Chippewa Valley Geocaching Event, 2007

[unexpected]

The Chippewa Valley Geocache Hunt Finale Event June 2nd and 3rd has been canceled due to lack of registrants. Please contact the Chippewa Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-888-523-3866 if you have any questions!

[Decrepit]

I wish there had been more information other than just a mention of it along with the other things. With the new puppies, I have to make kennel reservations ahead of time and without any info to go on, I just couldn’t commit. 😥 Maybe next year they will be a little more organized.

[Team Honeybunnies]

We missed the blurb on this as well…. Is there any reason there wasn’t a GC.com event published? As a geocaching event we would have picked up on it sooner. I could be wrong, but I don’t even think it was on the WGA sidebar where even non-GC events can be posted. Oh, well.

We had a fantastic opening weekend at this event, with a strong CITO event and a lot of good quality caching. Hope this doesn’t hurt next year.

[bnb]

I never even saw it mentioned on the CVB website. Kind of hard to get people interested in something if you don’t make much of an effort to let them know about it.

[Cheesehead Dave]

Just an administrative note: This “event” was nominated for Cache of the Month. Since it’s not a permanent cache, I’m removing it, but feel free to re-nominate any permanent cache that was part of the series.

[bnb]

Which “event” are you referring to? The final event never happened. Are you referring to the CITO event held by WI_Robin or just all the CVB caches as a series?

[Cheesehead Dave]

@bnb wrote:

Which “event” are you referring to? The final event never happened. Are you referring to the CITO event held by WI_Robin or just all the CVB caches as a series?

The whole thing as a “series”.

[bnb]

I’m not complaining, I’m just curious if this means that cache series are no longer eligilble for COM. The CVB caches – at least those listed on gc.com – *are* permanent.

[zuma]

@bnb wrote:

I’m not complaining, I’m just curious if this means that cache series are no longer eligilble for COM. The CVB caches – at least those listed on gc.com – *are* permanent.

Just my 2 cents, for what is worth, and that is likely less than 2 cents:

I think that series of caches should continue to be eligible for COTM, provided they are a true series, and there is a common thread that ties them together as a series.

I also think that the CVB caches, while very excellent caches (I have done most of them) is not a true series, in that they were placed by multiple people, including myself, and cover a gamut of type of location and stylye.

For example, the three Ice Age Trail caches that JenHen placed as part the CVB event, would be an excellent choice as COTM, and should be counted as one “series” since it is a single walk to do all 3.

The 100 caches that are part of the CVB event are spread over 3 counties, and the only thread that ties them together is that they were all released on the same day, and all supported by the fine folks at the CVB. So while they are great caches, now that I think about it a bit, I dont think that it is reasonable to count them as a “series.” Does that make sense?

zuma

[kent1915]

So here is the thing. The campout was coordinated by CVB itsself. They do not have or did not have ability to list on GC.Com. I do, but, my thing was coordinating the caching event proper. I can’t do it all.

With all due respect, the remark about hoping it is better organized next year, well I really hope that that was directed toward the campout and not the rest, because I am close to an apoplectic fit. So CVB didn’t advertise it well. They still sponsored 100 caches for you to find. You don’t like the limits that we have had to work with? I’m sorry, but I sure can’t bankroll swag, containers, webhosting, advertising, etc. by myself.

I am going to be honest here. As I told a couple of you, I have been really peeved, hurt and insulted this year. When I started caching several years ago, this was a community that I found accepting and postive and upbeat. Not sure where it has gone. There has been very little thanks with the exception one or two people (you know who you are; I have thanked you because it has meant a lot to me), and an overwhelming amount of complaining and criticism and “monday morning quarterbacking”, and frankly bitching. I agreed two years ago to do this coordination because I loved this game, I think this area has a lot to show off and to give cachers something to celebrate spring. I have not gotten paid, nor accolades, nor anything else. But frankly, I could do without the constant griping! It has come at me on the boards, on the event postings, on emails, emails from other hiders who have been griped at and complained to, and in person. I am all for constructive criticism, if it helps. But honestly, does a new cache hider who volunteered their time and energy need to be dressed down by a cacher with multiple thousands of finds because a cache was stolen and a team misses a chance to get one more smiley because of it??? What happend to “Thanks for the hide! Sorry it was stolen.” Caching was supposed to be about fun and comraderie and enjoying nature and life. For me and many of the hiders, this event has sure as hell stopped being fun, there is little enjoyment and very little comraderie. I have been so irked I have only gone to find, what, 5? Why? Because I am so sick of how people have been acting. I am really, really tired of this. Those that are finding the need to be critical? It’s not going to a faceless computer. There are a lot of people who have sunk a lot of time and energy into this.

As one of the hiders emailed to be after receiving a particularly tacky and mean message, why don’t people just be appreciative of the work that went into this?” I dunno, its a good question. I guarantee you, it is not the lack of organization that has hurt this for next year.

Whoever nominated the event for COTM, thank you. I appreciate it, and I am sure the other hiders do too. But I also agree with those that note it is not a series. If there was one you really liked, please nominate it.

