Favorite Challenge Caches?

[+geocat_]

I have found over 40 "challenge caches" and have hidden about a half dozen too. I really enjoy the "game within a game" it brings to Geocaching. I am thinking of placing 2 or 3 new challenge caches. I was wondering what YOUR favorite challenge cache is

[+webscouter.]

I really liked Cache across America

[+Mudfrog]

I have found over 40 "challenge caches" and have hidden about a half dozen too. I really enjoy the "game within a game" it brings to Geocaching. I am thinking of placing 2 or 3 new challenge caches. I was wondering what YOUR favorite challenge cache is

 

I really liked the couple of bingo type challenges that i've found. Unfortunately, the guidelines changed earlier this year making it a bit harder to create them. Caches that utilize dates in some way are fun but the newer guidelines can get in the way of them too, depending on how you try to set them up.

 

I do have one that i made up which i think is a bit different. That One Cache. It's a bit challenging for some but that's what i feel a challenge cache is supposed to be.

 

Of course the Fizzy type challenges are fun but there are plenty of them around these days.

[+geocat_]

I like the "That One Cache" idea!

[+lamoracke]

I like challenges where you have tenable goals and maybe are not locked into specific caches all over the country.

 

I have enjoyed Thomas Guide challenges over a county sized map. Have done 5 in Washington (King, Thurston, Pierce, Island, and Snohomish).

 

Enjoyed the Jasmer challenge, the Washington Fizzy challenge and working on my 100 Oldies but Goodies Challenge. Also my Island Hopping challenge was fun for me, to get a cache on all these islands in the state. The Delorme challenge and Statewide County challenges are great institutions too.

 

To be honest, getting very bored of streak challenges. I quit at 400, but there has been a 410, a 475, 500, 1079, and many other numbers in between in my state. I like the idea of a streak but when there are like 12 different streak challenges in the same state, it gets a bit boring.

 

Also, I like the Washington State History challenge where you need to find all the oldest caches in the state. We also have a Favorites challenge where you get all the most favorited caches in the state. Sometimes finding caches based on names and numbers or CO names, etc, can be fun too.

 

Oh, filling up the calendar was fun too. I did that before I did my streak.

Edited November 12, 2012 by lamoracke

[+niraD]

The only challenge I'm actively working on is the Bay Area Quadrangle Challenge, so I guess that would have to be my favorite.

 

I've completed my "Finds for Each Day of the Year" grid, but I did that just for fun. I don't know of any nearby challenge caches that would use it. There's a local 365-day-streak challenge cache, but that isn't the same thing at all, and it's on my ignore list.

 

I've got the Jasmer challenge on my ignore list too. If the Fizzy Challenge were within my blast radius, I'd have it on my ignore list too. Actually, most of the challenge caches I've heard of would end up on my ignore list if they were within my blast radius.

[Mr.Yuck]

I liked the 366 days of caching challenge, which I'm sure is known by many different names in many different places. You know, fill in the 366 days of the year, overall for your career. I also did, and liked, one where you had to visit 100 Waymarks. Because who really visits Waymarks, let alone 100 of them?

Edited November 12, 2012 by Mr.Yuck

[+Spikester1]

Given the rule changes for challenges, it would appear that many of the challenges will not be approved based on todays standards.. a recent one in our area was denied as "it changed the nature of people's caching".. therefor a puzzle that required above a 2D/2T status could not be approved... if that is the case, the cache day (birthday required terrain 3/3), fizzy, cache-a-day and many others would not meet the criteria since they would require someone to change the nature of their caching.

[+CanadianRockies]

Given the rule changes for challenges, it would appear that many of the challenges will not be approved based on todays standards.. a recent one in our area was denied as "it changed the nature of people's caching".. therefor a puzzle that required above a 2D/2T status could not be approved... if that is the case, the cache day (birthday required terrain 3/3), fizzy, cache-a-day and many others would not meet the criteria since they would require someone to change the nature of their caching.

