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New World Record - 566 caches found in one day


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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 :D

 

If attempting to accomplish a personal goal and succeeding is an incredible waste of time, then I will happily waste my entire life.

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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 :D

If number runs are a waste of time - which is geocaching - what does that say about geocaching in and of itself? It's also a incredible waste of time (and I know several who hold that opinion). Also reading threads about "incredible wastes of time" are in themselves a waste of time, and posting to said threads ... you get the point.

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My wife is not big on geocaching. She tolerates my caching, but not much more. That was until I mentioned that VK set a record and I told her how many caches there were out in the various power trails in the dessert. Then she insisted we give them a try. After only 2 days planning, we did try. Some interesting thoughts:

 

1. One can do some segments in an ordinary car. However, it takes some careful driving. We did TOTG from Hwy 127 to the Excelsior Mine Road and the Trail of Fears.

 

2. At least on the segment of TOTG that we did, there are two lines of caches. The northern line are just off the main trail and are quickly and easily grabbed. As far as difficulty, they are among the easiest finds I've ever seen. The southern line are much harder. They require going down side paths that branch off the main trail and then retracing the paths back to the main trail. With a dirt bike and some skill, one might be able to do the southern line in a more direct manner.

 

3. As noted, the caches we found were among the easiest I've ever found. Except that there are so many caches out in the dessert, which makes the whole thing novel and a challenge, I'd say the hides were lame. If there were only one or two or ten, I'd rate them as being like light pole caches in a WM parking lot. The huge number of caches in a row makes the whole thing a challenge.

 

4. Once one is on the main trail, a GPS is useful only for keeping track of which ones you've found and which ones you haven't found. It is just a matter of driving from one power tower to the next and looking at which leg has the cache.

 

5. The hardest part of the whole thing was removing the logs from the containers. Most of the logs were petty battered from being yanked out of the containers. We used a small needle nose pliers to reach into the container, and flatten the log so it would come out of the container easily.

 

6. Some of the caches along the Trail of Fears are in UPRs rather than on the power towers. Since these were spaced out based on the tower placement, my wife looked for UPRs without even using the GPS. It was a little slower, but a bit more challenging.

 

7. I've only been caching for about 4 years. However, these dessert trails and VK's record breaking attempt has really inspired a lot of cachers. Has there ever been anything else of that magnitude?

 

8. We were lucky and did not suffer any damage (at least that I can tell) on the trails. The rock that cracked the windshield was within 5 miles of home on Interstate 405. Amazing.

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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 :D

If number runs are a waste of time - which is geocaching - what does that say about geocaching in and of itself? It's also a incredible waste of time (and I know several who hold that opinion). Also reading threads about "incredible wastes of time" are in themselves a waste of time, and posting to said threads ... you get the point.

 

Be nice now people. B) The CEO of Groundspeak just tweeted on Twitter about the "unofficial World Record", and linked to this thread.

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This is legit IF!

 

-All team members were at each GZ at the same time

-The caches's supplied log has all the members names on it.

-A list of all caches that were attempted is provided.

-Track log would be a plus so it could be uploaded to a site like AnyTrail.

 

Otherwise someone is looking for there 15 minutes of fame.

 

It's happened again.

Another crazy record has been broken. :P

 

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.

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This is legit IF!

 

-All team members were at each GZ at the same time

-The caches's supplied log has all the members names on it.

-A list of all caches that were attempted is provided.

-Track log would be a plus so it could be uploaded to a site like AnyTrail.

Having followed them (on a solo run; see my post above), I can attest that all their names were in most of the caches I found. I did note that the logsheets in the more challenging 4x4 caches that were a bit harder to get to than the others, had much fewer signatures than the rest, but I didn't note who exactly didn't sign them. I hope the various teams will be honest and only log those caches they actually visited, but I wouldn't be surprised at a bit of fudging here and there. I would actually encourage the NGA to do a little spot-checking :P

 

Regarding your first point, I will bet that at most of the caches, they did not all get out of the car. In order to maintain the rate they did, some things need to be done in parallel. Such as the driver getting the car turned around on that narrow ledge, while others find and sign the log. However the driver would have at least been able to lay eyes on the cache from those 10-20 feet away, so I think it's legit nonetheless.

