SerenitySearchers

Sorry this happened to you.. as others have said, it has happened before. We found one full of urine not that long ago in Ohio, posted NM, contacted owner. At any rate glad to see your cache is back up and running at this point, and cachers are enjoying the find!

Very curious as to why you hold this opinion? While we believe this to be a good thing, sincerely interested in why you don't think so?

May take a look at the discussion out of interest in the outcome, but will probably not participate lol

I am not talking about a member who will be returning, I am talking about members who have died, or are incapacitated permanently. While the cache may be property of the member who placed it, there is still a responsibility to the world community on the part of Groundspeak to assure we are not creating litter, or ownerless caches (this creates a whole list of problems). Therein lies the problem... the reviewer has no idea whether the CO has died, become incapacitated, gone off to prison, or is just taking a break. I left for a couple of years but restarted after retirement. And I didn't know whether I'd be back until I came back. If we (ok - GS) could dependably get the CO (or their executor) to proactively let them know, they could more easily get the CO to adopt out the cache and we wouldn't be in this pickle... But what I will say - is that if the CO becomes incommunicado, I don't think it's wrong to archive / remove / put the cache in foster care... I know that'll draw flames here... Fully agree, here. Groundspeak would have to know someone had passed, which in several cases this is true... and no flames from us.. this is how we feel as well.. ownerless caches or unresponsive owners create a gap in the responsibility circle of the game as a whole.

While we're still adjusting to the new log page, we do like the elimination of multiple caching, we have accidentally logged one more than once before and didn't realize it until later.

The thing about numbers??? Each person measures their caching by numbers in black and white (or is that yellow), it is the way the system was created, it is the system that we choose to take part in, and many of us not only choose to take part in it, but truly love and enjoy our passions. So assuming you are truly interested and not just attempting to stir the pot.. here is our individual reason for keeping track of numbers/stats. Each one of those numbers for us represents an adventure, an experience, and a part of our life. It doesn't matter if it was a park n grab on a guardrail that took 15 seconds to find, or a 5/5 multi that took 5 hours to complete... they are personal achievements for us, and it don't really matter if someone else approves or disapproves, because they are personal.. if somebody else is interested in our numbers then we are happy to share the joy and serenity of them with anyone The important thing here is to not assume to know things about another cacher simply based on their numbers.. just enjoy Geocaching in the way you want to(within the rules that Groundspeak has set) and let others do the same thing.

I am not talking about a member who will be returning, I am talking about members who have died, or are incapacitated permanently. While the cache may be property of the member who placed it, there is still a responsibility to the world community on the part of Groundspeak to assure we are not creating litter, or ownerless caches (this creates a whole list of problems).

Yes, a maintained cache can become moldy, at which time it is time for more maintenance.. which is exactly what happened in this case, and a reviewer did the whole community a favor by bringing attention to it.

Finding a Moldy cache is simply not as fun as finding a well maintained cache. We see no fault in what the Reviewer did in this situation, and actually thank them for their time and effort. Heck, maybe the reviewer in question should get an award for going above and beyond to make Geocaching great!!! (of course this is only an opinion, which can clearly be seen, is not shared by all) The cache was disabled, giving time for response to the perceived issue, no response the cache was archived. Did ANYONE step up during the allotted time period and clean the cache up, or write the reviewer with intent to do so, if this cache was so important... why not? <<< none of this is sarcasm, but sincere thoughts. The one thing worthy of noting here that could use evaluation regarding change by HQ is to find a better way to deal with the caches that are left behind by those who have passed on, or are no longer able to care for them. There are a couple instances of this issue in our direct area, caches that people would be happy to adopt but cannot(as far as I know). So some are taken care of on a regular basis by several cachers, while others are just left to become "moldy". Possibly once a reviewer is aware of a situation like this, a list of the caches could be made available for others to adopt, then if not adopted within a reasonable time period... archived.(just a thought)

Yep.. Love Em!! A drop down menu to choose how they are viewed.. great idea! (date earned, date issued, alpha, type?)

