Tabbycattracks

You'd miss out on quite a few very good caches. Some of the earliest cachers, you know, the ones who placed those caches that folks plan, and take vacation to visit, as well as Virtuals that so many enjoy, are often placed by people who only have a couple finds themselves (some with none). Well if that's the case, that's the case...I haven't been disappointed in any of my finds yet. I also don't get the time to do this as much as I'd like, so I'm sure I will also miss out on some good ones just because my free time is so limited (2 jobs and a few different hobbies) ;-)

My goal is to get 50 finds before I hide my own (and I am planning on reaching that goal)....and yes, I would agree than anyone who wants to hide one should have some finds under their belt before doing so. Even in places where cache finds are limited, I would think the bare minimum would be at LEAST 10 finds.... If a someone has a hide and no finds, I'd have a hard time taking that seriously and less likely to go out looking for such a hide....

UPDATE: Checked back in the Cache page today and saw that it has been archived. Apparently someone else had a negative encounter in previous weeks as well.

Honestly, I don't want to see it archived....it was a nice cache and it was in a good spot. I think it's a very strong possibility that the Cache owner did have permission and the guy that gave me trouble just wanted to pick an argument with me. I was VERY polite with him and he was a complete jerk to me....perhaps he's just someone who hates life. This particular Cache owner has quite a few Caches in this area. I know I have found at least one other from the same person. No problem there.

Just an update.....I went ahead and logged the Cache and reported the issue. I emailed the Cache owner yesterday....and upon further investigation,it looks like they live a couple hours away (so it's unlikely it will receive any immediate attention). They have not, thus far, contacted me back. I included a very brief synopsis of the problem and a caution to anyone who might go looking. I certainly do not want to see anyone else have the same encounter I did...or worse get hurt (or in trouble if permission was not granted). As for cemetery caches~ I don't have a problem with them as long as they are away from the grave sites and folks are respectful. I would never go searching if someone was there mourning a loved one or a funeral was in progress. In the future, I will avoid proceeding at all unless a cemetery is completely empty.

Thank You very much for all of your thoughtful responses. I can assure everyone that what I've posted here is truthful. I did send a contact email to the Cache owner with a copy/paste of what I wrote here (I did let him/her know I posted this question on the forum). I still have not left a note in the Cache details page as I do not want to discourage others from looking if the owner did, indeed, have permission to place the Cache. I'm thinking it's possible that this caretaker may be different from whomever might have given permission. I'm hoping that if the owner had permission, they can contact that person and relay what happened...perhaps straighten things out--or not. Otherwise, perhaps they will decide to move the Cache elsewhere and disable that location. At any rate, I don't want to ruin things if the owner did, somehow, have permission and all parties involved with the cemetery were not notified.

First, let me say~ I am new to Geocaching. I have only 17 finds and have had 1 only experience with a "muggle," which was easily deflected as it was in a park. Well....This afternoon, before heading home from picking something up at my folks' place~ I decided to do a quick Cache. This one was a cemetary find on my way home. When I pulled into the Cemetery, I heard a mower going....but did not see anyone nearby. Looking back on the situation, I should have probably made sure everything was deserted completely.. but I didn't Like many of the cemetery caches I have done, this one was on the outer perimeter of the property~ not even remotely close to any markers (as it should be out of respect). It was fairly easy to slip into the wooded boundary and locate the Cache. After signing the log and returning things where I found them, I casually meandered back to my car. I was about 20 feet away from it when this older gentleman rides up behind me on a mower, shuts it off, and very gruffly asks me what I was doing. Assuming that his was the mower I heard and that he was a caretaker....I decided to just try to explain truthfully rather than making up a story (I did not want him to think I was doing anything illegal). I tried to be polite, but he barely listened to the first 15 words I had to say before raising his voice at me & telling me I HAD NO BUSINESS doing what I was doing and that he didn't care who was hiding what, and that I needed to make THEM STOP (as if I personally knew the Cache owner)!!!! He then said I was crazy to be going into any wooded area to "meet someone" without knowing who they were (little did he know -or probably care- that I am a hiker and do it all the time). I also never said I was meeting anyone (it was clear he was not listening to my explanation of what Geocaching is) . I finally told him that he should look up Geocaching on the Internet to learn more about it and there wasn't much more I could tell him (because he obviously wasn't listening to me). In retrospect, I always hope that people are getting permission before placing Caches such as this one (it was a nice find). I left feeling angry and frustrated and honestly.....wondering if I should continue caching (as I have really come to enjoy it).I do not mean harm, nor want to get into "trouble," ...and yet I don't feel this guy had any intention of being pleasant with me OR really listening to what I had to say. He had his mind made up that I was up to no good and that left me feeling defensive & annoyed. I haven't yet logged anything onto the Cache page for this find as I have mixed feelings about sharing this experience (or being associated with a placement that clearly isn't wanted). I am assuming this guy was a caretaker there, but do not know in what (if any) other capacity he might be involved with the cemetery. So my question to more experienced Cachers.....what would you have done?

I'm a newbie at this. I have 12 Cache finds under my belt & probably another 4 or 5 no finds....I don't get angry. I might get a little disappointed when I don't have a find, but mentally I always give myself a little credit for trying. I enjoy being outdoors enough in general, that I'm always happy to remind myself~ that even with a non-find, I'm outside enjoying myself and I'm not at work (I have 2 jobs, so is a treat to not be at work)!!!! As for Cache maintenance, I would have no problem adding extra log sheets if needed, but since a lot of my finds thus far have been on my way too and from other activities or obligations, I rarely have much more on me then a good pair of hike shoes, my smart phone, and a pen. In the future, I plan to put a cache box together to keep in my car (I need to start collecting a bit of swag so i can swap occasionally rather than just signing the log). When I get that done, I will most certainly include paper to add to logs if needed. I appreciate every cache hidden regardless of if the owner stays on top of the"maintenance" or not. In my opinion, folks who are getting angry have much deeper issues than simply not finding a cache....

Hello everyone! My name is Karol and I live in Wisconsin. I have been wanting to try Geocaching for several years now, but never really took the plunge. Last week, after a particularly rough week,and to cheer myself up...I decided on a whim to look it up in a phone app and see if there were any Caches in my local area (plenty). I thought what the heck, I'll see if a can find one on my way home from work. Not only did I find it, I had an absolute blast looking for it! I now have a total of 8 searches under my belt with 5 finds. I am hooked. What's more, I am an avid hiker and camper, so I'm looking forward to adding this activity to my camping outings and hikes. I signed up for a 3 month, Premium membership yesterday and I am interested in any Geocaching meet & greets in the Sauk County, Wisconsin area if anyone knows of any. I would love to meet fellow Cachers and build on this as a fun hobby! A heartfelt Thank You goes out to all who have placed well thought out Caches for folks like me to find!

Hello everyone! My name is Karol and I live in Wisconsin. I have been wanting to try Geocaching for several years now, but never really took the plunge. Last week, after a particularly rough week,and to cheer myself up...I decided on a whim to look it up in a phone app and see if there were any Caches in my local area (plenty). I thought what the heck, I'll see if a can find one on my way home from work. Not only did I find it, I had an absolute blast looking for it! I now have a total of 8 searches under my belt with 5 finds. I am hooked. What's more, I am an avid hiker and camper, so I'm looking forward to adding this activity to my camping outings and hikes. I signed up for a 3 month, Premium membership yesterday and I am interested in any Geocaching meet & greets in the Sauk County, Wisconsin area if anyone knows of any. I would love to meet fellow Cachers and build on this as a fun hobby! A heartfelt Thank You goes out to all who have placed well thought out Caches for folks like me to find!