Hiding first cache

[carrie12]

Hello,

 

We have been caching for about 2 months or so. For us it is a great way to have family time that does not cost a arm and a leg. We havent purchased a PM yet, but do plan to do so. Now that we are 100% sure we want to continue to cache $30 is a fair price to pay for support. Anyway back to topic, when publishing our first cache are there any tips to getting it approved? We live in Dayton Texas and there are not a lot of people out here so if someone has to come physically hunt my cache before it is approved it could be a while. I keep the "Yes, this listing is active" checked, right? Also will it be listed for cachers to come find instantly or must it be approved before it is seen by other members? What about permission, if the cache is on a trail leading to a creek for example. Do I need to attempt to locate the owner for permission even if it is a well traveled path by anyone and everyone? What if the land is Government property, technically the land belongs to us, the American Citizen. I dont think that would fly to the cops though, lol. I am speaking about land not marked with trespass signs. I am sure this has all been asked before but rules and laws change, help keep us n00bs on the Up-N-Up

 

Thanks!

 

an error happened when posting topic. attempting to add a reply, the post originally showed No Text, used add reply to insert original post text...

 

IT WORKED!!

Edited July 9, 2010 by carrie12

[knowschad]

Hello,

 

We have been caching for about 2 months or so. For us it is a great way to have family time that does not cost a arm and a leg. We havent purchased a PM yet, but do plan to do so. Now that we are 100% sure we want to continue to cache $30 is a fair price to pay for support. Anyway back to topic, when publishing our first cache are there any tips to getting it approved? We live in Dayton Texas and there are not a lot of people out here so if someone has to come physically hunt my cache before it is approved it could be a while. I keep the "Yes, this listing is active" checked, right? Also will it be listed for cachers to come find instantly or must it be approved before it is seen by other members? What about permission, if the cache is on a trail leading to a creek for example. Do I need to attempt to locate the owner for permission even if it is a well traveled path by anyone and everyone? What if the land is Government property, technically the land belongs to us, the American Citizen. I dont think that would fly to the cops though, lol. I am speaking about land not marked with trespass signs. I am sure this has all been asked before but rules and laws change, help keep us n00bs on the Up-N-Up

 

Thanks!

 

an error happened when posting topic. attempting to add a reply, the post originally showed No Text, used add reply to insert original post text...

 

IT WORKED!!

 

First, and most important: Read and understand the guidelines. Ask questions of any that you don't understand. Knowing and following that document will go a long way towards avoiding publication issues.

 

Second (and closely related to the first): Make sure you are the required minimum distance from any physical stage of another cache. That includes any waypoints for multi-caches are use a physical container. It does not include any waypoint that does not have a physical container, such as a question to answer, or the posted coordinates of a mystery (puzzle) cache. Unfortunately, it does include the real (solved) coordinates of a mystery cache. Not much you can do about that unless you find them all. The reviewer will let you know.

 

Learn what containers work and what don't. There are many threads here discussing that.

 

Actually, I don't keep the "Yes, this listing is active" checked until I'm certain that I have everything correct. But don't forget to check it when you are really ready to go and the cache is in place.

 

The guidelines say that you need "adequate" permission. That's a huge subject by itself. Let's just say that, if you have any doubt, you probably should get explicit permission. You can also ask your local reviewer if explicit permission is required by the land manager of the area that you wish to hide your cache in.

[+Touchstone]

Some additional reading:

 

Getting Your Cache Listed Quickly

[carrie12]

Local reviewer, so someone physically hunts my cache location? My zip code where I want to hide is 77535. There is a reviewer in my neck of the woods?

 

Thanks

[+StarBrand]

The best advice I can give is to read the guidelines. Then read them again. When you think you understand them - go back and really read them. If your proposed hide fits nicely into all the guidlines then it will be published quickly.

 

By the way - caches are published if they meet the guidelines - not really 'approved'. That kind of implies some higher level of appreciation.

[knowschad]

Local reviewer, so someone physically hunts my cache location? My zip code where I want to hide is 77535. There is a reviewer in my neck of the woods?

 

Thanks

Some reviewers cover very large areas, even other countries. I probably was amiss by using the term, "local", although the reviewer(s) that covers your area may well be local.

 

If you scroll to the bottom of the logs for any cache in your area, except for very old ones, you will see a "Published" log, and the name of the reviewer that published it. At least one of your finds was published by Prime Reviewer (that's his reviewer's caching name, not his title)

[+BulldogBlitz]

Local reviewer, so someone physically hunts my cache location? My zip code where I want to hide is 77535. There is a reviewer in my neck of the woods?

 

Thanks

 

they fly in from seattle. take pictures... make part of the documentary... etc.

[+Isonzo Karst]

As Touchstone has said, Getting Your Cache Listed Quickly is good reading.

 

The main problems that arise when new caches are sumbitted:

 

Problem # 1 saturation - cache too near an existing cache

Problem # 2 saturation - cache too near an existing cache

Problem # 3 saturation - cache too near an existing cache

 

Here's an article on 4.6. Checking for Cache Saturation

 

Here's a link to the Listing Guidelines

 

Note the second and third sentences, " Before a cache is published on the website, a volunteer will review the page for inaccuracies, bad coordinates, and compliance with these guidelines. The physical cache site is not verified."

 

Permission - the state association is often a good place to find lists of specific areas where permission on public property might be required. In Florida, where I cache, some county parks systems have a "place caches freely" policy, and some issue permits. So you'll need to find out if the particular land manager is regulating geocaching.

[+ras_oscar]

No, reviewers do not go out and hunt caches before being published. They assume when you say it's there that it is and that the coords are correct. It'd be a huge undertaking to physically find each before publication, and beyoud the abilities of most reviewers who are, by the way, volunteers.

[carrie12]

Tons of advice, Thanks! I am a little late, what I wanted to do was hide a cache for my daughter B-day and have her see it published while out caching. Always next year I had no idea that there is so much involved. It makes sense now that I think about it. If people were allowed to publish any and what ever they want half the caches might be duds.

 

Thanks

[+niraD]

I am a little late, what I wanted to do was hide a cache for my daughter B-day and have her see it published while out caching. Always next year

Yeah, IME the reviewers are pretty good about helping cache owners publish caches on specific dates, but they need advance warning. The guidelines suggest submitting such caches at least 10 days in advance, but further in advance would be better. That gives you more time to work out any glitches, and if your local reviewer is going to be unavailable on the date in question, it gives him/her time to get another reviewer to handle the actual publication.

[+briansnat]

Tons of advice, Thanks! I am a little late, what I wanted to do was hide a cache for my daughter B-day and have her see it published while out caching. Always next year I had no idea that there is so much involved. It makes sense now that I think about it. If people were allowed to publish any and what ever they want half the caches might be duds.

 

Thanks

 

Depends on when her birthday is. If you submit a cache today, who knows, it might be published today. It all depends on timing.

 

There isn't a lot involved actually. Knowing the guidelines, but that's about it. It should take you all of about 10 minutes to read them.

 

As far as the guidelines preventing duds, that is not their purpose (some people might say that half the caches ARE duds). The guidelines are there to address the concerns of land managers, and other issues that have cropped up over the years, as well as some common sense rules like not hiding caches near schools or other potential terror targets like airports, military bases and government buildings.