Just curious, after completing my first full year of Geocaching,how hard to find do you want your caches to be??? I know there will be variables,a skirt-lifter here,an ammo can there;but do you aim for that special hide you've had in mind to be next to impossible to find?? Or do you just want to get 'em there,and it be a fun affair?
Poppoppig

The optimum geocache for me is one at the end of 2+ mile hike through an area with great scenery that very few people know about. Then when I get to the geocache it is painted orange in the middle of the trail.

Well actually the geocache needs to be off the trail hidden just enough so that mundanes will not notice it, but be obvious to a geocacher.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenLacy:
The optimum geocache for me is one at the end of 2+ mile hike through an area with great scenery that very few people know about. Then when I get to the geocache it is painted orange in the middle of the trail.

Well actually the geocache needs to be off the trail hidden just enough so that mundanes will not notice it, but be obvious to a geocacher.

I second that!! The only thing I would like to add is that it not be full happy meal toys but be full of some interesting signature items.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Big Rick,

quote:

Originally posted by Big Rick:

quote:

Originally posted by AllenLacy:
The optimum geocache for me is one at the end of 2+ mile hike through an area with great scenery that very few people know about. Then when I get to the geocache it is painted orange in the middle of the trail.

Well actually the geocache needs to be off the trail hidden just enough so that mundanes will not notice it, but be obvious to a geocacher.

I second that!! The only thing I would like to add is that it not be full of happy meal toys but be full of some interesting signature items.

I like a challenge. I dont see the point of skirt lifters and the like other than for those who like to fluff their stats.

I did some early on just getting familiar with the GPSr. I'll occasionally still grab one just to show someone else how caching works without having to drive very far. More often than not, I dont even bother logging a skirt lifter in a case like that.

I am mostly in it for the hike. My criteria is much the same as Allen's. Let's go at least a mile or so into the woods or up a mountain and show me something I might not have otherwise seen. The cache is just the excuse to go. Though if you put a cache on top of a mountain, the challenge is the mountain itself. I would prefer a balance of challenge of the hike and challenge of the hide.

With that said, only urban caches I'm likely to go after these days are ones where they are challenging to find. If I barely have to get out of sight of the truck before I hit ground zero, make me earn the smiley. I think I've already got the light post skirt thing down, show some creativity.

This is about as I expected so far.You lucky folks who have the beauty and splendor of a North Ga. residence see the caching experience as in the "getting to and enjoying nature".I'm not sure you know how blessed you are.How about below the hills of NGa? What do you guys see as the perfect cache.
Ricky,Allen, and Big Rick,please don't think I'm making light of your logs,I spent the weekend at Unicoi 2 weeks ago,and I would swap places with ya' in a heart beat,if I could bring my Grand chillun'.
Poppoppig

Dude... I'm a City girl who is lucky enough to get to go to the mountains a lot more than others. I make those geocaching trips in the mountains an event and treasure the experience. I grew up in Kansas and I surely appreciate anyplace that is green and not flat.
I do alot of the urban caches and I'll tell you that I do them mainly on my lunch hour. So I nice brisk walk and a clever hide is definitely appreciated. Clever being the optimal word. I want it hidden well so that it won't get geo-muggled, but obvious for me as a geocacher to find it. I don't want to tear apart a structure or landscaping to find it. The same rules apply of Leave no Trace whether it's urban or mountain.
I am lucky enough to have the elachee nature preserve relatively close as well as the gwinnett heritage center, mulberry park, mcdaniel park and the greenways Suwanne and Big Creek. So it's a nice bit of mountain forest caching while still being in the city.
At elachee a round trip hike from top to bottom and back again is about 8 miles... and every cache in there is hidden well, but not so hard that it's not findable by the average cacher.

If you put out caches that interest you and you truly enjoy... someone else will like it. But the odds are not Everyone will and that's ok too. It is a very fine line to walk and as Ricky Nelson Said... "You can't Please everyone, So You got to Please yourself."

Hide the kind you like to find.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenLacy:
The optimum geocache for me is one at the end of 2+ mile hike through an area with great scenery that very few people know about. Then when I get to the geocache it is painted orange in the middle of the trail.

Well actually the geocache needs to be off the trail hidden just enough so that mundanes will not notice it, but be obvious to a geocacher.

What is this??? Is Poppoppig going to finally hide a cache??? I must admit that I'm a little nervous about what he's going to do. Charmedone3 and I have been slightly evil to him!

