Terrible cache hiders...

[+Rev Mike]

Does anyone in here have any problems with the caches of specific hiders?

 

I know we all have our own preferences when it comes to what types of caches we like to look for and this post is not about that. It is about hiders that put out nothing but garbage. I personally have a list of hiders who have demonstrated that they really should not be in the business of hiding caches. I will never again look for another cache by one of those people.

 

These are people that hide caches (for whatever reason - this is also not about their motives) that demonstrate terrible judgement in their placements, lack of any inspiration, foolish ALRs, obscenely inaccurate coordinates, bad ratings, unsafe locations, and any number of other things that just suck the fun out of geocaching.

 

I have a handful of them myself...

 

I am tired of trying to go drop a couple of travel bugs (that I have been holding on to for longer than I like) and going to the nearest cache that claims to be a regular just to find that is smaller than my GPS.

 

I am tired of EarthCaches placed by people that don't even try to come up with any thing good.

 

I am tired of seeing entire areas saturated with filmcans at fast food chains hidden by people just trying to make a name for themselves with the "local numbers cachers."

 

I am tires of seeing one terrain caches in the rafters of picnic pavilions... none of the people confined to wheelchairs that I know have "go-go-gadget arms."

 

I am tired of finding caches placed without permission.

 

In short I am just tired of people placing caches for the sake of placing caches and not even taking the time to do it half right.

 

 

Who else has hiders that have earned having anything they ever hide automatically ignored?

Who has thoughts on this?

 

One final caveat: If you reply DO NOT POST NAMES OR GC NUMBERS... this is just a general discussion.

 

- Rev Mike

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Does anyone in here have any problems with the caches of specific hiders?

 

 

 

There is one local cacher that has good intentions, has been somewhat prolific, but has placed several puzzle and/or multi caches that are just poorly done. It's not that the puzzles are just difficult but that it's often hard to comprehend what exactly the CO is asking. In one case, the first stage of a cache (classified as a puzzle) is in a cemetery where one is supposed to read numbers of a headstone to get to a second location where there is a hint to the final. The problem is that given GPS accuracy, there could be quite a few possible head stones which have the numbers needed and most of them have numbers that are quite faded. The listing has a "picture hint" (located as part of an additional waypoint) that nobody has seem to find in any way relevant.

 

Another was originally listed as a multi that is (again) in a cemetery. After several people wrote about not figuring out what the CO was asking for the first stage, he changed the listing (but not the cache type) so that it appears to be some kind of puzzle. In this case, we're asked to find out what a list of words have in common. The answer is pretty obvious but it describes an object that, if I recall when I visited the location, is over 100' long. I have no idea if the published coordinates are where the cache is located, and if they are there's no point in including the "puzzle".

 

Compounding the difficulty with this CO's caches is that on a few occasions the cache listing has been modified several times just after being published to "work out the kinks".

 

While we do have lots of caches hidden in not so interesting places we get a good mix of good ones so it's mostly the ones that are just poorly conceived that chap my hide.

[rogheff]

I appreciate the effort that someone put into placing a cache - any geocache. Without hiders, there'd be nothing for us to go look for.

 

Instead of complaining, why not offer your advice on how these hiders can improve their caches? They may not even know there's a problem.

Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for you to host a Geocache Placement 101 Event for the newbies in your area.

 

I know that I have placed some caches that were not warmly welcomed in the geocommunity. I changed or archived them after hearing constructive criticism. Nobody wants to place a bad cache, but it does happen.

[+Rev Mike]

Instead of complaining, why not offer your advice on how these hiders can improve their caches? They may not even know there's a problem.

 

Constructive criticism has been offer and ingored in most of these cases.

 

Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for you to host a Geocache Placement 101 Event for the newbies in your area.

 

I have been doing community Geocaching workshops with another local cacher for over three years now.

 

I know that I have placed some caches that were not warmly welcomed in the geocommunity. I changed or archived them after hearing constructive criticism. Nobody wants to place a bad cache, but it does happen.

 

That is the difference between yourself and the people I speaking of. You listened to what others had to say and changed things or just archived listings. So have I. I have learned more about what makes good caches and my views and practices have changed a lot over the years. Those I am talking about have not and continue to place terrible caches.

 

What I was asking was has anyone been so bad at hiding caches that they have come to be known for such and their caches ignored as a result?

 

- Rev Mike

[+Kit Fox]

May I share my Recipe for fun

 

There are a few cachers where I have all of their caches in my ignore list. If a cache looks like it would not be fun for me, I simply ignore it. If I suffer a shortage of caches I would like to find, I pursue my other passions like hunting and fishing.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Kit Fox

[+WatchDog2020]

I once suggested some kind of pre-requisite (number of finds, ‘test’ etc.) before a cacher places a hide. The moment it was posted on the forum I felt the burning in my palms as I was crucified for even suggesting the idea.

