"challenge" Caches

[+Mousetrap]

After reading through some of these posts, I find that what most people are interested in is finding the cache and logging it. There isn't much interest in "a challenge" or puzzles to find coords. Seems they are interested only in a high number of finds. What do some of you feel about caches that are a "challenge"??

[Tahosa and Sons]

Just read a few of the logs on the ones that I have in the hills. And my toughest one to date is going to get planted this Saturday.

 

Quality with a long hike over a drive and bag any day of the week.

[Team Smoke]

When I'm out geocaching, I like to navigate around a bit and use my brain to figure out where the cache is stashed. I don't find the dash and grab 1/1 caches to be very enjoyable. Unless the location of the 1/1 is a quality spot, then I don't mind an easy find.

 

Some caches are so challenging that even after 3 tries I still couldn't locate it! I gave up wasting gas on This One.

 

And then there is the mother of all impossible caches: I call this one MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

[+Sentiero Illuminati]

It depends on the circumstances. If I have limited time, I am after the cache with no excessive BS. If I have all day, especially with the wife and familly, we love a challenge.

 

I think everyone hates to be a newby (and I am one) so getting a lot of caches under your belt proves your "man hood" but I still think the initial reason to get involved was the fun of geting off of my FA and looking for the "Prize". (BTW- I've lost 30 of the 100 lbs I want to loose, since taking this "sport" up)

[SCP-173]

The best cache I've found was something like 4 miles of hiking on a mountain very few real trails and some decent elevation changes. Lots of great views on that one. Number two would be a two mile hike into a gorge which included climbing up 4 moderatly sized waterfalls. The worst (okay, most dissapointing) was a pvc pipe with nothing but a wet, smeared, just about completely unreadable "treasure map" asking "can you figure out where the cache is?". Neadless to say I didn't figure it out. I prefer physically challenging caches over math test wannabes. I'll still do the one with lots of math and puzzles, but they'll never be the ones I'm remembering 5 years from now. Gimme more stars for terrain any day.

[+Team Perks]

I suppose I could be labeled a high-finder but I am definitely not in it for the numbers (except when I set a personal challenge). Caching is about having fun, and the great thing about it is that there are so many ways to do it. If numbers make you happy, I say go for it.

 

I love tricky puzzle caches...you know, the ones that drive you crazy because you spend entire days (and nights) thinking about them. But I love great hikes and creative hides just as much. Come to think of it, I love almost any type of cache.

[+Ambrosia]

Out of the many puzzle caches in my area, I have only enjoyed one of the puzzles.

 

But there are two cachers (the ones making all the puzzle caches ) in our area who LOVE them.

[+VegasCacheHounds]

I love puzzle caches and multi-caches. i pretty much like any cache, but if there is an interesting twist it is even better.

 

Shannon

[+JMBella]

First you have to realize the posts you see in these forums is an extremely small percentage of the geocaching population. So saying:

After reading through some of these posts, I find that what most people are interested in is finding the cache and logging it.

May not be entirely accurate. I think you'll find that some people prefer to find ONLY challenging cache, while other will hunt ONLY cache and dash type finds. If I had to guess I would say the great majority of players would say that sometimes they like a difficult cache and sometimes they barely want to get out of the car.

 

That would be my opinion. It all depends what type of mood I'm in. When I hide caches I think like that as well. I have some caches that are very difficult and some that are less than 20 feet from your car. Something for everyone.

 

Enjoy!

[+JMBella]

oops, double post. Haven't seen that happen in a while.

Edited August 4, 2004 by JMBella

[+Evil Chicken]

Personally, we've been puzzled finding regular caches that are supposed to 10' away!!

 

I agree with some of the others here, I'll take interesting scenery and a nice hike over a brain-wracking puzzle any day. (My brains get wracked enough by the 3 Chicks!)

