JASMER GRID FILLER

[+humboldt flier]

This bit of curiosity stems from a tangentially related thread.

 

~2300 miles.

 

From coastal N.W. California to The Greater Atlanta, Georgia Area.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh GRID FILLERS are such an interesting lot. LOL

Edited April 7, 2013 by humboldt flier

[+Harry Dolphin]

How far just to fill a hole? Hudson's Folly is 72 miles away.

My furthest square is Canada's First Geocache at 585 miles, but we were in Halifax anyway. So that was only 30 miles out of Halifax. Second Mass was on the way to Maine. Pisgah Fire Tower and Fort Williams were while visiting my sister in Maine.

But this year's plans are for The Spot whis is about 200 miles, and one in NWPA. And that will leave me two empty spots. Georgia? Michigan? Oregon? Hawaii?!? Who knows?

[+JL_HSTRE]

I live in Florida and the oldest active cache here is from Dec 2000. So I will need to leave the state for May-Nov 2000.

 

I think there is also one month from 2001 that doesn't have an active cache in FL, but I can't remember which one.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

I think it's GC1D @ 430 miles. We have a public bookmark you can see. This trek was great! It took us to some great spots.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I'd be curious to see if anyone from Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, or Australia has ever completed the Jasmer challenge, because I suspect that there are probably several areas in the grid that for someone not living in North America, would require traveling thousands of miles rather than the hundreds of miles mentioned so far. I haven't even looked at what it would take for me to complete the Jasmer challenge (or most challenges) and have no idea where the nearest jasmer challenge cache is located.

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

In our opinion, the Jasmer Challenge has actually gotten easier over the years. It used to be difficult to determine where some of the old ones actually existed, much less how to get to them. Now there are several bookmarks out there to model after and lots of people have given advice on how to complete this. Some of the older caches have actually become easier to get to as roads improved and old cache owners have worked hard to make sure their caches are well maintained and available instead of just archiving them. Several have been adopted out to others, and then some have actually been resurrected again to open spots.

 

In many ways it's like the Delorme or County challenges: the first people to complete them actually had a harder time due to the newness of the challenge, and as time passed they became easier to accomplish.

[+The Jester]

In our opinion, the Jasmer Challenge has actually gotten easier over the years. It used to be difficult to determine where some of the old ones actually existed, much less how to get to them. Now there are several bookmarks out there to model after and lots of people have given advice on how to complete this. Some of the older caches have actually become easier to get to as roads improved and old cache owners have worked hard to make sure their caches are well maintained and available instead of just archiving them. Several have been adopted out to others, and then some have actually been resurrected again to open spots.

 

In many ways it's like the Delorme or County challenges: the first people to complete them actually had a harder time due to the newness of the challenge, and as time passed they became easier to accomplish.

I can't agree fully with this, as some months are getting harder to find as there are less caches left that were hidden then. Take Aug 2000 - there are four caches in the world left.

 

Also, PQ's have been around for years and you can set a date range for hides, so it's been easy to specify a month and search for those caches.

 

The farthest we traveled was to Potter's Pond last Sept. - that's 'crow flies' miles, we traveled over 3000 miles on the trip and filled in the last three or four holes with finds in Utah, Nevada and California.

[+SwineFlew]

This bit of curiosity stems from a tangentially related thread.

 

~2300 miles.

 

From coastal N.W. California to The Greater Atlanta, Georgia Area.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh GRID FILLERS are such an interesting lot. LOL

I saw where you been. I was over in that area as well and I am from Oregon.(BTW, we met at Coos Bay a few years ago if you dont remember) Another couple from my area was over there not so long ago. I got family in the upsate of SC, so while I was there, I made a trip down to Atlanta to find that Aug 2000 cache and a number of other olddies. I got two more to go and I can get those two in Oregon. It will be a drive for sure.

[+humboldt flier]

Howdy swine who flies:

 

Indeed I remember meeting you in Coos Bay.