Did the challenge cache that was denied because "it changed the nature of people's caching" get denied because it required finding a 2D/2T cache? Or did it require a certain percentage of caches be 2/2 and harder?

 

I'd be rather surprised if a Fizzy-type cache was denied, even under the new guidelines. Indeed, Alberta had a Fizzy challenge cache published in June, well after the new restrictions came out.

[+fizzymagic]

This birthday challenge near me was just approved. So it seems like those are OK.

[+OZ2CPU]

I liked a few, here are the ones I remember most:

 

222 days in a row,

366 days in a row,

a few 365 days,

all matrix 81

at least 5 T 5

streak vs slumb (very hard for me, easy for others)

and 10 contries and 10% caches in not own contry

8 islands in one day

at least 1000 km distance two caches in one day

over 400 caches in one day

3 contries in one day

and many many more

 

----

 

we also see ALOT of challenge-caches we do not like !!

some are just compleetly nuts, no fun, or designed only for 3 people in the world,

amazing such bad stuff gets approved,

those are just put on our ignore list..

one important thing we learned about geocaching is :

you dont need to like or understand it all..

you dont need to find or solve them all..

just do those you like and understand,

and accept others if they like something you dont like.

Edited November 12, 2012 by OZ2CPU

[+dprovan]

My favorite challenge was A Challenge of Resolve which challenges you to find exactly one cache in a month. Extra credit for making it the one cache.

[+wimseyguy]

Given the rule changes for challenges, it would appear that many of the challenges will not be approved based on todays standards.. a recent one in our area was denied as "it changed the nature of people's caching".. therefor a puzzle that required above a 2D/2T status could not be approved... if that is the case, the cache day (birthday required terrain 3/3), fizzy, cache-a-day and many others would not meet the criteria since they would require someone to change the nature of their caching.

 

If the challenge required you to have an average rating above that threshold then it might not be published for that reason.

If it was merely find any puzzle with that rating I don't see why it wouldn't get listed. Your post isn't really clear what the problem is with the 2/2 rating.

 

My favorite challenge was A Challenge of Resolve which challenges you to find exactly one cache in a month. Extra credit for making it the one cache.

 

I think this would be an example of a challenge that might not get published today based on the 'change the nature of their caching'. In order to qualify you have to not cache for an entire month. That would certainly be a change for many of us, and probably has this one on a lot of ignore lists.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Spikester1's post with, "required above a 2D/2T status could not be approved...birthday required terrain 3/3..would not meet the criteria," did some mixing of apples and oranges. A ratio of D/T ratings in all of a cachers finds over their whole caching career won't be published now. A challenge should set out a goal of a set of defined caches to attempt, not outline the shape of your entire caching experience. The short form of the restriction added in March might be "no ratios" for the cacher's lifetime stats. You might get "terrain 2 or above for one month" challenge published.

 

The first time I ever heard about the Jasmer, I immediately wanted it. On the other hand, I've never cared a thing about filling my calendar (cache a day) or any streaks. I figure I cache when it's convenient, and I don't when it isn't.

 

Some of the sillier challenges are kinda fun - the mostly "bookkeeping" challenges - example, caches with the colors of the Olympic rings in the title. This is about going through your finds and picking the red, blue, etc caches that you enjoyed the most. Not terribly challenging, but still fun, and something to aim at for the cachers with fewer finds, no "yellow".

 

I like the idea of a lonely cache challenge (find cache that's been unfound for a year). There isn't one around me - I'm not going to own one, as it could be seen as promoting my own caches ;-)....

[+dprovan]

I think this would be an example of a challenge that might not get published today based on the 'change the nature of their caching'.

Yeah, I'm afraid you might be right that it would have trouble getting published today, although, personally, I think it's a lot less intrusive than the many, repetitive streak challenges. Meeting this challenge, I just had to do something else for a month, no big deal. It was a great chance to walk around some areas I hadn't been for a while because I'd gotten all the caches there. For 366 day streak challenge, I had to cache every single day for a year. Talk about "change the nature of their caching"!

