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Long Multicaches


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One of the aspects of our game I really enjoy is multicaches, particularly those with a large number of stages. Not only do I enjoy finding them but I have created a few myself. The largest multicache I own is GC6HR8E - At The Governor's Pleasure. It has 15 waypoints to visit then the final hide at GZ. It takes somewhere between 4 to 6 hours to complete, depending on how quickly you walk, the amount of sightseeing one does along the way, the number of coffee breaks, a lunch break and comfort stops taken, as well as the number of other caches also found as you travel around.

 

This got me thinking. What are the multicaches out there with a large number of stages? Also, how long does it take to complete them?

 

I am aware of GC17MX1 - Bridges and Arches of Central Park which has 32 stages then the final hide at GZ. Is that the longest or are there others lurking out there?

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I currently really like longer multies as it keeps me busy. Few things that I like: not in a town but in countryside. And seeing the waypoints beforehand because then I know the route, how long it will take and what other caches will be nearby. I might even be able to combine a multi with a second one.

 

Do you know this one? https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1FPN1_munchen-venedig-munich-venice-monaco-venezia

I think there's also a cycling cache from northern to southern Germany.

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The longest multicache I have done is GC63GEW, which involved driving Canberra to Darwin, but not the direct route as I discovered; about 5,000kms one way driving through three states and two territories, and then I had to drive home again. I was the first to actually drive the route for this cache. 16 WPs, but some are hundreds of kms apart. Took me weeks, because I was finding other caches on the way and sightseeing.

I have also done multicaches, Canberra to Sydney, Canberra to Melbourne, Melbourne to Canberra, Canberra to Adelaide, Adelaide to Canberra, Canberra to Hobart, & Hobart to Canberra (these last two involve an overnight car ferry). I have started one Canberra to Brisbane, but have only covered a few hundred kms of that so far, and one Canberra to Perth, but only as far as the Nullarbor Plain at present, just over 2,000kms from home (but further than that to do, as not a direct route). I need to do another maybe another 2,000kms to complete that. I have done some other shorter long drive multicaches too.

I 'own' two multicaches that have eleven and ten WPs, but those can each be completed in half a day walking or cycling. They don't compare to the long distant drive ones.

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I remember another thread about long multi's (use the forum search).

There are 2 multi day hiking multi in Greenland (Artic Circle trail S->K  and Artic Circle K->S) both are 160Km long , there's a multi crossing Europe too.

 

We've done "normal" multi's that took us the best part of a day and our "personal best" is a 64 WP multi we did on our bikes. It put 64 Km on the clock going all round Brussels. Bad part, it ended in a DNF (found the location, cache was gone) but we found the cache two months later at it's new location.

In the Netherlands there are/were several long multi's 35-70 Km too. We have/had them on our list for a long weekend away from home but Corona might still make us change our mind (we can still cancel our hotel reservation).

 

Not a multi but a "walk" that takes all day with a few Earthcaches and traditionals is the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand. It was 22 Km up a volcano (and down again) and took us 8 hours.

 

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Similar to terratin,  we prefer woods to towns.    I have to drive everywhere I go.  I have no desire to drive while caching too...

Most of the lengthy multis in our area are 2+ terrain at every stage, a few 4s, and a couple  5s.

About 10 stages average, some over a dozen.  Sometimes it takes multiple days.

 

Multis don't seem to fair well here, stages missing and folks not fixing an issue.  

Rare I do any caches with terrain lower than 2 anymore,  and for a drive now well-over 50 miles, it better be more than a walk on a town park trail.

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8 hours ago, Calypso62 said:

One of the aspects of our game I really enjoy is multicaches, particularly those with a large number of stages. Not only do I enjoy finding them but I have created a few myself. The largest multicache I own is GC6HR8E - At The Governor's Pleasure. It has 15 waypoints to visit then the final hide at GZ. It takes somewhere between 4 to 6 hours to complete, depending on how quickly you walk, the amount of sightseeing one does along the way, the number of coffee breaks, a lunch break and comfort stops taken, as well as the number of other caches also found as you travel around.

