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900 Caches In a Day


stl4565

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I am new to geocaching and have noticed that some geocachers have logged more than 900 caches in a single day. I wonder how it is possible to do this given that there are only 1440 minutes in a 24 hour day. That means that in order to log 900 caches, you have an average of 1 minute and 36 seconds to do the following: Travel from one cache to the next, find the new cache, and log it. That seems physically impossible to me and I wonder how they do it. Thanks.

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They may not have found the caches, and are just logging them.

 

Or it could be one or both of two other ways.

One is they found all the caches-lets say 300 per day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The get home on Monday and log them all, but don't change the date.

There are also these things called power trails. One simple cache every 530-600 feet ranging from 100 caches (We have 5 of those in my city) to 1000 caches. Very easy to get higher numbers in less time.

 

Then there's those who-some may say this is cheating some may not, form your own opinion-go out as a group. The split into three groups one starts at cache number one. The second starts a third the way down, and the third starts 2/3 the way down. The each sign everyone else's names or a group name and they all claim finds for the whole trail.

Edited by T.D.M.22
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I am new to geocaching and have noticed that some geocachers have logged more than 900 caches in a single day. I wonder how it is possible to do this given that there are only 1440 minutes in a 24 hour day. That means that in order to log 900 caches, you have an average of 1 minute and 36 seconds to do the following: Travel from one cache to the next, find the new cache, and log it. That seems physically impossible to me and I wonder how they do it. Thanks.

 

It is VERY doable. With careful planning well over 1,000 is well within the realm of possibility (even without leapfrogging, 3 cache monte, and other tricks) if you are into that kinda thing. But it ain't for everyone.

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If a picture is worth 1000 words, what's a video worth?

The video is interesting, but there are at least three guys and clearly they are not finding and logging these caches individually. What they do is analogous to having track & field 4X100 meter relay teams compete against individuals in the 400 meter run. In spite of that, the cachers in the video have only found 350 caches with less than 1/2 the day left. It seems highly unlikely they will reach 900 before the end of the day. I don't see how a lone cacher could find and log 900 caches in a day.

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I am new to geocaching and have noticed that some geocachers have logged more than 900 caches in a single day. I wonder how it is possible to do this given that there are only 1440 minutes in a 24 hour day. That means that in order to log 900 caches, you have an average of 1 minute and 36 seconds to do the following: Travel from one cache to the next, find the new cache, and log it. That seems physically impossible to me and I wonder how they do it. Thanks.

 

It is VERY doable. With careful planning well over 1,000 is well within the realm of possibility (even without leapfrogging, 3 cache monte, and other tricks) if you are into that kinda thing. But it ain't for everyone.

Well that is good to know, but my question was: how is it possible to do that? In particular, I wonder how it is possible for one individual operating ALONE to do that? In order for someone to get more than 1000 in 1 day, which you claim is possible they, must drive to, find, and log each cache in an average of 1 minute and 26 seconds over a period of 24 hours. That includes any bathroom breaks, meals, rest etc. I don't see how it is possible.

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I am new to geocaching and have noticed that some geocachers have logged more than 900 caches in a single day. I wonder how it is possible to do this given that there are only 1440 minutes in a 24 hour day. That means that in order to log 900 caches, you have an average of 1 minute and 36 seconds to do the following: Travel from one cache to the next, find the new cache, and log it. That seems physically impossible to me and I wonder how they do it. Thanks.

 

It is VERY doable. With careful planning well over 1,000 is well within the realm of possibility (even without leapfrogging, 3 cache monte, and other tricks) if you are into that kinda thing. But it ain't for everyone.

Well that is good to know, but my question was: how is it possible to do that? In particular, I wonder how it is possible for one individual operating ALONE to do that? In order for someone to get more than 1000 in 1 day, which you claim is possible they, must drive to, find, and log each cache in an average of 1 minute and 26 seconds over a period of 24 hours. That includes any bathroom breaks, meals, rest etc. I don't see how it is possible.

 

Like I said...careful planning.

 

First, you find a big power trail and carefully plan the route; take extra gas, food, and water; be rested so you can go 24 hrs straight, be sure your vehicle is the right one for where you are going and that it is ready for the run, and so on.

