MNTA

My daughter usually refuses to touch the contents of most caches. She likes to find them and is really good at the tough ones to spot but that is it. Add spiders or spiders webs, mold, mildew slime nope no thank you. Even as a toddler she used popsicle sticks to finger paint.

My experience is they will always eventually disappear. But it is still fun to watch where they go. If you truely want to keep them going make them as uninteresting as possible. My suggestion is to send out a laminated copy of the trackable so when it does go missing you send out a new copy. The more the attached items are cute, interesting, toyish, and the like the greater the possibility for someone to keep the treasure or toy. Start off in premium only cache and definitely not one in a park with little muggles then you have a chance for at least some movement of the trackable.

Traditionally birthday challenges are finding a cache on its publishing birthday. Few examples from my finds: MNTA has used Project-GC to see if they qualified for this challenge and they did. 01-22 GC2MR32 Hill, not Kent, hidden 2011 found 2016 (age 5) [MNTA](https://www.geocaching.com/profile/?u=MNTA) has used [Project-GC](https://project-gc.com/Challenges/GC4XAT2/66399 "Project-GC Challenge Checker") to see if they qualified for this challenge and they did. I have found these birthday caches: 1. anniversary: [GC5VXNN](https://coords.info/GC5VXNN) Thrifty business found on 2016-05-20 hidden on 2015-05-20 2. anniversary: [GC58GE2](https://coords.info/GC58GE2) Zorilla 2 found on 2016-07-08 hidden on 2014-07-08 3. anniversary: [GC4RFFT](https://coords.info/GC4RFFT) Challenge of the Quarter Century: Meat found on 2016-10-27 hidden on 2013-10-27 4. anniversary: [GC4QH7T](https://coords.info/GC4QH7T) Powerless Pole found on 2017-10-19 hidden on 2013-10-19 5. anniversary: [GC3Z0Q3](https://coords.info/GC3Z0Q3) Grateful Dead Bonus: Bird Song found on 2017-10-20 hidden on 2012-10-20 6. anniversary: [GC3JMY1](https://coords.info/GC3JMY1) Grimm 16 The Thing With Feathers found on 2018-05-04 hidden on 2012-05-04 7. anniversary: [GC2VMN9](https://coords.info/GC2VMN9) Finding Sasquatch found on 2018-05-05 hidden on 2011-05-05 8. anniversary: [GC282QZ](https://coords.info/GC282QZ) Bus Stop 10 found on 2018-05-05 hidden on 2010-05-05 9. anniversary: [GC1R06X](https://coords.info/GC1R06X) Breathe (In The Air) found on 2018-05-05 hidden on 2009-05-05 10. anniversary: [GC1CWDX](https://coords.info/GC1CWDX) Dr. John Watson found on 2018-06-07 hidden on 2008-06-07 Alternate definition is on your geo birthday. MNTA has used Project-GC to see if he/she qualified for this challenge and he/she did. I joined geocaching.com on 2013-03-25. I found GC48CK6 Gaiser Park Cache on 2017-06-29 (hidden 2013-03-25)

Once you miss the code has anyone figured out how to go back to retrieve it.

My son saw me looking at the promotion. He knew that it was geoguesser immediately. He's played it in the past and said lots of folks are really into it and good at it unlike me. Had to find a sign then use google translate to narrow down things.

Think of it this way if this was your first cache how would you feel? It would probably be my last cache. If the CO is known to be inactive. Pickup the trash. Yes it is trash. File the OAR saying the log and the cache was a major issue and followed up with a RAR if no response in a month to get it delisted if your reviewer is not on top of things. Specially if you look at their owned caches and see a trend of the first need of maintenance they get archived. They never planned on supporting any of their caches. Did this on a lonely cache several mile hike. Got to the cache and the plastic had been destroyed by and animal most probably, took a picture and collected all the pieces and the cache eventually archived no response from the CO. I made a game out of picking up and logging archived caches of one of our inactive prolific hiders. Repurposed two containers that were in perfect shape still.

First code is for free premium subscription Second code after 10 finds is a virtual trackable gives you a souvenir log here https://www.geocaching.com/track/

I initially did this but got frustrated with the amount of effort required only to find by the time I qualified it was archived. Glad that the rules allow this, I enjoy the smiley reward. Many of these challenges are quite difficult to accomplish with lots of travel which I enjoy and part of my caching motivation. So I actively seek out any and all challenge caches that fit my caching style or obtainability. No more streaks and needs to be reasonable for me. Saw one requiring 1000 R&R, also 5 continents not achievable for me.

yep long time indeed archival no problem. 14/86 of my signed challenges have been archive. Some I may never qualify for, but never say never. Though my oldest is only 7 years since signing.

