What's The Deal With Terracaching.com?

24.7k · March 11, 2005

...hmmm...3 rocks stacked tell me that I found the cairn, so I'm on the right trail.

3 pennies...sounds like someone left trash on the trail. Some animal will likely swallow them. Besides, if i'm looking for a moving ammo can, I'm not going to notice 3 pennies buried in the dirt.

etc...

Then don't leave 3 pennies. Kids will come along and take the money soon enough. If you don't like pennies use Silver dollars, or dollar bills. And don't make it harder than it really is. If you are looking for a moving cache and you see the sign, you are too late. If you insist on looking anyway then moving caches are not for you.

March 11, 2005

i stumbled onto terracaching awhile back, right after getting started here. there was a bit of "disgruntled" forum flaming for awhile, but it seems to have died off. people now seem to get that it's ok to have a variety of flavors for caching.

i haven't been doing this that long, but found navicache to be a bit lacking.

i don't have a problem with GC caches either, but wanted to see what TC was about.

the sponsor thing kind of threw me off as well, but i've since discovered that it's not some big scary elitist thing. i sponsor pretty much anyone who takes the time to write a brief note about where they are, a bit about themselves, etc.. and basically am providing them an opportunity to get into the site and check it out if there happen to be no sponsors local to them just yet. one nice thing about the sponsorship model is you can drop unresponsive sponsors, or seek out someone a bit more like-minded if your version of caching differs. and i do like the rating system as well, something that has been being brought up a bit more often in forums here lately. i don't see it being implemented here, when it exists somewhere else already.

as stated by many prior posts, this game is played by everyone in their own way. i hunt and place on both sites, for different reasons. i don't bash either site, there's just no point.

then again, the "nashville micro" issue is a situation that just wouldn't occur on TC, due to immediate peer reaction. if the community at large in your area is against something, you can nip it in the bud, quickly.

and i'm sure there are some less than ideal caches that slip through occasionally, but the rating system will catch up to those eventually as well.

the points system thing is a neat side-game, but apparently takes awhile for the scoring to sync up to reality, and as it's still only what? 5 months old?? it's still growing up.

anyway, terracachers aren't elitist. the emphasis on quality isn't a "we're better than anyone else" attitude, i see it as more of a "i'm going to put a lot more effort into this so it will benefit my score in the long run, and provide a good reason for someone to seek this out" as opposed to the simple smiley for a good cache, great cache, or horrible film can in an ivy cluster in an abandoned dump.

at the very least, check it out. sign up. email me if you'd like a sponsor. if there's nothing currently in your area, you can help BUILD your areas version of what a quality cache is... that doesn't appeal to anyone here?

i still actively visit GC just as often, and utilize this site for completely different reasons. it's nice to be able to check on an area, and find a huge list of interesting caches to hunt for. and GC is what got me started in my new favorite hobby.

if you aren't quite sure about terracaching.com, at least get on it, and ask there. the forums are pretty friendly, people are as helpful as they are here, and everyone is new there, and learning along with you.

snoogans said it best, there are many lanes on the geocaching highway, and i happily drive them all without blowing past the toll booths. (or something to that effect.)

sorry for the rambling post. back to the topic!

9.4k · March 11, 2005

...hmmm...3 rocks stacked tell me that I found the cairn, so I'm on the right trail.

3 pennies...sounds like someone left trash on the trail. Some animal will likely swallow them. Besides, if i'm looking for a moving ammo can, I'm not going to notice 3 pennies buried in the dirt.

etc...

Then don't leave 3 pennies. Kids will come along and take the money soon enough. If you don't like pennies use Silver dollars, or dollar bills. And don't make it harder than it really is. If you are looking for a moving cache and you see the sign, you are too late. If you insist on looking anyway then moving caches are not for you.

Oh yeah, "Look for the sign" like it's common knowledge or something. Maybe it is on that other site someone mentioned.

I've been caching for about 3 years now and this is the first time I've heard of "the rule of three" or using some other flagging material to mark that a cache has moved. And I'm one of the people that keeps up in the forums! To me, that suggests that a newbie probably won't know either. They're likely to inadvertantly tear up an area looking for something that's gone just as much as I am.

