Best Challenge Cache Idea?

[+geocat_]

I don't want to debate whether or not you like Challenge Caches in this thread. I simply want some ideas. So please list or discuss the best Challenge Cache ideas (what you need to do to qualify).

[+Gill & Tony]

My three challenges are 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 Kilometer challenges. Find two caches on the same date local time more than x kilometers apart with no intervening finds. 2,000 and 5,000 are reasonably easy but 10,000 almost certainly needs to cross the date line going the right way.

 

My son has three challenges based on Lonely Caches. Only include caches which had been unfound for 6 months (at least 183 days) prior to your find. Add up all the unfound days to produce a total. He has 5 year, 15 year and 50 year challenges. He set himself the personal challenge of achieving 50 years unfound and it took a lot of time and hard work, but he was able to publish it last year. I've qualified for and found the 5 year one and have a bit over 13 years total now.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I don't want to debate whether or not you like Challenge Caches in this thread. I simply want some ideas. So please list or discuss the best Challenge Cache ideas (what you need to do to qualify).

 

Okay. Should we start another thread for people to post what they don't like about challenges and not allow anyone to say anything good about them?

 

 

[+geocat_]

I don't want to debate whether or not you like Challenge Caches in this thread. I simply want some ideas. So please list or discuss the best Challenge Cache ideas (what you need to do to qualify).

 

Okay. Should we start another thread for people to post what they don't like about challenges and not allow anyone to say anything good about them?

 

 

 

Sure

[+Walts Hunting]

How about a challenge cache that can only be logged by someone who has never done one before and promises to never put one out

[+geocat_]

Apparently I can't keep the joksters away. All I wanted were some ideas to honor my wife who passed away last summer. Is it so difficult to do that?

[+Uncle Alaska]

Apparently I can't keep the joksters away. All I wanted were some ideas to honor my wife who passed away last summer. Is it so difficult to do that?

No, unfortunately the topic will stray from your specific question...

 

Not sure if it would get published...Find x number of caches that were placed on her Birthday?

Edited March 1, 2015 by Uncle Alaska

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Apparently I can't keep the joksters away. All I wanted were some ideas to honor my wife who passed away last summer. Is it so difficult to do that?

 

Condolences about your wife but my post wasn't intended as a joke. This is a discussion forum, which means you can't dictate to others how they must respond.

[+geocat_]

Apparently I can't keep the joksters away. All I wanted were some ideas to honor my wife who passed away last summer. Is it so difficult to do that?

 

Not sure if it would get published...Find x number of caches that were placed on her Birthday?

 

Love it!

[+Harry Dolphin]

Ones I'm working on?: Fizzy and Jasmer. Wish me luck.

Ones that I have worked on? NJ DeLorme and County challenges. I claim to be working on the PA County challenge too.

But those are common types, and not too many are permitted.

Ones that I've enjoyed that I already qualified for? Find a cache hidden on your "Member Since" day. Tougher for cachers who have been members for a number of years. Find a cache hidden on every day of he year. Find a cache every day of the year. Find six different types of caches in one day. (We found eight types one day on vacation in Seattle.)

I like the "find six caches hidden on (whatever day of the year your wife was born on)"

[+K13]

You wanted ideas about Challenge Caches...you got thoughts from all over the spectrum. After you specified why you wanted the ideas for a Challenge - to honor your wife, you got at least one relevant suggestion. Good questions get good answers.

 

I would suggest you find a place special to her, and place a Traditional cache there, and load it up with swag she would enjoy. Since many people ignore Challenge caches (and some ignore all Mystery caches all together), making it a Traditional cache will likely have more people find the cache and honor her memory.

[+geocat_]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

[+Touchstone]

So sorry for your loss.

 

Around my area, alphabet related Challenges are pretty common. Spell out a word or phrase using the first letter in the Title of caches you've found that qualify. Not particularly difficult, but you might enjoy having people spelling out your Wife's name (or Username if she had a separate account).

 

Good luck!

[+geocat_]

You wanted ideas about Challenge Caches...you got thoughts from all over the spectrum. After you specified why you wanted the ideas for a Challenge - to honor your wife, you got at least one relevant suggestion. Good questions get good answers.

 

I would suggest you find a place special to her, and place a Traditional cache there, and load it up with swag she would enjoy. Since many people ignore Challenge caches (and some ignore all Mystery caches all together), making it a Traditional cache will likely have more people find the cache and honor her memory.

