Having and NJ caching race/challenge

[Geoman007]

I was thinking about having a compitition in New Jersey were people would Have to find 15 cache's which have clue's to the next cache. When you get to the 15th cache there will be a prize. I was wondering if anyone would be interesting in participating. Also if you know any good parks all over the state. Thanks

[+bldebabe]

Count me in.

[+nikcap]

Sound a little like GeoDashing. I was thinking about something similiar. It would surround our home town of South Brunswick and would requier the cache to visit each of the smaller communities in SB, gathering hints that would lead you to the finally cache. I was thinking that it would be something a cacher could do over the course of a weekend and possible snag other caches along the way. Or perhaps you might be thinking about something completely insaine like our Blood and Guts Cache This hunt takes you on a 200 mile trip across northern Virginia and will require you to solve several very tricky mathimatical puzzles.

Personally, I like the idea of working on a cache find that takes some time and detective work. With that in mind, I'm very excited about phase two of Status Crows' Gold bar cache ... ezpecially since we have on of the lucky tickets.

[+nikcap]

Sound a little like GeoDashing. I was thinking about something similiar. It would surround our home town of South Brunswick and would requier the cache to visit each of the smaller communities in SB, gathering hints that would lead you to the finally cache. I was thinking that it would be something a cacher could do over the course of a weekend and possible snag other caches along the way. Or perhaps you might be thinking about something completely insaine like our Blood and Guts Cache This hunt takes you on a 200 mile trip across northern Virginia and will require you to solve several very tricky mathimatical puzzles.

Personally, I like the idea of working on a cache find that takes some time and detective work. With that in mind, I'm very excited about phase two of Status Crows' Gold bar cache ... ezpecially since we have on of the lucky tickets.

[Geoman007]

I like the name of GeoDashing! I was going to hide 15 caches all over the state. They would sort of make a loop around NJ. Each cache would have one of the words to complete the sentence. At the end you must form the sentence and then you win the prize.

[BassoonPilot]

Out of curiousity, why did you delete yesterday's thread pertaining to this same topic?

 

I'll repeat what I stated there ... regardless of whether one calls it a race, competition, challenge, etc., this sort of activity encourages people to:

 

1. Bushwhack instead of following established trails.

 

2. Enter parks (illegally) outside of their posted hours.

 

3. Ignore parking or trespassing restrictions.

 

In other words, in their quest to "win the prize," people will behave in a thoughtless, careless and reckless manner.

[+Harrald]

What happened to the other thread?

 

I'm a bit curious also. While at work I read the original thread. When I got home it was gone. I thought I was losing my mind. Now I see I have lost it already.

 

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As always, the above statements are just MHO.

====================================

[Geoman007]

I tried to reword it better and I thought of a few more ideas.

[+Rich in NEPA]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BassoonPilot:

In other words, in their quest to "win the prize," people will behave in a thoughtless, careless and reckless manner.

---

BP, I must beg to strongly disagree. You are painting with a pretty broad brush. Of course some people will behave in the manner which you describe, but they are the ones that do that sort of thing even now and are a minority. (Aren't we all just a little guilty at times of some unnecessary and/or illegal bushwhacking or other minor transgressions?) I think it's pretty important to realize that most people are not at all like that. There are built-in forms of competition in all Geocaches, namely bragging rights to “First Finder,” or snagging an exotic treasure, or even picking up a special Travel Bug. It's not total anarchy and chaos out there because if it. Perhaps you weren't aware of it but there was a widely publicized "race" (more or less) this past weekend in NJ involving the capture of ten golden metal tags—see: Status Crow Bars . From every indication I've seen so far, it went off in a safe, appropriate, and extremely civilized manner. (A person can find something wrong with anything if they look hard enough.) I feel certain that with a little bit of extra effort, creativity and thoughtfulness, the kind of cache hunt that is the subject of this thread could be assembled in a way to avoid most, if not all of your concerns. And it could turn out to be a lot of fun, as well! Cheers ...

 

~Rich in NEPA~

 

 

=== A man with a GPS receiver knows where he is; a man with two GPS receivers is never sure. ===

[+Rich in NEPA]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BassoonPilot:

In other words, in their quest to "win the prize," people will behave in a thoughtless, careless and reckless manner.

