+TexasGringo Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I see that some people live to be the FTF of a new cache....out there as soon as it is posted, no matter what time of day or night....just to be the FTF. I get there when I can...no rush. Are YOU a FTF nut...if so, what makes you do it? Quote Link to comment
+ArtieD Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I won't say I am a FTF nut...I would say I am a cache nut. In my area, cache density is really low and new caches that aren't mine are few and far between. So, when I new one pops up close by I am gone! I just happen to get there first quite often. Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I live in a rural area, and if a new cache pops up out this way, I will often try to be FTF. This usually involves a hike of more than a mile, so I haven't had too much competition for many of these FTFs . . . Quote Link to comment
+JamGuys Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 (edited) I see that some people live to be the FTF of a new cache....out there as soon as it is posted, no matter what time of day or night....just to be the FTF. I get there when I can...no rush. Are YOU a FTF nut...if so, what makes you do it? Okay, more than 20% of my finds are FTFs so let's see, why do I enjoy being FTF? Well, there's my general competitive nature, the thrill of getting there before anyone else, the pleasure of despoiling a virgin logbook, the promise of a cool FTF prize, a greater sense of accomplishment, the boost to my ego and self-esteem, the lift to my spirit that lasts all day .... I'm sure there are more! Besides, my caching time is limited and FTF races heighten the excitement of the hunt for me. I'm also pretty selective about the caches I go after - I prefer caches that require a bit of hiking, larger containers such as ammo cans, and puzzle caches. I rarely go after urban micros and practically never get out of my bed at night. And if someone beats me to it (as happens very often), guess what, it's not the end of the world! Oh, by the way, I still consider myself to be a "normal" geocacher! Edited June 24, 2007 by JamGuys Quote Link to comment
+GeocachingAdam Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I see that some people live to be the FTF of a new cache....out there as soon as it is posted, no matter what time of day or night....just to be the FTF. I get there when I can...no rush. Are YOU a FTF nut...if so, what makes you do it? I have THREE FTF's in my entire geocaching career. I would like more, but I am not about to get out of my jammies and leave my house to get it first. If I see a new cache, I make a plan to get it sometime the next day... if I'm first....I'm first... if not... well I get another cache under my belt. Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 (edited) I'm pretty ambiguous about the whole FTF thing. If I happen to see a new cache pop up in my E-mail, and it looks appealing, I'll go hunt it. If I get there first, kewl. If I get there second, kewl. There is a "Whoo Hoo" moment whenever I find a virgin logbook, but that moment isn't so important to me that I'm willing to try and out do others. Edited June 23, 2007 by Clan Riffster Quote Link to comment
+jwe4i Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 to me what matters is that i find the hide! who cares who was first to a particular hide. Quote Link to comment
+B & Lela Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 We are a little bit of both ("FTF Nut" and "Normal Geocacher"). What's wrong with being competitive? It seems that there are throngs of Geocachers out there ready to pounce on people that make this into a more of a game. It's what you make of it! If your not worried about numbers....GREAT. If your so worried about numbers that you get up in the middle of the night to find a cache....GREAT. Again, it is what you make of it. As long as your having fun and not hurting anyone then play the game the way you see fit. Quote Link to comment
+TexasGringo Posted June 23, 2007 Author Share Posted June 23, 2007 I Have fun doing the caching...I also have a couple FTF's but that was by accident...no one else showed up before me. There a 2 FTF's that I have where no one showed up to the cache for a week. Quote Link to comment
Stephen2 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I like going to new caches for the chance that my kids get better swag and maybe a prize. Other than the swag for the kids- it doesn't matter if i am there first or not. Some folks make a big deal of FTF in their logs online and at cache. I see no point in mentioning it. I dislike the high probability of seeing other caches in the area while i am there. Quote Link to comment
+bugsmasher69 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I see that some people live to be the FTF of a new cache....out there as soon as it is posted, no matter what time of day or night....just to be the FTF. I get there when I can...no rush. Are YOU a FTF nut...if so, what makes you do it? HMMMM!!! Wonder if he is talking about me with the late night FTFs. We have severeral late night run out when they are published to be the first. For us it isn't so much getting the FTF but that they are published late on a sunday night and with me driving truck and being gone for several weeks I run out that night before leaving the next morning for work. Otherwise having to wait for so long to find a close to home cache would drive me nuts. So yes we are a FTF nut and a normal geocacher too. Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 (edited) I am a normal geocacher. I do have a bunch of FTFs but I have no idea how many.... Edited June 23, 2007 by TrailGators Quote Link to comment