 

I completely agree with your suggestion and already have a couple in her memory...

http://coord.info/GC5DKYT

 

http://coord.info/GC5J9P8

 

[+niraD]

Not having known your wife, it's hard for me to suggest what might be an appropriate challenge to honor her. So I'll just comment on challenges in general. But keep in mind that the only caches on my ignore list are challenge caches that I expect to never complete, like the Jasmer challenge, the Fizzy challenge, and national parks challenges.

 

I've completed and found a couple of streak challenges, but I didn't start the streak for the sake of the challenges. I did find puzzles for the last month of the streak to qualify for the puzzling month challenge, but I started the streak for other reasons.

 

I've also completed and found a trivial challenge (one that would be easy for anyone to complete, no matter how few caches they had found).

 

But the one challenge that I'm particularly interested in, that I consider myself to be working on (albeit slowly), is a quadrangle challenge. It divides the local region into quadrangles based on the USGS maps, and requires one find in each quadrangle. I expect to finish that one in a few more years.

 

But I'm not even considering larger regional challenges, like the California DeLorme challenge. If one of those were near my home, it would end up on my ignore list too.

[+CanadianRockies]

But keep in mind that the only caches on my ignore list are challenge caches that I expect to never complete, like the Jasmer challenge, the Fizzy challenge, and national parks challenges.

Never say never. We're not really into seeking out old caches and have found none that were hidden before 2001. As I was planning our route to an upcoming family reunion in Yosemite, however, I discovered that we could complete Jasmer without any significant detours. That might make it hard to resist.

[+captnemo]

How about having to find a cache in every state, country or ? she cached in?

[+niraD]

But keep in mind that the only caches on my ignore list are challenge caches that I expect to never complete, like the Jasmer challenge, the Fizzy challenge, and national parks challenges.

Never say never.

Yeah, the 365-day streak challenge was originally on my ignore list. As was the puzzling month challenge. But sure enough, I did eventually complete them both.

[+FunnyNose]

My three challenges are 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 Kilometer challenges. Find two caches on the same date local time more than x kilometers apart with no intervening finds. 2,000 and 5,000 are reasonably easy but 10,000 almost certainly needs to cross the date line going the right way.

 

I found 2 caches 12984 kilometers apart on the same day. Singapore and Seattle. Date line crossing was a necessity.

[+Gill & Tony]

My three challenges are 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 Kilometer challenges. Find two caches on the same date local time more than x kilometers apart with no intervening finds. 2,000 and 5,000 are reasonably easy but 10,000 almost certainly needs to cross the date line going the right way.

 

I found 2 caches 12984 kilometers apart on the same day. Singapore and Seattle. Date line crossing was a necessity.

I did Sydney and Vancouver. We arrived 3 hours before we left.

 

Now all you have to do is pop down to Ulladulla and three caches await you.

[+Gill & Tony]

Apparently I can't keep the joksters away. All I wanted were some ideas to honor my wife who passed away last summer. Is it so difficult to do that?

 

Condolences about your wife but my post wasn't intended as a joke. This is a discussion forum, which means you can't dictate to others how they must respond.

True, but anyone can request that their thread follows a certain direction and the rest of us can choose to honour that request or ignore it

[+Isonzo Karst]

Knowing nothing about your wife, it's difficult to make any kind of suggestion - but the caching public likes choice, and something that takes a bit of extra doing... but not too much.

 

My geocaching household owns 5 challenges. I can tell you that the more choice cache seekers have in completing a challenge, in building a "best memories" list, the better it's liked.

 

Example - free choice + a bit of extra required by limiting use of Trads http://coord.info/GC151K8

 

The fewer the options, the less anyone cares.

Example - oldest in several counties - this comes close to being an explicit list, but as it's not a list under my control, it meets the guideline. http://coord.info/GC1A4MT

 

Keep it simple, some challenges are designed such verifying that the challenge is a massive and tedious bookkeeping exercise.

 

I personally dislike any & all "speed" challenges: find X number caches in limited time frame.

The hand carved stamp was removed from one of my letterboxes by a frustrated hider who didn't appreciate how time consuming the hike was; how it messed up their plan get X number in one day.

AND for the owner of that LBH speed challenge, it went from difficult when he first qualified himself and then placed it, to a meaningless bonus to the powertrail of EZ roadside LBH that were inevitably placed later.

 

Placing of numbers of quick and easy caches designed to meet local challenges is inevitable (thus removing as much challenge as possible ;-)

[cezanne]

Apparently I can't keep the joksters away. All I wanted were some ideas to honor my wife who passed away last summer. Is it so difficult to do that?

 

Originally I wanted to suggest this challenge cache

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4BNQQ_challenge-mit-20-uber-300?guid=a63b9f36-412d-41c8-b8b7-7a0c16c257ed

but it might not fit what you had in mind (you did not mention your wife in the first post). I'm sorry for your loss.

