This challenge cache is all about getting you to and about finding those difficult caches around your home town. Crack open that puzzle notebook, start googling for puzzle solving theories, or head back to that crazy difficult hide for another look!
For this challenge, you need to have found at least 75% of the most difficult 100 caches within a 50 mile/80km radius from your home coordinates, wherever they are. You may wish to attempt this challenge in conjunction with its sister challenge cache.
In order to qualify for finding and logging this challenge cache, you need to have found at least 75% of the top 100 most difficult (rated with most difficulty stars) caches on your "nearest to home" list, which is the list of all geocaches located within 50 miles or approximately 80 kilometres from your home coordinates.
You can work out if you qualify for this challenge by clicking on near your home location immediately under Search for geocaches in the Search Options panel on the right hand side of your profile page. Next click on the D in the (D/T) column heading until the list is sorted in descending order with the highest difficulty caches listed first. Now you can count the geocaches found and unfound in the list (only geocaches you do not own, as the geocaches you own do not count - you shouldn't be out finding them anyway) and if your count of found geocaches reaches 75 before your count of not yet found geocaches in the list reaches 25, then you have qualified.
To verify your qualification for this challenge, please post a note on the cache page including either a list of your qualifying finds, or images of the nearest to home list pages (we suggest with the actual distance to your home coords blurred or scrubbed out), or if you'd prefer you can send the list to the CO privately, and indicate this in your note on the cache page instead. Then, and only then, you may go ahead and find the challenge cache. Do not find, and sign the log of, the final cache until you have qualified.
One of the primary objectives of this cache is to add a little more fun to your geocaching experience. As with most things in life, if you're not having fun then you're probably not doing it right. That said, if this challenge is not your cup of tea then please do feel free to ignore it - no offence is intended or will be taken.
All of your previous and future geocache finds can count towards qualification for this challenge, and once you have verified your qualification (either by posting evidence in a note, or emailing the CO directly and mentioning you have done that in a note on the cache page) you may at any time thereafter visit the final cache, sign the log and log your visit here. There is no time limit of any kind during the qualification process, or between qualifying for and finding the final geocache.
The are a few exclusions for this challenge cache. Ratings on challenge caches generally reflect the challenge and not the final cache find, so you may optionally exclude up to 20 challenge caches (ignore them when counting your qualifying finds) and of course you should exclude this challenge cache if it appears on your list. Also excluded are your own hides - you may not include any geocaches that you have hidden, adopted (unless you found it before it was adopted by you), found when archived/disabled/missing even if you replaced them yourself - when counting your qualifying caches, simply ignore them as though they are not on the list.
There may well be some really difficult hides or puzzles that you just can't get your head around, or for whatever reason you are unable to find, and that's why you only need to have found 75 of the top 100 geocaches in order to qualify. While this is still meant to be a challenge, this should make the challenge achievable to most people inclined to solve puzzles and find difficult geocaches. It is all about encouraging people to get out and find more geocaches after all.
If you do not have more than 75 geocaches on your "nearest to home" cache list at all (remember to not exclude your found caches!) then in order to make the challenge fair for everyone, you will need to find all of the caches on your "nearest to home" list. In doing so, you will automatically qualify for this cache's sister challenge cache.
Please don't try and cheat on the list, and don't ask cache owners to re-rate their existing caches as more difficult, as you'll only really be cheating yourself - no one else will care, except those people who are progressing through the qualifying process already themselves. Remember it's only a game!
As mentioned in the section above, do not go and find the final cache until you have posted your qualification note on this page. Once you have logged your qualifying note, you can take as long as you like to go and find the final cache, which is located at the published coordinates shown above.
The difficulty and terrain ratings of this cache reflect somewhat the challenge as a whole, but the true difficulty and terrain of the final cache would be more like 1.5/1.5. The final cache is located adjacent to a road, so please be as careful as you normally would in such a location.
Finally, have fun!
YuGeo4