 

Despite having garnered oldies to complete Jasmer team STNY continues to seek the oldies out.

 

Our trip to the PNW has been put on hold in lieu of the Earth Cache Mega Event in Utah in Sept.

 

Yepper there will be a side trip to Potter's Pond in Utah. Kokopelli geo-art is also on the radar

 

Perhaps we will hook up with you when the PNW trip gets back on our radar. Oregon, Washington for some oldies and on into British Columbia

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

 

I can't agree fully with this, as some months are getting harder to find as there are less caches left that were hidden then. Take Aug 2000 - there are four caches in the world left.

 

Also, PQ's have been around for years and you can set a date range for hides, so it's been easy to specify a month and search for those caches.

 

The farthest we traveled was to Potter's Pond last Sept. - that's 'crow flies' miles, we traveled over 3000 miles on the trip and filled in the last three or four holes with finds in Utah, Nevada and California.

 

Yeah, but if you look at August 2000, there were only 10 total placed worldwide in that month. One had never been found before it went missing. When the current oldest Jasmer out there was published in December, 2008, there were only 3 of the 10 active. Match Stash (GC4D) was specifically revived in Finland to meet the European Cachers wanting to complete this challenge. I view that being added as a 33% increase in the availability for that month!

 

Some of the older caches are much easier to find now due to waypoints being shared and more information being available. That's all I meant. Getting caches in 156 months now is harder than it was when the number was only 103 months, but those early days are better now than they were in December 2008.

[Mr.Yuck]

No desire to complete the entire Jasmer, although I only need 2 months in 2001 (and would have a complete 2001-present grid). I can knock one of those off in the area of the Midwest Geobash in late July in NW Ohio. And I'm not talking about the one with the bogus placed date, with a typo in the date placed field. I'd have to drive 300-400 miles or so to Massachusetts to complete that particular month (January, 2001).

 

There are plenty of "mini-Jasmers" out there, where you only have to complete one year. I should know, I own 4 of them. And a 5th (sort of) that requires you to find only three Y2K placed caches.

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

This is our favorite of the mini-Jasmers. It requires one from each year all in the SAME DAY.

 

Not too many places out there for this to happen, but it's fun to try.

 

Jazzy Junior Challenge

[+SwineFlew]

Howdy swine who flies:

 

Indeed I remember meeting you in Coos Bay.

 

Despite having garnered oldies to complete Jasmer team STNY continues to seek the oldies out.

 

Our trip to the PNW has been put on hold in lieu of the Earth Cache Mega Event in Utah in Sept.

 

Yepper there will be a side trip to Potter's Pond in Utah. Kokopelli geo-art is also on the radar

 

Perhaps we will hook up with you when the PNW trip gets back on our radar. Oregon, Washington for some oldies and on into British Columbia

Oh sweet... if you are interesting, I need to find GCA5 and GC142 to finished the Jasmer. There are two more oldies in that general area.

 

There are two more over in the Mt Hood area as well which I found the other year.

 

One thing I learned from caching oldies is that it seems they are normally the best spots.

 

Here is a oldies thats harder to get to. Its on an island in the Portland area and you will need a boat. I am willing to pay my part of a boat rental if you are interesting. I dont need this cache for the Jasmer, but would love to do it.

[+SwineFlew]

 

I can't agree fully with this, as some months are getting harder to find as there are less caches left that were hidden then. Take Aug 2000 - there are four caches in the world left.

 

Also, PQ's have been around for years and you can set a date range for hides, so it's been easy to specify a month and search for those caches.

 

The farthest we traveled was to Potter's Pond last Sept. - that's 'crow flies' miles, we traveled over 3000 miles on the trip and filled in the last three or four holes with finds in Utah, Nevada and California.

 

Yeah, but if you look at August 2000, there were only 10 total placed worldwide in that month. One had never been found before it went missing. When the current oldest Jasmer out there was published in December, 2008, there were only 3 of the 10 active. Match Stash (GC4D) was specifically revived in Finland to meet the European Cachers wanting to complete this challenge. I view that being added as a 33% increase in the availability for that month!