+Theseus Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I'm only a FTF nut when the listing pops up on a Sat or Sun morning and my wife isn't using the car - which happened today... . The other 98% of the time I am green with envy for cachers that don't have that pesky job thing getting in the way. Quote Link to comment
+TheManInStripes Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 To me, the race to be FTF Is what's fun -- trying to beat the other hounds. In my area, our approver seems to publish around 2 or 3 in the morning, so you often have to be a diehard to get out early to grab the FTF. I've been labelled as a FTF nut in my home area. Was recently out of town on business, and went and grabbed a couple early at 4:00 AM. Was fun to see the reaction on the logs from the normal FTF hounds in the area. Quote Link to comment
nonaeroterraqueous Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I only go for FTFs within about 3.5 miles of home. The competition is too tough here for me to realistically expect to get anything further than that. I try not to be too predictable about it. If there's someone who's caches don't appeal to me, I don't want him asking at the next event why I never try to be FTF on his caches. Sometimes, when the listing pops up, I'm out the door before I have time to think about whether or not I want to go for it. Sometimes, I just close the window and continue my solitaire game; whatever the mood. Quote Link to comment
+macatac1961 Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Are You A FTF Nut?, Or a Normal Geocacher? Yes Quote Link to comment
+Mudfrog Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Are You A FTF Nut?, Or a Normal Geocacher? Yes Nutty here but not really all that much when it comes to FTFs, although we have been known to leave the house at 2 in the morning to grab one. Normal is not a word that describes me either, so i'm just not sure what category i fit into! Quote Link to comment
+Bad_CRC Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 normal cacher. I got one FTF, doubt I'll get another for a while. Quote Link to comment
+Glenn Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I got FTF on a cache once. Funny, I can't even remember exactly which cache it is. I didn't mean to be the FTF. Being the FTF wasn't very memorable. In fact it was a little disappointing. I like to read the log entries that others leave and because the log book was empty I didn't get a chance too do that. Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 12% FTF. 984 caches and 124 FTF. I love to see the empty log. I've found them near the river and up on a hillside in the wild part of our huge park late at night on moonless nights. Oh yeah...... I love the FTF. I've cut way down recently due to the cost of gas. I don't really want to travel 25 miles one way for a FTF attempt anymore. I did lose it and drive 18 miles one way the other day - on the job no less - for a FTF attempt during the day. I missed the cache notification by about 45 minutes and knew it was a risk. I found the log already signed and they had included the time. I missed it by 5 minutes. The guy who found it lived only a few miles from the cache site and I had to go home from the office, load the cache, and then fight traffic to get the 18 miles to the cache. It was a good try and I almost made it. I have had a FTF on a cache that sat there for several days with nobody looking for it. I guess they were too lazy to hike up the hillside and along the ridge to look for the thing. I finally couldn't stand it anymore and went after work one day. My very first FTF was in Montana - I live in California. I was visiting my daughter and went looking for caches in the Three Forks area. I found a cache called Grandma's Schoolhouse that had been sitting unfound for 10 days. It was my 56th cache and I was amazed to find the empty log book. Now that's a very long way to go for a FTF. The cache is 682.5 miles from my house as the crow files and 1,019 miles away if you drive it! Quote Link to comment
+Boot Group Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I've been FTF once I think. I now can't remember what cache it was. So, nope, I'm not a FTF nut. I do, however, like to go to new caches and often try to go within a week or two of a new cache. Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 As long as your having fun and not hurting anyone then play the game the way you see fit. I like that approach. I don't think anyone in here thinks less of folks because they are self proclaimed FTF nuts. Heck, we hunt Tupperware as our hobby. Doesn't that make us all a little nuts? Can you imagine your child "borrowing" your GPSr and bringing it into class for show & tell? "This is my dad's GPS. He uses it to hunt Tupperware". I'm sure the men in the white coats would come knocking. There's nothing wrong with healthy competition, if that's what you like. I'm just not competitive by nature. I do occasionally giggle like a school girl at the antics of the FTF hunters though. Quote Link to comment
