Frustrated with Hiding Process

[Three Little Owls]

We hid our first geocache today. My kids were very excited about it. I logged onto the site to make sure it was the proper distance from others in the area. The red bubbles indicated the park we chose did not have any geocaches. We went over to the park to scout out a great hiding spot. Got the coordinates. Came back and wrote it all up. Went to the park to hide it. Came back home and posted it for approval.

 

I received an email a couple hours later that it was not approved because there is another puzzle cache that has the final cache hidden nearby. There must be a way to find this out before going through the whole process? It is very frustrating for me to go through all that time effort and disappointing for my kids.

 

A friend of mine had the same experience a few weeks ago. Any suggestions on how to avoid this?

[+Sapience Trek]

When you look at the map for hiding a cache, the first thing that comes up is a message:

This map only displays geocaches with visible waypoints and locations. Open spaces on this map don’t guarantee a location is available. Your location must still be reviewed by a community volunteer after it is submitted.

 

If you have not found the puzzles and multis in the area, there might be a good reason that the map shows a hole that is available. You can either try to find all the puzzles and multi caches in the general area, or write up a cache page with a reviewer note requesting a coordinate check.

 

Automated coordinate checks are not in place because this would make it too easy for people to play "battleship" to progressively get closer and closer to a puzzle or multi and find the final without having to do the hard work.

[knowschad]

Sorry that happened to you on your first attempt! That sounds discouraging. What you experienced though, is something that we all face when we hide a cache, unless we have solved every puzzle cache and found every multi-cache in the area. Sapience Trek's suggestion to submit a simple cache page for the intended spot is about all you can do, I'm afraid.

[Pup Patrol]

We hid our first geocache today. My kids were very excited about it. I logged onto the site to make sure it was the proper distance from others in the area. The red bubbles indicated the park we chose did not have any geocaches. We went over to the park to scout out a great hiding spot. Got the coordinates. Came back and wrote it all up. Went to the park to hide it. Came back home and posted it for approval.

 

I received an email a couple hours later that it was not approved because there is another puzzle cache that has the final cache hidden nearby. There must be a way to find this out before going through the whole process? It is very frustrating for me to go through all that time effort and disappointing for my kids.

 

A friend of mine had the same experience a few weeks ago. Any suggestions on how to avoid this?

 

One way to avoid this is to solve all multicache and puzzle caches and record the coordinates of the final locations.

 

There are articles in the Help Center that might be of help to you. This is a problem that everyone faces when trying to hide a cache.

 

Help Center → Hiding a Geocache → Review Process: Hiding a Geocache

1.14. Checking for Geocache Saturation

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=199

 

Help Center → Hiding a Geocache → Review Process: Hiding a Geocache

1.12. Understanding the Geocache Planning Map

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=464

 

Help Center → Hiding a Geocache → Review Process: Hiding a Geocache

1.13. Saturation Guideline: Hidden, Virtual and Additional Waypoints

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=232

 

 

B.

[+L0ne.R]

I've learned this lesson too. Now, before I get too involved in making my cache, I check with the reviewer to be sure the spot is clear. Create the cache page with the title -Coordinate Check. Don't worry about adding anything to the description sections except maybe 'Need a coordinate check to see if this spot is available'. If the reviewer confirms that it is open, then go out and hide your cache then complete the cache write up. A hard lesson for sure and it happens to most of us, new cachers and old timers. No one is immune.

[+Chief301]

Yeah, that's one of the good things about living out in the country with very few caches....I could probably toss a dart at a map blindfolded and be pretty certain that spot would be available

 

Of course, the downside is that I've cached out my local area years ago and going caching nowadays always involves a road trip.

[+WarNinjas]

It has happened to us many times. I just look at it as part of the game. I know it is harder with excited kids.

[+blondie3001]

I have just done this to. I have placed mine at a huge park/ lake area with what I thought no other caches around. Unfortunately another cache has been placed there that has 11 way points which takes the whole area up. The cache is also a 'mob' one which means I have to find 12 other geocachers to come with me and find all the co-ords!!

Very frustrating as my cache is a hand made birds nest that I have already tied up into a tree!!

So because only 1 puzzle' cache has been been hidden it has effectively taken about 5sq km's of space.

[+Cardinal Red]

I have just done this to. I have placed mine at a huge park/ lake area with what I thought no other caches around. Unfortunately another cache has been placed there that has 11 way points which takes the whole area up. The cache is also a 'mob' one which means I have to find 12 other geocachers to come with me and find all the co-ords!!

Very frustrating as my cache is a hand made birds nest that I have already tied up into a tree!!

So because only 1 puzzle' cache has been been hidden it has effectively taken about 5sq km's of space.

 

Could you share that Cache Number or a Link?