 

Some of the older caches are much easier to find now due to waypoints being shared and more information being available. That's all I meant. Getting caches in 156 months now is harder than it was when the number was only 103 months, but those early days are better now than they were in December 2008.

Think of how hard it will be in 20 years from now. Those sleeper years caches will be harder to find. They get archived pretty regularly. Since I keep a DB of all of Oregon Caches, and I see caches from 2003 and 2004 are getting archived like you cant believe.

[+bflentje]

I've got a 700 mile trip planned in May to do GC36, among other things. It is purely by chance that I'll be within 40 miles of the GA (is that GC21?) one in June. So I suspect I'll one of a very small group that will have found both of the remaining August 2000 caches.

[+bflentje]

I've got a 700 mile trip planned in May to do GC36, among other things. It is purely by chance that I'll be within 40 miles of the GA (is that GC21?) one in June. So I suspect I'll one of a very small group that will have found both of the remaining August 2000 caches.

 

And if either one gets archived before I get there?? I won't be whining.

[+SwineFlew]

I've got a 700 mile trip planned in May to do GC36, among other things. It is purely by chance that I'll be within 40 miles of the GA (is that GC21?) one in June. So I suspect I'll one of a very small group that will have found both of the remaining August 2000 caches.

Dont forget Potters Pond. http://coord.info/GC3B

[+SwineFlew]

I've got a 700 mile trip planned in May to do GC36, among other things. It is purely by chance that I'll be within 40 miles of the GA (is that GC21?) one in June. So I suspect I'll one of a very small group that will have found both of the remaining August 2000 caches.

 

And if either one gets archived before I get there?? I won't be whining.

Thats my attitude about oldies. They got a self life and you never know when they will be archived.

[+bflentje]

I've got a 700 mile trip planned in May to do GC36, among other things. It is purely by chance that I'll be within 40 miles of the GA (is that GC21?) one in June. So I suspect I'll one of a very small group that will have found both of the remaining August 2000 caches.

Dont forget Potters Pond. http://coord.info/GC3B

 

So there's three remaining? Good to know, thanks. Bummer, I could have done Potters Pond last year. I missed it. Who can I blame?

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

One thing I learned from caching oldies is that it seems they are normally the best spots.

 

That's pretty much what motivated to take on the challenge. We assumed, after finding a couple old local caches, that most would be of the type we like to find. The trek to completing the requirements for Jasmer did not disappoint. We're not aware of another challenge that would guide us to the type of caches we enjoy.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I've got a 700 mile trip planned in May to do GC36, among other things. It is purely by chance that I'll be within 40 miles of the GA (is that GC21?) one in June. So I suspect I'll one of a very small group that will have found both of the remaining August 2000 caches.

Dont forget Potters Pond. http://coord.info/GC3B

 

So there's three remaining? Good to know, thanks. Bummer, I could have done Potters Pond last year. I missed it. Who can I blame?

 

There's also GC4D but it's located in Sweden. If there are only four caches still active that were placed in August, 2000 with three of them in the U.S. and the other in Sweden I would imagine that it would be extremely difficult for someone living outside of North America or Europe to complete a full Jasmer challenge. Doing a search for caches with Jasmer (so...why is find a cache placed in every month since the beginning called a Jasmer challenge) showed 105 caches with many "editions". Most of them are not full Jasmer challenges including the 3-4 located in Europe.

[+SwineFlew]

I was thinking of making a challenge to find all 3 of Aug 2000 caches in USA. Place the challenge in the area of one of the three. I wont placed one because I havent finished it and I dont live near any of the three.

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

Doing a search for caches with Jasmer (so...why is find a cache placed in every month since the beginning called a Jasmer challenge) showed 105 caches with many "editions".

 

Named after jasmerb, creator of the challenge and owner of the first such one.