+"we two want to play too" Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I see that some people live to be the FTF of a new cache....out there as soon as it is posted, no matter what time of day or night....just to be the FTF. I get there when I can...no rush. Are YOU a FTF nut...if so, what makes you do it? Sometimes I feel like a nut.... Sometimes I don't.... What makes me do it? I have a plan... Quote Link to comment
+halffast Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 The locals around here know they should let me get FTF or their cache will be no more.I can wait weeks to go FTF a cache and they wait.One was placed 10-12-06 and because I dont have the boat needed to get to the cache it hasnt been found yet.They dont know I dont have any way to get to the cache site.They are still waiting for me to go and get it. Quote Link to comment
+traineediplomat Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 That's nothing, there is a cache here in Tonga that still hasn't been found it was set in 2003....given that I am the only cacher that I know of in Tonga that's not hard. Mind you I didn't place the cache, I'm just to lazy to go the half hour boat trip to Fafa Island to get it..... Quote Link to comment
vtmtnman Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 That's nothing, there is a cache here in Tonga that still hasn't been found it was set in 2003....given that I am the only cacher that I know of in Tonga that's not hard. Mind you I didn't place the cache, I'm just to lazy to go the half hour boat trip to Fafa Island to get it..... Heh...that's just like here in Iraq...not uncommon for a cache to sit unfound for three-five months.My buddy was in shock when I showed him the cache page that had been idle for three months. Quote Link to comment
vtmtnman Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 normal geocacher Ditto.. Is it really worth the gas/time for me?Nope.That's just how I play my game. Quote Link to comment
+dew cache Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I am a normal I have 1 FTF and I had to drive 350 miles to NM (really visiting my son) to get that and it had been published for 2 weeks (never happen here) and was a micro. I do wish some of the FTF nuts around me would let other people get them sometimes but there are a few who think of it as a competion to get the FTF and there is not much chance for most of us to get them I would hazarrd to say that 98% of the FTF around here are by 4 people so I don't ever plan on getting one again unless it is by luck again. Quote Link to comment
+Mudfrog Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 there are a few who think of it as a competion to get the FTF and there is not much chance for most of us to get them Why not? I would hazarrd to say that 98% of the FTF around here are by 4 people so I don't ever plan on getting one again unless it is by luck again. Oh yeaaaaa, i would definitely be in on the FTF hunt in this case. The friendly competition is what i like and to beat out the usuals a time or two would be fun! Quote Link to comment
+TheManInStripes Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I do wish some of the FTF nuts around me would let other people get them sometimes but there are a few who think of it as a competion to get the FTF and there is not much chance for most of us to get them You have just as much of a chance to get the FTF as any of the so called "nuts" in your area. It's just a matter of, "Do you want to put forth the effort to do it? Yes, it takes a little flexibility in your schedule at times, depending on what time caches seem to get published in your area. But really, it's just the drive to want it that matters the most I think. If someone really wants to get a FTF, they just need to put forth the effort, even if it's not on every single new cache. Doing so will eventually score them that FTF they are seeking. Quote Link to comment
+Aiden's Cachers Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 If a cache pops up and I have the time to try to FTF it I'll head out but it has to be in a 7-8 mile window for me to bother running out. Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I do wish some of the FTF nuts around me would let other people get them sometimes but there are a few who think of it as a competion to get the FTF and there is not much chance for most of us to get them I would hazarrd to say that 98% of the FTF around here are by 4 people so I don't ever plan on getting one again unless it is by luck again. Actually, you have just as much chance as they do. I work full time and manage to get quite a few FTF. I get them because I'll go out at a moment's notice even if it's late at night and I have to get up early for work. I make my opportunities. You could do the same if you really wanted to do so. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Once in a great while, if I have the time and inclination, I will rush out and try to beat the others. Particularly, if I happen to be close by. Most of the time, I go when I have a chance. Quote Link to comment
