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Too Tall Cache . . . Up There!


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Found a cache this weekend . . . don't know HOW it was placed nearly 35 feet up a metal light pole but there it was, magnetic & in the open.

 

Left my boom truck at home this trip but I found the cache, just couldn't sign the log . . . should I be able to log the find, is it legal.

 

We all love the owner, called him & he just laughed at us - oh the pain!. You know him, the guy loves creative caches like his "Holy Wastewater' that generated so much fervor recently.

 

Any thoughts . . .

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It was a coupla hours from home, I was not prepared for it THIS trip. There are two like it in the town - they will be mine on the next trip, methinks.

 

I am thinkin of some type of telescoping tool that can stiore in the trunk but that can reach way up there . . . I will think of something.

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I am thinkin of some type of telescoping tool that can stiore in the trunk but that can reach way up there . . . I will think of something.

Duct tape a couple of fishing poles together? With a hook on the end to grab the container?

 

Suction cups on your shoes? (hey, it works in the cartoons!) :rolleyes:

 

But seriously, I'd email the owner and ask if it supposed to be up that high. Could be it was muggled and they just tossed it up there until it stuck. If you want to ask for a hint in the same email, that's up to you. (I'd rather work on it myself first, but that's me)

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Yup, if the log wasn't signed it doesn't count. I know which cache you are talking about, and I am planning on returning another day to obtain it. Actually, the cache is intended to be that high. I also know how the owner hid it, but i'll never tell :blink::rolleyes:

Edited by medic208
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Found a cache this weekend . . . don't know HOW it was placed nearly 35 feet up a metal light pole but there it was, magnetic & in the open.

 

Left my boom truck at home this trip but I found the cache, just couldn't sign the log . . . should I be able to log the find, is it legal.

 

We all love the owner, called him & he just laughed at us - oh the pain!. You know him, the guy loves creative caches like his "Holy Wastewater' that generated so much fervor recently.

 

Any thoughts . . .

 

I had a cache in a tree about 16' up. There was a wire loop on the cache, and a "cache retreival tool" (stilck with a hook) hidden nearby. The clues gave the general indication of where the tool was. If you did not get the cache down from the tree, it was not a find.

 

-dave

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We happened on one this summer that was in a cave. We could see it, but we just couldn't get to it. We logged it as a DNF, vowing to return when there are less snakes and bugs in the area, then we will find a way to get it out of there. (we might have to bring a skinny little kid and hang onto his ankles).

 

I'd love it as a DNF and then obsess constantly, day and night, about how to get to it. :rolleyes:

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I know the owner persoanlly also. I understand that there are four caches hidden he has hidden using the high on the light pole technique. Othr have been able to recover the container , sign the log and replace he container so it can be done.

 

This is no differnt than other caches that I have seen but couldn't get to. Slate Mountain is an ammo can that can be easily seen but you need a rope and harness to repell down to. There are several caches that are hidden down in fence posts. You can clearly see them but unless you have some string and a hook you cannot retrieve the container.

 

Nothing evil - just a challenge!

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I think the point is for you to figure out how to access the cache, so no, it should't be logged as a find.

 

I ran into a similar one and after some thought and a search of my trunk, was able to reach it by duct taping together some trekking poles and standing on the back of my car. According to the logs another finder had to make several trips and finally bagged it by standing a ladder in the bed of a pickup.

 

To just log it as a find because you saw it isn't really fair to everyone who made the effort grab the cache and sign the log.

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I know the owner persoanlly also.  I understand that there are four caches hidden he has hidden using the high on the light pole technique. Othr have been able to recover the container , sign the log and replace he container so it can be done.

 

This is no differnt than other caches that I have seen but couldn't get to. Slate Mountain is an ammo can that can be easily seen but you need a rope and harness to repell down to. There are several caches that are hidden down in fence posts.  You can clearly see them but unless you have some string and a hook you cannot retrieve the container.

