Mudfrog

I log a DNF if I didn't find the cache. I'm not worried at all if there are other DNFs and in fact, figure it helps get the CO motivated to check things out. A cache is not automatically archived when a CHS is triggered and it's easy to get things straightened out if it does happen. If a CO refuses to take any kind of action, then his or her cache needs to be archived.

Had this one come into my head a couple of times when I was way out in the boonies.

Babslover was both, a gungho geocacher and a Barbara Streisand fan and a half. She was really into geocaching and placed some creative and excellent caches. But for reasons unknown, she pretty much went cold turkey some several years back. Don't quote me on this but I think she just lost interest and moved on to something else.

I definitely remember those days! I also remember having just an arrow to navigate by and all the wrong turns we made trying to follow it. Yes, improvements are a good thing but at the same time, some of the adventure/challenge/fun has gone by the wayside because of all improvements and hand-holding we have these days.

With Groundspeak's blessing. As per usual, Groundspeak see's an opening to possibly gain a few numbers and jumps on it without thinking about the long term consequences of our hobby. I sometimes think the company is purposely trying to shoot itself in the foot.

I haven't tried to compute the numbers but from the email notifications I receive, it's obvious the archival rate for my area is greater than the publish rate. There seems to be a pattern, this being that the caches being archived are pretty much all less than ordinary, easy, boring, non-interesting, forgotten by their owners who themselves lost interest in geocaching, caches. Common sense tells me that even if there are more caches being placed, as in your Ohio example, that they're not going to make any difference in the grand scheme of geocaching,,, because, from what I'm reading in this thread, those 386 active caches are just another lot of non-interesting caches. They may be maintained better but that in itself isn't going help to keep the excitement of geocaching alive. Imo, this is just another attempt to bolster numbers that'll only work for a short duration of time. We need to forget about quantity for a minute and focus more on quality.

I've helped hide caches a number of times. For me, it would be silly to log any of them as finds since I didn't "find" them. I didn't look up coordinates, I didn't have to use a GPSR or phone to get to them, and I certainly didn't have to do any searching to find those caches. Imo, that's not really geocaching...

Where's the slapping of the forehead emoticon when you need it? Guess I was looking too closely at the images and passed right by that last text. OP, Looks good!

Nope! Looks interesting though so I'll be checking back.

This was a newly published cache and the logsheet was empty so I figured it was probably the owner's doing..

The OP's is a decent example for showing low effort but I've definitely run across better examples. How bout an empty, still wet with residual cola, plastic .5 liter coke bottle with a torn piece of notebook paper inside? I thought it was trash at first but figured I'd try to retrieve the paper to make sure. Yep, it had the words "geocache log" on it.

Bingo, Bingo! I doubt it hooks very many though...

At face value, yes, almost any type of log can be misleading. More than likely thought, we're able to get a good idea of why the log was posted, if we take the time to read it. I have posted several DNFs over the years, a few where I could see the cache but not reach it, some where I was headed for a cache but got derailed, etc,,,. I always give the circumstances involved for my decision to log a DNF. Take the time to read it and it'll tell right away if there's an implication the cache might be missing.

You were there and you did participate, in a fashion. But did you actually accomplish what the actual climbers did? If someone asked about your climb to the top,,, would you tell them that you actually made the climb? Imo, this is pretty much the same situation we have with geocaching. Say I watched someone do the work, maybe even held a ladder for them. Sure, I did participate,, but did I really find the cache?

No matter what they paid for it, everyone already has a phone before they install the geocaching app. You can bet your sweet bippy, the phone wasn't bought just to use with geocaching. Of course if they happen to think like me, they wouldn't have paid much (think less than $60 at most, so far) for a phone in the first place.

Myself, I have to make it to ground zero, then to the container, then to the logbook, before i consider logging a cache as found. I'm such a stickler that even after watching another person climb and sign for everyone, I've climbed afterward to prove to myself that i really got a cache. I don't have a problem with someone else signing my name if I know for a fact the cache, in its hiding spot, is reachable by me. At the same time, and this is a bit hypocritical on my part,, there have been quite a few times where I made a challenging grab and then passed the cache to others waiting so they could sign. It seems that most cachers, cache owners, don't have a problem with this. Me, It's either I get it myself or log the DNF. Imo, virtually logging a physical cache is plain silly and a great example of how NOT to geocache.

