Boring Cache Locations

[+off-camber]

I think some of you are missing my point.....I have nothing against the woods...or a hike in it... All I'm saying is make the goal worth the trip. If the trip is the prize so be it....

 

Its not about easy or difficult. For me its, did I enjoy finding this cache...was what I was put through to find it worth it. That can be many things...the location the Journey or the container....but when all three of those are not enjoyable....well that's boring...

 

Recently I did a Virtual Cache that took me on trail that was great..the cache location itself wasn't that great but felt the trip was well worth it.

 

One poster jokingly commented about throwing micros out a car window...sometimes it feels like that exactly what some Cache Owners do and that's the kind of cache I am referring to....no real thought about why the cache should be there...just hey I want to place another cache. All that said, I do appreciate all the work folks do to place caches especially the really good ones.

[GOF and Bacall]

I get it. For me a lonely stretch of woods is interesting. For you not so much.

[+Stargazer22]

Especially if it involves slogging knee deep through a swamp infested with gators and venemous snakes.

Whoo Hoo!! Jerry, you hit the nail right on the head.

BTW, when are we gonna hide another cache down Salt Springs?

The 12' gator missed me last time.

 

Good timing on your question Riff. I have been thinking about going back out there to check on the cache I hid up there to make sure it's still there. You and Nativefly182 have been the only finders in 516 days!

I guess I'm on my way to owning one of the lonliest caches in the forest...

 

I've been thinking about either having an event or building a nice elaborate night cache. I may seek your guidance on either or both.

 

If we don't make it to Salt Springs maybe we can try Little Big Econ again and let Bob have another chance at you. (For those of you not familiar with our area, Bob is about a 14-16 foot gator known to frequent an area where we do CITOs often. Riffster kayaked over the top of him last time we were out there).

Edited September 24, 2009 by Stargazer22

[+Stargazer22]

Especially if it involves slogging knee deep through a swamp infested with gators and venemous snakes.

Whoo Hoo!! Jerry, you hit the nail right on the head.

BTW, when are we gonna hide another cache down Salt Springs?

The 12' gator missed me last time.

 

After seeing the original post from Stargazer22 I checked to see if he had a shared Favorites bookmark. No such luck! But I see ClanRiffster has one... woo hoo is right! Even though we live a couple of states away that looks like a Favorites list worth reviewing!

 

Thanks for mentioning this Succotash.

I never thought that anyone might look to see if I had an interesting bookmark list. I'll start putting one together for anyone else that might be interested in finding some extreme or interesting caches in central FL.

[+succotash]

Stargazer22 thanks for putting together the bookmark of your favorite extreme caches, they look excellent!

[+L0ne.R]

I think some of you are missing my point.....I have nothing against the woods...or a hike in it... All I'm saying is make the goal worth the trip. If the trip is the prize so be it....

 

Its not about easy or difficult. For me its, did I enjoy finding this cache...was what I was put through to find it worth it. That can be many things...the location the Journey or the container....but when all three of those are not enjoyable....well that's boring...

 

Recently I did a Virtual Cache that took me on trail that was great..the cache location itself wasn't that great but felt the trip was well worth it.

 

One poster jokingly commented about throwing micros out a car window...sometimes it feels like that exactly what some Cache Owners do and that's the kind of cache I am referring to....no real thought about why the cache should be there...just hey I want to place another cache. All that said, I do appreciate all the work folks do to place caches especially the really good ones.

 

I can see the "any cache in the woods is a good cache" argument and I can understand your lament as well.

 

I'm not a hiker by nature, I came to hiking via geocaching. So yes, sometimes trees and more trees can be boring after a bit. And I'm not a fan of bushwacking - I tend to get stabbed by branches, tripped up by roots and branches and disoriented (even with a GPS). I sometimes wonder what made this person choose this particular stump 70meters off trail in the middle of these young cedars as opposed to the area I just passed that had limestone cliffs and green moss and fern and a babbling brook running through it.

 

But generally caches in the woods, as long as they are not a micro, have a good chance of being a decent experience.

[GOF and Bacall]

I think some of you are missing my point.....I have nothing against the woods...or a hike in it... All I'm saying is make the goal worth the trip. If the trip is the prize so be it....

 

Its not about easy or difficult. For me its, did I enjoy finding this cache...was what I was put through to find it worth it. That can be many things...the location the Journey or the container....but when all three of those are not enjoyable....well that's boring...

 

Recently I did a Virtual Cache that took me on trail that was great..the cache location itself wasn't that great but felt the trip was well worth it.

 

One poster jokingly commented about throwing micros out a car window...sometimes it feels like that exactly what some Cache Owners do and that's the kind of cache I am referring to....no real thought about why the cache should be there...just hey I want to place another cache. All that said, I do appreciate all the work folks do to place caches especially the really good ones.

 

I can see the "any cache in the woods is a good cache" argument and I can understand your lament as well.

