Thinking of placing an epic multi, would appreciate input

[+DanTh3Man]

So I am thinking of placing a multi that will lead cachers from the north eastern part of my province to the north western part of the province. I travel this route a couple times a year so I would be able to do maintenance, I also don't think it will be found all that often so maintenance shouldn't be much of an issue.

 

I would appreciate input on:

1. Are there issues with placing a multi that spans 1000km (as long as it is stated in the description)?

2. How difficult should I be looking to make the hides?

3. I am thinking of getting a new Etrex 20 or similar and using that as a FTF prize but I don't want it to get muggled. To counter this I am thinking of putting a code in the final cache that the finder can email to me and I will mail them the FTF prize. Seem reasonable?

 

Any input you want to provide will be appreciated.

[+narcissa]

Sounds great!

 

My advice would be to use either existing elements as waypoints (this might require Streetview-proofing), or something low maintenance like copper tags.

[+Semper Questio]

Find interesting or scenic places for the waypoints with safe places to park. Use different kinds of steps along the way for variety and added interest and challenge.

[+The A-Team]

Personally, I think this might be a bit too ambitious for your first hide. I suggest you start out with a Traditional closer to home so you can get a feel for cache ownership. Once you've seen what can happen with your hides, you might be able to make your multi even better. That's just my personal opinion, though, and you can certainly go ahead if you feel confident you can do so.

 

BTW, how northwest are you thinking? A long distance multi like you propose would get very few finds anyway, but northwestern BC is pretty remote and would limit the number of finds even further. Are you talking Alaska Highway-ish, or even farther west toward the Tatshenshini?

[+DanTh3Man]

Personally, I think this might be a bit too ambitious for your first hide. I suggest you start out with a Traditional closer to home so you can get a feel for cache ownership. Once you've seen what can happen with your hides, you might be able to make your multi even better. That's just my personal opinion, though, and you can certainly go ahead if you feel confident you can do so.

 

BTW, how northwest are you thinking? A long distance multi like you propose would get very few finds anyway, but northwestern BC is pretty remote and would limit the number of finds even further. Are you talking Alaska Highway-ish, or even farther west toward the Tatshenshini?

 

Thanks for the input. At this point everything is entirely conceptual and wouldn't be happening for a bit.

 

I suppose North-Central would be a more accurate description. The final would be in the Kitimat-Terrace area.

[+eightwednesday]

I think it's a really interesting idea. The first challenge that comes to my mind is maintenance. A cache you checked on today could go missing tomorrow. Like others have said, leading people along a route where they collect information from existing things (e.g. historical markers) might be a way to work on that. One example (though all the waypoints are in walking distance) is the cache Victorian Bellefonte.

 

To tempt folks into such a time intensive hide, I'd make sure it is a good experience or tells a good story, that seekers really get something above and beyond just a smiley for their effort.

 

And like Semper said, safe parking places are key! Though one thing I've loved about traveling the highways in BC is that there are a lot of pull offs and primitive rest areas.

 

If you'd like to give such a big ticket item as an FTF, I would have a slip of paper in the final with your contact information (email address is fine) so the FTF could contact you and you could perhaps send them their prize.

 

Good luck!

[+T.D.M.22]

I suppose it depends on which province- I'd never do that in Saskatchewan, I'd fall asleep from boredom and wake up in Alberta without crashing into anything. *End Saskatchewan joke.

 

Now BC-That would be cool. I'd probably never get to do it, but if I was there I would...

[+DanTh3Man]

I think it's a really interesting idea. The first challenge that comes to my mind is maintenance. A cache you checked on today could go missing tomorrow. Like others have said, leading people along a route where they collect information from existing things (e.g. historical markers) might be a way to work on that. One example (though all the waypoints are in walking distance) is the cache Victorian Bellefonte.

 

To tempt folks into such a time intensive hide, I'd make sure it is a good experience or tells a good story, that seekers really get something above and beyond just a smiley for their effort.

 

And like Semper said, safe parking places are key! Though one thing I've loved about traveling the highways in BC is that there are a lot of pull offs and primitive rest areas.

 

If you'd like to give such a big ticket item as an FTF, I would have a slip of paper in the final with your contact information (email address is fine) so the FTF could contact you and you could perhaps send them their prize.

