L0ne.R
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Posts posted by L0ne.R
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How does someone get so many ALs to hide? I only have one.
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I expect that the developers could include an option for owners to log an owner maintenance. It would indicate that the owners verify that their ALs still work and can be completed.
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I've just started to try ALs and noticed that most of them are a few years old. About half had one stage that was a problem. Some could be brute-forced with guesses. Some couldn't. Some had problems that were noted in the reviews but with no response from the owners.
Last year I went to a library where I had to find a reference book. It had a small reference section so I scoured the shelves. Couldn't find it. Double checked the catalogue. Not in the catalogue. 2 librarians checked the shelves again with me. Another checked the database. They confirmed that the reference book was no longer there or listed in the catalogue. The owner of the AL is active but didn't respond. I couldn't complete the AL so I couldn't leave a review to warn others that the reference book is gone. 6 months later it's still active but not fixed. Last find was a year ago.
I'm new to ALs and I'd be very happy if they archived the old ALs and cleaned up the database.
A good AL exceeds the geocaching experience for me because it doesn't end in a wet piece of scrap paper to sign, so I'd like to do more of them.
My suggestion is that AL owners need to log an owner maintenance log once per year. If they don't, the AL gets archived.
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46 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:
So what would you decide if this is the most recent log? Or if you were the CO for that matter...
The two preceding logs were a find and an OM about a missing trackable in mid 2022, nearly a year and a half ago, and the cache is a 7-stage 3/3 multi.
It will depend on the logs before it, the owner's reputation, and what was written in the OM--does it indicate that the owner confirms that it's there or likely there.
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4 hours ago, barefootjeff said:
Yes, I've found quite a few Sistemas placed in the early 2000s that were still in good condition with the original logbook bone dry. Just keeping them out of the sun does wonders!
This is one of mine I placed in March 2014, so nearly a decade old:
Original container and original logbook, nothing special about it except the hiding place is tucked under a small rock ledge where it's dark and dry. It's had 99 finds and 15 DNFs but none of those DNFs were due to it being missing or misplaced, just people having an off day.
Australia seems to be dry and dirt free. That wouldn't last 3 years tops around here without it getting shabby. Rain and snow and dirt does a number on containers here. Occasionally the tabs don't get locked down properly, or seal in moisture, or break off, or get something in the seal. It happens to the good containers too. Examples:
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3 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:
Did you give the answer in your AL log to help future people? That's what I did with the missing answer in the example I gave, to assist others following. I also put it in the bonus cache log too.
I wasn't sure what the etiquette is for missing stages. So in my log I said that the plaque was missing so I started guessing at 1930 and quickly got the right answer (it was 1932). The owner is active so I hope he fixes it promptly. I don't know if I can check to see if he has made the fix. He never contacted me, and I have yet to be contacted by the library AL owner but it's only been a few hours since I posted the missing stage for the library AL. (I did check off the box that provided my email address with my missing report).
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I have only done a handful of ALs but I've hit a couple of snags so far.
I did a public park AL about 2 weeks ago. The 3rd stage was a memorial bench with a plaque but the plaque was missing. There was a birth year on the plaque that I needed. So I brute-forced it by going through the years starting with 1930 and eventually hit the correct year. I reported the missing stage but the next finder won't know that there's a missing stage (unless they read my journal entry). I would love to see the cache flagged on the map indicating a problem.
Today I drove 40 minutes to a little town with a little library. I really didn't want to have to ask the staff for help and spend extra time explaining about this game. It's a small library how hard is it going to be to find a reference book. First, the reference collection was in disarray so it meant I would need to scan the whole collection. I did. No call number that matched. I went to the catalogue but couldn't search by call number and the clue didn't provide a title. Went to the desk. Spent 5 minutes explaining the game. Showed them to call number. They were lovely and did their best to find this for me. We spent the next 15 minutes scouring the shelves. They couldn't find it in the catalogue. The telephoned someone for help. Finally they were certain that it was no longer in the system and might have been a dictionary. I couldn't do any of the other stages while I was there--no option. I just wanted a quiet and quick fun visit with out any fuss, but I got a long visit with a lot of fuss--but nice and very helpful staff.
I reported the problem to the AL owner but could do nothing else to inform others.
I should have checked the journal entries before driving over. It has been 6 months since anybody logged the find.
To summarize: In my limited experience it seems ALs have a negative similarity with caches -- many are created and then abandoned by their owners. I wish there was a way to flag ALs on the map so finders don't end up wasting time and money going after ALs that can't be completed.
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18 hours ago, CCFwasG said:
Well just for fun and because it is relevant to the thread. Check this out: https://coord.info/GC8RK5H
It's a huge waste because now it *is* geo-trash and it was actually a really nicely built thing. It's the CO's own fault but it's kind of on the reviewer now that it is geo-trash. Pretty sad IMHO. (YES I get your opinions may vary.)
