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How many finds did you have before your first hide?


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I started caching in August of '03 and had found maybe 30 caches when I hid my first one on Christmas Day of '03.

 

It's still there. I recently adopted it out, but it's found regularly and folks still leave good logs for it.

 

I own the first cache hidden in Alabama, I adopted it from the original hider, it was his first hide. Since there were no caches in Alabama at that time he'd only heard about the game online and thus had no finds. It's still in place and visited a few times a month.

 

The best multi I have ever found is one that was loved by everyone, it got great logs for many years until they built a mall there. It was the first hide of a cacher who had no finds.

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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Apparently, I hid my first cache the day after I found my 5th, less than a month after I joined. But the caches were few and far between back then, as other's have said. That one didn't last too long, but the 2nd one, hidden a week later, is still active almost 7 years later. As is the 3rd one, hidden shortly thereafter.

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I was slow hiding my first. Over 7 months into geocaching and 320-something finds. But I think it was, and still is, a good hide. So I am proud of it. Actually, slow and methodical is true for all of my hides. Most have at least several months in the planning and/or design before being put out. Just my way of doing things.

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We had 57 finds before our first 3 hides were published. Probably took a couple of months planning them (getting containers, scouting, permissions, etc.) as they were part of a set to fill in a large geocache void in our area. I'd say we started planning after about 35-40 finds. We also hosted our first event well before our 200th find...much easier and more entertaining!

 

Good luck to you!

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My wife and i had 2 cache finds, we were so taken back by the game we got so excited to hide our own and have people come find them! So we hid one in our apartment complex breaking about 3 rules hahahah

After awhile of hiding and finding caches you fall into a rhythm of what kind of cacher you are. as for my wife and i we dont have any 2 caches alike. We like to make them and hide them in plain sight. Others like to hide them in every shopping center lamp post. but if thats what they like then great, its a game have fun with it :blink::(:o If you want to hide one, than do it. If you want to wait then wait. Its youre game paly it how you want.

Edited by deranja
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Others like to hide them in every shopping center lamp post. but if thats what they like then great, its a game have fun with it :blink::(:o If you want to hide one, than do it. If you want to wait then wait. Its youre game play it how you want.

 

But at least invest something in the game.

 

Invest your time....stay interested, watch your listing, reply in a timely fashion to concerns, update your listing when necessary, if you get bored with the game disable the cache(s), promptly pick them up, then archive the cache listing. Don't make the reviewer archive the cache and have it become litter.

 

Invest some money....place a cache that will hold swag. That's guaranteed to please the most cachers. If you must place a micro because the location won't support anything larger, pay a couple of bucks and impress people with a waterproof match stick container or a bison tube. Spend a few pennies and add a cut down pencil (you can cut it to size with an exacto knife or small saw), that's always a nice touch.

 

[P.S. not speaking to you deranja, just to hiders in general]

Edited by Lone R
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I'm pretty new to the game, and while I'm still not spectacular at it, I am loving every minute. I've got some ideas for hides already, but want to find at least a few of each kind before I even attempt my own first hide.

 

How many finds did you have before you felt comfortable making your first hide? (Or for that matter, how many hides did you have before you knew WTH you were doing?) Not looking for any kind of a hard-and-fast rule; I'll do it when I'm comfortable in my own abilities. Just wondering how long other folks waited.

 

We're up to 46 finds and haven't hidden yet. There are 363 active caches within 10 miles of us (and at least half of that area is under water), making good locations tough to come by. So we're biding our time, waiting for just the right spot to turn up. We'd rather have a handful of quality hides than dozens of boring ones.

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This is a question that has been on my mind since I started caching a few months ago. I am approaching my 50th find and I am still very much in learning mode when it comes to what makes a good hide and what doesn't. I do know this much, it will be a regular or large traditional with plenty of room for swag when I do hide it.

 

There is much to consider first though ...

 

Is it accessible without disrupting too much flora or fauna?

It the area visible or exposed to others?

If someone comes, how will the seeker stay hidden or otherwise appear inconspicuous?

