Do you avoid 1/1 caches?

[Team Kender]

I'll do any ol' cache I can come across, but I have a workmate who caches and he finds the adventure to be in only going after really difficult out of the way caches. I'm posing this question because he is planning a trip to a large park with several caches that are multiple hour walks or at least looong mountain bike rides to get to. Just offhand he looked at one and said "I doubt I'll do THIS one because it looks like it's right next to the parking lot, that's just too easy". I think to myself "well heck, I'd do it just because it's there!".

How about you? We just had the thread about "is it all about the numbers" but that aside, do you not bother with easy caches or are you a cache slut like me? -Dan

 

Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down."

[+sbell111]

I go after them all.

[Dinoprophet]

I used to go after them all, as quick as I could. Lately, I've only been going after harder ones, or at least ones that sound interesting (easier ones *can* be interesting). I'm more likely to do a 1/1 if it's within lunch hour range or not very far out of the way when I'm going somewhere.

 

Well the mountain was so beautiful that this guy built a mall and a pizza shack

Yeah he built an ugly city because he wanted the mountain to love him back -- Dar Williams

[auntyweasel]

cache slut, all the way.

 

Never invoke anything bigger than your head.

[+Florafloraflora]

I'm not likely to make a destination of a 1/1 cache. Usually I like more challenging terrain, although the easier it is to find the cache once I get there, the better - I have no patience for puzzles, decryption, or camo. But if a 1/1 happens to be nearby or if it holds an interesting travel bug I will make a point of grabbing it.

 

My philosophy is, it takes all kinds. The 1/1s were a godsend to me when I started caching, and I imagine they are popular with families. If you enjoy 1/1s, more power to you.

[+Bull Moose]

No.

In fact, I'm currently working a 1/1 cache that's kicking my butt. It's mostly because I can't seem to get to the park when it's even a little empty and I don't want some of the kids who hang out there to wreck it if they see me grab it, that still makes it challenging.

 

Insert pretentious quote or saying here.

 

[This message was edited by Bull Moose on June 17, 2003 at 09:32 AM.]

[+briansnat]

I've yet to encounter a real 1/1 cache, since a 1/1 should be handicap accessable. But I do look for what some people rate a 1/1. They're not my favorites, but if I don't have a lot of time to spend on a hunt, I'll look for a "1/1".

 

"Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"

[+Brian - Team A.I.]

Nope. I go for them, as well as the higher-end difficulty. Sometimes, my available cache time doesn't allow me to go hiking/biking in the desert for a couple hours to find a few caches. Urban caching is reserved for the shorter-than-desirable cache times, and sometimes they prove much more difficult than rated. Night caching is one example of when that's to be the case. Often times, any of those night micros (or even traditional) increase in difficulty by a factor of 2, which I enjoy immensely. Autobahn micro is a perfect example of that. It took 3 visits and a 20-minute cell call to another cacher before I finally found it. One of the toughest caches I've done.

 

Brian

Team A.I.

[+Renegade Knight]

The Lord God interested me in them all.

 

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

Wherever you go there you are.

[Team Kender]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bull Moose:

No.

In fact, I'm currently working a 1/1 cache that's kicking my butt. It's mostly because I can't seem to get to the park when it's even a little empty and I don't want some of the kids who hang out there to wreck it if they see me grab it, nut that still makes it challenging.

 

_Insert pretentious quote or saying here._

---

 

I have an interesting story about population density at a park and kids playing around a cache, I'll cut-n-paste our passage here for brevity:

 

From Dan :

We sought out Lon Chaney (a cool cache filled with masks and a camera) today and couldn't find it. Turned out the spot where you hid it is right where a bunch of kids were playing.

 

From Will :

As Dan was searching, the kids were all standing in line looking awfully guilty to me.

 

From Dan :

So as we were looking around a kid asked what we were looking for and Willow was very straightforward and explained we were looking for a box with some stuff in it.

 

From Will :

I suspected something was up already so when the kid asked, I explained what the box was and the game.

 

From Dan :

Luckily she did because they had found it earlier in the day and they had put it somewhere else. We retrieved it and put it back in its place. We talked to the kids for a while and took their picture with the masks on and they promised they wouldn't mess with it again.

