brokenoaks

One of the things that got me interested in geocaching is the lack of ridged rules. Just a few simple guidelines and go out and play the game. I seldom log finds or do not find because I don’t want to. Perhaps the OP’s list of reasons for not logging DNF is the reasons some keep detailed statistics.

#2 What is really odd is how a cache can be grandfathered in. Before geocaching ever started it was illegal to leave anything lying around in designated wilderness land. Anything placed out there before groundspeaks current guideline should have been removed. You many get approval on some public lands but I don’t believe you can get one on designated wilderness land.

Before I go looking for a cache I actually read the description and at least a few of its newer logs. From that little bit of reading I can almost always tell if it is in a location I care to cache in, if it is a type of container I care to find, and even if it needs maintenance. This just seems like a very easy way to eliminate looking for all those junk caches out there. I don’t have a lot of finds but I have enjoyed almost every one I do have and I don’t have to deal with being frustrated by someone’s actions that I have no control over

Well said, I'm not sure Groundspeak realizes the can of worms they've opened up. From the rumble I'm hearing from our local cachers this revolt is just starting. This "can of worms" has been opened for years and threads pop up like this several times a year where people are furious that Groundspeak won't let them promote their agenda. I recall a huge blow up because they wouldn't allow caches encouraging tsunami relief. Another furor about not allowing Toys for Tots caches. There have been many others. The veteran one comes up at least once a year, usually around this time. Groundspeak has wisely (in my opinion) decided to keep all agendas out of geocaching. The idea is to keep it a light-hearted, fun activity. Nearly everybody has their pet agenda and I like that I can geocache without being bombarded with caches urging me to be aware of breast cancer, support PETA, give to the Red Cross, find Jesus, thank a teacher, whatever. It's not an anti veteran thing (the president of Groundspeak is a veteran himself, as are many of the reviewers), it's an anti agenda thing. Frankly I think the idea of honoring veterans by sticking a film canister in a parking lot or some Tupperware in a tree stump is kind of lame. If you really want to honor them volunteer at a VA hospital, support legislation that positively impacts our veterans, go to a Veterans Day observance, donate money to veteran related causes, join the Patriot Guard, clean up the veterans section of a cemetery. A geocache in their honor? That is just a cop out. Do something tangible for these men and woman who gave so much. Thank you BrianSnat. This is an excellent post. I hope people are listening. Hmmm what about the Dinosaur Train PBS Caches? Check out the current thread on that one. I think the problem is Groundspeak not applying their rules evenly. Of course it's their game and they can play however they want. The truth is, agendas are promoted all the time within geocaching.

It is as simple as this: trespassing is the act of being on property without permission from the owner or lessee. Subject to state and local laws it is up to that owner or lessee what action may or may not be taken against the trespasser. Just because the law chooses to not prosecute trespass under most circumstances doesn’t give anyone the right to simply wander through anyone’s private property. How about a little respect for the property owner and simply ask before placing or searching a cache?

Not a bad person????????? What kind of people are you hanging out with??? I will not be sucked in to trying to justify what this old man did. Nor will I condone trespassers regardless of how it’s defined. I may not shoot you for it but stepping on my land without permission is trespassing. As to your question, I have seen the face of true evil and have developed an opinion of what I consider a “bad person” as opposed to someone who makes poor decisions. I no longer hang out with the bad people.

I like personal signature type swag that kind of defines who has been there. I generally don’t take anything but I leave my signature item to add to the story of the cache.

Is all this “what constitutes trespassing” really worth someone’s life? No matter how well someone may know the law if ya get shot and killed for going after a geocache on someone’s property without their permission, they may be in jail but you will be just as dead. Perhaps going the extra distance to be sure could go a long way to preventing tragedy. It is obvious this old man made a stupid decision to shoot but that does not make him a bad person, just scared and foolish. Going after a geocache on private land without permission is also rather foolish. And no they should get shot for it but being right does not always save ones life.

It doesn’t really matter if land is posted or not, before placing a cache the cache owner should stay off private land unless they have permission from the land owner. If they don’t know whose land they are on then they should stay off until they find out. Just because a cache owner is thoughtless enough to palace a cache on private land without permission doesn’t give finders the right to go after it. Finders have the same responsibility to know whose land they are on and have the proper permission.

My wife and I went out and found a couple of caches today, first time out in about a year. I found something different in one. It was a laminated photo of a geocoin. It had the tracking number so when I got home I looked it up. The owner states that he did not want to get the real one stolen so he keeps it and sends a photo out in its place. Is this an acceptable practice and how wide spread has it become? I guess I don’t have a problem with it but it’s a really cheesy thing to find in a cache and I doubt I would ever move someone’s photos along to another cache.

I totally agree with what the OP is saying about the powers that be. This all may be just a business for Groundspeak but successful business listen to their customers. This is the most common complaint I hear about Groundspeak, " they are the gods of geocaching and play by their rules or don't play." I got on board early on and had a premium membership for a few years but no more. between the forum moderators and the cache reviewers the freedom and fun of geocaching has become just another commercial endeavor for the enrichment of a few at the expense of the many with no consideration of what the "customers" want. I still sometimes read this forum do some caching but after this post I will probably be band, O well I have been wanting to get this rant out for some time now.

additional logging requirements are common and sometimes fun but this one may be a little over the top. a new cache GC2CYTN description states "To log a “Found it” for this cache in addition to finding the cache and signing the logbook you must have: Found one hundred Puzzles Caches. Your ‘Logging a Find and a ‘Smiley’ will be Deleted if you do not qualify". yes I know if I don't like it I don't have to look for this cache and I won't. I was just wondering what others opinions of this requirement are.

