Extreme Caching?

[+SerenityFound]

I'm just curious... is there such a thing as extreme caching? Caches that are pre-identified as having a very high terrain difficulty (not so much in terms of camouflage & general hiding trickiness). Maybe a cache in the middle of a rock climb or in extreme conditions. I mean, there's marathon running and then there are the nuts that run for 100+ miles at a time (I say that affectionately as I have a friend who's a total nut when it comes to running).

 

Does the geocaching community have something equivalent?

[marikun]

I'm just curious... is there such a thing as extreme caching? Caches that are pre-identified as having a very high terrain difficulty (not so much in terms of camouflage & general hiding trickiness). Maybe a cache in the middle of a rock climb or in extreme conditions. I mean, there's marathon running and then there are the nuts that run for 100+ miles at a time (I say that affectionately as I have a friend who's a total nut when it comes to running).

 

Does the geocaching community have something equivalent?

 

Ask forumites Vinny & Sue. IIRC, they've placed caches on bridge pylons in the middle of a river, and one that required the use of a radiation suit.

[+J-Way]

Ask forumites Vinny & Sue. IIRC, they've placed caches on bridge pylons in the middle of a river, and one that required the use of a radiation suit.

I think the radiation suit was just because Vinny left a pair of his old socks in the cache.

 

But he does have a couple of bookmark lists that answers the OP question:

 

(Extreme) Psycho Urban and Backcountry Cache Series - Caches created by V&S

Extreme and Adventure Caches - Caches created by other people

 

These lists should serve as a good starting point. Visit the cache pages in these lists to find other bookmark lists with similar attributes. You'll eventually have links to most "extreme" caches.

[+linuxxpert]

I got some extreme caches..... How about this:

 

 

Or:

 

[+briansnat]

4.5 and 5 star terrain caches can be be pretty extreme.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

4.5 and 5 star terrain caches can be be pretty extreme.

 

With an emphasis on "can be". Caches which require "special equipment and/or skills" are supposed to rated a 5 for terrain. That means that if a cache is placed on a small island a couple hundred feet from shore in a calm protected pond it will be rated the same as a cache placed on an island 1 mile off the coast of Newfoundland. Both would require a boat to access the cache but the first could be done with the use of a $10 inflatable raft from Walmart. Very often a cache with a 4.5 terrain will be more extreme than one with a 5.0 terrain.

[+Isonzo Karst]

If you get deep snow in your area, just a regular ol' walk-in-the-park may become extreme.

 

Ditto what NYPaddleCacher said about 5 terrain. It could be extreme, or it could = need boat, need scuba, need climbing gear, etc. And may be pretty easy, if you have and know how to use the gear.

[+StarBrand]

I've seen a few caches over the years that required: backpacking for days, climbing with ropes, scuba and etc to complete the find.

[+OEnavigators]

There's a rather extreme geocache not far from where we live called Blowing Cave Bonus Cache.

[+SerenityFound]

OK... I gotta ask. Radiation suit?

[marikun]

OK... I gotta ask. Radiation suit?

 

Supposedly it's located just off of Three Mile Island.

[+benh57]

OK... I gotta ask. Radiation suit?

 

Supposedly it's located just off of Three Mile Island.

 

Unless the cache is in the de-commissioned Unit 2 containment building itself (i wouldn't put it past them), no radiation suit would be required for a cache 'just off three mile island'. In fact, one of the units at TMI is still operating, and the workers are fine.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

OK... I gotta ask. Radiation suit?

Supposedly it's located just off of Three Mile Island.

I believe that the cache in question is my Psycho Urban Cache #9 - Hot Glowing Tribulations, and, if so, the following facts are relevant:

• the final stage of the cache is NOT located at or near Three Mile Island (aka TMI, located in eastern PA), but only successful and approved pre-qualified finders know where the final stage is located. Yes, it is true that there are numerous rumors extant among geocachers who have NOT found this cache that the secret location of the third stage is somehow associated with TMI, but this is simply not true.
  
• while it IS required that pre-qualified and approved seekers of the final stage must wear a Tyvek protective bunny suit along with a PAPR respirator (I have a number of loaner suits and PAPRs here), it is neither required nor recommended that seekers attempt to wear a so-called "radiation suit", and, in fact, wearing such a suit would be extremely counter-productive, due to the fact that the rather high levels of high-energy beta radiation at the site would, once it struck the lead layer in the suit, produce copious amounts of harmful gamma radiation which could and would impact the wearer.
  
• the reason that pre-qualified and approved seekers of the final stage are required to wear a Tyvek protective bunny suit along with a PAPR respirator is simply due to the fact that the site is heavily littered with both radioactive dust and with toxic chemical waste in the form of dust, liquids and sludge/gels (i.e., on surfaces and in puddles on the floor) and the site is also infested with rodents such as mice and rats which carry both hantavirus and plague (i.e., Yersina pestis, the bacteria which causes so-called "bubonic plague and which is endemic to many rural regions in this part of the eastern USA.) Thus, the ONLY purpose of the Tyvek protective bunny suit is to help to protect the wearer from accruing significant levels of the dust or liquids/gels/sludge on their skin and clothing, and to keep them from inhaling significant amounts of the radioactive and toxic dust.
  

Hope this helps!

Edited November 18, 2008 by Vinny & Sue Team

[abodi]

OK... I gotta ask. Radiation suit?

Supposedly it's located just off of Three Mile Island.