 

That cache has been on my must do soon list for way too long, and I'd intended doing it this winter except the coronavirus situation has made the prospect of taking the train from the Central Coast down to Sydney a bit unappealing at the moment and I really don't like driving anywhere near central Sydney. Hopefully if the new infection numbers go from the current single digits to zero and stay there that might change. I've really enjoyed the other multis of yours I've done and look forward to getting stuck into the remainder when I can. The longer caches really appeal to me, either a long multi, an extended hike or even something like GC6T5PZ with its mixture of kayaking and steep climbs that took me three visits over two months to complete.

 

Looking down my list of finds, one stand-out multi was GC72T55 in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, sadly archived in 2018 after a tragic rock-fall closed part of the track. With four virtual waypoints along an extended hike down and through the valley at Wentworth Falls, it took the best part of a day to complete, with the final at a vantage point overlooking the valley logged just on sunset. GC5KKQ8 and GC5K9KJ on Lord Howe Island are also great multis in a stunning location.

 

Of my own 19 multis (16 still active), GC6XHHJ would be the longest hike (about 6km each way) with 6 virtual waypoints along the Great North Walk following Mooney Mooney Creek. GC6JMDK (The Great Train Heist) would be my most spread-out one, with three virtual waypoints on railway stations along 17km of the Central Coast line followed by a T4 hike to a cliff-top vantage point overlooking one of those stations. My most recent multi (GC8JGWN) is an 8km loop walk with 8 virtual waypoints to find along the way to the Emerald Pool in Popran National Park.

 

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10 hours ago, Calypso62 said:

I am aware of GC17MX1 - Bridges and Arches of Central Park which has 32 stages then the final hide at GZ. Is that the longest or are there others lurking out there?

 

Ah.  One of my favorite caches!!  My caching partner, Jesus, and I would go into the city every other Saturday.  It took us four days (make that eight weeks) to finish it.  Thanks Addisonbr!

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The longest multi I've done is I think 6 stages (I've done a few over the years of 5 or 6 stages). A couple where loop hikes lasting several hours.

 

The longest mileage multi I've done is 2 stages, but on opposite sides of the county. That was an amusing novelty as a one-off.

 

I would be reluctant to do one with 10 or more unless they were all virtual stages (except the final).

 

I really question the merits of most long distance multis. It would be hard to convince me they aren't better off as a series of traditionals (or local offsets, depending on the location).

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45 minutes ago, JL_HSTRE said:

I really question the merits of most long distance multis. It would be hard to convince me they aren't better off as a series of traditionals (or local offsets, depending on the location).

 

Maybe it depends on whether the "smiley" is the draw ?    Maintained, I can be just as happy doing multi stages. 

If each stage has an awesome view or unique area, that's a plus.  We've done some like that.  :)

I'm going there to experience what the CO saw in presenting that area, the smiley simply says I saw it now too.

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54 minutes ago, JL_HSTRE said:

I really question the merits of most long distance multis. It would be hard to convince me they aren't better off as a series of traditionals (or local offsets, depending on the location).

 

My 17km Great Train Heist (GC6JMDK) simply wouldn't have worked as a series of traditionals, as the whole theme of the cache is hunting down clues at railway stations to solve a train robbery. Just putting a traditional at each of the stations, even if I could (there are proximity issues at two of them), wouldn't have meant anything. Likewise, just a traditional at GZ would have been a reasonable terrain-4 bush-bash but it wouldn't have meant anything. The waypoint clues, final location overlooking the railway line and the container itself are all woven into that multi's theme and that's probably why it has 26 FPs from 37 finds.

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Just now, barefootjeff said:

 

My 17km Great Train Heist (GC6JMDK) simply wouldn't have worked as a series of traditionals, as the whole theme of the cache is hunting down clues at railway stations to solve a train robbery. Just putting a traditional at each of the stations, even if I could (there are proximity issues at two of them), wouldn't have meant anything. Likewise, just a traditional at GZ would have been a reasonable terrain-4 bush-bash but it wouldn't have meant anything. The waypoint clues, final location overlooking the railway line and the container itself are all woven into that multi's theme and that's probably why it has 26 FPs from 37 finds.

