challenge caches

[shrek and fiona]

are we getting a little carried away with the challenges for some of the challenge caches
like find so many wsq’s in a day or a cache in each corner of the state
so many of each icon

not picking on any one person here only the challenge
but if you must send hate mail please feel free……again

[kungfuhippie]

I don’t really mind them, some of them I will realistically be able to complete and the others I’ll just ignore. 🙂

[BigJim]

I was actively working on one challenge, then got sidetracked. The others I will attempt if/when my regular caching qualifies me for them. But it doesn’t bother me that they are coming out right now. I see it kind of like puzzles … some people like them some don’t.

All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.

[labrat_wr]

I also agree that there are some that I will attempt and some that are so far out of my league or travel distance that I will likely never achieve it.
I will either place them on the ignore list or just know that there is something there that I can offer congratulations on to those who do complete it.
I don’t have any issues with these as long as they have realistic goals that offer a challenge. Whether or not I choose to attempt that challenge will depend on my mood that day.

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[rtrezrsnhvn]

too early in the morning for what I think I wanted to say….

challenges don’t bother me… just a matter of play or not play. to each his/her own.

[Trekkin and Birdin]

We enjoy them and find that they often give us some focus to decide where we want to cache. I know they aren’t for everyone and there are some we won’t ever get. There are other kinds of caches we tire of, but we know others love those, so to each their own.

[-cheeto-]

Like all variations of the activity, some like them and some are not interested in the least.

My only fear is that eventually, they too will go the way of ALR’s, Locationless, Webcams, Virtual, etc. further lessening the variety of the game which doesn’t benefit anyone.

One thing to keep in mind is that Groundspeak guidelines are more strict on the placement of new challenge caches. Perhaps one of our reviewers can speak to this recent change in the guidelines.

There is a recent thread on the Groundspeak forums regarding a potential new Challenge cache owner having to prove that they have or someone else has actually completed the challenge in order to publish. An interesting twist to the idea. I wonder how many we would have if the owner of the potential challenge had to prove they completed it first before it could be published? I have a goal to finish my own challenge cache someday. (GC1NZNF) (shameless plug alert)

[zuma]

Challenges may not be for everyone, but I love them. Keep them coming.

The reason that I love them is that it adds another interesting wrinkle to the game that is quite fun. Remember, geocaching is essentially a game, and challenge caches are a great way to freshen up the game for folks who play it a lot.

zuma

[geolivestrong]

As one of the people that I’m sure was largely responsible for this poll in the first place I will say that obviously I like them. As some have already said I think that it gives me some focus on what I might want to do with my time caching. In the end they are like anything else, if you don’t like them then ignore them.

As to the question of publication, I have never published a challenge cache that I haven’t already qualified for myself, plus some. I generally will figure out what I have done and then lop off a reasonable amount to make it attainable for the vast majority of cachers.

And as for the number of challenge caches….there are currently 31 challenge caches listed on the U.S. Challenge Caches bookmark list in the whole state. Add to that the five or so challenges that have been added leading up to the picnic and we are now up to a whopping 36! I’m not sensing a saturation issue here quite yet. I just wish they had a separate icon so they were easier to find. 😕

[glorkar]

I don’t mind them for other people. It does give a specific goal in what could otherwise be a random hunt.
Personally, I doubt I’ll get any challenges accomplished. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m not as aggressive about it.

[Mister Greenthumb]

@geolivestrong wrote:

As one of the people that I’m sure was largely responsible for this poll in the first place I will say that obviously I like them. As some have already said I think that it gives me some focus on what I might want to do with my time caching. In the end they are like anything else, if you don’t like them then ignore them.

As to the question of publication, I have never published a challenge cache that I haven’t already qualified for myself, plus some. I generally will figure out what I have done and then lop off a reasonable amount to make it attainable for the vast majority of cachers.

And as for the number of challenge caches….there are currently 31 challenge caches listed on the U.S. Challenge Caches bookmark list in the whole state. Add to that the five or so challenges that have been added leading up to the picnic and we are now up to a whopping 36! I’m not sensing a saturation issue here quite yet. I just wish they had a separate icon so they were easier to find. 😕

When I first saw all of your new challenges near the picnic I thought this was overkill. Then I looked at them more closely and saw that they are well designed. One was easy to fulfill with the amount of finds that we have. The cemetery county one doesn’t interest us at this time, but so what. I’m sure Marc will like it. I thought the cemetery variety one was a little tough. A letterbox in a cemetery, come on now. Then I realized that you had a plan and there is a WSQ letterbox nearby. On our must do list now. The rest I’m sure we fulfill. We try to get WRR caches whereever we go now, although it may take a while to meet the requirements. I agree that the challenges give extrs purpose when visiting areas out of our homebase. When your finds start to mount you need more than guardrails and lamposts to keep you going. Keep them coming.

[Trekkin and Birdin]

Bill, If I’m not mistaken, you actually have a choice of three letterbox cemetery hides over that way. Check out sandlanders’ profile for them.

Like Rick, we place challenge caches we have met ourselves first. We have one more ready, and permission from the landowner for placement, but have a couple more caches to find ourselves before we meet it. So it’s been on hold.

I know for some who are in our “area,” the placement of our couple challenges has been a source of annoyance. But rest assured, there are other caches in our area that have been as much an “annoyance” for us. Personally, I love the fact that there’s “just one more” that’s a bit out of reach to keep us interested. In the end, people place what they enjoy finding themselves, and we like that stuff. We know not everyone does, but there are lots and lots of other caches to find. BTW, KSpud became the second finder on our How Hungry challenge this weekend!

[sandlanders]

@Mister Greenthumb wrote:

A letterbox in a cemetery, come on now. Then I realized that you had a plan and there is a WSQ letterbox nearby.

Actually, three. 😉

But as for challenges, we do the ones that interest us, and leave the ones that don’t. As for all of these… well, we try to keep Adams County clear, but we haven’t kept up with that on regular caches lately, so we’ll probably have a few of these unfound for a while, maybe forever. Haven’t had the time to look at all of them, but when things settle down a bit after the picnic, maybe those will be some that we decide to work on to give us caching direction for a while.

Shrek, I think the problem you might be having with this latest batch is that they’re all coming out at once, and they’re all close to you. We’ve been getting quite a few notifications in our inbox lately, and our thoughts have been, “How are we ever going to get this one done?” It’s kind of overwhelming, but it’s “planning season” (aka “winter”) coming up soon…

[CodeJunkie]

@-cheeto- wrote:

Like all variations of the activity, some like them and some are not interested in the least.

I agree and think they’re an interesting twist. I also agree that the publisher should be required to have met the qualifications as a pre-requisite.

I’ve asked the reviewers about a challenge cache I was thinking of and have gotten the tentative approval, but also need some additional caches before I’d be in a position to publish it.

It’s a sport about doing what you like, so if you don’t like them just ignore them. If you like them, then have at it. I know personally some I plan to do and others I have no intentions of trying at this point. I’ve also planned some of my caching around these challenges which has taken me to other places I normally wouldn’t have gone.

[Trekkin and Birdin]

Someone mentioned cache saturation. I grew up in Columbia Heights MN. My parents still live there, so of course we keep a running PQ for visits home.

Guess who else lives in Columbia Heights? King Boreas. Someone actually maintains a bookmark list titled “KBs cruel but interesting challenges.” We’ve found some of them. Others we never will. Needless to say, trying to “clean up” close to Mom and Dad’s house will be out of the question. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing he has upwards of 100 such challenges placed all over the Metro area, many close to his home. There are probably 36 within 5 miles of the old home front!

[Author]

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