 

In order to qualify you have to not cache for an entire month. That would certainly be a change for many of us, and probably has this one on a lot of ignore lists.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was on a lot of ignore lists, and there have been very few takers, but it also has 15 people watching it.

[GrandPotentate]

The only problem with birthday challenge caches is what happens when your birthday is Feb 29th? Do you have have wait a couple of years before attempting the challenge?

[+Mudfrog]

The only problem with birthday challenge caches is what happens when your birthday is Feb 29th? Do you have have wait a couple of years before attempting the challenge?

 

That gives me an idea. Find 100 or more caches in a single day. That day being the 29th of Feburary..

 

Nope, i wouldn't place one like that. On the otherhand, i would think it meets gc guidelines and could be published.

[+uccacher]

SherpaRon's All-Star Day Challenge.This may be my favorite challenge cache to date. Not too difficult but fun

 

The "Lost Challenge" Which wouldn't be allowed under the new "remove the fun from caching" rules because heaven forbid someone should have to limit their number of finds for a few days. There is the ignore feature if you don't care to do it.

 

The Caching Disorder Challenge Find at least one cache. Love this one that is a direct slap in the face to all of the crazy challenges that I enjoy

 

Challenge "Resurrection"

 

The Pennsylvania All Counties ChallengeIt took us two years to get to the final after completing the requirments but we had a great time traveling around our home state considering we live in one of the extreme corners.

 

Challenges that I don't care for go on my ignore list although I have one of those that I'm working on and have completed the requirements for another.

[+Don_J]

Given the rule changes for challenges, it would appear that many of the challenges will not be approved based on todays standards.. a recent one in our area was denied as "it changed the nature of people's caching".. therefor a puzzle that required above a 2D/2T status could not be approved... if that is the case, the cache day (birthday required terrain 3/3), fizzy, cache-a-day and many others would not meet the criteria since they would require someone to change the nature of their caching.

 

If the challenge required you to have an average rating above that threshold then it might not be published for that reason.

If it was merely find any puzzle with that rating I don't see why it wouldn't get listed. Your post isn't really clear what the problem is with the 2/2 rating.

Regarding the underlined, finding this challenge would require me to change my nature of caching as I don't typically look for puzzle caches. In my opinion, this should be the entire point of a challenge cache, to get people to do caches that they normally wouldn't do. In other words, to change the nature of their caching. It's like challenging me to eat a bug. If I eat bugs on a daily basis, then it's not a challenge. Every challenge cache out there is asking at least one cacher to change their nature. I think that they have it backwards here as long as the part about not finding caches is not violated.

 

 

My favorite challenge was A Challenge of Resolve which challenges you to find exactly one cache in a month. Extra credit for making it the one cache.

 

I think this would be an example of a challenge that might not get published today based on the 'change the nature of their caching'. In order to qualify you have to not cache for an entire month. That would certainly be a change for many of us, and probably has this one on a lot of ignore lists.

 

I think that challenging people NOT to find caches has been against the guidelines going back beyond this years changes. (I may be wrong). I'm surprised that that particular cache got published.

[+Don_J]

Spikester1's post with, "required above a 2D/2T status could not be approved...birthday required terrain 3/3..would not meet the criteria," did some mixing of apples and oranges. A ratio of D/T ratings in all of a cachers finds over their whole caching career won't be published now. A challenge should set out a goal of a set of defined caches to attempt, not outline the shape of your entire caching experience. The short form of the restriction added in March might be "no ratios" for the cacher's lifetime stats. You might get "terrain 2 or above for one month" challenge published.

 

The first time I ever heard about the Jasmer, I immediately wanted it. On the other hand, I've never cared a thing about filling my calendar (cache a day) or any streaks. I figure I cache when it's convenient, and I don't when it isn't.