 

Nothing evil - just a challenge!

I know the owner personally too. He is a very active geocacher and wonderful guy who would never put out a cache he couldn't retrieve himself. He does, however, have very long arms which gives him an advantage over the average cacher. I believe he played basketball for Duke University (or some other university in NC) and was kicked out because they had too many timeouts unraveling his extra long arms from the backboard supports when he attempted a dunk. He does put out many, very challenging caches and has suffered an ailment that his mother often told him about. She said "WE4NCS one of these days your face is going to freeze with that silly grin on your face". So if he is watching you one day while you are trying to retrieve one of his very difficult caches don't take the silly grin personally. He is not having a good time watching you struggle.

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Found a cache this weekend . . . don't know HOW it was placed nearly 35 feet up a metal light pole but there it was, magnetic & in the open.

 

Left my boom truck at home this trip but I found the cache, just couldn't sign the log . . . should I be able to log the find, is it legal.

 

We all love the owner, called him & he just laughed at us - oh the pain!. You know him, the guy loves creative caches like his "Holy Wastewater' that generated so much fervor recently.

 

Any thoughts . . .

Actually, as is common with many caches with a Terrain rating of 4 or above, and also with some caches with a Difficulty rating of 4 or above, you saw the cache container, but you did not find it in the geocaching sense of the word, since in the geocaching world a "find" means to retrieve the container, sign the logbook and perhaps record any secret code found in/on the logbook (very common in Terrain 4.5 and higher caches to ensure that the finder likely really did find the cache.) In fact, 90% of the fun and challenge of many caches with a Terrain rating of 4.5 and higher is that many folks can easily see the cache, but it is the act and art of retrieving the cache -- and then signing the log and replacing the cache -- which makes up the fun part and which allows you to be creative.

 

So, unless the cache owner has rated the Terrain on this cache at 3.5 or lower, or rated the Difficulty at 2.5 or lower, you have no beef with the cache owner, and rather, she or he has fully disclosed the appropriate terrain rating and difficulty rating, which offer fair warning of the challenges ahead for a seeker.

 

For the high lamppost cache, there can be a number of ways to retrieve it, including:

  • use a long pole or telescoping pole with a suitable attachment on the end
    a bucket truck, also called a "cherry picker"
    a ladder
    climbing the pole (I have seen people do this on some of my 26 foot high lamppost caches, and it always amazes me!)
    hire a helicopter

...and, of course, the whole challenge here is twofold:

  • to retrieve the darn thing without having the local citizens call the police on you and getting committed to the local behavioral care ward (aka "mental hospital") for observation!
    to retrieve the cache in an entirely safe manner which does not expose you or bystanders to any harm, including possible electrocution, if you are using poles.

I write from experience here about such caches, as my wife and I have placed a number of "extreme" urban caches in places such as you describe, and also deep in storm drain systems. We also tend to specialize in finding such extreme caches. We even have one cache -- in our Psycho Backcountry Cache series -- in a cave a 9,000 feet elevation, located on a sheer cliff, with a 3.5 mile hike each way, replete with 2,000 foot climb, and no, just seeing the cave from the trail is not enough to log a find; you must enter the cave, find the cache and sign the log. We also have a micro -- another cache in our Psycho Backcountry cache series -- hidden under an abandoned railroad trestle, the deck of which sits 134 feet above the creek/valley below; the whole shebang is located 6,200 feet above sea level in the wilderness. You can see the cache from the ground, but it does not count as a find until and unless you use climbing gear (with appropriate training, if you do not already it) and physically retrieve the cache, sign the log, and then replace it.

 

I will give you one more example from experience to illustrate the concept. We found a cache on an island in the middle of a river the other day. If you look carefully from shore or from a nearby pedestrian bridge with binoculars, you can see the cache container quite clearly. However, merely seeing the container is not enuf. You must reach the island by swimming (the route I chose) or by boat (the method chosen by my co-finders that day), and then you must climb the rocks through heavy poison ivy and thorns to reach the cache and sign the log. Anything less is not a find, but a sighting.

