New World Record - 566 caches found in one day

[+ventura_kids 0]

Update -

 

Did everyone one of us get out of the Xterra at each cache?

.... well, we were.

But then Sandy tripped in the dark on the side of the mountain and rolled down the steep terrain. (It reminded me of when Bthomas slid off the side of the cliff with the rock he was standing on.)

After that, she sat in the car with ice on her broken foot (2 places).

I told her we wouldn't get to log the find, but she didn't seem to care....I won't quote her...but her response made it clear she would no longer be running up any boulder strewn hillsides covered in cactus at night.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

Way to go guys! Great job on your accomplishment!

With over 500 caches, that is one heck of a trail...

I wonder if any morons will come along and hide 1,000 caches somewhere.

Something like that would be out of this world!

Wow...Preemptive name calling!! WooHoo.

You would need to know what he is talking about... look up events in Nevada... perhaps in June?

Perhaps there's a team called the morons? I'll look into it. Thank you.

[+Gus 0]

Way to go guys! Great job on your accomplishment!

With over 500 caches, that is one heck of a trail...

I wonder if any morons will come along and hide 1,000 caches somewhere.

Something like that would be out of this world!

Wow...Preemptive name calling!! WooHoo.

You would need to know what he is talking about... look up events in Nevada... perhaps in June?

Perhaps there's a team called the morons? I'll look into it. Thank you.

Let me make it easier for you...

E.T. Highway Invasion!

[+bthomas 1]

It reminded me of when Bthomas slid off the side of the cliff with the rock he was standing on.

Dangerous terrain the Mojave. Surfed a cap rock for 2 feet, tumbled 6 down and landed upside down jammed between boulders; couple puncture wounds that took a few minutes to clot. Still, a 70 cache day, mostly ammo cans, in Dale Mining District near Joshua Tree NP.

Good times, VK.

 

To quote myself

I can speak to power caching though, and that comment is off base in a power caching thread, with regard to common accepted practice.

I'm a team player, and appreciate the fellowship and work that each member contributes.

 

As myself someone who's worked through 8 hours of cross state drive and 23 hours of trail caching for 400 finds with a great team, I applaud and envy the VK/ fotomom/ cachepal 24 hour effort. Envy the otherworldly desertscape you saw, and the teamwork you experienced and have as a memory.

Edited March 31, 2010 by bthomas

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

Let me make it easier for you...

E.T. Highway Invasion!

Thanks...now I get it...shamless self promotion. Haha.

[+brslk 0]

So, we've established here that each person in the team does not have to hunt each cache and one sticker can be used for the whole team, so all you need is a bigger team to break this record in even less time. With a big enough team, I could start at dawn and be home in time for lunch! Who's in?

If you can do it with one vehicle, then more power to ya!

 

So if a large group of geocachers takes more than one vehicle, but signs the logs with a team name, are you going to delete their logs because they used more than one vehicle?

 

What I'm seeing here is a team claiming a world record, then stipulated what criteria must be used if someone else attempts to break it.

 

No stipulations from me......

If you can somehow squeeze two vehicles up on those tiny little roads, take a couple of pics for us.

We really struggled with turning around on some of them. A few of them left only 3 feet of space for moving around, and we certainly didn't want to back down those roads at night. We had to have one of us spot the 7 point turn, just to be certain we didn't drop our wheels over the unprotected edge of the cliff.

 

One thing I will say.... "Have fun out there, and be safe!"

 

Have one car start at each end of trail and meet in the middle. Easy as pie.... mmm... I like pie...

[+bittsen 0]

Have one car start at each end of trail and meet in the middle. Easy as pie.... mmm... I like pie...

 

Get a Polaris Ranger and have at it.

[+brslk 0]

Have one car start at each end of trail and meet in the middle. Easy as pie.... mmm... I like pie...

 

Get a Polaris Ranger and have at it.

 

Meh... not my thing.

[+WhoDis 0]

Have one car start at each end of trail and meet in the middle. Easy as pie.... mmm... I like pie...

 

Get a Polaris Ranger and have at it.

 

Meh... not my thing.

Teams of dirt bikes!