Is the hiding spot likely to generate attention from muggles, or will kids be climbing all over it, will a dog lift its leg on it etc.?

Are there dangers that may put cachers at risk?

If a strong wind or rain comes will the hide become exposed or fill up with water?

Are there other caches nearby that may draw additional cachers to mine?

Is the spot likely to be developed over the next several years?

Do I have the ability to do a quick maintenance trip if needed?

And most importantly .... would I like to find this cache myself?

 

So, as you can see, I am still learning, but I am definitely paying attention and in some cases even making notes. I have a few waypoints saved for spots that I think are good candidates. For me I think when the questions above become second nature I will be ready to hide a quality cache.

 

I won't put out something I would not really want to find myself, so I would rather have 2 or 3 quality, traditional hides than 20 mediocre ones.

 

Not trying to hijack, but you experienced hiders, feel free to expand a n00bs list of "second nature questions".

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I am lucky enough to live in an area that has some very imaginative hides, and I didn't want to just plunk something out there that no one would like. It took over 500 finds before I worked up the nerve to place one myself. It turned out that I had nothing to worry about as the logs have been largely positive for 4 1/2 years now.

 

I don't think your question has a definite answer, though. I have seen cachers with thousands of finds hide the most boring caches imaginable. I have also seen several people who can come up with the most creative hides without a single find under their belt.

 

As far as knowing WTH I'm doing? I still don't. :blink:

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This is a question that has been on my mind since I started caching a few months ago. I am approaching my 50th find and I am still very much in learning mode when it comes to what makes a good hide and what doesn't. I do know this much, it will be a regular or large traditional with plenty of room for swag when I do hide it.

 

There is much to consider first though ...

 

Is it accessible without disrupting too much flora or fauna?

It the area visible or exposed to others?

If someone comes, how will the seeker stay hidden or otherwise appear inconspicuous?

Is the hiding spot likely to generate attention from muggles, or will kids be climbing all over it, will a dog lift its leg on it etc.?

Are there dangers that may put cachers at risk?

If a strong wind or rain comes will the hide become exposed or fill up with water?

Are there other caches nearby that may draw additional cachers to mine?

Is the spot likely to be developed over the next several years?

Do I have the ability to do a quick maintenance trip if needed?

And most importantly .... would I like to find this cache myself?

 

So, as you can see, I am still learning, but I am definitely paying attention and in some cases even making notes. I have a few waypoints saved for spots that I think are good candidates. For me I think when the questions above become second nature I will be ready to hide a quality cache.

 

I won't put out something I would not really want to find myself, so I would rather have 2 or 3 quality, traditional hides than 20 mediocre ones.

 

Not trying to hijack, but you experienced hiders, feel free to expand a n00bs list of "second nature questions".

 

Excellent 'how to hide a good cache' list. :blink:

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This is a question that has been on my mind since I started caching a few months ago. I am approaching my 50th find and I am still very much in learning mode when it comes to what makes a good hide and what doesn't. I do know this much, it will be a regular or large traditional with plenty of room for swag when I do hide it.

 

There is much to consider first though ...

 

Is it accessible without disrupting too much flora or fauna?

It the area visible or exposed to others?

If someone comes, how will the seeker stay hidden or otherwise appear inconspicuous?

Is the hiding spot likely to generate attention from muggles, or will kids be climbing all over it, will a dog lift its leg on it etc.?

Are there dangers that may put cachers at risk?

If a strong wind or rain comes will the hide become exposed or fill up with water?

Are there other caches nearby that may draw additional cachers to mine?

Is the spot likely to be developed over the next several years?

Do I have the ability to do a quick maintenance trip if needed?

And most importantly .... would I like to find this cache myself?

 

So, as you can see, I am still learning, but I am definitely paying attention and in some cases even making notes. I have a few waypoints saved for spots that I think are good candidates. For me I think when the questions above become second nature I will be ready to hide a quality cache.

 

I won't put out something I would not really want to find myself, so I would rather have 2 or 3 quality, traditional hides than 20 mediocre ones.