 

In our area we’ve seen relatively new people load their caching shotgun and fire 5-15 new caches in just a couple of days. The 1st few hides get people to come but after that the numbers of people running to their caches dwindles, natural selection occurs and they stop placing new caches.

 

Not many people are confident enough or feel they have the right to send a ‘your new cache sucks, here is how to make it better” e-mail.

[+Kryten]

When constructing a PQ I'd like to have the ability to filter out all caches hidden by specified owners. I know I can use the ignore list but it has a size limitation and also requires continual update. I know I can use GSAK but I don't want the caches in which I have no interest to be included in the 500 cache limit per PQ.

[+The Leprechauns]

I have a handful of them myself...

Having hunted for more than a dozen caches hidden by your account and by your team account, I'd have to agree. Pretty much all of them fall into what you described in your OP. Reviewing my finds, I see logs I wrote saying things like "I'm not sure what the point of this cache was" -- which is about as critical as I ever get in a log. There are others which fell into the "DNA" category - "Did Not Attempt." Those are caches where I drove to ground zero and left without searching for the cache -- and I will hunt for just about anything.

 

I state the above not to flame you. To the contrary, I appreciate the honesty of your acknowledgment. Also, these were your early hides and I have not been to your area to hunt for any of your more recent placements, which I'll assume are "better." So, my reason for posting was to ask you these questions:

 

1. Why haven't you archived *all* your early roadside or parking lot micro caches? (Adoptions to third parties only perpetuate the conditions you're complaining about.)

 

2. What made you change your approach to hiding caches? Was it experience gained over years of cache finding?

 

3. Have you done anything to assist new hiders in a positive, constructive manner to help them hide "better" caches?

[+Rev Mike]

I once suggested some kind of pre-requisite (number of finds, ‘test’ etc.) before a cacher places a hide. The moment it was posted on the forum I felt the burning in my palms as I was crucified for even suggesting the idea.

 

One of the hiders I ignore makes that case for you.

 

At the time I read through their listings and made the decision to never go look for one they had been caching for just shy os a month and they had placed over 60 caches most appearing to be at places like Burger King. I don't want to go there for a cache. Heck, I will not even go there to eat. There are not enough caches with nice hikes left in my local to burn off the calories of a Whopper.

 

- Rev Mike

[+sbell111]

[+Rev Mike]

Having hunted for more than a dozen caches hidden by your account and by your team account, I'd have to agree. Pretty much all of them fall into what you described in your OP. Reviewing my finds, I see logs I wrote saying things like "I'm not sure what the point of this cache was" -- which is about as critical as I ever get in a log. There are others which fell into the "DNA" category - "Did Not Attempt." Those are caches where I drove to ground zero and left without searching for the cache -- and I will hunt for just about anything.

 

With all due respect (and I actually have more for you than most anyone else in the forums from past dealings) I do not believe you have found a single cache from my personal account. I am not even sure you have been through here since I started hiding solo and listing my own caches outside of the team.

 

I agree I had a big hand in many of the caches hidden by the old team account and many of them were caches I would ignore myself the way I cache these days.

 

I state the above not to flame you. To the contrary, I appreciate the honesty of your acknowledgment. Also, these were your early hides and I have not been to your area to hunt for any of your more recent placements, which I'll assume are "better." So, my reason for posting was to ask you these questions:

 

1. Why haven't you archived *all* your early roadside or parking lot micro caches? (Adoptions to third parties only perpetuate the conditions you're complaining about.)

 

Ha!!! Oh, how I wish I had... I am not sure what my motivation was at the time I adopted a few off.

I only think about four or five are still out there but I wish I could still hit that archive button now.

 

2. What made you change your approach to hiding caches? Was it experience gained over years of cache finding?

 

The first factor was the team splitting up. Now there are only two of us still caching and we each use our own accounts now.

 

The most important change in my hiding format did come from experience finding caches. I used to run around like a fool looking for any cache that was listed. And then came the day I realized that was foolish and not nearly as fun as finding one or two really nice caches. My only real rule to hiding caches now is the "would I enjoy coming here" test. If I would enjoy the cache then I hide it. The time I spend scouting locations and placing caches these days is up to at least a few hours each.

 

3. Have you done anything to assist new hiders in a positive, constructive manner to help them hide "better" caches?

 

I try to help in a constructive fashion as much as possible and some people even tweak things a bit.

 

But I am asking about the people that clearly do not listen or care.

 

Heck, in one I the examples I gave above, the CO contacted me by email to ask for feedback, and promptly ignore the advice given. And sound advise it was... "If a jeep tb does not fit in the cache it should not be listed as a regular."

 

- Rev Mike

Edited November 10, 2008 by Rev Mike

[+Buggheart]

 

Scooch over. Can I have some of that?

[+Vartan84]

I appreciate the effort that someone put into placing a cache - any geocache. Without hiders, there'd be nothing for us to go look for.