[+WhoDis 0]

So, 99% of the hides are the same and they didn't bother to always open the container and get the log. Just slap a sticker on the outside of the container, or the outside of the log. Which seems very rude to me. From having to run for gas twice and all the turning around, I know it's slow going on these trails, you must have spent less than 30 seconds actually searching for each cache. Since so little time was actually spent on actually hunting caches, this seems like it was more just an off road adventure where you stopped 566 times to slap a sticker wherever you could. Heck, I off road all the time, I just don't stop so much. I'd love to find some GOOD hides in my area where I could combine my two favorite pass times, only I want to actually hunt for the hides. Hate those that you can spot before you actually get there. Do you all plan to do the trail that's coming with the 1000 hides? Maybe it will be nice and flat with the same easy hides, you could really bust them out then.

Look, I'm not saying it's not a record, maybe it is, maybe some other group somewhere has 567 finds and just isn't boasting about it. It's just 566 finds that take less than 30 seconds to find, just walk up slap a sticker (whether on the actually log or not) and go, doesn't sound as impressive as say 100 hides that you actually have to hunt for. Isn't that what geocaching is about, the hunt?

The impressive thing about this, is the trail they took. I've been wanting to hit that trail for a while now, hopefully I will make it out there one day. Although I doubt I will "hunt" (meaning walk up to) any of the caches.

[+humboldt flier 60]

The team from N. Calif. is within striking range. Have only managed 575 miles, Redding to Barstow. The run south was hampered by caches en-route Woodland and Lathrop. Tee, Hee, Hee.

 

I used to know exactly how long it took to go from A to B but now I seem to stop every 528 feet

[+ventura_kids 0]

Thanks to all who gave us Kudo's. Sandy will be out of surgery soon....with screws in her ankle. Powercaching does have its risks.

[+ventura_kids 0]

So, 99% of the hides are the same and they didn't bother to always open the container and get the log. Just slap a sticker on the outside of the container, or the outside of the log. Which seems very rude to me.

We did NOT sticker the outside of the container. Anyone who actually knows us would know better than that.

In fact, we had to repair some of the logsheets due to damage from previous loggers.... sheets were torn out, and would float away if we didn't fix them. The tiny containers have rolled metal edges along the top edge, preventing the logsheets from being removed easily.

[Andronicus 1]

So, 99% of the hides are the same and they didn't bother to always open the container and get the log. Just slap a sticker on the outside of the container, or the outside of the log. Which seems very rude to me.

We did NOT sticker the outside of the container. Anyone who actually knows us would know better than that.

In fact, we had to repair some of the logsheets due to damage from previous loggers.... sheets were torn out, and would float away if we didn't fix them. The tiny containers have rolled metal edges along the top edge, preventing the logsheets from being removed easily.

 

Thanks for that clarification. There has been a nasty roumor that you were slapping sig. stickers on the outside of the caches.

[+bthomas 1]

Previously I've written I'm not a forums guy, but I've come back to this thread for a fourth time, because I love the Mojave Desert and any talk about it... and because of that new 1856 cache claim. Wow.

 

TotG is a cross between a rural power trail and a SoCal4x4GC's or a Wheeler Dealers desert run. Ammo can hides in the Mojave are located elsewhere that I've mentioned, like SoCal4x4GC's at Calico Hills. TotG is something different... a line in the sand.

 

TotG is not urban caching LPC's at the big box stores in the burbs. Primary users are jeepers, dirt bikers, ATV'ers. No minivans. There's no AAA road service for gas, flats, key lockout. Out on the desert, gasoline may be an hour distant (Primm, Willow Station, Baker), plan accordingly. The motor stays running... you are not going to crank the starter 400 times in one day, and burden even a no-maint battery.

 

This power trail uses the four Hoover Dam transmission lines as a handrail, and as a default, most of the containers are micros. In my experience, 95% are of the same type; the other types aren't hard and usually don't double the hunt time. Someone should post a photo of a Nevada nano. Ammo cans, it would be prohibitive for those generous NGA cache placers to expense $4 a pop, and power cachers wouldn't want the stack of rocks to unpile.

 

Power trails are designed for power cachers. Non-power cachers will probably enjoy other topic threads closer to their interests. Power caching is all about numbers and endurance, coupled with pre-planning logistics and execution. The hunting components are navigation (the big time sink) and cache finding (quick). A cacher who's had a half dozen 100 days and maybe a 200 daze will have a handle on power caching. A cacher who's paid pilgrimage to GeoWoodstock will have a handle on power runs.

