Late Logging

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

Hello all,

This question is related to another question -- but the thread in question has gone down the garden path......

 

So..... my NEW question is:

When do you log your finds? Right away, after a couple of days, never?

 

Personally, I am considering keeping track of my finds over a 3-6 month period and then logging them all at once. This means I will be logging against some archived caches (if I found them prior to their removal), but I can modify the date to match the date I physically found them.

 

Also, I plan on posting DNF's right away as an alert to the cache owner.

 

For caches I drop TB's into, I will log right away so that the owner knows where they are, but I'll post it as a note and then as a find during my "off-season" stat-a-thon.

 

Thoughts, practices?

[+Semper Questio]

I always log everything as soon as I get home.

[+Moose Mob]

I know a certain cacher that is way behind on his cache logs. He does pretty much the same thing you are thinking of except he likes to log his sequentially, so TB's are dropped in caches via notes.

[+altosaxplayer]

I always log everything as soon as I get home.

 

ditto

[+StarBrand]

As soon as I have access to a computer and the Internet. Oh and some free time to do it. Usually no more than 4 or 5 hours after the fact - Never more than 10 days.

[+DavidMac]

I like to write up a unique log entry to share my experiences at each cache, so it takes me about a week or so to post my finds. In order to kep my personal records straight, I try to log them in the order I found them and include a timestamp in the log. But, in order to take care of logs that involve TBs as soon as possible, I sometimes post (and delete) notes to drop them into the proper caches.

[+GEO.JOE]

I log my finds asap as a cutesy to the cache owner. I know as a cache owner I want to know if people are finding my caches and I want to hear about their experiences while they are still fresh.

 

If someone saw something of interest it is nice to share that with the owner and other cachers that may be interested in what they saw. I have a few caches that around March some irises bloom on top of boulders in th area. This only lasts about 2 weeks so the log would have to be recent for others to be able to get out and see the site. If you wait 6 months none of the experiences will be fresh in your mind and you will not write with emotion. You might get the details correct but you will not capture the feeling of your experience. I know if I waited 6 months I would write very generic logs and there is nothing I hate more than " I came with so and so and found the cache TFTF" logs cut and pasted.

[+ZingerHead]

Can you explain the point of waiting so long before posting your finds? I know a few folks who do this, and it mystifies me. I don't have a problem with the practice, it's your way to play. But I don't "get it". If you are going to record the log somehow, in a notebook or what have you, aren't you putting in twice the logging effort?

 

For me, I log them as soon as I get home before short term memory loss kicks in .

[+Airmapper]

So..... my NEW question is:

When do you log your finds?

ASAP

[+nfa]

as soon as I can, normally that means at the end of the day...sometimes while vacationing, I have waited a week or so until I get home to log my finds/notes/DNFs/etc

 

jamie

[Hugh Jazz]

If I'm caching on my home turf, I log right as soon as I get home.

 

If I'm caching out of town like on a business trip or vacation, good internet safety practice dictates that I wait until I return home before logging.

[+AuntieWeasel]

As soon as I get home, unless I fall over unexpectedly asleep. This happens more often than not, particularly if I eat something when I get home. Then I log when I wake up.

 

The log is my 'thank you' to the hider, especially if it was in a great spot or a clever hide or a worthy part of a great day or just a nice, pretty walk. If I can possibly find anything worth taking a picture of, I post it. The hardest caches to log are the ones I very much enjoyed, but nothing remarkable happened -- I didn't fall down or see a snake or get lost. And then I have to tapdance to make a proper thank you.

 

It's also a way of interacting with other cachers. I remark on neat swag somebody before me left, or that cool thing the next finder shouldn't miss if it's still there, or what other caches in the area go especially well in combination. Reading and writing logs are some of the more social aspects of caching. But, you know, social at a distance. The way geeks like it

[+radioscout]

Normally I log my finds after coming home from caching. Sometimes, if I am very weary I write the logs the next day. Sometimes I have forgotten a log and wrote it some weeks later.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Except when travelling, I log TBs and caches the same day. Photo-editing can take longer. Benchmarks, on the other fin, can take me several days to log properly: photo-editing, logging into gc.com, and logging (when appropriate) into NGS. If I waited a few weeks, I'd never get it done!

