Geocache Idea. Need help!

[PhntmBlackIce]

I have wanted to get into geocaching hobby for years. And last month thanks to a generous donation from a reviewer I know have a GPS and have started searching. Only 9 finds and 1 hide so far but just started last month. I had an idea for a multi cache hide but since I am still new to the hobby, I thought i would post my idea here and see if any problems, tips, suggestions, and maybe help answering a few questions.

 

I live in McMinnville, TN / Warren County. We are celebrating our BiCentennial this July. So I thought of doing a cache celebrating the BiCentennial with the several stops of unique and/or important historic importance around McMinnville, TN. I thought about asking local business for donations for a few FTF prizes and seeing if the local paper will run an article about geocaching. This way maybe can interest some new people into geocaching and the business who donated get some publicity in local newspaper. I figured would have a 3 or 4 micros leading to places of interest, then final one leading to the cache.

 

So thats the idea in a nutshell. Now the questions.

 

1. Is this idea an acceptable geocache idea / meets guidelines?

 

2. Is it feasible that I could get this up with in next 2 months? Or am I overextending myself?

 

3. Has any one else done a cache like this before, have any tips on how to organize this?

 

4. What would make good geocaching related prizes?

[+Super_Nate]

1. Is this idea an acceptable geocache idea / meets guidelines?

I think this is a very acceptable geocache idea. In fact, we need more caches like this one that has an interesting and imformative journey in order to log the smiley. I say go for it.

Yes this does meet the guidelines. As long as you have a container with a log book to sign at the end you will be fine. You don't HAVE to include micros at each stage if you don't want to. You can have people obtain coordinates to another stage by gathering information from the plaque/monument. Really the only container that is REQUIRED is at the final stage.......however, it would be fun to find no matter how you do it.

McMinnville is not to far away from where I live in Chattanooga, so I would probably find it sometime.

 

2. Is it feasible that I could get this up with in next 2 months? Or am I overextending myself?

It totally depends on how you are wanting to do it. You can set the entire multi up in a day if you wanted to. If you have a really busy schedule with little free time, then you may have a hard time getting it done in 2 months. If you are sitting around at the house all day, then it is going to be a piece of cake. Make the cache fun, but don't make it out to be harder than what it really is to set it up.

 

3. Has any one else done a cache like this before, have any tips on how to organize this?

The answer to your question is.....yes, caches such as the one you have described have been done before....and they are a lot of fun. An example of how to set a multi up without using a container at a stage can be found with my multi Recreation & Rememberance. Sure it is a two-staged multi, but this is the idea. Use your surroundings to compute numbers to plug into the coordinates for the next stage.

 

4. What would make good geocaching related prizes?

I applaud your desire to construct a cache that has nice things in it. It will make your cache memorable for everyone who finds it.....they will remember how much fun it was to complete and the rewarding final container with cool things in it. My suggestion is go to the dollar tree and get nice, unopened toys to place in it. You don't HAVE to go as far as asking businesses for donations, but if you wanted to it would make it even nicer. A lot of people grin from ear to ear by finding contents that are not moldy, and pocket lent quality!

 

Running an article in the newspaper on geocaching is always a cool idea. Make sure you let the head honchos at geocaching know about the article when it gets published, and you just might find yourself on that weekly cache notification email that gets sent out.

 

A nitty gritty detail: Be sure to make special note of the coordinates for each stage of your multi, because you will need to include them in the additional waypoints of your new listing. This is for the reviewers reference on placement so other caches don't get published to close to yours.

 

Remember, if you have questions on guidelines....then refer to this page.

 

If you have additional questions that the guidelines can't answer for you, then post here in the forums, email myself via my geocaching profile, or email your local reviewer. Most of the time people are more than willing to help out.....especially when it comes to the placement of a potentially OUTSTANDING cache.

[+Team GeoBlast]

[/color]I think it is great that you are considering putting this much time into your first cache. I've done some fairly complicated multi-caches in my time and have these comments to share:

 

 

1. Is this idea an acceptable geocache idea / meets guidelines?

 

Absolutely acceptable idea. Keep looking for caches and soon you will find some caches that took less time to put together than your post. From my perspective, cachers that think like you do (and can maintain their work) are what make Geocaching fun. If can cache can teach me something, make me laugh, or even hold my interest.. it is a winner in my book. Your cache meets the guidelines on the surface but there's tons of variables. Give the guidelines a read through and use your common sense and you should be fine.

