[metal-bijou]

Why do power trails or even just large series get a bashing when they seem popular to many.

I liken this to canoeing where you can do many different types and each are happy with their discipline. There's likely to be banter between someone who likes Canoeing on a placid lake vs those who like sea kayaking, however I never saw the bashing that people give large series.

Multis or puzzles are often not as popular but do not attract the same bashing.


P.S. Yes I understand the quality discussion, I wasn't trying to open that up.

P.S.S. Yes I would rather there was a different icon for individual caches of a series and that a bonus was not a puzzle too.

[Lieblweb]

I don't see anything wrong with power trails. It's just another 'style' of caching that everyone can enjoy.

I've done one power trail of 138 in one day via our truck along a beautiful canal. I've also done another one (in sections & different days) using our bicycles that we got out of the shed after 15 years.

Regardless of what people think of power trails... it's still a 'hunt' and it gets you off the couch and into the fresh air. As long as the hides are done legally & safely for the entire family.... Why not?

[SoonerL8R]

I feel that power trails are just as much fun and actually am planning to put one out in my local area. I live in an area where the caches are few and far between and I'm situated between 2 cities within an hour either way and I'm thinking there is a greater chance of drawing people in for a cluster than just one or two at a time each week. I mean driving 45 miles to go after a FTF is one thing but with the prices of gasoline I want to plan it rationally when looking at setting out 20 plus caches. On the other side of the coin, some people don't like the quick P+G and want to get out for a longer hike or a more difficult so maybe there has to be a balance when putting out caches.

Either way it's all about what the CO wants to hide as well as maintain vs. what each cacher wants to go looking for. On a day that the weather is picture perfect and 60-70 degrees most people won't mind going for a hike into the backwoods, however if it's -20 outside and you want to be out of the vehicle no longer than necessary maybe it's the perfect day for a power trail.

[The Growler]

One argument I have often seen against power trails is "it reduces the quality of caches and encourages others to put out poor quality caches". What a load of sclobolk!!! By far the worst caches I have done are "This is where we walk our dog" and that's it. Why would I want to go to that thorny bush to find that micro, dodging the dog poo? There is no preamble or reason to bring the cacher there. These are certainly not the fault of "power trails". Do em, don't do em, but don't blame the ills of the caching world on them. Yes they are often boring from a caching point of view, but the point is the walk. Say a series takes me to an area of outstanding natural beauty like Constable Country or the South Downs and I am getting a large number of caches over a 10 mile walk, so what? The cache might be boring but I am in area I want to be in and may not have visited before. Also I am grateful of the motivation to actually do the walk and hence try and shed some of those winter pounds!
I like nanos, I like puzzles (some at least), I like cunning hides on their own, I like urbans and I like some C&Ds. I also like a nice walk in the country. When I see a series, I view it as an opportunity to go for a walk. Judging from the logs from certain naysayers I could mention, so do others!

PS I have done very few multis I have enjoyed but then they are only really useful as a town tour IMHO

This post has been edited by The Growler: 07 February 2012 - 12:04 PM

[Simply Paul]

I think the issue is many (not all, by any means - I know of several trails where individual caches have received a lot of Favo(u)rite Points) power trails don't follow the 'does each cache stand on its own merits' basis of cache-hiding. But it's easy to argue that they don't need to; it's the combined experience of doing the series which is memorable rather than each individual location/hide/container.

As you know metal-bijou, Sustrans has agreed to have a series set along one of their National Cycle Network routes for the Geolympix - While it will be a power-trail, each hide will be something memorable, unusual or otherwise 'fun' to stop the series being 'just about the numbers' experience.

As you say MB, it's puzzling that power trails get a bashing at all; I suspect the issue most have with them is dull locations, poor maintenance, predictable hides and other 'general' gripes about how caching isn't 'like the good old days' any more - Just having 50 such caches in a small area rather focuses those (understandable) opinions and feelings.

[Birdman-of-liskatraz]

I've always thought of "Powertrails" as a different sort of sport to more "Normal" geocaching, it's more about the challenge of the distance.. rather than a leisurely wander around a selection of carefully chosen caches.

I have to say I really enjoyed doing the Way Down West Series of 104 (At the time) - 18 Miles in a day, with a good friend and his dog, it certainly is one of my most memorable caching days out.

It is way different to my early caching days when finding 2 or 3 in a day was a great day out!