 

Even if they do it for bad reasons, such those who are driven by the desire to pad their numbers that just throw a bunch of film cans out their window along the highway and upload that? That didn't even take the care to make sure the film lands in a good place that is free of danger. I personally don't have respect for cachers who don't even bother to make sure the cache is properly placed and safe. If you can't spend a minute or two to at least place it yourself then why are you bothering? And also, without hiders like that there'd still be plenty to look for because I have faith in the majority of cachers who care and spend just a little bit of time to make sure what they're doing isn't haphazard.

 

I have heard many reasons such as "it is too expensive" or "they are new, what do you expect?" to explain away this reckless or careless placement but I don't buy it. If you are truly broke you can probably find a film can or other sort of tin in the trash if you can't spend the less-than-a-dollar to buy one. Not being an experienced cacher in no way means you are incapable of knowing of pretty or interesting areas to at least drop the cache in, let alone doing something interesting with it. I'm a new cacher myself so I think I can speak from that point of view and it never even occurred to me to just throw caches out the car window and log the GPS until I read here about it being a common practice. People who are drawn to do that up and down their local roadways, no matter how new, cannot possibly think parking ever 50 feet and search in the weeds and prickers along a busy highway can possibly be fun for the whole family. The fact they are doing it to have lots of hides just proves that they are in the hobby for the wrong motives and nobody says you have to respect everything everyone does.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Vartan84

[+The Leprechauns]

Thank you Rev Mike for your honest reply. The next time I'm in your area, I will research some of your caches. This year, visits to northwest PA have not fit in with my caching goals. I know that some high terrain caches in Venango County will be on my goals list for 2009 and maybe I can extend that northwards. Since I'm no longer researching each and every cache in your area as it's published I haven't looked at your newer caches.

 

I have only logged a find on one cache hidden by your personal account. It was a log-only BYOP cache at an abandoned service station near the Ohio/PA border. That cache is now archived.

 

Keep doing what you can to work with other hiders in improving the game. Recognize that not everyone will agree with your definitions of "fun" and "quality," and not everyone will listen to you. But, you can still try.

[+Rev Mike]

Thank you Rev Mike for your honest reply. The next time I'm in your area, I will research some of your caches. This year, visits to northwest PA have not fit in with my caching goals. I know that some high terrain caches in Venango County will be on my goals list for 2009 and maybe I can extend that northwards.

 

Even if you don't make it all the way up here let me know when you are planning on swinging through Venango as I still need a couple of the higher terrain caches in that county and would not mind revisiting most of the ones I have done.

 

- Rev Mike

[+sbell111]

I appreciate the effort that someone put into placing a cache - any geocache. Without hiders, there'd be nothing for us to go look for.

 

Even if they do it for bad reasons, such those who are driven by the desire to pad their numbers that just throw a bunch of film cans out their window along the highway and upload that? That didn't even take the care to make sure the film lands in a good place that is free of danger. I personally don't have respect for cachers who don't even bother to make sure the cache is properly placed and safe. If you can't spend a minute or two to at least place it yourself then why are you bothering? And also, without hiders like that there'd still be plenty to look for because I have faith in the majority of cachers who care and spend just a little bit of time to make sure what they're doing isn't haphazard.

 

I have heard many reasons such as "it is too expensive" or "they are new, what do you expect?" to explain away this reckless or careless placement but I don't buy it. If you are truly broke you can probably find a film can or other sort of tin in the trash if you can't spend the less-than-a-dollar to buy one. Not being an experienced cacher in no way means you are incapable of knowing of pretty or interesting areas to at least drop the cache in, let alone doing something interesting with it. I'm a new cacher myself so I think I can speak from that point of view and it never even occurred to me to just throw caches out the car window and log the GPS until I read here about it being a common practice. People who are drawn to do that up and down their local roadways, no matter how new, cannot possibly think parking ever 50 feet and search in the weeds and prickers along a busy highway can possibly be fun for the whole family. The fact they are doing it to have lots of hides just proves that they are in the hobby for the wrong motives and nobody says you have to respect everything everyone does.

Wow. You have some pretty firm opinions regarding the motivations of others for someone that's only played the game for a few minutes. Edited November 10, 2008 by sbell111

[+Mother Wolf]

There are caches I wont hunt because, after having tried, they make me nuts so now I read the sheets, shake my head & pass with all due respect.

 

There are caches I wont hunt because the sheets were great but the caches sucked & were a waste. So now I pass on them.

 

Cache finds does not a good CO, hider make. Ive hunted caches of owners with 100's & 100's of finds & they stink. Ive also hunted caches by rookies that rocked.

 

I make & place caches I would like to find. I try to balance my caches. They all have great views (the smaller the cache the better the view) they are all kid friendly, they have additional attributes such as history/education/nature. Almost all are wheel chair accessible, are free, range 1.5-3 difficulty because the site is what I want people to see, & the cache is just a bonus.

