Race to FTF,

[pjamesk]

I'm Putting together some information for PAHSMA. They had concerns about people racing to get a first to find and the dammage to the environment it could cause. I think in their minds it could get like the start of the Melbourne cup.

That made me think just how many people run into other cacher’s in the race to get the FTF.

Personally I have only met one person on a FTF quest

[caughtatwork]

I ran into Chewinprickles one day when we were both going for the FTF.

[reasonjo]

FTF are very low on my priority list. It'd be nice to get one, but there are so many caches out there I can't see the point in rushing off to get a FTF when there are so many others I haven't found yet.

I'm only new though.. maybe I just haven't developed FTF fever yet

[SamCarter]

I ran into Chewinprickles one day when we were both going for the FTF.

Ouch.

Where's the battered and bruised black-eyed smiley when you need it!?

[SecretSquirrel-BJC]

Yes I have met people and it has ranged from one to a handful.

What is the difference between a FTF hunters in the first day and "early finders" who regularly will collect caches within the first few days or the first week of release?

The problem isn't the number of finders - it is the robustness of the hide environment and the likelihood of that kind of hide encouraging/causing damage.

A micro in a difficult nook in a log on the ground surrounded by tree litter and shrubs and trees is going to cause environmental damage regardless of when people find it. A difficult micro in a man-made setting will probably be fine. A straight forward hide won't be any problem.

[rhinogeo]

I first met Team Rubik when we were both searching for Altitude in flat land in March 2005

I got the FTF

[Fuddley]

Yes but very rarely, as there only a few of us up in Bundy. the instances are rare indeed, and when you do meet it is more about a catch up than the FTF

[Richary]

I've voted yes as I have, that doesn't always mean I or the others got FTF. It's not a priority for me, but if it is convenient I might try it on the way home from work or whatever.

That said, an FTF race doesn't mean environmental damage, depending on where the cache was. It could be a city micro. But I've seen geotrails on long established caches that don't get that many visitors - one every few weeks. Such as one I found last Saturday in Adelaide. Up a bit of a scrambly slope.

So the potential damage is not caused by the initial rush to get it, but the area it has been placed. Two visitors in one weekend might cause more damage than one person who goes out to get FTF.

So I think the question is skewed a bit for what they want. If it is a sensitive area one person going there might cause some damage while looking. But in most cases I have looked for a recent FTF that isn't the case, it's flat with walking trails and unless there is a 100 person stampede it won't cause damage.

[caughtatwork]

Oooh, oooh, oooh. I remember running into Biggles Bear at a FTF too. I ran into maccamob as well at pprass' Kilo Cache. Now that I come to think of it, maybe I AM a FTF whore

[Mr Router]

Oooh, oooh, oooh. I remember running into Biggles Bear at a FTF too. I ran into maccamob as well at pprass' Kilo Cache. Now that I come to think of it, maybe I AM a FTF whore

Welcome to the dark side

[Team Rubik]

Rhinogeo (Altitude in Flat Land)
AWPhoto - Cache owner (Stationery Peak)
Wazza and Wenches - Cache owner (The Meaning of Echuca #1)
Son of Chewinpickles (The Dash)
Silverdice (State School 3358)
cdmark (Gone to the Dogs)
cdmark (Campbell Can)
cdmark - Cache owner (Watershipped down)
cdmark - Cache owner (Black Jack McEwan)
Fozzy778 (The Crossroads)
Chati (The Crossroads)
red tag (Confluence)
Geodes (That Park in Burnley)

[Richary]

So I think the question is skewed a bit for what they want. If it is a sensitive area one person going there might cause some damage while looking. But in most cases I have looked for a recent FTF that isn't the case, it's flat with walking trails and unless there is a 100 person stampede it won't cause damage.

Come to think of it, this could be a big issue at Wagga Wagga next year. There are going to be a hell of a lot of people traipsing around the countryside both before, during and after the event looking for caches that might be used to 1 or 2 visitors a month.

Given that might I respectfully suggest that even if only temporarily (say from a couple of weeks before the event) any caches that take a bit of searching especially in sensitive areas are updated with very specific how to find instructions to minimise damage even if finding the thing is part of the challenge. It would be interesting to know of overseas experiences with local caches near past mega-events. But we don't want a 20m area of totally flattened scrub around GZ on every bush cache near town!

[solomonfamily]

We do keep our eye out for FTF opportunities close to home

So far our FTF meetings:
"The Ashes" we met 2 other cachers (Pickupfamily and LuckDogsCrew) minuites after signing the log.
"Duck 'N Dive" a couple of minuites in front of Pickupfamily

[Freddo]

10 minutes to Blast Off. I rode my bicycle to the cache 2km from home. I met Unicycle who had driven his car . We both looked for the cache and Uni found in a location I had already looked. My excuse was my GPSr was still trying to find sats.

Ditto Byways of Burnside #7. This time I found the cache in a place Uni had looked. Again Uni drove to the cache. He does not get the one wheeler out for many FTF races.

[Cheesy pigs]

Raise a glass, Swampy and I think Team Orac. One of our early finds and I just got out of the car and went for it while they for some reason held back. Mrs CP was after Save our Bacon when she heard "You can't have it, I'm not finished yet". Swampy again.

Have bumped into others at none ftf races, Swampy again at a Weilangta cache, Dippy and El golco at Railway Roundabout, Sog and Paulus at Fish and Ships, Forth Ferals at Catch the cache in Ulverstone.

Tassie is quite small