Ftf Compotition

[+Will+Bill]

I live in Carmel, Indiana, and the compotition for the FTF is tough. Somebody finds a new cache withen a half-hour of placing. Does this happeny anywhere else? Thanks!

[+Tiwica]

Yes

[+briansnat]

Generally not around here (northern NJ). I've placed caches that have gone a few days and as much as a week before the FTF, so obviously, there is no race.

[+Criminal]

it be happney here too

 

 

EDIT: Typo?

Edited March 2, 2004 by Criminal

[+flask]

FF's are capricious around here. sometimes we jump out of bed at oh-dark-thirty to get them, sometimes they sit for weeks. it's unpredictable, and that's just the way i like it. keeps people on their toes.

 

i think i'm going to experiment a little with doing some first finds and signing later pages of the log and then claiming i wasn't there first. it's kind of twisted, but it will keep people guessing.

[+Sparky-Watts]

There generally isn't much of a push to be FTF around here....a lot of caches will sit a day or two, which in some areas would seem to be an eternity, before being found. My Leap Day cache wasn't found on the 29th, but two cachers got up at 4:30 in the morning on the 1st to go find it! That's very unusual around here!

[+boulist44]

Well out here where we don't do hurry, It takes about 6 months for a FTF.

I think caches hibernate for a few months anyway. Iv'e got my eye on one for April!!

[AJK]

In MA, a few hours is common, rare for a cache to go 24 hours without a FTF - there's a core of cachers here who go for them.

[+MercRocks]

Until yesterday I would have said there is NO rush to be FTF in my area...Ha that changed today.............I saw 2 new caches released last night and joked with the wife that I'd better do a night cache so as to get the FTF...Ha HA we both laughed...Emailed my buddy to see if he wanted to go in the morning or the next day......No RUSH I say.......Ok he says got some running around to do, but lets do it...

.....Down the valley we go, pull up to the parking lot, Hummm a Xterra parked there BUT the bathroom facilitys are there too so nothing to worry about...Pull up beside the Xterra, Oh no that looks like a GPS sitting on the dash, what's that little piece of paper passenger is trying to hide... Had that "gotta be a geocacher feeling"

Asked the question, Sure enough...A couple that live 200 miles East of here......AAHHHHHHH O'well got to meet my first cachers AND they had allready did the cache further East that we were gonna hit too........Luckily they had updated coordinates ( good thing too as we would have never found it)

So now night or day I'm dropping everything to go for a FTF.........

......Ya snooze Ya loose

[SBPhishy]

It happens here because of me, and another cacher who I know. Whenever I hide a cache, he is always the FTF. When ever he hides one, I am usually the FTF. It has started to seem like we are just hiding these caches for each other. There is another cacher out here who puts up a fight, but only every once in a while. The cache will usually wait a day, at the most, to be found.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Yeah it's fierce around here in southern oregon. We had a cacher who loved to brag about being first. Of course there wasn't really anyone else who cared. Well his bragging encouraged a few others to make sure he was never first again so when a new cache gets put out, a huge group head for it.

[Major Catastrophe]

... his bragging encouraged a few others to make sure he was never first again so when a new cache gets put out, a huge group head for it.

No doubt he planned it that way, just to increase the activity...

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

No doubt he planned it that way, just to increase the activity...

Funny that's exactly what he claims and he says he doesn't go after firsties anymore.

 

But lately I've seen him logging caches the day they come out, usually 3rd or 4th in.

[+flask]

a cache that has not been found yet teases me like nothing else. i feel compelled to drop everyting and run.

 

on the other hand, i do not brag about my first finds. i do not note it in the log, either on paper or online. (ok, i used to, but don't anymore.) i also do not know how many FF's i have.

 

which is strange when you consider the lengths i will go to to get one.

 

and obtusely, sometimes i decide flat out that i'm not even going to TRY for FF and watch the people run out to try and beat me. this is fun because i know what it feels like to dash out at oh-dark-thirty in the morning to race to be forst there only to find that nobdy follows for WEEKS.

 

i like to keep people guessing. and i like to be kept guessing. it's a fascinating game, this.

[+Criminal]

The only thing better than the FTF is being the Only to (Find OTF)

 

One

 

Two

[+dino_hunters]

Criminal, whats the story on those 2 caches? I assume they were submitted, but not approved, and you were asked to remove them. That right?

[+Criminal]

Criminal, whats the story on those 2 caches? I assume they were submitted, but not approved, and you were asked to remove them. That right?

Yes, that's why you can see the logs but not the cache pages.

[+evergreenhiker!]

The COMPETITION for FTFs among local cachers in my area is very, very fierce. You pretty much need to go at night or get up crack of dawn. I prefer night caching if in suitable area. I'm more choosy now after experience with several cops.

[+JMBella]

There are a hand full of cachers, myself included that go after the FTF. Just adds another fun element to the game.