 

Good luck!

 

I agree with all of your points. If/when I do this I will put a paper with a code that FTF can send in to claim their prize.

 

I suppose it depends on which province- I'd never do that in Saskatchewan, I'd fall asleep from boredom and wake up in Alberta without crashing into anything. *End Saskatchewan joke.

 

Now BC-That would be cool. I'd probably never get to do it, but if I was there I would...

 

This is definitely going to be in BC. The cache will begin on the eastern side of the Rockies and end up on an inlet off the Pacific.

[team tisri]

So I am thinking of placing a multi that will lead cachers from the north eastern part of my province to the north western part of the province. I travel this route a couple times a year so I would be able to do maintenance, I also don't think it will be found all that often so maintenance shouldn't be much of an issue.

 

I would appreciate input on:

1. Are there issues with placing a multi that spans 1000km (as long as it is stated in the description)?

2. How difficult should I be looking to make the hides?

3. I am thinking of getting a new Etrex 20 or similar and using that as a FTF prize but I don't want it to get muggled. To counter this I am thinking of putting a code in the final cache that the finder can email to me and I will mail them the FTF prize. Seem reasonable?

 

Any input you want to provide will be appreciated.

 

Are you hoping people will make the journey specifically to find your cache, or just to appeal to people who are making the journey anyway?

 

If it's for people who travel that way anyway then unless it's a popular route it seems that you'll get the people who do make the trip finding the cache, then it will sit there unloved. If you're hoping people will make the journey to find your cache, it's a huge distance to travel for a single smiley.

 

Personally if I thought a cache was going to be truly epic I'd cover 100-200km to find it. Personally a cache that covered 1000km is something I'd put straight on the ignore list if it was anywhere near me. It's just too far to be making a special trip, so unless I was going to make the journey anyway I would be reluctant to pay the price (in time not to mention fuel etc) for the sake of one cache. If the CO was known for hiding spectacularly epic caches I may consider making the trip with a few others to split costs/driving time etc, but I'd want to be pretty sure that we wouldn't get 2/3 of the way through to find a stage missing, or get to the end to find a soggy film pot.

[4wheelin_fool]

Don't write any of the waypoints on paper, or even laminated paper and expect them to last in any type of container. Try metal stamping, engraving them on plastic, or even writing on wood with several coats of lacquer. For some reason multis seem to require maintenance more often.

[+DanTh3Man]

So I am thinking of placing a multi that will lead cachers from the north eastern part of my province to the north western part of the province. I travel this route a couple times a year so I would be able to do maintenance, I also don't think it will be found all that often so maintenance shouldn't be much of an issue.

 

I would appreciate input on:

1. Are there issues with placing a multi that spans 1000km (as long as it is stated in the description)?

2. How difficult should I be looking to make the hides?

3. I am thinking of getting a new Etrex 20 or similar and using that as a FTF prize but I don't want it to get muggled. To counter this I am thinking of putting a code in the final cache that the finder can email to me and I will mail them the FTF prize. Seem reasonable?

 

Any input you want to provide will be appreciated.

 

Are you hoping people will make the journey specifically to find your cache, or just to appeal to people who are making the journey anyway?

 

If it's for people who travel that way anyway then unless it's a popular route it seems that you'll get the people who do make the trip finding the cache, then it will sit there unloved. If you're hoping people will make the journey to find your cache, it's a huge distance to travel for a single smiley.

 

Personally if I thought a cache was going to be truly epic I'd cover 100-200km to find it. Personally a cache that covered 1000km is something I'd put straight on the ignore list if it was anywhere near me. It's just too far to be making a special trip, so unless I was going to make the journey anyway I would be reluctant to pay the price (in time not to mention fuel etc) for the sake of one cache. If the CO was known for hiding spectacularly epic caches I may consider making the trip with a few others to split costs/driving time etc, but I'd want to be pretty sure that we wouldn't get 2/3 of the way through to find a stage missing, or get to the end to find a soggy film pot.

 

In my mind the target for this cache would be people that way (or close to it) anyways. It is a pretty popular route for people to take in the summer to get to good fishing spots so there are quite a few people that make the trip.

