Record For Geocaches Found

[jacksonbrother]

I am a little new to this sport. I like it a lot, and I have an obsessive personality. So, I was wondering what the record for the most geocaches found in one day is. If is a recorded record, please let me know, if not, I will try to start one.

[+pdxmarathonman]

I am sure this has been discussed, but those of us that have participated in a Cache Machine (Tri Cities Washington is coming up) have logged quite a few in 1 day. My record is, I think, 72. I am pretty sure that Moun10Bike (and some others) has more.

Edited September 2, 2004 by pdxmarathonman

[+evergreenhiker!]

I am sure this has been discussed, but those of us that have participated in a Cache Machine (Tri Cities Washington is coming up) have logged quite a few in 1 day. My record is, I think, 72. I am pretty sure that Moun10Bike (and some) has more.

Yeah I think MarinerBC kicked butt in Spokane...think he got over 80 but don't quote me on that.. My personal best is 61 in the Yakima Cache machine wiht Moun10Bike and George195049. Of course George being the local guy was an real asset...knowing all the shortcuts.

 

Caching in small groups...29 wiht Donna and Mariner before the Vic Cache machine.

 

Solo caching...26 caches. I tend to get stuck on one or two too long.

[+Corp Of Discovery]

242 found by TheLep's and CarleenP (among others?) at GeoWoodstock2, over the just past 4th Of July weekend.

[+The Leprechauns]

Yep, so far as I know, carleenp and I are the current holders of the record for most geocaches found in 24 consecutive hours. It is actually 240, not 242 as we first believed. We discovered two record-keeping errors and we were very careful to only count caches that we actually found that day.

 

That's 10 caches per hour, every hour, for a full day, from 10 a.m. on July 4th to 10 a.m. on the 5th, in Nashville. For further details see the thread on Geo-Woodstock 2. We were the only two geocachers searching for the caches... we were separate from the larger "wagon train" groups. We had support from an expert driver and navigator, but we did all the findin' and loggin'.

 

I am sure that carleenp agrees with me when I say that I look forward to seeing someone beat the record. It is quite possible in a cache-dense area. We also agree that we don't plan on trying anything quite like that again any time soon.

[+globalgirl]

Woa.

 

O.k. even at 80 in a day - presuming 16 hours straight day and night (w/ 8 hrs. for sleep and nary a single moment's pause to swallow food) - that's a cache every 12 min. Toss in even the teensiest bit of travel time between caches say... 5 - 10 min. Now we're talkin' what? 2 - 7 min. per cache?

 

Hmmm... I suppose it's possible if you don't sleep (i.e. factor 8 more hours back in) and cache every moment with no pause for food or sleep. But that still gives you 18 min. per cache with say the min. 5' for travel between cache (yeah right) - we're still talkin' 12' per cache, non-stop for 24 hrs.

 

How is that possible?

 

Truly don't mean to question your motives nor your caching style (play however you like, makes no difference to me). But it does seem verily impossible to physically do. Are there 80 caches - all that close together? Or are you talking - a team of cachers, all spread out, not each pax. going to every blessed cache?

[+globalgirl]

...That's 10 caches per hour, every hour, for a full day, from 10 a.m. on July 4th to 10 a.m. on the 5th, in Nashville...It is quite possible in a cache-dense area.

 

Well I guess you answered my question. But goodness, 10 min. per cache - where on earth (in Nashville?) is there 240 caches all within/ < 10 min. of each other?

[+AtlantaGal]

...That's 10 caches per hour, every hour, for a full day, from 10 a.m. on July 4th to 10 a.m. on the 5th, in Nashville...It is quite possible in a cache-dense area.

 

Well I guess you answered my question. But goodness, 10 min. per cache - where on earth (in Nashville?) is there 240 caches all within/ < 10 min. of each other?

All along I-26. There are 101 "dalmations" micros in that area alone and they're all in a few mile area too.

 

My record is 26 in one day, but I can't do the micro-only thing. I do a few micros and I just NEED something else! I like those ammocans and paint buckets too much I guess

[robertlipe]

This has been discussed before.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=69765

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=54050

 

While Nashville is where the current records have all been set, I really don't think there's anything that makes it mandatory. Sure, you need density. There are lots of places with 300+ caches within 20 miles.