[+GeoRoo]

EGH, I see you FTF on many caches in the area. When are caches released to the public? Or do you have to stay glued to your computer 24/7 to catch them as they come out? I know the competition is very fierce in this area, so I'll need more experience if I want to join the crowd. I did do some night time caching in E. WA last night and that is the only way to go. I had a entire town of Othello to myself and poked around the front yard of a home in a neighborhood to grab my first FTF. That cache had sat empty for 4 days. I guess it isn't a big hurry over there.

[+Ed Rad]

In the Chicago area we have one cacher that seems to live for the FTF. We are never surprised when GeoGil and Dairy (his dog) are signed into the log first thing in the morning.

 

Example...the was a cache place very close to my home. It was approved Monday evening and I went our fairly early the next morning. Open up the logbook and GeoGil had signd in at 8:00 a.m.. He lives quite a distance a way! LOL.

 

FTF doen't make a difference to me. I just like to find them no matter what!

[+flask]

once they've been FF'd i'm in no hurry.

 

you hide a thing, i'll go find it. i'm not fussy.

[WH]

I am HUGE fan of the FTF race, even bordering on obsessed.

 

I have to be at work at 6AM every day. I set my alarm to wake me up at 3AM so I can check the site for new caches. If new ones are posted, I will get dressed and head out.

 

This has ruffled a few feathers among local cachers because some of them feel that hunting in the dark is just asking for trouble and will lead to the possible banishment of caching from the area.

 

Ever since one particular incident, I now thouroughly read the cache page to see if there are any rules banning night hunts.

 

Even where night caching is prohibited, I have been known to drive to the area and wait for it to get light enough to head in.

 

I currently have have 42 FTF's out of 149 caches logged. Am I obsessed or just playing the game?

Edited March 4, 2004 by WH

[+beejay&esskay]

Am I obsessed or just playing the game?

Probably could be a poll...but I'll vote for obsessed.

[+Criminal]

I am HUGE fan of the FTF race, even bordering on obsessed.

 

I have to be at work at 6AM every day. I set my alarm to wake me up at 3AM so I can check the site for new caches. If new ones are posted, I will get dressed and head out.

 

This has ruffled a few feathers among local cachers because some of them feel that hunting in the dark is just asking for trouble and will lead to the possible banishment of caching from the area.

 

Ever since one particular incident, I now thouroughly read the cache page to see if there are any rules banning night hunts.

 

Even where night caching is prohibited, I have been known to drive to the area and wait for it to get light enough to head in.

 

I currently have have 42 FTF's out of 149 caches logged. Am I obsessed or just playing the game?

Your 28% beats my 24%.

 

I get them when I can.

[+flask]

hey, i've gotten up ant 5:30 and driven 2 and a half hours just to get there and find that somebody who lives 20 minutes FARTHER than i do beat me by half an hour.

 

if you're playing the FF game, you're just playing the game. peopel who do not play the FF game can log at their leisure. and you can even decide ahead of time that some days your'e not plaing the FF game.

 

if i don't play the FF game, sometimes i play the "get there after somebody who leaves good trade items" game.

 

or i just play the regular version of the game.

 

or i go play a different game altogether. they're all good.

[+bennet]

I like to FTF. I think FTF is a big deal. I make special awards in my caches for the FTF. Click here to see a couple of the bona-fide engraved FTF awards I have made.

Blue Dream FTF Award

Kick In The Grass FTF Award

 

The FTF competition here is definitely strong, but rain, cold, especially combined with a muddy walk over a mile or so slows down the FTF frenzy so that it does not happen the first day or two.

 

If it is an easy cache, or if it is nice outside, the FTF happens very quickly.

[+GeoRoo]

When are new caches released?.....Do they come up at random times durring the day or is there a best time to be looking?

[+Team GPSaxophone]

When are new caches released?.....Do they come up at random times durring the day or is there a best time to be looking?

The approvers are volunteers, so new caches come up as they have time to approve them.

[WH]

I find that most of the time where I live, new caches are listed sometime during the night. Its for this reason I set my alarm for 3AM to check the listings.

[+GeoRoo]

Thanks for the info. I've been wondering if some of the local FTFers have a direct computer link to their brains. They sure do get jumped on in a hurry and there's a mad stampede to the cache. It makes for some interesting reading.

[bcrockcrawler]

The only thing better than the FTF is being the Only to Find (OTF)

 

Hey we have one of those too, it was called Marilyn's Station

[+briansnat]

Thanks for the info. I've been wondering if some of the local FTFers have a direct computer link to their brains. They sure do get jumped on in a hurry and there's a mad stampede to the cache. It makes for some interesting reading.

 

I think there is a program out there that spits out new caches to anybody who subscribes.

 

I just went through my caches. I have 3 FTF's out of 217 finds. Not a very good percentage, especially for a guy who was out of work for almost a year

Edited March 8, 2004 by briansnat

[+Smitherington]

I don't obsess about being first finder but I do enjoy it. I start work at 6 AM but do not get up early to go caching.

One thing that is fun is doing FTFs a long way from home. My most recent one was in Boca Raton, FL. I was only there for a few hours recently but had the opportunity to find four caches. One was a FTF. Before I logged it on the computer some local guy logged it. He lived a mile from the cache and I beat him. I live in Mich and was just there on vacation. Just 1000 plus miles away.

