Fair way to find a multi/mystery cache?

[Bill D (wwh)]

There's a new cache near me which is listed as a multi but which is also part mystery cache... I'm completely stumped on the mystery part, but using local knowledge together with information on the cache page and the hint, I'm pretty sure I could go straight to the final container. I wouldn't even need my gps at all...!

But is it fair to do that, or is it cheating? If someone did that with a cache of mine I'd have no problem with it, but I'd be interested to hear what others think. Would you go for the cache in those circumstances, completely bypassing the mystery element and the early stages? And if you were the cache owner would you be happy with someone finding the final stage that way?

[nobbynobbs]

If I'm honest it's nearly always a little side challenge for me. Can I locate the final without actually having to go al lthe way round and solve it.

Nearly always still do if the walk/views and so on are worth it but it's the laugh to know that you didn't need to.

I've got no problem with anyone doing it on one of my caches at the end of the day as long as they find the cache and sign the log without ruining it for anyone else then game on :cheers:

[Izzy and the Lizard King]

We would go straight for the cache and blame the cache setter for not thinking things through better before they placed it. If it was one of our caches we would certainly congratulate anyone who found the cache without the need to find the intermediate stages (and blame ourselves for making it possible).
Where someone sets a multi and all the stages are taking you to places of interest in their own right then why haven't they been set as individual caches with a bonus cache at the end? Much more preferable when you get to visit all the separate parts AND you get the numbers!

[Just Roger]

I would have no hesitation in going for it and logging as a find and also would accept it if anyone did that on one of my caches.

I can go one better and admit to logging a find on a cache, not even knowing it existed until after it was found. We are doing the Thames path in sections with muggle friends and I am also doing the trad caches on the path at the same time. I discount multis and puzzles to avoid ne need for backtracking etc. in deference to our friends. On one section recently we were walking along with no caches showing on the map when Mrs Muggle said, "What's that in there. It looks like a cache." and it was! It turned out to be the final of a puzzle which I had filtered out of the caches along a route PQ

[keehotee]

I wouldn't - and in fact very recently it happened on one of mine - not by sussing where the final might be, but by deliberately cracking the encryption rather than collecting the stages....he asked if he could log it as a find, I said of course he could if he could let me know the key from stage 3...
There's now an additional logging requirement to prevent it happening again
https://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=bf3fc714-ff99-485a-9541-b07cb4556ab1&log=y

[T.R.a.M.P.]

The bonus of a series we did recently gave such a clear hint that anyone could go straight to it without bothering with any of the series - in fact at least one cacher has done just that:p.
I think I would go for the cache using just the hint but don't think it fair to claim FTF in that case.
We actually did the lot and claimed FTF:cool:.

[Bear and Ragged]

A short multi near home.
Go 'here' to get the numbers, then go 'there' for the final.

The cache name and knowing the area, I knew where the final would be. :D

Still haven't done it yet! :ohmy:

[The Wombles]

I did this once for a nearby multi. I ran out of daylight to do the multi stages so went straight to the cache, but then worked backwards though the clues.

[t.a.folk]

I'd go for it .

[Bill D (wwh)]

Well, most people seem to take the same view as me on this! :)

I'm dogsitting two and a half hours from home at the mo, but when I get back I'll see if my local knowledge is as good as I think it is...! :p :socool:

[nobbynobbs]

We await a progress report.....

[Alan White]

Well, most people seem to take the same view as me on this! :)

A little late but, yes, I agree too. The requirement (subject to any ALR) is to sign the logbook in the final cache. It's up to the cache owner to make it easy or difficult to do that :).

[Bill D (wwh)]

We await a progress report.....

That'll be at the weekend, then... :)

[t.a.folk]

..it's the weekend .
No pressure then :D

[Bill D (wwh)]

Hmm, it's not gonna be this weekend now... I've been away in Cardiff for a week with somewhat dodgy and intermittent internet access, and I only got back last night, and right now I'm up to my eyes catching up on stuff... One day, lol...!

[fraggle69]

There's a new cache near me which is listed as a multi but which is also part mystery cache... I'm completely stumped on the mystery part, but using local knowledge together with information on the cache page and the hint, I'm pretty sure I could go straight to the final container. I wouldn't even need my gps at all...!

But is it fair to do that, or is it cheating? If someone did that with a cache of mine I'd have no problem with it, but I'd be interested to hear what others think. Would you go for the cache in those circumstances, completely bypassing the mystery element and the early stages? And if you were the cache owner would you be happy with someone finding the final stage that way?

LOL!
Bill, If I could bypass all the naf questions and all the puzzles I just don't get and found a loop hole in the system then I'd jump down that hole like a rabbid wabbit.(pen in paw for the log) :)

Does that answer your question?

[Happy Humphrey]

I'm like Nobby and regard it as a little extra challenge, the detective work often being more fun than following the prescribed path (it's supposed to be a fun game, I think). Although sometimes it takes longer than just doing the whole thing.

I managed a FTF a couple of years ago like this: realising that there were only a few places that the final could be, plotting them on Memory Map and noticing that one location looked much more likely than the others. It turned out to be correct, and I baffled the cache setter by remarking that I'd missed out all the stages and found the cache without GPS (the map was enough).
I felt slightly guilty that I'd disappointed the inexperienced cacher by making this comment (perhaps I should've pretended to find it 'legitimately'?), but this was tempered by the feeling that he'll make his next multicache hide more 'watertight'.

[gazooks]

I had a similar experience recently with a newbie cache setter.

A new cache popped up near where I work and I worked where the sign for the clue was - realised what to look for - googled it and plotted the co-ords on Google Earth and went looking for it after work (without GPS) and found it - FTF.

Not quite in the spirit of the cache but a find is a find. :D