Difficulty/terrain Breakdown

[+Aloha! & Wahine Eye Spy]

Aloha All! Yesterday, while purusing all the different forums, I could swear I came across a table showing me a rough breakdown of the different terrain and difficulty levels. Tonight I can't find it for the life of me. Any idea where I saw that? I'm hoping to pass it along to someone wanting to become more involved in geocaching but is a little leary of the different levels. Any and all help would be appreciated. In the meantime.... happy caching! Aloha!

[+Kit Fox]

http://www.clayjar.com/gcrs/

[+briansnat]

Here are the defs:

 

Difficulty rating:

* Easy. In plain sight or can be found in a few minutes of searching.

** Average. The average cache hunter would be able to find this in less than 30 minutes of hunting.

*** Challenging. An experienced cache hunter will find this challenging, and it could take up a good portion of an afternoon.

**** Difficult. A real challenge for the experienced cache hunter - may require special skills or knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days / trips to complete.

***** Extreme. A serious mental or physical challenge. Requires specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment to find cache.

 

Terrain rating:

* Handicapped accessible. (Terrain is likely to be paved, is relatively flat, and less than a 1/2 mile hike is required.)

** Suitable for small children. (Terrain is generally along marked trails, there are no steep elevation changes or heavy overgrowth. Less than a 2 mile hike required.)

*** Not suitable for small children. (The average adult or older child should be OK depending on physical condition. Terrain is likely off-trail. May have one or more of the following: some overgrowth, some steep elevation changes, or more than a 2 mile hike.)

**** Experienced outdoor enthusiasts only. (Terrain is probably off-trail. Will have one or more of the following: very heavy overgrowth, very steep elevation (requiring use of hands), or more than a 10 mile hike. May require an overnight stay.)

***** Requires specialized equipment and knowledge or experience, (boat, 4WD, rock climbing, SCUBA, etc) or is otherwise extremely difficult.

[+Aloha! & Wahine Eye Spy]

Aloha Kit Fox & briansnat!

 

Just a quick note to thank you both for responding to my query. Your answers were exactly what I was looking for. Most appreciated.

 

Aloha! & Wahine Eye Spy

[+QDman]

Here are my ratings:

 

Difficulty

 

* - A Muggle can find it.

** - A neocacher can find it.

*** - I can find it.

**** - Maybe someday I'll find it.

***** - I'll never find it.

 

Terrain

 

* - I can run to the cache.

** - I can walk to the cache.

*** - I can still walk to the cache, but I have to rest before I come back.

**** - I can walk to the cache if I set up a base camp halfway there.

***** - I call Harry's Cargo Service to airlift me in and out.

[+ladierainy]

LOL!

 

I might adopt those ratings myself!

[+Aloha! & Wahine Eye Spy]

Aloha QDman! I love those ratings. I'm stealing them. Mahalo!

[+whistler & co.]

A word to the wise about terrain ratings: older caches (pre-2003) often have terrain ratings that greatly underestimate the difficulty of the hike when you rate them using today's guidelines. We have done a "1" terrain rating that included steep,rocky trails and huge fallen trees to navigate over or around. It was also a 2 mile hike, part of which was on a rocky clifftop. It was a great cache, but to navigate a wheelchair up there (as per current ratings, which states that "1" should be wheelchair accessible) would require some sled dogs or something! We always read the cache logs to find out what to expect terrain-wise, because with two kids, some things are just not feasible!

 

Also, read between the lines. If you are in a drought (like we are now in the Northeast), head out for those "wading may be required" or "it may be muddy" caches. Here in PA, the Game Commission mows their trails in the beginning of August, so what could be a miserable slog through tall, tick-infested weeds one week is a pleasant stroll the next. If a lot of people complain about "poor GPS reception because of the trees," try the cache again in spring or fall if you can't find it the first time. And if it says "cross country team practices here," it's probably NOT a "3" rating like one of the local caches here.