I did one in Illinios once that had been attempted but not found. I did one 400 miles north in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, again when I was on vacation. I do enjoy being FTF.

I did one also where I was the FTF and the only one. It was archived because it was in a prohibited area.

I love it but I don't keep track of being FTF. I just do it when I can.

[+GeoRoo]

I think there is a program out there that spits out new caches to anybody who subscribes.

 

Where might that be? I was looking at the logs of a recent cache that popped up and see that several geocachers were at the owners of the cache and still were not able to beat the crowd. I sometimes wonder if some of these caches are inside jobs!..... Who are the cache approvers anyway? I just submitted my first geocache, so we'll have to see how fast it gets jumped on. It's a bit out in the boonies, so it might last a few more hours. I see the Geocaching headquarters are in Bellevue, WA.....Is that right?

[+G-Squad]

I think this is what was referred to by Briansnat.

[+Right Wing Wacko]

Thanks for the info. I've been wondering if some of the local FTFers have a direct computer link to their brains. They sure do get jumped on in a hurry and there's a mad stampede to the cache. It makes for some interesting reading.

 

I think there is a program out there that spits out new caches to anybody who subscribes.

 

I just went through my caches. I have 3 FTF's out of 217 finds. Not a very good percentage, especially for a guy who was out of work for almost a year

If you are speaking about Skydivers alerts, I'm a subscriber. Unfortunatly, several times I've found the cache and gone home and logged it well before the alert comes in. I'll be glad if/when Jeremy adds such a feature to gc.com.

 

BTW: I don't have a large number of FTF's; 16 out of just under 450 finds. I did score two this weekend though

[+GeoRoo]

I figured there was something out there that gave a heads up. I'll have to see it it works. Thanks for the info.

Edited March 8, 2004 by GeoRoo

[+E = Mc2]

I just make certain that the first thing I do when I get online is check new caches. I have a link in the toolbars directly to the new hides for my state. I'm not always FTF in my area, but I've found a couple (something like 17 or 18) in my 155 finds.

[+quills]

around here it's usually 24 hours or less. I got a ff last week. it was a micro. i checked the website when i got home from work and then again about and hour and a half later and saw it listed. it was pretty close so we headed right out and found it after a 30 minute search.

[martmann]

I tried the Skydiver email notification service, and found it hit-or-miss for timely notifications. Now I just have a link to the new cache page for my state, and check it every now and then. Most caches in my area are approved between 7-10 pm on weekdays (any time on weekends). Since I prefer night caching, this means I get FTFs fairly often.

 

If you see a new cache come up, and wonder if you have a good chance to get the FTF, check the times at the bottom of the cache page, if there are no logs the "last updated" time should be the time of approval (it may also be the last time the hider edited the page, but really, once you submit a cache for approval, all editing should be finished). Since it's GMT, you can look at the "current time" and see how long ago it came up (in the example below, the cache was approved 38 minutes before I brought the cache page up).

 

 

I like FTFs because I have no way of knowing what the hunt will be like, can't read the logs, there aren't any. Hunting at night always adds an extra bit of challenge, but also has some advantages.

[+The Commissar!]

Being FTF also gets you the cache as originally intended when designed and placed. Try as we might, the cache is never replaced "exactly" as it was originally...You can get the same after a maintenance visit too

 

...And its FUN to race there to be first !

[+flask]

i race mountain bikes.

 

so the FTF chase is LIKE a race, except you don't know who the cometitors are for sure, you don't know where the event is being held, you don't know where the finish line is, or what the starting time is, or what the course will be like, or what equipment you should bring.

 

so i keep a "go" bag packed and either in my front hall or in my car.

[+rover-r-us]

yes and its me most of the time

[+Rosco Bookbinder]

I had a FTF one time. Had mine. No biggy.

 

We have people here in Spokane that live for them. We have some people here that do nothing but cache for a living and have so many FTF's it's not a game any more. It's more like blood.

[+Deckyon]

I just got 2 more FTF in a row, last night. Had a narrow miss, as we met another cacher on our way back, and his way in. Not that I look for those first, but I like the #ed tiles from the cache owner as prizes for the first 10... Pretty cool.

[+Red Clover]

I was FTF a cache (my 50th yay!) anyway it had been there a few days. It was a 1.5 mile hike to the cache.. got home logged it and later there was a post from someone saying they were trying to be FTF, but they were a good sport about it lol. It was neat signing that fresh clean log book, though I'd not go out of my way to be FTF.

[WH]

To date I've logged 154 caches, 45 of those were FTF's

[+Brian - Team A.I.]

There is some competition here for FTF, but I think it's more of a fun competition than anything.

 

Have I ever ran out the door as soon as I got my New Geocache Alert e-mail? Absolutely.

 

But there have been plenty of times I've passed on the chance for a FTF after getting the same e-mails on other caches. Either way, it's fun getting FTFs.

[+olbluesguy]

Immediate new cache notification - When a new cache becomes available in your area, you will be immediately notified by email. You will be able to choose how far you want to be from a cache to be notified it is available.

 

premium members only?