---

BP, I must beg to strongly disagree. You are painting with a pretty broad brush. Of course some people will behave in the manner which you describe, but they are the ones that do that sort of thing even now and are a minority. (Aren't we all just a little guilty at times of some unnecessary and/or illegal bushwhacking or other minor transgressions?) I think it's pretty important to realize that most people are not at all like that. There are built-in forms of competition in all Geocaches, namely bragging rights to “First Finder,” or snagging an exotic treasure, or even picking up a special Travel Bug. It's not total anarchy and chaos out there because if it. Perhaps you weren't aware of it but there was a widely publicized "race" (more or less) this past weekend in NJ involving the capture of ten golden metal tags—see: Status Crow Bars . From every indication I've seen so far, it went off in a safe, appropriate, and extremely civilized manner. (A person can find something wrong with anything if they look hard enough.) I feel certain that with a little bit of extra effort, creativity and thoughtfulness, the kind of cache hunt that is the subject of this thread could be assembled in a way to avoid most, if not all of your concerns. And it could turn out to be a lot of fun, as well! Cheers ...

 

~Rich in NEPA~

 

 

=== A man with a GPS receiver knows where he is; a man with two GPS receivers is never sure. ===

[+nikcap]

Good example Rich! In fact, Team Ekitt10 even avoided hunting one of the Crow Bars because it happened to be some place that was closed at the time. But I agree with BP, people act funny when competition comes along. The only way this would work is if the time from to complete the challenge would require several days (ie 2 weekend). If it was something that could be complete in a day, people would turn in to savages. From the sounds of it Geoman is looking to place caches from Cape May to the Deleware Water Gap. Although you could make the trip in 3 or 4 hours, I doubt any of us could legistically accomplish that. (Well, except cooper) What would make it really cool, is if there where multiple starting points.

[Geoman007]

Team Ekkit 10 knows excactly what I am going to do. Although there will be only one starting piont. The cache's will range from the Northern most part of the state to Cape May. Maybe I should make this a two day journey where you will find the first 7 of 15 cache's the first day and the rest the second. Should I split the state hunt into 2 days?

[+Rich in NEPA]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Team Ekitt10:

But I agree with BP, people act funny when competition comes along. The only way this would work is if the time from to complete the challenge would require several days (ie 2 weekend).

---

Howdy, Team Ekitt10! Aren't you sorta contradicting yourself when you claim, on the one hand, that you acted in a conscientious manner during the Crow Bar competition and, on the other, when you imply that people will do anything to win a competition? I'm not sure that I understand your message. From what I can tell, your behavior certainly didn't fit the latter picture. Secondly, I'm sure that making it a multi-day search is not the only way Geoman007's cache hunt could possibly work. Where there's a will, there's a way! It's going to require considerable thought to come up with an acceptable plan, but isn't that what makes this kind of social endeavor worth it??? The simple fact alone that the stages are scattered up and down the entire state will be a major obstacle for many serious players, including me (and I don't consider myself anywhere near as "serious" as some of the more well-known mega-cachers). Another important point is that typically the inherent value of the prize is going to be far less than the time, effort and expense required to retrieve it. The "find" is essentially a matter of pride, honor and self-satisfaction (at least as far as I'm concerned, and I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way). To compare hunts/competitions like these to motion picture fantasy is absurd. We aren't taking about millions of dollars or tons of gold bullion! Geez everyone, let's get real, OK!? I'd like to see more hunts around my neck of the woods like Status Crow's! Good luck, Geoman007. Cheers ...

 

~Rich in NEPA~

 

 

=== A man with a GPS receiver knows where he is; a man with two GPS receivers is never sure. ===

[+Rich in NEPA]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Team Ekitt10:

But I agree with BP, people act funny when competition comes along. The only way this would work is if the time from to complete the challenge would require several days (ie 2 weekend).

---

Howdy, Team Ekitt10! Aren't you sorta contradicting yourself when you claim, on the one hand, that you acted in a conscientious manner during the Crow Bar competition and, on the other, when you imply that people will do anything to win a competition? I'm not sure that I understand your message. From what I can tell, your behavior certainly didn't fit the latter picture. Secondly, I'm sure that making it a multi-day search is not the only way Geoman007's cache hunt could possibly work. Where there's a will, there's a way! It's going to require considerable thought to come up with an acceptable plan, but isn't that what makes this kind of social endeavor worth it??? The simple fact alone that the stages are scattered up and down the entire state will be a major obstacle for many serious players, including me (and I don't consider myself anywhere near as "serious" as some of the more well-known mega-cachers). Another important point is that typically the inherent value of the prize is going to be far less than the time, effort and expense required to retrieve it. The "find" is essentially a matter of pride, honor and self-satisfaction (at least as far as I'm concerned, and I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way). To compare hunts/competitions like these to motion picture fantasy is absurd. We aren't taking about millions of dollars or tons of gold bullion! Geez everyone, let's get real, OK!? I'd like to see more hunts around my neck of the woods like Status Crow's! Good luck, Geoman007. Cheers ...