 

Some of the sillier challenges are kinda fun - the mostly "bookkeeping" challenges - example, caches with the colors of the Olympic rings in the title. This is about going through your finds and picking the red, blue, etc caches that you enjoyed the most. Not terribly challenging, but still fun, and something to aim at for the cachers with fewer finds, no "yellow".

 

I like the idea of a lonely cache challenge (find cache that's been unfound for a year). There isn't one around me - I'm not going to own one, as it could be seen as promoting my own caches ;-)....

 

For some of these newer challenge caches, the challenging part is writing the GSAK macro that verifies it.

[+LewisClan77]

Here is one that I just completed...The 75/75 Club.

It requires you to have 75 D-5 and 75 T-5 caches. I have been working on it since I completed the 50/50..

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

The Jasmer Challenge is fun due to it's classic simplicity. We just started actively filling in the holes and are down to 11 to find (the oldest). The fact that this challenge will someday end makes it interesting.

[+niraD]

The Jasmer Challenge is fun due to it's classic simplicity.

Interesting. To me, simplicity is necessary, but not sufficient.

 

The heart of a good challenge should be simple, and easy to express in a single sentence that anyone can understand. But a simple challenge cache can still be so unrealistically difficult to complete that I have no interest in it. The Jasmer Challenge and the Fizzy Challenge both fall into this category for me. Sure, the basic concept is simple and easy to understand. But both the rare difficulty-terrain combinations for the Fizzy Challenge and the rare dates for the Jasmer Challenge require traveling considerable distances just to complete the challenge requirements.

[+farrtom]

I just found one last week that was fun. GC3YWCV Busy Cache Container Day Challenge

Many people may already meet the requirements, but I had to go out that day and specifically find 6 caches to meet the challenge.

I was the first to complete / find after it had been hid for almost a month.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

The Jasmer Challenge is fun due to it's classic simplicity.

Interesting. To me, simplicity is necessary, but not sufficient.

 

The heart of a good challenge should be simple, and easy to express in a single sentence that anyone can understand. But a simple challenge cache can still be so unrealistically difficult to complete that I have no interest in it. The Jasmer Challenge and the Fizzy Challenge both fall into this category for me. Sure, the basic concept is simple and easy to understand. But both the rare difficulty-terrain combinations for the Fizzy Challenge and the rare dates for the Jasmer Challenge require traveling considerable distances just to complete the challenge requirements.

Ha! We may find that that's the case. We are thinking about driving south to get 5 of the remaining 11 or north to grab Beverly over the Thanksgiving holiday.

[+jellis]

I have found over 40 "challenge caches" and have hidden about a half dozen too. I really enjoy the "game within a game" it brings to Geocaching. I am thinking of placing 2 or 3 new challenge caches. I was wondering what YOUR favorite challenge cache is

 

I really liked the couple of bingo type challenges that i've found. Unfortunately, the guidelines changed earlier this year making it a bit harder to create them. Caches that utilize dates in some way are fun but the newer guidelines can get in the way of them too, depending on how you try to set them up.

 

I do have one that i made up which i think is a bit different. That One Cache. It's a bit challenging for some but that's what i feel a challenge cache is supposed to be.

 

Of course the Fizzy type challenges are fun but there are plenty of them around these days.

Most of the Fizzy Challenges are really only just 81 challenges. The original Fizzy is way harder but no one can have another one like that because the new guidelines don't allow it.

 

p.s. Like I already qualify for the 81 challenge but I am 17 away from the original Fizzy Well Rounded challenge.

 

My faves and I'm still working on them are the NorCal5 (finding the 5 oldest of the five types, Puzzles, Virtual, Multi, Letterbox and Trads) and Oldest caches in the state.

Edited November 13, 2012 by jellis

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The Jasmer Challenge is fun due to it's classic simplicity.

Interesting. To me, simplicity is necessary, but not sufficient.