 

As soon as my celebrity endoresement deal goes through, I'll go on a ten city tour to prove it. :-)

 

As for the poster mentioning sleep and darkness as obstacles, do you really think that matters to the kind of folks that consider tackling this kind of challenge? That's _part_ of the chanllenge.

Edited September 2, 2004 by robertlipe

[+Monkeybrad]

The old record of 238 was held by FullCt, when we made that run it was one cache every 4.67 minutes. Lep and CarleenP beat it fair and square, and there's will be beaten. It is alot of work, and takes mondo dedication to keep going 16 hours in, but these monster runs are definitely possible in a cache dense area. The real key is planning, we planned our run for a week before we made our attempt. Planning the route to maximize the caches is a big part of it.

[+carleenp]

...That's 10 caches per hour, every hour, for a full day, from 10 a.m. on July 4th to 10 a.m. on the 5th, in Nashville...It is quite possible in a cache-dense area.

 

Well I guess you answered my question. But goodness, 10 min. per cache - where on earth (in Nashville?) is there 240 caches all within/ < 10 min. of each other?

It was insane! Really! Here is the deal: Nashville has some very high density areas of easy to find caches. Many involve driving from light pole to guard rail to light pole. We had a "team" of a local driver and navigator (who had gps guided maps etc up on the computer at all times). The navigator told the driver where to go and told us GC numbers. We hit those and found the caches. It was not a split team thing. We were both there at each cache and found them. In some cases we found way over 10 per hour. In some under because we actually went after some harder ones, and get this, we took a two hour dinner break! Our initial aim was 300, but with the dinner break and a short lunch break and going after some harder ones, there was no way to get 300. As for sleep, no we had no sleep. We went 10 am to 10am. At about 7am I whined "stimpy where is my ammo can!?!?!" It was exhausting, but fun! We only beat the previous record (also in Nashville) by two caches. Considering our breaks and the fact that we didn't totally focus on easy caches, it should be an easy record to break. And I look forward to seeing it broken! I did it for the experience and would be more than happy to advise others how to break it!

[+briansnat]

...That's 10 caches per hour, every hour, for a full day, from 10 a.m. on July 4th to 10 a.m. on the 5th, in Nashville...It is quite possible in a cache-dense area.

 

Well I guess you answered my question. But goodness, 10 min. per cache - where on earth (in Nashville?) is there 240 caches all within/ < 10 min. of each other?

It was insane! Really! Here is the deal: Nashville has some very high density areas of easy to find caches. Many involve driving from light pole to guard rail to light pole. We had a "team" of a local driver and navigator (who had gps guided maps etc up on the computer at all times). The navigator told the driver where to go and told us GC numbers. We hit those and found the caches. It was not a split team thing. We were both there at each cache and found them. In some cases we found way over 10 per hour. In some under because we actually went after some harder ones, and get this, we took a two hour dinner break! Our initial aim was 300, but with the dinner break and a short lunch break and going after some harder ones, there was no way to get 300. As for sleep, no we had no sleep. We went 10 am to 10am. At about 7am I whined "stimpy where is my ammo can!?!?!" It was exhausting, but fun! We only beat the previous record (also in Nashville) by two caches. Considering our breaks and the fact that we didn't totally focus on easy caches, it should be an easy record to break. And I look forward to seeing it broken! I did it for the experience and would be more than happy to advise others how to break it!

The question is, are you done logging them yet?

[+The Leprechauns]

Brian, it took me well over a week, working every evening, to get my finds logged for the Geo-Woodstock trip. Besides the 240 finds from the record run, I had two full caching days and two partial days, for another 50 or so finds done in a more traditional manner.

 

Problem was, my own standards precluded me from writing logs like "Number 135 of 240 for the day, TNLN, thanks for the cache." Since, ummm, I couldn't exactly remember every single lamp post micro, I solved the log problem by writing little poems for the different "series" of microcaches, to match their themes. And when I remembered details of the hunt, I took care to note them in my log. Anything less than that is, in my opinion, a slight to the cache owner.

