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Life Stages of a GeoCache


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1. Inspiration

2. Mulling It Over (Surround with bear traps for extra difficulty?)

3. Conception (Some Assembly Required)

4. Hide

5. Wait for Publishing

6. Waiting for that FTF

7. The flurry of early finds

8. Cache reaches maturity - Found only by new cachers or those passing through.

9. Maintenance - New Logs, Replace Container, Remove Colony of Ants, etc.

10. Retirement/Transfer

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1. Inspiration

2. Mulling It Over (Surround with bear traps for extra difficulty?)

3. Conception (Some Assembly Required)

4. Hide

5. Wait for Publishing

6. Waiting for that FTF

7. The flurry of early finds

8. Cache reaches maturity - Found only by new cachers or those passing through.

9. Maintenance - New Logs, Replace Container, Remove Colony of Ants, etc.

10. Retirement/Transfer

 

10b. Abandonment.

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1. Inspiration

2. Mulling It Over (Surround with bear traps for extra difficulty?)

3. Conception (Some Assembly Required)

4. Hide

5. Wait for Publishing

6. Waiting for that FTF

7. The flurry of early finds

8. Cache reaches maturity - Found only by new cachers or those passing through.

9. Maintenance - New Logs, Replace Container, Remove Colony of Ants, etc.

10. Retirement/Transfer

 

10b. Abandonment.

 

So how long do these stages last?

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1. Inspiration

2. Mulling It Over (Surround with bear traps for extra difficulty?)

3. Conception (Some Assembly Required)

4. Hide

5. Wait for Publishing

6. Waiting for that FTF

7. The flurry of early finds

8. Cache reaches maturity - Found only by new cachers or those passing through.

9. Maintenance - New Logs, Replace Container, Remove Colony of Ants, etc.

10. Retirement/Transfer

 

10b. Abandonment.

 

So how long do these stages last?

 

Varies. We have a batch of energetic new cachers about Santa Cruz, CA area.

 

My latest caches have been in stages 1 & 2 for a while, usually requiring some serendipity to kock them to the cusp of 3, such as the electrician throwing out some stuff - voila - the outlet box and a trip to the hardware store and it all came together in a frenzied blur.

 

3 & 4 have taken a few days to a week, depending what issues arise (i.e. someone else is placing a cache within 228 feet of my target, redo from start.)

 

5. Fastest cache published from placement was about 1 hour, guess the reviewer was looking at the in-box at the right time. Photoshopping the images for description was about 20 minutes, it was published 30 minutes after submission.

 

6. Well, sometimes less than an hour.

 

7. Usually first day or two.

 

8. Urban & suburban caches have hit their stride in a week or two.

 

9. Most need maintenance after a year or so, depending upon placement.

 

10. Very few caches around here have lasted 5 years. Then again, 5 years ago there weren't many.

 

As to rural, I have a mountaintop cache about 6 years old, as of June 1. Visited 24 times now, so that's 4 visits per year. It's in pristine condition. FTF took months. Sadly, the one fellow who offered to adopt it while I was doing other things passed away last year. I've since adopted a few of his. A couple I'm worried about as they are part of a multi and a key part is missing.

Edited by DragonsWest
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Steps 8 through 10 really don't ever have to happen. If it is a good cache placed with decent swag in a nice location - the visitors just keep coming. Travelling cachers, new cachers, people just moved into an area etc.

 

Several of my 7+ year old caches are getting more visitors the past 6 months then any previous time period.

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