 

Myself, I can speak from many caching perspectives. I'm the first Jasmer All-Months, and with Alamogul the first Well-Rounded cacher. I have a 400 day under my belt. I've also done 2000 mile cache runs. I've also hiked 20 miles or more for caches. I've hiked the 21 miles and 7000 feet for Mt Whitney, and several other 14K's too. I've jeep cached all over the Mojave and Death Valley.

 

A 24 hour effort is all about caching for 24 hours. How many can speak from that basis? My group was up 40 hours between sleeps, including the cross-California commute and 23 hours on dirt. All of us were activate participants in teamwork. Everybody had boots on the ground, and everybody visited the GC coordinate, and everybody had eyeballs on the hide and logsheet.

 

Sheesh, there aren't many rules for GC. Just because I kiss each and every logsheet is no reason to demand everyone else leave chapstick or lipstick on paper.

 

If anyone needs to set their standard for this power trail, load the PQ, get a cheap flight to Vegas, rent an SUV with more than 2-ply tires, and give it a go for the 2 or 3 trails nearest I-15 and Primm. Easy, and lends credibility.

Edited April 1, 2010 by bthomas

[+Moose Mob 0]

Thanks to all who gave us Kudo's. Sandy will be out of surgery soon....with screws in her ankle. Powercaching does have its risks.

Good luck on her recovery!

 

I broke my ankle while caching over two years ago - bones are healed, but the muscle still has a ways to go. Since the my screws are so close to the skin (6 on that side) wearing hiking boots hurts like heck. I have surgery scheduled for next month to have the hardware removed.

[vagabond 1]

If anyone needs to set their standard for this power trail, load the PQ, get a cheap flight to Vegas, rent an SUV with more than 2-ply tires, and give it a go for the 2 or 3 trails nearest I-15 and Primm. Easy, and lends credibility.

 

My thoughts exactly

[+f0t0m0m 0]

Just to clarify the stickers. I placed the vast majority of the stickers (probably over 500) on the log sheets personally... For most of the caches, we extracted the log with needle-nose pliers, I placed the sticker on the back of the log, re-inserted the log into the cache and replaced the cache. When the log was so shredded that it would not come out, I pulled enough of the log out of the cache to be stickered, and then pushed it back in.

 

There was 1 cache, one of the large Mortar Tubes, which I did sticker the outside of. This was just prior to midnight, in a very strong wind. I struggled for about a minute trying to open the cache, but it was jammed shut. I was continuing to try to open the cache, as Sandy headed back to the car. On the way back to the car, Sandy fell and broke her ankle. The others were in the car and could not see her writhing in pain on the ground or hear her screaming for help. Rather than continue to try to open the cache, I stickered the outside of the cache, and ran down the hill to help her.

 

I personally held at least 550 of the caches in my hands... on a few of the early caches, when they were on the other side of the car, and I could see them as we drove up.. I did not bother to exit the car, since by the time I got around the car it would be too late for me to help. I also took a 5 minute break (2 Caches) about 9 hours into the run to eat a sandwhich, while others picked up the slack.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

Any recent update on Sandy's ankle? I hope she heals up well.

 

Above was mentioned a Nevada Nano...are these the mint strip tins that I've found up around Carson City?

[+modnar24 0]

 

Above was mentioned a Nevada Nano...are these the mint strip tins that I've found up around Carson City?

 

~3 feet long. ~7 inches in diameter. Metal tube. Make a really cool sound when you open them. Sorry, I don't have a picture. It's kindof a cool thing to come across in the desert when your expecting another micro.

 

M24

[+AstroDav 0]

For this run, a lot of the record holder stickers seemed to be just slapped on without even removing the log, slide onto the outside of the rolled up sheet. One was on the logbook cover positioned over the MooseMob logo. A few were even on the outside of the container. As a cacher following after them, it was obvious that speed was the only objective. The "etiquette" of "signing" the log in the next open spot on the log was not followed. For folks that seem to stress the "rules" and boast of "no cheating" on their finds, this seemed to be a bit of ethics breach of the informal etiquette/rules/whatever-you-want-to-call-it of the caching culture.

 

If this is true, then the self-proclaimed "World Record" is only valid in the minds of those who did it.

