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First to find


Solar Systeam

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Is there any etiquette on first to find? I have gotten notices recently of some new caches being posted. Thought great, I can pick my daughter up from school and go find these in a few hours. Before going I check and they have already been found. What bothers me about it is that the finders have thousands of finds, one had 200 FTF.

 

My 8 year old daughter and I have 20 finds and would love to get a FTF. But based on the last month or so, I don't see that happening unless we get really lucky.

 

I would think that courtesy would dictate that if you have thousands of finds and hundreds of FTF maybe you should wait a day or two rather than running out in the first minutes. It certainly would help newer people get into the game.

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FTF has no rules it is survival of the quickest. Do you really think that someone with hundreds of them got there by being courteous and letting others have a shot. If you want one you have to setup notifications to your phone and when you get it drop whatever you are doing wake up your daughter or get her from school and drive at great speed to the location. Then be prepared to race on foot ahead of the others you see approaching the sacred ground.

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Is there any etiquette on first to find?

If the experienced cachers are ruining the cache for the next finders, that's not good. They should set it up again so it's just as tricky or fun as the hider intended. Otherwise, whoever finds it first, is the first.

 

I would think that courtesy would dictate that if you have thousands of finds and hundreds of FTF maybe you should wait a day or two rather than running out in the first minutes.

The people with a lot of FTFs also encounter a lot of caches that aren't ready to be found. They're Beta-testing the caches for you. If you're very hard-core and certain of your caching prowess, wait for a cache that the "hundreds of FTF" people can't find, and go find that. But wait a day or two, of course. :anicute:

Edited by kunarion
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Is there any etiquette on first to find? I have gotten notices recently of some new caches being posted. Thought great, I can pick my daughter up from school and go find these in a few hours. Before going I check and they have already been found. What bothers me about it is that the finders have thousands of finds, one had 200 FTF.

 

My 8 year old daughter and I have 20 finds and would love to get a FTF. But based on the last month or so, I don't see that happening unless we get really lucky.

 

I would think that courtesy would dictate that if you have thousands of finds and hundreds of FTF maybe you should wait a day or two rather than running out in the first minutes. It certainly would help newer people get into the game.

 

Why? FTF means nothing more, nothing less than you got there and signed the logbook before someone else did. A couple thoughts about that; Why shouldn't they go out for FTF? They paid the $30 for the membership, they should be able to take advantage of what it offers. How is a cacher to know not to look for FTF? Maybe they've never met you, how will they know you're around? How will they know you even care about FTF? I don't. Yes it's cool when I get one, but I don't make a point of doing it. And about the fair thing... If you think it people should have one FTF and that's it, then feel free to share your money with me. I work hard, why do other get paid more than me? Life isn't fair. Sometimes you get the FTF, sometimes you can't find the cache despite literally touching it.

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Is there any etiquette on first to find? I have gotten notices recently of some new caches being posted. Thought great, I can pick my daughter up from school and go find these in a few hours. Before going I check and they have already been found. What bothers me about it is that the finders have thousands of finds, one had 200 FTF.

 

My 8 year old daughter and I have 20 finds and would love to get a FTF. But based on the last month or so, I don't see that happening unless we get really lucky.

 

I would think that courtesy would dictate that if you have thousands of finds and hundreds of FTF maybe you should wait a day or two rather than running out in the first minutes. It certainly would help newer people get into the game.

We stopped counting FTFs after 350.

We lost interest after heading out to find coordinates hundreds of feet off, or find the CO never placed the container at all, "I didn't think it'd be published so quickly".

- We're more than happy to let you guys beta test 'em for us now.

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My 8 year old daughter and I have 20 finds and would love to get a FTF. But based on the last month or so, I don't see that happening unless we get really lucky.

