Indiana Geocaching

As Geocaching keeps growing and people gain experience- soon there begins attempts at unknown caches which is a polite way to say a cache that requires something else in order to log it… In some cases this is a challenge, in other cases it might be a puzzle (brain teaser). I have discovered that some puzzles are just ways for the cache owner to claim superiority over all lesser cachers who just aren’t smart enough to think like they do. However most of the time they are a great way to use your brain. The worst part about puzzles (in my humble opinion) is when, as a puzzle owner, you get emails from people asking for help. Some cache owners are happy to give out a hint or two… I am NOT one of those cache owners. I even did a comic strip about it last year.  When I’m working on a puzzle I don’t ask for help… I also don’t read the last page of a mystery first to find out how it ends.

While puzzles are not frequented by many cachers, hence Gerta the Meek’s video posted here a few days ago, they can end up being a bit of trouble for the cache owner.  Especially when they continue to get requests for help (these tend to die down after a few finds, and start up after long holidays).  I just remember putting out my first puzzle and within 30 minutes of it being published, I had an email asking for a hint.  I was young, new to caching, and wanted to be nice.  Within a few minutes I received another request from the same cacher for more information and then a third to check their work.  I finally, just gave them the coordinates (they were not FTF) and forgot about it… until I published my next puzzle & I ended up with another email from the same cacher asking for help.

Here are some hints before and after you email the cache owner for help:

1. Ask yourself have your really put forth effort to solve the puzzle? Be honest.  If a puzzle has been around for years and only has a few logs, it might just be really hard.  There are many puzzles I have started just to put them down in hopes that I might get smarter in a few years.  Hasn’t happened, but I can dream.
2. Does your solution put you in a logical place for a geocache?  Use some common sense- if your solution puts you on school grounds- is this an older cache when you could (with permission) have it located at a school?  Is it in someone’s backyard?  Reading the cache page can help since most puzzle owners may drop a hint if the location is not normal.  I put out a puzzle in a State Park and put the dummy coordinates at the gatehouse & selected the “access fee” attribute.
3. Check the past logs and the hint… That is why they are there.  Since you are basically asking for help, you should at least read those before contacting the owner.
4. Be understanding, the cache owner may not reply.  I know I usually don’t or if I do I might be a little snarky if you catch me on a bad day.  Remember the cache owner has heard all the stories before and probably more than once.
5. Be Bold! if you think you have the answer go find it… if it isn’t there then you might have it wrong.
6. Finally, don’t get mad at the cache owner… In one case I had a puzzle that the final was on at a school (clearly noted on the cache page).  I had to delete one cacher’s log because he was irate that he couldn’t find it and had to tell the world how stupid I was…  From what I can tell he never solved the puzzle- he was at the dummy coordinates the entire time.  That’s when I started putting dummy coordinates in places that are fairly impossible – the middle of the interstate, the middle of a reservoir, you get the idea.

Some of you might say there are ways for people to check their answer.  I have found that with the online ways people will randomly put in numbers until they come up with a correct response.  I also know that the rule “garbage in, garbage out” applies.  Some cachers may have a typo or instead of putting in 086 put in 86 so if it isn’t exact the checker says it is wrong.  A few cachers use check sums (adding the missing digits to get an answer) this is great except that there are a number of combinations that equal 23 (4+5+6+8 is just one example), or whatever the number is so there is always a lingering doubt.  See hint #5.

Remember this is supposed to be fun, but if someone has put forth the effort to create an ingenious puzzle they want you to feel a sense of pride at figuring it out.  Every puzzle you solve puts you into an elite group of cachers who have gone the extra mile.  If all you want to do is sign the log and get a smiley maybe puzzles aren’t for you.

So with my ranting done… what is favorite puzzle cache in Indiana?  Mine was “Get A Life” which, sadly, has been archived.