Jump to content

Logging A Cache Without Finding It


geopigs

Recommended Posts

The record is 246 caches in a day, so 36 is very possible. That being said, there are some people who are know to fudge their finds and log finds for caches they didn't actually find. Most people know who they are, so their find counts are taken with a grain of salt.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment
Is it possible to do that every weekend???

Sure is. Many geocachers will target a cache rich area and head there for a weekend of caching. Some will do this almost every weekend. 36 is nothing really. That's only 18 a day. Some people can bag 18 caches before breakfast.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment
That's what I was wondering about.  His find comments are very short and it doesn't sound lie he's been there.

When you're a power cacher its not easy to write detailed logs because of the number of them required. Many of them just cut and past a few sentences. Also, because the power cachers tend to concentrate on easy caches so they can find it, log it and move on, there probably isn't a whole lot to write about in the first place.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment
I was just curious about so many finds in a short time. Maybe he's really ambitious. Thanks for your comments,

He's been caching over 2yrs. That works out to a little over 100 caches a month. That's not really all that hard to do in cache-dense areas. A power cacher could cache 1 day a month and end up with over 2600 after 2yrs. Take a look at the amount of caches in places like Nashville, Jacksonville, Seattle, or San Fransisco. 50-100 a day is easy with a little planning.

Link to comment

If we had the density of some places back when we weren't selective and tried to get them all, I'm sure we'd be well into the four digits.

 

I often comment to Sissy after reading some of these denisty threads, "if anyone lived there and wasn't in the four digits, they just ain't trying."

 

That last place mentioned has nearly 10 times the density as we do.

Link to comment

Briansnat wrote

 

Anybody with more finds than me is obsessed. Anybody with fewer is a novice.

 

 

The voice of truth rings out B)

 

On topic, we've recently met two cachers, both recent retirees - one of them seems to bent on placing the most caches, and the other on finding them. If it's a full time job, amazing numbers are possible. (I really like the "placer" guy, not that I dislike the "finder" guy, but the variety of new caches around, and the new areas he's using for placement are great).

Link to comment
JPLUS14

Oooh a witch hunt. Let's get out the logs and scale and ducks. B)

But seriously folks-they all look like perfectly legit logs to me by a committeed serious cacher with plenty of hides to go along with those power caching finds.

My top day of 104 finds had little more than that written in the logs too.

It looks like a fun road trip through KY was the holiday plan. I'm jealous and stuck working all weekend. :laughing:

Leave it alone. :ph34r:

Edited by wimseyguy
Link to comment
A power cacher blew through my area and I'm quite sure visited all the caches claimed...because an inordinate number of them were found missing, muggled or out in the open by the next finder 

 

I hear you on that one, Auntie. Two of my caches were left completely exposed after that visit.... I also had a "signed for" log in one of my books....

Link to comment

This topic came up in reference to myself 2 1/2 years ago at a time when there were maybe 30,000 caches world wide. See my response in this thread. My methods have evolved as new tools and technology (no pocket queries then) have come into play.

 

Yes this is possible especially in certain areas of the country.

Link to comment

Within 50 airmiles of me there are exactly 100 caches. That's airmiles. To get to some of them requires 100 miles driving distance one way.

I've seen some of these power cachers in action. Sorry, but not impressed with them. They park as close as they can get, run bushwhacking as fast as they can go instead of following trails, and the area looked like they'd been thru it with a weedeater and bulldozer. Then at least one of them complains in the logs about the briars and the no trespassing areas. B)

Edited by Wadcutter
Link to comment

JPLUS14 is a friend of mine… he is the real deal. He is a caching machine! Living in the Louisville Metro area we are pretty used to seeing folks that have over 1,000 finds, with many exceeding 2,000 now and a select few that are well above 3,000. With a laptop and or a PDA and some routing software it makes it a pretty smooth operation when seeking a large number or caches in one day. see ya, jeff'

Link to comment

I posted this reply earlier, but it didn't show up. I apologize if this turns out to be a duplicate.

 

I'm interested in learning more about these power cachers. I've never heard of this and am curious about it. Is this a group of cachers, or just 1 cacher? If it's a group, are the people in the group the same every time? Do they log their finds under 1 name? Is it a very expensive and accurate GPS that's used to find the caches so quickly? Since they are interested in quantity, does that mean they TNLNSL and are not interested in moving TBs? Your responses have showed that it's obviously possible for someone to find this many caches depending on the area. I know it's not possible for us to find that many caches in a day due to where we live, so I'm just trying to understand how this power caching works.

Link to comment

Well GP I do not really call myself a power cacher, but I am a Cache Hungry Bastard at times. :mad: Since I have found most of the caches in this area during my 2+ years I occasionally make roadtrips with a few other like minded souls to other cache dense zones. Most of the time it is the same crew, with an addition or subtraction at times. We log our finds individually under our own usernames. Our GPSr's are no more accurate than yours, but might cost a little more. Most of us are using Garmin 60c's. Yes, we usually do TNLN, but will move TB's.

