Do you ever ask for hints?

[Boneman65]

I'm just curious what you folks do.

 

In this case there's an urban cache hidden in a spot that I've been to three times already. The coords are accurate but the title and hint are kind of cryptic. There have been about 30 people ahead of me who have found it. Add to this the fact that it's right around the corner from where I work, and now the mystery is getting the better of me.

 

I'm not looking for an easy way out here - I've searched everywhere I can think of, and I've even sat in my van staring at the spot from a distance, trying to put it all together. All to no avail. I'm quite certain it's still there, based on the posts from previous visitors.

 

Asking the owner for a hint is a last resort for me, but I'm starting to see no alternative. Is it common?

Edited July 20, 2009 by Boneman65

[+Knight2000]

Probably. Not a lot of toughies here so I never have asked.

[+Inmountains]

I only ask for hints on days that end in 'y'.

[+solo63137]

I've been in this situation a few times... Once I sent the C.O. an e-mail and asked if he could just verify for me that it was still there where the Cords said it was... As I thought I had been to the spot three time and could not find it...

 

Also, someone right before me logged it a DNF...

 

The C.O. replied assuring me it was still there, so a few days later I went back out and walked right to it... Funny how that happens...

 

I've got three that that are killing me that should be really easy..... One is smaller than a Micro and says you need tweezers to get it, but no luck... I'll be back at'em again as soon as I go offa being ""On Call""....

 

Nothing sucks worse (well not much) than to be trapsing through the woods and get called...

[+Chrysalides]

Yes, done it several times, when I've tried the cache enough times, and it's a cache I really would like to find. A few more times, the cache owner contacted me to ask if I would like a hint.

 

Go ahead and ask.

[+BlessedBees]

I've wanted to ask for a hint.... we were caching 1900 miles from home in a place we visit once a year. I didn't want to leave without finding it.... hubby wouldn't let me ask for a hint. I had to wait a whole year to look again - but this time we found it in less than five minutes. Don't give up!

[+jezzi4ever]

I had someone ask me for a hint after I found an urban micro that she was unable to find. I was willing to help, because I know it is so frustrating! I just gave her some information that wouldn't completely give away the spot, but would at least point her and her husband in the right direction!

 

I think it's fine to ask--the worse they can do is say no, right? And perhaps if you feel uncomfortable asking the cache hider, you could ask someone who found it recently.

 

Good luck!

[+bartrod]

Ask! Absolutely!! A lot of owners of harder caches and puzzle caches expect it. I've done it a number of times...don't be embarrassed by it...there's some tough finds out there[]

[+briansnat]

I never have. Not to say that I wouldn't, but I generally prefer to find it on my own. It's far more satisfying.

[+popokiiti]

We have asked hints of the CO or caching buddies. Usually the clues are vague, but confirm you are in the right spot. Micros on steam trains, 'dozers and the like make me shudder....have had to ask for hints on all. Just amazes me that they are in places where we thought we'd looked. Get your fingers in....or a mirror. I am thinking of "liberating" a dental mouth mirror or two from work....I have some disposable ones

[+DragonsWest]

Early doors I might send an email or post a note I thought the cache in question had gone amiss. Now I'm a bit more tactful, I add it to my watch list. If people are finding it then I assume it's my own problem I can't see the cache. One recently had me quite stuck until, on the third visit I left the Garmin in the car and examined the site with a more critical eye. Behold! I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it, particulary as this precise container was of same theme I had plotted years before for another location (but had yet to follow up on.) Sometimes they are right in front of our eyes, but we have a spot of bother seeing outside our own expections of where it would be and what it might look like if we hid a cache there. HTH.

[+power69]

I gave up on asking for hints[nobody ever writes back anyway]

A few nice cache owners have offered hints after I post a dnf log and those are welcomed.

if someone asks for a hint on one of mine, i always write back with one.

[+Colonial Cats]

We will provide hints to our caches, but only after a DNF has been posted. We've had no problem with cachers posting DNFs after explaining our policy and the benefits of DNF postings.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

It appears to be a regional thing. Those who have been playing a while, folks with big numbers and/or strong voices seem to set the tone for their community.

 

Fortunately the tone set early and carried through till today in the AGA is that the game is about fun, and DNFs aren't fun for most folks.

 

So, we have plenty of challenging hides, but we also have a practice of giving folks hints when they are asked for.

 

In fact we have a very active Phone-A-Friend network wherein we share phone numbers. If we get to a cache and need a hint we can call the owner, or someone who knows the owner, or a previous finder.

 

I get two or three calls a week from cachers in the field who need a clue. I will tell them as little or as much as they ask for, except for a few caches where the owners stated that they wanted no clues given.

 

If I am close to home and can come back easily I likely will, if I am traveling or in a place I won't likely be returning to anytime soon I get a clue.

 

I own a really difficult micro in the woods, created specifically to be hard to find, but I put my contact info in the listing. Some folks come back several times, some folks call for a clue... whatever style the cacher likes is fine with me.

[+DragonsWest]

Someone posted a DNF on one of my caches and I went out to inspect it. Some bother. I could see the ammo can from 50 feet away, all its cover had fallen away. Sometimes cachers just have a bad read and give up. I know I had one a couple days back, but I didn't post a DNF, just a note I'll be back.

[+Steve&GeoCarolyn]

So far we haven't asked for a hint. We have posted DNFs asking if the cache is still there. We have also met the cache owner, batted our eyelashes (ok, my eyelashes) and said something to the effect of "We really love your X puzzle cache, though we are finding it difficult. It is a good challenge." We have often received hints from the cache owner in those circumstances. (The first time surprised us since we were not angling for a hint, but merely expressing admiration.)

 

Mostly, I figure we are still very new at this so it is to be expected that we would wander about mystified much of the time. That's ok with us.

 

Carolyn