 

~Rich in NEPA~

 

 

=== A man with a GPS receiver knows where he is; a man with two GPS receivers is never sure. ===

[+PCSAD]

"...regardless of whether one calls it a race, competition, challenge, etc., this sort of activity encourages people to:

 

1. Bushwhack instead of following established trails.

 

2. Enter parks (illegally) outside of their posted hours.

 

3. Ignore parking or trespassing restrictions.

 

In other words, in their quest to "win the prize," people will behave in a thoughtless, careless and reckless manner."

 

- Bassoon Pilot

 

I wholeheartedly disagree. In sponsoring the Crow Bar contest I deliberately chose locations that were certainly unique, but not one encompassed any of the nefarious activities you listed above. I can assure you that much research and preparation preceded this endeavor, and I've yet to receive negative feedback regarding any participating cacher or cache site. In fact, this has proven to be such a positive experience that I can hardly wait for the next phase of the game to begin, and I'm inclined to think that those who took part would very thoughtfully, carefully and deliberately agree.

 

Status Crow

[cachechoo]

I know Geoman007 and he has some great ideas that make his "challenge" interesting. For instance, riddles, clues, puzzles, etc at each cache that would have to be deciphered before you could move on to the next. Pretty impressive...more of a challenge with the time to complete irrelevant. And possibly, a prize to anyone who makes it through all the cache's. Also, I think Geoman007 is VERY RESPONSIBLE in that he sought input and suggestions before moving forward with anything.

[+nikcap]

Although I loved the movie, I'd hate to be part of ''It's a Mad Mad Mad Geocahing World''

What I was trying to say in regards to the Status Crow event was this. We visited the first sight and found the location to be closed due to the rainy weather, rather then jump the gate on to the Lewis' island, or wander around through a private parking lot and hop across the stream stone by stone and log by log, we opted to visit another site that was close by. The cache was in a potted plant in front of a church right on Main street. We snagged the cache, and much picked up all the trash and litter that people left in the plants and on the steps. So yes, while we were spurred to hunt the Crow Bar by our competative nature, I'd like to think we acted reasonably, prudent and in an eco-friendly manner.

I've been too long winded already

[+nikcap]

Although I loved the movie, I'd hate to be part of ''It's a Mad Mad Mad Geocahing World''

What I was trying to say in regards to the Status Crow event was this. We visited the first sight and found the location to be closed due to the rainy weather, rather then jump the gate on to the Lewis' island, or wander around through a private parking lot and hop across the stream stone by stone and log by log, we opted to visit another site that was close by. The cache was in a potted plant in front of a church right on Main street. We snagged the cache, and much picked up all the trash and litter that people left in the plants and on the steps. So yes, while we were spurred to hunt the Crow Bar by our competative nature, I'd like to think we acted reasonably, prudent and in an eco-friendly manner.

I've been too long winded already

[BassoonPilot]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rich in NEPA:

 

BP, I must beg to strongly disagree. You are painting with a pretty broad brush. Of course some people will behave in the manner which you describe, but they are the ones that do that sort of thing even now and are a minority. ...

---

 

Yes, I agree with you, Rich. The problem is, it takes only one irresponsible geocacher to trash a site or cause concern for the property owner or authorities. And that reflects negatively upon the whole of the geocaching community, as has been discussed in countless forum threads.

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rich in NEPA:

 

There are built-in forms of competition in all Geocaches, namely bragging rights to “First Finder,” or snagging an exotic treasure, or even picking up a special Travel Bug. It's not total anarchy and chaos out there because if it.

---

 

I agree; it's not "total anarchy." But there is a significant difference between being a mere "first-to-find" and being the "prize winner" ... something "real" is at stake in the latter.

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rich in NEPA:

 

I feel certain that with a little bit of extra effort, creativity and thoughtfulness, the kind of cache hunt that is the subject of this thread could be assembled in a way to avoid most, if not all of your concerns.

---

 

Someone else made a similar statement. My concern is not with the ability of anyone to develop and implement a series of caches; to me, that's a non-issue. I'm confident they can do a terrific job. My concern is strictly with the behavior of cache seekers, for despite cache owners' best efforts, it remains totally beyond their control.

 

Based on what I've read in these forums and witnessed out on the trails, I feel that the percentage of geocachers behaving responsibly decreases as the level of competition (or value) associated with a cache increases.

 

The behavior of cache seekers who fail to find "the prize" also needs to be considered ... I clearly remember that in the not-too-distant past, two excellent NJ caches were plundered, apparently as the result of one cacher's losing out on a $10 prize. $10!!! I guess that individual placed no value on the qualities of the the hike or locations; all that mattered was the prize.

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rich in NEPA:

 

... I think it's pretty important to realize that most people are not at all like that.

---

 

I agree. But it's equally important to realize that within that tiny percentage of irresponsible cachers might be another guy/gal like that.