 

Lets face it after 1000+ finds, there isn't really anything in a cache I care to own usually. I do carry some trade swag at all times just in case though.

 

What makes this posible is lots of preparation, analyzing PQ's and creating routes to be as efficient as possible. We avoid multi's, anything that hasn't been found recently or has a lot of DNF's posted, or clearly states a long hike is involved. We all search together, and do not play games once one of us has found it.

 

I still enjoy long hikes, hard caches, and caching solo too.

When I first started caching it was all about some ME time away from my responsibilities at home and work. Now the comraderie of these road trips has become as much a part of the fun as the actual caching. I enjoy it all. On a recent trek we found two 5/5's on the same day, then cleaned up and ate a nice sit-down dinner, and found a few more afterwards. The next day we did a numbers run and a bunch of 1/1's. The important thing is we had fun :mad::mad::mad: doing all of it together.

 

PS I forgot to mention that sometimes we stay out reaaaalllly late and cache with lots of high powered flashlights, sugary sweet caffeinated beverages, and a few dozen Krispy Kremes. :mad:<_<

I hope this answers your questions.

Edited by wimseyguy
Link to comment

If it's more normal for you to find 6 or 8 in a day, hey, that's great. I think 10 is my personal best. Don't sweat what others prefer. You can find, particularlly in Nashville or Southern Cal, some "power trails" with a micro every 600 '. Great, if you care to try that. Some of us live more remotely. Some can do 3 caches after work every evening. I tend to avoid most micros. Whatever you prefer.

Link to comment

I have often wondered how to do a large number of caches per day. When I first started I thought 10 caches/day was pretty extreme. Now I do 10 caches per day pretty routinely (but only on weekends and holidays). I find that level fairly satsifying. I don't shy away from hard ones. My personal highest in one day is around 25 and on that day I didn't start until 10 am and had to stop at dusk (about 6pm). Basically if I plan a route in an area that I have a good map for, and have someone with me that is willing to drive and follow my navigation instructions, then I can generally get 4 to 6 per hour. If I did only the easy ones then that number would be higher. I have tried to do a bit of night caching, but I can generally only get 2 or 3 per hour in the dark.

 

With regard to some of the general comments about about power cachers, I would say that the comments may be a bit misguided. I have met a lot of cachers and I find that none of them fit a stereotype like that. I would say that most do all types of caching adventures. It is generally not practical to mix them all into the same caching trip.

 

Another thing I might share from my vantage point: if you have 1000 caches found, then you probably have very few to find near your home. Thus every trip out to go geocaching means a substantial road trip. Most of us want to get as much into that as possible.

 

The main suggestions I would make to someone who wants to try a day where the primary focus is the numbers (i.e. purely for the sake of getting a high find count): (1) go into an area where you have not been before and where there is good cache density, (2) plot them out on a map, (3) inspect all the cache desricptions on-line to remove any from your list that seem absurd to you and to solve any puzzle caches and to identify any special equipment you might need (step-stools, tweezers, gloves, flashlight...) - and select many more than you can reasonably do (that gives you options), (4) transfer all waypoints into your GSP before you leave and print out or put into a PDA all the cache descriptions, (5) Bring a friend along who is interested in helping you search; the more friends you have with you the higher the rate.

 

At the end of the day, it will have been fun for many other reasons than the high cache-count. My main advice: Enjoy - but stop as soon as you find yourself not enjoying it. If the number thing is not for you, then do it your way and don't worry about what others think or say.

Link to comment

It's not that hard to be a power cacher.

I know the people around here with high numbers often plan trips somewhere. Atlanta for the weekend, chatanooga for the weekend, Louisville for the weekend, etc..

 

When you plan to go just for caching, it's not that hard. They often grab 100+ in a weekend.

Link to comment
'm interested in learning more about these power cachers. I've never heard of this and am curious about it. Is this a group of cachers, or just 1 cacher? If it's a group, are the people in the group the same every time? Do they log their finds under 1 name? Is it a very expensive and accurate GPS that's used to find the caches so quickly? Since they are interested in quantity, does that mean they TNLNSL and are not interested in moving TBs?

 

Most of them are individuals, but a few are families, or teams of friends who log under one name. The few that are teams are usually very small teams, maybe 2-3 people who log under one account.

 

The GPS doesn't make a difference. The premier power cacher in my area uses a basic yellow eTrex that goes for under $100.

 

Some trade and some don't and some will bag every travel bug they can and others can't be bothered. There is no standard profile for a power cacher, other than having the time and will to do it.

