What a mess!

No the title is not about anything I've done, but rather Groundspeak's Wherigo.com web site, not updated since 2008. Still described as "Beta", and so full of bugs, it's a hair pulling experience trying to use it.

Yet sadly Groundspeak are so busy monkeying around with their Cash Cow, Geocaching.com, that they are not embarrassed, at the state of Wherigo.com 

So where to start, will I decided to add a bit of insane and manic fun to a event, but how?

Hmm I thought I'd have a go at a Wherigo Cache, but using Groundspeak's Builder was not a option, it is so flaky and constantly crashes. So after a bit of research, I cam across wherigo\\kit which is a Wherigo Cartridge builder web site, with point and click on a map interface.

Just what I was looking for, a wherigo builder for numpties like me.

So having already got a general location in mind, I moved the map to the general area, and set it to Google Satellite. Ok what am I aiming to do? Now remember I mentioned "a bit of insane and manic fun"? well that got me to thinking, having visited several parts of the area, I'd a good idea of the terrain, so had a good idea of where the cartridge needed to run. And then I had a brain wave (more about that when the Cache is live).

So ok I've got the skeleton idea, now to fill it out. But how? And that is when the second brainwave (yes you know, more after the Cache has been published)

So ok I knew where I wanted to start, which gave me my grounding point, but where next? When it hit me in the face, like a wet noodle! So Stages One and two sorted, now where for 3? and things just sort of started to fall into place, building its self.

wherigo\\kit, allows you to change the order of stages, by simply dragging them up or down the Stages List. So picking locations, and seeing a "As the Crow Flys" line between each stage as they are added, helped with the sorting. A very handy feature. I had the full cartridge, apart from the Final location sorted.

But I needed to test the Cartridge out, and that is where Wherigo.com created hair pulling started, upload a cartridge and create a page, but edit it? Not a chance! Run the Emulator, again not a chance, unless your techno savey and can install extra software needed to run the emulator, software you have to locate, download, and then install in the appropriate locations on your computer. What a mess!

As for installing on a Smartphone, well that was another hair puller, and one the solution was so simple for in the end.

Ok testing time, I was very lucky, in that my Boss on the North Wales Mega 2016 Committee, Angie - Sir and Lady Harveyjj offered to meet  up with me, to test the cartridge out.

So the Day of the Test and we meet at the Visitors Centre, for a Bacon and Egg Barm in my case, and a mouth watering piece of cake for Angie. Whilst at the Visitors Centre, Angie, managed to have a word with the Senior Ranger, and obtain Permission for the Container (even though at that time, just a general area had been ID'd)

So after our delightful food, we set off, arriving at the first location, my phone decided to play up, and would not fire up the GPS, so it said I still needed to go 1.3km. Luckily enough, Angies phone worked as intended, so off we set, visiting the various stages, until the last one, from there we went on a journey of discovery, trying to find a suitable location. One which luckily jumped out at us, and which was not in any proximity to any other cache in the area.

So once back home it was a case of finish off the Cartridge, and upload it to Wherigo.com. Only I decide that the page needed tweaking. Opened the Edit page, made the edits, and saved. Only for a error message, so make my way back to the page, edits not saved, try again, and again, and again (by this time your getting the idea of where the "What a mess" comes from). So ok Upload the cartridge as a completely new one, and so a new page. Create the page and make sure everything is sorted, before saving.

Right now for the cache page, which I'd already prepared in draft stage, edit that to add the location of the container, edit the description to fit in with the Guidelines. Then press the submit button, and the nail biting wait began.

Less than 24 hours later, and the cache had been Reviewed and will go live sometime during Ddraig Chat GC58Y6W which is the Location Announcement Event for the North Wales Mega 2016 Committee (not that you'd know it from the Event page, due to the huge amount of restrictions put in place by Groundspeak)

I will fetch a lap top, with the cartridge on it, available to download, for those who can't download it on to their phone/GPSr. And I will happily do the 2.5 mile, 2 - 3 hour walk, with anyone who wishes to get the FTF after the event. Oh did I mention it's a D2/T4 rated cache.