[+JL_HSTRE]

My favorite challenges were FL county challenges (north, south, and final) which brought me to counties where I had never set foot before.

 

Second favorite was a Resurrection challenge which introduced me to the idea of lonely caches. This might be thematically appropriate for a tribute to a lost loved one.

 

I have a state parks challenge which requires a bit of work to determine if you qualify but I am proud of the challenge requirement because I feel it is meaningful.

[+Zepp914]

I'm working on a 20 Reviewer challenger. You have to find caches that were enabled by 20 reviewers. I am up to 13. It is harder because ProjectGC and MyGeocachinprofile don't keep track of that. Also, since reviewers are based in geographic areas, it gives me one more reason to collect different states and countries.

[+CanadianRockies]

I'm working on a 20 Reviewer challenger. You have to find caches that were enabled by 20 reviewers. I am up to 13. It is harder because ProjectGC and MyGeocachinprofile don't keep track of that. Also, since reviewers are based in geographic areas, it gives me one more reason to collect different states and countries.

ProjectGC does have a challenge checker for that one. The title indicates it is for the United States, but it seems to grab non-U.S. reviewers, too.

[+NanCycle]

 

Not sure if it would get published...Find x number of caches that were placed on her Birthday?

 

I like this idea as a tribute cache. I am not a reviewer so I don't know if it would be published, but I think it would be if the cache description didn't go over the top on the tribute aspect. Of course, what constitutes "over the top" might be interpreted differently by different people.

[+Zepp914]

I'm working on a 20 Reviewer challenger. You have to find caches that were enabled by 20 reviewers. I am up to 13. It is harder because ProjectGC and MyGeocachinprofile don't keep track of that. Also, since reviewers are based in geographic areas, it gives me one more reason to collect different states and countries.

ProjectGC does have a challenge checker for that one. The title indicates it is for the United States, but it seems to grab non-U.S. reviewers, too.

 

I never noticed that. Thanks!

[Keystone]

I'm working on a 20 Reviewer challenger. You have to find caches that were enabled by 20 reviewers. I am up to 13. It is harder because ProjectGC and MyGeocachinprofile don't keep track of that. Also, since reviewers are based in geographic areas, it gives me one more reason to collect different states and countries.

Technically it's "published," not "enabled."

 

I just checked, and there does not appear to be a Reviewer Challenge in the OP's home area (southwest OH/ northern KY/ eastern IN). The closest one is near the site of Midwest GeoBash in Wauseon, Ohio.

 

Whether a Reviewer Challenge would fit the theme of relating to the OP's wife is a different question!

 

It would help to know some of her interests / things she liked best about geocaching. All five of the Ohio reviewers are fans of/ owners of challenge caches, and we'd be happy to help with ideas based on what we've seen elsewhere.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

 

Just for kicks I thought I'd see what it would take to qualify for a "find 10 caches hidden on my birthday".

 

I found four caches hidden on my birthday since 2000 within 50 miles. I've already found two of them.

 

 

[+geocat_]

I'm working on a 20 Reviewer challenger. You have to find caches that were enabled by 20 reviewers. I am up to 13. It is harder because ProjectGC and MyGeocachinprofile don't keep track of that. Also, since reviewers are based in geographic areas, it gives me one more reason to collect different states and countries.

Technically it's "published," not "enabled."

 

I just checked, and there does not appear to be a Reviewer Challenge in the OP's home area (southwest OH/ northern KY/ eastern IN). The closest one is near the site of Midwest GeoBash in Wauseon, Ohio.

 

Whether a Reviewer Challenge would fit the theme of relating to the OP's wife is a different question!

 

It would help to know some of her interests / things she liked best about geocaching. All five of the Ohio reviewers are fans of/ owners of challenge caches, and we'd be happy to help with ideas based on what we've seen elsewhere.

 

I took a previous suggestion and made it my tribute cache. Keystone, you are a wise sage...message me with any favorites you have come across.

[+niraD]

I can tell you that the more choice cache seekers have in completing a challenge, in building a "best memories" list, the better it's liked.

There's a bingo challenge around here that offers a lot of choice. A 5x5 grid contains 24 different qualifying achievements. (The space in the middle is "free".) To complete the challenge, you can complete the achievements in any row, column, or diagonal. (The CO is working on a blackout; I think he's one achievement away.)

[+NanCycle]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

 

Wow! I have 22 finds on caches placed on Jan 12; that is by far my biggest day in January. I'll probably never get to your neck of the woods to find your cache, though.

