Puzzle & Mystery caches, is my idea OK?

[+klipsch49er]

HI,

 

I have an idea for a series of caches in my area. There is a popular highway that is very long (not route 66) where there are towns with historic interest along the route. There are caches in the area of these towns and the route, which is a popular destination for motorcycle riders and vacationers and geocachers alike. Most do not visit the entire area at one time but break it up into many different trips during the year. I want to place a cache at each town along the route. Each cache would be a stand alone cache that you would visit and log just as you do any other cache.

 

Here is the difference..... In my concept I would have caches in 15 of the towns along the route. 15 is the magic number as you may know because it is the number of digits in a latitude & longitude. At each cache there would be a number that you would need to collect that would be used on a separate cache (this number would be permanently printed within the cache container lid). The individual listing for each of the 15 caches would also identify the cache for which you would have to use these numbers collected in order to build the co-ordinates to locate this final cache. The listing for the final cache would refer to the need to visit all of these 15 individual caches first in order to decode the coordinates. For example (using random GC#s):

 

N (GCwjdy)(GCloul)° (GC43j9)(GC7sbge).(GCh4nw)(GChhnh)(GCjh66)

W (GChmqq)(GCrv69)(GCkl89)° (GC4rtg)(GC74rg6).(GCjui9)(GCypl)(GCkawe)

 

If in the lid of:

 

GCwjdy was 3; GCloul was 8; GC43j9 was 1; C7sbge was 2; GCh4nw was 0; GChhnh was 7; GCjh66 was 9

 

Then the coordinates would be N 38° 12.079

 

And so on...

 

The beauty is that each of the 15 individual caches can be visited at any time, but you would need the info only contained within the cache containers in order to visit this last cache. In the case of my proposed area there is quite a distance involved and it would be unlikely but not impossible for a weekender to go the distance. I have before I was a geocacher just because I liked the area.

 

Any comments or suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[+Knight2000]

Nice idea. There is one like that near us that was published by the parks system. Here is a link to one. You need to find the first 19 to get #20. Although now that i look, i dont see #20 on the site...

[+capn-jack]

I like it...around here there is a puzzle cache with pieces that MOVE from cache to cache. I have no idea how to find all 6 pieces, but it sounds like fun! Your idea would be more do-able.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Given that your bogus coords have to be within 2 miles of your actual coords, I'd short cut the cache by assuming the degrees Lat and Long - so not 15, but 11, and possibly fewer than that. It might be possible to assume the Minutes as well, just need to find the minutes, tenths, hundredths, thousands.

I've done this a number of time on caches. Just something to consider in cache design.

[+Too Tall John]

Given that your bogus coords have to be within 2 miles of your actual coords, I'd short cut the cache by assuming the degrees Lat and Long - so not 15, but 11, and possibly fewer than that. It might be possible to assume the Minutes as well, just need to find the minutes, tenths, hundredths, thousands.

I've done this a number of time on caches. Just something to consider in cache design.

From the guidelines:

Mystery or Puzzle Caches

 

...Unless a good reason otherwise can be provided, the posted coordinates should be no more than 1-2 miles (2-3 kilometres) away from the true cache location.

Sounds like I wouldn't count on that idea too heavily, as 2 miles isn't a hard and fast rule, but a guideline.

 

You do have a point, though. Where I live, I can pretty much tell you what the degrees will be for any cache in the area: N 43, W 071. This is a great crib for puzzle caches, if it turns out the puzzler included them in the cipher instead of just coding the minutes, so it might be worth considering the fact that people won't have to visit all the caches to get the coords for the final.

[+monkeyevil]

The 2 mile rule is so that trackables have a accurate mileage count when being logged into your cache.

[Clan Riffster]

Sounds like I wouldn't count on that idea too heavily, as 2 miles isn't a hard and fast rule, but a guideline.

True, but the fact that the suggestion was made by a reviewer is compelling.

[+Isonzo Karst]

he 2 mile rule is so that trackables have a accurate mileage count when being logged into your cache.

 

Yes, but it also means that non-puzzle solving cachers that have done their due diligence, and placed a new cache with no puzzle cache bogus coords within 2 miles aren't going to be unpleasantly surprised to be told that their new hide has saturation issues with a puzzle cache.