 

I'm not a hiker by nature, I came to hiking via geocaching. So yes, sometimes trees and more trees can be boring after a bit. And I'm not a fan of bushwacking - I tend to get stabbed by branches, tripped up by roots and branches and disoriented (even with a GPS). I sometimes wonder what made this person choose this particular stump 70meters off trail in the middle of these young cedars as opposed to the area I just passed that had limestone cliffs and green moss and fern and a babbling brook running through it.

 

But generally caches in the woods, as long as they are not a micro, have a good chance of being a decent experience.

 

Could be they wanted to lead you past those green clad cliffs but didn't want you to be scrounging around tearing the moss and ferns off of them. Not that you would, but could they stand up to repeated searching?

[+Vater_Araignee]

Personally, I don't mind if a cache is in the 'middle of nowhere'. It still got my family off the couch, enjoying nature and each other's company, which is why we love geocaching so much. . However, it does irk me when a cache is placed WAY off of a trail that was not noted on the cache page, and I have to bushwack through thorns, weeds, brush, etc. with my poor 4 year old...

Why are you required to bushwack with you 4 year old?

 

Because I can't leave her back on the trail....she's 4!!

I'm just saying, nothing forces you to keep chasing a cache. If you call it off before GZ then it is a false start, not a DNF.

When I come upon a situation that I would rather not put the wife and/or kids into, I mark the cache as a me only and come back when I can.

[+Wogus!]

I think some of you are missing my point.....I have nothing against the woods...or a hike in it... All I'm saying is make the goal worth the trip. If the trip is the prize so be it....

 

Its not about easy or difficult. For me its, did I enjoy finding this cache...was what I was put through to find it worth it. That can be many things...the location the Journey or the container....but when all three of those are not enjoyable....well that's boring...

I hear ya, and I think the best solution is researching your cache, and its location, prior to setting out. Granted, you can't tell 100% of the time what, if anything, in particular is going to make the hunt worthwhile but you can certainly weed out a lot that you know WON'T be.

 

I've been hiking for years, and have a lot more finds than this profile (on GC.com) indicate, but it's still only in the double digits. My "smilie" count is low because the typical urban micro doesn't get my motor humming. I seek out those caches that are in the hinterlands. Every cache I've done has taken me somewhere interesting; from abandoned gold or quartz mines, to an historic 19th century (so called) "Impossible" Railroad. Each and every trip I've done I've researched ahead of time to make sure, as best I can, that there's something out there, whatever it might be, that's going to make it worth the trip. Google Maps is great for this (satellite and TOPO maps can tell you a LOT).

 

Furthermore, because the cache is itself IS somewhat important to me, I weed out micros and am dubious of most "smalls". Sounds harsh, but it's true in my experience: People who take the time and effort required to make and hide something as big as an ammo can typically put more time and effort into making the overall experience a good one when it comes to hunting for it and finally finding it. "Regular" or larger. Stick... With... "Regular".

 

Regular (or larger) sized caches in off-the-beaten-path locations have about a 95% or better success rate in my experience. And by "success" I mean The Trifecta: a good hide of a good cache in a good location. It's all about being selective and knowing how to weed out those "tossed out the window of a moving car micros" (has a more apt description ever been uttered?) that will do nothing but frustrate you. Just my proverbial two-cents.

Edited September 25, 2009 by Jupiter_Jack

[+TheChagnons]

Personally, I don't mind if a cache is in the 'middle of nowhere'. It still got my family off the couch, enjoying nature and each other's company, which is why we love geocaching so much. . However, it does irk me when a cache is placed WAY off of a trail that was not noted on the cache page, and I have to bushwack through thorns, weeds, brush, etc. with my poor 4 year old...

Why are you required to bushwack with you 4 year old?

 

Because I can't leave her back on the trail....she's 4!!

I'm just saying, nothing forces you to keep chasing a cache. If you call it off before GZ then it is a false start, not a DNF.

When I come upon a situation that I would rather not put the wife and/or kids into, I mark the cache as a me only and come back when I can.

 

Oh no, you are absolutely right. Sometimes I stay right where I am with my daughter, and my husband continues on and finds the cache, logs it and TNLN since our daughter(s) are the ones that really only take something from a cache. We have one username for our whole family (or is that wrong btw to do?). I am just saying, it is frustrating when we didn't know how bad the terrain really is, and wasn't stated on the cache page, and my daughter was excited to find the 'treasure' and mid hunt we realize she can't continue. No big deal though, it doesn't happen too much.

[+Vater_Araignee]

Personally, I don't mind if a cache is in the 'middle of nowhere'. It still got my family off the couch, enjoying nature and each other's company, which is why we love geocaching so much. . However, it does irk me when a cache is placed WAY off of a trail that was not noted on the cache page, and I have to bushwack through thorns, weeds, brush, etc. with my poor 4 year old...

Why are you required to bushwack with you 4 year old?

 

Because I can't leave her back on the trail....she's 4!!

