How high is to high?

[+bigryry]

I just started geocaching this saturday, I was with my buddy who has been doing this for 6-8 months now and we were looking everywhere for a cach and he noticed something on a tree where the trunck ends and the branches start but the problem it was pretty high.

I had to give him a boost (i'm 5'11") if i had to guess it was about 8' up the tree from the ground is this typical or was this to high. My buddy searched for easy cach's for me to hunt being new.

I was just wondering if i should bring a step stool with me or is this an isolated thing? He said he has not seen any like this and i belive he has ~70 cachs under his belt...

[+Sapience Trek]

I just started geocaching this saturday, I was with my buddy who has been doing this for 6-8 months now and we were looking everywhere for a cach and he noticed something on a tree where the trunck ends and the branches start but the problem it was pretty high.

I had to give him a boost (i'm 5'11") if i had to guess it was about 8' up the tree from the ground is this typical or was this to high. My buddy searched for easy cach's for me to hunt being new.

I was just wondering if i should bring a step stool with me or is this an isolated thing? He said he has not seen any like this and i belive he has ~70 cachs under his belt...

 

I've seen many caches 50ft or more up a tree.

[+bigryry]

I just started geocaching this saturday, I was with my buddy who has been doing this for 6-8 months now and we were looking everywhere for a cach and he noticed something on a tree where the trunck ends and the branches start but the problem it was pretty high.

I had to give him a boost (i'm 5'11") if i had to guess it was about 8' up the tree from the ground is this typical or was this to high. My buddy searched for easy cach's for me to hunt being new.

I was just wondering if i should bring a step stool with me or is this an isolated thing? He said he has not seen any like this and i belive he has ~70 cachs under his belt...

 

I've seen many caches 50ft or more up a tree.

 

Would the terrain or diffuculty rating be higher or would it still be at a 1 for something like that?

[+Isonzo Karst]

1 terrain should = wheelchair accessible, so a tree climb is definitely NOT 1 terrain.

 

I'd rate it 4, for use of hands in climbing, but I'd guess that's a minority view. Some cache owners will rate that a 2, in part because they don't want the higher terrain rating to give away the location.

 

Cache rating system here http://www.clayjar.com/gcrs/

[+bigryry]

thank you for that website! OK so this is something i should be prepared for or if it is above my level i will leave it!

 

Thank you for the info!

[+IANNA]

I guess it depends on your area but so far of my almost 200 finds I have never had to climb a tree. once or twice i had to enlist the help of a near by fallen log to reach into a hole.

[+briansnat]

I just started geocaching this saturday, I was with my buddy who has been doing this for 6-8 months now and we were looking everywhere for a cach and he noticed something on a tree where the trunck ends and the branches start but the problem it was pretty high.

I had to give him a boost (i'm 5'11") if i had to guess it was about 8' up the tree from the ground is this typical or was this to high. My buddy searched for easy cach's for me to hunt being new.

I was just wondering if i should bring a step stool with me or is this an isolated thing? He said he has not seen any like this and i belive he has ~70 cachs under his belt...

 

I've seen many caches 50ft or more up a tree.

 

Would the terrain or diffuculty rating be higher or would it still be at a 1 for something like that?

 

 

Depends on the difficulty of the climb. I have one about 30 feet up in a pine tree that is pretty easy to climb. I have it rated at 3 stars for terrain. There is one in the area that requires climbing equipment to reach. That is definitely a 5. If you just have to boost someone up or stand on your tippy toes, a stool or bring a few rocks over to stand on I'd say 2. Absolutely not a 1.

[+bigryry]

I thought it would be more than a 1, i fiqured a 2 would be approapriate but being new i was not sure how the ratings worked and if this was typical. I figured a level 1 would be ground to head hight, anything higher would be a more diffucult rating... But that is why newbie's like myself ask questions.

[+TKOFaith]

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...b9-1af229234f69

 

This one is about 50 ft high!

 

TKOFaith

[Tahosa and Sons]

I have a few over 10,000 ft. up.

[+StarBrand]

I have a few over 10,000 ft. up.

yeah but the trees thin out pretty fast up that high...........and they tend to be on the shorter side....

 

but what a climb!!!

 

[+simpjkee]

there is no limit. place them as high as you want (as long as you can maintain them). I have found 776 and mine is the highest cache I have seen. It is in a tree about 25 feet from the ground. nutin wrong wit that

[+simpjkee]

BTW, it's up to the finder if they want to attempt a cache or not.

[+bigryry]

I quess my question should have been how high is to high for a difficulty at level one, I understand that there is going to be cache's high but i would think with a more difficult rating not a rating of 1... I hope this makes more sense for my question my appoligies..