 

I'm glad this idea worked out for you.

[+Ambrosia]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

 

Wow! I have 22 finds on caches placed on Jan 12; that is by far my biggest day in January. I'll probably never get to your neck of the woods to find your cache, though.

 

I'm glad this idea worked out for you.

Hm, I don't have any finds on January 12.

 

Nice tribute, geocat!

[+jellis]

To get an idea are what are good ones you would need to know which cachers don't like too.

There are many out there I like, like the Fizzy (81 grid), Jasmer, NorCal.

I am not happy with challenges with ones I could never do, but others could do them so it is only my opinion.

 

added: The Fizzy ones I mean are not including State specified ones.

Edited March 3, 2015 by jellis

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

 

Wow! I have 22 finds on caches placed on Jan 12; that is by far my biggest day in January. I'll probably never get to your neck of the woods to find your cache, though.

 

I'm glad this idea worked out for you.

 

I suppose that in areas where there are a lot of small series of caches (as seems to be the case in the OPs area) this could happen quite easily. One of the logs on the tribute cache indicated that they had 15 or so placed on Jan. 12 but none on the 11th or 13th. All it would take would be for someone to place a series of 10 or more caches that were published that day. Before 2009 this probably would have been a lot less attainable as the notion of a caches series (a bunch of caches with a similar name all placed close to each other at the same time) just didn't happen much.

 

 

[Mr.Yuck]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

 

Wow! I have 22 finds on caches placed on Jan 12; that is by far my biggest day in January. I'll probably never get to your neck of the woods to find your cache, though.

 

I'm glad this idea worked out for you.

 

I suppose that in areas where there are a lot of small series of caches (as seems to be the case in the OPs area) this could happen quite easily. One of the logs on the tribute cache indicated that they had 15 or so placed on Jan. 12 but none on the 11th or 13th. All it would take would be for someone to place a series of 10 or more caches that were published that day. Before 2009 this probably would have been a lot less attainable as the notion of a caches series (a bunch of caches with a similar name all placed close to each other at the same time) just didn't happen much.

 

I don't know, not a major arguement here, but I pretty much cache like it's still 2003 (seriously) and if you throw out what is, and probably will be my best day ever of 45 caches, I have several days of the year in the 30's, and a bunch more in the 20's. Unfortunately, Janurary 12th isn't one of them. Only 4 finds. The next day, January 13th I have 10. Close enough?

 

EDIT: I'm an idiot. But actually much of what I say still applies. I have 4 days in January with 10+ hide dates, but only 6 on January 12th.

 

By the way, I had no idea about your loss GeoCat, my sincere condolences.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Mr.Yuck

[Keystone]

The challenge is to find 10 caches HIDDEN on January 12th. So, even if you only cache during the summer months, it's still possible to accumulate 10 finds on caches hidden on January 12th. In my player account stats I have 12 finds on caches hidden on January 12th, even though I've only ever found one cache on a January 12th (which I did as part of a 366 day streak).

 

I've added this challenge cache to my bookmark list of "challenges I've qualified for" and will seek it out the next time I'm in southwest Ohio. Sometimes a bunch of interesting challenges is enough to justify a road trip, and southwest Ohio is an area rich with challenge caches.

[+geodarts]

As yet another idea, if your wife liked particular things, then perhaps a challenge could be made from that. I have done challenges based on superheroes (from a fan of marvel and DC comics), fish (fishing), crptids (interested in Bigfoot), kayaking or boating, and the like. The one challenge I put together involves UFO's and aliens - I have a soft spot for the early contactees who met people from Venus or Clarion. I've considered a rock art or petroglyph challenge but there are very few opportunities to find such caches where I live.

 

In any event, I like seeking out thematic caches rather than massaging statistics. And if it were possible to find a theme that fit in with your wife's interests, it might be a fitting way to honor her.

[+Ambrosia]

The challenge is to find 10 caches HIDDEN on January 12th. So, even if you only cache during the summer months, it's still possible to accumulate 10 finds on caches hidden on January 12th. In my player account stats I have 12 finds on caches hidden on January 12th, even though I've only ever found one cache on a January 12th (which I did as part of a 366 day streak).

 

I've added this challenge cache to my bookmark list of "challenges I've qualified for" and will seek it out the next time I'm in southwest Ohio. Sometimes a bunch of interesting challenges is enough to justify a road trip, and southwest Ohio is an area rich with challenge caches.

Wow, and I test so high in reading comprehension. Silly me to have missed that it's placed, not found.