I enjoy caches I can do by train.

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16 hours ago, Calypso62 said:

One of the aspects of our game I really enjoy is multicaches, particularly those with a large number of stages. Not only do I enjoy finding them but I have created a few myself. The largest multicache I own is GC6HR8E - At The Governor's Pleasure. It has 15 waypoints to visit then the final hide at GZ. It takes somewhere between 4 to 6 hours to complete, depending on how quickly you walk, the amount of sightseeing one does along the way, the number of coffee breaks, a lunch break and comfort stops taken, as well as the number of other caches also found as you travel around.

 

This got me thinking. What are the multicaches out there with a large number of stages? Also, how long does it take to complete them?

 

If any of the stages of a long multi involves a physical container, I will not do it.  Highly brittle* caches are no fun.  If every stage is a virtual (information-gathering) stage then I may do the multi over a period of time but a cache would have to be pretty spectacular for me to dedicate a day to it.

 

* I am using brittle in a systems-design way.  By it, I mean the opposite of robust.  If any single stage of a brittle multi fails, the whole thing fails.  That's bad design, and why (IMO) must multi-caches are poorly designed and implemented.  It is possible to design robust multicaches, but I have seen very few that I would consider robust.

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18 minutes ago, fizzymagic said:

 

If any of the stages of a long multi involves a physical container, I will not do it.  Highly brittle* caches are no fun.  If every stage is a virtual (information-gathering) stage then I may do the multi over a period of time but a cache would have to be pretty spectacular for me to dedicate a day to it.

 

* I am using brittle in a systems-design way.  By it, I mean the opposite of robust.  If any single stage of a brittle multi fails, the whole thing fails.  That's bad design, and why (IMO) must multi-caches are poorly designed and implemented.  It is possible to design robust multicaches, but I have seen very few that I would consider robust.

 

Three of my multis have one physical waypoint in addition to the final, but they're placed where muggling is pretty unlikely and have never had either the waypoint or final go missing. One has four physical waypoints and did have some problems early on with one being muggled (now moved to a more secure location) and one washing away in a flood (now a heavy metal object placed under a rock), but the last incident was four years ago and everything's been fine since. I still check on it regularly though, usually after each school holidays, as it's close to home. It doesn't get many finds, none this year, four in 2019 and none in 2018 or 2017, but the only DNFs have been searchers failing to spot the well-hidden first waypoint at the listed coordinates. It does have 59% FPs so those that do brave it seem to enjoy it.
 

All caches have some risk of going missing and all searches, even the long ones, have some risk of ending in a DNF. I reckon my bushland multis have less risk of being compromised than many (or even most) urban traditionals.

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Thanks everyone for your input so far. It has been most enlightening reading everyone's comments and thoughts on long multicaches.

 

My initial question was more about multicaches with a large number of stages (as opposed to distance covered). I was interested to read about some caches, although now archived, with over 100 stages to them. I would love to complete something like that, especially if each stage took me to somewhere really interesting. Numbers of finds have never been important to me. Rather, it's all about the geocaching experience.

 

I was supposed to be in New York City in August as part of a longer trip. I had specifically allocated two days to complete the Bridges and Arches multi. I'll get there one day, once Covid-19 is over and we can travel internationally again.

 

I guess there's not too many higher stage multis out there. I'm still interested to hear of any others.

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3 hours ago, JL_HSTRE said:

I really question the merits of most long distance multis. It would be hard to convince me they aren't better off as a series of traditionals (or local offsets, depending on the location).

 

In the Netherlands you need permission for every single cache. And you don't get it everywhere. As such, multis are the way forward. To be honest, I never cared about the numbers (unless it's EarthCaches) but really enjoy a longer walk at the moment. I could always stop doing a trail with lots of micros and go home. If I stop with that multi (possible with a nice container at the end) then I don't get the find at all. I think the longest multi I've done had about 25 stages through a forest, though many were just navigational points for the nicest hike and to avoid horse trails. The multi was about 16km long.