+wimseyguy Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 (edited) Normal cacher...snort giggle.... that's a good one. I'm far from normal, but am not a FTF hound. I'll bet I have fewer than 10 in 4000+ finds. Besides, I work too much to have the freedom to go running everytime the red light goes on. One of my FTF's was several hundred miles from home on the way back from visiting the inlaws for Xmas. The cache had been published two days earlier, and was still virginal when I found it. Edited June 25, 2007 by wimseyguy Quote Link to comment
+dew cache Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 You have just as much of a chance to get the FTF as any of the so called "nuts" in your area. It's just a matter of, "Do you want to put forth the effort to do it? Yes, it takes a little flexibility in your schedule at times, depending on what time caches seem to get published in your area. But really, it's just the drive to want it that matters the most I think. If someone really wants to get a FTF, they just need to put forth the effort, even if it's not on every single new cache. Doing so will eventually score them that FTF they are seeking. Why don't I put the effort in to do? It is called time I don't have the job that I can take off from and go at 9:00 am to look for them, I saw one published about 1/4 mile from my work at 9:30 one day went over it lunch at 11:30 and two of the FTF hounds had already found it so at that point I resolved to not even try for a FTF even if it was in my frontyard. There has only been one cache published in the area that the FTF is not the same day that it was published that I can remember and that went for over a week becasue of the difficulty. It is not a big deal to me as long as I find them I don't care if I am first or 50th I just wish more than a handfull of people got to get a FTF in my area is all, I wouldn't mind if I found one now and then as I am sure other people are. The only way I will stumble upon a FTF is like the one in Clovis NM that had been there for two weeks outside of my area. I just don't see this whole thing as being competitive that is reserved for my bowling leagues I do this to get me into the outdoors to enjoy nature. If I never find a FTF again I will not stop looking I just wish the hounds would realize there are other people around, but if they want to always be a "me first" that is okay with me I will be second or third or 121st. Don't get mad at me for feeling the way I do I didn't get mad at you for saying you are a FTF hound. I am at a point in my life there are to many other thing to worry about than not being a FTF. Quote Link to comment
+Tallahassee Lassie Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I like FTF's since I get to see the cache as the original hider put it. Around here, we have a lot of very friendly competition going for FTF's. Many times an entire group will converge on one spot all trying to be FTF. Even if they aren't, it's like a mini-event for everyone. Quote Link to comment
+JamGuys Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 (edited) Why don't I put the effort in to do? It is called time I don't have the job that I can take off from and go at 9:00 am to look for them, I saw one published about 1/4 mile from my work at 9:30 one day went over it lunch at 11:30 and two of the FTF hounds had already found it so at that point I resolved to not even try for a FTF even if it was in my frontyard. Hmmm, you definitely won't get too many FTFs that way and so I'm not sure I understand why you're complaining. As far as time is concerned, caches are published at varying hours of the day (at least in my neck of the woods) so, unless you work a 24-hour shift 7 days a week chances are that, sooner or later, an FTF opportunity will arise in your vicinity. If you choose not to take it, then you really can't hold it against anyone who does. By the way, many FTFs in my area are claimed by older cachers who are either retired or semiretired. While they may hold a decided advantage in getting to a cache during working hours, I don't for a minute begrudge them their moment of triumph! I just don't see this whole thing as being competitive that is reserved for my bowling leagues ... So competitive bowling is okay but competitive geocaching is not? Maybe some people choose to satisfy their competitive urges by engaging in FTF races rather than by bowling! Edited June 26, 2007 by JamGuys Quote Link to comment
+HaLiJuSaPa Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 The only way I would ever get an FTF is if it appeared on a Sat. or Sun. morning, and I can either get out there myself without a fight or get the rest of the crew in gear. Despite this, we have several STF's. I don't know the exact number off-hand (about 5-10 or so), but I recall that about half of them were use being 2nd in a "contest" in which we beat several others who came within an hour later and about half are cases where someone FTF'd and us as the next finder found it a day or even a week later. What bothers me is that a lot of caches get a couple of logs from the "FTF race" then no one else goes at it for awhile. We were at such a cache yesterday (two people competed on "day one" for the FTF and then it lay untouched for about a week) so we joked tongue-in-cheek in our log that we had an "FTF" (noting as such so people didn't think we were serious). Quote Link to comment
