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Should you find X number of caches before hiding one???


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First Off I am not knocking anybody.

 

My brother and I are having a argument of the number of caches he wants to place. We have been cacheing since July 2001 and have 28 finds under our belt and have hidden 2(active). My brother has spent the winter down time thinking up almost 10 caches, and want's to hide them all as soon as the weather breaks. I told him we should hide one for every 10 finds he disagrees and feels hiding is much of the game as finding. But I feel the best way to keep the number of lame caches down and keep a postive spin on this game is to limit the number of hides. I have seen ,through profiles, several cachers that have WAY more hides then Finds in one instance I found someone who hid over 14 and only found one. I have even found people who started caching back in august found 1 hid 3 then haven't done anything else. I feel that you need to get an understanding of what makes a good Hide before you can Hide one yourself.

 

So my question is should a cacher have X number of caches under his belt before placing first/another cache??

 

James

"Big Dog"

-Clan Ferguson

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There are of course no firm and fast official rules on this matter, but I agree completely with your sentiments. I encourage new cachers to get some experiance in what makes a good vs. a bad hunt before they start adding to the inventory.

 

Of course, some areas are starved and anything would help. Other areas however are over-saturated already, and quality should start taking precedence over quantity.

 

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My vote is not listed as a option. I think there should be a base number of finds before you can start hiding caches yourself. But once you get that base number of finds you can hide as many as you want. I think some people enjoy the planning and preperation of hiding a cache more than actually hunting for one.

 

I know many will disagree with me but, I don't think there are too many 'junk' caches. The joy for me is in getting outside and spending time with my family. I don't care too much what is in the cache, we usually leave more than we take anyway.

 

I have a 5 year old son, so an easy to find cache filled with happy meal toys makes him happy. We've taken him on a couple of what some people refer to as 'quality caches' and he usually gets bored before we find the treasure. We need these easy caches along with the more challanging ones to appeal to everyone.

 

"No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai

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I agree that you need to find some before you hide one. I found about 15 before I hid my one and only one so far. I have found about 10 more so I guess I can hide another.

 

My other thought: Is there a maximum that you should have? Some people in NJ have like 50 caches hidden. How do you maintain that many? And what about letting others have a chance to hide some too. I would not hide a cache in a park if it was too close to another or there were already several in it.

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I go geocaching for the thrill of using my gps to find a object a complete stranger put out. The objects put in are secondary. I enjoy putting out caches. I put them in my area so others would hopefully see a cache near their house and get excited about finding it. I feel the more the better. I was able to take a coworker out looking for a cache because someone was kind enough to put one near work. Just another opinion.

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i think you should at least find one to get the general idea. i read the whole page on how and what is geocaching before i put one out. i have less than 10 finds and about 5 caches out there. when i started out there was 1 here. us urbanites like to play too so i put out a few decent caches and i maintain them. if someone tells me its in bad shape i remove it and place another later on. i dont think you need to be initiated into the finders club before hiding one but at least see what the whole thing is about.

 

at times its easier to hide than to seek. if you do alot of exploring then you have lots of places in mind.

 

just my 2 pennies

 

URBO

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I agree with Wander Lost, in that once you've found a good base number of caches start hiding. If you've got a base knowledge of what works in a cache and what doesn't, then you shouldn't need to wait until you find another 10 before hiding. If pressed, I would throw out a number between 5 and 10 for finding prior to hiding, depending on the number of caches in your particular area.

 

However, I'd also stretch it further in that IF POSSIBLE you should try to find at least one in a different area as well. When I did my Frenzy in February, I was discouraged by how identical all of the caches in that area were. In other areas of the country (world?) they're done very differently, and that might give you some fresh ideas.

 

Markwell

My Geocaching Page

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Your statement of not putting anyone down is not well supported. Especially when you use the biased term "lame".

 

Big Dog, wait until this goes mainstream - you will be one frustrated fellow...

 

Because you've found more than you placed, is of no consequence to the fun of the game for the rest of us. Everyone enjoys different aspects of the game. Let them enjoy it without trying to restrict them.

