How far would you walk?

[+ickster]

60 KM over 4 days is my longest hike for 1 cache.

 

GCY5Q7

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=430e1347-0731-4e7b-bf0a-f43cf974725d

 

If it wasn't for this cache being placed there, I wouldn't have even thought of tackling something like this. Seeing that someone else could place it meant that I could find it. Best caching experience to date for me.

[GPS-Hermit]

I have a cache that is over 7 miles in a WMA and it is intended for biking. However only a few have biked it - others did it all on foot and loved it. The folks who do it are really proud of the task and agree they need the exercise. It is an easy but long walk with lots of scenery, creeks, and wildlife. I restrict caching to Sundays during hunting season. Only get a handful of cachers a year but the logs are great! and favorites are posted.

You need good boots for a long hike.

[+JKMonkey]

I know a few CaptainMath caches that will take at least an hour to walk to since the road to drive on is closed for the winter. I find that it makes finding the cache all the sweeter the further you have to walk to find it.

[+Rustynails]

For me it would depend on the weather.

 

Hot 80-100+ half mile.

Warm 32-80 up to five miles+, if an interesting find or area.

Cold 0-32 one mile+.

Very Cold below 0- minus10 half mile.

Freezing minus10 or more. quarter mile.

Edited January 17, 2013 by rustynails.

[cezanne]

If I can split up a cache into parts, there is no real limit for what what I'm willing to invest. I walked around 145km for this cache

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=6d831ec0-e0b0-40a0-ba52-3cb2e630de33

(more than minimally required due to not being able to chose the optimal breaking points).

Moreover, I'm working on the cache

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=bc6fc608-511d-4790-91a6-63898366b82c

and have already spent 160km (in 7 parts) even though I have net reached the midpoint of the route.

(I needed to walk back and forth several times due to lacking transportation.)

 

As a one day walk is regarded, 25km without much height meters is what I can manage on a good day.

 

Cezanne

[+simpjkee]

Yesterday I hiked 3.5 miles one way to a cache that was right on the side of a road for off highway vehicles. Thats the life of a geocacher who drives a street car.

[+cerberus1]

Yesterday I hiked 3.5 miles one way to a cache that was right on the side of a road for off highway vehicles. Thats the life of a geocacher who drives a street car.

Today I drove around that on a 4wd trail/road that had a lot of snow and ice pack and got a flat from an arrowhead-shaped sliver near a brown shale bed 100' from GZ.

Of course my other 2/3rds made sure we hit the cache before tire duty.

Two hours later, trying to keep the truck from slipping on the snow/ice (and into a river) finally headed for home.

- We regularly hike these trails, sometimes fishing along the way.

That's what we get for trying to save time.

[+JohnnyVegas]

When I started caching I would walk quite a bit to find a cache, but then again when I started it took a lot more walking to fine one. Now I walk less, not because I do not want to do a longer walk to find a cool location. As I have gotten older mobility has become an issue, I can still do a long hike but it takes longer. Most of the real cool caches I have found are the caches that I have required walking for more than 45 minutes to get to. SOme took hours of walking. Some of the park and grabbers should try some of those types of finds.

[+ArcherDragoon]

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be that geocacher who walk a thousand miles to fall down at your cache...

 

Oh...come on...I can't be the only one thinking this...

[+OZ2CPU]

>Seeing that someone else could place it meant that I could find it. Best caching experience to date for me.

 

I am so sorry this just dont apply to all caches out there..

it would have been super cool if this was always true,

placed by real normal people, can be found by real normal people..

[Zerpersande]

Hi i been planning some new caches in my area all of which are very rural locations...

 

The furthest cache is 1.1 miles from my home,It takes me 30-40minutes walk with terrier dog most of which is on bridleways..

I intend this cache to be of good regular size to large.

Just need some feedback on this.

-Fezzy

It really dpends.