 

Oldeset Jasmer still left

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Doing a search for caches with Jasmer (so...why is find a cache placed in every month since the beginning called a Jasmer challenge) showed 105 caches with many "editions".

 

Named after jasmerb, creator of the challenge and owner of the first such one.

 

Oldeset Jasmer still left

 

Thanks. If I had access to the API I'd write an app that would get a list of ones finds, find the gaps in Jasmer, Fizzy, and other challenges then present a list of candidate caches ordered by proximity to ones home location. It could be called Challenge Helper. If I did this, would it be something people would be interested in using?

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

I think a GSAK macro would probably help. It makes no difference to us; we actually completed the challenge back in July of 2010. We just think it's a cool thing to grab the oldies.

[+Ike 13]

I was able to get all but May 2000 within my travels mainly in the SC-GA-NC area. But last week I did a road trip to The Spot in New York and that's 630 miles from home as the crow flies. Now JASMER is done and I can focus on Fizzy!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I think a GSAK macro would probably help. It makes no difference to us; we actually completed the challenge back in July of 2010. We just think it's a cool thing to grab the oldies.

 

There appears to be a couple of GSAK macros related to the Jasmer challenge (one of them created by jasmerb which just displays a grid of months that identies months in which one has found (has hasn't found) a cache. The other generates a list of candidate caches but relies on existing "myfinds" and "not yet found" (one can specify the name) databases. The problem is that the "not yet found" database is essentially created from a pocket query which has a proximity limit of 500 miles from ones home location. For example, when I create a PQ of caches placed from May 2000 to April 2001 (where the many of the missing grid elements for me exist) I don't see any caches for June 2000 because there aren't any within 500 miles of where I live. I don't know if the API supports a proximity search greater than 500 miles but I can't see an easy way to discover the closest cache which is eligible for a specific grid element (or range of months) using a PQ unless multiple pocket queries with various center points are created.

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

The 500 mile distance was one of our challenges to overcome with the PQs. Like I said earlier, more information being available (or at least findable!?) makes this in some ways easier to accomplish now when compared to a few years ago.

 

I hate to think how many PQs I ran to find an August 2000 cache. I think it took 4 days to get the one closest to us due to the limits on the number or PQs you could run in a day.

 

One of our next goals is to do a double. We have 16 more to go, but will need to go to Georgia or Michigan for another August 2000!

[+SwineFlew]

The 500 mile distance was one of our challenges to overcome with the PQs. Like I said earlier, more information being available (or at least findable!?) makes this in some ways easier to accomplish now when compared to a few years ago.

 

I hate to think how many PQs I ran to find an August 2000 cache. I think it took 4 days to get the one closest to us due to the limits on the number or PQs you could run in a day.

 

One of our next goals is to do a double. We have 16 more to go, but will need to go to Georgia or Michigan for another August 2000!

A double Jasmer? Oh dear god! I am now running away from that! There is no way I am doing that challenge. That would be REALLY hard to do.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The 500 mile distance was one of our challenges to overcome with the PQs. Like I said earlier, more information being available (or at least findable!?) makes this in some ways easier to accomplish now when compared to a few years ago.

 

I hate to think how many PQs I ran to find an August 2000 cache. I think it took 4 days to get the one closest to us due to the limits on the number or PQs you could run in a day.

 

 

A bit off topic, but you can create a PQ, and as long as you don't have a "days to generate" selected you can run it, modify it and run it again as often as you want. Just preview the results each time and bookmark cache listings as needed.

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

A bit off topic, but you can create a PQ, and as long as you don't have a "days to generate" selected you can run it, modify it and run it again as often as you want. Just preview the results each time and bookmark cache listings as needed.

 

We appreciate that fact, but back when we started our Jasmer we didn't know that. We do now though! Sharing information is a good thing.

[+The Jester]

I think a GSAK macro would probably help. It makes no difference to us; we actually completed the challenge back in July of 2010. We just think it's a cool thing to grab the oldies.