 

Directly from Groundspeak guidelines:

 

"Logging of All Physical Caches

Geocaches can be logged online as Found once the physical log has been signed."

 

As far as I'm concerned, a sticker is as good as a signature. I would personally prefer signatures, as a generic sticker can more easily be used for cheating, simply to claim a record # of finds, as is being caimed here. But if the sticker is placed on the log, then obviously ONE of the group actually found the cache, opened it, & followed the above guidelines.

 

Just slipping a sticker into the container is pushing it a bit, but still shows the container was opened.

 

However, the OUTSIDE of the container is in NO WAY the log .... except in very specific instances where the cache is designed that way. Just slapping a sticker onto the container itself is a clear violation of posted guidelines. It's more of an "unethical" act, rather than "illegal" or "against the rules", since the Groundspeak site refers to these type things as "Guidelines", rather than actual "Rules".

 

If this outside-stickering was done, then as far as I'm concerned this claim is invalid. Whomever did it decided that it was okay not to play the game like 95% of other cachers do, but rather to bend the rules for the sole purpose of letting themselves claim they "found" more caches than any other team or individual ever has.

 

If that is truly what has occured, then I believe the validity of this claim is very much in doubt. But I haven't seen the caches & most likely never will, so I can't say either or. But it does sound like other cachers HAVE seen the caches & noticed some tampering with the guidelines which Groundspeak has laid out for geocaching.

 

I just wish they had been a little more clean about it on this one point.

 

I agree.

[+bunkerdave 0]

I hope you put them all back where you found them, as you found them.

Edited April 2, 2010 by bunkerdave

[+bunkerdave 0]

It sounds like a good time was had by all. But I'm curious...what governing body verified this as a New World Record? It's a new world record because you guys say it is, right? Right. Cool.

 

By the way, a few weeks ago I set a New World Record for the most number of caches placed within a mile of my house. Two. Placed by me. It's a New World Record and I'm dashed proud of it.

 

Next?

 

Zactly... Will people please stop saying anything is a world record just because you do something?

 

Honestly.. there is no "world record" for power caching. it's neat that you do it but really.. that's all it is... Neat

 

They found more caches in a 24 hour period than anyone else in the world. That's a record...a world record. Not quite sure why some insist it's not?

 

566 is cool but until people start paying referees to follow them around and verify the effort, there are no records. Add to that the fact that the so-called "record" and it's legitimacy is impacted greatly by the terrain and other logistical factors, it is not likely to be something that will become "official" anytime soon. And if it's not official, it's not a record. Rules are pesky like that.

Edited April 2, 2010 by bunkerdave

[+WhoDis 0]

CONGRATS!! That is a lot of caches. Where will you strike next?

 

Ya know-I don't think they do it for the ego stroking. I think they do it because they have FUN caching like that sometimes. I think it sounds like FUN too, and we discussed a trip out there while we were driving around north-central NC yesterday on a run of our own.

 

Ok, I am going to offend a few folks here. If you have thin skin or tend to get riled easily, the following might not be for you. I'd love to hear from people who agree with me, since I pretty much think you have to be really missing the spirit of the sport to DISagree with me here. So if you disagree with me, that's great, but I don't really care.

 

So, on to the business at hand:

 

I am not sure I agree. If it were just for the fun of doing it, why post your own record? I did a 24 hour run once (not a single one was part of a power trail or anything of the sort) and admittedly, as we were out there it was hard not to wonder if we would/could set some kind of record, but in the end, we just found what was a lot (for us) and have enjoyed the memory.

 

I think this "record" has been bastardized to death. All you have to do is wait for some obsessive cacher with way too much time on his hands and too little creativity to go out and dump a truckload of whatever cheap containers on some road in the middle of nowhere. Then you go out and spend a day of your life (which you will never get back) "finding" them. First off, is this even geocaching? As anyone whose ever found a powertrail can attest, after the first 5 or so, you don't even need a GPS to find them, so it could be argued that it fails that very important test. Second, is it even good for caching? How does this look to non-cachers, or more importantly, to land managers who may be "on the fence" as to whether geocaching should be allowed in certain areas? When we start hiding obscene numbers of caches along a road just so people can go out and take a crack at setting/breaking some arbitrary "record", I think we have crosssd a line. The best caches have always been those that took you to someplace that once you got there, you were really glad the person who hid the cache took the time to share it with you. There is a certain beauty to the Mojave Desert, and I think it's great to share it with others. I am pretty sure it doesn't need to be shared 566 times within .1 mile of the last place it was shared.