 

To date Ive always gotten good feedback. I listen to cachers ideas & consider what they suggest. I respond to each person to thank them for their input. I welcome feedback. I depend on it to maintain good caches, to meet what people would like to see & to constantly improve the quality of future caches.

 

there will always be a variety of cachers & caches & the best a person can do is hunt until they find what they like : ) If you cant find it then create it.

[+Vartan84]

Wow. You have some pretty firm opinions regarding the motivations of others for someone that's only played the game for a few minutes.

Can you blame me for feeling the pain of others? I've seen the screenshots from the four city areas in Iowa, it is not a pretty picture.

And I've been caching for two months now, not exactly "a few minutes".

[+CYBret]

A few months ago I headed out on a Saturday cache run. I had found about seven caches (all micros) when I realized that I hadn't walked more than 50 feet from my truck for any cache...I hadn't even felt the need to shut the truck off. It really bugged me. That's not what I started playing this game for and the realization really hit home...this isn't fun.

 

I ended up driving about 15 miles out of my way for an ammo box in a state park and had a blast finding that one. Nice walk, fun terrain, cool find. It made me all the more appreciative of those caches.

 

There are a lot of those little roadside micros around here. For the most part I'm just ignoring them and letting the numbers build. If I'm by myself, wanting some time out those caches just aren't fun to me. However, I've talked to a friend of mine and we've decided to make a day out of knocking them out. We always have a blast together no matter what, so it should be a lot of fun.

 

Fun is what you make it. If something's just not fun then just don't do it....or find a way to make it fun.

Edited November 10, 2008 by CYBret

[+sbell111]

Wow. You have some pretty firm opinions regarding the motivations of others for someone that's only played the game for a few minutes.

Can you blame me for feeling the pain of others? I've seen the screenshots from the four city areas in Iowa, it is not a pretty picture.

What does Iowa have to do with anything?

 

And I've been caching for two months now, not exactly "a few minutes".

I'm sure that you learned much on those eight days that you went geocaching.

[+Vartan84]

What does Iowa have to do with anything?

 

There have been threads here about insane power trails along highways around Iowa of film cans being thrown out windows, complete with screenshots of what is literally cache after cache for many miles. I'm sure that's not the only place with a problem like this though.

 

I'm sure that you learned much on those eight days that you went geocaching.

You've either got a chip on your shoulder or a superiority complex about having been a cacher for longer than me. What's with this clearly undue hostility you are exhibiting? It is not becoming.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Vartan84

[+WatchDog2020]

What does Iowa have to do with anything?

 

There have been threads here about insane power trails along highways around Iowa of film cans being thrown out windows, complete with screenshots of what is literally cache after cache for many miles. I'm sure that's not the only place with a problem like this though.

 

I'm sure that you learned much on those eight days that you went geocaching.

You've either got a chip on your shoulder or a superiority complex about having been a cacher for longer than me. What's with this clearly undue hostility you are exhibiting? It is not becoming.

 

Vartan84 - Might I introduce you to my Sanha Geocoin

[+sbell111]

What does Iowa have to do with anything?

There have been threads here about insane power trails along highways around Iowa of film cans being thrown out windows, complete with screenshots of what is literally cache after cache for many miles. I'm sure that's not the only place with a problem like this though.

I'm sure that you learned much on those eight days that you went geocaching.

You've either got a chip on your shoulder or a superiority complex about having been a cacher for longer than me.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

What's with this clearly undue hostility you are exhibiting? It is not becoming.

The funny thing about your post is that it was in response to my commenting on your hostility.

[+Vartan84]

I also have cached many more than 8 days, for about two weeks when I was new to the hobby I went out every single day trying to find local caches without a GPS. I didn't own one at the time but wanted to cache so desperately that I just tried to use the hints and maps to find them. I failed all 13 times but didn't log them as DNFs because there was no sense in that since I hadn't actually done it and not deserved until I DNFed with a GPS. I have since gotten one and gone back and found all those. Even though I only have 19 finds on 8 days I have hunted for about 25 days total.

 

Also why has no one moved that geocoin TB not moved at all for many months? I want it to come a little south so I can get it.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Vartan84

[+WatchDog2020]

 

Also why has no one moved that geocoin TB not moved at all for many months? I want it to come a little south so I can get it.

 

Vartan - It takes a while but most people may sound mean - but they are ok. The drama is fun to watch around here. The Coin is on an island and only one person has found the cache since I placed it. You need a boat to get to it but I'm a nut ball and swam to the cache - LOL

 

Read the Log Here

[+KBI]

I make & place caches I would like to find.

So do I. Don't we all?

 

To the complainers: Is there any reason to assume this doesn’t apply to everyone – even the people who hide caches you don’t like?

 

It never occurred to me to assume there are people who hide caches for the specific purpose of disappointing other people who think like themselves. I somehow doubt it ever happens. I think every cache in existence was placed because the placer thought he would enjoy it himself -- or believed it had the potential to provide someone with entertainment value.