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

Can you explain the point of waiting so long before posting your finds? I know a few folks who do this, and it mystifies me. I don't have a problem with the practice, it's your way to play. But I don't "get it". If you are going to record the log somehow, in a notebook or what have you, aren't you putting in twice the logging effort?

 

For me, I log them as soon as I get home before short term memory loss kicks in .

My intention is to write the log as soon as I experience the cache -- and then POST the log after 3-6 months.

 

Reason: I leave things like coins in caches. This prevents me being "followed".

 

Also, I don't want folks to have accurate stats on my caching.

[+Jamie Z]

Almost always as soon as I get home, which is usually just a few hours, usually not more than a day or two if I'm out for the weekend.

 

I almost always upload pics, and they are uploaded immediately.

 

The only exception to this is two trips I've taken, one about 1.5 years ago, and one this past summer where I kept very poor records of my cache hunts and lost my notes, respectively, have I failed to log my finds. I have probably about 30 more caches to log, and I plan to eventually...

 

Jamie

[+flask]

Can you explain the point of waiting so long before posting your finds? I know a few folks who do this, and it mystifies me. I don't have a problem with the practice, it's your way to play. But I don't "get it". If you are going to record the log somehow, in a notebook or what have you, aren't you putting in twice the logging effort?

 

For me, I log them as soon as I get home before short term memory loss kicks in  .

My intention is to write the log as soon as I experience the cache -- and then POST the log after 3-6 months.

 

Reason: I leave things like coins in caches. This prevents me being "followed".

 

Also, I don't want folks to have accurate stats on my caching.

a-HA!

 

another charming fellow passive aggressive.

 

as for the stalking, just never say what you left. whenever i leave a thing of great value, i do not mention it in the physical nor the online log.

 

and i cannot imagine saving up all the logs just for the sake of it.

 

goodness, gracious, man! i am perpetually weeks behind in my logging and i don't do it on purpose. today i wrote six logs, which i was only able to do because i had the day off and two were short.

 

i am now caught up to noon on 29 november.

 

the only way for me to remember anyting about the caches i visited is to log them in order. if i do that, i remember everything. sometimes you wish i didn't.

 

if i have to log a FF, i log right away, but only if no subsequet finders come before i return home. since i often do not retrn home for days, it is rare for me to have to log promptly.

 

to my way of thinking, the courtesy to the cache owner consists of writing the best log for the day i can. no cache owner has ever complained about my lack of promptness. usually i get offers for lunch and lodging and stuff.

 

today i had a lovely phone conversation with a cache owner whom i railed against in four separate logs. next time i go over there, we're having lunch.

[+ToTheSummit]

I always log everything as soon as I get home.

 

ditto

Me to.

[+CraigInCT]

Mopar MOpar MOPAR!!!

[+GPSOkie]

I always log the same day. I take a lot of photos while I'm out caching so if I don't log the same day, I forget which photos are associated with which caches My memory ain't so good.

[+Les Nomades]

As soon as I get back from caching. Before I forget everything

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

I have always logged the same day with two exceptions:

 

1) There was a DNF in which I was highly suspicious someone had the cache at the time I went looking, I usually do not log those as DNF's, but when I didn't see absolute proof of this in the logs and a week later looked at the logs and saw that a lot more experienced cachers had DNF's on their first try at this cache I decided to log it.

 

2) Right after getting my GPS I for kicks took a picture of my wife catching a fish and had the GPS in the photo. About 3 months later I learned that this is actually a locationless cache about to be archived into Waymarking with the rest of them so I logged it.

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

And some of my IRC friends think _I'm_ nuts...

 

Got a tracker on your profile page yet?!

