How to reward an extremely hard to get to cache?

[+Dan2099]

I canoe a lot, and there is a bridge structure that burned down in the 60's that I want to attach a cache. It will obviously be the highest difficulty level so what would be something inside of it to be a reward for finding it?

 

Just a bit of info there is no longer a bridge there just various old wooden supports so there is no legal issues, and the river is probably around 100+ yards across. So i was thinking about getting a ammo box and a small chain and nailing the chain and sinking the box about half way or 50 60 yards out.

[GOF and Bacall]

No need to reward someone for finding such a cache. The journey is the reward. I do hope the finders reward you with great logs.

 

If you're going to sink the cache make sure you get a like new ammo can and I suggest placing a Lock&Lock inside of it.

[+cantuland]

...It will obviously be the highest difficulty level so what would be something inside of it to be a reward for finding it? ...

Put in a fifty dollar bill in a ziplock bag with FTF Prize written on the bag.

[+The_Incredibles_]

For most people, finding the cache would be enough reward. However, if you really want to give a prize, money or gift cards are good.

[+Max and 99]

For most people, finding the cache would be enough reward. However, if you really want to give a prize, money or gift cards are good.

 

That's what I do.

[+MartyBartfast]

For most people, finding the cache would be enough reward.

 

I agree. If you want to place a FTF prize how about an unactivated Geocoin?

[+Dan2099]

I don't like the money idea for a couple reasons 1st I'm cheap, 2nd I think if you are geocachin for money that cheapens it. I like the geocoin Idea, how would you all feel about a trophy with FTF and the name of the cache?

[+jellis]

For most people, finding the cache would be enough reward.

 

I agree. If you want to place a FTF prize how about an unactivated Geocoin?

+1

[the3gmen]

You could always extend the finder's Groundspeak membership

[+Dan2099]

You could always extend the finder's Groundspeak membership

 

Awesome idea I think thats what I'll do

[+Gustav129]

I canoe a lot, and there is a bridge structure that burned down in the 60's that I want to attach a cache. It will obviously be the highest difficulty level so what would be something inside of it to be a reward for finding it?

 

Just a bit of info there is no longer a bridge there just various old wooden supports so there is no legal issues, and the river is probably around 100+ yards across. So i was thinking about getting a ammo box and a small chain and nailing the chain and sinking the box about half way or 50 60 yards out.

 

Since you just said how you were going to hide the cache, wouldn't that make it a little less difficult? We have some that you have to scuba dive for around here, they are 3/5. The terrain is 5 because some sort of special gear is required to get to it.

 

I have a similar idea of a cache that I'm going to put out. In a lake near by, there's a bunch of old pilings that just barely stick out of the water. It's an area that's frequented by a lot of fishermen. A small rat's nest of fishing line on the piling, a bobber that's just under the water, and one of those new water proof containers with a weight on it deep enough to not be seen.

 

To a fisherman, it would look like somebody caught "the big one" (a log) that broke their line and "got away". It's not a difficult one to find. I'd probably put it at a 2, maybe 2.5. A geocoin would be just fine for these

 

I had one (second one I put out but it ended up being too close to another) where I hid it in a spot a regular could have fit into the hole. I painted a bison (and ring) brown and buried it to where the ring was just above the dirt. Like I said, the hole in the rocks was big enough to fit a regular in it. But at about arms length (on your stomach, shoulder to the hole) in the hole, there was a little nook that wasn't really visible from the out side of the hole (if you ever worked on your own car, you'll know what I'm talking about). That's a difficulty 5. Or a super crazy puzzle, like a local one with a combination lock box. It has 10 on and off switches. First you test the battery, then you have to guess the correct combination of on/off (a team of puzzle maters was telling me that it took almost 3 hours to unlock the box) to open the box and get the coordinates to the final. Those are 5 difficulty.

 

Now I'm in the process of a series with a bonus puzzle multi-cache (which I may "borrow" the 10 on off switch idea for). Each one is going to be in areas I frequent, but are 50+ miles away from Spokane. There's five in the series. If done in the correct order, and a dedicated trackable item was used, a star will be drawn around Spokane. Since so much traveling is involved, I wouldn't mind putting money in the final for first to find to offset fuels used.

Edited May 7, 2012 by gustav129

[knowschad]

Make a good enough cache that word of mouth will generate enough excitement to bring people to it. It sounds like the cache you are proposing will be just that sort of cache. There will be no need to bribe reward anybody to find it.

[+Isonzo Karst]

what would be something inside of it to be a reward for finding it?

 

A dry log.

 

The notion of "reward for finding it", but then only extending that reward to FTF has always seemed wrong to me. It will be just as demanding for the other finders as it will be for the FTF. The FTF already gets the added "virgin log" buzz, they really don't need some additional prize.

[AZcachemeister]

what would be something inside of it to be a reward for finding it?

 

A dry log.

 

The notion of "reward for finding it", but then only extending that reward to FTF has always seemed wrong to me. It will be just as demanding for the other finders as it will be for the FTF. The FTF already gets the added "virgin log" buzz, they really don't need some additional prize.

 

'Zactly.

 

The bragging rights will last much longer than any monetary reward.

 

"Grandpa, tell us the story of how you FTFed that cache on the bridge piling again!"

[+hzoi]

...It will obviously be the highest difficulty level so what would be something inside of it to be a reward for finding it? ...

 

Never underestimate the power of bragging rights. There's an island cache in the middle of the Rhein River, Hatto's Schatz, that published just before I started caching. The cache owner created a little graphic for the cache description that had the "Hall of Fame" for the first three finders, and the day I set out to find the cache, there were still only two names on the list. Ironically, when I got out there, I found that someone had signed the cache about three hours earlier that day! But I ended up getting an honorable mention because I swam to the cache (the others used a boat). So you could do something like that.

 

A cool, uncommon unactivated geocoin would be neat as well.

 

Side note, I can see why it get a high terrain rating, but not why it would get "the highest difficulty level." Personally, I view terrain as how hard it is to physically get to the cache coordinates, but difficulty is more for how hard it is to ascertain the coordinates (puzzle cache) or how hard it is to actually find the cache (tough camo) or get to the log (puzzle lock or cryptex or something). Hatto's Schatz only had a 1-star difficulty, because once you were on the island, it was a pretty easy find.

[+briansnat]

I think finding such a cache would be reward enough.

[+SwineFlew]

There is one cache that come to mind

 

$25 bucks gift card and the FTFer went after it in the late evening and was still up there after dark. (no trails on the worse part for a few miles) This what some FTFers do just for the "prize" and nothing to do with the cache.

 

I am against putting prizes in extremely hard caches because some FTFers will go after it at any cost without weighting out the dangers. There was some really dangerous places up there that you cant see at night.

 

To date, there is only 3 finders (I am one of them) of that cache and it been two years since it been published.

[+fuzziebear3]

I do play at FTF sometimes, but very seldom do I take the FTF prize -- I usually leave it for the second finder, or someone later.

 

The find is enough for me, the FTF designation is the extra gravy!

[+bladesedge]

I chase the FTFs too - managed to get one this morning too - beat someone who was already at GZ looking for it! The find is reward enough.

 

I do like the GC idea if anything. Its a gift that keeps on giving to everyone. You give it to the finder, but then they release it and off it goes rewarding everyone else who finds it.

[+walkin with jesus]

I once received a free one year membership to geocaching that's how I got started it was a great gift