Secret Caches

[+Mr.Benchmark]

Back to my original post. (A little more specific)

1. Do others encounter bad or inappropriate hides which a group/clique of people have found to be good/acceptable with no issues raised.

 

2. Do you post critical comments or 'needs archived' when you find a bad puzzle/hide that others think is great.

 

If someone has issues with any of my caches, I want to hear about them. I'll correct my mistakes or move the cache.

 

What? Your original post:

 

I'd like some opinions.

 

In my area there seem to be quite a few caches that only a very few people can find. Some are puzzles and some are traditional. I read the descriptions and hints(if there are any) and find no useful information to help me with the find. When I read the logs, everyone who has posted a find on a particular cache mentions that they finally found it after getting extra info from either the CO or someone else who got it from the CO. But the cache owner won't post that info on the cache page itself. This frustrates me to no end. Some of these COs want people to kiss their butt before they share the 'secret' info. Some of them expect you to show up at one of the event meetings to get it.

 

My opinion is, all the info I need should be on the cache page, or is publicly available(as for a puzzle) in order to find a cache. I shouldn't have to suck up to the local geo-clique in order to find a cache. I realize some caches are just really clever and I might not catch on right away. I don't have a problem emailing another cacher if I see several people have found the cache on their own. But, how much 'inner circle-good ol' boys-country club' BS should we tolerate in this hobby? If it seems the only way to find a cache is to kiss the CO butt, or pander to the local geo-clique, should that cache be archived?

 

Yes, I realize there are inner circles in every group/business. I try to avoid that type of high school behavior.

 

Comments?

 

I don't mean to be rude, but it seems like you keep changing the subject, and I am unsure of what you want from this thread. For example:

 

- you don't want to engage in sucking up to the local clique

 

- but you are concerned about what others think? Huh?

 

Is your point is just that you think it's bad that local groups of friends turn a blind eye to stuff that isn't exactly "by-the-book" because of their relationships? For stuff that violates guidelines, sure, I can see that as a problem. Puzzles that are mostly solveable only with info from the CO, or from group finds - well, unless I was having fun working the puzzle anyway, I guess I wouldn't see much point in working those.

 

Or is your point just that some locals are annoying you, and you are just feel like complaining about it, all the while declaring you don't care for high-school type antics? I'm not trying to be rude, just unsure of what you really want, other than to express your unhappiness over the behavior of people with whom you don't care to associate?

[+DanOCan]

For me, it's simple. If the cache appears to be in violation of the guidelines I'll post a NA log and let the reviewer sort it out. If it just doesn't happen to be the kind of cache I enjoy, I'll Ignore it.

[+redsox_mark]

1. Do others encounter bad or inappropriate hides which a group/clique of people have found to be good/acceptable with no issues raised.

 

2. Do you post critical comments or 'needs archived' when you find a bad puzzle/hide that others think is great.

 

If I think a cache is bad or inappropriate, I will say so. Sometimes others have raised similar issues, sometimes not. I choose my words carefully though, to make it clear it is just my opinion. And I try to also point out good points (if any). So I might say: "A good waterproof container, but I did not feel comfortable with the cache location".

[+dprovan]

The reason I started this thread is because I see a lot of bad cache hides which are dragging the hobby down. I wanted to know if anyone else sees this and what they do about it. I guess the answer is, no one cares.

Oh, OK. No, I don't see that. Yes, I care. On the occasional problematic hide, I post an appropriate log entry. As with anything else I do, I take responsibility for my actions and would never dream of posting the note anonymously. If someone reacts negatively, I try to learn from any mistakes I made in my comments, but otherwise I just move on.

[sidsefrank]

For example: http://coord.info/GC1DG73

 

I love a hard puzzle! It is so much more rewarding than solving a easy puzzle.

I think geocaching would be less fun without.

 

But one year ago I could not solve hard puzzles. I asked CO for help and some was very helpfull and I learned a lot.

And have now solved more than 300. 29% of my finds are type unknown.

 

Now one year later I get FTF om many hard D4-5 puzzels.

 

OZ2CPU asked me about the GC1DG73 some days ago and I in less than 5 minute, I solved it.

(or I think so as im on the other side of the earth unable to check my solution...).

 

Some puzzle I work on for many hours. Some even without results. Then I might ask CO for a hint.

I have also made many hard puzzles and the might seems impossible, but all can be solved with the information on the cache page.

(and people do solve them with out help).

 

This said I also belive that a cache impossible to solve without more information from CO are stupid.

I would ignore such cache.

[sidsefrank]

you should check out a few of my puzzles :-)

some are plain nasty offcourse as payback to some locals here who wasted alot of my time.

 

Why try to solve a D4 or 5 cache if you feel solving it is a waste of time?

D4-5 are supposed to take long time to solve. (Else you are lucky or the cache are rated wrong).

There are so many other easy out there you can get.

 

I love hard puzzles and even the caches you claim "nasty and payback" I love.

Yes the solution are a bit silly but you did put some greate idears into the puzzles and I had a good time trying to solve the puzzles, and learned some new tricks.

 

People (and geocachers) are different some like hard puzzles, some climbing trees.

Im sure geocaching have room for all of us if we just show respect for what other like also.