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Given the choice between 2 identical routes with identical stages I prefer a multi over a series any day. A few years back we did a multi just across the border in the Netherlands where the CO placed some traditionals at the same spots as the 18 virtual WPs. We found the multi but didn't bother picking up the micro's that were at our feet most of the time.

That meant a +1 by evening instead of a +10.

 

I think it would help if there was a way to filter out those longer multis. Now there's only <1Km, <10Km, >10Km it would be better to have <1Km, 1-2Km, 2-5Km, 5-10Km, 10-20Km >20Km, >30Km.... Also the same could be done for the amount of WPs. 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 > 20. An extra field instead of category would even be better so we could filter out Multi, between 12and 17Km with 8-17 WPs...

It won't happen of course since most of the focus seems to be trads and geo-art (once solved these are trads too).

 

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I did a 12-stage, 5 mile (8 km) multi on Sunday: The Devil's Punch Bowl.


You have to solve a simple puzzle to get to the first waypoint, but from that point on its a regular multi.  Only one of the stages (plus the final, of course) is physical, but each stage requires information from previous stages to get its coordinates.

 

Apart from CO maintenance issues (physical stages going missing, information at virtual stages changing) the danger for the cacher, is not being able to find whatever’s required - even if it is still there.  Of course a DNF on any cache is disappointing (and a risk you take), but failing half way round a multi and not even reaching the final location, is doubly so.

 

For me, this one seemed to get the balance about right. We couldn’t find the information at one point, but applying a little logic, and checking possible coords on the map, allowed us to continue.  A couple of failures and our chances may have been scuppered.  As it was, we made it to the final, but couldn’t find the cache. ☹️  (But that’s fine.)

 

Personally, I like to know what I’m letting myself in for - how many stages, approx distance/time to complete?  And I’d shy away from a multi with too many physical stages, particularly if I was caching in an area I was unlikely to come back to.

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15 minutes ago, IceColdUK said:

Apart from CO maintenance issues (physical stages going missing, information at virtual stages changing) the danger for the cacher, is not being able to find whatever’s required - even if it is still there.  Of course a DNF on any cache is disappointing (and a risk you take), but failing half way round a multi and not even reaching the final location, is doubly so.

 

We did a small (4 multi's + bonus about 7Km long) on Sunday.

WPs were small (abt 3cm) transparent plastic tags with yellow or white background and a N and E number to add/subtract according to background color. They were mostly tied to thin branches of trees/bushes. All info on the tags had to added/subtracted to calculate the bonus. At WP3 of the 2nd multi the tag was gone (found the fixture as did previous finders) so we emailed the CO. In the mean time we continued hoping to find the cache (we thought, in fact there was another WP to find) but there were 2 logical routes to follow. Eventually we found a tag but since we expected a container we realized we took the wrong route. We walked back, took the other route and spotted a possible location for a cache but found a tag. After taking note of the coordinates we could add/subtract the numbers to get the cache coordinates. We were within 2m of the calculated coordinates. Not bad with quickly noted coordinates at WP4 B). We then didn't find the tag at the first WP of the 3rd multi but since we accidentally found the tag when taking the wrong route we knew where WP2 was and could calculate WP3 and the values we should have found on WP1. We then ran into another cacher and compared notes, we were only off by 1 on N and E so we wouldn't have had any problems finding the bonus.

If we would not have found WP3 of the second multi and stumbled on WP2 of multi 3 it would all have been over for the rest of the day.

Would that be bad? Well yes and no, it's disappointing but we would still have had a nice walk and had fun searching for tags. Mission accomplished and a reason to go back.

One thing is for sure, as you get more experienced missing some info can be made up by knowing what to look for and just continuing along a logical route. After doing many caches by a CO you also get the "feel" for their hiding style. This time we were lucky, coordinates were all spot on (within 1-2m), we know of others who deliberately use "fuzzy" coordinates (withing 7-8m) We also always have a plan B, if we get really stuck we always have a few nearby caches we can do.