 

I placed on on the way up a mountain near my house, but I wouldn't have expected any activity without the other caches I placed. Living outside of Osaska, Japan I wouldn't get interest in one cache. I started at the train station witn a string of 5 to the park at the bade of the mountain. A medium difficlty cache a little way in, the 4.0 difficlty muti folled by. 1.5 multi. In over a year I have had around 10 visits.

 

Now if you are placing it near something spectacular things change. I hiked about 45 minutes up a mountain for a piddly cache recently. The mountain now has three of mine along the way. One interesting, two very easy and the originl at the top.

 

Or you may place it and have someone like me stumble past and say what the heck, place a couple along the way and you have a string to attract others.

 

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

[cezanne]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Or you may place it and have someone like me stumble past and say what the heck, place a couple along the way and you have a string to attract others.

 

If you did that around one of my caches, I'd archive mine.

 

Cezanne

Edited February 11, 2013 by cezanne

[+Don_J]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Cezanne

 

Statements like these really make me shake my head. A Nightmare? Why not simply walk past every other cache and then you'll have something to do on the way back down the mountain. Still too many, grab 1/3 on the way up, 1/3 on the way down and then get the other 1/3 next month.

 

The strategy of not saturating a trail, but leaving enough caches on it to entice others to come and place more caches, that I can later come back and find, is something that I have been doing since 2005.

[cezanne]

Statements like these really make me shake my head. A Nightmare? Why not simply walk past every other cache and then you'll have something to do on the way back down the mountain. Still too many, grab 1/3 on the way up, 1/3 on the way down and then get the other 1/3 next month.

 

I prefer a single multi cache where I can report my overall hiking experience in one log. If I do several separate caches along a trail, I never can remember what happened where and I do not want to write a long story with lots of impressions that rather correspond to a trail than to a single container. Moreover, for a single multi cache I need to take along a single printout and typically get a kind of all inclusive package (recommended parking coordinates, starting point, hints which route to choose) which reduces the planning effort I have to invest to the absolute minimum something which I appreciate very much.

 

The strategy of not saturating a trail, but leaving enough caches on it to entice others to come and place more caches, that I can later come back and find, is something that I have been doing since 2005.

 

Yes, I know, but not everyone likes that strategy. For example, I recently had an exchange with a cacher from my area who told me that he would want to hide a new hiking multi cache, but has no idea about a free area. I then suggested one area to him and he liked the area, but told me that he had heard that another cacher wants to hide 5-6 caches separate caches there and in that case he does not want to hide his multi cache there. He is already unhappy with a series of 15 caches that has been hidden along the route of one of his multi caches that has been there before. I share his opinion. Typically for the visitors attracted to the area by lot of caches, a multi cache is then just another find and does not get a decent log. Sometimes even cachers just visit the final of the multi to be able to better combine the multi with the remaining caches.

The strategy you follow scares off the hiders of my favourite caches and attracts those searchers and hiders that have very different preferences. While the number of cachers increases rapidly, the number of cachers with similar preferences decreases (not relatively, but also absolutely). I'm interested into the small group of cachers for whom hiking/walking is preference number one and geocaching preference number two - I miss every single of that group who leaves geocaching and I'd rather keep one of them and replace him/her by 1000 new cachers I do not care about.

 

Cezanne

Edited February 11, 2013 by cezanne

[+Don_J]

Statements like these really make me shake my head. A Nightmare? Why not simply walk past every other cache and then you'll have something to do on the way back down the mountain. Still too many, grab 1/3 on the way up, 1/3 on the way down and then get the other 1/3 next month.

 

I prefer a single multi cache where I can report my overall hiking experience in one log. If I do several separate caches along a trail, I never can remember what happened where and I do not want to write a long story with lots of impressions that rather correspond to a trail than to a single container. Moreover, for a single multi cache I need to take along a single printout and typically get a kind of all inclusive package (recommended parking coordinates, starting point, hints which route to choose) which reduces the planning effort I have to invest to the absolute minimum something which I appreciate very much.

 

The strategy of not saturating a trail, but leaving enough caches on it to entice others to come and place more caches, that I can later come back and find, is something that I have been doing since 2005.

