Night Caches

[Via Con Ardillos]

Hi, just reading around the forums tonight and notices some "firetacks" talk. i found out what they are and now i am curious as to how a cache with them would be set up. would you give them coords to the first tack and have them follow a trail by looking for the tacks with a flashlight that would eventually lead to the final cache. Any info would help. Thanks

[+mudsneaker]

Thats pretty much how they work. Theres some with fun variations like Control the NightVery fun to do, so if you can find any close to you, definately go check it out. Dont foget to be extra prepared though. Emergency supplies, cell phone, turn on your GPS breadcrumbs(backtrack), ect for safety. Nothings worse that having the lights go out a mile from the car.

[Mr.Yuck]

Hi, just reading around the forums tonight and notices some "firetacks" talk. i found out what they are and now i am curious as to how a cache with them would be set up. would you give them coords to the first tack and have them follow a trail by looking for the tacks with a flashlight that would eventually lead to the final cache. Any info would help. Thanks

 

Yup, you got it, that's the way to do it. Some would almost consider this "old-fashioned", and people are always coming up with improved methods for night caches. (I see there is at least one link posted at this time). But the standard fire tack night cache is always lots of fun. Even if there are always smart-aleck's who go out and find them during the day.

[+Airmapper]

On a couple I have done, it was held as an event and all went as a group, which is always a lot of fun. You look back and see a big string of bobbing flashlights. We all string out on the legs, then get to a tack, bunch up, and lights go everywhere searching for the next, you get blinded, which makes the tacks harder to spot, then someone hollers "got it" and you rush to the next one. It's a blast.

[+flask]

it's a nice touch if you position the tacks so the trail can't be followed backward easily...

[+briansnat]

it's a nice touch if you position the tacks so the trail can't be followed backward easily...

 

I once did a night cache and the people who set it up did so assuming people wouldn't need to return along the same route, so they didn't set up a return trail in tacks. This was on pretty tough terrain with dense undergrowth in the Castskills. We decided to abandon the hunt half way through and I didn't have a GPS along (we found the beginning out of sheer luck). Needless to say it was a lot of fun trying to find our way back.

[+Woodlit]

I have placed a night cache, and I did not place any "return tacks" on the backsides of the trees. I made it SUPER clear on the cache page that i didn't place any on the back sides of trees, and told them to bring their GPS's, and have their tracks turned on, the whole nine yards. But still the first 5 or 6 finders all mentioned in their logs that were none on the back sides of the trees, and warned people to bring their gps's... hmmm.. I wonder if they ever fully read the cache page?

Anyway, not placing any return-tacks is a good way to raise the difficulty of a cache, but be prepared to share a few emails with people who found it, who think other wise *

[+jcblough]

Here's a good one that worked very well

 

Night Cache