Setting up a series

[+karen rinora]

Can someone please help me? I tried to set up a series - 4 GC's, each with a clue in the lid that led to the finding of a 5th. Because they were to be a series, I sent them all in at once. I was told that this could constitute a power trail......but I do not know what a power trail is. I have seen other series, where clues in the GC's lead to a final.

 

I also made the mistake, in my zeal, to activate them all too early.......What had happened was that I opened one, saw the red message at the top that said it had to be activated by me, but didn't scroll down far enough to see that there were problems (mentioned above) with the series. Consequently, the reviewer told me I had to contact appeals@geocaching.com rather than the reviewer (who perceived that I had not followed his/her instructions). So, now I sit in "GC Jail", awaiting word back from the appeals.

Can anyone make any suggestions about my next move: start again, set them up as a multi, etc??

And.....what is a power trail???? I can't seem to find out just what it means.

 

Another comment related to the number of GC's submitted at one time. What is an acceptable number? How does one go about submitting stuff about series? Or are series not acceptable?

[Keystone]

Your reviewer gave you a pretty good working definition of the factors we look at when deciding if a group of caches constitute a "power trail:"

 

1. Similar or identical name with a number or letter identifier.

2. Cookie cutter description or no description at all.

3. Description verbiage indicating the intent to place a bunch of geocaches to found at the same time.

4. A group of geocaches all submitted at the same time.

5. Geocaches along a linear or loop route.

 

In addition we look at the caches' relative proximity to one another. Five caches placed 600 feet apart, leading to a bonus sixth cache nearby, is the classic definition of a multicache. So, the reviewer may ask you to combine the caches into a single multicache. Other alternatives include "thinning the herd" -- cutting back from ten caches to three, for example -- or spacing the caches farther apart. One rule of thumb is to leave sufficient space -- .25 miles or more -- between the caches in your series so that someone else could come along later and hide their own.

 

There's nothing wrong with cache series, but the component caches must stand on their own merits as independent caches. Cache 1 leading to cache 2 at a random spot 650 feet down the trail, and so forth, are more multicache stages than independent caches. In contrast, if you create a series called "Covered Bridges of Jackson County." with five caches at covered bridges that are miles apart, leading to a bonus sixth cache at a little-known covered bridge at a park, then each cache in the series stands on its own merits as a separate destination.

 

There is no magic number about cache series. Three caches can be a series. The biggest series I've published was 100 caches, but they were spread out across three counties, requiring driving several hundreds of miles to complete.

 

Your reviewer's initial note also linked you to the listing guideline text on power trails:

 

Cache Saturation

 

The reviewers use a rule of thumb that caches placed within .10 miles (528 feet or 161 metres) of another cache may not be published on the site. This is an arbitrary distance and is just a guideline, but the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of caches hidden in a particular area and to reduce confusion that might otherwise result when one cache is found while looking for another. On the same note, don't go cache crazy and hide a cache every 600 feet just because you can. If you want to create a series of caches (sometimes called a "Power Trail"), the reviewer may require you to create a multi-cache, if the waypoints are close together. A series of caches that are generally intended to be found as a group are good candidates for submission as a single multicache.

The last three sentences are the "Power Trail" guideline.

 

Reviewers are happy to work with cache owners to develop acceptable solutions that meet the spirit of the Cache Saturation guideline. I think the only reason your caches were archived was because of your misunderstanding when you re-enabled the listings without comment. The reviewer would take that to mean "I'm not going to make any changes, so here they are again, please publish them."

Edited February 26, 2009 by Keystone

[jholly]

One rule of thumb is to leave sufficient space -- .25 miles or more -- between the caches in your series so that someone else could come along later and hide their own.

 

 

Now why couldn't I get that from a reviewer when I asked the question. All I got was "It's subjective". Any one for a game of battleships?

 

Jim

[+karen rinora]

sorry...screwed up...have never posted on this forum until tonight

Edited February 26, 2009 by karen rinora

[+karen rinora]

Many thanks for your explanation.

 

I am getting a better understanding. All the caches are already 2 - 5km apart from each other. One is too close to an existing cache, and I have removed it from its posted spot.