 

Yes, I know, but not everyone likes that strategy. For example, I recently had an exchange with a cacher from my area who told me that he would want to hide a new hiking multi cache, but has no idea about a free area. I then suggested one area to him and he liked the area, but told me that he had heard that another cacher wants to hide 5-6 caches separate caches there and in that case he does not want to hide his multi cache there. He is already unhappy with a series of 15 caches that has been hidden along the route of one of his multi caches that has been there before. I share his opinion. Typically for the visitors attracted to the area by lot of caches, a multi cache is then just another find and does not get a decent log. Sometimes even cachers just visit the final of the multi to be able to better combine the multi with the remaining caches.

The strategy you follow scares off the hiders of my favourite caches and attracts those searchers and hiders that have very different preferences. While the number of cachers increases rapidly, the number of cachers with similar preferences decreases (not relatively, but also absolutely). I'm interested into the small group of cachers for whom hiking/walking is preference number one and geocaching preference number two - I miss every single of that group who leaves geocaching and I'd rather keep one of them and replace him/her by 1000 new cachers I do not care about.

 

Cezanne

 

Again, you have the ability to NOT find any cache you wish. If I place six caches along a three mile route to the top of a mountain, I won't be offended at all if you walk past the first five.

 

If anything, what you say is the opposite. The multi cache should be scaring off those that want to place a bunch of traditonal caches because they don't know where the hidden waypoints are, not the other way around.

[cezanne]

Again, you have the ability to NOT find any cache you wish. If I place six caches along a three mile route to the top of a mountain, I won't be offended at all if you walk past the first five.

 

I know, but I would not want to tell the whole story of my hike in the log for the last cache and in most cases the cache description for the last cache does not provide me with information where to start and which trails to start - so I need to input the other waypoints, do a more detailed planning than for a multi etc.

 

If anything, what you say is the opposite. The multi cache should be scaring off those that want to place a bunch of traditonal caches because they don't know where the hidden waypoints are,

 

Not necessarily. There are many multi caches with question to answer stages where all stages except the final are disclosed and known beforehand.

Moreover, multi caches do not scare off the placement of cache series in my area, but it definitely happens in the other way round because more and more of the old-school cachers return to their old activities and leave geocaching due to the frustrating experiences brought along. I guess we will get off-topic here. In any case, your and my preferences are very different and I know much better what happens in my area and why I'm unhappy with the development.

 

Cezanne

[Zerpersande]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Or you may place it and have someone like me stumble past and say what the heck, place a couple along the way and you have a string to attract others.

 

If you did that around one of my caches, I'd archive mine.

 

Cezanne

 

Strange. So you that by placing a cache you basically own the whole area area? How far from your cache can another geocacher place a cache without you getting upset and archiving yours? Every 200 meters is a nightmare? Maybe you could just walk past a couple? I've had any jump out at me or have cache guarans yhat blocked the way until you found them.

[Zerpersande]

Again, you have the ability to NOT find any cache you wish. If I place six caches along a three mile route to the top of a mountain, I won't be offended at all if you walk past the first five.

 

I know, but I would not want to tell the whole story of my hike in the log for the last cache and in most cases the cache description for the last cache does not provide me with information where to start and which trails to start - so I need to input the other waypoints, do a more detailed planning than for a multi etc.

 

If anything, what you say is the opposite. The multi cache should be scaring off those that want to place a bunch of traditonal caches because they don't know where the hidden waypoints are,

 

Not necessarily. There are many multi caches with question to answer stages where all stages except the final are disclosed and known beforehand.

Moreover, multi caches do not scare off the placement of cache series in my area, but it definitely happens in the other way round because more and more of the old-school cachers return to their old activities and leave geocaching due to the frustrating experiences brought along. I guess we will get off-topic here. In any case, your and my preferences are very different and I know much better what happens in my area and why I'm unhappy with the development.