+Too Tall John Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 From this post: Well... The wife and I were out looking to get FTF on a cache. There was one early on on the trail we stopped to get, and as we were moving on, I spotted a black bear 75' down the trail. Concerned more about what our dog would do, I simply turned around, said "Bear," and started walking out. Susan (wife) and Molly (dog) followed, and as I looked back, I saw the bear had turned and was walking away, too. Next day, I decided to return & get that cache. I came earlier in the day (day 1 was 1 hour before dusk) and was singing & whistling all the way in. About 200 feet from the cache I start hearing a rustling in the brush, which quickly turned to crashing! The bear broke into the clearing and stopped, just yards away from me. I was shouting and waving my trekking pole, trying to make the bear aware I was there. We just stared at each other for a minute, me just talking to the bear ("You aren't hungry now, are you? Why don't you go on back? C'mon now, don't make me scream like a little girl...") It backed off into the woods, never really taking its eyes off me, sitting down 10 yards back in the woods. I started backing out until I couldn't see him (her?) anymore, then started walking purposefully back to the car. All the way out, I swear I could hear the bear following from a distance... As if this hadn't been enough, I returned the next morning, tied my keys to my pole to make even more noise, and set out again... singing songs like "The Other Day, I Saw a Bear"... On the way in, I see motion out of the corner of my eye! I jumped, spun my pole into a defensive stance & faced... a chipmunk just off the trail. Ran into a couple other small critters, with much of the same reaction, but luckily no more bear. Got FTF, too... (I think anyone watching that cache & reading my DNF logs was a little too smart to try it...) Some would call that nuts, others dedicated... Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 (edited) You have just as much of a chance to get the FTF as any of the so called "nuts" in your area. It's just a matter of, "Do you want to put forth the effort to do it? Yes, it takes a little flexibility in your schedule at times, depending on what time caches seem to get published in your area. But really, it's just the drive to want it that matters the most I think. If someone really wants to get a FTF, they just need to put forth the effort, even if it's not on every single new cache. Doing so will eventually score them that FTF they are seeking. Why don't I put the effort in to do? It is called time I don't have the job that I can take off from and go at 9:00 am to look for them, I saw one published about 1/4 mile from my work at 9:30 one day went over it lunch at 11:30 and two of the FTF hounds had already found it so at that point I resolved to not even try for a FTF even if it was in my frontyard. There has only been one cache published in the area that the FTF is not the same day that it was published that I can remember and that went for over a week becasue of the difficulty. It is not a big deal to me as long as I find them I don't care if I am first or 50th I just wish more than a handfull of people got to get a FTF in my area is all, I wouldn't mind if I found one now and then as I am sure other people are. The only way I will stumble upon a FTF is like the one in Clovis NM that had been there for two weeks outside of my area. I just don't see this whole thing as being competitive that is reserved for my bowling leagues I do this to get me into the outdoors to enjoy nature. If I never find a FTF again I will not stop looking I just wish the hounds would realize there are other people around, but if they want to always be a "me first" that is okay with me I will be second or third or 121st. Don't get mad at me for feeling the way I do I didn't get mad at you for saying you are a FTF hound. I am at a point in my life there are to many other thing to worry about than not being a FTF. I am by no means "mad" at you. I just don't get it when people complain that they "have no chance" for a FTF because somebody else takes all of them. I work full time. I don't slack off. I sometimes leave at 10:30 PM for a FTF try when I know I'll be gone for an hour or so and have to get up at 5:50 AM for work. It's a choice I make. I signed the log at this cache at 2:05 AM. I got a bunch of FTF on the night before Thanksgiving and ended up logging them around 1:00 AM. The only reason I didn't get more that night is because I knew I had to be up and heading off on a 3.5 hour drive by 7:30 AM the next morning so as to be at my sister-in-law's house for Thanksgiving the next day. I had promised my wife I'd drive down so that she could relax on the way. If you are willing to do similar things you will also get the FTF. If not, then don't say someone else "didn't give you a chance" to get the FTF. Some people "suffer for their art". I suffer because I'm some sort of mutant that loves the FTF. I have only myself to blame and I'm not at all unhappy. I'm not trying to compete with you or anybody else. I do the FTF thing because I'm an idiot and enjoy it. I can't explain it rationally and won't even try to do so. If you think I'm strange for what I do then you are in the same boat as me. I also think its strange. It's not a "me first" thing to make me feel superior. I don't feel superior at all. I don't find the non-FTF freaks lazy or weird. I find ME to be weird. Not being a FTF freak is normal. I can't think of a single rational reason why I do what I do. I just love seeing that empty log............ Edited June 26, 2007 by Thrak Quote Link to comment
