[Mr. 0]

I found my first cache on 8/17/02 and placed my first one on 9/22/02. In that time I had found 21 and DNFed 3 caches.

The cache did well, and cachers I spoke with enjoyed it. I eventually archived it after it washed away. It didn't really get many visitors, but there weren't nearly so many cachers at that time. So that was just the nature of placing a cache that wasn't all that close to the population of cachers.

This past summer, after thinking about it for a long time, I placed a new cache in the same spot (well, within 150 feet) as that first one. The only things that I felt needed to be improved upon from the original was chaining it to a dead tree to keep it from washing away again. It's at a higher elevation now, so it shouldn't be an issue, but there is still a possibility. I also got written permission from the Ohio DNR since they added that requirement between the time when the original and new caches were placed.

[The Frosties!]

We're in the process of getting permissions for our first, 224 found in a little over a year.

[Team Pixos]

From June 26, 2011 till 10/10/11 found caches around 215
Still only placed the one cache.

[ByronForestPreserve]

Officially I had zero finds before hiding my first cache. But I'd gone caching with a friend years before, so I understood how it worked. Well...at that time, it was mostly ammo cans in the woods, and mine is a Pelican Box in the woods. The coords are a tad off but I've only had 2 DNFs in 5 1/2 years; it's a pretty easy find. But that meant when I got into caching on my own I stared blankly at things like telephone poles thinking, "WHAT? How is there a container here?" Um, okay, sometimes I still do that....

[Z3ROIN]

Ooooohhh good question!!!

Counting back i had 33 finds before i hid my first cache. I contacted a seasoned local geocacher for a few tips and hid an average sized traditional 1D/2T cache.

It's not had any favourites but it's still out there and gets some good comments.

This post has been edited by Z3ROIN: 03 May 2012 - 01:01 PM

[fanglyfish]

I had 2 finds when I placed my first hide. Now I have 109 hides. I think its irrelevant how many finds you have. Some of the best caches I have done are by newer cachers. If people don't hide then there is nothing for others to find.

[DragonsWest]

I made my first hide while the game was relatively young. I think I had about 10 finds when I went out on my first hide It was a lot more open then and the idea you really had to get out and walk to make a find seemed to be the prevailing attitude.

If someone tried hiding a film can, blinky, matchstick container, magnetic key holder or pill bottle in 2003 they probably would have received some decidedly negative log entries. That an ammo box ($4 back then) was the expected hide seemed to me to promote placing caches in the boonies.

[StarBrand]

1


There were just 5 caches within 100 miles of me - only 1 within 50. I found it. Then 3 weeks later - I hid my first one. It took 7 weeks for a FTF. It is still out there and being found after 10+ years.

[Ambrosia]

My first hide (not including the one that I helped my husband to hide), was placed in July 2002, after I had found 24 caches in two months. It is a three part Multi, on a four mile loop hike towards the end of a long dirt national forest service road. The FTF was within three days, I think because we had so few caches out at the time. After 10 years, it still has the original container. Icebox

This post has been edited by Ambrosia: 03 May 2012 - 03:01 PM

[NYPaddleCacher]

jellis, on 27 January 2012 - 08:25 PM, said:

I don't remember how many but my first hides were actually ones I adopted. I wanted to own some that were already placed so I could get to know how to maintain the caches.

That's a pretty good strategy, especially if it's a cache that's been out in the wild for a few years. I ended up adopting the first cache that I ever found (and it's still activ) but my first hide was after 46 finds and about three months. It's also still active as well. I had to disable it about a week after hiding it due to a container failure (bad design) but once I fixed that it hasn't had any issues since and still typically gets some nice logs. Unfortunately, I've heard news that the area where it's at may be under construction soon and possibly destroy the hide location.

[Flintstone5611]

I am was really hesitant to place a cache at first. Waited until I had 327 finds before I placed my first cache. It is an ammo can on a nice little trail, it is still active and has 139 finds with no DNFs. Glad I waited, resulted in a pretty decent cache for my first outing.

[Nat Sherman]

I'm working on placing my first 10 caches this month. Have just under 500 finds in the past 4 months.

[badger10]

I had about 450 before hiding my first cache!

[wigoweb]

We had been caching for a little more than a year when we placed our first cache in Oct 2006. We had about 400 finds and had won a cache container at an event hosted by the South Jersey Geocachers. We archived that cache in the past week or two, but it had quite a few finds. We currently have about 65 to 70 active caches with a fair share of ammo cans and puzzles. Most of our caches are in the woods away from muggle territory. We try to do the occasional series with a theme or story. We just placed five caches named Equestrian Sidekicks with info about old TV shows and horses. They all have stables and pastures nearby, too.

