How hard do you make your hides?

[+SD Marc]

Do you have a "philosophy" on hides? I only have a few hides, they're in a mountain state park and the drive, and the 6-mile loop hike combine for a pretty good trip, so the hides themselves aren't too diabolical. I don't want someone to DNF after that much effort.

 

But long journey aside, what's your thought when hiding a cache; spirit-crushing hard, hard enough, sure find?

Edited May 12, 2009 by SD Marc

[+Knight2000]

Do you have a "philosophy" on hides?

We try to create caches that we would enjoy hunting.

 

- Cool cache location

- Atypical/interesting hide.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

But long journey aside, what's your thought when hiding a cache; spirit-crushing hard, hard enough, sure find?

 

All of the above!

 

I agree with the basic philosophy of if I make a cacher walk any great sort of distance, the find is usually straight forward (the journey's the thing). However, I have a couple "evil" hides (but state so inthe description), and a large number of clever hides (not hte usual container, location, etc).

 

A mix is a good thing.

[keldar]

Being a new hider, I've tried to make some easy and some hard. I agree that a lot of hiking or legwork should not be met with a likely DNF, but all of mine are less than 1/2 mile and most are within feet of parking.

 

Looking back on my dozen hides, I seem to lean towards 2 to 3 stars difficulty based on being tricky.....some say evil.

[+mcrow]

It all depends. I've only hidden one cach so far but:

 

IMO, if it's a 6 mile hike through a beautiful trail or park even if the ammo box is laying in the middle of the trail at the end I would not be too disappointed. I guess for me it's more about the journey for those types of caches than the However, it would also be cool to have to look into every geobeacon in the area as well. I would be very PO'd to do all that hiking and have to look for a micro disguised as a pebble in a pebble field because it's unimaginative and would only be found by pure luck.

 

So it really depends from situation to situation for me.

[+StarBrand]

I have hidden caches with terrainratings between 1 and 4.5

 

I have hidden caches with difficulty ratings between 1 and 3

 

My goal is to take folks somewhere interesting and let them find a cache. I really don't like to over camo or over hide it once they are on scene.

[+Mule Ears]

My caches tend to involve arduous hikes/climbs. I hide the containers well if I believe there's a possibility of accidental discovery by muggles, but I generally put a spoiler photo on the cache page in those cases. Example (from my "Namesake" cache):

 

 

Placing the cache required a 17-mile hike with 6000' of elevation change, so I didn't want anyone who made the trip to come up empty-handed.

[+SD Marc]

My caches tend to involve arduous hikes/climbs. I hide the containers well if I believe there's a possibility of accidental discovery by muggles, but I generally put a spoiler photo on the cache page in those cases. Example (from my "Namesake" cache):

 

 

Placing the cache required a 17-mile hike with 6000' of elevation change, so I didn't want anyone who made the trip to come up empty-handed.

 

17 miles and 6000 feet? dadgum, there ought to be a flag on it.

[Skippermark]

I like to mix things up a bit. Some are hard and some are easy. Overall, though, most of mine are straightforward.

 

Generally, I subscribe to the philosophy that the longer/harder the hike, the easier the cache should be to find. Most people I know wouldn't want to walk 2 miles to find a deviously hard cache. Keep the hard ones close to parking, whether it be a multi or a traditional.

 

I do have one that's long and challenging where all the stages are designed to be tough, but I tell people about that beforehand so they know what they're getting into.

[+Colonial Cats]

Being a new hider, I've tried to make some easy and some hard. I agree that a lot of hiking or legwork should not be met with a likely DNF, but all of mine are less than 1/2 mile and most are within feet of parking.

 

Looking back on my dozen hides, I seem to lean towards 2 to 3 stars difficulty based on being tricky.....some say evil.

I totally agree!

[+Anno Lynke]

Ive only been caching a month but i have found a few that were disappointily easy.

One was a magnetic key holder on the back of a stop sign that I could see from across the street

the other was a micro that the hider had tie wrapped to a tree I could see the white tie wrap when I stepped out of the car from 50 ft away

I think a little paint would go a long way to hiding both

they should be hidden well enough that a observant muggle wont notice them

[+Harry Dolphin]

Hmm... I have a fair bit of variety in my hides. Some evil mystery caches. Some one-mile hikes in. Some 1/1 magnetic keyholders. All, except one, in interesting or pretty places.