+JamGuys Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I do the FTF thing because I'm an idiot and enjoy it. I can't explain it rationally and won't even try to do so. Hey, I gave it my best shot in post #4! Quote Link to comment
+SidAndBob Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 We were lucky enough to get an FTF on our third cache and this quenched the FTF thirst for us. As we live in an area with few cachers and only ourselves and one other cacher that put out caches with any frequency we tend to have easy FTF's on their caches and vice versa. I did start leaving FTF's to allow newbies to grab one, but all that happened was that FTF nuts from further afield came in and grabbed them. With almost no unfound caches with 30 miles I would like to save any local caches that come up for non-caching days, but it can be too hard to resist. I certainly don't get up in the middle of the night to do them though. Quote Link to comment
+Team Woodward Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Normal. I can't understand why I would want to turn Geocaching into a competition. Why add stress to something that is supposed to be fun? We only go for caches now to see places of historical importance, geological significance or a good view. No rush, they will be there when we get there or not. I will drive by caches that don't look interesting enough & have not bothered to log some I found disappointing. Numbers mean nothing to mein this game. It's another excuse to get outside with a different twist. Quote Link to comment
+DudleyGrunt Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 (edited) I think I'm normal, but enjoy the "thrill" of the FTF. I currently have 5 out of my 223 finds. I got one last night at 8:25. The e-mail came at around 6:30 AM, but no one had logged it on line by the time I was ready to leave work at 4:30. I got back to home around 6:00, but wasn't able to actually go for it until 7:40. I definitely did not expect to be FTF, but sometimes just like to at least make a first day find. See the cache closer to how the owner left it, get better swag, and maybe get FTF and a nice prize. Last night, it was a $25 gift card to Borders. One of my other FTF's was a similar situation where I had to wait to get off work and fully expected some one would have hit it by the time I got there. Sometimes you get lucky. I have noticed on thing about some of our area FTF hounds. It seems that once they know they won't be FTF, the put the cache on the back burner. I think that is a shame. If being FTF worth so much effort, why isn't STF or TTF worth anything? I have a coin, DudleyGrunt's MarkTa 2TF Geocoin, that somes up how I feel. I'd like to be FTF, but... I launched it in a cache I was co-STF (or 2TF) on. Dave Edited June 26, 2007 by DudleyGrunt Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 <snip> I have noticed on thing about some of our area FTF hounds. It seems that once they know they won't be FTF, the put the cache on the back burner. I think that is a shame. If being FTF worth so much effort, why isn't STF or TTF worth anything? <snip> We have that same thing around here. Quote Link to comment
+JamGuys Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 (edited) I have noticed on thing about some of our area FTF hounds. It seems that once they know they won't be FTF, the put the cache on the back burner. I think that is a shame. If being FTF worth so much effort, why isn't STF or TTF worth anything? Well, I'll have to admit that I'm also guilty of this practice to some degree. However, the sad truth is that, apart from the FTF frenzy they might generate when they're first published, there are many caches placed that have few if any redeeming qualities whatsoever ...... with the major exception of those hidden by any geocacher in the Central Oklahoma area who might be reading this post! By the way, when I first started caching, I invested in the equipment necessary to hand-stamp personal FTF, STF, and TTF wooden tokens (to suit the occasion as required). As a result, there have been a few times when I've actually been glad that I wasn't FTF so I could legitimately leave one of my meticulously created STF or TTF tokens instead! *Edited to indicate "a few" times instead of "many" times! Edited June 27, 2007 by JamGuys Quote Link to comment