 

To keep this on topic, for reasons unknown to mere mortals, I log whenever I get around to it. I'm thinking I MIGHT try to catch up and have all my finds logged by the New Year.

 

Hopefully I win bonus points for at least thinking about it.

 

I frequently write notes and DNF's... anything that can be done that won't show up on a 'list' somewhere or isn't something someone will think to check (my TB 'action' for instance, although I generally don't pick them up).

[bogleman]

I'M WATCHING YOU

Log them as soon as I can, if you want to watch me you HAVE WAY TOO MUCH FREE TIME, by all means enjoy yourself while doing so - wouldnt be the first.

[+Ed & Julie]

I always log everything as soon as I get home.

 

ditto

Me to.

As soon as I walk in the door. I can;t eat, sleep, or function until all my caches are logged.

 

On vacation or traveling, I can always find internet access somewhere to log my finds. I'm never a day behind in logs...I have too much fun logging my finds

[+Dyrty]

ASAP!!!

[+Mopar]

Within a year of finding it, usually.

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

Can you explain the point of waiting so long before posting your finds? I know a few folks who do this, and it mystifies me. I don't have a problem with the practice, it's your way to play. But I don't "get it". If you are going to record the log somehow, in a notebook or what have you, aren't you putting in twice the logging effort?

 

For me, I log them as soon as I get home before short term memory loss kicks in  .

My intention is to write the log as soon as I experience the cache -- and then POST the log after 3-6 months.

 

Reason: I leave things like coins in caches. This prevents me being "followed".

 

Also, I don't want folks to have accurate stats on my caching.

a-HA!

 

another charming fellow passive aggressive.

 

as for the stalking, just never say what you left. whenever i leave a thing of great value, i do not mention it in the physical nor the online log.

 

and i cannot imagine saving up all the logs just for the sake of it.

 

goodness, gracious, man! i am perpetually weeks behind in my logging and i don't do it on purpose. today i wrote six logs, which i was only able to do because i had the day off and two were short.

 

i am now caught up to noon on 29 november.

 

the only way for me to remember anyting about the caches i visited is to log them in order. if i do that, i remember everything. sometimes you wish i didn't.

 

if i have to log a FF, i log right away, but only if no subsequet finders come before i return home. since i often do not retrn home for days, it is rare for me to have to log promptly.

 

to my way of thinking, the courtesy to the cache owner consists of writing the best log for the day i can. no cache owner has ever complained about my lack of promptness. usually i get offers for lunch and lodging and stuff.

 

today i had a lovely phone conversation with a cache owner whom i railed against in four separate logs. next time i go over there, we're having lunch.

<stupidity removed (mine) -- I did a bad thing -- sorry>

Edited December 17, 2005 by Lemon Fresh Dog

[+Mopar]

Can you explain the point of waiting so long before posting your finds? I know a few folks who do this, and it mystifies me. I don't have a problem with the practice, it's your way to play. But I don't "get it". If you are going to record the log somehow, in a notebook or what have you, aren't you putting in twice the logging effort?

 

For me, I log them as soon as I get home before short term memory loss kicks in  .

My intention is to write the log as soon as I experience the cache -- and then POST the log after 3-6 months.

 

Reason: I leave things like coins in caches. This prevents me being "followed".

 

Also, I don't want folks to have accurate stats on my caching.

a-HA!

 

another charming fellow passive aggressive.

 

as for the stalking, just never say what you left. whenever i leave a thing of great value, i do not mention it in the physical nor the online log.

 

and i cannot imagine saving up all the logs just for the sake of it.

 

goodness, gracious, man! i am perpetually weeks behind in my logging and i don't do it on purpose. today i wrote six logs, which i was only able to do because i had the day off and two were short.

 

i am now caught up to noon on 29 november.

 

the only way for me to remember anyting about the caches i visited is to log them in order. if i do that, i remember everything. sometimes you wish i didn't.

 

if i have to log a FF, i log right away, but only if no subsequet finders come before i return home. since i often do not retrn home for days, it is rare for me to have to log promptly.

