Something for new … and old … cachers to consider

[gotta run]

@marc_54140 wrote:

@gotta run wrote:

@marc_54140 wrote:

….and PLEASE. Keep this one on topic! That applies to everyone!

The topic is the fact that most cachers will not do puzzles or multis.

To which it seems everyone agrees. So to quote someone….”What’s the point?”

Hmm. Are you stirring the pot, or asking a question? OK, I’ll go with the latter.

Hopefully I’ll get the info across to a couple of cachers, new or old, who may not have known or thought about this before.

Not stirring the pot, but you are usually advocating something and in light of my (albeit-foggy) recollections of comments you had made about whether there are too many puzzles and so on, I was trying to figure out what you might be advocating behind this PSA.

Also, you focused on a specific cache (or at least used it as the launching point), so it’s probably reasonable to assume that someone (i.e., the cache owner) would digress off the purported generic topic.

On the Left Side of the Road...

[JimandLinda]

Must agree with -cheeto-‘s comment.

Place a traditional and …BANG! FTF in 1 hour or less!

Our last placement was a puzzle, and 3 cachers from outside the area had it solved, but it was too far to drive for just 1 cache. Temps were near zero, raw wind, but that’s caching in Wisconsin! It was solved and found.

And I will admit that, if a new cacher places a new cache, and it is ALSO a puzzle, I would hesitate to run very far for it! We have had issues in the past where some very young cachers were submitting caches (about 50 of them) and the Reviewer could only approve 2 for publication. One was a 5 star on terrain and was in a tree. When we found it, the container was thigh high, in the tree crotch! Yup, it was muggled after about 3 weeks. And we remember who the hiders were…for the bad experience that came out of it. There were 2 more that were never found and Archived. When the young cacher that placed them (using GoogleEarth, not a GPS) got some questions by e-mail on the family computer, his mom put the brakes on the whole thing! (Since one of them was hidden about 150 feet from our front door,I’m still look for that thing 7 monthes later!)

My point? Rushing to a first placement by a new cacher can be a memorable experience; just for the wrong reason!

Now that your cache has been found, and the puzzle solved, and there were no bad comments, you have passed the first hurdle toward gaining the trust of your caching peers on cache placement. How fast someone finds your cache, in the future, probably won’t be as exciting as having someone FIND the cache…period!

You have even learned about these threads! Hard to read someone when you can’t look them in the eyes!

I look forward to meeting you face-to-face, sometime soon! 🙂

[-cheeto-]

And I will admit that, if a new cacher places a new cache, and it is ALSO a puzzle, I would hesitate to run very far for it!

Great post Jim!

My first cache placement was actually a puzzle. I still remember how paranoid I was of whether I put the puzzle together correctly and what the reaction would be to my new cache.

I urge the cache owner that started the original discussion that resulted in this subsequent discussion to keep at it. It sounds like the cache has been found. Place another and another and you will soon forget about all this. Place the kinds of caches you enjoy or want to place. If you place it, “they” will come find it.

To heck with keeping this thread on track. Everyone knows nothing good can come from a traditional vs puzzle debate thread.

[gotta run]

@-cheeto- wrote:

To heck with keeping this thread on track. Everyone knows nothing good can come from a traditional vs puzzle debate thread.

Rabblerouser!

On the Left Side of the Road...

[CodeJunkie]

One thing that I didn’t see anybody touch on yet is the distance from the nearest parking spot (whether listed or not).

I’m “relatively” new to caching, but have found that even in a park with ample parking and flat terrain, people won’t walk 200, 300 or more feet to a cache which really surprises me.

In “suburbia” traditional caches generally end up close to parking spots just as a matter of terrain.

I’ve noticed by looking at a number of the traditionals on the LCG list that many require a modest hike and many people just aren’t willing to do this. The flip side is that many puzzles (once solved) can be park & grabs.

[jerrys dad]

This is also off thread but I think relates…

All the guy wanted was somone to find his cache he had worked hard on. He hasn’t been here long and he saw somebody trying to give a clue to his cache, that had not been found. He did not know it was a joke thus took it the wrong way. How would everyone feel if they put a cache together and somebody gave a clue wether it was right or wrong. There are new players all the time and some of them might take that clue as fact, not understanding the joke.