 

There will always be a variety of cachers & caches & the best a person can do is hunt until they find what they like : ) If you cant find it then create it.

Well said.

[+Rev Mike]

I think the questions was some thing like who based on previous experience now ignores certain cache hiders?

 

Not about who was caching the longest, what types of caches are crappy, or even a crappy hider's motives for placing a cache.

[+StarBrand]

I think each area has some kind of "dreaded" cache hider. Each for thier own reasons. Some hide leaky containers, some hide in garbage filled areas, some hide only in pokey trees, some are just repetitive, some use a combination of bad techniques. Virtually every where I have gone and spent enough time to get a few local caches, I can id that hider. However, (usually) they also have few really well thought out and very fun hides as well. It is just hard to tell the difference sometimes.

 

I try to be honest without being hurtful in feedback in my logs - about the best any of us can do. Both on the good and the bad.

[+Rev Mike]

I try to be honest without being hurtful in feedback in my logs - about the best any of us can do. Both on the good and the bad.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Just seems odd that some people can place so much bad and never get it.

 

- Rev Mike

 

edit poor spelling

Edited November 10, 2008 by Rev Mike

[+tozainamboku]

Rev Mike original post was more of a than a . The back and forth between Vartan84 and sbell111 is more and if it keeps up may get the thread locked. I see Rev Mike is even trying to get this one back on track.

 

Geocaching is supposed to be fun. Granted it would be a lot more fun to cache in Lake Wobegon, where every cache is above average, but we cache in the real world. Sometimes we cache where it seems like the average is being brought down because some new cacher or group of cachers places a lot of new caches that we just don't enjoy as much. In general this happens in spurts. Often the prolific new hiders get bored and stop after a short time, or they gain experience and improve their hiding style or become more selective about the locations they choose. Sometimes there is a community backlash where people hide more of the caches they do like so the newbie can see some examples of "how it should be done". There are more of every kind of cache these days than ever before. It isn't really that hard to avoid the caches you don't like and look for the ones you prefer. Maybe new filters could help. If you find someone who is hiding caches you aren't enjoying, sure you can ignore them and perhaps Geocaching.com could make that a option in the pocket queries. You never do know when a person may change their style and start hiding more of what you like. I simply decide what kind of caching I'd prefer to do on a certain day and pick a few like that. When I go urban caching, I expect a few uninspired LPCs so when I find clever camo or a location that is more inspiring that the mall parking lot I enjoy it that much more.

Edited November 10, 2008 by tozainamboku

[+doingitoldschool]

We certainly have hiders in this area that put out less than desirable caches. We usually end up looking anyway, since after a few months of caching most local cachers have all cleared the area of older ones.

Sometimes I find out it's a team of kids, and then feel like a old scrooge for being critical.

Sometimes it's newbies more interested in hiding than finding. I think you should find 100 caches before hiding one.

And sometimes it's just poor judgment combined with a cacher becoming a bit of a cache snob (that would be me)

I do get annoyed when I try to say something more than, "Thanks for the cache" and the hider complains about it. People are just too darn sensitive. Sheesh.

Edited November 10, 2008 by doingitoldschool

[+Proud Soccer Mom]

I tend to set the D/T on a safer side in consideration for handicachers and make note of this. For others, that's still not good enough and they think the world revolves around their able-bodied self.

 

You can't please all the people all the time, I'm afraid.

 

- Elle

[+SimbaJamey]

There's one local cacher whose caches I wish I could say I ignore.

I don't intentionally go after them, but if I'm out and about and driving past one I still get the smiley.

I'm sure I've found more of their caches than anyone elses.

I've only seen one that wasn't a micro (most are nanos) and that one was a vitamin bottle tossed on the ground next to a parking lot. There was someone else there the day I was looking for it and we both got readings about 70' off when I picked up the cache that was just laying there on the ground unhidden.

The hider has gone so far as to say one is not easy (I'm assuming they meant not as easy as their others) but all that did was generate logs saying it was extremely easy (It was yet another of their guardrail caches).

 

So that hider pretty much has the Park & Grab genre covered around here. I've gone the other way with my hides making things that blend into the environment or are more deviously placed.

 

Unfortunately, I've got quite a collection of emails from that cacher slagging me for my hides.

 

Here was our first little exchange:

 

HI!

 

Thanks for being the FTF on my first cache!

 

As it is my first one, I struggled with the difficulty/terrain ratings. I used the form that suggests the ratings and it was something like a 4/3.5. I also looked at ratings for similar ones I've found to try to get an idea. I didn't want to go too high with the #'s because I'm still new at this and didn't want more experienced cachers to laugh at the ratings.

So as one of those more experienced cachers...what would you suggest?

Thanks!

Jamey

 

And the response I got:

 

Not being the political correct one.. here it goes.. Why must newbies go to extreme levels when placing there first hides? When you learned to drive a car did you learn to drive on the expressway? In the words of Forrest Gump.. Thats all I have to say about that.