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I don't get it. The rules of geocaching are simple. Find the cache, SIGN the log. At least those were the rules of geocaching 7 years ago. I guess the standards have been lowered.

 

That means each and every person claiming the cache has to sign the log.

 

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

 

How can 4 people claim credit for a cache when only ONE PERSON is placing a sticker on the cache?

 

Now the person who did 300+ caches on this thread by himself.... Now, that's a goal to be proud of. A much more impressive feat in my opinion.

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566 caches with 4 people?

 

That's 141.5 caches each.

 

So the record now stands at 141.5 per cacher.... Cool.

um. if it's just been one car, i would assume that they all have visited all of the caches.

 

If 141.5 caches per cacher solo is the record mentioned above I guess I hold the solo record. Last year I hit 235 caches on the same day in Colorado. I've known about this trail for a short while. I might just have to make a trip out there...

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This is legit IF!

 

-All team members were at each GZ at the same time

-The caches's supplied log has all the members names on it.

-A list of all caches that were attempted is provided.

-Track log would be a plus so it could be uploaded to a site like AnyTrail.

 

Otherwise someone is looking for there 15 minutes of fame.

 

 

I don't get it. The rules of geocaching are simple. Find the cache, SIGN the log. At least those were the rules of geocaching 7 years ago. I guess the standards have been lowered.

 

That means each and every person claiming the cache has to sign the log.

 

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

 

How can 4 people claim credit for a cache when only ONE PERSON is placing a sticker on the cache?

 

Now the person who did 300+ caches on this thread by himself.... Now, that's a goal to be proud of. A much more impressive feat in my opinion.

 

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. :P

Read the thread befor re-hashing old settled arguments! Please!

 

Although it would be super cool to see a track log for for the record setting day!

Edited by Andronicus
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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...

Thanks for posting your perspective. I met you once at the 2004 Portland Cache Machine and even took your photo during a rare moment you were standing still. :D That's the only power caching I have done--all I'll say on the topic here!--but as a student of all things geocaching I had to read this thread. Interesting to look back 6 years ago and to see how the game has grown and branched out in different directions.

 

I'm also well acquainted with the Mojave during the 70s and 80s. A great place to visit the right time of year. Maybe I'll run into you at GeoWoodstock or on the trail somewhere. I'll have my camera ready. smiley_camera.gif

 

Sorry to hear about the injury on the other team. :P Sometimes I feel like I carry too much first-aid gear, other times too little!

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I don't get it. The rules of geocaching are simple. Find the cache, SIGN the log. At least those were the rules of geocaching 7 years ago. I guess the standards have been lowered.

 

That means each and every person claiming the cache has to sign the log.

 

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

 

How can 4 people claim credit for a cache when only ONE PERSON is placing a sticker on the cache?

 

Now the person who did 300+ caches on this thread by himself.... Now, that's a goal to be proud of. A much more impressive feat in my opinion.

You have a few months on me here, but ever since I started in August '03 the practice of one member signing for a group that was at a cache has been accepted for teams and groups.

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Record Broken AGAIN!!!

 

Team Geo-Rangers ~

"We started at exactly midnight and cached the trail all day long, finding 626 geocaches for a personal best. It proved to be a worthy physical and mental challenge to give it our all for 24 hours straight, realizing an average cache find every 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Also, no LPCs were attempted or harmed on this day! There was some collateral damage done to the 4WD Geocaching Utility Vehicle but Peas was prepared for that contingency, so it didn't really affect the daily outcome. "

 

Snippet from Log on Acis.

 

Sorry everyone. It was another tweet from GCPODCAST that reminded me of this.

 

Goin to MOGA this weekend. Going to make a stab at the illusive 100/day Personal goal...

 

The Steaks

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I am going to do part of the totg power trail tomorrow. Probably won't go for more than an hour, because I don't have the usual 4wd mothmobile and I don't want to get a flat tire, and I have a half muggle/half cacher sis with me who doesn't want to spend the whole day under a bunch of power lines eating dirt in the desert.