And won't it be thrilling when you do get lucky? If you're going to be a casual player in the FTF game -- and, frankly, I can't really imagining taking it seriously myself -- then it's important to say to yourself (and your daughter): "Hey, a new cache! It will be really fun to find it!" and NOT, "Hey, a new cache! We're going to go find it, but it will be only fun if we find it first." It's a cache first. You like finding caches. Find it. Being The First to find it is just a little extra fun. It shouldn't be the reason to go look for it, although it's a fine reason to decide to go look for it instead of looking for a cache that's been out a while.

 

I was in your position, so I kept trying, and it's true I did rush out of the house faster than I was going to a few times just to see if I could beat the other guys, but I didn't worry about it. What I discovered is that, first of all, sometimes you do get lucky. Even FTF hounds don't always rush out to find a new cache, so sometimes you're just the first one to get moving even if you're not rabid about it. But a second thing that happened, at least in my area, is that the handful of FTF hounds got less interested, so the peak of competition died down about a year after I started, and it became more often that a cache would go a few hours -- sometimes, a whole day! -- before anyone went to look for it.

 

By the way, in my opinion, the most fun reason to try for FTFs is because you're more likely to meet other cachers there, and that's enjoyable even if they got there first. That happens most often precisely because of the competition that gets people out looking as soon as it's published.

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One reason some that already have a bunch of FTF might still be going out is for some reason, I'm still not sure why many in my area pride themselves in getting at least one FTF every month. It shows up on there stats. I have seen some FTF hounds say they will leave this one for someone else as they already have there FTF for the month.

Really though would you feel good about getting a FTF if others were just leaving it there for you to get. That would not be that good of a accomplishment. It would be like playing poker with your kid and throwing out all of your good cards so they could win. With only 20 finds you are still new. Your time will definitely come.

The fun of the FTF game is having to leave when you get the notice. 10 seconds is way to long to wait. If you had hours it wouldn't be as exciting. You should be glad you have others in the area so excited about playing the game as if not for them the game would end and you would be hiding stuff for you to find yourself.

Anyways there will come a time when you get the notice and you already have your daughter and it is close to home and you will get that FTF and others will be complaining about you! It is a cool feeling!

Good Luck!

-WarNinjas

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Solar System, I agree with WarNinjas--your time will come. It definitely is a rush to be FTF but, at least for me, that's only icing on the cake we call geocaching. There are FTF Hogs everywhere; let them have their fun. I would suggest concentrating more on the companionship and bonding that caching affords you and your daughter. And I've seen places within 50 miles of my home that I never knew existed: natural beauty, historic sites, old schools and cemeteries--the list goes on and on. Sharing things like that with your daughter will give her memories that will last a lifetime. And treasure these times with her--they grow up awful fast! And hang in there--that FTF may be just around the corner and were you'd least expect it. Keep watching those notifications and one day, when you pull out that log, yours will be the first signature. HAPPY CACHING TO YOU!!!

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When I worked nights and was up all night on my nights off and my area reveiwer published late at night I was often able to swoop in and get them but now I don't work nights and the new caches are a bit sparse around here.

I've also snuck past other cachers distracted by a cache I'd already found to get one ahead of them. It was funny to see their logs showing dismay at how close the finds were.

 

You'll get there and it'll be great!

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Depends a lot on where you are and how active and/or hard core the local cachers are. Around here it's common for a cache to go a couple of days before FTF. A week is not unheard of. So if you get out there anytime within 24 hours of publication you've still got a pretty good shot. Sounds like things are different in your neck of the woods.

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I've been first to find on a couple of good caches.

 

No brass band. No 72 dancing virgins. No key to the city. Meh. Haven't figured the excitement with first to find. Maybe it's because I wasn't even trying to be first to find, it just worked out that way. If it's something you enjoy go for it. After all, some people don't understand why I like geocaching. :rolleyes:

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We tried the dash to be FTF on a cache a few times, most of ours happened just because we happened to be passing an out of the way spot a couple of days after publication. The best part of the FTF race for me was the mini event at the cache site. Not bothered by the FTF thing now, much less stressful- no fast driving....and when we find a cache it doesn't matter if we are 1st or 31st.