 

I've been around this game long enough to see a LOT of people come and go, and one thing I have learned is thatt there are a lot of people who really like to draw attention to themselves. And it seems like every time I open these forums, I find a thread about someone else who has found some new (or not so new) way to do so. I guess there is possibly some vague sense of celebrity or fame about it,but I think most of us outgrow it eventually, and if we only enjoy caching for the ego stroke we get from setting this record or that, it gets old very quickly. Personally, it is and has always been about "where will I go today?" and finding out what new place someone will share with me. It's about getting ouside and breathing clean air and getting dirt in my boots. It's about using technology to enhance my enjoyment of the world around me. It's about having something I can do with my daughter and friends anytime, anywhere, that we all enjoy and affords us some quality time together.

 

All that said, the real concern here isn't with whether 566 caches in a day is cool or not. It's a lot, and I know from experience than caching for 24 hours - even on power trails - is hard to do , just for the sheer fatigue factor. The REAL concern is whether we should continue to allow and even encourage the placement of power trails. I have always thought they were a bad idea, for the reasons stated earlier. I thought they were a bad idea when I saw trails wtih 10-15 caches placed along roads near my home, and I think that HUNDREDS is just way over the top. Anyway, I really doubt any of this will go anywhere. It seems TPTB are much more concerned with removing virtuals (which are a MUCH more legitimate hide than any power trail I've ever heard of) from the site than reining in all the crappy caches that seem to be spreading like wildfire over the landscape.

 

And on another point: A sticker on a container is NOT a signed log. I Just hope you at least actually put the cache back where you found it, rather than leaving it lying open on the ground like some of the previous record-setters.

Here here! Nicely said. Seems that if you start littering the landscape with all the caches, places will start banning geocaching in that area. Like I said earlier, I thought geocaching was all about the hunt. Doesn't seem like there is any hunt in a trail where it takes you less than 30 secs to find the caches. If it's all about the speed and the numbers, why not just make a trail where the cache is mounted next to the road on a post window high, then you could just drive by with one of those sticker guns they use at Wal-mart and you won't even have to get out of the car.

[+humboldt flier 60]

Any recent update on Sandy's ankle? I hope she heals up well.

 

Above was mentioned a Nevada Nano...are these the mint strip tins that I've found up around Carson City?

I saw the " Nevada Nano " ... it was indeed not in keeping with the your typical nano. Whoever dubbed it must have been a Texan and poking fun at Nevadans. Could park no closer than 350 feet and it was a scramble up a volcanic rock face for about 200 feet of slip and trip to be afforded a grand vista of Silver Lake. Then the cache ... Gaaaaaadzooooooks, and the cache container within the outer container Gaaaaaaadddzzzooooooooks again, or was it EEEEEEeeeeewwwwwwwwwww

[+ventura_kids 0]

Thanks to all who gave us Kudo's. Sandy will be out of surgery soon....with screws in her ankle. Powercaching does have its risks.

Good luck on her recovery!

 

I broke my ankle while caching over two years ago - bones are healed, but the muscle still has a ways to go. Since the my screws are so close to the skin (6 on that side) wearing hiking boots hurts like heck. I have surgery scheduled for next month to have the hardware removed.

 

I have a feeling this is a long term healing process. It seems the screws are the best way to keep the foot in alignment until the bones heal. But, I have heard of a dozen people who had to go have the screws removed later on.

 

Sandy is home and resting. It's gonna be 3 weeks off the foot totally, and then she gets a cast (if it's healing well).

 

Who says powercaching is easy !

 

Now I'm off to get the skidplate repaired on the 4 wheeler.....

 

Cache safely

[+niraD 2043]

Like I said earlier, I thought geocaching was all about the hunt.

Sometimes, it is all about the hunt. Other times, it's all about the journey, or the final location, or the "Aha!" moment solving a puzzle to get the coordinates, or the companionship, or even the planning and execution required for a numbers run.

[+tozainamboku 5]

then she gets a cast (if it's healing well).

