Doing The Right Thing

[+lillaurel]

this weekend i went out to a nice cache and i'm not sure if i did the right thing. In the cache was a soda (glass bottle) and candy (plastic wrapper still on). Both were un-opened, but i took them out thinking 'food in cache is bad' and even more on the glass bottle in metal box in new england ... seems like an accident waiting to happen. Thing is, i didn't have anything much else to trade. Is it ok to take out inappropriate things that someone else thought were good enough to trade and not leave something?

[+cache_test_dummies]

this weekend i went out to a nice cache and i'm not sure if i did the right thing. In the cache was a soda (glass bottle) and candy (plastic wrapper still on). Both were un-opened, but i took them out thinking 'food in cache is bad' and even more on the glass bottle in metal box in new england ... seems like an accident waiting to happen. Thing is, i didn't have anything much else to trade. Is it ok to take out inappropriate things that someone else thought were good enough to trade and not leave something?

I would have done the same thing.

[+BlueDeuce]

this weekend i went out to a nice cache and i'm not sure if i did the right thing.  In the cache was a soda (glass bottle) and candy (plastic wrapper still on).  Both were un-opened, but i took them out thinking 'food in cache is bad' and even more on the glass bottle in metal box in new england ... seems like an accident waiting to happen.  Thing is, i didn't have anything much else to trade.  Is it ok to take out inappropriate things that someone else thought were good enough to trade and not leave something?

I would have done the same thing.

Yep.

[+briansnat]

Its better to trade out unacceptable items, but I'd rather see them removed than not taken at all. As a cache owner I'd thank you for helping out, whether or not you traded something in return for the junk.

[+Airmapper]

Did you use them to have a snack? If you did then you should have traded even or up. Say a soda (plastic) and a snickers bar.

 

Just kidding.

[+Sue Gremlin]

We saw the reason firsthand a few weeks ago for this important rule. We happened on a cache that had been animuggled. It looked like a raccoon had gotten a hold of it and tore it to pieces. There were bubblegum cards in it that had teethmarks all over them. The cache was strewn from here to next Tuesday. What a mess!

[+nfa]

I visited one of my caches this summer to replace the log, and found that it had been found by a camper who had never heard of geocaching before...

 

he took a geocaching button and left...a beer, a package of goldfish crackers, and a cigar...I left a new log and some trade items, and took the contraband

 

nfa-jamie

[+The Leprechauns]

We saw the reason firsthand a few weeks ago for this important rule. We happened on a cache that had been animuggled. It looked like a raccoon had gotten a hold of it and tore it to pieces. There were bubblegum cards in it that had teethmarks all over them. The cache was strewn from here to next Tuesday. What a mess!

I've seen too many examples of the same thing, caused by lots of different items with a scent, not even just food items. If it smells, don't put it in a geocache.

 

As a cache owner, I would be profoundly grateful to anyone who removed food items from my cache. They just saved me a maintenance visit to replace a chewed up container. I could care less whether the items were traded out or just removed.

 

"Animuggled." I haven't seen that term before, and I LIKE IT!

[+Renegade Knight]

Like most everone else. I've done exactly what you did and removed food without a trade. Anything headed for the trash can doesn't need much in the way of a trade. If you do want to leave something nice in the cache, that's just a bonus for the next finders. It saves them the trouble of thowing away the food and leaves them some swag to look through.

[+skigirl]

I have found assorted candy and a gatorade lid in some caches lately. I take out the offending items, but sometimes the animal damage is done. I am thinking of using the babywipes I carry to clean out the cache container when there is a sticky mess left behind. I am also wondering if I should start adding a statement to each log or top of cache container lid "PLEASE no FOOD, candy, drinks". Or something to that effect. Some items seemed to just be trash that the owner was cleaning from thier pockects.

Edited September 26, 2005 by skigirl

[+badlands]

I have found assorted candy and a gatorade lid in some caches lately. I take out the offending items, but sometimes the animal damage is done. I am thinking of using the babywipes I carry to clean out the cache container when there is a sticky mess left behind. I am also wondering if I should start adding a statement to each log or top of cache container lid "PLEASE no FOOD, candy, drinks". Or something to that effect. Some items seemed to just be trash that the owner was cleaning from thier pockects.

