Need feedback on my 1st hide as CO

[bjybjy]

Hi all,

 

I'm using a different screen name than my normal account so it is less likely someone links this post and the cache if I do put it out.

 

I work at a well known family themed public instituton that has a large footprint in the middle of a city. There are a few caches in parks local to where I work but nothing on our grounds and I want to bring the fun and challenge of geocaching to us, but I don't want it to be something as mundane as an LPC or guard-rail cache (nothing wrong with those, but I want our cache to be unique). It will also be my first hide so I wanted it to be special, and would love your feedback on this idea:

 

The name would be something like "X Marks the Spot" and the cache would be hidden inside of a custom built wooden sign. The sign would have two 'signage' panels and 4 wooden sides creating essentially a box with a thin hollow space inside. A small hole would be drilled in a the corner with a plug attached that would conceal it.

 

Inside I would attach a chain and attach a small cache to the end of it that is glued to a large metal washer. This would be completely hidden from sight. At the spot where the washer hangs when at rest I would place an X on the outside of the sign, perhaps using the word EXIT.

 

The goal would be for the geocacher to use a magnet to guide the metal cache hanging behind the X upto and then out of the hole.

 

I would leave a hint of 'magnetic' to decrypt.

 

Would it be too mean of me to not tell people to bring their own magnet? The other option I have is to make the plug also be a strong magnet like the heart of a speaker.

 

I'm sure someone also has had the idea to do this but I havn't encountered this yet. If you think this idea is ok to submit, what difficulty level would you label this?

 

Sorry for the long post.

 

Thanks for any input you can give!

[+d+n.s]

sounds cool! ne problem that comes to mind is the cacher replacing the cache after they have found it... unless I misunderstand...

 

Remember, many cachers can barely be trusted to put the cache back where they found it with a regular plain jane cache

[bjybjy]

sounds cool! ne problem that comes to mind is the cacher replacing the cache after they have found it... unless I misunderstand...

 

Remember, many cachers can barely be trusted to put the cache back where they found it with a regular plain jane cache

 

It would be a small screw top container and all the finder would have to do is screw the bottom back on the top (the top is attached to the chain) and drop it back in the hole. Hopefully that wouldn't be too hard but who knows...

[+Isonzo Karst]

In my part of the world, many cachers carry a hook on a line. They'd be using that, not a magnet, to retrieve your cache. Just FYI.

[+Keelmann And Cici]

If by "themed institution" you mean theme park, the first problem I suspect you'd run into is permission. All theme parks I'm aware of deny geocaching placement. The hide sounds cool however.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

If by "themed institution" you mean theme park, the first problem I suspect you'd run into is permission. All theme parks I'm aware of deny geocaching placement. The hide sounds cool however.

This was going to be my comment.

 

Theme parks are corporate entities and usually guided by liability lawyers. Good luck on the "adequate" permission issue.

 

EDIT: Add to that, you a "intruding" with an activity that their for profit property receives no income. The Board of Directors ain't gonna be happy with that.

Edited July 11, 2011 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

If by "themed institution" you mean theme park, the first problem I suspect you'd run into is permission. All theme parks I'm aware of deny geocaching placement. The hide sounds cool however.

 

And there's the issue of needing to pay to get in.

[+addisonbr]

I love the idea and would be overjoyed to find something so creative on my own travels. Here are a few thoughts / concerns, many of which have already been voiced by others:

 

1) I share the worry about the "themed institution" with a large footprint - you'll definitely want to make sure that you run things by both the folks who manage the space, and by the local reviewer. If, for example, there is an admission charge, you'll face a very difficult road getting this cache approved. If the space is run by the government, you may have an easier time of it from the reviewer side of things (for example, parkland run by the federal government with a nominal hiking permit is usually okay). One key is to be up-front and ask about all of that stuff with the reviewer ahead of time, after you've researched it but before you submit for publication. I find that things go a lot more smoothly when a reviewer is involved in the "how can we get this to work out" conversation early.

 

2) I don't think it would be mean of you not to warn people about bringing a magnet, but I also think the game has changed a lot in the last few years. A while back, I think the typical cacher may have encountered your box, not known what to do, and puzzled it out over time. Discovering through clues or etc. that a magnet is required may have been a fun Aha! moment. These days there seem to be a higher percentage of people who try to minimize the "search time / smiley" ratio as much as possible, which I think will lead to people "solving" your cache in ways you didn't anticipate. There would be a lot more going around the intended solution (such as Isonzo Karst's example of the hook on a line). And you might even find that your box is at risk of getting taken apart, depending on how well it's constructed.

 

With (2) in mind you might consider listing the cache as an Unknown. That does have a tendency to filter out some of the pure numbers / speed cachers. And in the description, being very clear that it's not enough to be near the container - but that retrieving it, opening it and signing the log are all required, should send a signal that the cache may require a special approach (like a monkey puzzle container).

 

Good luck! If it lists, please return to the thread and post an update.

[+DanOCan]

As others noted, permission will be the big issue.

 

Also consider how the cachers will look to the other patrons of the park -- if they are seen messing around with the exit sign will it lead to someone reporting them to security or even the bomb squad?

 

I think it would be a nice courtesy to mention that people should bring a magnet, or find a creative way to hide one nearby and simply tell people "Everything needed to retrieve the cache can be found on site if you look hard enough." or some such thing.

 

Without seeing the cache it's hard for me to suggest a Difficulty, but I've seen similar type caches listed with a 2.5 or 3.

[bjybjy]

Thanks for the input everyone. FYI It is not a theme park, and I would be going through all the proper channels to get permission, etc. The cache would be 100% available without paying.

 

I think I will use security screws to discourage people from trying to take it apart.

[+Don_J]

You can also make it a multi offset. Hide a magnet at the listed coordinates. In the listing, tell them that they will find a "tool" at the listed coordinates and then use hints to guide them to the container. Of course, the problem then becomes getting them to return the tool.

 

I think that most cachers that take the time to figure out the more complex caches, containers, field puzzles, etc are not normally the type that will save a few moments by skipping putting everything back the way it's supposed to be. The type that are running from cache to cache trying to build numbers, usually wouldn't stop long enough to read your cache page, much less try to solve a puzzle on the ground.