 

Um...yeah, that was helpful

 

And I won't post anything that was sent to me after that...but it got WAY WAY WAY less P.C.!!!

I will say though that none of the subsequent logs on my first cache complained, and that most said things like, "Good Job" or, "Great Hide"

 

The most amusing part to me is that the hider has now placed caches with descriptions saying they are examples for cachers to learn how to place better hides

(Oh...and so far, half the logs on that one are talking about all the trash and mess in the area...yup, my idea of a quality hide! Way to set an example.)

 

 

So I think the OPs question is a difficult one to answer. If there was a button to ignore someones caches, I'd probably be using it for that hider. But there isn't and they end up in my PQs so I do them when I'm in the area. I can't speak for the other cacher, but I doubt he'd do an ignore list no matter what he thinks about me or anyone else...and that's based on the fact that he's continued to find every cache I hide (Except the 2 that require decent hikes or hill climbs to get to).

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are certain hiders whose caches I've begun to seek out because they tend to be fun and challenging. I wish there was a way to get them all in a PQ! (I know, I've checked all and created PQ...but it doesn't give me the full info like a regular PQ does )

 

This is why Ice Cream comes in so many flavors.

[+Rev Mike]

Rev Mike original post was more of a than a . The back and forth between Vartan84 and sbell111 is more and if it keeps up may get the thread locked. I see Rev Mike is even trying to get this one back on track.

 

Geocaching is supposed to be fun. Granted it would be a lot more fun to cache in Lake Wobegon, where every cache is above average, but we cache in the real world. Sometimes we cache where it seems like the average is being brought down because some new cacher or group of cachers places a lot of new caches that we just don't enjoy as much. In general this happens in spurts. Often the prolific new hiders get bored and stop after a short time, or they gain experience and improve their hiding style or become more selective about the locations they choose. Sometimes there is a community backlash where people hide more of the caches they do like so the newbie can see some examples of "how it should be done". There are more of every kind of cache these days than ever before. It isn't really that hard to avoid the caches you don't like and look for the ones you prefer. Maybe new filters could help. If you find someone who is hiding caches you aren't enjoying, sure you can ignore them and perhaps Geocaching.com could make that a option in the pocket queries. You never do know when a person may change their style and start hiding more of what you like. I simply decide what kind of caching I'd prefer to do on a certain day and pick a few like that. When I go urban caching, I expect a few uninspired LPCs so when I find clever camo or a location that is more inspiring that the mall parking lot I enjoy it that much more.

 

Sometimes I can be quite daft so just what does mean???

 

I just find myself a bit discouraged when every new cache in my area is... well just not what I am looking for.

 

There are only a couple of cachers in my local area that I will go out and look for anything they hide because their caches have never let me down. The majority of the locals are hit-or-miss, sometimes turning out something nice. Then there are a couple that I have just decided to never try another of their caches.

 

Granted most of the good cache "real-estate" is gone but I am dissapointed to see people squeezing them in on every other street corner just because.

 

This looks like a good spot to repost something I posted in a couple of local forums last winter:

 

There seems to be quite an abundance of hastily placed caches

sprouting up these days. The part that really gets me is that many

hiders don't seem to realize that they may have made mistakes in

container selection... or an oversight as to necessary permissions for

the hide location. These caches remain. Sometimes the owner sees the

problem and tweaks the cache a bit to reflect that. Sometimes there is

no maintenance or response at all. Hiders need to be able to just say

"Oops, I screwed that up" and just hit the archive button. One of my

favorite quotes, "We always view our first creations as masterpieces,

no matter how awful they are."

 

One thing that I would really like to see, especially in the Erie

area, is all hiders stopping to take a look at all their listings and

pruning off the dead stuff. There are many caches that have been

around here for a long time. Perhaps they should be put to rest. If a

cache has been around for more than... say, a year and a half, decide

if it is still worth being around. As owners of cache listings that

old you should have enough feedback to make an informed decision. If

your two year old cache gets log that indicate hiders seem to really

enjoy it then by all means keep it. If your two year old cache only

gets "TFTC" logs then kill it. I DO NOT want this to turn into a

debate on the validity of the lamp post micro... just asking how many

of them we need in one area.

 

I think one of the biggest problems in the Erie area is there really

are not any more good cache locations that are not already used. It

would be nice to see some of that cache hiding "real estate" back on

the market. As it stands now the locations of most new hides are just

getting worse. I am convinced that this is mainly because many of us

have hides in all the good spots. I would like to see new hides -

better, inspired new hides. I don't care if they are from new cachers

or some established names. It just seems like the "scene" around Erie

is stagnant.

 

Since we are in the grip of winter right now and not out doing too

much caching - what better time to do this.

 

- Rev Mike

[knowschad]

 

Can I have some of that popcorn? I think its gonna be a long movie!

