briansnat]

wouldnt it be up to the person who places it? Personaly if I dedicated a cache to a certain person, I would give that person the lat/lon before I even submit it to be reviewed.

 

if you want a particular person to be ftf, it seems to me that is the only way - and ignore any whiners who think that is 'unfair' in their version of the game.

 

(edited to repair misspelling)

 

It really doesn't have anything to do with unfairness. If the cache isn't published, someone who finds it isn't "first to find". The cache has to be published so that multiple people at least have the opportunity to seach for it.

 

If they aren't the FTF, then what number are they?

[+budd-rdc]

Doesn't proper geocaching etiquette say that if someone dedicates a cache to another cacher, that as a courtesy other cachers should wait for the honoree to get the cache ??

 

I think that's unreasonable to ask, but bonus points to the dedicatee if he or she can beat the FTF hounds.

 

Personally, I'd have no problem complying with that request. Getting a FTF isn't worth THAT much.

 

If this also involved a FTF prize for the dedicatee, then I can see this becoming more controversial... but there are better alternatives, like events, parties, un-published coordinates, U.S. Mail, etc.

[+Bill & Tammy]

wouldnt it be up to the person who places it? Personaly if I dedicated a cache to a certain person, I would give that person the lat/lon before I even submit it to be reviewed.

 

if you want a particular person to be ftf, it seems to me that is the only way - and ignore any whiners who think that is 'unfair' in their version of the game.

 

(edited to repair misspelling)

 

It really doesn't have anything to do with unfairness. If the cache isn't published, someone who finds it isn't "first to find". The cache has to be published so that multiple people at least have the opportunity to seach for it.

 

 

If they aren't the FTF, then what number are they?

 

 

I believe the point is that most undertand FTF's (First to Finds) in the competitive context. As in is it really a race with only one runner and while we are at it what is the sound of one hand clapping?

[+Teach2Learn]

I believe the point is that most undertand FTF's (First to Finds) in the competitive context. As in is it really a race with only one runner and while we are at it what is the sound of one hand clapping?

 

I agree that it's fair game, though hopefully the recipient of the dedication will win the race. If it's a personalized prize, that should be stated and perhaps a FTF prize should also be included. If the cacher to whom it's dedicated wins the race, they get the personal prize and the FTF prize.

 

...while we are at it what is the sound of one hand clapping?

 

It's a cache, of course: Sound of One Hand Clapping by the renowned Show Me The Cache. It clapped for me when I found it.

 

(edited to correct link)

Edited July 31, 2006 by Teach2Learn

[+LaPaglia]

Well, it's ironic that there was just recently a thread where the cache owner gave the honoree the coordinates ahead of time, and some posters were critical of his actions, as this "spoiled" the FTF hunt.

 

No matter what you do, someone will find a reason to get bent out of shape about it.

Or as we say out west. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!

[+Teach2Learn]

Well, it's ironic that there was just recently a thread where the cache owner gave the honoree the coordinates ahead of time, and some posters were critical of his actions, as this "spoiled" the FTF hunt.

 

No matter what you do, someone will find a reason to get bent out of shape about it.

Or as we say out west. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!

 

Yes, but I'm still hoping for GeoWoodstock in Colorado someday. I know you all didn't put in a bid this year (at least from earlier posts that I read), but I'd still love to see one in the future as your organization infrastructure grows and the number of great caches continues to increase.

 

Or maybe it's just I want to go back there since caching wasn't around for my last visit in 1994 .

 

Concerning this thread, giving everybody a prize might be the only solution to make everyone happy, unless you arrive at the same time as another cacher and break the remaining McToy while fighting over it.