I'll have my stickers ready.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

Best wishes for the healing...It took me over 6 months to be allowed back to work, and I still have the screws. Boots hurt a lot less than they used to, but sometimes a little extra padding is required over the screw heads(it was over 15 years ago).

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

 

I have a feeling this is a long term healing process. It seems the screws are the best way to keep the foot in alignment until the bones heal. But, I have heard of a dozen people who had to go have the screws removed later on.

 

I was told that I could have them removed later(optional), but then there would be another equal healing process from that opperation(while the holes grew in).

[vagabond 1]

 

I have a feeling this is a long term healing process. It seems the screws are the best way to keep the foot in alignment until the bones heal. But, I have heard of a dozen people who had to go have the screws removed later on.

 

I was told that I could have them removed later(optional), but then there would be another equal healing process from that opperation(while the holes grew in).

 

1960 I broke my left femur, they inserted a titanium pin almost the length of the femur I was also told it

could be removed later no thanks it's still there

[+Bangkok Corkscrew 0]

Where is this trail of caches?

[+Team Cotati 0]

Where is this trail of caches?

 

http://www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx...p;lng=-115.6919

[+Geokashers 0]

So where does one start this 'trail? A 4wdr vehicle is needed? That's a lot of caches.....how many DNFs were there? You ever figure out your 'caches per gallon'?! HA! I'd like to do this trail over a couple or few days. Or until I/we (hopefully there would be a we) got tired of it. Bet someone got a lot of FTFs when these puppies were put out!

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

So where does one start this 'trail? A 4wdr vehicle is needed? That's a lot of caches.....how many DNFs were there? You ever figure out your 'caches per gallon'?! HA! I'd like to do this trail over a couple or few days. Or until I/we (hopefully there would be a we) got tired of it. Bet someone got a lot of FTFs when these puppies were put out!

Primm, NV would be a good place.

[namiboy 0]

I really sounds like that the roads, the terrain, and the area in general provides a scenic and interesting environment for geocaching. I can't help but wonder though if instead of ~600 caches along that 70 mile stretch of roads if the geocaching experience would be better or worse if only 60 caches, with a little more emphasis on quality vs. quantity were available to find.

 

Granted, geocachers would not have the opportunity to finds more caches in a day than I've found in the last two years, but with fewer geocaches there could still be a pretty outstanding geocaching experience.

 

this sums up my feelings exactly, not to take away from the accomplishment though.

[+Ambrosia 77]

Isn't that what geocaching is about, the hunt?

 

Goodness, I hope not. I hate the hunt.

[+ventura_kids 0]

Nothing is worse than NOT finding, especially after a long hunt.

I reviewed our Skips.

We skipped 3 caches East of Excelsior mine road.

We skipped 26 caches up in the mountains between Excelsior mine road and Death Valley highway. There are definitely some 4x4 spots in there.

We skipped 11 caches West of Death valley highway....4 in the mountains, and 7 at the end along the North string.

We dropped the DNF's just before we started the run. No sense looking for caches that are NOT there.

[+ventura_kids 0]

....and ..... we searched for burros and cattle along the entire trail.

We never saw even one.

Where were they hiding?

I see them in other cachers pictures.

[+Don_J 2]

....and ..... we searched for burros and cattle along the entire trail.

We never saw even one.

Where were they hiding?

I see them in other cachers pictures.

 

They spread the word that some crazy cachers were slapping stickers on the outside of burros, so they all hid.

[+traildad 0]

 

Look, I'm not saying it's not a record, maybe it is, maybe some other group somewhere has 567 finds and just isn't boasting about it. It's just 566 finds that take less than 30 seconds to find, just walk up slap a sticker (whether on the actually log or not) and go, doesn't sound as impressive as say 100 hides that you actually have to hunt for. Isn't that what geocaching is about, the hunt?

It seems that for a lot of people geocaching is about bragging about numbers. Total number of finds or claiming records, it has become a large part of the game. What better way to feel superior than to have a bigger number than the next guy.

[+bthomas 1]

Just responded on my local thegba.net forum to a geokashers email, and that brings me back here again.

 

quote from theGBA.net

If one asks about it being repetitious... yes of course, that is the very point of such series. That and teamwork, problem solving, speed, endurance, and being outdoors with boots on the ground.

 

These TotG powerline jeep power trail caches represent less than 0.1% of the active caches in the world. There's enough of the 99.9% other geocaches in the world for most cachers to focus their attention on those.