Several things come to mind, however the biggest thing that irks... People who get on these forums and somehow think they have the right to define what Geocaching is for everyone... and when you do something different than they would.. forget about it, the world is going to end! Geocaching is something that is enjoyed different by each person... rule making and enforcing is already covered by a very able staff at Geocaching HQ. When attacks and overly strong suggestions are made to put others down for their style of Geocaching, it is an obvious attempt to control things.. the only real thing it does is possibly steal joy away from others, and maybe yourself, cause after all.. you could be out Geocaching your own way, rather than telling others how it should be done!

Very well stated - "Fizzymagic"

We have found this more recently than in the past. Our accuracy at times has been off by say 40 feet consistently... this is when we figure it is an atmospheric condition and we adjust our search area, or we take a break for an hour or so. Of course there are many things that can affect it, but this is our biggest thing we run into. Sometimes this can be frustrating, but we just try to keep the attitude that it adds to our adventure

Yes, sadly, it is happening on PT's in many locations. We just experienced this practice while doing the Hog Trial in West Virginia. While we don't agree that this is good practice, we just go with it. On the other hand, when it comes to a true PT, I suppose I can see the point of why some practice this. Either way, we eat.. sleep... and breath.. Geocaching every moment we can... every smile is not only a number but an adventure and memory... so rather than make the rules or worry about how others follow/or don't.. we find serenity in what we do. When we get to the ET Highway... we will practice this as well

Exactly!

How does everyone manage to find every puzzle cache in a GeoArt? I have yet to accomplish this. And how do you distinguish the geoart on your map, amongst all the other smileys? Actually, you can't can you? J Grouchy's screenshot reminds me that you can't, it's a jumble of smiley icons in the final locations. Not all GeoArt creations are equal, some can be solved easily and were intended that way, and others not... we personally choose ones that we feel we can be successful at, and leave the ones that present too large a challenge for us at that time. Distinguishing is all in your perspective, and again not all are equal. We have several that are very fun and easily distinguished from the rest of the map.

The OP is referring to us.. if anyone has questions, please contact us. We do not appreciate anyone judging us, or sharing their public opinion of our Geocaching practices, especially when they have not even taken the time to contact us personally and have a discussion. Drop caches and power-trails are 2 different subjects. If a cache is intended to be an easy find in a power trail, then it is common practice for seekers to replace these... or even move them from location to location and some power trails even keep extra containers/logs in the first or last for this purpose. Dropping a cache at a location where you cannot find something, that was intended to be more difficult, that is not part of a power trail, in our opinion is not ok. (or even if it is a power trail and the owner has specified that they don't want caches replaced) We find PT's while we are caching because they are there and they are allowed, however our opinion is that they are out of control, and overall bad for the sport. Our numbers are not inflated, don't be a hater just because you choose to do things different... we feel an apology is owed to us.

Some are PT's.. However, some are not. We have done a bit of both... Always good to read the past logs on these before setting out, there is often great explanations of time/difficulty/miles involved. Either way, it is fun to add the smile art to the map!

We are headed out to New York for the Allegany State Park GeoBash! There is no lodging available on site for one or two beds. There is however 5 beds left. The 5 bed room is $175 for 3 nights(Thursday thru Sunday) and is right on the festival grounds. There is only 2 of us and we are looking for anyone who would like to split the cost of this larger room with us. We also wouldn't mind sharing a campsite ... campsites are limited to 6 people and 2 vehicles, again there are 2 of us and 1 vehicle, 1 tent. The cost of the campsite is $138.00 for 4 nights Wednesday to Sunday. Please let us know ASAP.. and we can set this up. Regardless of which option we go with... we are clean people, non-smokers, and have no pets... however we don't mind if you smoke or have pets. Let's get together and enjoy the event, and while we're at it save a bit of money so we can put it in the gas tank or spend it on pathtags.. lol!

Awesome... we have several of these 12 or 13 would be cool to come across another one