Puzzle caches

[+TerraViators]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

[+Don_J]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

The 175 "thoughts" posted yesterday weren't enough?

[+TerraViators]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

The 175 "thoughts" posted yesterday weren't enough?

???

[+SSO JOAT]

Perhaps, judging only by your chosen profile pic, that you are watching too much TV? Get out of the house. You'll like it.

[+John in Valley Forge]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

I have plenty that I have solved but have not gotten out to sign yet. After figuring out a good puzzle, I really want to sign the log and get the announcing that I solved it.

 

Of course there are some puzzles that I solved that are across the country and wont get to find or log, but I enjoy those on rainy days too.

[+power69]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

I have plenty that I have solved but have not gotten out to sign yet. After figuring out a good puzzle, I really want to sign the log and get the announcing that I solved it.

I just write a note thanking for the puzzle if i solved it but the puzzle is too far.

[+redsox_mark]

I don't have this reaction myself; if anything the opposite. Having solved a puzzle I want to find it, and often the choice of where I go caching is driven in large by where a solved puzzle cache is.

Of course I don't always get them right away; some wait in my "solved ready to find" bookmark list until I have time or I am in the area.

[+John in Valley Forge]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

I have plenty that I have solved but have not gotten out to sign yet. After figuring out a good puzzle, I really want to sign the log and get the announcing that I solved it.

I just write a note thanking for the puzzle if i solved it but the puzzle is too far.

 

I never even thought of that. Good idea!

[+Ike 13]

I don't have this reaction myself; if anything the opposite. Having solved a puzzle I want to find it, and often the choice of where I go caching is driven in large by where a solved puzzle cache is.

Of course I don't always get them right away; some wait in my "solved ready to find" bookmark list until I have time or I am in the area.

 

That's my feeling as well. And if I do solve a puzzle way far away a note will suffice, but I'll keep it on a short list for a trip one day.

[hoosier guy]

If that is how you like to play, shoot that's ok. There is no prescribed method

[Andronicus]

I feel for you. most of my find logs for puzzle caches include the sentance "solved last year, finally made the grab" or some similar variant.

[+lamoracke]

well, if you never want to find the puzzle or challenge puzzle container/physical cache and you like doing puzzles....there are lots of books in stores to solve puzzles if you never want to find a cache again.

 

I like to find those caches as I know a lot fewer people will because they have not taken the time to solve/acquire the coordinates.

[+M 5]

If you enjoy puzzles, and would like the CO to keep putting them out for you solve, it is a good idea to find the cache. I have many ideas for caches, and many reasons for placing them. There always has to be some sort of push to take a Cache idea and actually get yourself to take the time to construct the cache page/puzzle, container and place the hide, as well as actively maintain it. The drive to complete a cache hide is obviously different for eveyone, but a find and a nice log can't hurt and probably will help. I agree with some previous posters to write a note on caches that are too far away, to show some appreciation for the CO efforts. I often drop a personal email to a CO of a puzzle that hasn't had much action, when I'm planning on getting them. I've had emails from cachers from hours away, that are coming through town and want to grab a lonely puzzle cache. It gets me off my umm.....chair and to the cache site to check on the cache.

 

edit to clarify...I reread this and when I talk about a find and nice log, I'm talking about on a similar previous hide (lonely cache because of it being a puzzle or difficult terrain). We have a very small sub group around here that does puzzles and harder terrain caches. Everyone will have that sub group, but I wish my areas was bigger.We have about 8-10 that I would like to see grow to 30-40. I'm always happy to see a new name from the area pop up on a tougher cache. It sometimes motivates me to implement an idea I've had brewing for awhile.

Edited December 7, 2010 by M 5

[+succotash]

When we're headed on a road trip we look for solve-ahead puzzle caches along the route. We've often added quite a bit of time to road trips by diverting to go get them - it's a thrill! If it turns out our plans don't allow us to get to the final we'll often post a note to the owner letting them know we enjoyed the puzzle. But for us it is exciting to get the chance to seek the physical cache.

 

I agree with M5 that finding the cache is a way of letting the cache owner know you appreciate the effort put into the puzzle cache. Placing a note in appreciation of the puzzle is another way to do that. We had a puzzler from far away send a nice email about our crossword puzzle when we first put it out, and we really appreciated that too.

[knowschad]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

The 175 "thoughts" posted yesterday weren't enough?

???

Yeah. ??? Is this a duplicate thread? I don't get it.

[+Viajero Perdido]

well, if you never want to find the puzzle or challenge puzzle container/physical cache and you like doing puzzles....there are lots of books in stores to solve puzzles if you never want to find a cache again.

I've never seen a book of puzzles that offered the creativity and entertainment I'm seeing with puzzle caches.

