should we trying to make them "hard" to find?

[+mchaos]

Okay,

 

I notice this about some people who place caches. I recently placed a cache specifically to make it hard to find, but it was more to be creative, but it seems like some people are all about trying to make them impossible to find for any one.

 

I generally make them hard to find for a muggle and that's it. In general I would actually like my cache to be found.

 

SO......

 

What are you trying to do when you hide a cache?

 

Making a creative hide?

 

Making impossible to find?

 

Just putting them out to hide as many of them as you can?

 

Make them real easy to find?

 

Lets hear it...

[+roziecakes]

I admit that I'm more of a 'place a cache for the area' kind of hider rather than a 'make it difficult' kind of hider. I like to hide caches in historically interesting, beautiful, or sentimental places that I think people would enjoy, and my containers are well-cammoed, but not particularly creative, I must admit.

 

The reason why is because I'm not particularly handy when it comes to things like tools to create things (give me a website though, and I'm awesome), nor do I own a bunch of tools that I could make creative caches out of.

 

But, I'm darn good at cache maintenance, and I like helping people see places they might not normally go.

[+bittsen]

I typically hide for geocachers to find the cache and muggle to not find it. That sometimes creates a fine line.

 

When I come across a cache that was made difficult for the sake of being difficult, I like to complain, search a little half-heartedly and then move on. Sometimes I will even leave a snarky DNF message. Other times I just say something like "maybe next time" which is bittsenspeak for "probably will ignore this one in the future".

[+GrateBear]

Well, there is a reason why there are difficulty ratings from 1 to 5. I've never found a 5 but I love looking for the hard ones. Much more satisfaction finding one of those every so often instead of LPCs.

[+coffee/wired]

I have hid really easy to find ones, and ones that seasoned cachers look several times for before finding.

 

I personally enjoy hiding the hard, well-camo'd micro/small ones more so than the "ammo can in a bush" type. I enjoy finding any and all of them.

[+mchaos]

I have hid really easy to find ones, and ones that seasoned cachers look several times for before finding.

 

I personally enjoy hiding the hard, well-camo'd micro/small ones more so than the "ammo can in a bush" type. I enjoy finding any and all of them.

 

I think an ammo can bush hid would be lame. I like well hidden ammo cans. Seen some good ones. matter of fact, I don't particularly like bush hides, although I do have one hidden in a bush lol. Its at a place place with some history tho, and there wasn't a lot of places to hide it. The bush was the only place. I wouldn't mind finding a bush hide if it was at a nice place.

Edited June 12, 2010 by mchaos

[+dfx]

they're all good:

 

large caches with good stuff in them, anywhere.

any caches in interesting/nice locations.

challenging and well-done hides.

caches in challenging locations.

interesting or challenging puzzles.

unusual/creatives hides.

etc.

 

basically anything that has some thought put into it.

[knowschad]

I think those caches that leave the finder feeling clever but not frustrated are the most well liked, based on both my own experience, and with what I've heard and seen with my own caches. Its a tough balance to achieve, and you won't be able to achieve it all the time. But when you do, you will know it, and be rewarded, by the logs.

Few like caches that they have to return to many times, and few really enjoy a cache that they can just walk right up to (although they may appreciate the quick find so they can get to the next number on their list).

[+Chokecherry]

I like creatively hidden, not necessarily hard for the sake of hard. When my mom and I go she enjoys finding them a lot and doesn't have a lot of energy or stamina anymore to search for hours for a nano glued to a tree in hte middle of the forest. And if we're traveling we try to get a bunch of caches so we don't have time to devote to difficult to find caches nor is there likely going to be a second trip back for some of these.

[+Pirates of Prescott]

I love a creative difficult find. "AS LONG AS IT ISN'T IN THE WOODS!!!"

[+kunarion]

What are you trying to do when you hide a cache?

To have muggles not notice the container as they pass by. I have coords set as good as possible, and hints that should narrow it down pretty well. My hides tend to be much harder for less experienced cachers than I expected, much too easy for experienced. Edited June 12, 2010 by kunarion

[+Setan Meyacha]

I have a bunch of both; easy to find and difficult to find. However, most of my desert hides are probably a little more difficult than the 'average' cacher would like to search for. But, I don't try to fool anyone with an easy rating either. And every once in awhile I'll change things up when the local cachers become too used to how I hide my caches; different type of container, different method of hiding, etc. The series I'm working on now has a Mystery Cache to work for. The containers are varied and so are the methods of hiding them. Doubt anyone will find all the clues the first time around, but the area is worth the hunt whether you find them or not.

[+cr4zybilly]

I say hide 'em like you want to find them. But rate them appropriately.

