Stale Caches

[Hounddog]

Just noticing that even though there are new caching teams appearing all the time. A lot of the more difficult caches seem to be going unnoticed.

Not that this is a great problem, but I am noticing that many of the logs for 2 Dogs caches carry the comments that say they are easy or basic.

I have several "Harder" caches out there that have not had a visit in quite some time so I am a bit confused.

Tower 126, Down The River, Nowhere in Particular, and Wonderful to name just a few, are still there presenting a great challenge to whoever wants an adventure.

Are we getting Lazy or Perhaps it's a case that the new teams aren't looking back far enough and seeing many of the older caches out there. Or maybe they are presented as just being too difficult.

Curious.

[bigmickb]

<p>Personaly, I still enjoy the harder ones. I just don't get the chance to get out there as often as I'd like. There's a few like Tower 126 and Panorama that have been on my hitlist for quite some time. Need to get motivated again.</p>
<p>I noticed you didn't include another one of your harder caches there, Hounddog. "The Paramount Peak". I know that one got a visit just before New Years, right after I found Australia's Highest. Both difficult, and both well worth the effort!</p>

[team_diesel]

I am limited in the amount of time available for caching so I tend to pick an area and complete as many as I can in that area in the available time. If a cache looks like it will consume more than 50% of the time I have available in that area then I will leave it for another day.


Having said that I am saving all the caches near home that I can't get FTF on for a BIG day out.

Once Mr Coffee and the Chefs on the run place another ten or so it will be a big day out near Berwick.

[GEK]

Yes, it all comes down to time. But if a difficult cache appears nearby then I will make the time.

The reason that visits to difficult caches diminish over time is that when they are new all the "locals" get stuck in to them. Later, only visitors are likley to attempt the cache and their time may be limited.

I love difficult caches but I'll admit that when I'm on the road I always give priority to easy caches. But at home I'll spend whatever time is necessary to find a nearby toughie.

GEK

[riblit]

A lot depends on a persons definition of 'easy', 'difficult' etc. with this.
Difficult could mean the cache requires a reasonable walk or that it requires some mental gymastics to work out the clues to the location.

I think it comes down to the question of how far one wants to drive and how may caches one wants to attempt in a day.
A couple of my caches have a similar lack of visitation. I put it down to people would rather do a few quick caches than use up most of the day on a single cache.

[TeamAstro]

Time is the key. The difficult ones do take time - and sometimes a few visits when you can't find something, or a footy match is on and the cache is hidden in the goal post! - you know. If you are passing (say on a interstate visit), you simply can't get it - even if you have spent time deciphering or whatever. Sometimes EVEN if you know where it is.

On my Melbourne run last year (June 04), I mapped out the easy ones and missed a few multis that could soak up 2-3 hours. Sure, I did as many as I thought I could squeeze in (check my logs on this site back and gauge for yourself what is possible in a couple of weeks - nearly 100 caches). There is only so long one can stay in some of the country towns - or being miles from a place at 3pm then realizing the GZ is on top of the hill you can spy thru your binos from the car park - forget it. We are not all Maccas!!! (Hi Dave and Mary).

Oh, a very important factor is who is with you. Kids who are sick of it (or car sick), or a partner that can't read maps etc. or a keen partner that eggs you on - come on, let's get this one!!

Having said that, some of the best caches are the ones you spend the time on and really get to know the area. I have fond recollections of:
§ Boroondara Mahal
§ Edward's Point
§ Wireless
§ The Bells
§ Holes In Nature (a classic multi)
§ The Enchanted Forest
§ Sweet Serendipity

There are more but the above really were great.

Clear skies
Astro.

[ian-and-penny]

Penny & I Cache sort our caches by area, so that we can do the majority of caches adjacent to our intended destination.

We don't care about the difficulty rating, we enjoy the hunt for it's own sake. (Yes we even enjoyed Buckleys, thanks Bronze)

Having said that though, I get a little pi$$ed off when I spend some time looking for a cache, only to find the final WP is hundreds of KM away, or even interstate.

Ian

PS did we get around to logging the DNF for Buckleys? I had better check.

[Hounddog]

I noticed you didn't include another one of your harder caches there, Hounddog. "The Paramount Peak". I know that one got a visit just before New Years, right after I found Australia's Highest. Both difficult, and both well worth the effort

The list I used was just a few examples of my own, but I'm not saying that there aren't heaps of great challenges from other teams as well.

Ancient Orange, and Panorama were perhaps the toughest (under normal conditions) I have done so far.

Lake Views was supposed to be quite a bit easier, but see mylog and you'll understand why it turned out to be the hardest one of all.
As far as my own placements go, it's out of Down the River and Tower 126

[Geof]

I often put off the harder ones but often kick my self latter when I get to do them for waiting so long.
You could easly have a one cache week hike to some of Derringers caches but may be some day

If your in an unfamiliar area easy ones are good but then you can realy get a feel for the place if you put in the hard yards (Tooate Tooate Tooate comes to mind - Second to find and interstate at that and not been found since (I'm watching )Thanks Mix/Bronze)

[Hounddog]

Sounds like there are some very demanding interstate caches as well.

I curious now, to find out which cache nationaly involves the longest walk.

Maybe someone knows which one it is.

[xf king]

I like the difficult caches, but as long as its not too overdone.. Like bushbashing thru 2 metres up high scrub or where the muggles just never leave. I like a bit of maths, and maybe a view or something to reward the difficult cache.. But I do enjoy any kind of cache.. And for the harder ones i will usally go with another team to make it easier. And safer in some instances.

[Team Geo-Nads]

It depends on where you live. We live out west and we do what we can. No matter what the rating. We have a go coz we have done the rest. So I suppose it comes down to location.

[Bronze]

For example:

I was in Sydney with a day to spare. It was quite a fantastic day. The night before I wrote down 9 cache locations to the north of where I was staying (Central) so if there was a cache nearby I could go and have a look. Out of the whole day I found 1! I looked for two. I was just so in awe of the history, views and simply enjoyed the walk that everytime I turned the GPS on I found another place to go into and look at.

Being a Aboriginal Studies and History / Geography teacher, Farm Cove is just an amazing place to get lost in time. I managed to find Fruit Bats which was nice. I tried twice to find "Jeckyll and ?????" but with police, vagrants and muggles in every corner I didn't try to hard. Soon enough the day came to an abrupt end and I had to make my way back for pasta, tallie and a sleep before heading out that night.

I enjoy a hard cache but really don't care if I don't find it. I know some other cachers are contary to this so when we placed Buckleys we intentionally hid another couple of traditionals of varying difficuly so a trip to the Warrumbungles would not feel a complete waste if 's are the only thing the floats your boat.

Caching is a bit like fishing - never guaranteed a catch but you know you might get something if you use the right tackle.

The Bronze.