The WGA schedules its main events without considering any nearby lonely caches.  Even the LCG event is not always near lonely caches.  There are reasons some caches are lonely other than their locations.  If people are really interested in playing the Lonely Cache Game, they will travel all over the state to find lonelies, events or no events.

Now, if someone wanted to put on his/her own event near a cluster of lonely caches, that would be fine as long as looking for the caches was not the purpose of the event.  Cachers can always put together non-events to get together to go searching for lonelies, maybe even share expenses if travel takes them far from home.

Some people like to play games within the caching game, others don’t.  Events in areas far from where people normally cache may be attended by area cachers… who have already found those caches that are now lonely.  Distant LCG players who care to travel will go to those areas with or without events to lure them there.

Perhaps when the campout and picnic are publicized, and when the LCG list is current for each date, announcements can be made to the event cache pages that there are X number of lonely caches within X miles of the event, and to learn more about what the LCG is, go to…. (link)

Don’t go there, TN.  Puzzles have their place in both caching and the LCG.  The game encourages people to go outside their own comfort zones by working to solve difficult puzzles as well as climbing to the top of remote hills after long and grueling hikes or wading through thick swamps.  The puzzles on the lonely list are not taking up real estate.  The finals to most puzzles are placed with as much thought and care as any other type of cache.  We all have our favorites in geocaching.

There will never be a removal of puzzles or multis or Letterbox hybrids or traditionals from the LCG. Not worth discussing it any more.

You don’t have to find every cache, solve every puzzle log every virtual.

Points are offered if you can find and sign the log (actually you can gain points by DNFs, too) and submit it to the cache page as a verification.

You mentioned how to tell the difference between “?” catagory. Read the cache page.

TNW: “It doesn’t matter how you do it you just have to sign the log”. I would suggest you rethink this comment or you will not be endearing yourself to a great number of people.

Posting concurrently….we found one of the HCH puzzles referenced…just because. When we plan trips up that way, we start banging our heads on a few more.  There are always going to be some caches found by very few, lonely or not.  The friendly competition in the game adds to the fun, but the reality for some will be it “isn’t fair.”  Can’t solve the puzzles, don’t have a boat, can’t travel that far, whatever.  If it isn’t fun for some, there are still caches out there to find.

Personally, I have my competitive bone, too, but competion sometimes leads to other “stuff” and that leads me out of the game.  I’d say that the way the game is structured will keep enough people interested and they can play at whatever level they wish.  Historically, the time frame that now defines “lonely” has lengthened, showing that the game is helping with its mission. As TBC said, it’s not as if those who win have a big purse waiting for them.