So, there. I am off my soap box. If you have any constructive suggestions for me (i.e. next year hide them in more remote areas to avoid saturation in communities) I would love to hear them! I want to keep coordinating this, but not if this keeps going. I guess this is how reviewers feel…

[zuma]

@kent1915 wrote:

So here is the thing. The campout was coordinated by CVB itsself. They do not have or did not have ability to list on GC.Com. I do, but, my thing was coordinating the caching event proper. I can’t do it all.

With all due respect, the remark about hoping it is better organized next year, well I really hope that that was directed toward the campout and not the rest, because I am close to an apoplectic fit. So CVB didn’t advertise it well. They still sponsored 100 caches for you to find. You don’t like the limits that we have had to work with? I’m sorry, but I sure can’t bankroll swag, containers, webhosting, advertising, etc. by myself.

I am going to be honest here. As I told a couple of you, I have been really peeved, hurt and insulted this year. When I started caching several years ago, this was a community that I found accepting and postive and upbeat. Not sure where it has gone. There has been very little thanks with the exception one or two people (you know who you are; I have thanked you because it has meant a lot to me), and an overwhelming amount of complaining and criticism and “monday morning quarterbacking”, and frankly bitching. I agreed two years ago to do this coordination because I loved this game, I think this area has a lot to show off and to give cachers something to celebrate spring. I have not gotten paid, nor accolades, nor anything else. But frankly, I could do without the constant griping! It has come at me on the boards, on the event postings, on emails, emails from other hiders who have been griped at and complained to, and in person. I am all for constructive criticism, if it helps. But honestly, does a new cache hider who volunteered their time and energy need to be dressed down by a cacher with multiple thousands of finds because a cache was stolen and a team misses a chance to get one more smiley because of it??? What happend to “Thanks for the hide! Sorry it was stolen.” Caching was supposed to be about fun and comraderie and enjoying nature and life. For me and many of the hiders, this event has sure as hell stopped being fun, there is little enjoyment and very little comraderie. I have been so irked I have only gone to find, what, 5? Why? Because I am so sick of how people have been acting. I am really, really tired of this. Those that are finding the need to be critical? It’s not going to a faceless computer. There are a lot of people who have sunk a lot of time and energy into this.

As one of the hiders emailed to be after receiving a particularly tacky and mean message, why don’t people just be appreciative of the work that went into this?” I dunno, its a good question. I guarantee you, it is not the lack of organization that has hurt this for next year.

Whoever nominated the event for COTM, thank you. I appreciate it, and I am sure the other hiders do too. But I also agree with those that note it is not a series. If there was one you really liked, please nominate it.

So, there. I am off my soap box. If you have any constructive suggestions for me (i.e. next year hide them in more remote areas to avoid saturation in communities) I would love to hear them! I want to keep coordinating this, but not if this keeps going. I guess this is how reviewers feel…

Hi Kent,

Sorry that you have personally gotten some undeserved criticizm. The cache hides are great, and as I have said many many times, you have done a great job coordinating the hides. Thank you for all your efforts.

zuma

[kent1915]

One other thought. If my above has come across as personal at anyone, it was not. As I enumerated, I have been catching fire from all directions. There have been over 1500 people registered, and even assuming 5% have found something to gripe about, well, you do the math.

Again, the above was not directed at anyone in particular. It was a general catharsis. I stand by my observations, but it is not targeting anyone in particular, but represents many who have drawn fire.

Zuma, thanks. As I have told you, it has meant a lot.

[bnb]

Having been part of this last year, I know very well the effort the cache hiders put into this. Any frustration I may have with the organization of this contest has nothing to do with the cache hiders. I know how much time and effort it takes to not only hide caches for this contest but to also maintain them as many, many people visit them in a very short period of time. (And, this is one of the reasons I did not participate this year.) Think about the possibility of 1500 people visiting your cache in a two month time period.

Unfortunately for Kent, he is the visible and accessible entity. The CVB organizers are fairly immune to comment since there really isn’t a good way to give them feedback.

Thank you, Kent, Tasmadudes, J+j, El B, Bobcatw98, WI_Robin, GeoBokie, Lil’ Geocacher, Mama Kat, Jolly Giants, Jenhen, Jim1830, zuma, Goodmarl & the Sparrows, and LouMag for taking the effort of hiding and maintaining these caches.

Ruth

[Decrepit]

@kent1915 wrote:

With all due respect, the remark about hoping it is better organized next year, well I really hope that that was directed toward the campout and not the rest, because I am close to an apoplectic fit.

I was refering to the final event… the campout. Everything else was done beautifully! It was just really confusing trying to get any information about the final event at all. I would have loved to participate in the final, but it’s hard to coordinate hotel and kennel reservations with nothing to go on.

I’m still looking forward to next year. 😀

[Msea]

(Waving white flag)

Um, yeah, hi.

We are heading down there tomorrow from Duluth for this event. We had so much fun last year doing two days, we are going for three this year.

Where is a good, quiet place to tent camp? I haven’t done a ton of research and don’t know how much time I will have, so if someone has any suggestions that would be great!

Thanks and thanks for putting on this event.

(I actually have close family in Elk Mound and we don’t even call them and tell them we are here shhhh)

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