You're right, moving caches aren't a good idea

March 11, 2005

Toad%20Hollow%20-%20Saxaphone%20Player.jpg

9.4k · March 11, 2005

Hey, it's my Uncle Ernie!

March 11, 2005

I've been caching for about 3 years as well and I've known about the teepee sticks marking since I started. But that was because I actually participated in a GC moving cache and have moved more than one of them. On some of their pages the owners give directions of what to do when you move the cache- pennies or teepee sticks. So ANYONE who goes to find one of these caches and has READ the page (which you have to do to get the most up to date coordinates) SHOULD know what to do when they encounter the cache.

Search for moving caches, there are a lot of threads about them. Both RK and CR I believe have mentioned several times over the years what the usual marks are. If you missed those threads, it's OK, but don't get mad about it. Its seems obvious you haven't had the chance to play with a moving cache and/or the interest to play with one and no one is blaming you for not knowing how they usually work. What we are asking is that you don't judge the methods used. It's pretty obvious you have strong feelings about them.

Check out this GC.com moving cache:

Little Known Park Finder

-J

Edited March 11, 2005 by Jennifer&Dean

9.4k · March 11, 2005

I've been caching for about 3 years as well and I've known about the teepee sticks marking since I started. But that was because I actually participated in a GC moving cache and have moved more than one of them. On some of their pages the owners give directions of what to do when you move the cache- pennies or teepee sticks. So ANYONE who goes to find one of these caches and has READ the page (which you have to do to get the most up to date coordinates) SHOULD know what to do when they encounter the cache.
Search for moving caches, there are a lot of threads about them. Both RK and CR I believe have mentioned several times over the years what the usual marks are. If you missed those threads, it's OK, but don't get mad about it. Its seems obvious you haven't had the chance to play with a moving cache and/or the interest to play with one and no one is blaming you for not knowing how they usually work. What we are asking is that you don't judge the methods used. It's pretty obvious you have strong feelings about them.

Check out this GC.com moving cache:

Little Known Park Finder

-J

I *have* gone to look for a moving cache before. I don't remember what cache it was, since it was long gone well l before I got there. Another one showed up in my area after that, and I went looking for it too. I don't recall there being any information on either cache page about marking the area.

March 11, 2005

I've been caching for about 3 years now and this is the first time I've heard of "the rule of three" or using some other flagging material to mark that a cache has moved. And I'm one of the people that keeps up in the forums!

Maybe that's your problem - special instructions for a moving cache are on the cache page, not the forums. Why would you expect that information to be in the forums?

March 11, 2005

I did says SOME caches tell you what to do. I think the frustration levels that occured due to the lack of a standard way to tell folks the cache had been moved was a small part of why they don't exist anymore. Folks would get frustrated, and then any reason was a good enough reason to ban them. I kinda agree that the control/placement in bad areas was a good reason to get them off this site. Now they are on smaller sites where the cache owners are dealing with folks who choose to find and place moving caches and whose finders are going to be the ones who will educate themselves about these types of caches and removal markings. Folks who aren't interested in moving caches or don't know what to do with them won't encounter them except by pure accident now.

Except for when they find one of the grandfathered in ones here on Gc.com. But those are few and far between.

-J

(edited to add gc exception)

Edited March 11, 2005 by Jennifer&Dean

20.7k · March 11, 2005

Can we go with 'asked and answered' and shut this thread down?

March 11, 2005

Can we go with 'asked and answered' and shut this thread down?

seconded

4.8k · March 11, 2005

Is this thread about TC or moving caches?

My question too.

How about opening a new thread about moving caches and leave this one for TC discussion?

I guess I accidentally started it because I used the example of a moving cache for part of why I am a member at TC. I did not intend to start a discussion of the perceived advantages and disadvantages of moving caches and I fear that is now taking over this thread. Since I don't really care all that much about the moving cache angst but would like to read the more general TC discussion, taking the moving cache discussion to its own thread would be greatly appreciated!

24.7k · March 11, 2005

...I've been caching for about 3 years now and this is the first time I've heard of "the rule of three" or using some other flagging material to mark that a cache has moved. And I'm one of the people that keeps up in the forums!...