 

From Will :

I think, or hope I guess, that the kids, once they understood what it was all about, understood why it was important to leave it there.

 

The cache owner modified the cache placement and it is still there today. Because we were straight up with the kids I think they became guardians of that cache for the day, making sure it didn't get moved again

 

Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down."

[+Marky]

Do I need to answer this question?

 

--Marky

"All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr"

[+flask]

cache slut.

 

i'll go for anything. and often an easy cache has something interesting to recommend it.

 

it doesn't matter if you get to camp at one or at six. dinner is still at six.

[motoXman]

cache sluts unite and stand proud!!! Just 'cuz she was easy don't mean she wasn't fun. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, I just had to say it. (before someone else beat me to it)

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

[+jollybgood]

"GOT TO CACHE THEM ALL!!" in the words of the immortal Pokemon.

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

"Never declare war on a man who buys his ink by the gallon."

[+leatherman]

I used to cache everything.

Now I pick and choose. Some times it's for convenience. So I still do some 1/1's.

I'm going to a 1/1 this morning, 'cause it's in the park one of my caches is in. Maintenance run.

I also plan out 1/1's to 2/2's on trips. Most of the time I don't want to make long treks while traveling.

I also love micros. So whatever they're listed as, I'll do it. Love the hunt!

Back to the subject, I do prefer terrain and interesting locations now.

 

Pepper playing nice!

Mokita!

[+evergreenhiker!]

I'll do them all, except locationless, webcams, adn won't log event caches as finds. Like Leatherman, on the road, I try to stay away from real long caches or multi's. If it's just a simple 2 or even 3 stage multi I might do it. If I'm going to be camping in the area for a few days, I'll do them all except for cache types listed above.

[+Team Shibby]

I don't mind 1/1's, but to be honest I don't look at the rating very closely. When I am out on a multiple cache hunt day, I just look for the next closest cache and whatever it is I'll usually head for it. I am guilty of getting to a few and realising that I either don't have the time to complete it or sometimes I am just not prepared enough to take it on, so I just mark it down for another day.

 

Kar

[+Divine]

There are only 224 caches in my country. I go after every single one I can. I can't afford being fussy about the cache being 1/1.

 

- I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory. -

[+TMAN264]

<------cache slut....

 

Make a sanity check.

[+bitbrain]

If I avoided the 1/1 caches, there wouldn't be much to hunt... 1/1 is rarely the case, anyhow. If everyone used the ClayJar Cache Rating System, I don't think there would be very many 1/1's listed at all.

[+bthomas]

1's: Ah, the thing that fast caching dreams are made of. The thrill of the quick hunt. There, the challenge is finding and logging in under 5 minutes, and moving on to the next 5 caches that hour. Still doing 2's and 3's on the way, though. 4's tend to be their own trip, plus some 1's as a snack.

[+SimonG]

When I'm caching alone (which is most of the time), I go for the highest-rated caches I can find, because I enjoy the challenge. I wouldn't even consider doing a 1/1 (other than in certain exceptional circumstances).

 

When I'm with friends, though, the difficulty isn't really an issue, since I'm doing it for the company rather than the challege. In that case I would tend to avoid very high-rated caches, since my companions would hold me back and hamper my enjoyment (I don't have very adventurous friends).

 

What's your favourite thing?

[+georgeandmary]

Cache Ho.

 

george

 

Wanna go for a ride?

[+Huntforit]

I'll go for any caches in my area. Albany Georgia is lacking in caches. Most of them are between 30-40 miles away. Needless to say, I cached out quickly locally.

[+Breaktrack]

Yes, cache ho' deluxe model. I hunt harder ones when I'm by myself, but I go for whatever is out there when caching with the kiddos. In fact, I probably pay more attention to the ratings when the kids are going to be with me than I do when it's just me.

 

"Trade up, trade even, or don't trade!!!" My philosophy of life.

[Micqn]

I believe that all caches are created equally, they are just placed in different places. I'll goafter anything with a coord attached to it.

 

Don't Drink And Park: Accidents Cause People.