 

It is much harder, and not terribly smart in many cases, to do it solo, but it's still possible. One of my caching buds does at least 1 major power run a year with another friend of his. They pick a target area somewhere in the country and spend months planning the route and the logistics and getting themselves physically ready. They have done well over 1200 in a day (24 hrs) together. Those guys are machines!

 

As for the time, it takes far less than 1.5 minutes to get from cache-to-cache along a power trail if you know what you're doing and it is a true power trail with all hides being the same thing hidden the same way and easily accessible every 528' along a road.

Edited by Semper Questio
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I am new to geocaching and have noticed that some geocachers have logged more than 900 caches in a single day. I wonder how it is possible to do this given that there are only 1440 minutes in a 24 hour day. That means that in order to log 900 caches, you have an average of 1 minute and 36 seconds to do the following: Travel from one cache to the next, find the new cache, and log it. That seems physically impossible to me and I wonder how they do it. Thanks.

 

It is VERY doable. With careful planning well over 1,000 is well within the realm of possibility (even without leapfrogging, 3 cache monte, and other tricks) if you are into that kinda thing. But it ain't for everyone.

Well that is good to know, but my question was: how is it possible to do that? In particular, I wonder how it is possible for one individual operating ALONE to do that? In order for someone to get more than 1000 in 1 day, which you claim is possible they, must drive to, find, and log each cache in an average of 1 minute and 26 seconds over a period of 24 hours. That includes any bathroom breaks, meals, rest etc. I don't see how it is possible.

 

Like I said...careful planning.

 

First, you find a big power trail and carefully plan the route; take extra gas, food, and water; be rested so you can go 24 hrs straight, be sure your vehicle is the right one for where you are going and that it is ready for the run, and so on.

 

It is much harder, and not terribly smart in many cases, to do it solo, but it's still possible. One of my caching buds does at least 1 major power run a year with another friend of his. They pick a target area somewhere in the country and spend months planning the route and the logistics and getting themselves physically ready. They have done well over 1200 in a day (24 hrs) together. Those guys are machines!

 

As for the time, it takes far less than 1.5 minutes to get from cache-to-cache along a power trail if you know what you're doing and it is a true power trail with all hides being the same thing hidden the same way and easily accessible every 528' along a road.

Thanks for the feedback. Personally, a cache that I find with the help of someone else just does not feel like my find. Perhaps if they had a category of "doubles" geocaching members, kind of like doubles tennis, I would be OK with logging finds I made with someone else.

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If a picture is worth 1000 words, what's a video worth?

The video is interesting, but there are at least three guys and clearly they are not finding and logging these caches individually. What they do is analogous to having track & field 4X100 meter relay teams compete against individuals in the 400 meter run. In spite of that, the cachers in the video have only found 350 caches with less than 1/2 the day left. It seems highly unlikely they will reach 900 before the end of the day. I don't see how a lone cacher could find and log 900 caches in a day.
Who said anything about finding caches individually?

 

Usually, numbers runs are a team effort. For that matter, group geocaching trips are often a team effort. Personally, I prefer to play huckle buckle beanstalk style, but a lot of people play three musketeers style instead.

 

And who said it's a competition?

 

I've seen Alamogul at a number of local events, and no one has ever proclaimed him the winner of anything (even at the events celebrating another of his major milestones). None of the geocachers I know who have done these big numbers run trails (as shown in the video) claim to have won anything. From what I gather, they mostly compete against themselves, trying to optimize their own numbers run.

 

Some accounts represent a single person. Some accounts represent a couple, or a whole family. Some individuals use multiple accounts. We're all geocaching together. There is no "solo geocaching" that is distinct from "pairs geocaching" that is distinct from "team geocaching". It's all just geocaching.

 

But for what it's worth, I found a post from humboldt flier that mentioned finding 640 caches solo, between 2:34am and about 6pm. But I think someone else (perhaps Lil Devil) has found more than that on a solo numbers run, perhaps in the 700-800 range.

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If a picture is worth 1000 words, what's a video worth?

The video is interesting, but there are at least three guys and clearly they are not finding and logging these caches individually. What they do is analogous to having track & field 4X100 meter relay teams compete against individuals in the 400 meter run. In spite of that, the cachers in the video have only found 350 caches with less than 1/2 the day left. It seems highly unlikely they will reach 900 before the end of the day. I don't see how a lone cacher could find and log 900 caches in a day.
Who said anything about finding caches individually?