Link to comment

my personal best so far was 6 caches in a period of 3 hours. the caches were all in the area of the falls of the ohio interpretive center. myself and lost fool logged in just under 10 miles of walking. we are trying speed caching, not the number of caches by itself, but in a limited amount of time the max number of caches possible. all caches found on foot within, for example 2 hours or 5 miles. it great for cardiovascular, and above all else no running. however...we are planning a 2 mile run within a cache dense area to see how many we can find at a good jogging pace or a good airborne shuffle.

regards

archie <_<

Link to comment
That's what I was wondering about. His find comments are very short and it doesn't sound lie he's been there.

like briansnat said, when you do that many in a day, it's hard to remember every little detail. sometimes something goofy happens and you write about it, but logging each one as if it were your only find of the day can take a long time. and there may not be that much to write about. if the cache was particularly good hide, you should write more than "tftc tnlnsl" etc but you can't police that sort of thing (that people write longer logs online). you CAN check the cache log to see if they were there, however. but if he's "cheating", what difference does it make in the grand scheme of things?

Link to comment

All of the comments have been very interesting and enlightening. I live in an area with limited caches. When I see someone with 600 caches, that's an enourmous amount for my area. That's the main reason I questioned such a high number of caches. I guess if I lived in another area or was aware of power cachers, a high count may have been a normal thing. I know I'm not ready to be a power cacher, but it sure would be interesting to go on a trip with one. So I guess what it boils down to is that I either need to move or take more caching vacations! Thanks to everyone for filling me in! :lol:

Link to comment

I guess I am going for diffrent numbers. I've been Geocaching for just under a year. My numbers are not that high (under 100), but they are from many diffrent countries, Japan, Thailand, Germany, Belgium, France, England, Scotland, and the US. I missed out on some in Austria, Hungry, and Romania, because I forgot my GPS in the car.

 

I am a member of a team, My wife and I use the name Team Cabear for the logs, However I will log them as our even if she wasn't with me.

 

Cabear

Link to comment

Oooh. Codes for caches, just like travelbugs. A fine idea.

 

Nobody *EVER* shares a travel bug's code with a friend. Nobody would *DREAM* of posting a travel bug's secret code in their log. And it is absolutely out of the question to even *THINK* of posting an image that displays a travel bug's code.

 

Yep, this foolproof system needs to be ported over to geocaches ASAP.

Link to comment
Okay, so I am truly humbled. I just logged my 100th find and thought I was really cool stuff. My goal was to get my 100 before X-mas, and it wasn't exactly easy to pull off. Guess I'm not as "driven" as some others and I'm not located in a cache dense area.

 

Thanks for a glimse into the real world of caching!

Sounds like you're having fun. THAT'S the real world of geocaching.

Different people have fun with it different ways. Congrats on reaching your personal milestone!

Link to comment
My goal was to get my 100 before X-mas, and it wasn't exactly easy to pull off. 

My goal is, when I look back on my logs, I suddenly remember everything about the cache, the trail, the day. My goal is for every cache hunt to be a perfectly incapsulated experience.

 

I'm at a hundred and twenty-something now, and I remember every one.

Link to comment
My goal is, when I look back on my logs, I suddenly remember everything about the cache, the trail, the day. My goal is for every cache hunt to be a perfectly incapsulated experience.

 

I can honestly say I do remember each one. Not so hard when you have my find count :lol: .

I can honestly say I can't.

 

This is the result of focusing too much on "the next cache." We weren't so much as power cachers, but just saw a cache as something to find. Once it was found, it was off to the next one. As result, we lost ample opportunities to "stop and smell the roses."

 

On hindsight, it was a failing on our part. We are now reformed and maybe a little militant--kind of like an ex-smoker.

 

Some will accuse us of trying to dictate how others play the game. Not in the least. But I do have to wonder, if you would quit if there was no find count, are you really in the right hobby?

Link to comment
While we've kept closer track of our number of finds in the past, I wonder why some focus on a number next to their name. For some it's not the journey or the destination.

 

I wonder how many would just flat-out quit if this site no longer keep a tally.

This is true. I suspect for many of the top power cachers it's about the planning and organizing and the mental/physical stamina required to regularly pull off 50-150 cache days. I personally know many 1000+ cachers, and some of the 2500+ club, and I don't think they care about the number next to their name at all, and I doubt they would change a thing if that number went away.

Just like the people who like doing 4+ terrain, 20 mile hike caches wouldn't quit if the terrain rating went away.

Link to comment

Mopar and CR are right on the spot with those answers (wow how often does that happen :lol: ). I do not remember each and every individual cache experience, nor do I care to. Let's face it; some caches are just going to be more memorable than others, but they are all still fun to go look for. I do have warm fuzzy memory of each and every time spent on the trails/sidewalks during the powercaching runs as well as the days spent doing the harder hikes and caches I have done. If the numbers went away I would keep my own, but that isn't why I'm out there.

 

Yesterday was about spending a day with my wife who doesn't share the same enthusiasm for caching. We drove 30 minutes away to a town with about a dozen, tried to hit them all and called it a day when she got bored. There are so many ways to have an enjoyable hour/afternoon/day/weekend of caching that we really shouldn't try to label each other so much. I'm having LOTS of fun are you? What else really matters?

Edited by wimseyguy
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...