Biggest disappointment is a 3/2.5 mystery cache requiring a mile hike in (uphill both ways). It is our favorite hide!! But it's only had 15 finds in 2.5 years. Might be because a hiking permit is required. Hasn't been found in over a year. Well, except, perhaps, by the bear...

I don't think any of my hides are particularly difficult. I leave that the the hike or the puzzle.

[+gof1]

Each cache I have hidden was born of some inspiration and allowed to grow from there. I try not to let expectation interfere with what I'm doing. If it turns out to be difficult the it is. If it turns out to be easy, so be it. Whatever the results I try to rate them appropriately.

 

Hmm... I have a fair bit of variety in my hides. Some evil mystery caches. Some one-mile hikes in. Some 1/1 magnetic keyholders. All, except one, in interesting or pretty places.

Biggest disappointment is a 3/2.5 mystery cache requiring a mile hike in (uphill both ways). It is our favorite hide!! But it's only had 15 finds in 2.5 years. Might be because a hiking permit is required. Hasn't been found in over a year. Well, except, perhaps, by the bear...

I don't think any of my hides are particularly difficult. I leave that the the hike or the puzzle.

 

A puzzle multi with a tough hike. Gonna be tough to keep 'em coming to that. Wish it was closer, I'd at least give it a shot.

[Clan Riffster]

A typical Riffster hide will be difficult to get to, but easy to find if you survive the journey. If my muse calls for me to create a cache that doesn't involve being nipple deep in an alligator infested swamp, then I'll camo it just enough to keep muggles from noticing it.

[keldar]

Each cache I have hidden was born of some inspiration and allowed to grow from there. I try not to let expectation interfere with what I'm doing. If it turns out to be difficult the it is. If it turns out to be easy, so be it. Whatever the results I try to rate them appropriately.

 

Very well put, and in retrospect, fits my hide experiences exactly.

[+skeezicks]

I like to makes hides both ways...pretty easy for the average cacher and on the difficult side for people like me who enjoy the long hikes and getting away from it all.I also enjoy finding both kinds,but I enjoy the ones with long hikes in the mountains the best.

[+briansnat]

With very few exceptions, I place my caches to be found, not to fool people. I hide them well enough that they are unlikely to be found by accident, but someone who is looking for them should find them fairly easily.

 

If there is a challenge to found in one of my caches it would be in the terrain. I have some that make people curse the day I was born.

[+Taoiseach]

My caches aren't so much 'hard' as they are ambiguous.

 

Also, as for my hides, they're not usually that well hidden, otherwise spectacular, but that's mostly because I like to keep them within reasonable walking distance of my house

[+Sol seaker]

Do you have a "philosophy" on hides?

what's your thought when hiding a cache; spirit-crushing hard, hard enough, sure find?

 

I've only got one cache and have been plotting out several more, so this has been a subject on my mind.

How hard do I make the other ones? who do I want to serve?

 

I've been reading the logs from my one cache which is very easy.

 

I've repeatedly gotten "First find for a child"

and in general other people have had it be the first cache they find.

People have written about the joy of the child when finding their very first cache.

 

How can I top that?

 

I would not be getting those logs from an evil micro.

 

What is it I want to do here? Bring joy or frustration into the world?

My caches are decided.

[+Taoiseach]

Do you have a "philosophy" on hides?

what's your thought when hiding a cache; spirit-crushing hard, hard enough, sure find?

 

I've only got one cache and have been plotting out several more, so this has been a subject on my mind.

How hard do I make the other ones? who do I want to serve?

 

I've been reading the logs from my one cache which is very easy.

 

I've repeatedly gotten "First find for a child"

and in general other people have had it be the first cache they find.

People have written about the joy of the child when finding their very first cache.

 

How can I top that?

 

I would not be getting those logs from an evil micro.

 

What is it I want to do here? Bring joy or frustration into the world?

My caches are decided.

 

'Wow, this is the best cache that I've ever found' or even as little as 'Seal of Approval' from a prominent local cacher s pretty nice too.

 

I highly doubt that my latest cache will ever be anyone's first find, but people seem to enjoy it

[+power69]

For the most part mine are generally pretty easy 1.5/1.5 or 2/1.5, however I do have a few stinkers in the city

5/1.5 and a 4.5/2, a 4/4 and 3.5/2.5 in the mountains but neither are long hikes[both less than a mile]

[+J-Way]

I like to hide mine very well, but with a very good hint. Keeps the muggles away but the cacher still gets a smiley.