 

Individual reviewers vary on willingness to bend on that guideline. I'd contact whoever is local to you first, before doing a bunch of work on a hide assuming that you're going to get a guidelines exception. Or redesign so you don't need a guidelines exception. It's definitely possible.

15 caches= 15 numbers cache coords =

N 50° 0a.bcd W 125° 2e.fgh

 

a=gcxxxx-gcaaaa + gcdddd

b=gcfffff-gcvvvv

c=gcnnnn=gcmmmm

 

etc.

[+halffast]

I have 2 series done in this way.First you find 10 along a 30 mile stretch of hwy. to get the final..All but the final are close to lakes,campgrounds, or other interesting spots along the hwy..The second one you find 26 (A-Z)to get the final.All these are remenances of old homesteads in the national forest.Alot of mountain driving to finish this series.IT has been done and alot of cachers enjoy the challenge.Go for it.

[+tozainamboku]

he 2 mile rule is so that trackables have a accurate mileage count when being logged into your cache.

 

Yes, but it also means that non-puzzle solving cachers that have done their due diligence, and placed a new cache with no puzzle cache bogus coords within 2 miles aren't going to be unpleasantly surprised to be told that their new hide has saturation issues with a puzzle cache.

 

Individual reviewers vary on willingness to bend on that guideline. I'd contact whoever is local to you first, before doing a bunch of work on a hide assuming that you're going to get a guidelines exception. Or redesign so you don't need a guidelines exception. It's definitely possible.

15 caches= 15 numbers cache coords =

N 50° 0a.bcd W 125° 2e.fgh

 

a=gcxxxx-gcaaaa + gcdddd

b=gcfffff-gcvvvv

c=gcnnnn=gcmmmm

 

etc.

And don't forget that is so that caches show up in searches of nearby caches. I'd hate to see a puzzle show up near me and solve it to find out I have to travel across the country to find the cache - or miss the puzzle cache hidden in a nearby park because the bogus coordinates put it in another state.

[+klipsch49er]

WOW! Thanks to all who have been adding to this thread!

 

For this puzzle cache idea my plan is to have the last cache, for which you gather the data to identify it's location form the other 15 (see my original post above), be listed with a coordinates that are within the 2 miles of the actual puzzle answer so anyone would have a clear idea of the general area involved. I now understand that this is counter productive to the idea of the puzzle I have proposed and would require me to have the final cache loacted a significant distance from the listed coordinates.

 

I had planned to annotate the final cacahe listing that due to the fact that you have to locate the other 15 caches first, this would not be an ideal home for a travel bug type item. Because the other fifteen are otherwise stand alone caches they, however, all would be good travel bug locations.

 

I did realize from the treads that my implimentation may be better without coding the first didgits of the N&W and I will probably do this.

 

In a thread above it was noted that I should contact the reviewer for my area to see if this idea would fly with them. How do I do this?

 

Thanks again to everyone responding to this thread!

[+Team GeoBlast]

HI,

 

I have an idea for a series of caches in my area. There is a popular highway that is very long (not route 66) where there are towns with historic interest along the route. There are caches in the area of these towns and the route, which is a popular destination for motorcycle riders and vacationers and geocachers alike. Most do not visit the entire area at one time but break it up into many different trips during the year. I want to place a cache at each town along the route. Each cache would be a stand alone cache that you would visit and log just as you do any other cache.

 

Here is the difference..... In my concept I would have caches in 15 of the towns along the route. 15 is the magic number as you may know because it is the number of digits in a latitude & longitude. At each cache there would be a number that you would need to collect that would be used on a separate cache (this number would be permanently printed within the cache container lid). The individual listing for each of the 15 caches would also identify the cache for which you would have to use these numbers collected in order to build the co-ordinates to locate this final cache. The listing for the final cache would refer to the need to visit all of these 15 individual caches first in order to decode the coordinates. For example (using random GC#s):

 

N (GCwjdy)(GCloul)° (GC43j9)(GC7sbge).(GCh4nw)(GChhnh)(GCjh66)

W (GChmqq)(GCrv69)(GCkl89)° (GC4rtg)(GC74rg6).(GCjui9)(GCypl)(GCkawe)

 

If in the lid of:

 

GCwjdy was 3; GCloul was 8; GC43j9 was 1; C7sbge was 2; GCh4nw was 0; GChhnh was 7; GCjh66 was 9

 

Then the coordinates would be N 38° 12.079

 

And so on...

