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Benchmark hunting going away?


ComputerSnack

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30 minutes ago, ComputerSnack said:

Is benchmark hunting on geocaching going away?

I noticed they seem to be quite hidden on the geocaching.com home page and don’t appear when searching for geocaches or on the app.

Are they trying to not promote them? Thanks.

 

Benchmarks are listed on every cache page.  They're on the left under "Find...".

 

The benchmark database is a year 2000 copy of the NGS database.

IIRC, at the time,  there were so few geocaches (geocachers too   ;-), that benchmarks were added simply to give folks something to look for with their brand-new GPSrs.    :)

Later, when caches started appearing in quantity, benchmark hunting was really no longer needed, but the database was kept as a "thanks for the temporary help" kinda thing.

I only have twelve benchmarks logged, yet have found over one hundred.  That's how few are here.

Some folks now go to Waymarking, and log benchmarks found there.

 

 

 

Edited by cerberus1
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16 hours ago, ArtMan said:

Benchmark hunting would be featured more prominently if the folks who run the site could figure out how to monetize it. I haven't been very active on geocaching.com in recent years, but I came for the caches but stayed for the benchmarks.

Same here. I still hunt *regularly* and very actively - especially when on a job away from home and have access to rail lines, or airports, etc. But I haven't cached in a LONG time, and likely will never again. The forums here died out, likely because some of the same reasons..

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I looked for and or found most BM's within a 100 miles of my location that were able to reach. Some remote ones I did not bother to look for if the ATV could not reach the area or it was on private and or occupied land.  I only found one cache and it was by accident as it happened to be at a remote boat ramp in plain sight (hanging in a tree) near a NOS mark.  Other than that non interested is cache's. Bench Marks relate to the history of the area and that's what peeks my interest.  Lots of work around here during the 1930's depression era.  Been in the surveying field from 1972-2002 as a Survey Tech for state DOT.

Edited by Z15
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I continue to hunt “benchmarks” at every opportunity while traveling & especially new areas, and occasionally on my home turf. Am way behind on logging them & quite sure some will never be logged. To me it’s a nice hobby that has taken me to some unique and unusual places in the last 15/years. 

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