 

Being a series, I'm not sure how I can get away from a "cookie cutter description" (which I have seen in other series listings). The series is called "GOLD SERIES", (Gold Spike, The golden Egg, Golden Golf Ball, Gold Nugget) because I have put a "gold" namesake item in each GC, in order to add interest for younger GC'ers.

 

I also would prefer to keep each cache as an independent, rather than "stage of a multicache", becasue I think that would appeal more to families. I find that kids don't want to spend too much time doing calculations, etc or seeing only coords in a cache. So, should I move the caches further apart?

 

How long does it take the appeals to go through? And how do I re-establish communications with the reviewer, in order to reconfigure the series to meet his/her requirements? Maybe I am wrong, but I understand that (s)he is awaiting word from the appeals?

Edited February 26, 2009 by karen rinora

[+YeOleImposter]

Why publish them all at the same time?

Take your time.

Make each cache interesting in its own right.

Issue one per week.

Let different cachers have a chance at FTF with each one.

[Keystone]

One rule of thumb is to leave sufficient space -- .25 miles or more -- between the caches in your series so that someone else could come along later and hide their own.

 

 

Now why couldn't I get that from a reviewer when I asked the question. All I got was "It's subjective". Any one for a game of battleships?

 

Jim

To be fair to your reviewer, they are correct, just less wordy than me.

 

There is plenty of subjectivity built into my post. I intentionally said "rule of thumb" rather than "rule," and I intentionally added "or more" after the .25 mile number.

 

In a forest filled with wandering trails, .25 miles may be the right spacing. If the power trail consists of caches designed to be park and grabs at the side of the road at every pulloff, a mile apart may be the appropriate minimum spacing. Each situation is unique and needs to be studied in relation to the existing cache landscape, the natural setting, etc. I treat a series in a shopping area different than one in a park or along a country road.

 

If you want to hide a series and are unsure whether it might be kicked back under the power trail guideline, write to your reviewer in advance and describe your plans in as much detail as you can provide prior to hiding the containers in their actual spots. If you write and ask me whether you can hide 100 caches along a 15 mile stretch of rails to trails, I feel better saying "no" upfront and saving you a second trip into the field with steam blowing out your ears. If you write and describe the covered bridge series example in my prior post, I will write "Go for it! Thanks so much for checking first. I look forward to publishing these."

[+Ramona Retired Snipe]

Here is a puzzle cache that you can look at for advice. I just completed it and it was my first puzzle / series cache I've done.

 

GC1FDJX

[jholly]

 

To be fair to your reviewer, they are correct, just less wordy than me.

 

There is plenty of subjectivity built into my post. I intentionally said "rule of thumb" rather than "rule," and I intentionally added "or more" after the .25 mile number.

 

In a forest filled with wandering trails, .25 miles may be the right spacing. If the power trail consists of caches designed to be park and grabs at the side of the road at every pulloff, a mile apart may be the appropriate minimum spacing. Each situation is unique and needs to be studied in relation to the existing cache landscape, the natural setting, etc. I treat a series in a shopping area different than one in a park or along a country road.

 

If you want to hide a series and are unsure whether it might be kicked back under the power trail guideline, write to your reviewer in advance and describe your plans in as much detail as you can provide prior to hiding the containers in their actual spots. If you write and ask me whether you can hide 100 caches along a 15 mile stretch of rails to trails, I feel better saying "no" upfront and saving you a second trip into the field with steam blowing out your ears. If you write and describe the covered bridge series example in my prior post, I will write "Go for it! Thanks so much for checking first. I look forward to publishing these."

 

Again, Thank You! Yes, the answer is somewhat subjective but at least now there is a better understanding of what is subjective. Your explanation makes perfect sense and I agree with it 100%. Much better than "no, that won't work. Well, what can I do to fix it? Well, it is subjective." By the way I did get the series approved, by a different reviewer and it was in a forested area with wandering trails and the caches were .2 to .3 miles apart. And each cache had a different long description but a common theme.

