Decrypting hints, yes or no?

[+res2100]

I haven't seen this dicussion anytime recently, but I am wondering how many of you decrypt the hints before going on a cache? Personally I feel that I am just cheating myself of the hunt if I decrypt it beforehand.

 

What I do is to try and find the cache first and only resort to the hint if I get stuck (after searching for about 10-20 minutes), or the odd time if I am just running out of time/daylight. Of the 79 caches I have found, I've only had to decrypt the hint 22 times.

 

http://ca.geocities.com/rsab2100/pond.html

[+sbell111]

I'm with you with one difference. If the hint is very long, I'll decrypt it and take it with me. I'll try not to read it unless I need it.

 

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

[+bitbrain]

In placing my own caches, I've found that it is difficult to write a good hint that doesn't turn a 3-Star difficulty into a 1-Star. That being the case, I try not to decypher the hints until I am convinced that The Force just isn't going to work for me on that hunt.

 

On the other hand, most of the hints that don't give the location away are useless (but there's another thread for that ).

[+GatoRx]

quote:

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Originally posted by sbell111:

I'm with you with one difference. If the hint is very long, I'll decrypt it and take it with me. I'll try not to read it unless I need it.

---

 

Sounds about like my strategy, except that I'll fold the paper up over the hint so that my eyes are less likely to be drawn to it.

 

----

When in doubt, poke it with a stick.

[+Breaktrack]

I mainly cache hunt with the kids, and I try to let them find the caches, even when I've already spotted it, lol. I do decipher the hints ahead of time and I've already read them before we go. I try not to help them any more than necessary but I do like it when they find them and they are definitely getting so good at this that rarely do I even have to give them any "hints" any more.

 

When I am hunting by myself I do not use the hints unless it is a last resort before giving up altogether. I have had to use the hints in that instance just a couple of times. As it turns out, many hints turned out to be completely useless anyway, but that's another whole thread....LOL.

 

 

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

[+Cachetrotters]

a long hint ahead of time using the ROT13 website, print it, fold it and take with me, read if required. Otherwise, I decrypt in the field from the printable cache page I bring.

 

don

[+georgeandmary]

Pre Markwelled response.

 

99% of the time I don't read the hints until I've at least searched for the cache.

 

An there's nothing more frustrating than breaking down to read the hint and getting "You don't need a hint"

 

I don't have to decryp in the field since I carry it all on my palm and just hit the button to decrypt

 

george

 

Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more.

[+Smitherington]

I would rather try finding the cache first and decrypt only if necessary. When I have my grandkids along I like to let them decrypt as we drive to the cache. Keeps them busy.

With my Pocket PC the situation is different. The hints are kept in an appendix so I don't have to decrypt them and I don't have to look at them unless I need to.

[+Newenglandah]

Some days I do somedays I don't!

If I do I try not looking at it untill needed, mostly after I have spend way to long looking for the cache...

 

I use rot 13 when placing multi caches though, usaully the hints I place in the first and second cache for the main cache are encypted, I feel it makes it a bit more fun in the field...

 

See you in the woods!

Natureboy1376

[+evergreenhiker!]

I'll look at hints for caches way out in the boonies. You do not a DNF out there.

 

As for city area caches and caches within a fairly short drive, I'll try my best to find teh box before resorting to clues, but if time is running short...I'll start reading the hint...not necessarily all of it...just enough to get an idea.

 

What Kodak's4 has done in our area is to provide the user a nudge, hint, and then the spoiler hint. This is a good setup.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

I only decrypt if it's an event cache held at a pizza parlor. No way am I going to be late for that.

 

I hear voices.....and they don't like you!

[+Geo Jeff]

I don't like to read the hints, but get upset when people put in hints that don't relate to the cache location. For instance, many say where to park, or go left at the fork. But what good are these hints, if you wait until you are at the cache to read them.

 

Geo Jeff

(leave more than you take)

[+Treasure Hunters Inc.]

We decrypt and print the cache pages before leaving home, but we don't read the hints and have often forgotten to take the cache page print with us when leaving the car. Only had to go back to retrieve it a few times We enjoy the hunt and don't want to spoil it unless we have to.

 

We usually put progressively more specific clues and number them so people can decide when to stop decrypting and get only as much help as they want.

 

$1000 Bill

[GRANDMASTER CACHE]

I try to remember to decrypt them before printing out the page. But I print off all the pages way in advance, as I come across them... They then sit in a binder until we go caching - so no hints are fresh. If the kids are along, I let them find it, but I read the hints to see if I can help point 'em in the right direction.

 

Most of the time, we don't even need them, but I suppose they're nice to have, just in case. A lot of times they are just even more confusing, and I think that's a "strategy" of some cache-hiders - just so they can toy with the minds of people looking for the easy way out.

 

If you hide it, they will come.

Grandmaster Cache

[+Shoebox]

I used to print in advance to use them if I get stuck but found it hard to not peek. So now I put all the hints from the caches I hope to go to soon in my PDA and picked up the decoding program. Now if I get stuck I'll have the PDA decode it for me and I don't have to sit there with pen and paper decoding it while the bugs have me for lunch.

 

Shoebox.

[+sbrolsma]

Only after an unsuccessful search. I decrypt when I'm standing on the spot and can't find it. IMHO too many clues are given in the unencrypted part of the cache page in the first place. (At end of such road, in such park, etc.) I print pages and input coords in advance and let the GPSr take me all the way. It's more fun when I don't even know the roads.

 

sbrolsma - Alabama

 

"If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?"

[+Ozarktroutbum]

Lately I've just been downloading the coordinates and taking off blind. I filter out the virts but never know if I'm looking for a mini or a regular. So far only had to post 2 DNF's compared to 15 or so FI!s. Reason I'm doing this is I have no inet access at home and don't really want to hang around the office anymore than I have to. Just signed up for charter so I'll be getting pocket queries. Having pretty good success so I'll probably save them just in case I get in a jam.

 

When GPSr's are outlawed, only Outlaws will have GPSr's.

[purring alien]

I'm new at this, and still trying to figure out my GPS, so I plan on decrypting the hints for any future hunts for awhile.

 

My first and only cache was found by the hint alone, and it was a cute hint that we had fun with, "Don't let the feathers tickle your nose." We looked all over and finally found the cache hidden under pampa grass, which was indeed very feathery.

[+RJFerret]

Using the decryption Palm software, I'll search first. If I've exhausted the possibilities, or am clueless where I should be searching, or otherwise need the hint, then I'll decrypt it.

 

Randy

[+Jamie Z]

Only in the field and after an attempt to find it. I get a bigger kick if I can find the cache with as little information as possible.

 

On occasion I'll hunt by coordinates only...

 

Jamie