 

You remind me of the mayor in the movie Chocolat - go have a piece of chocolate and mellow out dude!

 

Relax, have FUN!

 

Your brother seems pretty kewl!

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I have 5 caches hidden. One is a muti-cache, one is a microcache, and the other three are normal. The multi cache has you drive 15 miles, then hike 1 mile. Not for children, and not for handicap/out of shape. And one of my caches is 50 ft. away from where you park. And one you need a 4x4 to get there. Each appeals to different cachers. No one group is excluded, And that's what is important too me. I don't plan on anymore hides until one is archived. With a small number like 5, I can maintain them. The only thing I think cachers need to really worry about is over-saturating an area. And I would support a rule like: You can hide one cache for every ten finds. I don't know how that would work logisitly. I wouldn't want us to run out of caches too find either. But I don't see that happining the way things are. 5 years from now there will be "a billion sreaming caches", at this rate.

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Well Clan Ferguson, I look forward to finding some of those caches.

 

But I have to say I agree that before caches are placed you should have a little experience finding. I have logged six finds since last summer and think I am ready to place a cache of my own this summer.

 

I wont get on my soap box too much, but I think the most important part is cache maintenance. I hate reading about people placing caches and just leaving them.

 

I will keep an eye out for you and your caches.

 

Weezer

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I say hide or find as you see fit. If you later figure out that you had some lame Caches, hide them better, fix em up, or archive them and start over. In general I think you should maintain them. But I'd rather have some good caches in BFE that are not maintained than none at all. Think about the peak registers. Who maintaines those? But they are a great idea.

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I have refrained from getting carried away in placing a lot of caches for a couple of reasons:

First, I don't want to get burnt out on it. Too often when one first gets started in something, they get so carried away it gets old quick and loses some of the excitement. Secondly, I don't want to saturate the area around me with my caches, not because there's so many, but just the opposite, there are very few. As hard as I may try, if most of the caches in an area are by me,I fear they're gonna end up looking too similar. I placed my first cache very soon after hearing about geocaching, mainly to prove to myself nobody actually goes out and finds these things (it's had 15 finders from 3 states so far). I forced myself to wait a few months before planting another. It ended up being a 9 -phase multi-cache. The only person who's found it thus far said it took 4 hours beginning to end. I can honestly say that the months of planning and scouting just the right spots and waiting - and waiting - and waiting was actually the most fun of the whole experience! It was sort of anti-climatic putting it out. I didn't want to turn my baby loose for strangers to forage through! So far this makes my total finds 15 and plants 2. I do have my eye on about 6 more finds next

weekend on a Jackson-Vicksburg-Natchez,MS runthough. My next cache most likely won't go out until mid-June at the earliest. (I've already been out searching for THE perfect spot in the area I have in mind three times.

 

Stamp out and eradicate superfluous redundancy

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There's currently about 150 caches within a 100 mile radius of Lansing, IL. That's about one per 200 square miles. I'm sure there's enough geography left for you to find a few really neat "virgin" places to hide your caches that most everyone will enjoy hunting. (You won't please everyone anyway so don't worry about it.)

 

I waited to have a few finds before I hid any. That helped me in preparation, how to hide it, what might be a good spot, how to get an accurate reading from my GPS so others could find it from the coordinates I posted it, etc. I think my count now is around 20 or so finds and 6 hides including one virtual. Most everyone who's been to them seems to enjoy the trip, or the site, or the clue, or the "treasure", or the whatever. Relax. Go have fun. Hide a cache. It's a real kick reading the happy logs from people who've hunted your caches!

 

Alan

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I hid my first cache about the same time I found my first one (not sure which came first). I really didn't know how to use the GPS at the time, but my first cache is still active, somewhat challenging and is visited fairly regularly. I've subsequently learned a few things from the caches that I've since found. Despite this, my first cache might still be my best, perhaps because of my inexperience at the time. I used a very large container (3 gallons) and packed it with goodies (some stuff was new and not cheap). After finding caches filled with broken and used Burger King toys, I realized that I didn't have to put so much effort into creating a cache.