 

Sometimes I'm in the mood just to get out and hike or to grab some easy micros. In that case, I'm hoping for easy finds. Other times, I want something more rewarding/challenging.

 

What I DON'T like is getting to a cache that's rated 2/1.5 and finding out it's a micro hidden somewhere on one of 5 cedar trees. Now, if I knew the same cache was a 4 difficulty, I'd be ok w/ that--there's more payoff that way. But if it's rated low, but it's a tough find, I'm hesitant to spend a half an hour looking for something that very well might be gone.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The way I see it, there are a gazillion caches out there that are easy to find park-n-grabs that only seem to exist to provide an easily find for those more interested in increasing the find count than anything else. There is also a subset of cachers that really enjoy a challenge, the satisfaction of finding a difficult find, or a long hike. Rather than add yet another easy find for numbers hounds, why not create something for the subset of geocachers that appreciate an innovative hide or just something the provides a different geocaching experience from the run-of-the-mill cache that has become far too common.

[+briansnat]

I place caches to be found. If I get a DNF on one of my caches I see it as a failure on my part. Others place caches to fool other cachers and revel in DNFs on their caches.

 

There is a place in the sport for both types.

[+Chokecherry]

There's a park and grab easy find and then there is a container that isn't hid exceptionally difficult at the end of a beautiful hike into a nice historic or scenic place. Not all easy to locate caches are park and grabs there is a difference there.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

There's a park and grab easy find and then there is a container that isn't hid exceptionally difficult at the end of a beautiful hike into a nice historic or scenic place. Not all easy to locate caches are park and grabs there is a difference there.

 

That's true. My point was more that there are lots of caches available that require very little effort, whether it's related to locating the container (as reflected in the difficulty rating) or how far one most go to access it (quantified by the terrain rating). As briansnat said, there's room for both types. There are just a lot more caches out that that require little effort, so as long as the cache is rated correctly there's even more room for caches which require more effort.

[+power69]

I like hard but not hard as in needle in haystack no thought hides.

[+StarBrand]

I try to make my hides in interesting places, little known places, beautiful places, places with a story. Then I hide a cache nearby. Sometimes they take a bit to find but generally within 20 to 30 minutes or less.

[+hat_man]

I only have 4 hides out there but they are placed for different reasons. two are placed for the wonderful view they provide. Of these two one is 20' from the parking area and one is 3/4+ mile walk in the woods on groomed trails. One is made to be hard to find but super easy to walk to. And one is a spoof on all the magnetic nanos that have inundated our area. I try and make the cache pages interesting and sometimes funny and give accurate coord's. To me, a great cache would be a 3/3 cache. Just hard enough to give the finder a feeling of accomplishment for the smiley and just hard enough to give the hider a feeling of a job well done.

 

The hides that bother me are the ones where you can tell the hider has gone down the road/path/bike trail/etc. with GPS in hand and says "Well, we're a 1/10th mile from the last one. Now then, where's a spot to throw this film can/magnetic/etc." We all play the game diffrently so I will never fault this type of hider, but to me, it takes some of the creativity out of the game.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I try to make my hides in interesting places, little known places, beautiful places, places with a story. Then I hide a cache nearby. Sometimes they take a bit to find but generally within 20 to 30 minutes or less.

 

I'm taking a more general approach. Going forward, my goal for any hides I create will be to attempt to provide a distinctive geocaching experience. That might mean hiding it in an interesting place, a little known place, a beautiful place, a place that might require a bit of walk from a parking spot, an interesting story or theme, a unique type of hide or container, a container that is difficult to find or access, or some combination that might make the cache memorable.

[+hat_man]

You sound like my kinda cacher NYPC . Now if we could only clone you .

 

Not making any judgements on other hiders here...........I'm just sayin'.

[+mchaos]

I think those caches that leave the finder feeling clever but not frustrated are the most well liked, based on both my own experience, and with what I've heard and seen with my own caches. Its a tough balance to achieve, and you won't be able to achieve it all the time. But when you do, you will know it, and be rewarded, by the logs.

Few like caches that they have to return to many times, and few really enjoy a cache that they can just walk right up to (although they may appreciate the quick find so they can get to the next number on their list).

 

I am getting good comments on the log for the one I hid on the transformer box. Every one seems to like it. They all think its clever, even tho a few have seen others like it.

 

I could have made it super hard. All I had to do is move it the the underside of that nook. I was about too, but then I thought.."I want to make it hard to find, but not impossible. I want people to find it. I just don't want muggles to find it."

 

So I hid it where it was.

 

A person or 2 has said they had to come back for it. So its hard, but still able to be found. I think people are finding it fun. Especially because its near a big parking lot. You would think another LPH, but its not.