 

The heart of a good challenge should be simple, and easy to express in a single sentence that anyone can understand. But a simple challenge cache can still be so unrealistically difficult to complete that I have no interest in it. The Jasmer Challenge and the Fizzy Challenge both fall into this category for me. Sure, the basic concept is simple and easy to understand. But both the rare difficulty-terrain combinations for the Fizzy Challenge and the rare dates for the Jasmer Challenge require traveling considerable distances just to complete the challenge requirements.

 

It would be interesting to see the total cache to cache distance for all of the qualifying caches for some of these challenges. I *have* travel considerable distances between caches but am still a long way from completing a fizzy challenge or Jasmer. The cache names starting with A-Z and numbers 0-9 also seems to be fairly straight forward and I'm somewhat close to completing it, but I'm missing one letter and 3 numbers and haven't found any caches which meet the missing numbers anywhere close.

 

It's all mostly academic though as Challenge caches haven't seemed to have caught on here like they have in other places. There's only one Challenge cache that I can think of within 50 miles of me and that one is to find at least one cache in each of the several gorges in the area. In other areas it's seems like it's become a contest for who cache create the most complex, difficult, or most challenges.

[+JL_HSTRE]

I like the geographic, diversity, and grid-filling challenges: Fizzy, Jasmer, Delorme/County. Bingo challenges can be fun too.

 

I don't like streak-based challenges; they encourage wasted gas and forced caching.

 

There are some Florida challenges on my Ignore list because they are for finding 100, 200, and 300 GRIMs.

[+CanadianRockies]

Most of the Fizzy Challenges are really only just 81 challenges. The original Fizzy is way harder but no one can have another one like that because the new guidelines don't allow it.

I'm not sure which requirements of the original Fizzy Challenge might run afoul of the current guidelines. There is no restriction on "date found." And the "date placed" restriction still is acceptable under today's guidelines.

[+jellis]

This birthday challenge near me was just approved. So it seems like those are OK.

Yeah he did that because of the Milestone Challenge that he got the CO to change. That one was toooooooo hard. He would have had to wait til he had 100K before he could sign it.

[+jellis]

Most of the Fizzy Challenges are really only just 81 challenges. The original Fizzy is way harder but no one can have another one like that because the new guidelines don't allow it.

I'm not sure which requirements of the original Fizzy Challenge might run afoul of the current guidelines. There is no restriction on "date found." And the "date placed" restriction still is acceptable under today's guidelines.

Where it says caches have to have been PLACED before a certain date. Eventually those caches become less and less if they get archived. They would become more difficult and become restricted.

Edited November 13, 2012 by jellis

[+niraD]

Most of the Fizzy Challenges are really only just 81 challenges. The original Fizzy is way harder but no one can have another one like that because the new guidelines don't allow it.

I'm not sure which requirements of the original Fizzy Challenge might run afoul of the current guidelines. There is no restriction on "date found." And the "date placed" restriction still is acceptable under today's guidelines.

Where it says caches have to have been PLACED before a certain date. Eventually those caches become less and less if they get archived. They would become more difficult and become restricted.

Well, yes. If a challenge cache requires the qualifying caches to have been hidden before a certain date, then the challenge gets more difficult as the qualifying caches are archived. But that doesn't violate the guidelines for challenge caches (as written), because as CanadianRockies pointed out, the guidelines prohibit only restrictions on qualifying find logs.

 

Are there unwritten restrictions that are being enforced?

[+jellis]

Most of the Fizzy Challenges are really only just 81 challenges. The original Fizzy is way harder but no one can have another one like that because the new guidelines don't allow it.

I'm not sure which requirements of the original Fizzy Challenge might run afoul of the current guidelines. There is no restriction on "date found." And the "date placed" restriction still is acceptable under today's guidelines.

Where it says caches have to have been PLACED before a certain date. Eventually those caches become less and less if they get archived. They would become more difficult and become restricted.

Well, yes. If a challenge cache requires the qualifying caches to have been hidden before a certain date, then the challenge gets more difficult as the qualifying caches are archived. But that doesn't violate the guidelines for challenge caches (as written), because as CanadianRockies pointed out, the guidelines prohibit only restrictions on qualifying find logs.