 

I also learned that I didn't need such a large or sturdy container, and that a cache doesn't have to be anyplace particularly interesting.

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I don't think you can set a x amount on when you put out a cache but I do think you should start with a easy one close to home or on the way to some place you go often so you can make changes if need be.I also think when you are hidding a cache you should keep in mind -would I like and have fun finding this is it to easy or to hard will someone brake something getting to it would I leave a good log on it.

 

I would follow my GPS to the gates of hell if it pointed that way.

vampirebob@attbi.com

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I don't think there should be a required X number of caches found before a cacher begins hiding them. However, I think it is highly beneficial to have found several caches of different types before setting them. I found about 30 before I set my first one, and it really helped a lot. Having hunted a variety of caches, I've been able to hide a wide variety of caches. Whether easy or difficult, I think I've been able to draw on my caching experiences to make each of mine unique in some way. And let's face it, some people are just plain a lot more creative than others. Some people are going to be more imaginative in the types of caches they place than others, regardless of the number of caches they've found.

 

25021_1200.gif

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Not sure if there is a number that would work for this. I agree that one needs to find a few before they start planning their own cache, but how many is kind of arbitrary. If you found 20 "lame" ones, that may not be better than someone who found 3 or 4 really great caches. I think one of the best things you can do if you want to improve the caches placed in your area is to promote the caches that are well done. When I do a cache that I really like, I spread the word. Either I write it up on the cache page when I post my find, or mention it here in the forum..but I always make sure to let people know what a good example is. By pointing people towards "textbook" caches, they will quickly learn what a good one should be.

 

And to put my words to work...if you are in NJ, and are looking to place your first cache, check these out...I think they are great examples of well thought out caches...

 

My first find, I revisited last weekend

Good example of an easy 1/1 placed in a high traffic area

A good example of a virtual

One of the better "difficult" cache hunts in my area

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My ex-wife used to say: 'fishing is a jerk at one end of a line waiting for a jerk at the other..’.

 

Now you know why she is my ex-wife.

 

But if you analyze it to death, from the perspectiveve of someone who doesn’t fish themselves, it’s a little easier to understand. You reel in a fish, look at it, let it go. What was the point? Geocaching isn’t much different. You walk around, you find a box, you sign your name, you take out a marble and replace it with some matches. What for?

 

Like fishing, I’m sure all of you will agree there is so much more to it than that. The escape, the scenery, the mission, the conquest, the satisfaction. I’ve often reassured myself upon returning home from an ‘unsuccessful’ day of fishing, that there is no such thing; the fish itself is really only icing on the cake.

 

But imagine a lake where the fishing is so good, you catch one with each cast. I doubt that I would ever visit that lake - it would get boring very quickly. When I first became a geocaching enthusiast, I must admit it was only a few short minutes after my first find that I was eager to place a cache of my own. Several finds later, I still haven’t placed a cache. I already feel there are to many fish in this lake. That’s a general statement and a little harsh perhaps. I know we Canucks have only a fraction of the caches as compared to our southern neighbors. Nevertheless, I am noticing more and more that the 'quality' of some caches leave me wishing there hadn't been a cache at all. I believe a lot of this has to do with the enthusiasm of new cachers that place a cache quickly, and with only a little effort. Soon after, the novelty probably dwindles a bit and the cache is not maintained or monitored.

There is something to be said about the contents of caches as well. It’s very easy to spot a veteran’s cache simply by the location, the quality of the log book, or the work that went into creating a business card or laminated trademark etc. I really enjoy finding and collecting these. But some of the caches I have found have some of the cheesiest contents imaginable. One cache I found recently contained a couple of cracker-jack prize type trinkets, a 5 and 25 cent gas bar coupon, one card from a deck of cards, an allen key and beer cap. Now I realize that the object here is not to get rich by finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but finding contents like that does detract from it a bit. I think it’s safe to say that these 'trinkets' were not left by cachers that have been doing it awhile. Personally, I like leaving something that is either rare, useful or homemade. Given the choice, I would much prefer a limited number of 'higher quality' caches placed by the likes of geocachers like Westwinds, J.A.R.S. and Olar rather than an abundance of caches from just about anyone and everyone.