I previously had a flat magnet cache that during the initial review process was rejected but the reviewer encouraged me to appeal. He/she must have liked the idea and plus it wasn't personal they were just following the rules. The result was GS approved my container a flat magnet in the shape of a foot placed under a foot of a statue. Alas I moved out of town when Covid hit and unfortunately had to eventually archive as one flaw was that if replaced log side up it would eventually fall off and I had replace once before. I know the situation is slightly different. There are exceptions. You could add a comment to you page that the cache type was approved for listing AS IS. If the complaints are on your listing page you could ask them to delete them or delete them yourselves if they do not change it. Or encrypt and post an OM that says the cache has been approved for listing. There seems to be far bigger problems in geocaching at least you are actively supporting and maintaining your caches responsibly it apears.

In general the western US have no restrictions on National Forests or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land unless it is designated as wilderness area. If there was we would be sad and vast swaths of the states would be empty of caches. The wiki page and the reviewers are the definitive source of information on publishing. Personally I love forest service roads (when not covered in snow) lots of fun and own a cache on BLM land. National parks, national wildlife refuges and Native American reservations are all pretty much a no go and may require permission for virtual type caches.

Everything costs money. From the developers of the software to the energy to power the servers. I get more enjoyment for me to personally spend the small amount of yearly membership. As for a limited data plan. Like you my kids lost interest, however, their interests and activities led me to require an unlimited data plan. Their streaming desires and my need to work remotely. Though before that I got very adept at off line lists. Downloading the caches data before a weekends activity.

So what? You identified some of the changes needed. There are probably more. No one said that it would be easy. But with software if you can think of an algorithm you can code it. Again it might not be easy but thats why software developers get paid the big bucks to do if the powers that be decide it should be done. I also believe it could be done as an add-on to existing functionality. So as to not break anything . A data-mining program could be developed to populate the new data structures with the data from the time of the find. Then over time checkers and stats could be modified to query the new data switching to a more correct system. These forums love to kill off ideas early in their inception because that was not the way it was in 2000 or it might be difficult. Well I believe the OP has found a flaw in the original methodology probably because no one thought that something like this would be done let alone people would care. Well some folks do and it does happen. Also GS could prevent such updates. Just like distance moved they could detect major changes in the caches stats and then suggest that a new listing be done. This may be an easier solution to the same problem.

The cache that started it all https://coord.info/GC11E8N Well Rounded Cacher (The Fizzy Challenge) Found this from a different Fizzy Challenge GC11E8N – Well Rounded Cacher (The Fizzy Challenge), the original Fizzy Challenge cache, was placed in California by Kealia to honor the cacher FizzyMagic, who has given much to the “local caching community” better know as the San Francisco Bay area.

Not everyone shares your opinion. I tend to agree with @Hidden Legends Ran into this problem a while back. A cacher from your old stomping grounds had several challenge caches along Mines Road Livermore area. They archived most of their caches, and then deleted all the descriptions and even the title of the cache so now it comes up as "Archived Challenge" fortunately they did not change the D/T and the logs have links to project-gc checkers. The good news is other catchers have hidden their own challenges hope to revisit someday. Changes can and do happen. This may not have been malicious but what is preventing that from happening nothing. Individual cacher motivations differ greatly that is what is great about this hobby. Hypothetically, I manage to climb one of the nearby mountain peaks and qualify for a virtual cache. One is D/T 1/5 another 4.5/4.5. Then later the CO gets annoyed and decides to change it to a 1/1 heck yeah I'd be ticked off. BTW I'm never going to do either of these. At the time of the find I earned the stars.

Honestly, the problems with Safari on my Mac is not limited to just geocaching.com. Haven't settled on if I should switch to Chrome or DuckDuckGo.

This is the problem with community maintenance and why I believe GS is forcing better cache maintenance into the game. As a traveling cacher with limited time to cache it is really frustrating to me to roll up on a cache then search then read the logs and go crap DNF/OAR logs to follow. I missed out on a new state because of this scenario, had time for one cache just not two. I don't know which ones are a probablem and which aren't without looking at the logs. My view is that if it is listed it should be maintained and findable (though that last part may be my issue ). You could try contacting your reviewer and see what they say. Personally I'd visit them while in the area give them a look and then file the DNF/OAR Some may be fine. Though would be preferable for the reviewer to intercede on obvious problem caches.

