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Challenges...?


mud plodders

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I'm pretty new to Geocaching and I've read people say "DON'T find all geocaches around you in case you want to do challenges!". I've heard mentioned there's challenges for finding a geocache everyday in a year, month, etc. I've been looking around for more info than this and have come up empty.

 

Can someone point me into the direction for how I can attempt something like this?

 

Thanks

mud plodders

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Easy : go to 'Your Profile' and than to 'Statistics'. There you'll find them...

 

I know that's where my stats are, but how do I know what kinds of things are "official challenges" or is there no such thing? People just try to fill up their stats and such.

 

Also, one other thing, I heard sometimes there are challenges to find 10 different caches types in a day or something like that...?

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Easy : go to 'Your Profile' and than to 'Statistics'. There you'll find them...

 

I know that's where my stats are, but how do I know what kinds of things are "official challenges" or is there no such thing? People just try to fill up their stats and such.

 

Also, one other thing, I heard sometimes there are challenges to find 10 different caches types in a day or something like that...?

 

There are tons of different types of challenge caches out there. The best thing to do would to check for challenges near you so you know which you might be able to accomplish and sign the log for.

 

Check out the profile page of shell1fish to look at a list of challenge caches in your state.

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Challenge caches consist of a traditional cache with a slight twist. You have to meet the qualification standards before claiming a find on the cache. All sorts of different qualifications (like X number of different cache types in a day, or at least one cache a day for X number of days, etc.)

 

Here's a couple of different ways you could locate nearby challenge caches:

 

1. Go to the map, look for "?" icons and see if they have the word "Challenge" in their names.

 

2. Go to a bookmark list for challenge caches. Here's a link to a geocacher's profile who's put a lot of time into bookmarking challenge caches in the United States - there are links on the profile for the various states: shell1fish profile

 

Edit to add: redwoodkestrel beat me to it :)

Edited by terrkan78
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Challenge caches consist of a traditional cache with a slight twist. You have to meet the qualification standards before claiming a find on the cache. All sorts of different qualifications (like X number of different cache types in a day, or at least one cache a day for X number of days, etc.)

 

Here's a couple of different ways you could locate nearby challenge caches:

 

1. Go to the map, look for "?" icons and see if they have the word "Challenge" in their names.

 

2. Go to a bookmark list for challenge caches. Here's a link to a geocacher's profile who's put a lot of time into bookmarking challenge caches in the United States - there are links on the profile for the various states: shell1fish profile

 

Edit to add: redwoodkestrel beat me to it :)

 

Awesome, thanks to you both! :)

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Challenge caches consist of a traditional cache with a slight twist. You have to meet the qualification standards before claiming a find on the cache. All sorts of different qualifications (like X number of different cache types in a day, or at least one cache a day for X number of days, etc.)

 

Here's a couple of different ways you could locate nearby challenge caches:

 

1. Go to the map, look for "?" icons and see if they have the word "Challenge" in their names.

 

2. Go to a bookmark list for challenge caches. Here's a link to a geocacher's profile who's put a lot of time into bookmarking challenge caches in the United States - there are links on the profile for the various states: shell1fish profile

 

Edit to add: redwoodkestrel beat me to it :)

 

Awesome, thanks to you both! :)

Welcome to the challenge addiction!!! :lol:

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Ontario is a great place to search for challenges - LOADS of variety and very closely packed (Hamilton area, 'challenge-ville'). That'll give you an idea of the kinds of challenges that exist, and give you some things to shoot for, even if there aren't local challenges to you.

 

Unfortunately, yeah, it's not easy to get a full list of them (a challenge attribute or something would be useful). Personally, I created PQs to cover most of Ontario filtering for Unknown caches, then manually (as in with gsak, or via geosphere) filtered for caches with "challenge" in the title, then examined each one to make sure they were actual challenges, not just a regular cache with 'challenge' in it; and then added the pre-"Challenge" requirement caches that are still considered challenges even without the text in the name (like Tequila's 81-proof)... *phew*

 

I'm sure my own list of Ontario challenges is still not complete.

But in this case, pocket queries and a separate database are a godsend.

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Easy : go to 'Your Profile' and than to 'Statistics'. There you'll find them...

 

I know that's where my stats are, but how do I know what kinds of things are "official challenges" or is there no such thing? People just try to fill up their stats and such.

 

There are no "Official Challenges"

They are just side games that geocachers make up.

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I know that's where my stats are, but how do I know what kinds of things are "official challenges" or is there no such thing? People just try to fill up their stats and such.

There are no "Official Challenges"

They are just side games that geocachers make up.

 

Capitalized 'Official Challenges', no.

But they are as official as being recognized and enforced with guidelines (name requirement and ALR exception) gets.

Edited by thebruce0
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Can I post requests for help on caches I can't find?
Where are you going to post? How do you expect others to provide help?

 

According to section 2-D of the geocaching.com terms of use, "You agree not to: [...] xxiii. Publish on our websites the solutions, hints, spoilers, or any hidden coordinates for any geocache without consent from the geocache owner.”

 

So asking for help is fine. But expecting others to violate the TOU by posting hints or spoilers here is not so fine. And as a matter of general forum etiquette, posting a question in a public forum and expecting private answers isn't usually acceptable either.

 

You could try asking the CO. Another option is to get together with other geocachers and go geocaching as a group.

 

What's the best site on puzzle cache help?
Here are some general puzzle tips (based in part on a puzzle-solving class event presented by The Rat a while ago):

 

Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, athletes’ jersey numbers, episode numbers, product codes, etc.).

 

Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 37 (or the digits 3 and 7) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 122 (or the digits 1, 2, and 2) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.)

 

Other useful resources include:

 

Puzzle Solving 101 Series (bookmark list)

Puzzle Shortcuts Series (bookmark list)

Solving Puzzle Caches (online article)

How Do I Solve All These $@! Puzzle Caches? (tutorial-style puzzle cache)

Puzzle FUNdamentals (archived event cache) and the Puzzle FUNdamentals resources on the GeocacheAlaska! education page

The GBA's Puzzle Cache FAQ (for puzzle designers, but useful for understanding how puzzle caches work)

 

If you’re interested in extremely challenging puzzles, then consider the online discussions of Venona’s ACTIVITIES in the GBA forums. The puzzles for this annual event are very challenging, intended to be solved by multiple people working together online. (You'll need to register on the GBA site to view these forum threads.)

 

Overview: Venona's 2011 ACTIVITIES

Overview: Venona's 2012 ACTIVITIES

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