Oh, and by the way, the CO did answer us, but we were almost at the end of multi 4 by then.

 

 

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Although it was a quick count, I have 33 active multis ranging from 2 stages to 36 stages (caveat to that coming shortly).  I have some 2-3 stage caches but also multis  without stages of 5, 7, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11, 11, 11, 13, 16, and the aforementioned 36 stage multi.  The 36 stage multi is on private property with permission and there are 36 containers hidden.  However, if a cacher does it right, they only have to visit 4 stages to find the coordinates for the final.  It's set up as a choose your own adventure type of cache, somewhat based on the books.  You get to the first stage and you get a set of 4 coordinates, all of which have a container with 4 more sets of coordinates, all of which have a container with 4 more sets of coordinates, etc...  There's only one "path" that will take you to the final location.  All 32 sets of coordinates are obviously used multiple times with 4 coordinates only being used once. I really need to do a thorough detailed maintenance check on all the stages as my only occasional checks are based on the actual stages that lead to the final and I don't post OMs for the few times I swing by.

 

https://coord.info/GC37N5M

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Over the years, we were very involved in extreme caching, and had an informal network of people in 3 states who would set up very rigorous caches, mostly with a nasty puzzle up front (solved prior to heading out) and always involving at least one T5 stage, primarily rope based.  Mines, cliffs, trees, cave: some had several of these elements, requiring us to lug a 70 meter of rope and vertical gear several miles in the mining region of NE PA.  Most of them had 5-14 stages, and took literally all day, and sometimes into the night.  Good use of the helmet lamps we needed while rappelling.

 

On those caches, we were physically and mentally challenged, met interesting animals such as porcupines, rattlesnakes and black bears, and bonded with our new friends, who became great friends.  A great geocaching outcome.

 

As a cache owner, I've placed several smaller hiking multistage caches, 1 to 1.5 hours in length, 1-2 miles in length, in PA State Game Lands and a local nature preserve.  These lower D/T caches are intended to get folks to some pretty areas, and to get potential exposure to views, nature, and exercise.  Sort of the anti-C&D approach.  Harks back to the reason we got into the sport, which was to "Keep the Dog Happy," by hiking in the woods, while getting the kids exposure to nature and the adults exposure to special areas we wouldn't have found on our own so easily.

 

Some of our favorite caches are multis.

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It's actually a virtual cache, but still: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC88ZNB_cesta-hrdinov-snp-769-km is a 769 km long hike with 33 waypoints.

 

Quote from the cache description:

 

It is the longest and most important tourist route in our country. Depending on performance, you need to prepare for 25 to 30 days to complete it (according to hiking.sk, it is 224 hours and 15 minutes). You will meet long asphalts, wide forest roads, small villages and big cities. You will walk through the fields, but you will also climb to a height of over 2,000 meters above sea level. On the entire road, which is part of the European long-distance route E8, you climb almost 32,000 meters in height.

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Not a fan of long multis, the longest I have done was about 6 but it was visiting virtual waypoints in a cemetery. I like to see my smiley score increase cache by cache. Not many of them around here. Most COs seem to do single or series, like myself.

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I own two "longer" multicaches.

 

The first is a 14 Stage Mulit that is designed for visiting Cruise Ship passengers to tour some of the "unseen" sights of downtown Juneau. Ideally it's to pull cachers away from the cramped tourist traps of the main drag and to get them exploring the city. It ends with a great view of the harbor. With the exception of the final, all stages are virtual. - GC7KX27

 

The second is a 13 Stage Multi (though it used to be 15 before some signage was removed) that takes the cacher to a variety of different parks in Newport, RI. Unlike the first multi, this one is geared towards an out of towner with a vehicle. While one or two stops are "park and grabs" the rest require at least a bit of a walk (anywhere from a couple hundred feet to 1/2 a mile or so). The final is in a tiny pocket park in the heart of the town - GC6Q3CP

 

The key with both multi caches is that they're comprised of virtual waypoints. The upside - easier to maintain! The downside (as I found out in Newport when I first published my cache) is that it's easier to "cheat the waypoints."