I'm just saying, nothing forces you to keep chasing a cache. If you call it off before GZ then it is a false start, not a DNF.

When I come upon a situation that I would rather not put the wife and/or kids into, I mark the cache as a me only and come back when I can.

 

Oh no, you are absolutely right. Sometimes I stay right where I am with my daughter, and my husband continues on and finds the cache, logs it and TNLN since our daughter(s) are the ones that really only take something from a cache. We have one username for our whole family (or is that wrong btw to do?). I am just saying, it is frustrating when we didn't know how bad the terrain really is, and wasn't stated on the cache page, and my daughter was excited to find the 'treasure' and mid hunt we realize she can't continue. No big deal though, it doesn't happen too much.

Having one name for them fam is fine. I'll just start accusing you of Being a MIB like vinny if you start having logs on opposite sides of the planet on the same day several days in a row. Or country even.

[+Renegade Knight]

...I don't understand why people drop a cache on a trail to nowhere with nothing to look at but trees and shrubs. I know they may have had some personal reason for putting it there but if that is lost on me and others whats the point. ...

 

You have hit the crux right there. Boring is as boring does. In otherwords you get out of this what you bring to it. Thus if you are hunting around a location that you just don't "get" well, that's you not getting it and you haven't brought the fun with you to that spot. Try another spot and hone your searches to places you do get so you can bring the fun with you.

 

They had fun placing so clearly that's what they got out of it and the point.

[+Renegade Knight]

... All I'm saying is make the goal worth the trip. ...

 

I'm thinking you should reverse things a bit. Find a worthy goal like a cave, waterfall, landform, or whatever you would like to see. Then do a PQ of the area and see what caches are there. If the two line up, you have a great day ahead of you. If not...check another worthy location for what caches may be there.

 

It would give you the best odds of fun. Overall I find there are more of everthing, and that includes a lot of caches on the way to the cool spot that aren't nearly as cool as the final one would be if you weren't so distracted along the way.

[+Isonzo Karst]

....People who take the time and effort required to make and hide something as big as an ammo can typically put more time and effort into making the overall experience a good one when it comes to hunting for it and finally finding it. Traditionals. Stick... With... Traditionals.

 

Traditional caches in off-the-beaten-path locations have about a 95% or better success rate in my experience. And by "success" I mean The Trifecta: a good hide of a good cache in a good location.

 

Jupiter Jack, I agree, re ammo cans, but traditional is a type (cache at coords), not a size. I think you're assuming traditional = trading size cache. It does not. I'd change your statement as follows:

 

People who take the time and effort required to make and hide something as big as an ammo can typically put more time and effort into making the overall experience a good one when it comes to hunting for it and finally finding it, especially if they've gone to the effort to hide a Multi-cache. Multi-caches. Stick...With...Multi-caches.

[+Wogus!]

Jupiter Jack, I agree, re ammo cans, but traditional is a type (cache at coords), not a size. I think you're assuming traditional = trading size cache. It does not.

Gah! You're right of course. I meant to use "Regular" instead of "Traditional". I'll amend my previous post. Thank you for pointing that out; that's a rather critical distinction.

[+Zop]

Crud.. Wrong topic... Will adjust later.

Edited September 25, 2009 by Zop

[+Zop]

This isn't a rant or really even a complaint....but does anyone else find it annoying to trudge out to the middle of no where to find a cache just buried under some sticks with nothing particularly interesting about the location?

 

I try to put my cache's in places that bring people somewhere unique, whether its a great view or interesting rock formation or maybe just the journey there is interesting.

 

I don't understand why people drop a cache on a trail to nowhere with nothing to look at but trees and shrubs. I know they may have had some personal reason for putting it there but if that is lost on me and others whats the point.

 

I guess that my hope is someone would read this and maybe think twice about dropping a cache in the woods just because there isn't one there already....

 

I'd rather trudge out to the middle of nowhere to find a geo pile than to pull up for a park & grab in an urban alley way only to find a 35MM partially covered in human feces.

[+Wogus!]

I'd rather trudge out to the middle of nowhere to find a geo pile than to pull up for a park & grab in an urban alley way only to find a 35MM partially covered in human feces.

Hmmm... Interesting. So, then, assuming a similar container and location, how would you feel about animal feces? And, along the same line, if the film canister was, say... Totally covered in said feces, versus only partially?

[+Renegade Knight]

I'd rather trudge out to the middle of nowhere to find a geo pile than to pull up for a park & grab in an urban alley way only to find a 35MM partially covered in human feces.

Hmmm... Interesting. So, then, assuming a similar container and location, how would you feel about animal feces? And, along the same line, if the film canister was, say... Totally covered in said feces, versus only partially?

The old hidden under the cow pie trick. BTDT.

[+Wogus!]

The old hidden under the cow pie trick. BTDT.

AAAAAAAARRRRRGHHH!!!

 

*shakes fist*

 

You've beaten me this time, Renegade Knight... But I'll be back!

 

Oooh yes... Yes I will.