 

So, you have a choice here as to whether to choose to go after these high-terrain rating caches or whether you may decide to take a pass on them and instead to after caches with lower terrain ratings. These extreme terrain caches, frankly, are not everyone's cup of tea. Havign said that, I must point out that BOTH our psycho lamppost caches were successfully retrieved by a 67 year old retired man who has advised me that he is classified as 85% disabled from war injuries, who flew in from out of state with only a pair of gloves. He then went on to retrieve a really nasty storm drain cache in our Psycho Urban Cache series that demands a tight underground climb. So, it can be done....

Edited by Vinny & Sue Team
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Found a cache this weekend . . . don't know HOW it was placed nearly 35 feet up a metal light pole but there it was, magnetic & in the open.

 

Left my boom truck at home this trip but I found the cache, just couldn't sign the log . . . should I be able to log the find, is it legal.

 

We all love the owner, called him & he just laughed at us - oh the pain!. You know him, the guy loves creative caches like his "Holy Wastewater' that generated so much fervor recently.

 

Any thoughts . . .

You want to know if it is okay to log a find based on the fact that you know where the cache is. Well, now I know where the cache is also. Is there a difference between 35 feet and 4000+ miles if neither of us has signed the cache log?

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Found a cache this weekend . . . don't know HOW it was placed nearly 35 feet up a metal light pole but there it was, magnetic & in the open.

 

Any thoughts . . .

This is a followup to my earlier comments, above. Granpa Alex, now you have gotten me curious, and I would now like to read the cache listing page; perhaps there is something here that I have missed (such as a very low Difficulty rating or low Terrain rating.) Will you pleae tell us the cache name or cache waypoint ID number (e.g., "GCX1XX"), or give us a link to the listing page? This may help us to understand this particular case better! Thanks much!

 

BTW, when TossedSalad replied to you earlier, I suspect that he believed that you were talking about my lamppost caches, located here in Frederick, Maryland, but it seems that you have been talking about a lamppost cache located in North Carolina -- we will know more if and when you are able to provide us with the waypoint ID! Thanks!

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Short answer: you shouldn't log a find.

 

If you were able to retrieve it and sign the log, but could not replace the cache, then you could log a find as long as replacing wasn't a requirement for the find. You should follow up with the owner as a courtesy.

 

I've run across two hides of this type. In both cases, the terrain AND difficulty ratings were set high to reflect the challenge appropriately, and the caches were reachable without making a second trip to obtain specialized tools.

 

In my opinion, it is bad form for the owner to set the difficulty and terrain below 4 for hides of this type especially if the cache is located high enough to be a hazard without tools. In my area, owners will either hint or mention in the description, or provide a retrieval tool nearby, to make the listing "self-contained" so to speak.

 

If you are unable or unwilling to get the cache, put it on the ignore list. :rolleyes:

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I have a cache of this type here. It's a derelict house. The cache is hanging in plain site from the hinge where the window shutters used to be.

 

To get to the cache, you are meant to explore the house (does this sound like a computer adventure game or something ??) and find a hook, a wooden pole, and a metal tube. The pole goes in the tube, and the hook goes on the end of the pole. If you're 6ft or over you can unhook the cache from the hinge directly; if not there's a big rock you can stand on.

 

So far the cache has been found twice. Both finders saw the metal pole but didn't look further. The first climbed up the front of the building (oh my gosh!!!) and the second improvised a hook using the metal pole and a stick.

 

I thought the instructions were clear, but apparently I need to hide the first tool better, or write "1/3" on it, so people don't think it's all they need.

 

I put "only" 3* for the difficulty since I've provided all the equipment.