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7 hours ago, STNolan said:

I own two "longer" multicaches.

 

The first is a 14 Stage Mulit that is designed for visiting Cruise Ship passengers to tour some of the "unseen" sights of downtown Juneau. Ideally it's to pull cachers away from the cramped tourist traps of the main drag and to get them exploring the city. It ends with a great view of the harbor. With the exception of the final, all stages are virtual. - GC7KX27

 

The second is a 13 Stage Multi (though it used to be 15 before some signage was removed) that takes the cacher to a variety of different parks in Newport, RI. Unlike the first multi, this one is geared towards an out of towner with a vehicle. While one or two stops are "park and grabs" the rest require at least a bit of a walk (anywhere from a couple hundred feet to 1/2 a mile or so). The final is in a tiny pocket park in the heart of the town - GC6Q3CP

 

The key with both multi caches is that they're comprised of virtual waypoints. The upside - easier to maintain! The downside (as I found out in Newport when I first published my cache) is that it's easier to "cheat the waypoints."

 

I tend to think of these types of multis as more European in nature.  I don't know why.  Perhaps it's because a large majority of the multis I've done here in the US have more physical stages than virtual stages while some I've done in Europe have more virtual stages than they do physical stages.  Most of mine are physical stage multis but I do have a couple that either incorporate virtual stages or are completely virtual with only a physical stage at the end.

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1 hour ago, coachstahly said:

 

I tend to think of these types of multis as more European in nature.  I don't know why.  Perhaps it's because a large majority of the multis I've done here in the US have more physical stages than virtual stages while some I've done in Europe have more virtual stages than they do physical stages.  Most of mine are physical stage multis but I do have a couple that either incorporate virtual stages or are completely virtual with only a physical stage at the end.

 

Most of my multis are all virtual stages because the feature I'm trying to highlight (typically a series of waterfalls) is inside a national park in a spot where a physical cache wouldn't be allowed, so the waypoints provide a guided tour of the park with questions at each waypoint and the final is located on public land just outside the park boundary. I do have one multi consisting of four physical waypoints where each object is part of the theme, and a few others where the penultimate waypoint is physical (again themed to the cache). Of the 19 multis I've created (3 now archived), 14 were virtual waypoints only, 3 had physical waypoints only and 2 a mixture of both.

 

Most of the multis I've encountered in this part of Australia have virtual waypoints, usually involving finding numbers or counting words/letters on signs.

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I have a mixture with some of my multis having virtual waypoints and some where cachers need to find items I've placed.

 

I would have loved to have completed the Juneau 14 stage multi. I was in Juneau 8 years ago tomorrow (5th June) on my first ever cruise but of course, the multi wasn't there then.

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On 6/2/2020 at 12:46 PM, coachstahly said:

 

I tend to think of these types of multis as more European in nature.  I don't know why.  Perhaps it's because a large majority of the multis I've done here in the US have more physical stages than virtual stages while some I've done in Europe have more virtual stages than they do physical stages.  Most of mine are physical stage multis but I do have a couple that either incorporate virtual stages or are completely virtual with only a physical stage at the end.

I have done both types of multies, but all my own multis are virtual style, using existing numbers, letters, images, objects, etc.

The long multi and others similar to it, that I gave examples of above, were virtuals, a series of them following windmills, with questions such as, how many sails, how many steps of the ladder, there is a plaque at the bottom and what is the second number; using existing features.

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On 6/1/2020 at 10:46 PM, coachstahly said:

I tend to think of these types of multis as more European in nature.

 

Looks like I need to amend that to multi caches that aren't American.  I have done some here in the states that are strictly virtual but they don't seem to be the norm, instead being in the small minority.  Perhaps it's also where I cache since there's quite a bit of space available, unlike the one I did in NYC.