 

If it's all about the speed and the numbers, why not just make a trail where the cache is mounted next to the road on a post window high, then you could just drive by with one of those sticker guns they use at Wal-mart and you won't even have to get out of the car.

Well, yes, that's exactly what this is. Except it's harder because of the desert and sunstroke, because of the rattlesnakes and sharp things, because of the lack of fuel and food, because of the lack of routeable roads. And many of the caches are not on road, they are off rough service spurs. BTW, sticker gun... pure genius.

 

My 3/13/2010 group had a great time out in the desert. We had mapwork but didn't have cacher beta, so we spent a lot of time on the hill caches at under 10/hr. Opening tins and unscrewing tubes at 18/hr, it took us 23 hours to travel 70 linear miles. We never made it to the 30/hr caches closest to Primm, so came up short of 500. Stopping at 23 hours, we passed 60 easy caches on our way to the pillow time.

 

I kinda prefer that all of these 1/1 type micros (so called lame caches) are concentrated in one area. Is there other "good" Mojave caching available? Yes. Are we as geocachers locked out adjacent Mojave Natl Preserve and BLM WSA's? Yes. Would I otherwise cache the powerline right of way? Probably not, except if en route to Excelsior Mine or Keany Pass. Besides the Marines at 29 Palms and the tankers at Ft Irwin, this is a harsh area with a habitation density of about 1 person per 100 square miles.

 

The hills were fun to wheel and added interest. There was one 30/hr straight section that went on for 10 miles with hundreds of towers in view. We were in rhythm, and after half and hour I looked westward... and hundreds of towers were still in view. My thoughts weren't about the repetition or being bored, they were about buckling down, staying focused, helping my teammates, and working through the 24 hours of routing and finding.

 

If Sandy's fall was at the Nevada nano mortar case out on the west side, hey I almost fell on the steep there too. 300 feet up a rocky knoll, and beyond any steel tower, searched in the dark on a rocky crown for a 3 inch tin for 4 minutes (busts the 4 minute rule) before being embarrassed by a 3 footer, only 15 feet off coord. Could not get the case lid open at first; took a couple minutes to unjam it from the cold.

 

Total number of finds or claiming records, it has become a large part of the game. What better way to feel superior than to have a bigger number than the next guy.

I'm a numbers guy. I've had spirited competition with other number cachers. I've also shared a good many of Alamogul's first 10000, in good caching fellowship. I've also shared jeep runs and power caching runs with EMC, Fotomom, and the VK.

 

I've given on-the-ground TotG data to quite a few interested parties, including the VK. Myself as a cacher who's cached many styles, as a power cacher, as a jeep cacher, as a 20 mile hike cacher, as a 100 5-star cacher, as a 5-digit cacher-- I can validate the VK/ Fotomom/ cachepal effort as a solid 24 hour, 500 milestone effort. Those who suggest on hearsay that one containerside sticker invalidates a 566 effort, are wrong or need to re-edit to opine that one GC is sketchy.

 

Re cheating, most lay-cachers are missing the fact that the biggest cheat in power caching is leapfrogging to double the cache count. In setting their claim parameters, single vehicle was far and away the most important. All other issues are minor IMHO.

 

On theGBA.net forum, I've cautioned if you are claiming any record, whether a personal 100 or a world 600, and you have thin skin at any forum, watch out for couch potatoes, keyboard jockeys, 2 month noobs, I-only-hike-for-one-cache-at-a-time zealots, or people who assume the Mojave Desert is just like a series of big box store parking lot LPC's.

 

As suggested, buy a cheap ticket to Vegas and rent an SUV, visit the Mojave, set boots on the ground and set your own standard.

[+modnar24 0]

^^^^^^Well said!^^^^^^

[+J S-B 0]

This time Ventura_Kids, Fotomom, and Cachepal have pushed the limit up.

We found 566 geocaches in one day.

 

WOW. Congratulations from JakobB - one of the former owners of the WR with only 504 caches.

I know what you've done. It's fun with the teamwork.

Let's see how long time this record will stay

 

JakobB's profile

[+wimseyguy 4]

As suggested, buy a cheap ticket to Vegas and rent an SUV, visit the Mojave, set boots on the ground and set your own standard.