Like mrcpu once said ‘poop happens’. It’s a free hobby unbound by petty rules or strict regulations. There are good and not so good caches and there are good and not so good cachers. Perhaps the variety makes it appealing on some hidden level. I don’t believe there should be a requirement for placing a cache; the cacher can always check the profile of the one whom placed the cache. But I do believe it is wise for newcomers (like myself) to hold off for a bit before placing a cache and for you ‘senoirs’ to encourage it. icon_razz.gif

 

MajBach

You can't have everything.

where would you put it?

1compass.gif

 

[This message was edited by MajBach on March 28, 2002 at 08:12 AM.]

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My ex-wife used to say: 'fishing is a jerk at one end of a line waiting for a jerk at the other..’.

 

Now you know why she is my ex-wife.

 

But if you analyze it to death, from the perspectiveve of someone who doesn’t fish themselves, it’s a little easier to understand. You reel in a fish, look at it, let it go. What was the point? Geocaching isn’t much different. You walk around, you find a box, you sign your name, you take out a marble and replace it with some matches. What for?

 

Like fishing, I’m sure all of you will agree there is so much more to it than that. The escape, the scenery, the mission, the conquest, the satisfaction. I’ve often reassured myself upon returning home from an ‘unsuccessful’ day of fishing, that there is no such thing; the fish itself is really only icing on the cake.

 

But imagine a lake where the fishing is so good, you catch one with each cast. I doubt that I would ever visit that lake - it would get boring very quickly. When I first became a geocaching enthusiast, I must admit it was only a few short minutes after my first find that I was eager to place a cache of my own. Several finds later, I still haven’t placed a cache. I already feel there are to many fish in this lake. That’s a general statement and a little harsh perhaps. I know we Canucks have only a fraction of the caches as compared to our southern neighbors. Nevertheless, I am noticing more and more that the 'quality' of some caches leave me wishing there hadn't been a cache at all. I believe a lot of this has to do with the enthusiasm of new cachers that place a cache quickly, and with only a little effort. Soon after, the novelty probably dwindles a bit and the cache is not maintained or monitored.

There is something to be said about the contents of caches as well. It’s very easy to spot a veteran’s cache simply by the location, the quality of the log book, or the work that went into creating a business card or laminated trademark etc. I really enjoy finding and collecting these. But some of the caches I have found have some of the cheesiest contents imaginable. One cache I found recently contained a couple of cracker-jack prize type trinkets, a 5 and 25 cent gas bar coupon, one card from a deck of cards, an allen key and beer cap. Now I realize that the object here is not to get rich by finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but finding contents like that does detract from it a bit. I think it’s safe to say that these 'trinkets' were not left by cachers that have been doing it awhile. Personally, I like leaving something that is either rare, useful or homemade. Given the choice, I would much prefer a limited number of 'higher quality' caches placed by the likes of geocachers like Westwinds, J.A.R.S. and Olar rather than an abundance of caches from just about anyone and everyone.

Like mrcpu once said ‘poop happens’. It’s a free hobby unbound by petty rules or strict regulations. There are good and not so good caches and there are good and not so good cachers. Perhaps the variety makes it appealing on some hidden level. I don’t believe there should be a requirement for placing a cache; the cacher can always check the profile of the one whom placed the cache. But I do believe it is wise for newcomers (like myself) to hold off for a bit before placing a cache and for you ‘senoirs’ to encourage it. icon_razz.gif

 

MajBach

You can't have everything.

where would you put it?

1compass.gif

 

[This message was edited by MajBach on March 28, 2002 at 08:12 AM.]

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quote:
Originally posted by HeroJay:

Your statement of not putting anyone down is not well supported. Especially when you use the biased term "lame".