You shouldn't have to, but it may be a good idea.

[+CW Iams]

Slightly off topic, something some people do not think about is items that smell (good, bad or other wise). I have pulled car air fresheners and hand lotion from one of my caches that people have left because I was afraid it would attract an animal. Yes they are not food but a vanilla scent sure smells like food….

[+Morgan's Marauders]

I am thinking of using the babywipes I carry to clean out the cache container when there is a sticky mess left behind.

Then the cache will smell like baby wipes!

 

But it was a nice idea!

 

Momma Marauder

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

I have found assorted candy and a gatorade lid in some caches lately.  I take out the offending items, but sometimes the animal damage is done.  I am thinking of using the babywipes I carry to clean out the cache container when there is a sticky mess left behind.  I am also wondering if I should start adding a statement to each log or top of cache container lid "PLEASE no FOOD, candy, drinks".  Or something to that effect.  Some items seemed to just be trash that the owner was cleaning from thier pockects. 

You shouldn't have to, but it may be a good idea.

SHOULDN'T have to, no - but if your cache is somewhere where it might be stumbled upon by a non-cacher that doesn't know better, it's probably not a bad idea (see above for the hunter that left a beer and a cigar). I've got my first cache fully stocked and ready to deploy (probably after I get back from vacation next week), and I'll be stenciling that on my ammo can.

[+Frodo13]

Any information to finders, not cachers, about what geocaching is all about and what NOT to place in the container is ok by me, makes good sense. As my wife reminds me quite often, "Men need instructions, alot of instructions". As if we were some first generation computer programed robot that when a task is completed and another has not been loaded will resort to base programing and continue to operate at that level...result is chaos.

I have removed a bottle of kids bubbles, fluid drained into very watertight interior of cache, ruined. I have also removed an empty silly putty egg, (in Alabama in summer) imaging viscosity scenerios. Liquids are for the outside of caches, food and beverages are for inside the body.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Frodo13

[+Semper Questio]

I've run across soaps, mini-bottles of skin lotion, various candies, and most recently an old rusty pocket knife. Then there are always the empty pill bottles and general trash and pieces of broken toys and just junk.

 

I take all this stuff out and donate it to the local landfill supply depot. If I have something to help replenish the cache I do, but I don't worry about it. If I think the state of the cache warrants a note to the owner about maintenance, then I'll do that as well.

 

I just think the priorities in that situation are to have a safe, clean cache there for the next finder and to help protect the cache.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Semper Questio

[+V-I-cacher]

one thing that I *ALWAYS* take out - also even without trade, if I don't have anything at hand - are *FLAMMABLES*.

Caches just do not need to be cause for Forrest-Fires or at the least be a contribution to an ongoing fire.

 

No Matches

No Lighters

No Lighterfluid

 

grrr

[+Clan Delaney]

Back in the spring this year it seemed that every other cache I visited was waterlogged. I did a lot of cache cleanup: drying out, removing ruined items, etc. I always wrote about what I'd done when I logged the cache, and never got any complaints. I still carry new plastic baggies with me to replace worn ones, and a towel in case a cache needs a drying/ cleaning.

[+Ladybug Kids]

I definitely clean out caches before the local animals do. I found the Berry, Berry Good Cache in Valdez very easily because a porcupine had gone after a scented candle. Here's the cache as I found it:

and here are the candle and container lid with bite marks:

[+globalgirl]

I've run across soaps, mini-bottles of skin lotion...

I've acquired such a bountiful collection of sample mini hotel hand lotion, shampoo, etc. - I could verily open my own boutique! One of these days I'll tote it all over to the nearest Senior Center.

 

'Nuther faux pas I see noobies (and many not-so-noobie) do is - while you're signing the logbook in the drizzle - do CLOSE the lid of the box so you don't slam the lid down on - now damp/soggy contents. I carry a small supply of absorbent paper towels and have dried out many a wet ammo box here in WA.