I would have no problem removing the now archived cache. I would post a note on the cache page — ‘The container has been removed and I will hold on to it for a month. If the owner would like it back I will be happy to arrange a pickup. After one month I will recycle the container for use in a new cache. ‘ I would also email him for good measure.-
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1 hour ago, Conejos said:
I am getting very tired of "trying" to find abandoned or poorly maintained caches that newbie cachers establish then leave the Geocache community… I have found many needed maintenance or DNF'd caches from people who live to far away to maintain their cache. .. I recently replaced a cache in Granby, Colorado that was owned by a person in Florida.
Replacing the cache continues the issue. Placing an NA on the cache would send a better message. Cache owners should maintain their cache and listing or that listing will end up archived by the community, not propped up.
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13 hours ago, RunYell said:
I have a friend who's currently in China and I'm planning on making him find and sign Geocaches for me while I log them back here in the Philippines, would this be considered cheating or would it be okay? We technically co-own the account and we go out every time we Geocache, he also said it's okay.
People do this a lot when group caching. Often the cache is not seen by everyone, maybe one or two cachers sign for the group. I've complained a lot about this practice but get shouted down every time. You will have to decide for yourself how important it is to you to have caches on your found list that you didn't actually hunt for and locate. Many would log a cache that they haven't found themselves and many sanction this practice especially when caching with others.
An example might be an island cache when one person kayaks out and signs for everyone in the group (which is similar to your situation but rather than a boat ride to an island on a lake, it's a plane ride to a country). Or when someone climbs a tree and signs for everyone in the group. Or when a group divides up and everyone claims the day's finds. Or power trails where groups leap frog.
Maybe, if you want to make it feel less like "cheating", use FaceTime/WhatsApp so you can virtually be there when he signs the log.
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8 hours ago, Viajero Perdido said:
I've seen a reviewer send a cache owner up a full-size mountain after a single DNF. And didn't we just read about another similar example in these forums?
DNF carefully. If marketing says one thing and reviewers another...
QuoteThe cache was found only a single time in late 2016. The next attempt on a find wasn't until late 2018, a full two years later and the attempt was made in the winter, in Colorado. In the (incorrect) DNF log, the cacher clearly stated that they could not make it to GZ due to all the snow. Four years later, the next log that pops up is a reviewer note that cache may need attention (again, note comes up in the winter in Colorado).
So why didn't the cache owner visit when there was no snow on the ground, any time between 2016 and 2020? Seems like they placed it in a spot they did not enjoy going back to (you'd think the cache would be a nice excuse to go back occasionally if they placed it in a nice location). It seems like they never intended to go back. Did they ever go back? Was the cache container still there?
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Here are the last few caches that I found before I stopped bothering to spend my time and money geocaching:
Just a crushed painted juice bottle that was repeated logged as a found with no Needs Maintenance log.
Tabs broken off this so that the lid just rested on on the container. Found It logs reported it as 'wet' for over a year but no NM logs.
Found It logs reported it as broken into pieces but no NM log.
The state of caches in my area was the big reason for stopping. The other was being called a 'cache cop' a number of times for reporting caches.
But I'm really glad to see a couple of staff members in the Groundspeak ranks taking the issue a little more seriously.
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19 hours ago, barefootjeff said:
Maybe caches like this are an anachronism in this modern age of quick smileys on short-lived urban micros, but do they really need to be expired out after a few years because they haven't needed maintenance?
I think there needs to be an expiration date to refresh the game and get rid of the caches that are no longer being monitored by cache owners that never plan to maintain. IMO you are very conscientious rarity when it comes to ownership and maintenance. Are there any other cache owners in your area maintain caches as well as you do?
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10 hours ago, niraD said:
What's the point of adopting a cache if you're going to change everything about it?
The GC code especially old codes. They are coveted.
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3 hours ago, hzoi said:
That's my meme, from my cache (in Cache, Oklahoma, out behind the police station) and for the record, I'm relatively confident it was a reaction against people posting NM/NA who had never searched for the cache in question and had no idea what was at the coordinates. Most certainly not against anyone posting NM or NA on a cache they'd searched for and found (or didn't find, if it appeared to be missing).
I think that the meme is too general and the uptake is that cachers who log NMs and NAs are offensive informers who get cache listings archived. NMs/NAs should be the prerogative of the Reviewer (the professional), not the community. And this extends to DNFs because logging a DNF can result in a low health score which can result in getting a cache archived.
The cache owner who abandons his cache and listing receives little or no disciplinary action, instead scorn is targeted at the person logging an NM or NA on a cache that needs reviewer attention.
Thankfully, based on the forum discussions lately, I think that attitude is changing.