I use the term lame to describe a cache that seems to have little to no thought put in to it. a cache which is about 50 ft off an established trail that is just set at the base of a tree with no attempt at hiding it from non-cachers is in my opinion "lame" I know there are small children involed in some hunts. My daughter is 4 and loves geocaching. But just setting it were Anyone who open their eyes is what I am talking about.

I also used the term because the 10 or so my brother wants to hide he spent most of his time thinking up cool names. while their placement is more of what I just mentioned. Heck he's got at least two were if you just opened the car door you could probably pick up.(thats an over exaggriation but you get the point)

quote:

Big Dog, wait until this goes mainstream - you will be one frustrated fellow...


This will proabbly create a lot of flames but I don't believe it will, at least not untill we have a more established set of rules and regs. but that is a topic for another thread.

quote:

Because you've found more than you placed, is of no consequence to the fun of the game for the rest of us. Everyone enjoys different aspects of the game. Let them enjoy it without trying to restrict them.


I disagree. I have found some that by the time i found them they didn't live up to their rating. and I was left feeling disappointed. I mean it almost took less time to find the actual cache then to find them on the computer to post the log. as opposed to say, Hard as PI, which frustrated the bejebus out of us. but in the end did live up to its rating and was quite enjoyable.

and as for restricing, I am "restricting" him because I am the one who has to do most the maintainence actual and virtual.

quote:

You remind me of the mayor in the movie Chocolat - go have a piece of chocolate and mellow out dude!


I haven't seen this movie so I can not truely appreciate your comment.

 

quote:
Your brother seems pretty kewl!

He is. as a matter of fact he is the Coolest person I know. He's just a obsessive compulsive some times.

 

To address some other points that other brought up. I am not big in to the contents of a caches as much as I am in to the quality of the Hiding spot. Ones I really liked

 

Black Partridge Surprise

 

Take a Ride

 

Atomic Age

 

These are what I consider fun. I would like to see more like these.

 

as for there being about 150 in a 200 mile radius. I am quite aware as the push pins in my mapping software will atest. Most are more then 30 miles from my home(in a N by NW direction) and yes that leaves a lot of land. but alot of the space around here are small unintresting or rather swampy forest perserves. and the intresting places are a little too close to populated space for my liking. (I don't want to get a call from the bomb squad)

 

Once again I am not knocking anybody. you want to place them at break neck speed. by almeans do. I know what I like and will Hunt Geocaches until there are no more I like.

 

Cache On!!

 

James

"Big Dog"

-Clan Ferguson

 

[This message was edited by Clan Ferguson on March 28, 2002 at 06:40 AM.]

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Hey Gang,

 

I have to admit, this is an interesting aspect of our "sport." It is a positive aspect that we do NOT have too many rules and regulations on our actions. It is a positive aspect of our "sport" that we have GUIDLINES that are more or less agreed upon but everyone is kind of allowed to implement with a leavening of personal preference. I like Geocaching for a lot of reasons, one of which is that you just never really know what you are going to find once you get to the cache (if you are successful in finding it in the first place). It might be easy to find, or hard to find, regardless of the rating stated in the cache page. It might be lame, it might have great content. Any way you look at it my kids and I enjoy the HUNT!

 

On the "hiding" part of the equation, after getting into Geocaching I read these forums and saw several posts where some of the more experienced folks said it was a good thing to hunt for a while before I hid any, so that's what we've done. I made the decision that I'd hide one when I felt I had a good idea of what was going on. Later on I made that a definitive number, when I reach 30 "finds" I'll put out my first "hide."

 

This has allowed me to plan several caches, both physical and virtual, and try to make them interesting and fun, not "lame." I absolutely understand the "lame" lable, we've found a few that were, but still enjoyed the hunt. I feel that people are focusing on what's "in" the cache rather than what's "in it" for them to be participating in this activity.

 

Appreciate Geocaching for what it is, not for what's in the cache. If the only thing that was in each and every cache posted was just a logbook we'd still do it, we'd still enjoy it. If every "cache" was a virtual, we'd still do it, we'd still enjoy it.