 

In fact, three of the finds during the record run wound up with spots on my Top 5% Greatest Cache Hunts list, found on my profile page. Two of them were among the most devilish microcache hides I'd ever seen, and the third was a traditional cache hidden in a unique manner at a cool spot.

 

Throughout the record run, right until my logs were finished, my emphasis was on maintaining my personal standards of geocaching ethics. Our names are in every logbook (or, more often, micro-scroll) and every virtual cache owner received a confirmation e-mail. We took dozens of pictures along the way and enjoyed our tour of the city. The State Capitol area stands out in my mind as particularly nice.

 

Had we gone about the run for the record in a different fashion, never stopping to admire the view or take a picture of something funny, I am sure we would have found dozens more caches.

[+Robespierre]

Considering our breaks and the fact that we didn't totally focus on easy caches, it should be an easy record to break. And I look forward to seeing it broken! I did it for the experience and would be more than happy to advise others how to break it!

Oh, to be young and foolish again!

[+carleenp]

Considering our breaks and the fact that we didn't totally focus on easy caches, it should be an easy record to break. And I look forward to seeing it broken! I did it for the experience and would be more than happy to advise others how to break it!

Oh, to be young and foolish again!

It did sort of remind me of those long ago college days where I stayed out most of the night, except without the consumption of bad beer!

Edited September 2, 2004 by carleenp

[+tirediron]

Considering our breaks and the fact that we didn't totally focus on easy caches, it should be an easy record to break. And I look forward to seeing it broken! I did it for the experience and would be more than happy to advise others how to break it!

Oh, to be young and foolish again!

It did sort of remind me of those long ago college days where I stayed out most of the night, except without the consumption of bad beer!

Mmmmmmmmmmmm bad beer....

[WH]

My own personal record for caches in a day is 22. Considering my record previously was only 14, this was quite a push .

[+Team Perks]

It was insane! Really! Here is the deal: Nashville has some very high density areas of easy to find caches. Many involve driving from light pole to guard rail to light pole. We had a "team" of a local driver and navigator (who had gps guided maps etc up on the computer at all times). The navigator told the driver where to go and told us GC numbers. We hit those and found the caches. It was not a split team thing. We were both there at each cache and found them. In some cases we found way over 10 per hour. In some under because we actually went after some harder ones, and get this, we took a two hour dinner break! Our initial aim was 300, but with the dinner break and a short lunch break and going after some harder ones, there was no way to get 300. As for sleep, no we had no sleep. We went 10 am to 10am. At about 7am I whined "stimpy where is my ammo can!?!?!" It was exhausting, but fun! We only beat the previous record (also in Nashville) by two caches. Considering our breaks and the fact that we didn't totally focus on easy caches, it should be an easy record to break. And I look forward to seeing it broken! I did it for the experience and would be more than happy to advise others how to break it!

I did 130 in a day (roughly 16 total caching hours) out in the Palm Springs area last June, with my caching partner and four other seasoned cachers. Your experience sounds exactly as exhausting as ours was...Except we didn't have the luxury of 200+ drive-up hides. We wound up hiking it to 80 or so of them. It was a blast, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

 

I'm contemplating gathering a few high-scoring So Cal cachers in Nashville sometime next year to go for 250 or more.

 

My solo record stands at a measly 42 in a day. Without the company of fellow cachers, I eventually get bored and stop.

[+Night Stalker]

As you can tell the density of caches has really increased since we first started caching. At one time I was in the top 10 with 26. Now that number would be considered a slow day by many cachers.

[+nfa]

I've had a coule of 6 cache days, but can't seem to bust through that ceiling...

 

nfa

[+Allen_L]

This really shows the difference in geocachers. My last geocache trip i.e. a trip which whole purpose was to hunt geocaches took a total of 36 hours. 14 driving, 8 sleeping (we camped at a trail head), 6 eating, sitting around the campfire, telling tall tales, 8 hours on the trail. How many geocaches did we find in this 36 hours? One and it was one the best geocache trips I have been on.