I believe that the cache in question is my Psycho Urban Cache #9 - Hot Glowing Tribulations, and, if so, the following facts are relevant:

• the final stage of the cache is NOT located at or near Three Mile Island (aka TMI, located in eastern PA), but only successful and approved pre-qualified finders know where the final stage is located. Yes, it is true that there are numerous rumors extant among geocachers who have NOT found this cache that the secret location of the third stage is somehow associated with TMI, but this is simply not true.
  
• while it IS required that pre-qualified and approved seekers of the final stage must wear a Tyvek protective bunny suit along with a PAPR respirator (I have a number of loaner suits and PAPRs here), it is neither required nor recommended that seekers attempt to wear a so-called "radiation suit", and, in fact, wearing such a suit would be extremely counter-productive, due to the fact that the rather high levels of high-energy beta radiation at the site would, once it struck the lead layer in the suit, produce copious amounts of harmful gamma radiation which could and would impact the wearer.
  
• the reason that pre-qualified and approved seekers of the final stage are required to wear a Tyvek protective bunny suit along with a PAPR respirator is simply due to the fact that the site is heavily littered with both radioactive dust and with toxic chemical waste in the form of dust, liquids and sludge/gels (i.e., on surfaces and in puddles on the floor) and the site is also infested with rodents such as mice and rats which carry both hantavirus and plague (i.e., Yersina pestis, the bacteria which causes so-called "bubonic plague and which is endemic to many rural regions in this part of the eastern USA.) Thus, the ONLY purpose of the Tyvek protective bunny suit is to help to protect the wearer from accruing significant levels of the dust or liquids/gels/sludge on their skin and clothing, and to keep them from inhaling significant amounts of the radioactive and toxic dust.
  

Hope this helps!

 

HOLEY MOLEY

 

at the moment, i'm still having difficulty finding caches in long grass in an open space. i've only found 6 caches total though.

[woodstrider]

I have seen some listings that are very extreme- and challenging- and not in the sense that they are very well hidden or camoed.

 

I know of two that requires a boat to get to the middle of the Hudson River (and one is an earthcache at that!)

 

Several require climbing gear for scaling cliffs or trees.

 

One requires scuba gear.

 

Some are very long approach hikes.

 

All say that in the listing.

[+Tahoein' Bunch]

I have not tried this one yet but may in the spring, By hiking in not driving.

 

Tippie Lee Mine Extreme 4X4 Geocache GC103WW

Edited December 14, 2008 by Tahoein' Bunch

[+Unkle Fester]

OK... I gotta ask. Radiation suit?

Supposedly it's located just off of Three Mile Island.

I believe that the cache in question is my Psycho Urban Cache #9 - Hot Glowing Tribulations, and, if so, the following facts are relevant:

• the final stage of the cache is NOT located at or near Three Mile Island (aka TMI, located in eastern PA), but only successful and approved pre-qualified finders know where the final stage is located. Yes, it is true that there are numerous rumors extant among geocachers who have NOT found this cache that the secret location of the third stage is somehow associated with TMI, but this is simply not true.
  
• while it IS required that pre-qualified and approved seekers of the final stage must wear a Tyvek protective bunny suit along with a PAPR respirator (I have a number of loaner suits and PAPRs here), it is neither required nor recommended that seekers attempt to wear a so-called "radiation suit", and, in fact, wearing such a suit would be extremely counter-productive, due to the fact that the rather high levels of high-energy beta radiation at the site would, once it struck the lead layer in the suit, produce copious amounts of harmful gamma radiation which could and would impact the wearer.
  
• the reason that pre-qualified and approved seekers of the final stage are required to wear a Tyvek protective bunny suit along with a PAPR respirator is simply due to the fact that the site is heavily littered with both radioactive dust and with toxic chemical waste in the form of dust, liquids and sludge/gels (i.e., on surfaces and in puddles on the floor) and the site is also infested with rodents such as mice and rats which carry both hantavirus and plague (i.e., Yersina pestis, the bacteria which causes so-called "bubonic plague and which is endemic to many rural regions in this part of the eastern USA.) Thus, the ONLY purpose of the Tyvek protective bunny suit is to help to protect the wearer from accruing significant levels of the dust or liquids/gels/sludge on their skin and clothing, and to keep them from inhaling significant amounts of the radioactive and toxic dust.
  

Hope this helps!

 

HOLEY MOLEY

 

at the moment, i'm still having difficulty finding caches in long grass in an open space. i've only found 6 caches total though.

I found one in a dog park once. It was a natural camo. My first guess was wrong...

[+m.austin]

 

I found one in a dog park once. It was a natural camo. My first guess was wrong...

 

Ah, you made me spew Diet Dr.Pepper all over my monitor!

[+linuxxpert]

I thought I'd bump this topic and point out that now there is a website that is dedicated to these types of caches:

 

Extreme-Caching.com

 

[+Kit Fox]

I thought I'd bump this topic and point out that now there is a website that is dedicated to these types of caches:

 

Extreme-Caching.com

 

 

I own a few caches that would fit right in.

 

Tactical Adventure 1 (Tree-o-cache)

 

Operation Wreckhunter

 

Operation Wreckhunter (2)

 

The Last Flight of the Hercules

 

Destruction Canyon a Geo-Canyoneering Adventure!

[knowschad]

I thought I'd bump this topic and point out that now there is a website that is dedicated to these types of caches:

 

Extreme-Caching.com

 

 

That looks like an awesome site! Very well done. Good luck with it. I'll definitely be bookmarking it and checking in from time to time, at the very least. Don't think I'll be doing any of those caches, though.