Edited by popokiiti
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I am with Warninjas and Mr. Possums. I have one FTF, and it was only because it was published early in the morning while I was at work, and it was hidden 2 blocks from my work. It depends on what geocaching is to you and how you want to enjoy it.

 

Maybe the FTF hogs, or whatever the label is, miss the point, or miss the coolness of the hide, or miss the nature while they are racing to get the find. Not always, but maybe.

 

Example: There was a cache near me that was out for 2 days with no finds, so one beautiful Sunday I went walking with my 3 y.o. son and asked if he wanted to try and find treasure. While walking I saw a guy with smartphone and a pen, nothing else, and I knew where he was headed. My son and I had a great walk (the trail had rocks to climb over, trail on a bank of a stream, and he did great!) while I kept seeing the other cacher scurrying to and fro like he was lost. I knew the general location of the cache, and we were essentially on the trail headed straight for it, while the other guy was walking willy nilly (I still don't know how he manages to have so many finds after seeing this :) ). It turns out after I introduced myself and found out who he was - after I freaked him out by out of the blue saying "did you get the FTF?" - he is a FTF hog. Sometimes his wife drives, drops him off, and they both claim the find when both can't be there. Nothing wrong with that, but when people get a notification at 10pm and race out the door, that is their choice. that isn't my thing. Heck, I don't even have a smart phone! ha.

 

Anyway, I could have raced with my son to get there first, (I missed the FTF literally by a few seconds), but that for me would have killed the walk, the time looking at things with the kid, and the fun of geocaching on that day. Sometimes I cache to cache, but most times I get a cache if it is somewhere I am heading.

 

If you and your daughters enjoy geocaching, enjoy it. If a FTF happens, all the better. How is that for 2 cent philosophy?

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I just got my first FTF the other day! I woke up really early and while idling about on the computer, saw that two new caches had just been published. Getting a FTF was my new goal for my second year of geocaching, so I ran out the door to try and get them! We have a couple of FTF masters in the area, so I was excited to see two different options yet untouched, and both just over a mile from my house on this gorgeous walking trail.

 

Well, when I got to the first cache, one of our local FTF masters (he has almost 1,000 FTFs) had beaten me to it by just FOUR MINUTES! I figured since the other one was right along this same trail less than half a mile away, he had already gotten that one, too, but I might as well add it to my smileys, right? So I walked the trail, startled and photographed some deer, then started to hunt for the cache. I saw a flash of jacket around the trail's bend and quickly dropped my GPS in my purse and pulled out my camera, pretending I was just there taking pictures of the sunlight filtering through the trees. The fellow hiker called out a greeting and when I turned around, I saw a GPS in his hand - ends up this is the very FTF master that had already gotten the other cache, but he hadn't found this one yet! After introductions, we ended up getting the cache together - I spotted it and pointed it out, and he grabbed it up. We co-signed the log's FTF spot and chatted a bit. Later when I logged the find, I gave this story, and when he logged it, he mentioned what a pleasure it was to be there for someone's first FTF. It was just a really fun experience overall.

 

So, two things stemming from this:

1. Another etiquette question would be in these circumstances, when two people are looking for the cache, who gets the FTF? The one who spotted it or the one who actually grabbed it?

 

2. FTF 'hogs' aren't out to ruin your experience. I have yet to meet a geocacher who DOESN'T love to share about their hobby. If you're having trouble getting that special FTF, try contacting some of the FTF hounds in your area. Ask for tips or even ask if you and your daughter can tag along.

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Since starting geocaching back in the summer I have one FTF - and that was whilst out with a caching buddy. I've got to say, I'm not that concerned about this side of the hobby. But I do find it amusing how so many people take it so seriously in terms of the speed in getting there first: this has to be admired!

 

As somebody posted above, the FTF wouldn't be cherished if they were so easy to come by.

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1. Another etiquette question would be in these circumstances, when two people are looking for the cache, who gets the FTF? The one who spotted it or the one who actually grabbed it?