[+Isonzo Karst]

I quess my question should have been how high is to high for a difficulty at level one

 

If the cache placer uses the Clayjar system (which is linked directly from the cache submit form), they should be thinking about a wheelchair cacher when giving that 1 terrain rating. Unfortunately many of them are not.

 

I've seen 1 terrain caches in ravines on that required bushwhacking down steep rocky hillsides in Virginia. I've seen 1 terrain caches that would get you wet to knees, fumbling around in water and cypress knees in the swamps of Florida. I've seen 1 terrain caches that required climbing a hunk of masonry wall 6 feet high to reach the cache on top.

 

Sometimes I think the cache owner wants to show off how 'tough' they are by under-rating the cache. Or maybe they just aren't paying any attention.

 

I cached on crutches for a while. I posted a LOT of pictures on some of those 1 terrain caches of me on my crutches trying for the "wheelchair accessible" cache. Got some ratings changed.

[+bigryry]

gotcha thanks for all the posts! I quess i will just have to take it one cache at a time!

[+MaplessInSeattle]

Along the topic lines. If I place a cache in a tree, about 50 ft off the ground or so. And if the tree is difficult to climb(but not dangerous to the skilled climber). Would I rate that a 4 or a 5. Since no specialized equipment is required, it shouldn't be a 5, but, 50ft up scares many people.

[+Seasoned Warrior]

I suspect that this is about as high as it gets, it certainly woujld be my vote for a level 5!

 

 

Mt Everest?

[+briansnat]

Along the topic lines. If I place a cache in a tree, about 50 ft off the ground or so. And if the tree is difficult to climb(but not dangerous to the skilled climber). Would I rate that a 4 or a 5. Since no specialized equipment is required, it shouldn't be a 5, but, 50ft up scares many people.

 

A difficult climb, I'd go with a 4 or 4.5. 5 however does not necessarily REQUIRE specialized equipment. Something that is extremely (as in EXTREMELY) difficult would also qualify as 5 star terrain.

 

I have a cache well up in a tree but it's an evergreen that is fairly easy to climb, so I have it rated at a 3.

[+Packanack]

I have a cache well up in a tree but it's an evergreen that is fairly easy to climb, so I have it rated at a 3.

 

Which one is that, just wondering ? Not that I am planning anything stupid or anything like that.

[+PsYkO.ns]

I have one that is about 40 feet up in a tree and about 3 feet out from the trunk... still a 1 though... if you wanna try climbing, thats your foolishness...

 

on the other hand... if you find the "easy" button you can get it with no trouble at all!!

[+private bones]

My partner and I recently hiked about an hour and a half straight up a grueling path finally to arrive at a 4 star (difficulty) cache. To start, the signal was bouncing everywhere, and we knew from the ratings that there would be additional aspects of the cache that would be difficult. But what?

 

After pacing around in circles, looking up, down, left and right, we were about to call it and log a frustrtating DNF. As a last resort, we decided to climb way farther up in a tree we had already checked. I stood on the ground and supervised, pointing to various knot holes. Wouldn't you know it, it was higher. Shoved way down tight in a hole on the back of limb. It was one of our caching highlights - my partner hanging from one arm off this long, high, tree limb, legs kicking, other arm stuffed in the knot hole tryoing to pull out an impossibly wedged cache. It was a great and funny moment, and even better when he finally got the cache out. Then we had to get it back....

 

PS Regarding 1 star ratings and wheelchair access, our Northern CA reviewers are right on top of this. Anything without a wheelchair attribute has to be rated 1.5 or more or it won't be published.

[+Scare Force One]

As long as you can safly acess it and you mark ther terrain rating appropriatly than it does not matter how high you place it. It could be on the top of Everest if you want.

 

~.~Scare Force One

[+scuba dude]

Wouldn't you know it, it was higher. Shoved way down tight in a hole on the back of limb. It was one of our caching highlights - my partner hanging from one arm off this long, high, tree limb, legs kicking, other arm stuffed in the knot hole tryoing to pull out an impossibly wedged cache. It was a great and funny moment, and even better when he finally got the cache out. Then we had to get it back....

 

I would just call that stupid. Why in the hell would someone endanger themselves for a cache? You said it was funny, but how funny would that have been if your friend lost his grip and fell? How would you get him help 1-1/2 hours back in the woods will multiple fractures, lacerations, if he managed to NOT break his neck or back?

 

Fun is fun, but use common sense people!

