NorthWest Arkansas Cachers

We recently went to Orange Beach Alabama with RAT90 and did some caching while we were there. Although we did go to some really neat places (caches) there were many that were baffling to say the least.
Crazy 88 (GC1ZVWE) turned out to be a let down, with a 4 1/2/ 4 rating we thought it would be a challenge. It was a a clever hide although the 88 on the side was a give away, the terrain rating was way off. I litterly walked 30ft from were we parked across level ground in ankle high grass. I would have thought a reviewer would have caught that looking at the cords. Maybe not. I really think if it was around here it would have a rating of 2 / 1 1/2.
Hadley's Horde (GC25QRE) is rated at 5/1. The 1 is correct, it was only 12ft from the sidewalk. The 5 difficulty seemed a little high since it was a grey 5 gallon bucket sitting beside a tree.
There were several others rated at 2 1/2 or 3 that were either hanging in plain sight or just laying out in the open. I'm glad that the quality of caches around here, for the most part, are much better. Thanks to those who put a liitle effort into their hides!

What you'll notice as you cache in different parts of the country and even in different times of the year is that what may be common in one place is uncommon in another. This can sometimes make a difference in cache ratings. Also, the season's play a big part in diff / terr ratings. What may be hard to see in the summer foliage is in plain site during the winter. We've all had that 1.5/1.5 cache that we've had to go back for several times. We also need to realize that the reviewer probably hasn't cached in the area that he's reviewing. (Up until a couple of years ago, the Maine reviewer lived in South Carolina. I think the LA reviewer is from the Pacific NW.) Without actually having seen a spot, he has no way of knowing that your 5 terrain cache is wheelchair accessible.

Speaking to a guy from Shreveport at the event in Paris a couple of weeks ago, it made sense when he said that when planning trips he looks for the most favorited caches to add to his todo list. Makes sense to me!

What Arkansas considers a terrain 4 would be a 2 in Nevada.

I found this out the hard way. Luckily I had a native tour guide to show me some caches there.

In Wisconsin there are terrain 4-5 caches on islands in rivers and lakes. The high terrain rating makes sense in the summer when you need a boat to get to them, but could easily be considered a 2 once the winter comes, the water freezes, and you can easily walk, snowmobile, or even drive right to them.