Also he is new and wanted to know if his cache was alright or maybe there was a problem with it. Why wasn’t somebody finding it? If Marc had posted his begining statement on why in the other thread and stayed on that topic we all would be over this by now.

Some words to a new player or somebody we do not know well, can be read into different than we meant it to be. I think we all need to remember we are here to grow as a group and help new and old players alike with our hobby. Our words here are the biggest way we do that and we need to be careful of what we write. I know we are just trying to help but sometimes the words we choose can offend and belittle others. I’m sure I probably just did that but I thought we need a reminder.

By the way has anybody PM’d HeliDood to show understanding and explain about us (WGA) here, or are we just posting here?

[Team Black-Cat]

I’ll let him speak for himself, but I’m sure HeliDood is just fine with the WGA. I DO know that he would rather this whole misnunderstanding would just go away, and not keep being brought back up.

What was this thread about again? Oh yeah.
Be happy that the FTF mania isn’t as strong in your area. It gets a little silly some times. (Yes, I’m one of them…)

[JimandLinda]

This reminds me of when ube66 brought one of his first cache finds home with him, as he felt it was unsafe! 😯 A learning experience for a newbie.

A few of us remember him apologizing whole-heartedly for his “mistake”, but we did come to know him much better after that! It is always a pleasure to see him at Events now, inspite of his early “baptism by fire”!

The caching community is looking forward to meeting Helidood, as well. 😀

[Sloughfoot]

One other little item about caches with pictures, the pictures won’t show up in your Palm Pilot if you are going paperless. Team Sloughfoot likes to load up the GPS and Palm and just follow the GPS from cache to cache. When we hit a puzzle or multi with pictures we just skip it. Our thought is if we need to do a lot of studying before we go caching it isn’t a hobby any more.

BTW we placeds a cache in south central WI one sunday, came back to Appleton and submitted it, WGA3 approved it and it was found the same evening in a snow storm.

[HeliDood]

If only there was a way to make musical notes appear on a staff in the cache description without having to insert an image or other file.
I can make notes such as these: ♪♫♪♪♫♪♪♪
Unfortunately I’m limited to 8th notes. Can’t do much with that.

⠠⠝⠕⠺ ⠊⠋ ⠞⠓⠑⠗⠑ ⠺⠁⠎ ⠕⠝⠇⠽ ⠁ ⠺⠁⠽ ⠞⠕ ⠊⠝⠉⠕⠗⠏⠕⠗⠁⠞⠑ ⠠⠃⠗⠁⠊⠇⠇⠑ ⠋⠕⠗ ⠍⠽ ⠠⠃⠇⠊⠝⠙-⠋⠗⠊⠑⠝⠙⠇⠽ ⠉⠁⠉⠓⠑⠎

(Translation: Now if there was only a way to incorporate Braille for my Blind-friendly caches…)

And yes, I’m being quite serious about incorporating braille into a cache.

The idea would be a multi-cache, with the first stage containing a thin piece of plastic containing Braille text that I’ve transferred onto it with a center punch. 2 ways to do that: Bring your blind buddy caching with you, or sit there and try and cypher it with a braille translator. Is that evil or what? 😉

[-cheeto-]

And yes, I’m being quite serious about incorporating braille into a cache.

There’s one in Appleton that might include braille as well. You may have to read it as if you were deaf though, not look at pictures of it.

I won’t indicate which one it might be though….

[Todd300]

Just read this thread for the first time.

Marc, I’m disappointed in you. The other thread was closed for a reason so you had to stir things up in a new thread. C’mon, you are better than that.

Helidood is new to caching in general. I think he got it when he requested the thread to be closed…but no, you had to be beating a dead horse.

[-cheeto-]

Oh and by the way, keep those great cache idea’s flowing Helidood. I do cache in the Rapids area on occasion as we visit Lake Arrowhead many times per year. My wife’s grandma lives there.

[labrat_wr]

@JimandLinda wrote:

My point? Rushing to a first placement by a new cacher can be a memorable experience; just for the wrong reason!

it isn’t always the first OR by a new cacher. The term guinea pig comes to mind 😆

squeek

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[gotta run]

@labrat_wr wrote:

The term guinea pig comes to mind 😆

squeek

I’ve never seen that. Or if I have, it’s been very seldom.

On the Left Side of the Road...

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