Anyway - I do hope cachers will enjoy the 21 mile - 122 cache trail - put out by a gang of Cornish Cachers (But hidden under the name of "The Choughly Saint") that will appear sometime this year in the sunny Cornwall area! I'm pretty sure no other powertrail will feature, Beaches/Tors/Moors/Woods/Peaceful country lanes/Pubs/Shops/Churches/Small Seaside towns on the way round...

Birdie

[Simply Paul]

Birdman-of-liskatraz, on 08 February 2012 - 02:43 AM, said:

...I do hope cachers will enjoy the 21 mile - 122 cache trail - put out by a gang of Cornish Cachers (But hidden under the name of "The Choughly Saint") that will appear sometime this year in the sunny Cornwall area! I'm pretty sure no other powertrail will feature, Beaches/Tors/Moors/Woods/Peaceful country lanes/Pubs/Shops/Churches/Small Seaside towns on the way round...
Birdie

That sounds like my kind of thing. I'm in Cornwall in mid June. Fingers crossed it'll be up and running by then

[Amberel]

Birdman-of-liskatraz, on 08 February 2012 - 02:43 AM, said:

Anyway - I do hope cachers will enjoy the 21 mile - 122 cache trail - put out by a gang of Cornish Cachers (But hidden under the name of "The Choughly Saint") that will appear sometime this year in the sunny Cornwall area! I'm pretty sure no other powertrail will feature, Beaches/Tors/Moors/Woods/Peaceful country lanes/Pubs/Shops/Churches/Small Seaside towns on the way round...

Birdie

One of the problems with discussing "power trails" is what different people mean by the term. To me, by no means all cache trails are "power trails".

For me, what differentiates a power trail from other cache trails may include:
1) where a major influence on cache locations is minimum separation, rather than the best hiding places.
2) where the hides are repetitive and predictable.
3) where the cache containers are all the same, typically 35mm film cans.
4) where it is common practice for those who don't find a cache to drop another film can and call it a find.

For me, following a trail should offer two things - it should be a nice walk, and the caches themselves should hold some interest. If we were just walkers, a good walk by itself would be enough to make it a good trail to follow. But we aren't just walkers, we are geocachers. The geocaches are supposed to give the walk an extra dimension. If they are all the same and in totally predictable locations then after a short distance I would find them tedious, at which point they would start to detract from the walk instead of enhancing it.

If simply clicking up the numbers is enough to turn an otherwise boring series of caches into an interesting activity then I guess you like power trails. But while I sometimes enjoy having a bit of fun with numbers, that is supplementary to the quality of the caches and for me would not by itself change a poor caching experience into a good one.

Rgds, Andy

This post has been edited by Amberel: 08 February 2012 - 06:13 AM

[dartymoor]

Weren't the original Power Trails done only alongside american roads and intended to be done by car? We don't have the same sorts of roads here, and higher traffic density would make it quite dangerous in most cases, I would think. I wouldn't disparage roadside caches if done well, for some (disabled, elderly) it would be the only sort of cache possible, and a nice car series would be a good thing for a car club to do as a group.

So I don't think it's fair to label series such as Way Down West (not yet attempted but eyeing it up) as Power Trails as they are seem to be designed to make a nice walk through the countryside as the main reason. In my mind (and please argue me around if I'm wrong!) these are Geocache Series', aimed at walkers.

(BTW, this thread was one of the inspirations for two of my most recent caches - The World's Shortest Power Trail - http://coord.info/GC3C90B )

[Amberel]

dartymoor, on 09 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

So I don't think it's fair to label series such as Way Down West (not yet attempted but eyeing it up) as Power Trails ...

Indeed not, that was the main point of my last post - to try and define what we mean by Power Trail, so we are all discussing the same thing .

Way Down West doesn't display any of my four "power trail indicators", and one of the caches individually earned one of my TOP CACHE coins.

Rgds, Andy

[The Blorenges]

Amberel, on 10 February 2012 - 02:02 AM, said:

dartymoor, on 09 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

So I don't think it's fair to label series such as Way Down West (not yet attempted but eyeing it up) as Power Trails ...

Indeed not, that was the main point of my last post - to try and define what we mean by Power Trail, so we are all discussing the same thing .

Way Down West doesn't display any of my four "power trail indicators", and one of the caches individually earned one of my TOP CACHE coins.