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Here's an example of maintenance irk that happened to me...being called a 'cache cop' (a term that was regularly insinuated to me in the forums):
I logged an NA for a neglected cache, explaining "No response to September's NM, December's NM and April's NM". Here's what the cache looked like:
Then the next person to visit left a throwdown. (I hope they cut off the zip tie that's girdling the tree). 3 months later the owner posts an OM (probably because they got a health notice). The CO's OM log says: "Everyone seems to be finding this one, so no idea where there is a NA. Maybe the "geo-police" should relax a little... or at least actually visit the cache before logging a NA."
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This meme was regularly posted in the forums when some advised posting NMs/NAs or contacting a reviewer:
I think it was a factor in the decline of NM/NA posts. The decrease in DNFs I attribute to the Health Score. And the way the app hides NMs and NAs in the "Report" option is another factor. The term "report" may also give the feature a 'tattletale' feel.
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2 hours ago, edexter said:
the Red Wrench that never dies attribute now represent about 90% of all the caches with that attribute. In effect, it's pretty much useless as a screening tool
In my case, I'd still find the red wrench filter useful. If the cache has a red wrench it means that the cache is probably only hobbling along and not a good quality cache. If it's a good quality cache owned by an owner who wants to provide a quality experience, I wouldn't expect that they would be the type of owner who would not pay attention to the red wrench that remains on their listing. I would find the red wrench filter of no use if the wrench was removed when the community "maintained" a cache. I prefer not to spend time looking for caches an owner has abandoned. It's unfortunate that TPTB are not concerned about a database that is so full of cache listings with long standing red wrench attributes.
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55 minutes ago, TeamRabbitRun said:
Is it OK to say "The listing says that it's at the base of the tree, but it's really two feet away, under the flat rock?"
That would get your log deleted on one of my caches.
I see it differently, this would get me out to my cache to remove it from under the flat rock and put it back at the base of the tree.
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It would help if geocachers report caches that look like pipe bombs. Were there any NMs or NAs on the cache? Any photos of the cache? Anyone express concerns in their log?
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Is your cache actually a D5/T3.5?
The D/T chart helps cachers decide if they can do the cache, or for many cachers whether they want to spend the time, effort, and gas to go attempt the cache. It also helps cachers prepare for the cache. A D5 may require special tools.
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22 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:
CO ignoring this problem and refusing to respond to it, as they really don't give a toss about handicapped people not being able to reach their caches marked 1T. Did I mention cruel
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I got a taste of what when I had a temporary mobility problem. I broke my right ankle while looking for a cache. Finally after almost 3 months I could try to cache again but I had to be careful. So I picked T1 caches. It was a lesson in frustration. I ended up driving sometimes for hours to find a cache I could do wearing an ankle brace and using a cane. I'd walk a kilometre on a nice crushed stone level rail trail and when I was 50m from the cache I'd stare down a steep rocky slope with a little 3 foot wide creek at the bottom that needed to be jumped over. Or I'd get to a cemetery but the cache would be a 50m trek at the back of the cemetery into the woods through thick brush and fallen trees. It happened far too often. I complained here in the forums but got little sympathy. Mostly the talk was about the minutiae of what T1 means. And how handicapped people need to bring someone with them to do the retrieving. Unfortunately few people can empathize with the problem. Why post a cache as a T1 if it isn't actually a flat accessible surface all the way to the cache? At least post a T1.5. Why not err on the side of a terrain rating that is a little higher (a T2+) than too low. It's probably a statistics thing. T1 is probably covetted for grid fillers and challenge enthusiasts. I agree, it is cruel.
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Start with a watertight container and then check on it occasionally. In your cache write-up encourage finders to report on the condition of the cache. Many good watertight containers end up with a wet mess inside because the seal was compromised in some way.
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I love cemetery caches because of the beauty of most cemeteries. Calm, peaceful, historical, interesting tombstones, little cemetery figurines and knickknacks, and few if any people around.
But I have one experience that I considered not appropriate (but otherwise 99% of the hides I've found have been done with respect). The cache write-up said it was his father's grave. Lots of positive comments in the logs. When I arrived I found a small hill in the cemetery and on it were about 25 small flat plaques on the ground, each about 6"x12". Found his father's plaque but there was no where to put a cache, yet it had recently been logged it as found. Then I wondered... is it under the plaque? Yes it was. A bison tube pushed into the dirt under the headstone. The cache hider never maintained that cache. It was eventually archived by a reviewer.
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On another occasion, I've also had a cacher log after I put a NM saying that the previous finder (me) could have replaced the log, as that's easy, and here they have done it.
I had that happen several times.
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Mass saturation of ALs is ruining the game
in Playing Adventures
Posted · Edited by L0ne.R
Reminds me of Munzee. Very predictable outcome. But I thought it was difficult to get an AL credit.