 

to my way of thinking, the courtesy to the cache owner consists of writing the best log for the day i can. no cache owner has ever complained about my lack of promptness. usually i get offers for lunch and lodging and stuff.

 

today i had a lovely phone conversation with a cache owner whom i railed against in four separate logs. next time i go over there, we're having lunch.

Thanks for calling me Passive Aggressive -- do you even know what that means?

 

Anyhow, insults aside --what difference does it make to you when I log my find you jerk -- (is that aggressive-agressive enough for you?)

 

The fact is, I write my log at the cache and/or record anything I want into my iPod. Secondly, I leave coins etc, almost everywhere I go -- I want folks to discover it as a "surprise". Also, I log DNF's right away -- I'm sure the cache owner doesn't care when I log a find (I don't)

[+AuntieWeasel]

Anyhow, insults aside --what difference does it make to you when I log my find you jerk -- (is that aggressive-agressive enough for you?)

Ummm...you do realize she was endorsing your logging style, don't you?

 

You know that little voice that told you not to hit <ENTER>? It's your friend. Listen to it next time.

[+sbell111]

In before the lock.

 

I try to log them right away. Unfortunately, I fail at this on occasion.

 

A few years ago, I cut a swath through PA and NY and lost my notebook before I returned home. I logged as many as I could, but I missed a few. Lep reminded me of one over a year later.

 

Then I went to Europe on my honeymoon. Several of the virts required a pic to log (either the pic was required or I just needed info from the pic in an email). Well, it took me close to a year to get around to developing that roll.

 

Just the other day, I logged a few finds that had been hanging out in my pda since April or May. I think there may be a couple more in there that I need to get to. I'll do it one of these days.

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

Anyhow, insults aside --what difference does it make to you when I log my find you jerk -- (is that aggressive-agressive enough for you?)

Ummm...you do realize she was endorsing your logging style, don't you?

 

You know that little voice that told you not to hit <ENTER>? It's your friend. Listen to it next time.

I didn't get that at all -- it appeared to me that I was being called a name

 

However, re-reading and a cup of coffee have now made for greater clarity.

 

Is it appropriate to say "Awwwww S@(%" here in the forums?

 

So....a round of apology, a HUGE dose of humilty......I'll go crawl under a rock for awhile....

 

(I missed the word "fellow" passice aggressive and read it as passive-agressive fellow -- which I guess makes me dyslexic.....)

Edited December 17, 2005 by Lemon Fresh Dog

[+sbell111]

I wish Oregone would catch up on his logs. I've erad all his old stuff.

[+nfa]

As I said earlier, I like to post my logs as soon as I can...finds/DNFs/notes/SBAs/etc.

 

That being said, I don't have a problem with people logging their finds when and how they want to...that's how they play the game.

 

I'm a little surprised that the DNF-police from the other thread, who felt that people (like me) who log DNFs differently than they do are: "selfish", "dishonest", "cheating", and "messing up the game"...don't seem to have the same problem with people delaying their logs by as much as a year, and robbing cache-owners and others of the shared experiences.

 

 

jamie

[+Renegade Knight]

If it's important I log right away. For the first 800 finds I logged right away. These days I log when I remember, have time, or get around to it.

[+Mopar]

(I missed the word "fellow" passice aggressive and read it as passive-agressive fellow  -- which I guess makes me dyslexic.....)

[+Thrak]

I'm still a n00b. I'm excited every time I find a cache and log it as soon as I can.

[+Zzyzx Road]

ASAP on ours. This may be due to the "New and Exciting" that we are experiencing. If I ever get so tired of this new sport that I should not WANT to log them in a decent amount of time, I will also be at a point to quit looking for them so vigorously. That is how I do things though.

We are interested in the Travel bugs, and with so many of them AWOL (whether missing or just behind in info) I would think that prompt logging would be important.

Just our two geocents worth.

[+N8OFP - Del]

I have always logged my finds as soon as I get home, other wise I may forget some detail I wanted to put in my cache log for a specific cache.