 

Not trying to hijack, but you experienced hiders, feel free to expand a n00bs list of "second nature questions".

 

 

Excellent list of pre-hide questions!! I have been thinking about putting one or two out there, but don't want to do another LPC or micro-in-a-cedar. (no offense to anyone) The "muggle factor" is probably highest on my list!

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This is a question that has been on my mind since I started caching a few months ago. I am approaching my 50th find and I am still very much in learning mode when it comes to what makes a good hide and what doesn't. I do know this much, it will be a regular or large traditional with plenty of room for swag when I do hide it.

 

There is much to consider first though ...

 

Is it accessible without disrupting too much flora or fauna?

It the area visible or exposed to others?

If someone comes, how will the seeker stay hidden or otherwise appear inconspicuous?

Is the hiding spot likely to generate attention from muggles, or will kids be climbing all over it, will a dog lift its leg on it etc.?

Are there dangers that may put cachers at risk?

If a strong wind or rain comes will the hide become exposed or fill up with water?

Are there other caches nearby that may draw additional cachers to mine?

Is the spot likely to be developed over the next several years?

Do I have the ability to do a quick maintenance trip if needed?

And most importantly .... would I like to find this cache myself?

 

So, as you can see, I am still learning, but I am definitely paying attention and in some cases even making notes. I have a few waypoints saved for spots that I think are good candidates. For me I think when the questions above become second nature I will be ready to hide a quality cache.

 

I won't put out something I would not really want to find myself, so I would rather have 2 or 3 quality, traditional hides than 20 mediocre ones.

 

Not trying to hijack, but you experienced hiders, feel free to expand a n00bs list of "second nature questions".

 

These are many of the things I've been thinking about, too. Plus I really like caches that take me somewhere I wouldn't otherwise go. In a city like L.A., there's so much to see that even urban caches can accomplish this goal.

 

I like things that are a little challenging, also, so puzzles and offsets appeal to me. I think, at least in my head, I kind of want it to be some sort of epic cache. After I've found a few more, maybe my expectations will become a shade more realistic. Or maybe the perfect idea will hit me. Until one of those two things happens, I'm content to kind of sit back.

 

It's amazed me, so far, how many small details get missed. A lot of damp logs without baggies, no pencils, etc. Of course, I understand that a lot of these caches have to be very small because they're in an urban environment, but those aren't my favorite. More than anything, I want to create a cache that I enjoy coming back to time and again to check on.

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Hid my first cache on the same hike that I found my first 2. At first, the idea of hiding something and watching who would come to find it appealed to me more than the looking/finding myself. I wanted to make a good quality cache that others would be excited about opening up. Not much activity for it so far, due to weather I presume. Hopefully it will get better as spring and summer roll in...

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I believe I had somewhere around 400 finds before I placed a cache. I waited for a while so I could gain experience because when I decided to place one, I wanted to do it right. Even then I still kinda screwed it up. I think I've gotten better since then.

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I would highly suggest the Geosnippits (HeadHardHat) site for GREAT ideas on how find and make your own caches:

 

http://www.geosnippits.com

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/headhardhat

 

and this one is truly cool with step by step tips on making your own great caches:

http://ingenious-cache-inventor.blogspot.com/

 

These are truly professionally done mini-series shows all about geocashing

 

http://www.geocaching.com/resources/default.aspx

 

Start with the links on this page.

Edited by salsaguy
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We had found about 100 when we decided to place our first hide. It turned out to be a much harder find than we had expected it to be. (It's since been archived because it was hidden in an evergreen tree that was removed by the business owner.) It was right in front of a very busy bagel shop. I had posted a hint to look for it after 3 pm, when the store closed for the day. I didn't realize that cachers are so eager to find a cache that they often ignore cache descriptions!

 

Now that we are more experienced cachers, we consider placement more carefully than we did for our first few hides! We have learned by finding many different types of hides.

 

However, I have seen some excellent caches placed by cachers with only a few finds under their belts. They are often very creative hides, not just LPC's or guardrail micros. I think the question of how many you must find before placing your own depends on how much time and effort you are willing to spend to place a hide that others will really enjoy finding.