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7 minutes ago, coachstahly said:

 

Looks like I need to amend that to multi caches that aren't American.  I have done some here in the states that are strictly virtual but they don't seem to be the norm, instead being in the small minority.  Perhaps it's also where I cache since there's quite a bit of space available, unlike the one I did in NYC.

We have both types in Australia. I prefer mine to be virtual, as there's less to maintain.

 

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13 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

We have both types in Australia. I prefer mine to be virtual, as there's less to maintain.

 

 

I'm sure each place has both types but in my primary area, a primarily virtual cache (long in particular) is roughly a 1 in 10 ratio.  The number goes up quite a bit if you include 2 stage multis, getting to 5 in 10, but seeing as how this is about long multis, these don't really apply, other than just having a virtual stage.

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I think this one qualifies-   Lonesome Pine - GCF9F9

Tour downtown and the west side of Colorado Springs. This is a multi-location cache that can challenge even experienced geocachers. The latter portion requires walking up to one mile (round trip) on unimproved trails.

Driving a minimum of 12 miles required for this five stop cache. Don't let the first stops fool you into thinking this is easy. You will travel from downtown to south of Manitou Springs. It has intentionally been made difficult so that the quality of the cache can be maintained at a high level of value. In most cases, the stops are at popular places where you could spend a little time to learn more about what they have to offer. Therefore, I do not recommend that you try to complete finding the final location in one day.

 

I haven't done it, but judging from the logs, those who did have enjoyed it greatly.  

One of the recent logs:  

"We finally found all 5 locations. This one was very interesting for sure. Lots of fun! The last location was the most challenging. Parking was a real trick and then the main trail gets you just part of the way to the cache, and then there is some serious off trail bushwhacking over very steep terrain involved. Good boots and trekking poles are advised. There is the semblance of a trail near the cache but it does not show up on maps or the GPS so no telling how to get on it from below. All in all a fun cache if you're up for it. We did not find any trackables in the cache but we dropped off one to be moved along on its journey. This multi stage cache gets a favorite vote from us."

 

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There is an awsome multi about 1/2hour north of Montreal: La Tombe Sans Nom II: L'Initiation GC6N627 (Translated Tomb without a name II, the Initiation).

 

It's not available in English, unfortunately as it would definitely deserve more visits from abroad, but it's a 7 stage adventure of different tasks requiring a team of about 4. Every single stage was deserving a favorite point if you ask me. It took us about 7 hours to complete. You need to view an instruction video for some initial clues. Field puzzles after field puzzles. UV lighting, wading, abandoned structures, the works and a kick a** finish.

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Constraints on long-distance multi-caches include but are not limited to the Cache Maintenance/ "Vacation Cache" guideline.  Each physical stage must have a realistic maintenance plan.  That often means a local maintainer unless the cache owner has special circumstances, like a long-distance trucker or airline pilot with a routine itinerary to travel to the distant location(s).

Edited by Keystone
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8 minutes ago, CheekyBrit said:

Like could you have one start in Bangladesh and finish in Uraguay?

 

If you're intending to frame it as a "teamwork" cache, where you pair up with a cacher elsewhere to complete a cache, then probably not.

 

Quote

Each teamwork cache must

  • Have the Teamwork cache attribute. Teamwork attribute
  • Be owned and maintained by a local geocacher.
  • Be placed in a region where there is a reasonable number of local geocachers, so there will be plenty of partners for everyone.
    • (Might apply, if Bangladesh and Uraguay are actually the countries you have in mind.)
  • Have at least one additional stage with information needed to find the partner cache.
  • Have all of its stages (including posted and final coordinates) in the same area.
    • (Probably applies.)

https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=127&pgid=814

 

If not, then that's one extreme long-distance Multi you're planning!

 

In either case, maintainability would definitely be questioned.

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1 hour ago, Keystone said:

Constraints on long-distance multi-caches include but are not limited to the Cache Maintenance/ "Vacation Cache" guideline.  Each physical stage must have a realistic maintenance plan.  That often means a local maintainer unless the cache owner has special circumstances, like a long-distance trucker or airline pilot with a routine itinerary to travel to the distant location(s).