 

my log.

[+carleenp]

This really shows the difference in geocachers. My last geocache trip i.e. a trip which whole purpose was to hunt geocaches took a total of 36 hours. 14 driving, 8 sleeping (we camped at a trail head), 6 eating, sitting around the campfire, telling tall tales, 8 hours on the trail. How many geocaches did we find in this 36 hours? One and it was one the best geocache trips I have been on.

 

my log.

Not necessarily. I found the Nashville experience to be just that, an experience. I greatly enjoyed it, but I am also happy with a long trip and hike for only a cache or two. I prefer the caches that involve hikes, but I also like to experience all sorts of caching.

 

With that in mind, Melakwa's Heaven was one of my best caching experiences ever. I think Lep enjoyed that one too. It was nice to do this cache not to long after the Nashville marathon.

 

Anyway, each was a different caching experience, but it does not necessarily reflect a difference of some sort in geocachers themselves.

[+The Leprechauns]

Geocaching is all about the experience. Every one can be different and you get to pick which one you want to have.

 

I enjoyed seeing how many caches I could find in 24 hours; sometimes it's about the numbers.

I enjoyed doing a hydrocache in a swamp at night; sometimes it's about the stupidity.

I enjoyed finding every cache in a rural county one February day during a blizzard; sometimes it's about four-wheel drive.

I enjoyed taking my mom, who can only walk a hundred yards or so and even then needing the aid of a portable oxygen tank, on her first 1/1 geocache hunt; sometimes it's about the principle.

I enjoyed taking my ten-year old daughter on a terrain 4 multicache hike, although it took some coaching to get her safely up some steep hills; sometimes it's about teaching a child how to overcome fears and gain self-confidence.

I enjoyed a virtual cache that took me on a driving tour of a Civil War battlefield; sometimes it's about learning some history.

I enjoyed finding ten caches in one day, solo, that were all rated 3 or above for terrain; sometimes it's about the challenge.

And I have enjoyed all 300 caches I've found with carleenp; sometimes it's about the company.

[+Team Perks]

Geocaching is all about the experience. Every one can be different and you get to pick which one you want to have.

 

I enjoyed seeing how many caches I could find in 24 hours; sometimes it's about the numbers.

I enjoyed doing a hydrocache in a swamp at night; sometimes it's about the stupidity.

I enjoyed finding every cache in a rural county one February day during a blizzard; sometimes it's about four-wheel drive.

I enjoyed taking my mom, who can only walk a hundred yards or so and even then needing the aid of a portable oxygen tank, on her first 1/1 geocache hunt; sometimes it's about the principle.

I enjoyed taking my ten-year old daughter on a terrain 4 multicache hike, although it took some coaching to get her safely up some steep hills; sometimes it's about teaching a child how to overcome fears and gain self-confidence.

I enjoyed a virtual cache that took me on a driving tour of a Civil War battlefield; sometimes it's about learning some history.

I enjoyed finding ten caches in one day, solo, that were all rated 3 or above for terrain; sometimes it's about the challenge.

And I have enjoyed all 300 caches I've found with carleenp; sometimes it's about the company.

Bravo! I don't think I could have possibly stated it any better than the furry little rodent did.

[+Allen_L]

Anyway, each was a different caching experience, but it does not necessarily reflect a difference of some sort in geocachers themselves.

Ah, but it does, I would never spend even a couple of hours trying to find a geocache every 10 minutes. That would not be a fun experience for me. But if you had fun taking 24 hours to do a large number of geocaches, that is great. If you also could enjoy doing a long hike to do a just a few (or one), that is great too. Different people enjoy different ways to geocache.

[+carleenp]

Anyway, each was a different caching experience, but it does not necessarily reflect a difference of some sort in geocachers themselves.

Ah, but it does, I would never spend even a couple of hours trying to find a geocache every 10 minutes. That would not be a fun experience for me. But if you had fun taking 24 hours to do a large number of geocaches, that is great. If you also could enjoy doing a long hike to do a just a few (or one), that is great too. Different people enjoy different ways to geocache.