How to signal a moving cache is gone used to be discussed here on occasion. When this site quit listing them the discussions quit. A regional game used that sign for their their game. It solved the problems of different terrain. In the forest you have sticks and in the desert you have rocks and in the City you have pennies. In the winter you have snowballs.

Moving caches are neither better nor worse than any other cache. They just entail more work focused on a single cache. It's the approver equivilent of a multi cache. More work still one cache.

Since the rule of three was regional when I found it you just put it on the cache page and people who do moving caches will know soon enough. There are still moving caches on GC.com that could benifit from the solution. It's better than pinning a note to a tree.

Edit: Whoops. Moving Caches on TC.com...does that help? Didn't think so...

Edited March 11, 2005 by Renegade Knight

March 19, 2005

I love any caching

March 19, 2005

"I know terracaching.com doesn't want to have a hostile feeling towards this site - an enormous number of people who use terracaching also use geocaching.com. (I'd guess the majority.) An "us vs. them" mentality would really be unhelpful, unpleasant, and unfair."

I have to toss in my 2 cents here. I was a member of TC.com for awhile.....untill I felt personally attacked for not placing any caches. there was alot of the "us vs them" attitude in their forums at the time. Most struck me as disgruntled, "we're better than them" GC.com users. The "elitist" attitude seemed VERY prevelant in the forums. I eventually quietly left. Just dropped my downline and bowed out of my upline. I did let ppl know that my downline was going to need sponsors.

I guess it just wasn't for me.

March 19, 2005

Im with you Mikehunt, and yes this topic has spiraled wayyy off-topic. I think it's time for a new thread to continue this discussion.

6.4k · March 19, 2005

I love any caching

How in love can you possibly be after only one day and no finds?

That's more like lust. (which isn't a bad thing either!)

March 19, 2005

Fairly new cacher, but thought I'd add a couple of points.

First, a disclaimer - I cache with the family, the whole family, and to keep the kid's interest, we only search for 'regular' caches to trade trinkets. Not to mention that looking for a well hidden cache in the woods can sometimes loose their interest quickly - can't imagine what would happen if we were searching for a really well hidden, well disguised urban micro!

Anyway, I think those that are mentioning the sign of 3 to mark a now moved cache missed the point about those going to an area looking for it. The one who posted the comment said that the person moving the cache may not get to post about it for hours, hence the problem with several in a day searching for it. Although the sign of 3 probably works just fine to stop anyone from really searching the area, it still does nothing to prevent 5 cachers heading to the area looking for it between the time it was moved and the time the cacher posts the move. Long term, you are right about moving caches probably being less damaging to the area though.

Personally, I would find moving caches to be too frustrating. But then, we'll probably never get a FTF either, because we don't get up at the crack of dawn to cache, nor do we watch logs constantly, which I'm guessing you have to do to keep up with a moving (again, I'm guessing, so don't shoot me).

Same goes for micros. To me, our GPS just screams "get out of the city and into the country!"

However, thank goodness there is diversity, otherwise the world would be a pretty boring place. I can't see why anyone would want to buy a "fill in the blank here" as a vehicle, but then I'm not driving it, so those that do own the "....." can knock themselves out. Same with caches. I filter out the type I don't want to search for. But glad those types are out there, because one day I may get an urge to search for those that we filter out now.

8.4k · March 19, 2005

There are a small number of "other" geocaching sites, and terracaching is one of them. In some circles it could smack of disgruntled elitest former-geocaching.com geocachers, but basically I think terracaching is a geocaching site which approaches geoaching from a different angle from geocaching.com. There's no harm there.

Jamie

Notice my sig line?

I am a GEOCACHER. I hunt and hide caches. I advocate caching in ANY form and on ANY site.

I don't get the loyalty issues that come up. I'm not disgruntled, nor do I wish to take anything away from this site. Choice is good.

Personally, I use TC.com to hide caches that would NEVER get approved here. Not that I want to break the common sense rules, but to have the freedom not to have to deal with the arbitrary ones is just refreshing. I could care less about the points although at one point I had the highest measure of cache excellence on the site and I'm still top dog for my state. It sometimes brings an added dimension of satisfaction to the game.