[Mr.Yuck]

We certainly have hiders in this area that put out less than desirable caches. We usually end up looking anyway, since after a few months of caching most local cachers have all cleared the area of older ones.

Sometimes I find out it's a team of kids, and then feel like a old scrooge for being critical.

Sometimes it's newbies more interested in hiding than finding.

 

Hey, I don't think this conversation is going too badly. Except for SBell and that other guy going at it, but he's just mad about the Buffalo Bills mid-season collapse.

 

These are excellent points here, made by doingitoldschool. I've seen some horrific "kid hides". And I've seen many a newbie who is over enthusiastic about hiding too many too fast. Not that there aren't kids and newbies who don't fit this mold, just saying I've seen plenty of both.

[+whistler & co.]

I think each area has some kind of "dreaded" cache hider.

 

I know him well....

[+DocDiTTo]

I review every new cache to see whether it's worthy of my time to hunt it. I've noticed that a few specific hiders rarely hide caches that I'm interested in hunting, but I always look. Every once in a while someone who's hidden a long line of stinkers unwittingly pulls off something brilliant, even if completely by accident. I don't want to pass up a great cache just because it was hidden by someone with a poor record. Of course, some of those folks have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than hiding a cache I'd actually want to hunt, but hey, ya never know...

[+Rev Mike]

In the interest of good faith I at least scan through their new listings if I have the time.

 

Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised one day.

 

- Rev Mike

[+KBI]

Who else has hiders that have earned having anything they ever hide automatically ignored?

I have observed the work of people just like you describe, but I have never felt the need to place a cache on ignore.

 

I have found plenty of caches which disappointed me – sometimes for aesthetic reasons (lame concept), sometimes for practical reasons (bad container, etc.), sometimes both – but I have always found it easy to tolerate such things because of ONE fact, a fact which became immediately and intuitively obvious to me the very moment I learned about Geocaching:

 

All geocaches are hidden by amateur volunteers.

 

(Except for the ones which are hidden by volunteer amateurs.)

 

The game is essentially free, and is open to everyone. What more should we expect from all these unpaid nonprofessional pseudo-entertainers?

 

Next time someone disappoints you with his cache hide, I suggest you demand a refund on whatever you paid the owner to hunt his cache.

Edited November 10, 2008 by KBI

[+ArcherDragoon]

I wish I could ignore myself...

[Skippermark]

Okay so, to answer the OPs question, I don't avoid caches, but I'll find less often caches placed by certain cachers. Not because they're "bad" but because they're not my style. They are thought out beforehand and well done. Lots of people rave about how good they are, but for whatever reason, they don't appeal to me as much as other types. Since caching is about fun (at least for me), I would rather spend my spare time finding ones that I enjoy.

[Dinoprophet]

There's no particular person I ignore, but there are several cache series that I do.

[+Renegade Knight]

Does anyone in here have any problems with the caches of specific hiders?...

 

Sure thing.

 

One guy owned a magellan. He never figured out how to use it to mark the location of a cache accuratly. Once we figured out he was always 60' off life got easier. I think he grew up to become our local cache maggot. A little payback for all the crap we locals gave him, though I could be wrong about that.

 

Another local couldn't find an inspiring or interesting area to save their life. Amazingly they figured it out later and hid good caches. So much for painting them with a broad brush.

 

Then there is this Boise cacher. The guy hates ALR caches. By way of compensating he placed more and worse ALR caches than anyone else I know. Ultimatly I think he realized he was part of the problem he hated. But I could be wrong about that.

 

We have a new cacher who's logs suck, and who's caches are on a par with their logs. They have a vanity plate. In their shoes I'd not advertise who I was. But that's what floats their boat. They now log my caches in ALL CAPS as part of the All Caps crowd. (TNLNSL). More power to them. I am suprised though that they took the time to spell out their vanity plate.

 

It's my own propensity towards being Jaded and Cynical that makes it worth my while to let all these things go. If I can't the real problem isn't the cache owner. They can write their own little snippets about what a PITA that I am as well. Turnabout is fair play.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Renegade Knight

[+BCandMsKitty]

Nope. We don't ignore any cache. Sure, there are some that we don't find exciting, but in the same thought I'm sure that we have some hides that are not the top of the heap either! The real thing for us is this area was really slow when we started caching just over a year ago, and since then, (we like to think we had some small part in it) there are several new cachers and more caches being hidden. To us, any cache is a good cache when there aren't many in the area. We also subscribe to the idea that a cache is a gift from the hider, and a "thank you" should be given for any and every gift you receive, whether exactly what you wanted or not! The only caches I ever ignore are ones that have needed attention for some time and are not being responded to. Actually .... that's not true! I put them on my watch list to see if they ever get fixed so I can then go hunt them!

