Different definitions of lonely caches + what are your goals?

[+granskog123]

I’m looking to set some goals, and thought one that involves finding caches that are rarely found would be fun.

The most common definition of a lonely cache is one that hasn’t been found in at least a year, but on project gc “lonely caches” are those with a low find rate.

In my opinion this highlights the truly lonely caches, because it looks at the average activity instead of the most recent one.

A third way to measure lonely caches is with lonelycache.com which gives points based on find rate. Unfortunately that’s not an option for me since i’m outside the US.

How do you define a lonely cache and what goal(s) have you set for this year?

[+Goldenwattle]

The lonely challenge caches I have found have been for caches not found for more than six months. I qualified for all those, but I still add any caches I log that haven't been found for more than six months in case I come upon a challenge caches with longer times than that. I could easily sort out the not found for a year or more from my list.

I am up to 64,426 days.

[+JL_HSTRE]

The caches I've found usually use the no finds for a year definition. I think that provides a meaningful quantity and percentage of hides to be challenging yet meaningful. 

 

Six months isn't long enough. A long winter or long wet season can be enough to make a lot of caches lonely by that definition. A year means an entire caching season goes by with the cache unfound.

 

Basing it on some kind of find rate was probably intended to decrease the chances someone goes for a lonely cache but someone else finds it first.

 

It's also a matter of what is the purpose of lonely caches, besides an arbitrary challenge. 

 

A cache consistently found once per year might nor be getting the attention it deserves but it may be relied on. A cache that goes a year or several years without any logs enters the twilight zone. Is it still there? The longer time goes by the less cachers are willing to seek it at all because of the growing uncertainty about the real status. 

 

Giving cachers an incentive to seek these caches despite their lack of activity helps get these caches active again - either reassure the community they are viable or alert the CO and/or Reviewers to problems.

[+Viajero Perdido]

For years I've had two goals that motivated me.  Increase my average terrain rating to 2.5 (done after many years), and increase my Lonely FTF record.  Yeah...  FTFs and lonely caches only interested me if the two things were combined in one, a lonely cache that was never found.

• It was a thrill to get my first 1+ year lonely FTF; took years and I had to scramble up a mountain for it.
• It was a challenge to try (and fail at) a 5-year lonely FTF; needed airplanes, boats, and passport for that one.
• It was a major thrill to later actually succeed at a 5-year lonely FTF; another mountain.
• It was sheer calendar luck to hit a 10-year FTF to the day, and now I think I've taken this challenge about as far as it can go ... without quite considerable effort.

 

I don't think there's any official support for this kind of goal (something about guidelines), but it's easy enough to keep track of by yourself.

 

I'm kinda coasting now...  (Whew.)

 

Edited January 14 by Viajero Perdido

[+Goldenwattle]

1 hour ago, JL_HSTRE said:

A long winter

Most parts of Australia don't get snowed in. We cache all year. 

 

It certainly would be a challenge to find a cache not found for a year (hard enough not found for six months) in some places, such as some of Europe. I saw caches there found almost every day.

 

As they say horses for courses. Basically the CO chooses. Except I believe this challenge has been grandfathered. Is this correct.

 

[+barefootjeff]

4 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

6 hours ago, JL_HSTRE said:

A long winter

Most parts of Australia don't get snowed in. We cache all year. 

 

It certainly would be a challenge to find a cache not found for a year (hard enough not found for six months) in some places, such as some of Europe. I saw caches there found almost every day.

 

As they say horses for courses. Basically the CO chooses. Except I believe this challenge has been grandfathered. Is this correct.

 

Yep, here on the coast winter is the best time of year for caching as the summers are often too hot and humid for much strenuous outdoor activity. Most of my caching this summer has been on ones close to parking or train stations.

 

One of my caches (GC6JMDK), a 2.5/4 multi, was last found in October 2020 so it's more than three years lonely now. I did a routine check in July 2022, mainly to make sure it was still accessible after the deluges and floods earlier that year. The cache itself is tucked away in an elevated dry spot and was in pristine condition, but I plan to go back and do another check in the cooler months this year. Twelve of my other caches only got one find last year, mostly by someone from Sydney who was trying to clear his map of Central Coast caches.

 

Yes, all the lonely cache challenges are grandfathered as new ones aren't allowed now.

[+Goldenwattle]

4 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

Yep, here on the coast winter is the best time of year for caching as the summers are often too hot and humid for much strenuous outdoor activity.

Yes, good point. Here it's winter in most (but not all) of Australia when it's best to cache. Summer can be too hot.