[+angela1964]

I like the ones you have to work out a puzzle to find and ones in interesting locations where it is obvious where it is when you have the hint. I don't see the point of searching under hundreds of stones or rummaging through endless nettly tree stumps. That doesn't add to my enjoyment of the find. 1 tree root is pretty much the same as another. If I'm in the right place I like to be able to find it quickly and move on.

[+wildflower60]

I like caches that are on the difficult side to find, ones that I have to really look for and spend some time on. What I DON'T like are the difficult caches that are dangerous to get to...like a cache that's 30' up a tree...Why would the CO want a cacher to climb a tree and risk falling and breaking an arm or leg? I've located one cache that you had to lean out over a bridge (rocks at bottom, not water) and catch onto a steel wire that had the cache hanging from it! Caching should be a game, but not so dangerous that you risk getting hurt. I guess some people would try for the "find" but not me. Give me a puzzle cache any day!

[knowschad]

I think those caches that leave the finder feeling clever but not frustrated are the most well liked, based on both my own experience, and with what I've heard and seen with my own caches. Its a tough balance to achieve, and you won't be able to achieve it all the time. But when you do, you will know it, and be rewarded, by the logs.

Few like caches that they have to return to many times, and few really enjoy a cache that they can just walk right up to (although they may appreciate the quick find so they can get to the next number on their list).

 

I am getting good comments on the log for the one I hid on the transformer box. Every one seems to like it. They all think its clever, even tho a few have seen others like it.

 

I could have made it super hard. All I had to do is move it the the underside of that nook. I was about too, but then I thought.."I want to make it hard to find, but not impossible. I want people to find it. I just don't want muggles to find it."

 

So I hid it where it was.

 

A person or 2 has said they had to come back for it. So its hard, but still able to be found. I think people are finding it fun. Especially because its near a big parking lot. You would think another LPH, but its not.

Sounds like you achieved that balance. I've only found one that used the idea of being the same color. I've found many that use letters and/or numbers.

[GOF and Bacall]

No need to worry about easy or hard. Worry about if they are going to be fun.

[+simpjkee]

When I place caches, my #1 goal is maximizing the enjoyment of the finders. For that reason, I've never considered placing a PITA cache with the intention of racking up DNF's.

[GeoFamily57]

Caches are meant to be found.

If you put a cache at the end of a 12-mile hike or a grueling climb, it is just mean to place a devious hide after the physical challenge to get there.

[knowschad]

Caches are meant to be found.

If you put a cache at the end of a 12-mile hike or a grueling climb, it is just mean to place a devious hide after the physical challenge to get there.

Have you found a lot of caches in your area to be on 12 mile hikes and/or grueling climbs?

[GeoFamily57]

Caches are meant to be found.

If you put a cache at the end of a 12-mile hike or a grueling climb, it is just mean to place a devious hide after the physical challenge to get there.

Have you found a lot of caches in your area to be on 12 mile hikes and/or grueling climbs?

no.

[knowschad]

Caches are meant to be found.

If you put a cache at the end of a 12-mile hike or a grueling climb, it is just mean to place a devious hide after the physical challenge to get there.

Have you found a lot of caches in your area to be on 12 mile hikes and/or grueling climbs?

no.

Its true that caches are (almost always) meant to be found, but some are meant to be found with a lot more difficulty than others. In Indiana, where you hail from, there is a series by IndyMagicMan called the "Shelter" series. Shelter III looks like a fun one.

[GeoFamily57]

Caches are meant to be found.

If you put a cache at the end of a 12-mile hike or a grueling climb, it is just mean to place a devious hide after the physical challenge to get there.

Have you found a lot of caches in your area to be on 12 mile hikes and/or grueling climbs?

no.

Its true that caches are (almost always) meant to be found, but some are meant to be found with a lot more difficulty than others. In Indiana, where you hail from, there is a series by IndyMagicMan called the "Shelter" series. Shelter III looks like a fun one.

thanks, I'll check that out. I live near the "River Greenway" trail along the St. Joe River and there is a pair of caches called "So Close" and "Yet So Far" in there that look like a nice hike by the water.

[+Fruitbasket1]

I have placed some for different reasons

 

Like one as an easy find for people..plus its right behind my house yey!

 

but then I have placed some for the view that it presents, I want them to be enjoyed something that you can find in 10 minutes

 

Geocachers should find caches

[+narcissa]

It depends on the cache. I've placed several different kinds of caches ranging from very easy to almost-came-to-blows-over-FTF hard. I think it's important to specify the nature of the cache in the description, so people can skip it if it's not to their taste.

[viper1986]

I have to say, i LIKE getting DNFs only to see a log the next day of "GREAT hide!"

 

I like the 5/5 and 4/5 hides

The best type! I like lookn forever only to fail and the next day be shown how dumb i am