 

There appears to be a couple of GSAK macros related to the Jasmer challenge (one of them created by jasmerb which just displays a grid of months that identies months in which one has found (has hasn't found) a cache. The other generates a list of candidate caches but relies on existing "myfinds" and "not yet found" (one can specify the name) databases. The problem is that the "not yet found" database is essentially created from a pocket query which has a proximity limit of 500 miles from ones home location. For example, when I create a PQ of caches placed from May 2000 to April 2001 (where the many of the missing grid elements for me exist) I don't see any caches for June 2000 because there aren't any within 500 miles of where I live. I don't know if the API supports a proximity search greater than 500 miles but I can't see an easy way to discover the closest cache which is eligible for a specific grid element (or range of months) using a PQ unless multiple pocket queries with various center points are created.

You can overcome the distance by selecting the states you want to search. I have a couple of PQ's that have all US States and Canada Provinces/Territories selected (a bit of a pain to set up) - I copy one of those and set the date range wanted and can find all caches within US/Canada matching (I see that there are 271 caches therein which match your 5/2000-4/2001 range).

[+DragonsWest]

My last one was one of three possible: In Utah (Potter's Pond), Georgia (Lake Lanier) or Michigan (Geocache 612) I was in Michigan for a family gathering and the drive up to Geocache 612 I worked into a Fall Color Tour, so of all those I'd purposefully targeted for the challenge I haven't really had to drive very far out of my way. It's just the way the cards have fallen.

[+wimseyguy]

Hard to say that I have taken any specific Jasmer trips. I've always sought out the old ones on my travels, and have been lucky enough to travel to places that offered up many of the needed caches to complete the challenge. A few years back I was meeting some people on the outskirts of Atlanta, so we added an extra day to the trip, rented a nice boat, and had a 3 hour cruise on Lake Lanier to grab GC20 and GC21 as well as some others on the lake. We then detoured around Atlanta the long way to snag GCB6 and GC1D to complete my grid.

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

Our final cache to complete the Jasmer was GC5C, Southern Idaho's First! It made sense to us since this is from our home state.

[+geonauten]

Hi, yes there are some Europeans that have their Jasmer filled. But, indeed, its not easy. I'm not sure of the number of geocachers in Europe having their Jasmer completed, I think there are about 10 or so. I finished my Jasmer in April 2013 after 2 years active working on the progress. We went to the US in 2012 for the ET trail and after that to Ireland, Berlin, Denmark, Sweden and last April to Australia, Sydney. But as you wrote, its a lot of travelling! But very much fun to do. Coming September we will visit the US again for a geocache trip, this time the oldies are on the program. As I'm still addicted to the old ones, I will try to go for my double jasmer. We fly to SF, then to Salt Lake City to visit Potters Pond, Southern Idaho's First, then up to Yellowstone and on our way to Oregon and Washington.

 

I'd be curious to see if anyone from Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, or Australia has ever completed the Jasmer challenge, because I suspect that there are probably several areas in the grid that for someone not living in North America, would require traveling thousands of miles rather than the hundreds of miles mentioned so far. I haven't even looked at what it would take for me to complete the Jasmer challenge (or most challenges) and have no idea where the nearest jasmer challenge cache is located.

[+Dame Deco]

This summer I completed a PHYSICAL Jasmer--I have a physical cache for every month, no virtuals, etc. No multis that are now virtuals (there a surprising amount of those around!). I need to get my challenge made and hid--that's a true challenge, completing a physical Jasmer. 2000 isn't the problem, and 2001 wasn't bad--but 2002 is just clogged with virtual caches. This was the last one I needed, my Physical Jasmer booklist is listed there-- GC3AC5

[+geodarts]

We were planning an upcoming trip to Utah and I noticed Potters Pond is very close to our route. Our main goal will be Nine Mile Canyon - it has a virtual and we could easily spend a long time there exploring things that are much more ancient. And I also need to leave time for the coal black Muffler Man in Helper. So far the Pond is not on my list, but we'll see. It might tempt me in the right mood.