This post has been edited by wigoweb: 04 May 2012 - 08:51 AM

[L0ne R]

Ambrosia, on 03 May 2012 - 03:01 PM, said:

After 10 years, it still has the original container.

Wow, 10 years. Rubbermaid? Ammo can? (They didn't have Lock and Locks back then).

[jellis]

I found 61 caches before I placed one which included
1 benchmark
2 webcams
1 virtual
2 puzzles
55 Trads

Now, I know I believe a cacher should find about 100 before placing one, but when I placed my first I found different types except a multi and an event. But I did also adopted some caches that gave me a chance to learn about placing and maintaining them before actually placing one. And the first I placed was across the street from my work so I could keep an eye on it. I no longer work there but the cache is still going strong after almost 6 years with 389 finds because it is on the way to a tourist area but still out of the way and hidden well enough to not need too much maintenance other then a new logsheet now and then. I did have to move it a few times because of changes to the area.

Edit only to add I guess after being inactive partly that I forgot I posted. But at least I had an answer on how many. I am now even offering adoption to some of my caches.

This post has been edited by jellis: 04 May 2012 - 10:02 AM

[Ambrosia]

L0ne R, on 04 May 2012 - 09:50 AM, said:

Ambrosia, on 03 May 2012 - 03:01 PM, said:

After 10 years, it still has the original container.

Wow, 10 years. Rubbermaid? Ammo can? (They didn't have Lock and Locks back then).

It's one of those rubbermaid containers you get at Walmart for cookies, with a screw top. Before they changed it from the nice thick tops to the thin ones that break, now. I used to use those containers all the time, they were great.

[vagabond]

This was my first cache
the buzzing might be rattlesnakes
I'd been caching 7 months and had found about 100 caches.
When we moved from the San Diego area we adopted the 2 caches we had, both are still available and it's to easy the other cache I adopted back a few months ago

This post has been edited by vagabond: 04 May 2012 - 05:45 PM

[TheAlabamaRambler]

Less than 10.

The best, most fun and most well-done multi I've ever seen was done by a newbie with zero finds. He dropped out shortly thereafter and the community kept it maintained for years because it was so good.

I think new cache hiders bring creativity and innovation to the game. Making cachers find 25 or whatever stifles it.

It is the same as saying "This is how you should do it".

I'd rather say "Cool! I've never seen it done like this!"

[Z3ROIN]

TheAlabamaRambler, on 04 May 2012 - 09:00 PM, said:

I think new cache hiders bring creativity and innovation to the game. Making cachers find 25 or whatever stifles it.

It is the same as saying "This is how you should do it".

I'd rather say "Cool! I've never seen it done like this!"

Actually that's not a bad point!

For most people though i think it's just the way of things that they make finds first then are inspired to do a hide, that's how it happened with me anyway.

This post has been edited by Z3ROIN: 05 May 2012 - 01:22 AM

[Isonzo Karst]

Quote

Of course times were different back then. Lots of interesting locations were available and one did not need to take care of proximity issues which is one of the major reasons nowadays that in some areas on needs a lot of experience.


Cezanne

This, plus when I started, urban micros were in the process of being invented, at least local to me. A very few existed.
Most caches were regular sized traditionals, either walk-in-the-woods, or walk-in-the-park, and in relative terms, a lot of boat caches. That and some mostly lame virts.

I had eight finds when I placed my first hide, a Rubbermaid, 7 miles out on a rails to trails, on a bridge over the headwaters of a river. It was well received and did fine for 8 years.

I archived that cache, it was swallowed by a power trail of 250+ caches. ("TFTC" and "#18 of 62" logs just weren't doing it for me.)

This post has been edited by Isonzo Karst: 05 May 2012 - 01:59 AM

[DanOCan]

My first hide was slightly less than two years after I started caching. I had less than 100 Finds under my belt. I must have done something right as it has been out for more than six years. I did do some things wrong though -- the original container was a coffee can wrapped in a garbage bag. (Hey, that was pretty standard practice back then so I was just hiding what I had been finding.)

[L0ne R]

I think commitment to the game, commitment to cache ownership, an understanding of what quality cache containers are, an understanding of the guidelines, a willingness to learn how to use the features (disable, enable, edit, etc) properly, a willingness to learn from and fix mistakes and a willingness to maintain both the cache listing and the physical cache in a timely fashion, are more important then number of finds.

This post has been edited by L0ne R: 06 May 2012 - 09:03 AM