 

2. Is it feasible that I could get this up with in next 2 months? Or am I overextending myself?

 

This is a good question and a very important one. In a cache like this, it is important to list all of your steps that it will take to complete it from start to finish. Sometimes this is hard to do because things always come up in application in the field, especially when you get into more complicated caches. As a priority I would do the following:

 

1. Know the guidelines well enough, I'd say one read through is good for starters.

2. Scout the locations for your hides and get the coordinates for every stage.

3. Gather permissions.

4. Shoot your reviewer a note with these coordinates and ask if you have any density issues. This might seem pretty straight forward but you would be surprised how many times you run into a puzzle cache stage too close to where you want to put them.

5. Once verified and permissioned, procure your containers.

6. Do your web research for your page.

6. Place your hides* and recheck coordinates.

7. Assemble your cache page.

8 Publish

 

*One thing to consider about placing and maintaining a cache like this is that it is only as good as it's weakest hide. If one goes down, the entire thing is down. Consider using very permanent and durable containers. This is a good investment if you figure in all of the time you will spend fixing and replacing cheaper ones. One thing that I like use on a multi like this is to invest in some aluminum tags and get the coordinates engraved on them at a trophy or key shop. This might sound extravagant but I have learned that if you can find the right place to put these, they will last forever and that will save you a million emails, miles on your car, and time spent driving and fixing.

 

3. Has any one else done a cache like this before, have any tips on how to organize this?

 

See above. You gotta have a plan.

 

4. What would make good geocaching related prizes?

 

I am with the last poster on swag. You can find tasteful and useful stuff at a dollar store. Getting donations is really not something that is a good use of your time and after your cache has been our for awhile you will be very disappointed that folks will make very inferior trades. It is the nature the Geocaching Beast.

[+Team GeoBlast]

[/color]I think it is great that you are considering putting this much time into your first cache. I've done some fairly complicated multi-caches in my time and have these comments to share:

 

 

1. Is this idea an acceptable geocache idea / meets guidelines?

 

Absolutely acceptable idea. Keep looking for caches and soon you will find some caches that took less time to put together than your post. From my perspective, cachers that think like you do (and can maintain their work) are what make Geocaching fun. If can cache can teach me something, make me laugh, or even hold my interest.. it is a winner in my book. Your cache meets the guidelines on the surface but there's tons of variables. Give the guidelines a read through and use your common sense and you should be fine.

 

2. Is it feasible that I could get this up with in next 2 months? Or am I overextending myself?

 

This is a good question and a very important one. In a cache like this, it is important to list all of your steps that it will take to complete it from start to finish. Sometimes this is hard to do because things always come up in application in the field, especially when you get into more complicated caches. As a priority I would do the following:

 

1. Know the guidelines well enough, I'd say one read through is good for starters.

2. Scout the locations for your hides and get the coordinates for every stage.

3. Gather permissions.

4. Shoot your reviewer a note with these coordinates and ask if you have any density issues. This might seem pretty straight forward but you would be surprised how many times you run into a puzzle cache stage too close to where you want to put them.

5. Once verified and permissioned, procure your containers.

6. Do your web research for your page.

6. Place your hides* and recheck coordinates.

7. Assemble your cache page.

8 Publish

 

*One thing to consider about placing and maintaining a cache like this is that it is only as good as it's weakest hide. If one goes down, the entire thing is down. Consider using very permanent and durable containers. This is a good investment if you figure in all of the time you will spend fixing and replacing cheaper ones. One thing that I like use on a multi like this is to invest in some aluminum tags and get the coordinates engraved on them at a trophy or key shop. This might sound extravagant but I have learned that if you can find the right place to put these, they will last forever and that will save you a million emails, miles on your car, and time spent driving and fixing.

 

3. Has any one else done a cache like this before, have any tips on how to organize this?

 

See above. You gotta have a plan.

 

4. What would make good geocaching related prizes?

 

I am with the last poster on swag. You can find tasteful and useful stuff at a dollar store. Getting donations is really not something that is a good use of your time and after your cache has been our for awhile you will be very disappointed that folks will make very inferior trades. It is the nature the Geocaching Beast.

[+webscouter.]

Make sure you check with your reviewer early in the process so s/he can make sure you don't violate the commercial clause of the hiding guidelines. For instance if you thank the businesses that donated stuff that MAY fall under the solicitation prohibition.

[+PrincessBTigress]

Couple things to thing of; PhntmBlackIce has time, he does not have much in the money area.