 

Usually, numbers runs are a team effort. For that matter, group geocaching trips are often a team effort. Personally, I prefer to play huckle buckle beanstalk style, but a lot of people play three musketeers style instead.

 

And who said it's a competition?

 

I've seen Alamogul at a number of local events, and no one has ever proclaimed him the winner of anything (even at the events celebrating another of his major milestones). None of the geocachers I know who have done these big numbers run trails (as shown in the video) claim to have won anything. From what I gather, they mostly compete against themselves, trying to optimize their own numbers run.

 

Some accounts represent a single person. Some accounts represent a couple, or a whole family. Some individuals use multiple accounts. We're all geocaching together. There is no "solo geocaching" that is distinct from "pairs geocaching" that is distinct from "team geocaching". It's all just geocaching.

 

But for what it's worth, I found a post from humboldt flier that mentioned finding 640 caches solo, between 2:34am and about 6pm. But I think someone else (perhaps Lil Devil) has found more than that on a solo numbers run, perhaps in the 700-800 range.

For me, it isn't a question of competition. I simply don't feel comfortable logging a cache found and logged in a joint effort as my find. It isn't the same achievement and I prefer not count it that way. To me it is mixing apples and oranges. On the other hand, if they had separate geocaching memberships for groups of two, three, four etc., I would have no problems logging a cache achieved in one of these groupings. It would be kind of like doubles vs singles tennis -- a different category.

 

While this may not be competition, clearly those guys in the video are trying to get as many caches as they can in the shortest possible time. They are motivated by count. Personally, I don't feel that counting a cache that someone else may have found as mine is the same as counting a cache that I found as mine. I don't feel there is any comparison.

Edited by stl4565
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On the other hand, if they had separate geocaching memberships for groups of two, three, four etc., I would have no problems logging a cache achieved in one of these groupings. It would be kind of like doubles vs singles tennis -- a different category.
So how do you see this playing out?

 

When I go caching alone, I log as niraD.

When I go caching with a friend, we create a new account to log our "doubles geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a different friend, we create another new account to log our "doubles geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a group, we create a team account for our "team geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a different group, we create another team account for our "team geocaching" find.

 

And what happens when I go caching with a large group that includes both individual friends, some people from the first team account, and some people from the second team account?

 

And what if I go geocaching with a group of people who don't have geocaching accounts? And does it matter if they later create geocaching accounts?

 

If you want everyone in your group to get a chance at the "Aha!" moment when they spot the cache, then play huckle buckle beanstalk style. No one says the game has to be over when the first person spots the cache.

 

But logging my finds against different accounts depending on whether I'm alone or with someone else or with a different someone else seems ridiculous. I'd lose all the advantage of having all my finds logged in one place.

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On the other hand, if they had separate geocaching memberships for groups of two, three, four etc., I would have no problems logging a cache achieved in one of these groupings. It would be kind of like doubles vs singles tennis -- a different category.
So how do you see this playing out?

 

When I go caching alone, I log as niraD.

When I go caching with a friend, we create a new account to log our "doubles geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a different friend, we create another new account to log our "doubles geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a group, we create a team account for our "team geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a different group, we create another team account for our "team geocaching" find.

 

And what happens when I go caching with a large group that includes both individual friends, some people from the first team account, and some people from the second team account?

 

And what if I go geocaching with a group of people who don't have geocaching accounts? And does it matter if they later create geocaching accounts?

 

If you want everyone in your group to get a chance at the "Aha!" moment when they spot the cache, then play huckle buckle beanstalk style. No one says the game has to be over when the first person spots the cache.

 

But logging my finds against different accounts depending on whether I'm alone or with someone else or with a different someone else seems ridiculous. I'd lose all the advantage of having all my finds logged in one place.

I am new to geocaching and haven't given much thought to how I see this "playing out". However, there is a fundamental difference between counting a cache that you find and counting one that someone else finds for you. It makes sense to me to create categories that distinguish these cases. One option would be to establish two user accounts, one of which would be for caches found individually and the other for caches you "find" in groups of 2 or more individuals. There are precedents for this kind of distinction in other endeavors such as tennis where successes achieved as a singles player are counted independently from successes achieved as a doubles player. Golfers achieve great notoriety based on their successes in team competition such as the Ryder cup, but these never count as individual wins. The reasons for measuring individual achievement and group achievement separately are obvious to me. If it makes no sense to you, then clearly you won't be open to the idea of creating any kind of framework that acknowledges the differences.