 

Don't just place a cache to say you have done it; place it because you can contribute something new and different to the game.

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I had five finds and hid my first cache then. That was back in 2003 under a different handle. It's not that hard to hide a cache in an interesting area and hide it well. You just have to be able to actually be thoughtful enough to hide something somewhere that others want to find. That cache stayed in the same place for three years, had favorable logs (never an unfavorable remark), was muggled more than once but put back in perfect condition by the muggles who actually signed the log each time.

 

I think my favorite log was from some kids who were at the site smoking some non-tobaco products. They though it was cool and even left me a sample! Of course that was destroyed! BUT my point is that everyone who found that cache enjoyed it and I only had five finds.

Edited by Freekacher
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I found my first cache (GCR3KX) on 2-12-06 (co-FTF after 14 blue faces) and hid my first cache on 3-12-06 (GCTVXA) after finding my 46th cache. Combined, I now have 1245 caches found and 340 caches hidden. My first cache is still active. I have adopted out quite a few and archived a number of other ones for various reasons. I have five series caches planned for this summer, time permitting. Each series will have a variety of micro, small and regular caches with a mystery cache to be found after all the clues have been gathered. Not a whole lot of new caches in my area, so I put them out for others to find and hopefully bring others into the sport/hobby.

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I have over 100 finds so far and no hiden cache. Why? :) simply as i use mostly mobile phone,netbook and maps to find caches and anything what is enough accurate to hide one. But m planning to buy GPS in a couple of days n i have afew ideas about new caches... :D

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I'd say at about 30- 50 finds you get the bug to hide one, but resist until you find that great location that someone actually wants to go to. Hiding a cache is important and should be subject to great enjoyment where people write great logs and tell ya stuff you already know and some you don't. Hide well, my friend, Hide well!

Edited by GPS-Hermit
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125. Just hid two this past Friday.

 

May I ask, what were your reason(s) for placing micros as your first cache hides? There is a theory bantered about the forums that people plant what they like to find. After 125 finds, would you say this was the reason you choose this size?

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Only a few finds before my first placement. Then we went on to place about 130 caches over nearly 10 years of caching and about 500 finds. Caching in Australia is on average somewhat more difficult than in most other countries, not the least because of sparse population in a very large country.

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Right. And I think it's not so much about number of finds as it is commitment to the game. I think I'd prefer to see a short period of active participation (maybe 4 months) before a cache is hidden, rather then concentrate on the number of finds.

Good point!

 

So someone sets up an account then waits for four months to get started they would be qualified to hide a cache?

 

Just playing devils advocate here. Some people would find 100's in their first four months others might not leave the house.

 

The same goes for setting a specific numbers of finds. I could log dozens of LPC finds then be qualified to hide?

 

I am a person who signed up about 7 months ago, found the cache by accident but had been looking into the game since around 2006/2007 when I heard about it in a college class. I don't have a GPS, but have tried to find a couple with google maps - I don't log the DNF as I feel it's not right to log stuff if I am not using GPS - I could have the area WAY off. However I have been reading the forums, posting, and establishing a journal of caches I want to find. Hoping to have a GPS by Easter, plan to find the 4 nearest my house and then make a hide - working on the idea already, know the spot to.

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My young'un and I just placed our first one a few weeks ago, so we were just shy of 70 finds. We spent several weeks prior to that looking and thinking of containers and places to hide them. I want our caches to be quality ones at places that either offer something or mean something to us.

 

Now, whenever we're in stores,we're always looking for stuff that can be turned into cache containers. The other day, whilst channel surfing, I came across an infomercial for lock-n-locks. I almost bought some!!

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Just an update (not that anyone particularly was waiting for one)... I just got my first "real" GPS - a Garmin eTrex Venture HC (before, I was using my Garmin Nuvi 255w and Google Maps), am at about 45 finds now, and have come up with what I think is a cool series to work on. I expect I'll place my first hide sometime in late May - after finding many more on my upcoming road trip and getting some more ideas.

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