My point was that it might be a hasty generalization to believe that because a person enjoys one kind of experience, it is the only kind they enjoy. So while certainly there can be different kinds of cachers, it is not necessarily safe to assume that there are differences or that the differences are all that great based on a certain experience. In some cases it could be true, but in many others it could be a false assumption.

 

Mostly I was nit-picking the phrase. Sorry, someone let the lawyerly part of me out today!

Edited September 2, 2004 by carleenp

[kayaker22589]

This really shows the difference in geocachers. My last geocache trip i.e. a trip which whole purpose was to hunt geocaches took a total of 36 hours. 14 driving, 8 sleeping (we camped at a trail head), 6 eating, sitting around the campfire, telling tall tales, 8 hours on the trail. How many geocaches did we find in this 36 hours? One and it was one the best geocache trips I have been on.

 

my log.

I love that area and used to go out there a lot. Haven't been out there since I started caching though.

[+Sagefox]

...I would never spend even a couple of hours trying to find a geocache every 10 minutes...

It is actually quite fun.

 

The challenge is multi-faceted and each part can be fun in itself. Organizing a route "on the fly", navigating to each site with one-way streets and no-turn signs trying to mess you up, "the hunt" at each site, the amount of times you walk right up to the container, the "easy" micro that actually takes fifteen minutes to find, the creek that happens to be in your way and you don't know where the nearest bridge is, the 12" subway sandwich you bought for lunch and the ½ you saved for dinner, and the well earned tiredness at the end of a day of physical effort.

 

With a good mix of urban micros, city parks and rural view caches you can have a well-balanced and rewarding trip. It is relatively easy to find between 15 and 30 caches in one long day without having to run. Mega-find events also can be a real treat with many people focused on the same fun activity.

 

Different people enjoy different ways to geocache.

 

And some different people enjoy many types of caching. An overnight stay followed by a 3 mile hike with a 1900' elevation gain to an incredibly wonderful view all for one cache is equally rewarding to me.

[+ChileHead]

And here I was happy with myself with I did 40 on my 40th birthday last week. Guess I have a long way to go!

[+The Leprechauns]

And here I was happy with myself with I did 40 on my 40th birthday last week. Guess I have a long way to go!

To the contrary, you should remain rightly proud of *YOUR* personal achievement and not compare it to the personal bests of other geocachers. It's like apples and oranges.

 

The 40 caches that you did were very likely a bit harder to get to, and to find, than the typical micros that I found during my marathon in Nashville. Perhaps if I were asked to find the same 40 caches that you did, I would come up short at 35 because you had better luck or better satellites, or you're in better shape than I am. Someone in excellent condition at age 25 might have been able to find those 40 caches in half the time, and gone on to find 30 more, and they could be proud of *that* record, and so on.

 

Prior to my insane chase after the 24 hour record, I had *never* found more than 40 caches in a day. And I bet you did your 40 caches unassisted. While I've found 25 to 40 caches on several occasions in the company of a small group of friends, the best I've ever done totally on my own is 24 caches. I always seem to get sidetracked into going after the caches that require a bit of a hike in order to reward me with a nice view or some solitude in a state park or the back side of a reservoir.

 

So long as you are happy with your own achievement, that is all which should matter, either to you or to anyone else. Congratulations on your finds! If you keep geocaching, you will stay young in spirit and in body, and your age will be just a number. I hope you find 41 caches on your next birthday.

[kablooey]

Anyone who finds 200 caches in a day is probably doing a poor job of CITO.

 

I think my record is 12 DNFs in a single day, though I'm pretty sure that Marky & Joani had more than that on one of their trips to Central California.

[+The Leprechauns]

Anyone who finds 200 caches in a day is probably doing a poor job of CITO.

 

I think my record is 12 DNFs in a single day, though I'm pretty sure that Marky & Joani had more than that on one of their trips to Central California.

kablooey, I'd be happier with your post if it contained a smiley to let me know you're kidding. You are kidding?

 

I can take off a day here and there from CITO without the world crashing to an end. On any other day, I'll gladly stack my record up against yours or anyone else's. For starters, I'm especially proud of the CITO Event that I organized.