 

Cezanne

 

If the first caches don't deserve your story, uh, don't write it? A a simple TFTC and 'interesting hide' if such was true, should suffice. This is the attitude of a cache Nazi, someone with strong ideas about how things should or should not be done when those things are not prohibited or demanded by the very loose rules.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Or you may place it and have someone like me stumble past and say what the heck, place a couple along the way and you have a string to attract others.

 

If you did that around one of my caches, I'd archive mine.

 

Cezanne

 

Strange. So you that by placing a cache you basically own the whole area area? How far from your cache can another geocacher place a cache without you getting upset and archiving yours? Every 200 meters is a nightmare? Maybe you could just walk past a couple? I've had any jump out at me or have cache guarans yhat blocked the way until you found them.

 

Perhaps Cezanne is just a cache owner exercising their prerogative to create the kind of geocaching experience that they want to provide rather than have other cache owners and cache finders dictate to the CO what kind of cache they should place.

 

As a cache owner *I* decide what kind of cache I want to place and whether or not I choose to keep it active. Have you ever looked at the logs of some of the caches that pre-existed some of the major power trails before and after the PT was created? Before the PT, some of those caches had long appreciative logs. After the PT, they became just another notch on a 1000 find day.

[Zerpersande]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Cezanne

 

Statements like these really make me shake my head. A Nightmare? Why not simply walk past every other cache and then you'll have something to do on the way back down the mountain. Still too many, grab 1/3 on the way up, 1/3 on the way down and then get the other 1/3 next month.

 

The strategy of not saturating a trail, but leaving enough caches on it to entice others to come and place more caches, that I can later come back and find, is something that I have been doing since 2005.

 

I'm with Don_J on this. Walk by your nightmare. Don't even read the descriptions if you aren't ready to stop walking. No trail sentries at the cache points. Personally, I consider it a compliment when somebody leaves a cache near one of mine. Likely to draw people to the area. I placed a couple on the way to a cache that had had 6 visits after being there for about 18 months. Since I placed mine, the number has increased by another 2 visits. In the past 2 months. The final cache is really at a nice place. But getting there?

 

And if you don't agree on this strategy, allow me to point something out, whining about something that is allowed in the rules is a waste of time. The rules allow it, regardless of what you think. Archiving your cache because somebody placed a cache on the way to yours is, well, immature at best. As I said before, how much ground do you 'own' around your cache. If you placed one on the A.T. trail, does the whole trail become your domain? Does the vegetation have to change? Is it a matter of average temperatures, if so, what season? It is just flat out silly.

 

And just to keep this fully on-topic, how far I would walk depends on too many factors. If I am out geocaching and there's a single cache, about 2km round trip is about it. When I go out geocaching it is partly to find caches and partly for exercise. Take a look at this cache. GC3XDR7 Do a search of nearby caches. If you expand the search there are over 60 caches in this area. That's a nice place to go caching in my opinion, but would apparently give someone else nightmares.

[Zerpersande]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Or you may place it and have someone like me stumble past and say what the heck, place a couple along the way and you have a string to attract others.

 

If you did that around one of my caches, I'd archive mine.

 

Cezanne

 

Strange. So you that by placing a cache you basically own the whole area area? How far from your cache can another geocacher place a cache without you getting upset and archiving yours? Every 200 meters is a nightmare? Maybe you could just walk past a couple? I've had any jump out at me or have cache guarans yhat blocked the way until you found them.

 

Perhaps Cezanne is just a cache owner exercising their prerogative to create the kind of geocaching experience that they want to provide rather than have other cache owners and cache finders dictate to the CO what kind of cache they should place.

 

As a cache owner *I* decide what kind of cache I want to place and whether or not I choose to keep it active. Have you ever looked at the logs of some of the caches that pre-existed some of the major power trails before and after the PT was created? Before the PT, some of those caches had long appreciative logs. After the PT, they became just another notch on a 1000 find day.