My Nude Cacher locationless cache is wildly popular. I think it could actually get approved on this site if locationless cache submissions were still allowed. It was the talk of Texas Challenge 2005 (over 250 cachers attended) and NOT ONE negative thing got back to me about it. Cybercat was a freakin' rock star for her pose/find.

I have a moving cache there; Micronaut, and a personal cache ala Clayjar's Alaska Quest called Snoogandipity and another cache that is actually meant to be found accidentally by being placed close to other TC.com caches. Nothing like these would get approved here.

While I'm here, I'm perfectly content to play by GC.com rules. It's reeeeeeally freakin' great to have a choice though.

Sn :blink: gans

March 20, 2005

I visited the TC site and was a little frustrated by the "sponser" requirement. I just wanted to look around and see if there was an interest in my area, which is Raleigh, NC. I didn't want to commit to a memberhip, and take up a username, space on the server, and waste my sponsers time if I wasn't really interested. It's a little "put-offish", if that's a word. That's not meant to be as negative as it sounds. I just want a "peek" at what the site has to offer in my area.

38.2k · March 20, 2005

I visited the TC site and was a little frustrated by the "sponser" requirement. I just wanted to look around and see if there was an interest in my area, which is Raleigh, NC. I didn't want to commit to a memberhip, and take up a username, space on the server, and waste my sponsers time if I wasn't really interested. It's a little "put-offish", if that's a word. That's not meant to be as negative as it sounds. I just want a "peek" at what the site has to offer in my area.

If you register with the site, you are likely to get sponsorship offers without even asking. If not one, just ask in the forum.

Edited March 20, 2005 by briansnat

38.2k · March 20, 2005

I love any caching

How in love can you possibly be after only one day and no finds?

That's more like lust. (which isn't a bad thing either!)

I'd like to get deeper into MikeHunt, I think he may be a sockpuppet.

Edited March 20, 2005 by briansnat

March 20, 2005

I'd like to get deeper into MikeHunt, I think he may be a sockpuppet.

Hey buddy, this is a family oriented site!

March 20, 2005

I'd like to get deeper into MikeHunt, I think he may be a sockpuppet.

Hey buddy, this is a family oriented site!

LOL! Nice.

2k · March 20, 2005

Terracaching.com is a very nice site, and I am a member of both that site and this. However, I have not visited, participated, or contributed to that site as much as I had planned. Mostly, because it's winter here and I am not placing caches at the moment and there are no TC caches in my area.

When I applied for membership I was immediately offered several sponsorships and found the folks to be very friendly. The only challenge I have is that my area has absolutely no caches -- so my my participation is pretty lackluster. I'll change that once summer hits, as I do want to support the site because they have a feedback mechanism which I would find useful as a cache placer. My intention is to use that site for a few caches to see how it goes.

This site has certainly provided me with great experiences, caches, and information -- so there is no way I'll ever "move" to another. I just like to have a secondary outlet and set of perspectives to play with. I happen to live in what I would call cacher-heaven -- we have a great community, lot's of caches, I have never found a "lame" cache (one soggy one, but in a cool location). Although my stats are still pretty low, from our community page (www.calgarycachers.ca), it appears there are no problems in the area.

If there are caches in your area that are listed on Terracaching.com, my suggestion would be to join. If you like to place caches, or have a special cache idea that you want structured feedback on then I would also suggest joining. It can't hurt.

Fragmentation of the hobby is bound to occur as mass increases. Some of this is because of disgruntled players, some is because of alternate perspective, and some is just because folks want to make things a little more "small" or exclusive (sort of like the folks that buy from local stores rather than chains).

Geocaching.com has done much for the sport -- I would say they basically created the hobby in it's present form. It will only benefit us all to have some other sites serving niche markets and groups of folks. I imagine that there will soon be sites like mountaincache.com, oceancache.com, citycache.com, microcache.com etc, etc. Then the challenge as players will be to find them all and get those waypoints onto your GPSr! Of course, by allowing filtering of searches, rating systems, etc, then this site becomes more customizable for those folks seeking specific experiences -- so who knows long-term?

What's The Deal With Terracaching.com?

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