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On the other hand, if they had separate geocaching memberships for groups of two, three, four etc., I would have no problems logging a cache achieved in one of these groupings. It would be kind of like doubles vs singles tennis -- a different category.
So how do you see this playing out?

 

When I go caching alone, I log as niraD.

When I go caching with a friend, we create a new account to log our "doubles geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a different friend, we create another new account to log our "doubles geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a group, we create a team account for our "team geocaching" find.

When I go caching with a different group, we create another team account for our "team geocaching" find.

 

And what happens when I go caching with a large group that includes both individual friends, some people from the first team account, and some people from the second team account?

 

And what if I go geocaching with a group of people who don't have geocaching accounts? And does it matter if they later create geocaching accounts?

 

If you want everyone in your group to get a chance at the "Aha!" moment when they spot the cache, then play huckle buckle beanstalk style. No one says the game has to be over when the first person spots the cache.

 

But logging my finds against different accounts depending on whether I'm alone or with someone else or with a different someone else seems ridiculous. I'd lose all the advantage of having all my finds logged in one place.

I am new to geocaching and haven't given much thought to how I see this "playing out". However, there is a fundamental difference between counting a cache that you find and counting one that someone else finds for you. It makes sense to me to create categories that distinguish these cases. One option would be to establish two user accounts, one of which would be for caches found individually and the other for caches you "find" in groups of 2 or more individuals. There are precedents for this kind of distinction in other endeavors such as tennis where successes achieved as a singles player are counted independently from successes achieved as a doubles player. Golfers achieve great notoriety based on their successes in team competition such as the Ryder cup, but these never count as individual wins. The reasons for measuring individual achievement and group achievement separately are obvious to me. If it makes no sense to you, then clearly you won't be open to the idea of creating any kind of framework that acknowledges the differences.

 

You will find that the general ethic among geocachers is that if they are part of the team that found the cache they log a find on their personal account. Sort of like when a football team wins a game everyone gets credit for the win, not just the guy who scored the touchdown. Each member of the team played a part in the effort. When I go caching with my wife or friends we'll fan out. Often it's "I'll check out this stump while you look in that rock pile". By eliminating spots team members contribute to effort regardless of who actually finds it.

 

Asking people to create different accounts for varying degrees of participation in a hunt is a bit much. My personal feeling is that I have to be an active participant in the hunt for me to log a find. If I get there and the vanguard of the group already has the cache out and are signing the log, I won't log that as a find. Similarly if I'm just standing there chatting while others search, I won't log that either. Others do it differently and if they are with the group, they'll log the find whether they contributed or not. Heck, some log finds when they didn't even get out of the car. Do whatever feels right, its not a contest.

Edited by briansnat
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However, there is a fundamental difference between counting a cache that you find and counting one that someone else finds for you. It makes sense to me to create categories that distinguish these cases.
Well, premium members could log a Find for the ones they find, and add the ones "others find for them" to their ignore list.

 

There are precedents for this kind of distinction in other endeavors such as tennis where successes achieved as a singles player are counted independently from successes achieved as a doubles player. Golfers achieve great notoriety based on their successes in team competition such as the Ryder cup, but these never count as individual wins.
Sure. But unlike geocaching, tennis and golf are competitive sports.

 

Find logs aren't points. They're just a record of which geocaches you've found. If your signature is on the log, then you can log a find. It doesn't matter whether you found it alone, or whether you found it as part of a group.

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However, there is a fundamental difference between counting a cache that you find and counting one that someone else finds for you. It makes sense to me to create categories that distinguish these cases.
Well, premium members could log a Find for the ones they find, and add the ones "others find for them" to their ignore list.

 

There are precedents for this kind of distinction in other endeavors such as tennis where successes achieved as a singles player are counted independently from successes achieved as a doubles player. Golfers achieve great notoriety based on their successes in team competition such as the Ryder cup, but these never count as individual wins.
Sure. But unlike geocaching, tennis and golf are competitive sports.

 

Find logs aren't points. They're just a record of which geocaches you've found. If your signature is on the log, then you can log a find. It doesn't matter whether you found it alone, or whether you found it as part of a group.