Putting it into perspective, the chance of meeting up with the virus from a geocache container is most likely much lower than when doing other normally routine things such as grocery shopping and pumping gas. Still, there is the slight chance it can occur. We go to adding everything else that might go into a geocaching trip and the odds become greater. Driving (possibly getting into an accident), pumping gas, buying snacks/supplies, greater chances of running into people, and grabbing the cache itself offer up opportunities for catching/spreading this thing. I don't know,, Do viruses like covid-19 survive longer on surfaces in dark and/or damp areas? I may be totally off base but my thinking is that a damp geocache could be a place that a virus might survive longer??? Our local government has stay at home guidelines in place right now. We are advised to not go out except for going to work or when necessities are needed. Gecoaching is a fun hobby but it does not fall into the category of being essential or necessary at this time. No over-reaction here, I'm simply doing my share to help slow this mess.

Finding a cache itself is not part of the health equation. If anything, finding a cache these days can be unhealthy, possibly deadly. It's very obvious this new virus is more easily spread and more dangerous than a regular seasonal flu virus. No one has a good grasp on how long this virus can actually last on various surfaces or all the ways it can be spread. A stay at home order is mandated by most state's governments. Exercise outside is an exception but I don't think lingering in an area, finding caches, touching, possibly coughing or sneezing on them, falls into this exercise category.

The bolded above, people thinking for themselves, is what presents problems. One person thinks one way, another person thinks another way, and yet another person thinks somewhere in between. One believes the pandemic is real and listens to what has been said about the virus and how it's being spread. Another person believes there is a virus but it's not all that bad and they'll shake it off if they get it. Then there are others who believe the whole virus thing is a hoax and go on about their business as usual. It'd be one thing if the person who made the wrong decision only affected themselves. Unfortunaely, that's not the way it works with this situation. With this virus, people "thinking for themselves" can cause harm to others around them.

I have two caches placed at Interstate rest areas that get found quite often, sometimes multiple times a day. It's clear to me there's a chance people can be in proximity to each other going for them. It's also very clear that the virus can be left with the cache and spread to the next finder if conditions are right. I did the right thing and disabled those caches. I made sure to leave a note stating why they were disabled.

I have never worried about getting my hands dirty, sliming up my hands with a moldy cache, or diving into the muck. I'm still not that worried for myself but i sure as heck don't want to take the smallest of chances on spreading something like C19 to another person. You guys do know that new information shows that the virus can live on some surfaces for hours, some for days, right? This is not an issue for a lot of caches but common sense should tell us that it could be an issue with a more popular cache. Of course we know there are all kinds of dangers out there but why on earth would we want to take even the slightest chance of spreading something that affects so many people? Sure I know the odds are low but there's still that slight chance a popular cache might help with the spread. I have two "rest area" caches that sometimes get found multiple times a day so it just made sense for me to disable them until this mess goes away. I've always advocated that signing the log was part of our hobby. For now though, I'd accept an image as proof on my other still enabled but rarely found caches,

Ok, not sure what I'm doing wrong here as I cannot get your complete reply to show when I try to quote it. Anyway, first I guess I don't know my plateaus very well but I'm sure you knew what I was getting at. Yes, I definitely realize that mileage varies when it comes to geocaching activity. I'm not trying to say that the phone app is the root of all evil. However, I do believe that some of its side effects have contributed to our slow down. And third, I do wish that geocaching was thriving in my area. Looking at people around here doesn't help as it's downright depressing seeing so few faces out and about, especially at our local events.

Unfortunately, a plateau that'll probably never regain any height, and in fact, will probably sink lower. It's good to be optimistic but let's face it,,, the game that we have now is not the same as the hobby we once had. It's now an app that's played on a phone, an app that's fun at first but ends up being replaced by the next fun app when it becomes too boring. We did actually have 5 caches published a few days ago, all by the same person. Adding these makes for a total of twelve non event caches, within 50 miles, placed since January 1st. The two monthly events are still going but they are lacking in attendance. The last one had four attendees. Just not much interest around here these days.

First half of your sentence,,, Agree, there are too many fly by nighters. Second half,,, I agree somewhat, that some areas are probably lacking in caches. But that being the main reason for why older cachers have slowed is questionable to me. Even with the archival rate being higher than the publish rate, there are still plenty of caches to find in my area. My slowness is because I'm not interested in going after them because they aren't appealing to me. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this wasn't a big reason in many areas. Like you, no data to support this,,, just going by what I'm seeing around here.

Nice! Oxford, I'm in need of a new water hose. Do you leave that shed unlocked? Here are the words that get you to my unlocked shed: certainty.cavaliers.credentials Sorry I don't have a water hose but there may be a sack of manure in there if anyone needs it. p.s. There is no geocache hidden at this location.