 

I am going to take lots of pics, and if anyone is interested, will post them here on the thread.

 

Any requests?

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I am going to do part of the totg power trail tomorrow. Probably won't go for more than an hour, because I don't have the usual 4wd mothmobile and I don't want to get a flat tire, and I have a half muggle/half cacher sis with me who doesn't want to spend the whole day under a bunch of power lines eating dirt in the desert.

 

I am going to take lots of pics, and if anyone is interested, will post them here on the thread.

 

Any requests?

 

I have a request...

 

Sign my name on the logs too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding, of course.

 

Enjoy the trail.

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Ha, ha Bittsen, sure, you are here in spirit anyway.

 

I think this will be an interesting and hard trail to do. I am not doing any planning before hand. just getting the coodinates for 20 caches or so and we'll see how it goes.

 

I also don't like being under power lines, they creep me out.

 

My hat is off to VK and anyone else that can stand to be under them for 24 hours and 500 caches.

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Ha, ha Bittsen, sure, you are here in spirit anyway.

 

I think this will be an interesting and hard trail to do. I am not doing any planning before hand. just getting the coodinates for 20 caches or so and we'll see how it goes.

 

I also don't like being under power lines, they creep me out.

 

My hat is off to VK and anyone else that can stand to be under them for 24 hours and 500 caches.

 

Yeah...I don't like...like...like... being under those power lines...lines...lines....either. I believe they...they....they... somehow affect our health...health...health....health. Hmmmm.... I've had this stutter ever since we did those 566 caches under the power lines. :P

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Yeah...I don't like...like...like... being under those power lines...lines...lines....either. I believe they...they....they... somehow affect our health...health...health....health. Hmmmm.... I've had this stutter ever since we did those 566 caches under the power lines. :D

 

You are not kidding VK! How you have one brain cell left in your head is beyond me, lol.

 

We got to the Phobia trail today after caching from Searchlight to Primm, just as the sun was going down. I got under one of those huge transmission lines, stayed long enough to take some photos and booked it out of there. Those towers look like huge black buzzards. They buzzzzzz and hummmmm and zzzzzzzzzt, and you literally feel like your brain just got dropped into a sizzling hot deep fryer. I kept telling myself to tough it out and find the cache. The first one was no go, so we drove on to the next tower and I couldn't stand to be under it either. I wasn't "afraid" of it, I just couldn't stand to be near it. It felt like a bee got dropped inside my head. Horrid. Since caching is supposed to be fun, I guess I can find some other places in the desert to play in.

 

So a deep bow to those out there who have a harder head than I.

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Here are the promised photos. Phobia power trail.

 

Looking back to Primm.

949b34b0-a269-46ba-8466-dc14521b440d.jpg

 

Approaching one of the buzz kill machines:

4af803eb-871c-4ee7-9d8e-4d34b4c4b7a7.jpg

 

The Phobia Power trail, east of Primm:

ef459b8d-7cc9-4219-bfae-894a675991d2.jpg

 

A station base:

74c39eff-77e9-42cc-ae73-29ec1cf77a3c.jpg

 

One of buzzing tops

79c24ecf-f448-4eae-9812-c3f23150eabd.jpg

 

Near gz, I think, I didn't stick around long enough to find out:

6634372c-6d7f-4c27-a8e9-ff6a7dc460c4.jpg

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You were very close.... it's somewhere around the base.

Always look for a SPOR (suspicious pile of rocks). :P

Nice Pics. I'm using one for my desktop background.

 

Glad you like the photos. Now that I have been out there, I can see how you or someone else could get them all in a day. I could see your route, and yeah, it is achievable.

 

What I am dying to know is how you stood to be under these things for 24 hours? Didn't the buzzing drive you insane? If I wanted to torture someone, I would tie them up to a Nevada power tower.

 

Of course I know about the spor, besides Joshua trees (and a few bushes), rocks are about the only thing you can hide a cache in around here. :D I just had to get out of there.

 

When I come back in the fall, I am going to bring ear muffs and try one of the trails again (maybe, lol).