 

Long appreciative logs would be nice. But things change. I guess when there weren't that many caches geocachers were glad to find one, don't know. A CO might also have their own idea of what kind of log entry they would like. TFTC is too short. For me. But I am still glad they visited. Did they like the container? Was the hint helpful/amusing? How did they deal with all those muggles? (Try retrieving a cache placed on the underside of some descending steps, much be reached from the ascending steps below with the cache placed in near two of the busiest stations in the second largest city of Japan. Forget nature for a while, deal with this new GeoCaching situation. For me, the rules of etiquette just changed. If at all possible, I try to visit that cache about 30 minutes later and make sure it wasn't muggled by someone who saw me and I didn't see them.

 

Once again, read the rules. If it doesn't violate the rules, then you should realize that you aren't going to get the cooperation you want from others. It just isn't going to happen. Groundspeak is going to change the rules? Maybe, but doubt it. Grandfather in existing caches? Doubt it.

[cezanne]

 

Walk by your nightmare. Don't even read the descriptions if you aren't ready to stop walking.

 

Actually I need to decide at home which descriptions to print and which waypoints I need to plan my walk.

This is not going to be a decision I am going to make right at the spot.

I'm aware of the fact that in an area that is not very cache dense than yours, it is hard to imagine how things

are in a cache dense area.

 

Personally, I consider it a compliment when somebody leaves a cache near one of mine. Likely to draw people to the area. I placed a couple on the way to a cache that had had 6 visits after being there for about 18 months. Since I placed mine, the number has increased by another 2 visits. In the past 2 months. The final cache is really at a nice place. But getting there?

 

When someone hides a series of say 10 caches in my area on Friday, then typically the series will have received more than 30 visits after the first weekend.

 

And if you don't agree on this strategy, allow me to point something out, whining about something that is allowed in the rules is a waste of time. The rules allow it, regardless of what you think.

 

My intent was not to whine and I do know the rules very well. If you read again what I wrote I just pointed out that whether your suggestion is recommendable depends on which target audience you focus. You cannot please everyone.

 

Archiving your cache because somebody placed a cache on the way to yours is, well, immature at best.

 

I do not think so. I rather think it is mature to know when something that has turned into frustration can be put to an end.

 

As I said before, how much ground do you 'own' around your cache. If you placed one on the A.T. trail, does the whole trail become your domain? Does the vegetation have to change? Is it a matter of average temperatures, if so, what season? It is just flat out silly.

 

Where did I say that I own anything? If I'm not any longer pleased with a cache of mine, it is the better decision to archive it than either being frustrated or not any longer maintaining my cache properly (something which happens all too often).

 

The message I tried to convey is that people and cachers differ from each other. To return to the topic, you mentioned that 2km is somehow the distance you are willing to walk to a single cache. For me there is no real limit and caches where I walked 100+ km for a single cache are my all time favourites. This does not mean of course that I want every cache to cover 100 km. I experienced times in my life where even walking 200m posed an issue to me. So I'm aware of physical restrictions. Nevertheless I think that a cache hider should hide what he wants to hide and do not ponder too much over how far people would want to walk. Just try it. Of course a cache which covers a long distance will get fewer visits, but this is not necessarily bad. It depends a lot on the goals of a cache hider.

 

Cezanne

[+Don_J]

Again, you have the ability to NOT find any cache you wish. If I place six caches along a three mile route to the top of a mountain, I won't be offended at all if you walk past the first five.

 

I know, but I would not want to tell the whole story of my hike in the log for the last cache and in most cases the cache description for the last cache does not provide me with information where to start and which trails to start - so I need to input the other waypoints, do a more detailed planning than for a multi etc.

 

If anything, what you say is the opposite. The multi cache should be scaring off those that want to place a bunch of traditonal caches because they don't know where the hidden waypoints are,

 

Not necessarily. There are many multi caches with question to answer stages where all stages except the final are disclosed and known beforehand.

Moreover, multi caches do not scare off the placement of cache series in my area, but it definitely happens in the other way round because more and more of the old-school cachers return to their old activities and leave geocaching due to the frustrating experiences brought along. I guess we will get off-topic here. In any case, your and my preferences are very different and I know much better what happens in my area and why I'm unhappy with the development.