(I'm his sister, I told him all about my caching and got him interested)

 

Unfortunatly it's been a year or more since I was down there in McMinnville so I'm having a hard time thinking off hand of good ways to do this, location wise, money wise, etc. And I don't have the gas money to come down there and help you (which would be tons of fun if I could ).

 

I'd start with considering your locations and from there you can decide whether it will be just location based like Super_Nate mentioned of having them look for the next location or if it will need to be containers at locations and if so what size.

 

McMinnville is not very cache rich currently which makes it so that you have more room to play with and not too much trouble of getting too close to a current cache. (Which is why I have hidden in Portland which has few caches and not here in my town which is already wall to wall caches)

[PhntmBlackIce]

As PrincessBTigress mentioned, I have lots of time but no income. Due to numerous health problems, I am unemployed and waiting on Disability decision. I'm living with family while I wait on the decision. (Note: Yea PrincessBTigress got into it and it got me wanting to join in but no income for a GPS, so I thought would try doing a micro with stuff around home and using home address for co-ords of cache. Thanks to a very generous cache reviewer, who sent me a GPS they were not using, I was finally able to join in a hobby have wished to join for years.)

 

McMinnville is fairly low on cache's. I thought the business's donating some items would add a nice touch for fellow cachers and the newspaper mentioning the names of business' who donated. This gives me some nice items to put in cache for the start, along with some simple dollar store items and the stores get a write off, mention in local newspaper which is good for them.

 

Getting donations is really not something that is a good use of your time and after your cache has been our for awhile you will be very disappointed that folks will make very inferior trades. It is the nature the Geocaching Beast.

 

Yea I know this is a problem but with some help from local business I can get some FTF items and some decent items to put in for the start of the cache. I know this is a little involved, but is not something going to do all the time just a 1 time thing for now. Though hope to add more caches when have income again that are enjoyable, but maybe not this involved.

[+Team GeoBlast]

As PrincessBTigress mentioned, I have lots of time but no income. Due to numerous health problems, I am unemployed and waiting on Disability decision. I'm living with family while I wait on the decision. (Note: Yea PrincessBTigress got into it and it got me wanting to join in but no income for a GPS, so I thought would try doing a micro with stuff around home and using home address for co-ords of cache. Thanks to a very generous cache reviewer, who sent me a GPS they were not using, I was finally able to join in a hobby have wished to join for years.)

 

McMinnville is fairly low on cache's. I thought the business's donating some items would add a nice touch for fellow cachers and the newspaper mentioning the names of business' who donated. This gives me some nice items to put in cache for the start, along with some simple dollar store items and the stores get a write off, mention in local newspaper which is good for them.

 

Getting donations is really not something that is a good use of your time and after your cache has been our for awhile you will be very disappointed that folks will make very inferior trades. It is the nature the Geocaching Beast.

 

Yea I know this is a problem but with some help from local business I can get some FTF items and some decent items to put in for the start of the cache. I know this is a little involved, but is not something going to do all the time just a 1 time thing for now. Though hope to add more caches when have income again that are enjoyable, but maybe not this involved.

 

I understand the circumstances now and I have this to add.

 

1. Why not start with a single stage traditional cache? A multi cache is much more costly to maintain and set up.

2. There are things that you can find around your house to use for caches that are waterproof and cost nothing. Try to stay away from film canisters as they are not waterproof.

3. While you are short on funds, you obviously have a computer and internet access. This means you have the resources to put together a well researched and attractive cache page.

4. Going to business to donate and promoting them in any way is a violation of the commercial guidelines.

5. You don't need to include any swag if that is a problem. All that is required is a logbook. Understand that very few people Geocache with expectations of finding great stuff. A well placed cache that gives the seeker a nice place to visit and some facts about the area is far more appreciated (and has greater longevity) than great swag.

[+angevine]

Others have responded well to your questions about the cache you're considering placing, and I'll just second their thoughts. Multis can be a lot of fun and multis that teach something are -- to my way of thinking -- absolutely marvelous. So go for it.

 

I did want to say something about the "stuff" you put in. I'm sure that you can find some fun swag at a dollar store or a thrift shop, and I predict that as time goes by you'll find that the quality of the items in the cache deteriorates -- and then you'll need to decide either that that's important to you (in which case you're bound to stay frustrated) or else decide that you're not attached to that part of your cache and not worry, other than checking from time to time to make sure that it's well-maintained, which includes filled with trinkets.

 

Everyone plays this game differently, and trying to figure out what others will do is an exercise in futility.

 

In any case, welcome!

 

Jeannette (angevine on Cape Cod, Massachusetts)