 

Are there unwritten restrictions that are being enforced?

Don't know just sent a message to Bri.

[+Sol seaker]

My all time favorite remains the island challenge cache here. It's something like 24 islands you've got to find a cache on in WA state.

I went to the most amazing places for that challenge. Now every chance I get at finding a cache on a new island I grab.

[+Spikester1]

Yes i was going for overall 2/2 for stats, but I do feel that any time you require someone to go for something they would not go for otherwise.. like a 5/5 cache.. like for fizzy is changing the nature of someones caching.. dont get me wrong i agree with those who say if you dont want the challenge.. ignore it.. btw living in NH is challenge central..

[+niraD]

Yes i was going for overall 2/2 for stats, but I do feel that any time you require someone to go for something they would not go for otherwise.. like a 5/5 cache.. like for fizzy is changing the nature of someones caching..

Re-read the Challenge Caches article in the Help Center. The issue isn't strictly "changing the nature of someone's caching". As you pointed out, any challenge that encourages someone to do something they wouldn't have done normally is "changing the nature of someone's caching". The issue is with the challenge being based on "non-accomplishments" (e.g., not finding/logging low-difficulty and low-terrain caches), and with needing "to 'give up' finding other caches".

 

That's the "positive" part of the phrase from the guidelines: "A challenge cache [...] will typically require the cacher to meet a reasonable and positive Geocaching-, Waymarking- or Wherigo-related qualification."

 

In other words, you can require that someone do something, but you cannot require that they not do something else, or that they do one thing more than they do another thing.

[+Don_J]

I like the geographic, diversity, and grid-filling challenges: Fizzy, Jasmer, Delorme/County. Bingo challenges can be fun too.

 

I don't like streak-based challenges; they encourage wasted gas and forced caching.

 

There are some Florida challenges on my Ignore list because they are for finding 100, 200, and 300 GRIMs.

 

GRIM? I'm guessing Guard Rail ? Micro???

[+Corfman Clan]

I really like the Pyramid Challenges I came up with and had a great time qualifying for the Level 15 one before I hid and published them.

 

Pyramid Challenge - Level 5 - Land of the Burro

Pyramid Challenge - Level 10 - Moore's Well

Pyramid Challenge - Level 15 - Lock Down

 

I know similar challenges have been published in California, Ohio, and Quebec since I listed mine.

[+gpsblake]

Maybe I'm confused... I thought additional logging requirements for caches wasn't allowed. But yet I see these "challenge caches" showing up, giving you the coordinates of the cache, but you're not allowed to log it unless you do "other stuff' first. Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't this seem to be a contradiction in Groundspeak's own rules?

[+niraD]

Maybe I'm confused... I thought additional logging requirements for caches wasn't allowed. But yet I see these "challenge caches" showing up, giving you the coordinates of the cache, but you're not allowed to log it unless you do "other stuff' first. Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't this seem to be a contradiction in Groundspeak's own rules?

 

According to the guidelines, Challenge Caches are an exception to the ban on ALRs:

Logging of All Physical Geocaches

 

Physical caches can be logged online as "Found" once the physical log has been signed.

 

An exception is Challenge Caches, which may only be logged online after the log is signed and the challenge tasks have been met and documented to the cache owner as per instructions on the published listing. Other than documenting a Challenge Cache, physical caches cannot require geocachers to contact anyone.

 

Or if you prefer, the Challenge Caches page in the Help Center says pretty much the same thing in slightly different language:

What is a Challenge cache?

 

A challenge cache requires that geocachers meet a geocaching-related qualification or series of tasks before the challenge cache can be logged. Waymarking, Benchmarking, Challenges and Wherigo-related tasks also qualify. The additional qualification or geocaching-related tasks are considered the basis of a challenge cache, rather than Additional Logging Requirements (ALRs).