[+wimseyguy]

I like finding caches more than solving puzzles. So no, I never have this feeling. I hope it goes away for you; getting out and finding caches is a lot of fun. I will confess to being occasionally puzzled when an amazing puzzle leads to a very routine hide though-what's up with that?

[+kunarion]

I just write a note thanking for the puzzle if i solved it but the puzzle is too far.

+1

 

I have a puzzle cache, and specify in the description to leave a note.

[+Sagefox]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

We completed the requirements for two challenge caches where the container was/is about 600 miles from our home. Made the long drive and find the first final container two years after completing the requirements. During that trip we completed the second challenge but were too far from the final of that one. Now we wait until our next trip to that area to find that final. Not sure when that will happen because it is off the beaten path.

 

For me, no problem on either aspect. I am patient. It is fun to finally get the container found and logged. It is fun to complete the challenge requirements and I don't lose interest. I only do challenges that are interesting to me, mainly DeLorme and County challenges, and my interest remains intact through the final cache.

[+TerraViators]

Perhaps, judging only by your chosen profile pic, that you are watching too much TV? Get out of the house. You'll like it.

My avatar is just a reference to what many fellow cachers call me. They shorten the TerraViators to just TV. I do get out of the house if you look at my find count and where I've cached.

 

I'm not opposed to finding a puzzle cache, at all. I just find that the thrill is in the puzzle for me and finding the container is secondary to the solve.

[+Don_J]

I find that after solving a puzzle cache or completing the requirements for a challenge cache, that I no longer have an interest in finding the physical container. Of course, I would find it if I was near or it was on the way to wherever I was heading. Your thoughts, please.

 

The 175 "thoughts" posted yesterday weren't enough?

???

Yeah. ??? Is this a duplicate thread? I don't get it.

 

Not exactly a duplicate, but the idea of visiting the final cache, (or not), was discussed at length in Toz's thread about Challenge caches.

 

Obviously there is enough interest here to sustain a separate discussion. My comment was out of line. My apologies to the OP.

[4wheelin_fool]

I like the feature on one puzzle checker site which allows a record of the first person to solve it correctly.

[+WRASTRO]

I play a little sub-game with puzzles from time to time. There are puzzles that I am simply not smart enough or determined enough to solve. Every so often I am able to figure out where the cache is hidden without actually solving the puzzle. I have fun and the puzzle creators are often amused, sometimes perturbed. I really don't have any sympathy for the ones who are perturbed.

 

In just under seven years I have not found any trend toward not wanting to find caches.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

well, if you never want to find the puzzle or challenge puzzle container/physical cache and you like doing puzzles....there are lots of books in stores to solve puzzles if you never want to find a cache again.

I've never seen a book of puzzles that offered the creativity and entertainment I'm seeing with puzzle caches.

 

Same here. The beauty of doing puzzle caches vs. a puzzle book is that a cache has a bonus at the end of solving the puzzle. Whether you actually want to go out and find it is up to you. Many of the really difficult puzzles around here have rather pedestrian hides (according to what the CO writes on the page, at least), so I could see why someone would only care about solving the puzzles for those hides.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I play a little sub-game with puzzles from time to time. There are puzzles that I am simply not smart enough or determined enough to solve. Every so often I am able to figure out where the cache is hidden without actually solving the puzzle. I have fun and the puzzle creators are often amused, sometimes perturbed. I really don't have any sympathy for the ones who are perturbed.

 

In just under seven years I have not found any trend toward not wanting to find caches.

 

Brute forcing mystery caches can be a lot of fun! Hee hee hee. I think I've found four that way, including an FTF. (That really annoyed the 2nd to find who was fifteen minutes behind me...) One CO got a bit miffed when I brute forced two in one day, so I decided not to mention the third one... (Edited logs to eliminate mention of brute force.)

[Clan Riffster]

For me, the solving and the finding are often two entirely separate entities. I enjoy melting what little grey matter I have left, desperately trying to solve things created by folks who are obviously much brighter than I am. My puzzle addiction is so strong, I even find myself stalking the profiles of folks in here, going to their cache hides and trying my hand at their puzzles.

 

Once I solve a local puzzle though, to me, it's just another cache. If the final is something I consider to be lame, like a film can in a parking lot, I won't bother. If I am unsure of the specifics, I might stop by and check things out. If I find myself in some place I don't enjoy spending my limited recreational time, I'll pass.

[+hzoi]

I have gotten into the habit of solving puzzles during non-caching time, such as during short lunch breaks at work. Then I put 'em in my bookmark list of solved puzzles, putting the final coords in the description.

 

I might get out that afternoon, I might not get there for months, but I'll get 'em eventually.