+dew cache Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Why don't I put the effort in to do? It is called time I don't have the job that I can take off from and go at 9:00 am to look for them, I saw one published about 1/4 mile from my work at 9:30 one day went over it lunch at 11:30 and two of the FTF hounds had already found it so at that point I resolved to not even try for a FTF even if it was in my frontyard. Hmmm, you definitely won't get too many FTFs that way and so I'm not sure I understand why you're complaining. As far as time is concerned, caches are published at varying hours of the day (at least in my neck of the woods) so, unless you work a 24-hour shift 7 days a week chances are that, sooner or later, an FTF opportunity will arise in your vicinity. If you choose not to take it, then you really can't hold it against anyone who does. By the way, many FTFs in my area are claimed by older cachers who are either retired or semiretired. While they may hold a decided advantage in getting to a cache during working hours, I don't for a minute begrudge them their moment of triumph! I just don't see this whole thing as being competitive that is reserved for my bowling leagues ... So competitive bowling is okay but competitive geocaching is not? Maybe some people choose to satisfy their competitive urges by engaging in FTF races rather than by bowling! It's not I won't try to find them if they are there but I am not going to make any big effort to be the first. I am busy with different things 5 nights a week and the weekends are my main times to geocache I have been known to go out at lunch time but there are just not that many close to work that I have not found that excite me I have, yet to go for a LPS and I have very few (count on one hand) P&G to me it is the excitement of the hunt but a FTF once in a while would be nice is all I am saying so that I could see a pristine cache as the hidder ment it to be and just maybe get a FTF prize. I am not complaining as much as just making a statement that if .1% of all the cachers in my area find 98% of the FTF there is an unbalance there. I don't begrudge them their fun if that is what they think is fun in geocaching. Yes competitive bowling is okay because it envolves winning money, awards and trophies and is ment to be competitive where geocaching is not a competitive sport. Last year I won over $500 in two leagues as well as the over 50 county tournament. If you don't want bowling to be competitive that is fine just don't join a league I will respect your choice. I didn't read anywhere that caching was a competitve sport if it was there would be coaches and leagues to make me better if I choose to. That is why I am not planning on getting too many FTF becasue caching is not a competion to me. To me caching is a way to get out and get some excersize that I enjoy which makes my wife and doctor happy. I asure you that any FTF on my caches will not get gift cards, trackables or money they will get something that I make or something that means something to me. I am working on putting out 10 ammo boxes with some being multi micros to find. If people don't want to find them becuase of lack of "prizes" that is okay with me. I reserver the right for you and I to think of caching different from each other and that is fine with me. Quote Link to comment
+JamGuys Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 I didn't read anywhere that caching was a competitve sport if it was there would be coaches and leagues to make me better if I choose to. That is why I am not planning on getting too many FTF becasue caching is not a competion to me. To me caching is a way to get out and get some excersize that I enjoy which makes my wife and doctor happy. I agree with you that geocaching is not a competitive sport as such but the fact is that some people will always find ways to inject greater interest and excitement into their recreational activities and the so-called FTF race is simply one such geocaching spinoff. Other cachers are more into the total numbers game but I don't count myself among them. A single well-planned and executed FTF run (or hike!) will likely give me more satisfaction than an entire day spent in the pursuit of lame micros and meaningless P&Gs. I asure you that any FTF on my caches will not get gift cards, trackables or money they will get something that I make or something that means something to me. I am working on putting out 10 ammo boxes with some being multi micros to find. If people don't want to find them becuase of lack of "prizes" that is okay with me. FTF prizes are neither necessary nor to be expected. Some people don't put them in their caches simply because they don't want to encourage an FTF race. Nevertheless, an FTF item personally created by the cache owner would be a great reward! I've been leaving unactivated geocoins in my own caches as FTF prizes. I reserver the right for you and I to think of caching different from each other and that is fine with me. I suspect that you and I are more similar in our approach to geocaching than you might think! Contrary to the impression I may be giving, there are many other attributes about geocaching that I enjoy other than just trying to be FTF. Among other things, the activity has allowed me to discover many new places in my adopted state and to meet many wonderful people ...... even including a few here on the forums! Quote Link to comment
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