 

Cezanne

 

Please understand that I am not trying to be argumentative, I'm simply trying to understand. If you are doing a multi that brings you from the beginning to the end of a trail, where the final cache is, you still only have one place to write your story. If you are relying on a multi to guide you along the trail, and one can't be placed because it is blocked by traditional caches that you don't wish to find, you can still use the coordinates for those caches to guide you. If anything, it is easier because you can load all of them in the comfort of your home, instead of going point to point and having to do it manually in the field.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I don't understand how additional caches along a trail ruins what otherwise would have been a nice hike. Most cachers I know would say, " bring'em on "....the more caches the better. There is nothing wrong with just hiking, I see hikers all the time.....just ignore the caches.

Re logs things have changed.....you could have a cache on the moon and still get a few TFTC logs.

[+Don_J]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Or you may place it and have someone like me stumble past and say what the heck, place a couple along the way and you have a string to attract others.

 

If you did that around one of my caches, I'd archive mine.

 

Cezanne

 

Strange. So you that by placing a cache you basically own the whole area area? How far from your cache can another geocacher place a cache without you getting upset and archiving yours? Every 200 meters is a nightmare? Maybe you could just walk past a couple? I've had any jump out at me or have cache guarans yhat blocked the way until you found them.

 

Perhaps Cezanne is just a cache owner exercising their prerogative to create the kind of geocaching experience that they want to provide rather than have other cache owners and cache finders dictate to the CO what kind of cache they should place.

 

As a cache owner *I* decide what kind of cache I want to place and whether or not I choose to keep it active. Have you ever looked at the logs of some of the caches that pre-existed some of the major power trails before and after the PT was created? Before the PT, some of those caches had long appreciative logs. After the PT, they became just another notch on a 1000 find day.

 

Perhaps I misunderstood? I thought that we were talking about finding caches, not hiding them. My comments were directed towards that, which is why I didn't understand why caches that you can simply ignore would create a nightmare. Of course, I can understand frustration in not being able to place caches because others are in the way.

 

Both my post and the one by Zerpersande stated that it was our strategy to leave big enough gaps between caches that others would be allowed to place more caches. I see no reason why those other caches can't be a multi.

[Zerpersande]

 

Walk by your nightmare. Don't even read the descriptions if you aren't ready to stop walking.

 

Actually I need to decide at home which descriptions to print and which waypoints I need to plan my walk.

This is not going to be a decision I am going to make right at the spot.

I'm aware of the fact that in an area that is not very cache dense than yours, it is hard to imagine how things

are in a cache dense area.

 

And if you don't agree on this strategy, allow me to point something out, whining about something that is allowed in the rules is a waste of time. The rules allow it, regardless of what you think.

 

My intent was not to whine and I do know the rules very well. If you read again what I wrote I just pointed out that whether your suggestion is recommendable depends on which target audience you focus. You cannot please everyone.

 

Cezanne

 

You make some valid points. Sometimes I get a bit touchy on the issue because there seem to be some, well, 'traditionalists' that insist there is a 'correct' way of placing caches and that anyone who doesn't abide by the guidelines of the traditionalist are disrespectful, poor geocachers or however the negativity is expressed. 100km for a cache puts you in a special class. Not a negative one by any means, and I mean that. Very much the positive. I just wouldn't do it. As for planning out a cache trip, I generally have a rough idea but then I don't worry too much about cache quality. I want to make sure I can take my dog, there's my priority.

 

For me, if you had placed a cache and I put a couple out on the way, I did nothing wrong. If you contacted me, without being negative, aggressive or opinionated on issues that were not rule violations, and explained why you didn't want my caches placed there, odds are I would remove them. If you had a decent reason. But we are dealing with the unreal conditional tense here because I would not probably go that far out of the way for a cache.