There is a new cache in the area by a new person that has only one find, and this one hide. From the location and clue, I know exactly where the cache is and will go get it as soon as I am able and I won't even need my GPSr! Does it bother me that it isn't an exciting cache? Not at all! At least it is some activity and hopefully the hider will get better with caching maurity.

 

Guess that's a long-winded way of saying We have never yet put any hider on ignore, or felt the need to do so!

[+wimseyguy]

Does anyone in here have any problems with the caches of specific hiders?

 

No, but I do have problems with certain posters who either post all in CAPS, bold, or italics for no good reason.

I really have a problem with certain posters who engage in their own personal dialogs in the middle of a decent thread and take it over. When I see that happen I either scroll past those avatars, or close the thread without bothering to participate in that discussion.

 

I think toz's use of the was to indicate that there are many flavors of cache hiders and seekers. I've started using the dessert analogy to explain geocaching to some people as well. Some days you are satisfied with some cheap cookies like snackwells as you only have a little time and money, but just need something sweet. Other days you will only be satisfied with a gourmet piece of freshly made deep dish apple caramel pie, or perhaps a seven layer chocolate cake, so you find an old school hike in the woods to an ammo box hidden at a scenic overlook. It sounds like the OP no longer wishes to indulge in cheap mass produced cookies, and that is their prerogative.

 

Two weekends ago in DC I was able to combine the desire to enjoy a lot of sweets/finds with a 5-6 mile hike. Not every city offers this option, but on the drive home we commented that every single find was tasty. We saw lots of quality virts, and the urban micros took us to interesting locations with some history, or an unusual piece of public art that might have been otherwise missed. There wasn't a disappointing location in the entire day's hunt, and that was after attending a very interesting and unusual event.

 

Back at home there are hiders of drive ups and some who hide backwoods caches. I'll plan my caching days based on what I am in the mood for, and target an area that offers what I want to find and where I want to be that day. I've got no hesitation ignoring a cache on a particular day, and may come back for it on another day, but I'm more likely to stop and grab the PnG on the way to the hiking cache. I only have 2-3 cache on my ignore list that I will never bother to look for (not including ones that I was involved in hiding).

 

Until a better system is created-it is up to the cache seekers to read the menus/logs carefully to ensure that you are getting what you want out of your caching day. If you aren't having fun, it's your own dadgum fault not someone else's. There are plenty of caches out there of all sorts.

Edited November 10, 2008 by wimseyguy

[+doingitoldschool]

Very well said. That actually has made me rethink my caching snobiness.

Until the next lame bushcrawl, at least.

 

 

I have found plenty of caches which disappointed me – sometimes for aesthetic reasons (lame concept), sometimes for practical reasons (bad container, etc.), sometimes both – but I have always found it easy to tolerate such things because of ONE fact, a fact which became immediately and intuitively obvious to be the very moment I learned about Geocaching:

 

All geocaches are hidden by amateur volunteers.

 

(Except for the ones which are hidden by volunteer amateurs.)

 

The game is essentially free, and is open to everyone. What more should we expect from all these unpaid nonprofessional pseudo-entertainers?

 

Next time someone disappoints you with his cache hide, I suggest you demand a refund on whatever you paid the owner to hunt his cache.

[+sbell111]

We certainly have hiders in this area that put out less than desirable caches. We usually end up looking anyway, since after a few months of caching most local cachers have all cleared the area of older ones.

Sometimes I find out it's a team of kids, and then feel like a old scrooge for being critical.

Sometimes it's newbies more interested in hiding than finding.

 

Hey, I don't think this conversation is going too badly. Except for SBell and that other guy going at it, but he's just mad about the Buffalo Bills mid-season collapse.

 

These are excellent points here, made by doingitoldschool. I've seen some horrific "kid hides". And I've seen many a newbie who is over enthusiastic about hiding too many too fast. Not that there aren't kids and newbies who don't fit this mold, just saying I've seen plenty of both.

Let's just say that I'm coming around to supporting a move to Toronto. Edited November 10, 2008 by sbell111

[+9Key]

There's no particular person I ignore, but there are several cache series that I do.

Same here. 100+ of the same hide by the same cacher bores me to tears. I just don't need smileys that bad.

[+palser]

Our goals must be vastly different for sure Rev!

 

Here in our area (mostly rural) there is a shortage of caches overall. So it is pretty hard to be selective about the quality of the cache I am seeking. I have some pretty lame ones myself for sure. Trying to archive the 'trashy' ones, update to better containers, choose my locations a little more carefully, etc. etc. etc.

 

But my goal, as I assume is the same for a lot of us, it to 'get out'. Lot more fun than watching reruns of Law & Order, Rosie, etc., and I can only take so much of the news.. So it may not be the quality of the cache that concerns me, but the opportunity to see country I haven't, be out and about. And when I can't ride the Harley, caching is a great alternative. VROOM, VROOM!

 

As far as 'I'm tired.........' If I was that discouraged, I think I would get out my old stamp collection and sell the GPS!