You can do whatever you like. Lots of people feel that everyone who was activly searching at the time gets a FTF. Others would say whoever actualy found it is the only FTFer.

 

Since it is Puritan Month, I would suggest only the person who actauly found it first should claim FTF. :anitongue:

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Btw, I never said anything about it being fair. I asked about etiquette... Sounds like there are known FTF "hounds" that get the notification and bookit to get there immediately.

 

I'll deal with it and someday I'll get lucky which will be exciting

 

In fact, some of them don't even have to leave home. They are out-and-about, driving for errands or working as a contractor, and if time permits and the email buzzer goes off, they glance at the phone and slam down the accelerator!

 

BTW, as others have noted, FTF-hunting isn't all peaches and cream. About one cache in 20 is "defective" in some way - usually with bad coordinates - and with an inexperienced hider, the % goes up. I've searched for several unfound caches with bad coordinates. That's frustrating. Several days later, a note is published with revised coordinates.

 

I recently searched for a cache that apparently was washed away by the nearby creek after a rain. Several "pros" also searched, and the 2/2 cache is definitely missing.

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If you want a FTF and aren't willing to drop everything at a moments notice to go for one, then look for new puzzles and higher terrain caches. They can often go a while before the FTF.

 

I've placed caches that didn't get a FTF for several days. I was also a surprise FTF on a cache that had been out for 9 months by the time I found it. I opened it and thought, "How nice a new logbook" and it wasn't until I saw a FTF prize that I realized that I was first.

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Btw, I never said anything about it being fair. I asked about etiquette... Sounds like there are known FTF "hounds" that get the notification and bookit to get there immediately.

 

I'll deal with it and someday I'll get lucky which will be exciting

 

About one cache in 20 is "defective" in some way - usually with bad coordinates - and with an inexperienced hider, the % goes up.

 

:unsure:

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Here in Atlanta, it's almost entirely a good-humored "sport". There are several folks that seem to have the best FTF track record, but for the most part nobody gets upset or stressed out about it. There have even been a few "tribute" caches to those who have an almost supernatural ability to make the trip across town in the middle of the night to find a newly published cache.

 

Then there's one or two folks who take it way too seriously...like to the point of actually (and this is from a reliable source) causing a spectacle at a mega-event when they were unable to get the FTF.

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Btw, I never said anything about it being fair. I asked about etiquette... Sounds like there are known FTF "hounds" that get the notification and bookit to get there immediately.

 

I'll deal with it and someday I'll get lucky which will be exciting

 

In the mean time, you might be able to find some more remote caches that the FTF hounds haven't run out to find. They'll likely take a lot more work to get to but it could be quite an adventure.

 

Personally, I don't really care for the FTF game. I just think that courtesy to other cachers shouldn't play second fiddle to finding the cache before anyone else at all costs.

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I'm a wannabe FTF hound. I've got one under my belt. :unsure:

I don't drive for medical reasons, and I have a five-year-old geocacher to tend too (plus one in the oven), so it isn't possible for me to drop everything and just go.

I rely on public transport and my own legs (which aren't as sturdy and as steady as they should be for 26 years).

And I know the names of the local FTF hounds who don't have these things to contend with.

 

 

All this gives me extra bragging rights when I get there first :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

FTF is exciting, but it isn't essential and a lot of people just don't care about it. I remember getting frustrated over it too, when I first started trying for FTF, but it's not about about getting there first, not for me anyway, it's the thrill of the chase. It's like an extra secret game within the secret game. It's a reason for me to be childish and bring out the (slow and steady) ninja side. :ph34r:

It's also a potential chance to meet other cachers at an actual cache (an experience I've only ever had once, and it wasn't for a FTF!)

 

FTF is awesome, and the reason there are FTF hounds to begin with is the element of competition. And it can be fierce. Take it as an extra part of the game you want to participate in, but realize that nothing has been gained or lost either way :) :)

Edited by firestronaut
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