[+J Grouchy]

I guess I don't really understand why it would necessarily have to be a challenge cache. What's wrong with putting out a traditional in one of her favorite places?...or maybe a Letterbox Hybrid with some sort of stamp inside commemorating her or something she was interested in? Heck, maybe she enjoyed solving puzzles and you could create one that she might have enjoyed!

[Mr.Yuck]

The challenge is to find 10 caches HIDDEN on January 12th. So, even if you only cache during the summer months, it's still possible to accumulate 10 finds on caches hidden on January 12th. In my player account stats I have 12 finds on caches hidden on January 12th, even though I've only ever found one cache on a January 12th (which I did as part of a 366 day streak).

 

I've added this challenge cache to my bookmark list of "challenges I've qualified for" and will seek it out the next time I'm in southwest Ohio. Sometimes a bunch of interesting challenges is enough to justify a road trip, and southwest Ohio is an area rich with challenge caches.

Wow, and I test so high in reading comprehension. Silly me to have missed that it's placed, not found.

 

Yeah, and the worst part is you duped me into thinking that too. I'm not sure you actually did, but you definitely set your self up for blaming.

[+NanCycle]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

 

Wow! I have 22 finds on caches placed on Jan 12; that is by far my biggest day in January. I'll probably never get to your neck of the woods to find your cache, though.

 

I'm glad this idea worked out for you.

Hm, I don't have any finds on January 12.

 

Nice tribute, geocat!

 

You have 6 finds on caches placed on Jan 12.

[+Ambrosia]

The challenge is to find 10 caches HIDDEN on January 12th. So, even if you only cache during the summer months, it's still possible to accumulate 10 finds on caches hidden on January 12th. In my player account stats I have 12 finds on caches hidden on January 12th, even though I've only ever found one cache on a January 12th (which I did as part of a 366 day streak).

 

I've added this challenge cache to my bookmark list of "challenges I've qualified for" and will seek it out the next time I'm in southwest Ohio. Sometimes a bunch of interesting challenges is enough to justify a road trip, and southwest Ohio is an area rich with challenge caches.

Wow, and I test so high in reading comprehension. Silly me to have missed that it's placed, not found.

 

Yeah, and the worst part is you duped me into thinking that too. I'm not sure you actually did, but you definitely set your self up for blaming.

[+redsox_mark]

I guess I don't really understand why it would necessarily have to be a challenge cache. What's wrong with putting out a traditional in one of her favorite places?...or maybe a Letterbox Hybrid with some sort of stamp inside commemorating her or something she was interested in? Heck, maybe she enjoyed solving puzzles and you could create one that she might have enjoyed!

 

The OP already has 6 other caches as tributes to her of various types. I think he just wanted to do a challenge cache this time.

[+Ambrosia]

Just submitted one with the challenge being to find 10 hidden on her birthday. Thanks for the great idea! I have never seen a challenge like that before.

 

Wow! I have 22 finds on caches placed on Jan 12; that is by far my biggest day in January. I'll probably never get to your neck of the woods to find your cache, though.

 

I'm glad this idea worked out for you.

Hm, I don't have any finds on January 12.

 

Nice tribute, geocat!

 

You have 6 finds on caches placed on Jan 12.

Thanks.

[+Geo-Whitney]

Not having known your wife, it's hard for me to suggest what might be an appropriate challenge to honor her. So I'll just comment on challenges in general. But keep in mind that the only caches on my ignore list are challenge caches that I expect to never complete, like the Jasmer challenge, the Fizzy challenge, and national parks challenges.

 

I've completed and found a couple of streak challenges, but I didn't start the streak for the sake of the challenges. I did find puzzles for the last month of the streak to qualify for the puzzling month challenge, but I started the streak for other reasons.

 

I've also completed and found a trivial challenge (one that would be easy for anyone to complete, no matter how few caches they had found).

 

But the one challenge that I'm particularly interested in, that I consider myself to be working on (albeit slowly), is a quadrangle challenge. It divides the local region into quadrangles based on the USGS maps, and requires one find in each quadrangle. I expect to finish that one in a few more years.

 

But I'm not even considering larger regional challenges, like the California DeLorme challenge. If one of those were near my home, it would end up on my ignore list too.

[+Geo-Whitney]

Profoundly stupid question here: How do I get into the DeLorme Challenge? thanks, Whitney

[+niraD]

Profoundly stupid question here: How do I get into the DeLorme Challenge? thanks, Whitney

I'm not sure what you mean by "get into" the challenge.

 

But here's a bookmark list of the various DeLorme challenges:

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=92d58a06-9a7d-40e3-9ce9-7aeef183062f