 

Come to think of it, now that I've run my head on this topic, my first cache hide had better be a GREAT one, eh? icon_biggrin.gificon_wink.gificon_razz.gif

 

"Aren't you guys ready for bed yet???"

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Hey Gang,

 

I have to admit, this is an interesting aspect of our "sport." It is a positive aspect that we do NOT have too many rules and regulations on our actions. It is a positive aspect of our "sport" that we have GUIDLINES that are more or less agreed upon but everyone is kind of allowed to implement with a leavening of personal preference. I like Geocaching for a lot of reasons, one of which is that you just never really know what you are going to find once you get to the cache (if you are successful in finding it in the first place). It might be easy to find, or hard to find, regardless of the rating stated in the cache page. It might be lame, it might have great content. Any way you look at it my kids and I enjoy the HUNT!

 

On the "hiding" part of the equation, after getting into Geocaching I read these forums and saw several posts where some of the more experienced folks said it was a good thing to hunt for a while before I hid any, so that's what we've done. I made the decision that I'd hide one when I felt I had a good idea of what was going on. Later on I made that a definitive number, when I reach 30 "finds" I'll put out my first "hide."

 

This has allowed me to plan several caches, both physical and virtual, and try to make them interesting and fun, not "lame." I absolutely understand the "lame" lable, we've found a few that were, but still enjoyed the hunt. I feel that people are focusing on what's "in" the cache rather than what's "in it" for them to be participating in this activity.

 

Appreciate Geocaching for what it is, not for what's in the cache. If the only thing that was in each and every cache posted was just a logbook we'd still do it, we'd still enjoy it. If every "cache" was a virtual, we'd still do it, we'd still enjoy it.

 

Come to think of it, now that I've run my head on this topic, my first cache hide had better be a GREAT one, eh? icon_biggrin.gificon_wink.gificon_razz.gif

 

"Aren't you guys ready for bed yet???"

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I agree with previous posters in that it is not your find to hide ratio that matters. What matters is that you have the experience to know what a good cache is before you hide a bunch.

 

Nothing bugs me more than great potential locations being blocked because of the proximity to a lame cache.

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In the NW Texas region there are far too many lame caches. I can download a dozen from EasyGPS that are within a 2 mile radius of each other. Most are virtual caches. It has a lot to do with the terrain. It's flat and there are no trees. So I understand the lack of creativity. Though it irritates me, I prefer the freedom of preferrance in this hobby. It's far better to police ourselves by communicating our opinions to others through forums and newsgroups than it is to be controlled through dictating rules and laws.

 

With that said, Texoma Cachers, Don't put anymore Virtual Caches in the Wildlife Refuge. Try being a little more creative.

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I don't think it should be a Geocaching Law {trumpet flourish}, but I think a good Rule of Thumb is that you should find 10 caches before you hide any. After 10, you have a better idea of how the game works, and will probably hide a better cache than you would have with no experience.

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo!

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Seeing examples of good caches is the number one way of preparing to place a cache, also reading the forum posts about what people think are good caches has helped a lot. From what I've gathered from reading the posts, a good cache might include some or all of these qualities:

 

-well stocked

-maintained regularly

-exceptional location

-where cache seeker can explore nature

-where cache seeker can see a new interesting place ('I've been to this town many times but never new about this place')

-scenic/good view

-interesting architecture

-historical

-educational

-exceptional hiding spot

-cache owner keeps up with correspondence

-cache owner writes a good helpful hint

-accurate coordinates

-parking lot coordinates

-clean, safe area

-suggests path to take

-mentally challenging

-clues in the form of puzzles or math problems

-physical challenge

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I suggested this a few months ago but it seems nobody noticed. Searching for a few before hiding on is not an unreasonable requirement. How is anyone going to know how to hide if they have never bothered to find one. Not doing this is how we end up with the Sneaker cache and the University Singles cache. Once you have a minimum number of finds (5 to 10), then you can hide a cache. This also helps to prevent cache abondonment by hiders who quickly lose interest. The exceptions would be people who find under separate user IDs, but hide with a team ID, and people who are trying to jumpstart caching in an area where there are few or none to find.

