Worst caching streak?

[BFG99]

I went 0 for 3 recently on a 7 mile, 2.5-hour walk (plus 1 hour search time) trip to pick up caches near my home. On the previous trip I was 11 for 12.

 

It made me wonder, what's the worst caching streak you've had so far?

[+Isonzo Karst]

Nothing as bad as "0" fer - but recently made a longish drive to walk about 9 miles - found 6 caches and DNF 5.

2 of the DNFs were on the caches I was most interested in (naturally). One of the finds was a cache in such bad condition that I nearly logged a DNF and just CITOed outed the messy smelly remains. Should have, but couldn't figure out how to carry it without getting the smell inside my bag.

 

4 of the 5 DNF caches have obviously been missing for a while, no CO response. On one I was first to report a problem (bulldozer working a firebreak has buried cache). All from the same no response CO. It's a pity, property is a nice one, and it's been while since anyone was able to get permission for caches. This guy got permission, hid caches, and then went into ignore 'em mode.

[+noncentric]

Only one day comes to mind when I think about having a 'bad' day. It was a biking trail and we DNF'd 6 of the 15 we searched for along that trail. A DNF rate of 40%. What makes this day stand out in my memory isn't the mere number though. It's the fact that all of these caches were found by other cachers before and after my DNF. Some days it just seems like the geosenses are "off".

 

There was another day that we DNF'd 9 caches, but we searched for around 70 caches that day and so the DNF rate wasn't high. More importantly, most of those 9 caches had other DNF's before and/or after mine, so they were likely truly missing.

 

Some days I might search for 2-3 caches and end up DNF'ing 1 of them, but those days don't stand out in my memory.

Edited May 18, 2016 by noncentric

[+narcissa]

I don't know if it's my worst, but back in the dark ages when I was approaching my 200th find, I had three DNFs. I just needed ONE find to get to 199 so the event that day could be my 200th, but alas, it was not meant to be. That's the one that stands out. It was just n00b nonsense. I found all of those caches eventually.

[+AustinMN]

I once went 180 days without a find. Does that count?

[+on4bam]

I once went 180 days without a find. Does that count?

 

If it does, I have 308. (308 consecutive days without a find from 06 Jun 06 to 10 Apr 07)

[+Wacka]

Several years ago I started out the day 0/5 and was thinking about going home by noon if I did't find the next one. Well, I ended up the day with 20+ finds.

[+Viajero Perdido]

Bad days happen. I had high hopes for a mountain ridge-walk on the northern outskirts of Seoul, a nice trail with about a dozen caches, but after finding 0 of the first 4, I figured, rotationally fasten it, I'm outta here. It didn't help that for one of those DNFs, I had to search in full view of a military guard post. I don't perform well in front of an audience.

 

Saved the day by noticing a Buddhist temple 2/3 the way up a different mountain nearby - or rather noticing a cache beside the temple - and pulling off a single find that made the whole day worthwhile. After finding the cache, I scrambled my way up onto the temple grounds via an ...unconventional ...route, feeling much like one of those those cartoon characters approaching a guru.

[+hzoi]

Looks like my biggest streak of DNFs was over the weekend with my most finds -- go figure. I had a power trail weekend back in October 2011; on one day I had 100 finds and 12 DNFs, the day prior I had 74 finds and 14 DNFs. I suspect it had a lot to do with, first, getting bored and impatient with power trail hides, and second, trying to find film cans in the woods, which is not my favorite place to hunt for micros.

 

A more typical bad day is 6 DNFs amid 20 finds or so, which I've had a few of. Again, sometimes I just get impatient.

 

As far as days of not going caching in the first place, so far my longest streak was 28 days, which just so happens to be how long I was stuck in "the box" for a training rotation at sunny Fort Irwin, California. Prior to that, my longest caching-free streak was 17 days, when I was...yup, stuck at a field problem in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

 

after finding 0 of the first 4, I figured, rotationally fasten it, I'm outta here.

 

I'm going to have to remember that one. And one of these days, we're going to need to link up and have a beer.

[+Gill & Tony]

Gill's aunt and uncle used to live on the Coromandel in New Zealand and, on a trip to NZ, we hired a car and visited their grave. After lunch I wanted to find a cache in their town. A cache to remember them by. There are only 6 caches in the town and I DNF'ed the first 5. That day I had a total of 7 DNF's but, fortunately, I found the 6th one in town.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Gill & Tony

[+Viajero Perdido]

<offtopic>

And one of these days, we're going to need to link up and have a beer.

You're on! Maybe in a backstreet bar in Kathmandu along with a paddling cacher and any cacher with a funny avatar.

Sounds like the makings of a joke.

</offtopic>

Edited May 19, 2016 by Viajero Perdido

[+The Leprechauns]

I will never forget September 3, 2006. On that Labor Day weekend, I was one of four prominent Pennsylvania cachers who went on a road trip through Virginia to North Carolina. Our destination was the small city of Rocky Mount, chosen for its cache density at the time. On our day in Rocky Mount, we found 25 caches -- a great "numbers day" by 2006 standards. BUT, we had 11 DNF's. I have never had that many in one day, before or since. Normally, when everyone's a veteran with thousands of finds, eventually one person will turn up the cache. But not that day. And... most of them were still there, not missing.

[+dprovan]

Ah, yes, I remember it well. I'd arrange my life around finding Milestones Challenge for #3000, but I was 15 caches short the day before, so I really needed to make a big dent. But I DNFed 6 out of 11. I'm not sure that's the most DNFs in one day for me, but it sure seemed like it.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

<offtopic>

And one of these days, we're going to need to link up and have a beer.

You're on! Maybe in a backstreet bar in Kathmandu along with a paddling cacher and any cacher with a funny avatar.

Sounds like the makings of a joke.

</offtopic>

 

First rounds on me.

 

 

[+digimuzik]

I once went 180 days without a find. Does that count?

 

If it does, I have 308. (308 consecutive days without a find from 06 Jun 06 to 10 Apr 07)

 

I have 912 days officially. And if you drop off my finds 2-9, it's a 1790-day slump ! Not sure why the spark took 5 years to take off but at least it is finally kindled!

[BFG99]

Well, I avenged it, partially, this weekend. Went 7 for 8 on another 7 mile walk. Should have stopped at 7 though, as #8 was the DNF. Oh well.