[+private bones]

Wouldn't you know it, it was higher. Shoved way down tight in a hole on the back of limb. It was one of our caching highlights - my partner hanging from one arm off this long, high, tree limb, legs kicking, other arm stuffed in the knot hole tryoing to pull out an impossibly wedged cache. It was a great and funny moment, and even better when he finally got the cache out. Then we had to get it back....

 

I would just call that stupid. Why in the hell would someone endanger themselves for a cache? You said it was funny, but how funny would that have been if your friend lost his grip and fell? How would you get him help 1-1/2 hours back in the woods will multiple fractures, lacerations, if he managed to NOT break his neck or back?

 

Fun is fun, but use common sense people!

 

So who (the hell - to use your terminology) asked for your off topic commentary? Hate to think you might lose sleep over this so let me assure you my friend is an experinced climber, he knew what he was doing, it was funny, we would do it again AND you may want to lighten up a bit. Stress is really unhealthy, I mean let's use common sense here people....

[+scuba dude]

 

So who (the hell - to use your terminology) asked for your off topic commentary? Hate to think you might lose sleep over this so let me assure you my friend is an experinced climber, he knew what he was doing, it was funny, we would do it again AND you may want to lighten up a bit. Stress is really unhealthy, I mean let's use common sense here people....

 

Don't fret. I have no stress over the stupid acts you or your friends do. It's a free country. Do what ever you want. Just don't cry about it when Darwin catches up to you. Or when you get a $10,000 bill for the heli-vac in your future.

 

Have fun!

[+private bones]

 

So who (the hell - to use your terminology) asked for your off topic commentary? Hate to think you might lose sleep over this so let me assure you my friend is an experinced climber, he knew what he was doing, it was funny, we would do it again AND you may want to lighten up a bit. Stress is really unhealthy, I mean let's use common sense here people....

 

Don't fret. I have no stress over the stupid acts you or your friends do. It's a free country. Do what ever you want. Just don't cry about it when Darwin catches up to you. Or when you get a $10,000 bill for the heli-vac in your future.

 

Have fun!

 

Ooh, I'm scared. Wait...the sky is falling! I could get hit by a piece of extra terrestrial matter if I step outside my front door!

 

Oops - to get back on topic. I placed a cache in a tree today (prior to this enlightened conversation with scuba guy) and yes, it requires climbing, oxygen to compensate for the high altitude way up there in the tree, and the ability to hang naked upside down by your small toe while chewing gum as you extract a nano cache, camoed to look like a bug, with a pair of tweezers out of oozing tree sap. To get credit for the find, you must write an essay in the nano log about Darwin's Law. You are not allowed to leave the tree until the essay is finished.

 

In all seriousness, thanks to those who shared their comments on this thread, it was most helpful in determining a suitable rating for the climbing aspect of the real cache that was placed in a tree today.

Edited November 9, 2007 by private bones

[+briansnat]

I have a cache well up in a tree but it's an evergreen that is fairly easy to climb, so I have it rated at a 3.

 

Which one is that, just wondering ? Not that I am planning anything stupid or anything like that.

 

Rock a Bye Baby

[+briansnat]

 

So who (the hell - to use your terminology) asked for your off topic commentary? Hate to think you might lose sleep over this so let me assure you my friend is an experinced climber, he knew what he was doing, it was funny, we would do it again AND you may want to lighten up a bit. Stress is really unhealthy, I mean let's use common sense here people....

 

Don't fret. I have no stress over the stupid acts you or your friends do. It's a free country. Do what ever you want. Just don't cry about it when Darwin catches up to you. Or when you get a $10,000 bill for the heli-vac in your future.

 

Have fun!

 

Kindly re-read the forum guidelines paying particular attention to the sections that say "Personal Attacks and Flames will not be tolerated. If you want to praise or criticize, give examples as to why it is good or bad, general attacks on a person or idea will not be tolerated." and "Respect: Respect the guidelines for forum usage, and site usage. Respect Groundspeak, its employees, volunteers, yourself, fellow community members, and guests on these boards. Whether a community member has one post or 5,000 posts, they deserve the same respect."

[+Scare Force One]

"Personal Attacks and Flames will not be tolerated. If you want to praise or criticize, give examples as to why it is good or bad, general attacks on a person or idea will not be tolerated."[/i] and "Respect: Respect the guidelines for forum usage, and site usage. Respect Groundspeak, its employees, volunteers, yourself, fellow community members, and guests on these boards. Whether a community member has one post or 5,000 posts, they deserve the same respect."

I could not keep my self from crying. That was so buti...buti...butiful!

Edited November 9, 2007 by Scare Force One