 

And, yeah, the cache density gets crazy at times. Walking around the city can get boring. A city is a city. Even a Japanese city, once you have lived here for a long time, the cultural newness wears off and it is just a city again. But the exercise is good. And once in a rare while I'll see something kind of cool. But it is mainly exercise. And those small goals of "400 meters that way is a cache" is enough motivation to get the Ankle Express into gear. Then here come the Cache Nazis. Placing a cache in the middle of a 2 acre field that has about 20 trees in it and several light posts, and putting the magnetic bottle cap cache on a light post at eye level is one thing. Claiming the cache has significance because 300 years ago some building used to be here, uh, okay..... But then blasting a cache 250 meters away, at a bus stop, that has a catchy hint and served my purpose of getting out of the rain on the way to that oh so interesting field, THAT was a trash cache. NO! Wait, make an effort to placate the Nazi and suddenly the bus stop cache is relevant because next to it is a construction zone where a few hundred years ago something used to be.

 

It does all depend. And I do think that efforts should be made to deal with whatever is customary on a local basis. But you can't have the Nazis doing exactly what they put down others for doing. So I'll let my 2km roundtrip figure stand. That's coming from someone who does geocaching as something that provides incentive to get out and exercise. Actual mileage may vary, batteries not included.

[cezanne]

Please understand that I am not trying to be argumentative, I'm simply trying to understand.

 

That's fine with me - I also like to understand what's behind geocaching philosophies that are different than mine. My last reaction was not referring to you.

 

If you are doing a multi that brings you from the beginning to the end of a trail, where the final cache is, you still only have one place to write your story.

 

That's exactly what I want, but in that case I feel that my story really fits to the cache and for example will not confuse others when I write enthusiatic logs about the landscape and what I experienced, but at a different location and not related to what the cache owner suggested to show to me.

 

If you are relying on a multi to guide you along the trail, and one can't be placed because it is blocked by traditional caches that you don't wish to find, you can still use the coordinates for those caches to guide you.

 

I'm not concerned about traditionals blocking multi caches, but about the fact that in my area less and less multi caches are hidden and many multi hiders are scared away by what I described above. That's why I also told the story of a local cacher to whom I wanted to propose potential areas for a new cache.

 

If anything, it is easier because you can load all of them in the comfort of your home, instead of going point to point and having to do it manually in the field.

 

Actually, I often do it manually also at home. It is not that much of a difference if you do it in the way I do, cache per cache. Even though I'm quite proficient with computers and software, I use a very low tech approach to geocaching and moreover, I'm neither a PM nor do I use PQ data of anyone else. Along the same lines, it is much easier for me to directly print the cache description of a nice multi cache when it shows up and keep it until I manage to go there as I often know at once that this cache will be interesting for me. For clutters of traditionals, the situation is very different and it happened quite often to me that I realized when I wanted to start that some descriptions are missing and I had no option to print them at that moment and it also happened that exactly the description I need in the field is missing and stayed at home. My job is quite demanding and I tend to be unorganized when caching and it is much simpler to check whether the only cache description I need for my trip is with me than it is in the case of a so many different caches. Yes, I know I could change my approach, but as I have explained before there are other reasons as well for my personal preferences and for the fact that I'm attached to a certain type of cache that becomes more and more in my area.

For people from areas where multi caches have never been as popular as they have been in my area in the early times, it might be hard to understand what I'm missing.

 

Cezanne

[+Q10]

In nature I often walk 30-40km. If there is a cache, maybe I take it. Depending on that the cache must not be spoiling the walk it self. Eg. a detour to a not so interesting area.

[+redsox_mark]

For me personally; for a single cache the longest I've walked is about 5 miles. But I would do longer for a good cache.

 

I've done quite a few of both of these types:

 

A. A single cache with multiple stages (often with field puzzles); which takes half a day or more to find one cache.

B. A circuit of caches (mainly trads) where I might find 20 or 30 caches in the same time as type A.

 

I've enjoyed both; though I would say it is generally the type A caches I've enjoyed the most.

 

Now the other day I was talking to a caching friend about a really excellent "Type A" cache I had recently found. His response was "why do that when you can find 20 or 30 in the same amount of time elsewhere"? While I respect his choice and we can all find what we like, I try to fight that logic within myself. If it is a great cache and I have a memorable experience, so what that it is just one find. Though the Type A caches get far fewer finds.

