+AZfun4five Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I have only been caching for a couple of months and recently found several cache's in a series. Today I got an email from someone that was asking for hints about the cache's because they have been unable to locate. There are no hints provided by the CO and honestly are fairly difficult. I can understand giving a friend a hint, but a complete stranger I am not sure what is the standard protocol. Thanks Quote Link to comment
+Moonsouth Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I dont think there is any sort of protocol for giving hints to people. I would suggest that you refer the person to the CO if you feel uncomfortable giving a hint. I can also understand why you wouldnt want to help the person out, because you went through the effort to find it w/o the hint, so should they...but giving a friendly hint to a fellow cacher is a good way to make friends as well : ) Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) I would direct him to the CO and let him decide whether or not he wants to give out a hint. ...but giving a friendly hint to a fellow cacher is a good way to make friends as well : ) and it may also be a good way to tick off the cache owner. Edited March 1, 2010 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) For the Cache Owner... Leave a good hint or none at all. Deciphering "At the base of a tree" for a cache in dense forest does no one any good. And deciphering "Sorry, no hint for you!" is just aggravating. For the cache seeker... Ask for a hint if you can't find it. For geocachers overall... If asked for a hint, unless you specifically know that the owner does not want hints given, give the seeker a hint! Edited March 1, 2010 by TheAlabamaRambler Quote Link to comment
hoosier guy Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Met a young ladyout in the woods last weekend who was way off of the cache she was looking for. I had just found it and was ~ .25 mile away when I found her! I let her look at the Data on my GPSr to get her bearings and wished her well. Quote Link to comment
+DragonsWest Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Leave a good hint or none at all. Deciphering "At the base of a tree" for a cache in dense forest does no one any good. And deciphering "Sorry, no hint for you!" is just aggravating. True on both accounts, but depending upon the attitude of the CO, it could be the CO expects the finder to earn the smiley, rather than accumulate a lot of smileys on the log. I've a couple hides which are devious and I had no problem with making the cachers work for the smiley. I even go so far as to poke fun at the finder in the hint. It's 3 stars for a reason. I'm not so crazy, though, to do an evil hide in the hinterlands. If I say it's out in the woods it's not going to require rocket science or CSI skillz to find it. It'll be in the hollow tree, under the laying of sticks or in a pile of rocks. Not inside a pinecone in a pile of 500 pinecones. Quote Link to comment
+bittsen Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I would give a hint. I'm all about helping people. Quote Link to comment
+DragonsWest Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I would give a hint. I'm all about helping people. I've given a nudge, but that's about it. As in, "yes, you are looking in the right area, trust your GPS" Quote Link to comment
+Scubasonic Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I have only been caching for a couple of months and recently found several cache's in a series. Today I got an email from someone that was asking for hints about the cache's because they have been unable to locate. There are no hints provided by the CO and honestly are fairly difficult. I can understand giving a friend a hint, but a complete stranger I am not sure what is the standard protocol. Thanks I had this same thing happen toi me about a month ago, I had known about this cacher but had never really spoke to him. So one day he emailed me asking for a hint on a cache that I had found. Told him that he needs to contact the cache Owner. Scubasonic Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) One advantage I have is that I've met dang near all the local cachers, and I've spoken with them quite a bit regarding all manner of caching related stuff. This has given me a pretty fair idea regarding which cache owners are OK with third party hints and which are not. I like to respect these boundaries. If I know a cache owner doesn't mind, I'll be as helpful as the seeker wishes, from a nudge to a spoiler. If I know the cache owner doesn't like this, I'll refer the seeker to them for further assistance, with maybe a ever so slight nudge, such as "My coords were 15' west" or "It's a tough hide. My GPSr put me right on top of it. You really gotta hunt for it". If I don't know the cache owner, I err on the side of caution, opting for the second option. The locals all know me as a member of the first option. I don't care how you find my caches, so long as you enjoy yourself while doing so. Edited March 1, 2010 by Clan Riffster Quote Link to comment
+DragonsWest Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 One advantage I have is that I've met dang near all the local cachers, and I've spoken with them quite a bit regarding all manner of caching related stuff. This has given me a pretty fair idea regarding which cache owners are OK with third party hints and which are not. I like to respect these boundaries. If I know a cache owner doesn't mind, I'll be as helpful as the seeker wishes, from a nudge to a spoiler. If I know the cache owner doesn't like this, I'll refer the seeker to them for further assistance, with maybe a ever so slight nudge, such as "My coords were 15' west" or "It's a tough hide. My GPSr put me right on top of it. You really gotta hunt for it". If I don't know the cache owner, I err on the side of caution, opting for the second option. The locals all know me as a member of the first option. I don't care how you find my caches, so long as you enjoy yourself while doing so. Having found a number of caches by the same hider often gives away their style of hide, unless they have a fit of creativity and suddenly change their mode. The worse to find are those hidden by people who only have a handful of hides, who could be quite creative and they aren't active anymore and the finds are very spotty, with a few DNFs between finds. They can be quite maddening. Quote Link to comment
Knight-Errant Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Another important consideration on giving hints on caches that you don't own would be whether the cache owner still seems to be active. (Caches aren't normally archived just because owner is no longer active or responding, caches ARE archived when there is a problem AND the owner is no longer active or responding.) Just a thought. . . Quote Link to comment
GermanSailor Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I would give a hint. I'm all about helping people. Same here. Doesn't hurt to give a little hint. GermanSailor Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.