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I know the owner personally too.  He is a very active geocacher and wonderful guy who would never put out a cache he couldn't retrieve himself.  He does, however, have very long arms which gives him an advantage over the average cacher.  I believe he played basketball for Duke University (or some other university in NC) and was kicked out because they had too many timeouts unraveling his extra long arms from the backboard supports when he attempted a dunk.  He does put out many, very challenging caches and has suffered an ailment that his mother often told him about.  She said "WE4NCS one of these days your face is going to freeze with that silly grin on your face".  So if he is watching you one day while you are trying to retrieve one of his very difficult caches don't take the silly grin personally.  He is not having a good time watching you struggle.

I thought it was UNC? :blink::blink::D:rolleyes:

Edited by medic208
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I know the owner personally too.  He is a very active geocacher and wonderful guy who would never put out a cache he couldn't retrieve himself.  He does, however, have very long arms which gives him an advantage over the average cacher.  I believe he played basketball for Duke University (or some other university in NC) and was kicked out because they had too many timeouts unraveling his extra long arms from the backboard supports when he attempted a dunk.  He does put out many, very challenging caches and has suffered an ailment that his mother often told him about.  She said "WE4NCS one of these days your face is going to freeze with that silly grin on your face".  So if he is watching you one day while you are trying to retrieve one of his very difficult caches don't take the silly grin personally.  He is not having a good time watching you struggle.

I thought it was UNC? :blink::blink::D:rolleyes:

It's one of those universities in NC.....

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Granpa, a not in line with my earlier and longer reply on this matter... To give you one idea of how a team of cachers -- known as Team Psycho -- from across Maryland chose to tackle my Psycho Urban Cache #6 - Downtown Wuthering Heights (GCQABV), here is a photo of their retrieval effort:

 

puc6-ch2-sketch-1.jpg

 

By the way, I do NOT endorse nor recommend two actions/behaviors shown in the otherwise funny photo, and those two verboten (well, verboten to me and to most trained rock climbers) actions are:

  • It is quite obvious that the finder is standing and bracing his feet on the street signs. This is not safe, as the signs were not designed to support such weight, and could easily fail, leading to injury or death for the climber. This practice is not kind to the signs, and could destroy the signs. This could also understandably get the city Department of Public Works quite pissed off.
    The finder does not seem to be wearing any kind of climbing safety gear which would arrest his fall in the case of a slip or fall.

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Found a cache this weekend . . . don't know HOW it was placed nearly 35 feet up a metal light pole but there it was, magnetic & in the open.

 

Left my boom truck at home this trip but I found the cache, just couldn't sign the log . . . should I be able to log the find, is it legal.

 

We all love the owner, called him & he just laughed at us - oh the pain!. You know him, the guy loves creative caches like his "Holy Wastewater' that generated so much fervor recently.

 

Any thoughts . . .

Do what you feel is right.

 

Everyone has their own opinion, and you can't please everyone, so I guess the best you can do, is do what you feel in this position in the right thing to do.

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Found a cache this weekend . . . don't know HOW it was placed nearly 35 feet up a metal light pole but there it was, magnetic & in the open.

 

It sounds from the discussion like this was intended by the owner. So I vote don't log it until you get it and sign the logbook. That is the challenge!

 

But I once owned a plain sight cache stuck on a pole in a park that drove me nuts as a short owner. I placed it easily in reach of short people and asked that people replace it in reach. My intent was not a challenge to reach the cache, but to make people search the area nearby and then notice the thing in plain sight and laugh at the obviousness of it all and also to see just how long it would last. Anyway, people would often replace it 20+ some feet up the pole. I have no clue how they got it up that far! Then I would get notes, dnfs, and emails about that and would have to go out with a yard stick (and once a step stool too) and knock the thing down to replace it correctly. After having to go there once every week or so, I starting wishing it would just go missing. When it did finally disappear (took waaaay too long), I was relieved and happily archived it! :) Anyway, even with that one, I still told people who wrote that they should sign the log to log it online. If I could go get it to replace it correctly, they could do so too to sign the log! B)

Edited by carleenp
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