Rgds, Andy

Now even Wester... Today has seen the publication of another UK non-Power Trail: The Choughly Saint's HALO trail. 120 caches along 21 miles of footpaths and (very) minor roads.


MrsB

[Legochugglers]

I have already stated in another thread that I dont think that a North American power trail bears any resemblance to a good old walking trail in the UK. Enjoy the walk and then make your judgement!!!!!

[Happy Humphrey]

Amberel, on 08 February 2012 - 06:11 AM, said:

For me, what differentiates a power trail from other cache trails may include:
1) where a major influence on cache locations is minimum separation, rather than the best hiding places.
2) where the hides are repetitive and predictable.
3) where the cache containers are all the same, typically 35mm film cans.
4) where it is common practice for those who don't find a cache to drop another film can and call it a find.

Good definition, and for me number 4 indicates that they aren't geocaches at all. If this was common practice along a cache trail I simply wouldn't bother with it.

[Simply Paul]

The Blorenges, on 11 February 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

Now even Wester... Today has seen the publication of another UK non-Power Trail: The Choughly Saint's HALO trail. 120 caches along 21 miles of footpaths and (very) minor roads.
MrsB

Is that the series Birdman was hinting at the other week on the forum?

[The Blorenges]

Simply Paul, on 12 February 2012 - 12:53 PM, said:

The Blorenges, on 11 February 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

Now even Wester... Today has seen the publication of another UK non-Power Trail: The Choughly Saint's HALO trail. 120 caches along 21 miles of footpaths and (very) minor roads.
MrsB

Is that the series Birdman was hinting at the other week on the forum?

So many forums, so many posts...

He definitely had a wing in this black bird's choughingly good pie.

MrsB

This post has been edited by The Blorenges: 12 February 2012 - 01:20 PM

[metal-bijou]

dartymoor, on 09 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

(BTW, this thread was one of the inspirations for two of my most recent caches - The World's Shortest Power Trail - http://coord.info/GC3C90B )

Thanks for this power trail I "completed" it last week. Well how could I resist after you quoted this thread as partial inspiration.

[Happy Humphrey]

dartymoor, on 09 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

(BTW, this thread was one of the inspirations for two of my most recent caches - The World's Shortest Power Trail - http://coord.info/GC3C90B )

It appears to be just one cache...does that count as a "trail"?

[MartyBartfast]

Happy Humphrey, on 06 March 2012 - 03:36 AM, said:

dartymoor, on 09 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

(BTW, this thread was one of the inspirations for two of my most recent caches - The World's Shortest Power Trail - http://coord.info/GC3C90B )

It appears to be just one cache...does that count as a "trail"?

I think you missed #2 :- http://coord.info/GC3C90E

so yes, I think it does qualify.

[Happy Humphrey]

MartyBartfast, on 06 March 2012 - 04:19 AM, said:

Happy Humphrey, on 06 March 2012 - 03:36 AM, said:

dartymoor, on 09 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

(BTW, this thread was one of the inspirations for two of my most recent caches - The World's Shortest Power Trail - http://coord.info/GC3C90B )

It appears to be just one cache...does that count as a "trail"?

I think you missed #2 :- http://coord.info/GC3C90E

so yes, I think it does qualify.

Ah...I checked and there was no link in the cache description and no bookmark list so I assumed it was standalone. Do you just have to guess that there's another, or assume that the name is similar? Normally there is some sort of link between all the caches in a series.

[MartyBartfast]

Happy Humphrey, on 06 March 2012 - 05:33 AM, said:

MartyBartfast, on 06 March 2012 - 04:19 AM, said:

Happy Humphrey, on 06 March 2012 - 03:36 AM, said:

dartymoor, on 09 February 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

(BTW, this thread was one of the inspirations for two of my most recent caches - The World's Shortest Power Trail - http://coord.info/GC3C90B )

It appears to be just one cache...does that count as a "trail"?

I think you missed #2 :- http://coord.info/GC3C90E

so yes, I think it does qualify.

Ah...I checked and there was no link in the cache description and no bookmark list so I assumed it was standalone. Do you just have to guess that there's another, or assume that the name is similar? Normally there is some sort of link between all the caches in a series.

Well when I looked at the first one I thought, like you, that it was a one off, so I did a 'find nearest caches hidden by this user' and #2 is pretty close. I didn't bother looking to see if there's a #3....