 

The beauty is that each of the 15 individual caches can be visited at any time, but you would need the info only contained within the cache containers in order to visit this last cache. In the case of my proposed area there is quite a distance involved and it would be unlikely but not impossible for a weekender to go the distance. I have before I was a geocacher just because I liked the area.

 

Any comments or suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Sounds like a novel idea and a true accomplishment for someone to complete and log this cache. I see one downside and that is longevity. If one of those 15 caches gets muggled, you've got an unsolvable puzzle.

[+Too Tall John]

Sounds like it is going to be a good series, have fun with it!

In a thread above it was noted that I should contact the reviewer for my area to see if this idea would fly with them. How do I do this?

Check caches nearby you. The person who first logged to the cache (with a "green light" icon and probably saying no more than "Published") is likely your local reviewer. The reviewer who published your first cache is mtn-man, he is likely your reviewer.

[Clan Riffster]

In a thread above it was noted that I should contact the reviewer for my area to see if this idea would fly with them. How do I do this?

I think Hemlock is a North California reviewer.

[+Too Tall John]

In a thread above it was noted that I should contact the reviewer for my area to see if this idea would fly with them. How do I do this?

I think Hemlock is a North California reviewer.

On second thought, what CR said. I see your cache is in BC.

[+PJPeters]

Given that your bogus coords have to be within 2 miles of your actual coords, I'd short cut the cache by assuming the degrees Lat and Long - so not 15, but 11, and possibly fewer than that. It might be possible to assume the Minutes as well, just need to find the minutes, tenths, hundredths, thousands.

I've done this a number of time on caches. Just something to consider in cache design.

Another option is to have in each cache lid (instead of just the digit):

Cache 1

Nxx.3x.xxx

Wxxx.xx.xxx

Cache 2

Nxx.xx.xxx

Wxxx.xx.xx2

...or something like that. That way, it's a bit more challenging, and they need to find many more of the caches to find the exact coords; unless, of course, they get lucky and find the right caches right away. They won't know which one to go hit to shortcut.

[+froldt]

Another option is to have in each cache lid (instead of just the digit):

Cache 1

Nxx.3x.xxx

Wxxx.xx.xxx

Cache 2

Nxx.xx.xxx

Wxxx.xx.xx2

...or something like that. That way, it's a bit more challenging, and they need to find many more of the caches to find the exact coords; unless, of course, they get lucky and find the right caches right away. They won't know which one to go hit to shortcut.

 

This is a neat idea, I like the looks of it.

 

Actually, I have contacted my local reviewer about a similar idea. What I plan to do is create a hidden cache. The posted coordinates will lead you to the road, or to a parking area (within 2 miles or less). Then, to find the coordinates, you will have to find them, as they will be scattered randomly in other local caches, hidden in swag.

[+J & K]

You might take a look at the TITAN II series in Kansas. A total of 19 caches with a drive of about 400 miles to get all of them. The cacher used decon containers and a fairly consistent approach to the hides...so it made it easy for the hunters to find the cache. He posted a number in the logbook of each cache and when a cacher has all the numbers he has to compute the final location. It took us almost a month to get to all the caches since we didn't make it a top priority, but it was a great feeling to find the final target.

[+lakedawgs]

I love this idea! My biggest problem is that I don't ever take any info with me, I just hunt caches loaded into our GPSr randomly. So I'd have to remember to jot down the number from each cache. But then again, if I noticed something specific (like a number written on/in a container) I'd probably make note of it, knowing it would be of some importance.

 

OK, now I'm rambling... but the gist is that I love this idea!

[+Shakedown.dave]

Around here, there is a similar puzzle cache. (GC11RXB) that you have to find 12 caches over about 20 miles. he just made the coords for the final cache bogus, just within two miles of the actually cache.