 

I would also be OK if it sat unfound for a long time. A big part of this for me is just to get out and find cool locations for the different stages.

[+Panther&Pine]

There is one of these in New Mexico, my trackables have been stuck for almost two years since the last finder....

 

http://coord.info/GCHE87

Edited June 7, 2014 by MooseJawSpruce

[+narcissa]

Absolutely nothing wrong with a rarely-found geocache. The ones that take a lot of work to find are my favourites.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Personally, I think this might be a bit too ambitious for your first hide. I suggest you start out with a Traditional closer to home so you can get a feel for cache ownership. Once you've seen what can happen with your hides, you might be able to make your multi even better. That's just my personal opinion, though, and you can certainly go ahead if you feel confident you can do so.

 

I agree. Hide a couple of local caches while you're planning the "epic multi" to get a sense of cache ownership. You might always want to find a few mulit-cache first to get a better idea of what works for a multi-cache and what doesn't.

 

I don't know why but it seems pretty common for a new geocachers with just a few finds to want to create some complex multi, or puzzle cache for there first cache. Maybe it's that being new to the game you want to bring something new to the game, but believe me, most geocachers would be happy with a few caches that use a container that can withstand the elements, are hidden in an interesting manner in a nice location, complies with all the guidelines, and are adequately maintained.

 

As someone else mentioned, what is your maintenance plan for stages of your multi that are hundreds of kilometers from home.

Edited June 7, 2014 by NYPaddleCacher

[team tisri]

So I am thinking of placing a multi that will lead cachers from the north eastern part of my province to the north western part of the province. I travel this route a couple times a year so I would be able to do maintenance, I also don't think it will be found all that often so maintenance shouldn't be much of an issue.

 

I would appreciate input on:

1. Are there issues with placing a multi that spans 1000km (as long as it is stated in the description)?

2. How difficult should I be looking to make the hides?

3. I am thinking of getting a new Etrex 20 or similar and using that as a FTF prize but I don't want it to get muggled. To counter this I am thinking of putting a code in the final cache that the finder can email to me and I will mail them the FTF prize. Seem reasonable?

 

Any input you want to provide will be appreciated.

 

Are you hoping people will make the journey specifically to find your cache, or just to appeal to people who are making the journey anyway?

 

If it's for people who travel that way anyway then unless it's a popular route it seems that you'll get the people who do make the trip finding the cache, then it will sit there unloved. If you're hoping people will make the journey to find your cache, it's a huge distance to travel for a single smiley.

 

Personally if I thought a cache was going to be truly epic I'd cover 100-200km to find it. Personally a cache that covered 1000km is something I'd put straight on the ignore list if it was anywhere near me. It's just too far to be making a special trip, so unless I was going to make the journey anyway I would be reluctant to pay the price (in time not to mention fuel etc) for the sake of one cache. If the CO was known for hiding spectacularly epic caches I may consider making the trip with a few others to split costs/driving time etc, but I'd want to be pretty sure that we wouldn't get 2/3 of the way through to find a stage missing, or get to the end to find a soggy film pot.

 

In my mind the target for this cache would be people that way (or close to it) anyways. It is a pretty popular route for people to take in the summer to get to good fishing spots so there are quite a few people that make the trip.

 

I would also be OK if it sat unfound for a long time. A big part of this for me is just to get out and find cool locations for the different stages.

 

If the target is people making the trip anyway I guess you're less concerned that people wouldn't bother making the trip to find the cache. If a cache has been unfound for a time some people might regard it as a challenge to see if they can find it while others might decide they'd rather not attempt something quite so epic without checking that the cache was still there. If you've got a means to check, fairly quickly, that the cache and any physical stages you've placed are still in place it might be reassuring to finders who can ask you to confirm it's in place before they make an epic voyage.

 

Someone mentioned this being your first hide. If that's the case why not start with a smaller multi and building up to an epic one. If you only have one hide there's no way people can know if your caches are any good, and so no way they can feel reassured that your epic multi isn't going to consist of a bunch of stages with bad coordinates leading to a soggy film pot where it's hard to read the coordinates because everything is wet, which in turn lead to a broken takeaway container that's full of mouldy Happy Meal toys because it hasn't been found in 10 months and has been soaked since the last finder didn't put the lid on properly.