To the OP I agree with a previous poster. For challenges FTF is first to sign and that occurs when you qualify. Congratulations of you get it pretty had to get in my expirience. Only have two and they were really easy.

As a challenge addict I'll say there is nothing more frustrating to be working for years on a challenge only to have it archived. So I now sign before starting. I too use the date qualified as the date found. This method does skew the stats a lot not that it bothers me. Things like cache to cache distances specially when the cache is on the other side of the country gets affected. My most states in a day was actually 4 but my 5th being my home state for a challenge to find 4 states in a day. So I have mixed emotions on what to do. I think the day found would be more appropriate but I'm committed at this point I feel. Now if GS had created a new cace type them we could have a different log type and then the issue goes away. Sorry had to bring it up. My sort of cheating is I claim the find on the day I check, if I don't qualify immediately. I then only check on days I need if I need a find. The problem is sometimes I forget to do this and then have to wait a year.

How is this proof for the finder? Hypithetically, lets say a cacher finds a cache and signs the log. Let's say now the CO decides for some reason that they wish to delete the log. How can the finder prove he found it? Yes they can dispute it with GS. The CO could invent a log omitting the finders signature. GS probably would side with CO. I'm guessing, never had to apeal anything. Maybe others know better here. In another case let's say a muggle steals the container and log book. The CO decides for whatever reason to delete the find. What happens here? How about a throwdown, now we have two caches in the same spot. Some finders sign the original others sign the throw down. This has happened to me for sure. How about the log becomes mush. CO for some reason can't verify the find and decides to delete the log. I hope this is far fetched but I'm trying to prove a point that signing the log does not prove you found it. One mechanism to prove the find is outlined in the OP. Others could be the finder submits to GS some other form of proof that could be behind the scenes, maybe a log picture. I'd prefer to not have to purchase the fob, but that would work as well This would help to get rid of forgot my pen logs without a picture. We have all seen these. They really don't both me and most lose interest in the game and move on. If I forgot my pen or lose it along the way. I normally take a picture of the log as proof and have never heard complaints from the co. Others do the same. Full disclosure I have deleted one log as far as I remember. The cacher was from somewhere in Europe and I did not recognize them as a local so I clicked on them. Then noticed they had logged on the same day remote caches in Europe, Georgia and Oregon in the same day. My caches is probably an hour and a half away from the airport on dirt roads. Not a tourist cache. He also did not log any of the others nearby so I grew suspicious, they would go for the Original Stash not mine. I contacted the finder and the owner in GA. He responed to the GA CO with something about inventing a Tardis and admitted to fat fingering. We deleted the finds.

I'm sorry that any major improvement is potentially going to have positive and negative implications to some folks. You need to look at it from the. bigger picture perspective and hopefully the overall improvement is positive going forward. Sorry that it might impact you personally, it is not done intentionally or with personal malice towards you. Blame the folks that did not have a sufficient plan for their caches. The days of community maintenance and caches living forever are gone, it just does not make for a long term viable solution.

I'm always intrigued by the pushback to attempt to improve things by the old guard. The experience of new cachers in some areas is pretty bad. I think GS recognizes that and is trying on many fronts to improve things. All of which gets at least a few complaints here. The list is long. I have now moved three times in the past several years to new areas, I also enjoy vacations and long road trips. The experience I see in new areas is pretty bad. Mostly due to absent COs and moldy slimey messes. The experience when I find the cache in the first month or year is very different than ten years later or less. I commend the enthusiasm to try to improve things will they all work, no, that is not the point the current system has serious issues and the game will change over time.

Some AL 4 could take 5 minutes. Start saving the easy AL for time constrained finds. I already save the nearby ECs for the yearly souvenir.

True again nothing would prevent you from doing this. Just unlock the find and then edit in the comfort of you home.

Nothing in this idea prevents logbooks. Though my experience is that once it is mush and there are a lot of them they get abandoned and thrown away. For pictures, I bet GS could buy or develop a recognition program just like the google app has for translation I see advertisements on. They would know the word. If they detect the word or even part of it they could blur it out or reject the photo with a reason pop up. To prevent the keyword from turning to mush, laminate it. but imagine that on a nano might not always work.