So true. Someone wanting to do such a long distance multi that isn't there often for work would probably need a friend that lives by the distant stage and agrees to manage the other caches. The friend's username would need to be sent in with the cache submission, and you'd probably want to list the cache author as both of you.

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13 hours ago, Keystone said:

Constraints on long-distance multi-caches include but are not limited to the Cache Maintenance/ "Vacation Cache" guideline.  Each physical stage must have a realistic maintenance plan.  That often means a local maintainer unless the cache owner has special circumstances, like a long-distance trucker or airline pilot with a routine itinerary to travel to the distant location(s).

 

Could you give an example of realistic maintenance plan for a virtual stage. A local maintainer is not allowed to do anything with the stage because it is virtual. I have made this successfully once but I doubt it made sense to either party.  In this case a reviewer told that all remote virtual stages also needs a local maintenance plan.

Edited by arisoft
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10 hours ago, baer2006 said:

And virtual stages, too, right? Signs etc., which are often used for virtual stages, can change or disappear.

 

I got these guidelines from a reviewer when creating a long distance multi-cache (translated by google)

 

Quote

 

We asked (quite generally) for help with these long-distance fines from HQ. The instructions were that:

- the place has to be visited in the near future and the coordinates have been measured on site. (Virtuals say 2 months, so it would be suitable here as well)

- there must be a local guardian for all points, even if they are virtual points.

- You have to go through Multi's points to get ahead in the task. That is, the task should not be solvable with information available online.


 

 

Virtual stages can change or disappear. But there is no way to fix them on-site without switching to physical.

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6 hours ago, arisoft said:

Virtual stages can change or disappear. But there is no way to fix them on-site without switching to physical.

Why? Usually you only have to change the question. Of course there are situations, where this is not possible (e.g. the virtual stage referred to the only and only man-made object in the middle of nowhere, and this object is gone), but the typical virtual stage can be "repaired" without resorting to a physical stage.

 

6 hours ago, arisoft said:

I got these guidelines from a reviewer when creating a long distance multi-cache (translated by google)

 

Quote

 

We asked (quite generally) for help with these long-distance fines from HQ. The instructions were that:

- the place has to be visited in the near future and the coordinates have been measured on site. (Virtuals say 2 months, so it would be suitable here as well)

- there must be a local guardian for all points, even if they are virtual points.

- You have to go through Multi's points to get ahead in the task. That is, the task should not be solvable with information available online.

These guidelines sound very reasonable. They prevent shenanigans like https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5YQ8R_from-guadalcanal-to-isarkanal  :rolleyes: (although I admit, it was fun to be part of it :P).

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2 hours ago, baer2006 said:

These guidelines sound very reasonable. They prevent shenanigans like https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5YQ8R_from-guadalcanal-to-isarkanal  :rolleyes: (although I admit, it was fun to be part of it :P).

 

I agree with what arisoft posted - thank you for that, @arisoft.  I did not want to open a can of worms in my prior post, but @baer2006 got into that can of worms and handled it quite nicely.

 

43 minutes ago, mustakorppi said:

There's a Wherigo that was published around the same time as, ahem, not-arisoft's long distance multis, where you need to go to the deepest spot in Finnish territorial waters to unlock the next stage. I wonder who the local guardian for that spot is, and what their expected tasks are.

 

Reviewers do not check the contents of a Wherigo cartridge, so there is no need to answer the question about local maintenance of any location except the final physical cache.

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1 hour ago, Keystone said:

Reviewers do not check the contents of a Wherigo cartridge, so there is no need to answer the question about local maintenance of any location except the final physical cache.

Thanks. I assumed the actual cartridges aren't checked, but I also assumed that rules about virtual stages would apply to Wherigos too. And that if they apply, they would be checked in review. So they'd need to be listed as waypoints on the cache page. And at that point why not enforce maintenance rules too.

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