[+woodsters]

So many caches....so little time...

 

Wouldn't it be great to get paid to cache?

 

If we are all cache ho's then does make jeremy one of our pimps?

 

Brian Wood

Woodsters Outdoors

http://www.woodsters.com

[+DapperDanMan]

I have been caching for about 2 months now and I only go after the harder ones now. There are a few within 3 miles of my home that I have not gone to just because I really don't care. I do maintain a 1/1 cache though located at my work just for fun.

 

Usually on Saturday I will go for 1 cache that takes a few hours based on terrain. I really don't care for puzzle caches.

[+TotemLake]

Hey 1/1 caches are nice ego boosters when you've had a crappy hunting day.

 

However, I've said it before, I'm a cache of opportunity hunter. If it is where I will be, then I will try to hunt it if I have enough time. It doesn't matter the rating.

 

Cheers!

TL

[+cachecrazies]

We hit EVERYTHING around! With so few caches nearby - and so much area between them, we hit whatever is out there! And this summer with a sudden leg injury - I'm SO thankful for 1/1's! Otherwise - no caching for me.

 

Some days you feel like a nut - some days you don't!

 

Geocaching expands your horizons - not your butt!

[+Team OUTSID4EVR]

I went after everything when I started. Now, I'll pass up the drive-by caches. I have no interest in another small suburban park. If the 1/1 or other easy cache is in a truly interesting location, I'll check it out.

[+Groundhound]

I’ll go after 1/1’s if I’m already in the area. I’m more likely to go out of my way for the more difficult ones.

 

Groundhound

[+graewulf]

The 1/1 caches are a good idea on the way to others.. i'l log any I can....

[+Team GPSaxophone]

My kids are ages 6, 4, and 2. We ONLY go after 1/1's!

Just kidding, I'll take them on hikes of 1 mile or less (round trip) any day, longer hikes once in a while. They really like the ones we have to put the Geo-Tank in 4WD to get to. We made quite the adventure for our 100th find (June 11th)

 

Took sun from sky, left world in eternal darkness

[+Web-ling]

I pretty much hunt them all, although on a recent trip I discovered a dislike for log-only microcaches hidden in the parking lots of fast-food restaurants and shopping centers.

 

[+carleenp]

I like to find any kind of cache and will go for whatever fits my time constraints in a given day. With that said, I really prefer caches that either (a) take me to an interesting or little known place or ( caches that involve a nice walk. With (a), the cache could certainly be a 1/1 but I would still love it. with (, it is unlikely to be a 1/1. Still, I have found plenty of easy caches and will keep looking for those!

 

[+jollybgood]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Woodsters Outdoors:

Wouldn't it be great to get paid to cache?

---

 

Funny. I was caching with a friend several months ago and we were talking about our caching-routine. Gathering up our equipment. Selecting the proper trade items. Packing extra batteries. Signing the log books. Coming home and logging our finds online.

 

There can be a lot of prep work before you even start your day of caching and some work to do when you get home. We talked about how it was almost like a job.

 

My friend commented that in many ways geocaching resembled being a gas meter reader. "D

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

"Never declare war on a man who buys his ink by the gallon."

[+junglehair]

Well, I will do any and all caches, but will sometimes avoid the really dangerous ones since I usually cache alone. Besides, I enjoy the scenery more than the challenge of finding the cache.

 

I have an interesting observation though. I placed a cache that I rated 1/1. It is in a small park where the trails are seldom used. The cache is only .16 miles from the parking lot, and when you get close, there is really only one logical place where it could be. Great cache for beginners. Now the interesting part about this is... the cache has at least twice as many visitors as any of the other 14 caches I have out.

 

Conclusion: I think all geocachers are closet 1/1 hunters!

 

-Junglehair

 

There are 10 kinds of people in this world - those who understand binary and those who don't.

[+briansnat]

quote:

---

Conclusion: I think all geocachers are closet 1/1 hunters!

---

 

I agree. I have a number of caches that are challenging hikes in beautiful, or interesting areas. They may get 1 log every few months.

 

I also threw some 1/1.5's and 1/1's out there for variety's sake and they get hit frequently.

 

"Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"