 

Now it a type A cache exists and someone places a circuit of caches along the same route... I have no issue with that. I can either find them or not. What can then happen is type A cache now gets more finds... as people who would not do that walk for 1 cache now do the circuit AND the Type A cache.

 

The longest cache I own involves multiple stages and a 3 mile walk. But I placed it in an area where there are existing traditional caches you can get on the way. As an owner, if I had placed mine first and then new caches filled the gaps I would have no issue with that.

 

Bottom line - there are lots of choices in caches to find; find the type you like. Though I do think it is a bit sad if really excellent caches get ignored because they provide less finds per hour.

[Zerpersande]

If you decide to make a string, consider leaving about 350-400 meters between caches so that others can place some if they like.

 

It depends on the target audience whether this suggestion makes any sense. For cachers like myself already 400m is much too close to each other and breaks the

walking rhythm. A string with caches every 200m is a nightmare for me.

 

Or you may place it and have someone like me stumble past and say what the heck, place a couple along the way and you have a string to attract others.

 

If you did that around one of my caches, I'd archive mine.

 

Cezanne

 

Strange. So you that by placing a cache you basically own the whole area area? How far from your cache can another geocacher place a cache without you getting upset and archiving yours? Every 200 meters is a nightmare? Maybe you could just walk past a couple? I've had any jump out at me or have cache guarans yhat blocked the way until you found them.

 

Perhaps Cezanne is just a cache owner exercising their prerogative to create the kind of geocaching experience that they want to provide rather than have other cache owners and cache finders dictate to the CO what kind of cache they should place.

 

As a cache owner *I* decide what kind of cache I want to place and whether or not I choose to keep it active. Have you ever looked at the logs of some of the caches that pre-existed some of the major power trails before and after the PT was created? Before the PT, some of those caches had long appreciative logs. After the PT, they became just another notch on a 1000 find day.

 

Perhaps I misunderstood? I thought that we were talking about finding caches, not hiding them. My comments were directed towards that, which is why I didn't understand why caches that you can simply ignore would create a nightmare. Of course, I can understand frustration in not being able to place caches because others are in the way.

 

Both my post and the one by Zerpersande stated that it was our strategy to leave big enough gaps between caches that others would be allowed to place more caches. I see no reason why those other caches can't be a multi.

 

This is why after voicing my opinion I generally stick around and see what happens. You find that perhaps that although you do indeed differ in a philosophic manner with someone, that you feel pretty much the same as someone else, and sometimes it comes to light that the differences aren't earth shattering.

 

I don't see a tremendous number of multi-caches around here, perhaps because of the urban environment. When the cache density is so high the temptation is just to stick to that line of 6 caches you have chosen. Sometimes I have a reason for choosing those. If so, this very much relates to the distance I am willing to walk. Yes, I could investigate that multi-cache, but chances are my plan is going out the window.

[Zerpersande]

Bottom line - there are lots of choices in caches to find; find the type you like. Though I do think it is a bit sad if really excellent caches get ignored because they provide less finds per hour.

 

I agree, but it depends on where you are geocaching. As I said in another post, many times it's just that I have made some sort of plan, nothing written in stone, but sometimes with a slight reason. But that multi can be for another day as a starting point, leading off into yet another cache-rich area of the city.

[+speakers-corner]

39 Km in 11 hours for 70 Caches, I ended up driving home without shoes on, I had 7 blisters on my feet. Was it worth it? Yes, but I wouldnt do it again.

[Zerpersande]

39 Km in 11 hours for 70 Caches, I ended up driving home without shoes on, I had 7 blisters on my feet. Was it worth it? Yes, but I wouldnt do it again.

I think he was asking more of the distance to one cache, but your post is interesting all the same. Not sure of my record, but it involves about the same amount of time, a bit less than half the distance and only about a dozen caches. Fewer blisters too. Half the day was in the rain though. And I left my hiking stick at a cache somewhere along the way.