It is high on my to-do list. But first I have to budget time and $$ for Geowoodstock 8 and another fall trip already in the works. Hopefully I'll be able to get out there in the fall. And unless you have changed your number since GW6, I'll probably give you a call for some intel before I get there.

[+ventura_kids 0]

This time Ventura_Kids, Fotomom, and Cachepal have pushed the limit up.

We found 566 geocaches in one day.

 

WOW. Congratulations from JakobB - one of the former owners of the WR with only 504 caches.

I know what you've done. It's fun with the teamwork.

Let's see how long time this record will stay

 

JakobB's profile

 

Thanks for your comments !!!!

[+CKayaks 0]

Just to clarify the stickers. I placed the vast majority of the stickers (probably over 500) on the log sheets personally... For most of the caches, we extracted the log with needle-nose pliers, I placed the sticker on the back of the log, re-inserted the log into the cache and replaced the cache. When the log was so shredded that it would not come out, I pulled enough of the log out of the cache to be stickered, and then pushed it back in.

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Congratulations to the group hitting the record on the finds!

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Let me say that I love the fact that they went for the record and that it was hit on this trail. I don't challenge that accomplishment. I just wish they had been a little more clean about it on this one point.

 

Just to restate my earlier log, I in no way challenge the record and heartedly congratulate the team on the accomplishment!

 

We did 204 on Saturday and 160+ on Sunday. It was a blast, all about the teamwork, and I can imagine the fun the group had going for the 500+. I can also verify the difficulty of dealing with most of those log sheets. It was a pain getting them out of the containers at times. My original comment about the stickers was about style, not a challenge on whether the cache was "found" or not. The placement was not how I would have placed the stickers, but that is just my opinion.

 

DuckeyLee and I did a regroup with some folks over dinner this last week to talk about the cache run and swap war stories about the recent trips GBA members have done to the trails. Given feedback from Motorbug and bthomas about the record team members , I withdraw my complaint. I will take VT and f0t0m0m at their word about the sticker on the outside of the caches being anomalies and that they were not intentional. I think others should do the same.

 

Doing 566 caches on this trail was an amazing accomplishment. These are not urban drive ups and it takes some skill and fortitude to make the run, especially in the dark. We can nitpick the “rules”, but the caches were run and found. I can verify about 350 of the 566 anyway!  Let’s see if anyone can top it!

[+ventura_kids 0]

Be careful out there.

I'm keeping score of the dangers.....

We kept a couple pairs of needle nose pliers out to pull out cactus stickers with (and we used them).

I've heard of 3 flat tires so far.

I can see one foot with screws in it from here (looking across the room).

 

There are deep sand areas ( we even skipped a couple caches because we only had one 4 wheel drive vehicle).

There are rocky steep powerline roads with NO turnaround areas.

There are steep cliffs with NO protection along the side of the road.

There are lots of sharp rocks and shale to cut your tires and your hands.

There are lots of loose rocks to walk on.

There is spotty cell phone coverage.

There is no gas out there (gas at Primm and Baker).

There is no bathroom out there.

 

This is NOT an urban powercaching run.

 

It's a desert out there.

 

Now get out there and have some fun....Like we did

[+sabrefan7 0]

It's happened again.

Another crazy record has been broken.

 

This time Ventura_Kids, Fotomom, and Cachepal have pushed the limit up.

We found 566 geocaches in one day.

 

Who - Ventura_kids, Fotomom, and Cachepal

What - found 566 geocaches in one day

When - Friday, March 26th

Where - Trail of the gods near Primm Nevada

Why - dunno

How - One car, 4 cachers, no cheating, stopped twice for gas.

 

What an incredible waste of time

[+TheAlabamaRambler 2]

It's happened again.

Another crazy record has been broken.

 

This time Ventura_Kids, Fotomom, and Cachepal have pushed the limit up.

We found 566 geocaches in one day.

 

Who - Ventura_kids, Fotomom, and Cachepal

What - found 566 geocaches in one day

When - Friday, March 26th

Where - Trail of the gods near Primm Nevada

Why - dunno

How - One car, 4 cachers, no cheating, stopped twice for gas.

 

What an incredible waste of time

Yet you have time to waste coming here to make pointless posts.

 

Fine... you would consider such a run a waste of your time. That's cool... don't go on one!