 

rdw

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When I first started caching, I didn't have any desire to hide "The Hardest Cache" before my first find. I found several before I finally came up with my first one. So far, it's been reasonably successful, considering the lack of interesting terrain around here.

 

What I find interesting is talking to people about the sport, and before they find a single one, they want to hide 'the perfect one'. That drives me bonkers! They rarely even know what it takes to hide one. They don't know of the 'rules of thumb' like private property, public land permission, what kind of container to use, putting in a logbook and writing utensil, etc.

 

I based my first cache loosely on the first one I found. I'm sure that if the first one I found was a Rubbermaid container, that's what I'd be using today. But it was an ammocan. Tt had been in its location for over a year with no sign of wear or compromise to the contents, so that's been the norm for me since.

 

As far as the University Singles go, they should pay the $30, become charter members and make their candle caches MOC's.

 

Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

 

[This message was edited by VentureForth on March 28, 2002 at 11:02 AM.]

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>>Q: How many caches should you seek before placing one?

 

A: As many as it takes for you to understand the CONCEPT behind Geocaching.

 

Enough, for example, for you to understand that placing a cache in a garbage dump is NOT a good geocache, no matter how clever your hiding place or how "rich" the contents of the cache box.

 

=================================

Interested in Geocaching in the state of Georgia? Visit the Georgia Geocachers Association at http://www.ggaonline.org

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Well I was well over 100 finds before I got to my 3rd hide, the first two were simple, but In my opinion not lame. I aspire to creating multicaches that people will remember for a time after they have found them, and say things like 'wow that ccache took a bit of work to set up, it was really cool' I dont want to just put boxes out that are lame...I can hardly afford the ones that I do put out but I do enjoy hiding then just as much as finding them.

 

Now where did I set my GPS???

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As far as a hard and fast you can not hide unless you find X number caches first my vote is a big NO. There are some places that still have only a very few caches. Geocaching is still very young.

 

As far as a suggested number of caches to find before hiding one, YES. If there are a good number of caches in your area then its a good idea.

 

After hinding a few caches in my area I've gone back and improved an earlier cache based on what I had learned when placing more recent caches. You can also learn a lot from placing caches too.

 

I'm more conserned about unkept or abandoned caches then poorly placed caches. It is poorlt placed but well managed then the owner will learn through the logs and hopefully learn to hide the cache better.

 

- Lone Rangers

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I say, this isn't brain surgery.

 

A good number of the earliest caches survive to this day, and they were necessarily placed by "beginners." I would think they survive and continue to receive visitors because they were well done, and not merely out of a sense of nostalgia.

 

A good idea, carefully considered and then well-implemented in an appropriate location is all that is required.

 

The general opinion here has been that NeoPlacers should visit several area caches; one writer suggested that cachers should visit caches in distant locations to study alternate techniques. While these are fine ideas, I think we might just see more creative thinking used in cache placements if people chose to ignore the "nominal cache." And that doesn't require experience.

 

[This message was edited by BassoonPilot on March 29, 2002 at 12:07 PM.]

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Going out to see how other caches are placed (finding some first) would be a good guide on how to place a cache, assuming the ones you found were of "good quality". The wife and I found 2-3 before we placed our first one. We try to put a little history lesson into each one so when you visit the "area of the cache" you get some type purpose to visit it other than to "find it" or see just the "view". In my opion, put one out and see what other cachers think. They will let you know one way or another if the cache was enjoyable, and thats the key word. I'll goto a cache just to up my "found counter" but would rather goto a nice area or a place of some historical significance.

 

If you would like to see some of the caches in our area, here is my zip code. 95531. Not many here compaired to other areas.

 

"My gps say's it RIGHT HERE".

http://www.geogadgets.com

1240 plus miles and only 8 caches?

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