Thank you for this helpful and insightful post on the subject! In fact, I thought the same thing until I actually read the OP. Turns out he was giving a little bit of contextual background, for what this thread was really about: "How is geocaching a positive activity for children" In your rush to make this completely unhelpful post, you didn't even take any time to see if the OP actually did have any merit or not. In future, maybe you could just not post in a thread you disagree with instead of wasting someone's scroll space. I just love personal attacks

I am in amazement! This forum has reached a new low in allowing this thread to go on. the moderators getting sucked in to the foray is even a low for them. I suppose for saying so they will delete my post or maybe even ban me but too bad. what in the world does someone's divorce and custody problems have to do with geocaching? this thread would make a better read in the cache in trash out section.

For me it depends on the severity of the maintenance needed. I carry a couple of extra pens, paper, and baggies in my geo bag just for replacing these items if need be. I will also rearrange the hiding spot if the container has become exposed (but never move the location). if it needs more extensive maintenance like replacing the container I leave a "need maintenance" note on the listing page. Never have contacted a owner directly though.

admittedly I quickly skipped through this thread catching just the highlights but this has all been hashed over many times in this forum. it really comes down to just two basic problems with newbies hiding caches. 1. poorly thought out placement 2. failure to maintain the cache. These two problems occur and get debated over and over in this forum. If you go back and look at the old threads this comes up as often with well seasoned cachers as newbies. It makes no difference if somone has one or thousands of finds, , if they are going to be lazy and ill responsible they simply will be that way regardless of the numbers. Who puts themselves up so high that they think they can decide for us all what is a poor cache and what is not? take me for instance, I hate MICROS! I filter them out of my search criteria and don't look for them but to some of you micros are as suitable of cache as any. Sure there are the obvious caches that should never be placed but we have reviewers to determine if they violate the guidelines. If some slip through or a cache is not being maintained, Groundspeak has procedures in place for the general caching community to take care of it. more rules will not fix these minor problems.

is there a way to look up geocaches on geocaching .com by the user name who placed the cache?

I know very well that lengths of fishing line, such as might be cut by a fisherman that snagged a tree or couldn't undo the backlash tangle... birds particularily can get entrapped in it. But a foot or two of it used to hang a cache... I can't see how that could cause issues with wildlife. What am I missing? What you appear to be missing is a knowledge of wildlife and the environment. I will give you a simple example. someone leaves a little 6 inch piece of monofilament line laying on the ground. a bird picks it up thinking it will make good nest building material. At about a week old the three chicks that she has hatched out become entangled in that little piece of line and all die a horrible death of cuts and strangulation. This is a true story. I witnessed it after the fact.

Fishing line should not be used in caches! Fishing line is just plain deadly to wildlife.

with so many types and classifications of public lands it is advisable to check with the agency in charge of the areas you are interested in. Given that public agencies sometimes don't know who is authorized to make the rules it can be difficult to know who to ask. Often specific agencies can even be confused by their own policies. Many don't even have one so they just make it up as they go. Best policy, get your permission in writing.

I would also suggest poking a stick in those dark holes before your hand. in my part of the country the bigger concern is things in there that bite. gloves won't protect you from that.

I found one like that! I'm not much into micros but finding that little ammo can was great. it certainly wasn't what we were expecting for a cache container out in rural eastern Oregon. It took some time and we really enjoyed the search.

you might consider contacting the owners of the trackable items with these details and let them make the decision about their own property. this can be done by either emailing them or leaving a note on the trackable log page.

Taking TB and Geocoins out of a cache and keeping them as ones personal possession has nothing to do with legitimate collecting. it's simply common thievery. anyone who is into Geocaching knows what a trackible is and what to do with it. gees its right there attached to the TB and there is an entire forum category dedicated to them. steeling TB,s is just another one of those self-centered ill responsible acts that some people feel they just have to engage in.

Of course. Even Dr Seuss had an agenda. But caches are not libraries. For some reason, many people seem to be unable to grasp the difference between "against the guidelines" and "morally wrong." There's nothing wrong with having an opinion. There's nothing wrong with supporting a cause. There's nothing with having beliefs. It's simply against the guidelines to place a GEOCACHE for the purpose of promoting an agenda. That's not a judgment against the agenda, whatever it may be. it appears that you want everyone to accept your definition of "agenda". like a lot of words in the English language the definition of "agenda" differs from person to person. Geocaching itself can be construed as an agenda. I believe every cache out there has to some degree an agenda. We have cache reviewers that do the best they can to keep it all within the intent of Groundspeak. After all their just guidelines. No way will everyone be satisfied. at least I hope not because when I place a cache with an agenda to draw people to what I perceive as special spot I don't want it not published because someone does not agree with what I find special and thus label it an unacceptable agenda.