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Mystery puzzle cache checker


GiddyinHisGrace

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16 minutes ago, GiddyinHisGrace said:

If a mystery puzzle cache doesn't have a checker on it's page, how do we check the solution?

Back in the day, we didn't have no fancy-pants solution checkers. We confirmed the solution by going out and finding the gol-durn geocache.

 

Uphill both ways, in the blazing heat through six-foot snow drifts...

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3 minutes ago, niraD said:

Back in the day, we didn't have no fancy-pants solution checkers. We confirmed the solution by going out and finding the gol-durn geocache.

 

Uphill both ways, in the blazing heat through six-foot snow drifts...

When were checkers first used?

To me, half the adventure is not knowing if I'm right. A friend and I had worked hard on a puzzle but weren't sure if we had the right solution. We searched at night in a wooded area and eventually found an ammo can. It was a thrill. 

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1 hour ago, Max and 99 said:

When were checkers first used?

The earliest mention of a checker that I can find on the  Forum was a mention of the old eVince website back in 2006.  I want to say maybe 2004 or 2005 was probably the advent of some of these tools.  Some older timers than me might remember better.

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1 hour ago, GiddyinHisGrace said:

If a mystery puzzle cache doesn't have a checker on it's page, how do we check the solution?

Did you know that you have 5 duplicate logs? That's the first thing that popped up when I went to your profile to see what puzzle caches are available in your area. Just fyi. 

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8 minutes ago, GiddyinHisGrace said:

I've been geocaching on and off since .. maybe 2003, but since I'm on my own now.. I've been going really heavily addicted this year and I'm just now trying to figure out what everything means.. lol

One bit of advice, from trying to help you find your duplicate logs: if you can't find a cache, log a DNF. Our local reviewer came down harshly on someone who did what you did. Just an fyi. 

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4 minutes ago, GiddyinHisGrace said:

I'm not sure what I did :) 

If you don't find the cache, log a DNF. The reviewer responded when a throw down was placed.

 

 

Throwdowns are strongly discouraged

A “throwdown” is a container placed by a geocacher who cannot find the original cache.

Some geocachers place throwdowns so that they can log a find on a cache that they suspect is missing. Geocaches should never be replaced without the permission of the cache owner. This can lead to multiple containers, geocacher confusion, and disputes about whether someone is entitled to log a find or not.

 

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3 minutes ago, GiddyinHisGrace said:

Ok so apparently..it sometimes re-transmitted from when you're out in the field, which is apparently what happened.. but I have no idea, which ones it happened too..

 

It used to happen a lot with the app! I wish I could help you but I'm too tech challenged to give advice on finding the duplicate logs. 

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8 hours ago, GiddyinHisGrace said:

I will go and look as well, but I'm new to the whole puzzle thing and just wanted to check at least one. :)

I can't wait to hear that you were successful in finding the puzzle cache. 

It was fun reading logs in your area. I remember how bad the skeeters and mosquitos were, but those logs reminded me how bad the ants are. All these memories of ant piles in FL are coming back to me!  

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21 hours ago, GiddyinHisGrace said:

If a mystery puzzle cache doesn't have a checker on it's page, how do we check the solution?

 As others have said, just go look at the coordinates you came up with and see if the cache is there.  Before heading out, though, I would see where those coordinates landed me on Google maps - is it within 2 miles of the posted coordinates?  Does it make sense as a place to hide a cache?  For instance, are the solved coordinates along a trail, or in the middle of a lake?

 

If your puzzle solving efforts result in a few different poissibilities, map them all out and see which ones seem to make the most sense, and then go see if the cache is there!  

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2 minutes ago, CAVinoGal said:

 As others have said, just go look at the coordinates you came up with and see if the cache is there.  Before heading out, though, I would see where those coordinates landed me on Google maps - is it within 2 miles of the posted coordinates?  Does it make sense as a place to hide a cache?  For instance, are the solved coordinates along a trail, or in the middle of a lake?

This is all good advice. One caveat that I would add, there may be some older puzzle caches that are further than 2 miles from the posted coordinates. I've seen some from before the 2 mile limit was enforced, and others that were created after the guideline was enforced, but which received an exception from Groundspeak.

 

2 minutes ago, CAVinoGal said:

If your puzzle solving efforts result in a few different poissibilities, map them all out and see which ones seem to make the most sense, and then go see if the cache is there!  

I've also seen puzzle caches where the puzzle solution was slightly ambiguous, identifying multiple locations. Part of the puzzle was to consider which of the solutions actually matched the cache description (e.g., the T1.5 cache is probably not in the middle of the bay).

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On 4/5/2020 at 11:10 PM, GiddyinHisGrace said:

If a mystery puzzle cache doesn't have a checker on it's page, how do we check the solution?

 

You may always use the physical checker a.k.a ground zero. If you can find the cache your solution is correct enough. Finding a cache that way will actually satisfy more than finding with checked coordinates :)

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3 hours ago, niraD said:

This is all good advice. One caveat that I would add, there may be some older puzzle caches that are further than 2 miles from the posted coordinates. I've seen some from before the 2 mile limit was enforced, and others that were created after the guideline was enforced, but which received an exception from Groundspeak.

 

There's also physical multi-cache stages that don't have proximity limits.

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On 4/5/2020 at 5:53 PM, GiddyinHisGrace said:

I will go and look as well, but I'm new to the whole puzzle thing and just wanted to check at least one. :)

 

It's somewhat unusual to see a mystery cache without a checker these days, but there are some that just don't need one.  Solving the puzzle will unambiguously show the coordinates.

 

Any mystery cache placed in the last 12 years or so has to be located within 2 miles of the published coordinates and of course the final location must be more than 528 feet from any other physical cache.  You can least confirm that your solved coordinates meet those criteria.  Other than that, contact the cache owner and ask for confirmation.  It's an opportunity to get to know another geocacher in your area.   

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7 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

Any mystery cache placed in the last 12 years or so has to be located within 2 miles of the published coordinates

Unless the CO got an exception from Groundspeak. Yes, I've seen puzzle caches listed within the past decade that have been granted such an exception. But they did clearly state how far the final location was from the posted coordinates.

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