Edited July 28, 2014 by geodarts

[+Roman!]

I flew from Vancouver to Toronto on business and decided to drive back through the States, on my way I found Beverly - E 2794.6 km from your home location.

We also went to Hawaii so I made a trip out to Geocache - SW 4360.6 km from your home location.

 

Both those we part of a vacation though.

 

Last month I went to Utah specifically to find Potters Pond to complete my grid - SE 1417 km from your home location.

[+terratin]

Looks quite easy to find missing Jasmer months with project-gc: http://project-gc.com/Maps/maphiddenmonth/?profile_name=terratin&hidden_fromyyyy=2000&hidden_frommm=8&hidden_fromdd=1&hidden_toyyyy=2000&hidden_tomm=8&hidden_todd=31&submit=Filter

 

This is for terratin and August 2008, but it should work with any other username of course.

 

From a European perspective: I picked up a few old ones when on business in Houston, and I do know some really crazy cachers who'd go to the US just to find that one missing month, or for another crazy goal.

 

We're still missing 12 months now. Whenever a special cache is relatively nearby we do make the detour for it. Not sure what to do when the only missing month is only available in the US, but we'll see about it then.

[+jellis]

We were planning an upcoming trip to Utah and I noticed Potters Pond is very close to our route. Our main goal will be Nine Mile Canyon - it has a virtual and we could easily spend a long time there exploring things that are much more ancient. And I also need to leave time for the coal black Muffler Man in Helper. So far the Pond is not on my list, but we'll see. It might tempt me in the right mood.

I did Potter's Pond. It really helped when I did it while they were celebrating the anniversary of the cache. My sister who lives in Utah, joined me to camp and then my friends from the bay area came the next day. Oh and Jacob and the local reviewer. Best time and it was half the distance then Georgia.

Edited July 29, 2014 by jellis

[+hzoi]

Still working on filling in May 2000. Prior to that, it took us a while to fill in September 2000 and December 2000; we hit Christmas Cache in south Florida on our way back from Key West, not long before we left Alabama, and then I picked up Tombstone in Texas two months later during a house hunting trip prior to our move out west.

 

Now we are only 342 miles from Mingo, so we just need to get that one before we move next summer. But my real goal is to get Arikaree, since that's still the original container as far as I can tell.

[+JBnW]

Still working on filling in May 2000. Prior to that, it took us a while to fill in September 2000 and December 2000; we hit Christmas Cache in south Florida on our way back from Key West, not long before we left Alabama, and then I picked up Tombstone in Texas two months later during a house hunting trip prior to our move out west.

 

Now we are only 342 miles from Mingo, so we just need to get that one before we move next summer. But my real goal is to get Arikaree, since that's still the original container as far as I can tell.

And a gazillion times cooler cache than Mingo will ever be...IMHO. Hit me up of you're looking for some other caches for a great road-trip in that part of the state. I might be able to point you to a few.

[+GrateBear]

Living in ID, I'm lucky to have several old ones within a few hundred miles. But, getting to them is not all that easy as I don't regularly go where they are. But, will be going back to MA in the not so distant future, so will go for a couple there--about 2300 miles.

[+hzoi]

Still working on filling in May 2000. Prior to that, it took us a while to fill in September 2000 and December 2000; we hit Christmas Cache in south Florida on our way back from Key West, not long before we left Alabama, and then I picked up Tombstone in Texas two months later during a house hunting trip prior to our move out west.

 

Now we are only 342 miles from Mingo, so we just need to get that one before we move next summer. But my real goal is to get Arikaree, since that's still the original container as far as I can tell.

And a gazillion times cooler cache than Mingo will ever be...IMHO. Hit me up of you're looking for some other caches for a great road-trip in that part of the state. I might be able to point you to a few.

That'd be great! I'll drop you a PM.