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i dont get it. are they all exactly the same? or are they just sitting out in the open already open? How could you possibly get to the cache, find a cache, open it, sign it, rehide it in 2.5 minutes and get to the next one? Seems rigged. maybe you could rig a 567 cache trail in a circle, so you can at least end up where you started.

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i dont get it. are they all exactly the same? or are they just sitting out in the open already open? How could you possibly get to the cache, find a cache, open it, sign it, rehide it in 2.5 minutes and get to the next one? Seems rigged. maybe you could rig a 567 cache trail in a circle, so you can at least end up where you started.

 

"Exactly" is such an imprecise word. Having found in excess of 200 of these, I can tell you they are not all exactly the same. Some are painted light gray. Some are painted dark gray. Most are metal mint cans with magnets. Of these, some are low on the leg of the tower; others are higher up. However, some of the caches are plastic tubes painted beige and are resting on some rocks at the foot of a leg. In one section of the overall trail, the caches are hidden in UPRs near the towers. There are even a few that are completely different. There is a bison on a post. There is an ammo can at the top of an outcrop, under some rocks. There is a "big thing" (I haven't a clue) in some bushes just past the tower.

 

For most of the caches, finding it is just a matter of looking in one of 4 possible places, 2 of which are the most likely. Call it 20 seconds. With a TOTT, removing the log takes 7 seconds, putting on a sticker another 7, and replacing the log in the cache and the cache on the tower, another 7. That leaves plenty of time to drive 750 feet to the next one.

 

Unlike most caching, the challenge is not in finding the cache, but rather in going through the drill a gazillion times. Oddly, it is sort of fun. My wife wants to go back and do another segment of the trail. And, she wants to buy an RV to stay in and a big off-road jeep to get around.

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Unlike most caching, the challenge is not in finding the cache, but rather in going through the drill a gazillion times. Oddly, it is sort of fun.

Having found around 350 of them, I agree. About 99% of the caches are lame by anyone's standards. But when you find them as a group, the adventure is outstanding.

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The Trail Of The Gods is being archived as I type

I got the notification of the west end this morning...I always wondered if there would be any permission issues. I don't know if it's a permission thing or an impact thing. Would love to hear the details when they're done. Haha, it'd probably be easier for GS to archive all NGA Caches in bulk, then unarchive the one's that are still active.

Edited by WRITE SHOP ROBERT
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Obviously these folks set a personal goal and attained it. Great job! I would only want to do this if it was a team effort. Sounds like they had a great time, and that is what counts. So get out there you all and do it again. I'll just stick to doing what I can when I can cause that's how I enjoy it.

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They are also having an event to kick it off.

 

I actually like doing both types of caching. I do mega runs but not stupid 24+hr mind twisting, they all look the same, I can't remember what today is and you better not DNF any, "I have to express log these! -type.

I just like the ones you can just remember which caches you did, and really remember some because of either how evil or creative they were.

And I like doing a slow pace up on a ridge seeing the great views, being surprise as you go hike around a river bend and seeing a drop jaw waterfall you never knew was there or visiting a place you only just dream about. Plus you remember everything and enjoy sharing that with others.

To me, besides finding that elusive cache in the woods, this is what geocaching is all about. Like anything else, you got some who love to compete and those who love to just sit back and enjoy the adventure.

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This record will go down in December.

 

You heard it here 1st.

 

Thanks. But there's some event in Nevada this month where a 1,000 cache power trail will be released. You'll have to be breaking that record. :unsure:

 

EDIT: Oh by the way, regarding the last couple of posts before the thread was bumped, The Austrailian Power Trail forum post was an April Fools joke. Them Aussies are making fun of us American's, I think. :lol:

Edited by TheWhiteUrkel
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I found 9 caches this afternoon. It was fun. Congrats on your latest extreme adventure.

 

I found one cache on the same day. I wouldn't have traded that one find for 500 finds on a power trail. The one I found was at the entrance to Mikumi National Park in Tanzania.

 

I'm with you. To me, it's not about the stats, it's about the location, challenge, and fun. I'm very jealous of your find though. Tanzania!

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