[MMACH 5]

I prefer the challenge to be in getting to and/or finding the cache rather than trying to figure out the coords. That being said, I do enjoy a mystery cache that is a "bonus" to a series of caches, or one that requires visiting certain locations to determine the coords for the final. But I can't even start to get my mind around the puzzles that look like ASCII/Binary code.

[+Robespierre]

Did OGRE ART and its companion cache by Ranger510 yesterday:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6a-bc792346ecca

It's supposed to be 1.5 miles in the muggy heat - but with backtracking, I probably made it 2.5. And I came home real high. Wonderful place. (for some reason, large hovering hornets were guarding all 3 logs I visited yesterday) It's ragweed season now, my arch-enemy, but I just loved it.

[+Polgara]

I enjoy the challenging hikes that i go on with my friends. Its the comradery i love the most, and all the picking on one another on the way to the cache during the hike. Sometimes we all campout and it makes for a really fun weekend. I consider myself lucky in that i have a great group to hike with, and they are always alot of fun!

 

Caching is really cool in that there is something for everyone. Not all cachers can go on long hikes. When i had my dog, she was old, and couldn't do challenging hikes, but i enjoyed taking her to the park and grabs, and she enjoyed the little walks in new places.

[+wimseyguy]

I don't think you have been lurking long enough to make that generalization MD.

I am a numbers ho-no bones about it. My first trip to Nashville with Team CHB, WAS all about the numbers. Some of us went back for Geowoodstock2, and spent one day racking up more park and grabs, and spent Saturday night/Sunday morning solving two of the toughest puzzle caches there and DNF'g for a second time a 5/3.5. The last few daytrips we have made, we targeted a 5/4 multi (#1000 for me and another teammate) that hadn't been found once in the two months it was hidden, and last weekend we went after a 4/3.5 multi that only had 2-3 finds by the locals.

 

My point is- there is something for everyone out there. The greatest strength geocaching has as a sport/activity is the diversity of its participants.Since it is one of the only activities where the players make the playing field this variety will only grow. We didn't have many puzzle caches here in the Triangle last year. Someone here visiting family hid one, and now there are over a dozen. Some are really hard, some not so bad. There weren't any urban micros a year ago, now I have a dozen of my own hidden. Some are drive-ups, but most aren't .

 

What is true is that the shorter hikes and easier hides will get more visits.

[kayaker22589]

I enjoy hard hikes to find easy caches and will take that anyday over an urban micro. I do also like, though, difficult puzzle caches near my house. Unfortunately we don't have more than two or three puzzle caches that close to my house.

[+AuntieWeasel]

I like a nice drive in the country (or along the shore) followed by a nice walk in the woods (or on the beach). I suppose it would diminish the enjoyment if, after all that, the cache flew out and hit me in the face when I got close, but I'm not up for a fight. A couple of times, I've had a wonderful, happy hike almost overshadowed by a difficult, irritating hide. Seriously harshes my buzz.

 

As for puzzles, I don't like 'em. But many people obviously do. I'm not good at puzzles, and that hacks me off because I think I should be. Which causes me to wonder if I'm not as smart as I think I am. Which grievouslyharshes my buzz.

[+Gonzo-YT]

Personally, I'm into the wilderness hikes. I like walking, and I enjoy working with maps and figuring out where I'm going on the land.

 

For instance, on several caches recently I've added 5-10 km to the distance required to hike by walking in on an old logging road rather than driving it. It's more fun, and also saves my poor old 1986 Subaru from trying to make it over rough roads.

 

I do enjoy finding the cache, but I don't want it to take too long.

 

I do wish our area had some multis. I think the best multis would be ones that require you to plot a route across the terrain -- the caches would serve as your major waypoints. I've got some ideas for a couple to place myself.

 

Regards,

Anthony

[+RJFerret]

I like variety and creativity.

 

I've found easy generic caches get the most logged finds, physically challenging caches next and mentally challenging caches come in last.

 

The most emotionally challenging are obviously the most memorable to all. These tend not to fall into the first category.

 

Enjoy,

 

Randy