[+briansnat]

I log the instant I get home. I'd hate to get hit by a bus and wind up with the wrong find count on my headstone.

[+flask]

hello! did i miss anything good while i was gone?

 

so far today i have not logged a single cache, although i have four sitting on y desk that need doing.

 

so instead- i read some stuff, practiced aome music, did some laundry and went skiing.

 

maybe after dinner i'll write a log or two.

[+Quiggle]

Glad to see things cool off in here. Just got back from some holiday shopping to find the thread almost out of control. Please remember the forum guidelines, no need to flame people. Use the REPORT button and let the mods take care of it.

 

Kudos for getting it back on track. Now back to your regularly scheduled posting.

 

[+AuntieWeasel]

Use the REPORT button and let the mods take care of it.

I'd chew off my own mouse finger first.

[+reveritt]

I enjoy the on-line logging, and usually do it promptly after returning home. It's satisfying to relax with a beer or a coffee in front of the computer and relive the day's adventures.

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

hello! did i miss anything good while i was gone?

 

so far today i have not logged a single cache, although i have four sitting on y desk that need doing.

 

so instead- i read some stuff, practiced aome music, did some laundry and went skiing.

 

maybe after dinner i'll write a log or two.

You missed the part where I was stupid.

I miss-read your post, insulted you and apologized -- sorry.

 

I'd like to send you one of my coins to say sorry.

[+The Leprechauns]

::: Prepares for stampede of RGEFKACW's to beg and plead for Lemon Fresh Dog to insult them :::

 

I tend to log fairly promptly -- same day or within a day or two -- for when I was finding local caches. For trips, obviously, logging has to wait until I get back. Even for a trip to Nashville where I found 280-something, all the logs were written within a week or so of my return. And they weren't all copy-paste logs, either.

 

The faster the log is written, the more vivid the memory. The only other alternative is to keep very good notes in the field. Some do, so that is fine. Me, I prefer to enjoy the surroundings, and to not delay my trip to the next cache.

 

As for late "found its" not hurting anybody, I disagree. I schedule maintenance trips based on finds. If nobody's found my cache for months, I'm more likely to check up on it, since people seem so reluctant to admit to a DNF. If it was found by a delayed logger one week prior to my visit, and the cache is in good shape, I'd be steamed. But not very much so, 'cause I like visiting my cache sites.

 

Also, I am considering pulling one of my caches because it hasn't been visited in several months. If I get there to remove it, and find a bunch of signatures in the log that aren't logged online, I'll rethink that decision.

[+flask]

there's really no need to apologize.

 

i do know what passive-aggressive means. if you've ever been to group therapy with the schizophrenics you get a good grip on a lot of the definitions from the DSM-III (now IV).

 

i'm also likely to behave in that way if i don't catch myself first.

 

it wouldn't be the fist time anyone called me a jerk, either.

 

so while it is not necessary for you to send anything by way of apology, i'd still love to have one of your coins.

 

besides, if nobody says anything inflammatory and auntie weasel does not get to make sharp remarks the day is sadder and poorer for it.

 

the days are short, people. life is difficult. it's too painful to argue about anything that matters. so get out yer popcorn and we'll all have a laugh.

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

Cool! All's well again and I will be extra cautious in the future.

 

PM me your address and I will send you the geobone.

 

I've edited my original (stupid) response -- normally I stand by my stupidity, but in this case I hope no body minds my clearing the post.

 

Back to topic.

 

I normally log my DNF's to help cache maintenace, and I would probably log a 5/5 cache right away (due to low numbers of finds). I just try to avoid immediately letting folks know I have been to a popular cache right away.

[+CamoCacher]

Immediatly when getting home.

[+ChileHead]

If I got a FTF, usually I enter my log at the cache site from my phone (as a courtesy to other FTF hounds.)

 

Now I wish I could say something witty that LemonFreshDog would interpret as an insult, and then have it not be an insult, so I could get apologized to with a geobone!