 

Jim

[greenworldfeather]

Your reviewer gave you a pretty good working definition of the factors we look at when deciding if a group of caches constitute a "power trail:"

 

1. Similar or identical name with a number or letter identifier.

2. Cookie cutter description or no description at all.

3. Description verbiage indicating the intent to place a bunch of geocaches to found at the same time.

4. A group of geocaches all submitted at the same time.

5. Geocaches along a linear or loop route.

 

In addition we look at the caches' relative proximity to one another. Five caches placed 600 feet apart, leading to a bonus sixth cache nearby, is the classic definition of a multicache. So, the reviewer may ask you to combine the caches into a single multicache. Other alternatives include "thinning the herd" -- cutting back from ten caches to three, for example -- or spacing the caches farther apart. One rule of thumb is to leave sufficient space -- .25 miles or more -- between the caches in your series so that someone else could come along later and hide their own.

 

There's nothing wrong with cache series, but the component caches must stand on their own merits as independent caches. Cache 1 leading to cache 2 at a random spot 650 feet down the trail, and so forth, are more multicache stages than independent caches. In contrast, if you create a series called "Covered Bridges of Jackson County." with five caches at covered bridges that are miles apart, leading to a bonus sixth cache at a little-known covered bridge at a park, then each cache in the series stands on its own merits as a separate destination.

 

There is no magic number about cache series. Three caches can be a series. The biggest series I've published was 100 caches, but they were spread out across three counties, requiring driving several hundreds of miles to complete.

 

Your reviewer's initial note also linked you to the listing guideline text on power trails:

 

Cache Saturation

 

The reviewers use a rule of thumb that caches placed within .10 miles (528 feet or 161 metres) of another cache may not be published on the site. This is an arbitrary distance and is just a guideline, but the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of caches hidden in a particular area and to reduce confusion that might otherwise result when one cache is found while looking for another. On the same note, don't go cache crazy and hide a cache every 600 feet just because you can. If you want to create a series of caches (sometimes called a "Power Trail"), the reviewer may require you to create a multi-cache, if the waypoints are close together. A series of caches that are generally intended to be found as a group are good candidates for submission as a single multicache.

The last three sentences are the "Power Trail" guideline.

 

Reviewers are happy to work with cache owners to develop acceptable solutions that meet the spirit of the Cache Saturation guideline. I think the only reason your caches were archived was because of your misunderstanding when you re-enabled the listings without comment. The reviewer would take that to mean "I'm not going to make any changes, so here they are again, please publish them."

Just in case you are wondering, there are cache series with dozens of caches in the series all over. There are two couples in utah who have done cache series like that that I have seen. One of the couples goes by the useranme "PeanutsParents" and has done a series called "Call" Me a Maverick in orem and in other cities. The orem series has about 76 caches, each at a Maverick gas station. THe other couple goes by AD0OR. They have a series of MacGyver caches all over utah. Each cache celebrates one episode of MacGyver. Last time I looked, I saw one that was #136. Each has the title of the episode and tells a little about that episode and/or someone who is in the episode(s). There is also a cacher in texas whose caches I have looked at that has a series called B. T. B. or Burn Through Batteries. He has I think about 202 caches in the series, not kidding! I have a series in utah county where I am trying to put a cache at or by every high school in Alpine School Distrct. I am also going to try to put one at or by some of the junior highs and elmentary schools in the district too. I currently have on at a high school soon to be 2 and so on. So you can rest assured, that as long as the guidelines are followed correctly, there can be many caches in a single series. Anyway, thanks and have a great day! gwf

Edited February 26, 2009 by greenworldfeather

[+karen rinora]

Thanks for all the good ideas and hints. My reviewer unarchived my series this morning and I have made necessary corrections. It seems that the only problem was that of "cookie cutter" descriptions. So I rewrote the long descriptions and hopefully they should be all up & running by the weekend. I am still fairly new to cache hiding, so am still learning. It has certainly been educational.

Karen

[Keystone]

Thank you for being understanding and listening to the advice. You will feel great when people start finding your series!

 

A word on "cookie cutter" descriptions: it's fine to have a copy and paste section for each cache in the series, explaining that the cache is part of the XYZ series, and what needs to be done to complete the series. But if the cache description stops there, that's a sign of a power trail that's really a multicache. Not dispositive, but a sign.

 

So, add a second paragraph describing the location, history, scenery or other characteristics that are specific to that individual cache. Can't come up with anything? Then ask yourself why you're hiding one. If it's just to add one more cache to the series, and there is nothing special about the spot, that sounds more like a stage of a multicache than a cache that stands alone on its own merits.