How do I search for local Challenge caches?

[+Rexlady]

I've looked at Pocket Query, and don't see an obvious answer.  Preferably I'd like to search for these and sort by distance from my home location.  Thanks for any help you can give!

[+Max and 99]

2 minutes ago, Rexlady said:

I've looked at Pocket Query, and don't see an obvious answer.  Preferably I'd like to search for these and sort by distance from my home location.  Thanks for any help you can give!

You can search by challenge cache attribute.

https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2020/09/four-new-geocaching-attributes/

Edited March 3, 2021 by Max and 99

[+Rexlady]

Ah, I didn't realize it was an attribute!  Thanks so much!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

On 3/2/2021 at 10:47 PM, Rexlady said:

Ah, I didn't realize it was an attribute!  Thanks so much!

 

They haven't always had their own attribute.  There may be a lot of challenge caches created before the attribute was available that have not had it retroactively applied.   Using a Pocket Query search doesn't work so well because you can't search for caches with a specific string in the title.  Challenge caches must be created as a puzzle cache and have "Challenge" in the title.  Use both criteria on the main search page and that'll give you a list of challenge caches, though there may be some false positives.

[+thebruce0]

As of Thursday, stats showed that there were 7 more geocaches with the Challenge Cache attribute than mystery caches with "challenge" in the title. That spread has reduced month over month (we track it every month on the Challenge Talk podcast) and this is the closest they've been yet; but it shows that there are either non-challenge caches incorrectly tagged with the attribute, or valid challenge caches without "challenge" in the title. 

[+NYPaddleCacher]

9 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

As of Thursday, stats showed that there were 7 more geocaches with the Challenge Cache attribute than mystery caches with "challenge" in the title. That spread has reduced month over month (we track it every month on the Challenge Talk podcast) and this is the closest they've been yet; but it shows that there are either non-challenge caches incorrectly tagged with the attribute, or valid challenge caches without "challenge" in the title. 

 

I created a cache with Challenge in the title that wasn't a challenge cache.  It was located very close to a ropes/challenge course.  The people that managed the challenge course didn't like people wandering around "their" woods and after a couple of finders complained about getting yelled at, I archived it.  I don't remember the term "challenge cache" being used until long after Fizzy, Delorme, and Jasmer challenges were around.  None of those earlier ones had the attribute unless retroactively added.

[+thebruce0]

Right, but I meant the stats used to be reversed - more geocaches with "challenge" in the title (challenge or not) than caches with the challenge attribute. Now there are more caches with challenge attribute than there are "challenge" in the title. So either there are caches with the attribute that are not challenges (entirely possible, I've come across one or two), or actual challenge caches that don't have "challenge" in the title (that shouldn't be unless a reviewer missed it, approved it, or it was edited after publishing).