I am about ready to hide a few,but the "evil duo" of Goober and Charmedone3 have blown my mind so many times,I'm torn between revenge ,and civility !!! I wanted enough finds under my belt to hide a cache that was "worthy" of you good GGA folks time spent on hunting it. Goober and Charmedone3 excluded.
But I do want to hide 1 Atlanta skirt-lifter!Thanks for the replies so far!
Oink,Oink,Oink

Just remember that anyone can hide a cache that cannot be found...there are some cachers that think that is the object of caching and consequently people just stop hunting their hides. It doesn't matter what degree of difficulty it is from the "just for entertainment" skirt lifters to those with a much greater degree of difficulty. Even the skirt lifter may be a challenge for a relatively new cacher. All should be planned with the idea of presenting some degree of challenge, but to hide one that simply cannot be found unless someone tells you where it is serves no purpose. I've seen some where the owner even after having it called to his attention would leave posted coords that were over 100 feet off and I'm not talking about an offset cache. That's not a challenge...that's stupidity and lack of imagination, and their caches generally end up being pretty lonely.

We sure are looking forward to the first PPP cache hide!

Bring it on! No matter what it is I know we will get the FTF, errr ummm, I mean enjoy it!

We like hard ones, hiking ones, skirt-lifter ones, easy drive by ones, puzzle ones (sorta) any kind really. We have hidden some of each kind.

Sounds like I'm guilty of "Pig Abuse"!
Sorry ParentsofSAM, but it will be my name that is at the top of PPP's log! I've been having FTF withdrawls lately.

Tarvol,
I'm glad you replied,because that's sorta' the way I'm looking at Geocaching.Anybody can hide a Micro in the woods ( and they are doing it !),but it is nice to find the clever containers,with themes or not,but with good coordinates and clever hints or cache descriptions.

BTW,
You mention in Your new Episcocache that you averaged over 400 readings,is that correct? Do you do that as a rule on all your caches,does it take that many? I had no idea it took so many readings. PPP

You can average as many as you wish...it just depends on how much patience I have at the time. I did that many on Episcocache because I had some concerns about getting a good reading there. But even with averaging, you are going to have a varying degree of margin of error. I've got one cache that I have tried 4 different gps's in getting the coords. I'm still not satisfied with what I have. Don't know if it is the power lines across the road having an effect or not, but I don't get as accurate a reading for that cache as I can for others.

I hate micros in the woods also, but I have to warn you Poppoppig....Tarheelchase and I hid one up your way Saturday afternoon when we reactivated one of her caches... ....go ahead...call me a hypocrite... .......

It doesn't take a micro in the woods to make a bad hide either......one that I had in mind when I wrote the previous post about hides that can't be found involved a regular size cache. It was an excellent hide...a two stage multi, stages within 400 feet of each other. The final coords were over 125 feet from the actual cache. I pointed that out and Parents of SAM did also.....we both had our logs deleted and had to relog with logs that did not point out the distance. I don't know if he intended the coords to be that far off or whether he just couldn't understand how bad his coords were. I don't think he caches anymore. But there are experienced cachers still posting coords for their caches that are just as far off and I have to believe that it is intentional.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tarvol,

quote:

Originally posted by Goober6565:
Sounds like I'm guilty of "Pig Abuse"!

Phat.bak and PigPen4x4,
Do you see what this Goober has admitted to, "Pig Abuse"? The man (and his evil partner Charmedone3) has no respect for admirers of the porcine persuasion!
PORK RULES!!
Poppoppig

quote:

Originally posted by Tarvol:

I hate micros in the woods also, but I have to warn you Poppoppig....Tarheelchase and I hid one up your way Saturday afternoon when we reactivated one of her caches... ....go ahead...call me a hypocrite... .......

The difference would be a well hidden micro with good coordinates! Did ya'll reactivate "Holly Grove";I hope so.At least I think I hope so!!
Thanks for the help with marking proper coordinates.
PPP

quote:

Originally posted by poppoppig:
Did ya'll reactivate "Holly Grove"

YEP!

quote:

Originally posted by poppoppig:

quote:

Originally posted by Goober6565:
Sounds like I'm guilty of "Pig Abuse"!

Phat.bak and PigPen4x4,
Do you see what this Goober has admitted to, "Pig Abuse"? The man (and his evil partner Charmedone3) has no respect for admirers of the porcine persuasion!
PORK RULES!!

Yea, I picked up on that.
But I didn't take it p-p-p-p-p-personaly!
Indeed, I look forward to getting down there and looking for some hides, his included.
PP4x4