Well yes, golf and tennis are only analogies, but your suggestion that geocaching is strictly non-competitive is inaccurate. If it were non-competitive we wouldn't keep count and there wouldn't be web sites with elaborate statistics on each member's findings as well as rankings locally, statewide, and worldwide. It makes absolutely no sense to me to log a cache as "Found It" if I did not actually "find it". On the other hand if I could log a cache as "Team Find" or "Group Find", that would make much more sense to me.

Edited by stl4565
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It makes absolutely no sense to me to log a cache as "Found It" if I did not actually "find it". On the other hand if I could log a cache as "Team Find" or "Group Find", that would make much more sense to me.
Well, the Feature Discussions and Suggestions is right next door. Who knows, maybe others will like the suggestion and Groundspeak will implement it. Although I wouldn't hold my breath.
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Also there are some caches you cannot log alone but will need a team effort. And for some of the more dangerous ones it may even be wise to bring along somebody who does not partake so that help can be organized just in case something happens. I do most of my caching alone but when I go out with friends, it's about spending time together as a team. Yes, I could set up a team account for them, but then the overview of which caches I found would fall apart or I would have to maintain extensive lists. And since my statistics are interesting to only one person in the world (me), I think I can safely log them without annoying too many. I see where you're coming from, since I myself do not understand how sending out three teams and everybody logs for everybody else, so I can log caches I've never been closer to than 2 miles would count as a log for me, but despite the fact that many statistics are assembled and compared by various third party sites, how you compete is up to you.

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If a picture is worth 1000 words, what's a video worth?

The video is interesting, but there are at least three guys and clearly they are not finding and logging these caches individually. What they do is analogous to having track & field 4X100 meter relay teams compete against individuals in the 400 meter run. In spite of that, the cachers in the video have only found 350 caches with less than 1/2 the day left. It seems highly unlikely they will reach 900 before the end of the day. I don't see how a lone cacher could find and log 900 caches in a day.
Who said anything about finding caches individually?

 

Usually, numbers runs are a team effort. For that matter, group geocaching trips are often a team effort. Personally, I prefer to play huckle buckle beanstalk style, but a lot of people play three musketeers style instead.

 

And who said it's a competition?

 

I've seen Alamogul at a number of local events, and no one has ever proclaimed him the winner of anything (even at the events celebrating another of his major milestones). None of the geocachers I know who have done these big numbers run trails (as shown in the video) claim to have won anything. From what I gather, they mostly compete against themselves, trying to optimize their own numbers run.

 

Some accounts represent a single person. Some accounts represent a couple, or a whole family. Some individuals use multiple accounts. We're all geocaching together. There is no "solo geocaching" that is distinct from "pairs geocaching" that is distinct from "team geocaching". It's all just geocaching.

 

But for what it's worth, I found a post from humboldt flier that mentioned finding 640 caches solo, between 2:34am and about 6pm. But I think someone else (perhaps Lil Devil) has found more than that on a solo numbers run, perhaps in the 700-800 range.

For me, it isn't a question of competition. I simply don't feel comfortable logging a cache found and logged in a joint effort as my find. It isn't the same achievement and I prefer not count it that way. To me it is mixing apples and oranges. On the other hand, if they had separate geocaching memberships for groups of two, three, four etc., I would have no problems logging a cache achieved in one of these groupings. It would be kind of like doubles vs singles tennis -- a different category.

 

While this may not be competition, clearly those guys in the video are trying to get as many caches as they can in the shortest possible time. They are motivated by count. Personally, I don't feel that counting a cache that someone else may have found as mine is the same as counting a cache that I found as mine. I don't feel there is any comparison.

 

Totally agree with the apples and oranges comment. If you weren't actually there to be a part of the find, how can you "find" it?

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I solved this problem very early in the game for me. I decided not to compare myself with anyone else when it comes to numbers, or what I consider a cache.

I like watching my own numbers grow, and my own numbers mean a lot to me. However, I pay no attention to what you consider a find, or how you decide to log your own caches.

As long as I am consistent in how I log my finds, I'm happy.

I doubt if anyone with 900 finds in one day would have logged the caches the same way I do. However, if it makes them happy and they want to pat themselves on the back for it, who cares.

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