Proximity rules relating to elevation & climbing?

[+ReZappers]

I am placing caches in a rock climbing area. Some of the caches may end up being fairly close to each other as the crow flies, within the .10 proximity, but they are a world apart because one is on a lower trail, another would be on a ledge in the middle of the climb (probably about 100 feet up), and another one might be on a trail on the top of the cliff. You can't get from the lower trail to the ledge then to the top easily. You would either have to

1. get the lower trail cache, then do the climb from the bottom to the ledge, then to the top trail

2. hike to the top cache, then rappel down to the ledge, then rap to the bottom and then hike to the lower trail

3. if you don't climb or rappel, you could skip the cache on the ledge and go from the one on the lower trail to the one on top by hiking all the way around (probably closer to a mile) to get to the one on the top.

 

These 3 caches wouldn't be in a straight line either. From the lower trail to the base of the climb with the cache on the ledge could be around 400 feet, then straight up for 100 feet (so it doesn't add up to 500 feet as the crow flies). Then from the ledge to the top could be another 100 feet of climbing straight up, then another 300 to 400 feet across a trail somewhere to the upper cache.

 

So based on the proximity rules, do you think a reviewer would reject at least 1 of these caches? I could put in a reviewer note about the vertical nature of the distances, but are the proximity rules strictly based on horizontal distance?

 

Thanks...

[+StarBrand]

That at least sounds like a good instance for asking for a waiver of the strict guideline. There is some flexability but you should have a very good reason (sounds like you do). Photos never hurt either.

 

Plead your case to your local reviewer before you go through the trouble of actually placing the caches.

[+Renegade Knight]

This is the classic example of when an exception to the proximity rule can be made. Cache saturation is another thing though so work with your reviewer on the issue.

[cliff_hanger]

Best to ask your reviewer before placing. I had one reviewer tell me the (s)he had leeway on the 528' guideline down to about 100'. BUT, that was for a rappelling cache relative to an existing regular cache. The logic being that there was no possible way that a cache where you had to rappel to a ledge on a 100' cliff could be confused with a cache at the top of the cliff.

 

Hope it works out for you. I, for one, am looking forward to your caches. Do you think they'll be up before May 22?

[+Ambrosia]

My husband's always wanted to place a rock climbing cache, but we can't figure out how/where to place it and keep it hidden from all the rock climbers.

 

I think pictures would be a great idea. I didn't examine your description very carefully, but I have a feeling that you might not be able to get all three of those caches in there. Sounds a bit saturated. But who knows, describe it to your reviewer and see.

[cliff_hanger]

My husband's always wanted to place a rock climbing cache, but we can't figure out how/where to place it and keep it hidden from all the rock climbers.

 

On a big belay ledge would be good, instead of in the middle of a route.

 

This one is actually signed by more rock climbers than geocachers.

[+ReZappers]

My husband's always wanted to place a rock climbing cache, but we can't figure out how/where to place it and keep it hidden from all the rock climbers.

 

One thing I've noticed is with a cliff cache, it's hard to get a GPS reading because of the bounce, and it's hard to get a GPS reading because if you're on a small ledge, you can't easily walk around to accurately triangulate your position. So good hints (that at least hint the name of the climb) are probably required if you want people to ever find the cache.

[+steve p]

If they are approved (and I think they should be, since they are over 528 feet apart), you might include in the cache descriptions the elevation of each cache. Otherwise if they are in somewhat close proximity horizontally then having the elevation would help to differentiate whether the finder had found the right cache or not.

 

Good luck!

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Don't bother asking first...Place the Caches, then if you can't get them aproved, list them on another site.

[+Prime Suspect]

I am placing caches in a rock climbing area. Some of the caches may end up being fairly close to each other as the crow flies, within the .10 proximity, but they are a world apart because one is on a lower trail, another would be on a ledge in the middle of the climb (probably about 100 feet up), and another one might be on a trail on the top of the cliff. You can't get from the lower trail to the ledge then to the top easily. You would either have to

1. get the lower trail cache, then do the climb from the bottom to the ledge, then to the top trail

2. hike to the top cache, then rappel down to the ledge, then rap to the bottom and then hike to the lower trail

3. if you don't climb or rappel, you could skip the cache on the ledge and go from the one on the lower trail to the one on top by hiking all the way around (probably closer to a mile) to get to the one on the top.

 

These 3 caches wouldn't be in a straight line either. From the lower trail to the base of the climb with the cache on the ledge could be around 400 feet, then straight up for 100 feet (so it doesn't add up to 500 feet as the crow flies). Then from the ledge to the top could be another 100 feet of climbing straight up, then another 300 to 400 feet across a trail somewhere to the upper cache.

 

So based on the proximity rules, do you think a reviewer would reject at least 1 of these caches? I could put in a reviewer note about the vertical nature of the distances, but are the proximity rules strictly based on horizontal distance?

 

Thanks...

 

You can't put them on top, and below, and still have them 1/10th of a mile apart? Seriously? It's less than the length of a football field. How may caches do you need to put in the area? Does putting in 4 caches really add to the experience, when 3 would do?

 

Just something to consider.

[+Taoiseach]

Yea, I had the guideline waived for one of my caches for this reason (cough, Cough... ) - You didn't hear that

 

I basically just said to Cachedrone that 'Sure they're less than 528' apart... but that one step's a doozy' - Also it helps that to walk down and around it's almost 1500'

 

Of course when you're from Windsor, any elevation change is a 1000' cliff

[+Bunganator]

I would personally like to see all three caches combined into a multicache. With a difficult hide and maybe a puzzle, this could be a true 5/5 (something that seems much more common than it really is)