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codeman3

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recently i ve been caching in pa and found that people are cheeting, or atleast thats what i think but i ve found a rock in an ammo box. now dont you hink you could consider that cheeting? I mean picking up a rock off the ground and trading it for something actually worth value? I examined the rock closely to see if it had like markings but nutn.

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A rock is a rock is a rock - not all the time. Without a description of the "ROCK" and me not knowing a rock from a rock would not just think of it as just a rock. Could be a semiprecious stone. No worse than some of the other junk that gets left in a cache. Could have been someone who stumbled upon the hide and was being smart. Now go out and give mother nature a kiss and tell her that you are sorry for jumping all over some poor little rock.

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Several years ago, I found a cache with only a logbook, golfball, pine needles, sticks, dried out berries and some assorted gravel. Sarcastically, I added a few pieces of white quartz rock found nearby. Seemed to complete the collection somehow.

 

Today, I am embarrased that I did that long ago. These days I would clean it out and restock it best I could. However, back then - it just seemed right.

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I've gone to caches with an item and it was of lesser value or I just didn't think it fit in cache physically or the theme. I simply don't take anything but do sign the log. The hunt was fun but if I don't have anything to add then I don't take! Sometimes, I add but don't take. Why take something you don't care about if someone else might? Respect the cache as someone has gone to the trouble to give others enjoyment including you. NEVER disrespect that persons cache/efforts. Just my 2 cents.

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What kills me is that first off you need a GPS to go Geocaching ok so lets say average price is $100 then you need a internet connection another lets say $20 x 12 months =$240, you probably bought a backpack and some stuff to go into it lets say 50 bucks, you gotta spend money to drive your car or truck to go caching ,, well anyways you get the point... So you invested all this money and you go off to visiting geocache that people place there out of the kindness of there hearth and the love of the game, And you reward them by taking good swag and leaving McPLastic Toys and Rocks---- Make you wonder how you even get up in the morning...

 

The issue I suppose is not the rocks or the plastic used toys its the fact that people will take a interesting piece of swag and leave crap,,,, but then again this all comes down too my other theory ,, must people that leave Rocks (not the nice polished ones) and used broken plastic toys are probably not even reading these forums.

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Ever go geocaching with a little kid? For them, a cool rock that they found along the trail might be the most valuable thing in the world at the moment when they trade it into the cache. Of course, it's the parent's job to even things up. Several times, I've slipped an extra toy into a cache after a young child has made a trade that was eminently fair in their young mind, but which might be viewed differently by more mature standards. Who's to say that there isn't a cool story like that behind the rock that you found? And who's to say that the next child to visit the cache might find the rock to be their favorite treasure? :)

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Ever go geocaching with a little kid? For them, a cool rock that they found along the trail might be the most valuable thing in the world at the moment when they trade it into the cache. [...]

Oops, there goes my "adult cacher" membership - I have to admit that I've happily traded several times for rocks that I thought were kinda cool. :)

 

Not that I'd disagree with some of the previous replies - swapping a generic chunk of granite for a maglite is a tad lame. Swapping a polished stone with interesting swirls and patterns for a broken McToy though - I'd probably consider that a "trade up".

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I put out a cache that was in a former coal mining area. On the way to hiding the cache I found a piece of petrified coal (black rock) and put it in the cache. The cache was well stocked, so I was really surprised, and a little sad, when someone traded for it. I've been meaning to go look for some more coal. :)

 

Jackie

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I think it all depends on the rock...if it's a chunk of concrete then I agree with the "junk" concept. But many rocks have value. A piece of granite or some limestone with fossils is great to kids, although I wouldn't trade it for more than a McToy (some places don't have granite exposed *Kentucky*). A nice quartz crystal, some garnets, or a good piece of fluorite are worth a lot more than most of the trade items I've seen in caches. I've commonly left quartz crystals that I've personally collected in caches (one of my next caches will have a FTF prize--a piece of fluorite) and I would gladly take most rocks from caches (most kids would take a rock over that broken McToy, too).

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if you appreciate rocks, trade even, rock for rock = acceptable.

 

if there's a cache next to the railroad tracks, and I go take a rock from

the tracks to put in the cache, that is trading down, that is not a polished

treasure at all ............. I could get a truckload of that.

 

people placing the caches need to make folks aware to trade up or even on the caches web page ... not everyone reads the forums, but in order to get to the cache, you have to read that page.

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I think a rock has the potential to be good swag, but in the right context. It has to be a nice rock, or a special rock, obviously not from the area, or if the rock is from the area, it should have a story. If the latter is the case, one should post the rock's story in one's log. We are all cachers, and would love to hear stories. Even a plain rock can be interesting if there is a story behind it.

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if you appreciate rocks, trade even, rock for rock = acceptable.

 

if there's a cache next to the railroad tracks, and I go take a rock from

the tracks to put in the cache, that is trading down, that is not a polished

treasure at all ............. I could get a truckload of that.

 

 

I have to agree and disagree with this one. I completely agree that if someone grabs a rock from nearby and trades with it, that person isn't trading even for anything in the cache.

 

But, trading even doesn't mean "rock for rock". If I traded a nice rock (meaning worth money), then I should be able to take something of that value. If I had a rock that would routinely be sold on "that auction site" for 20 dollars, I should be able to trade it for any trade item in the cache less than that amount, thereby trading even/up.

 

(I know this isn't the OPs intended line of thought in this thread, but I think it's a valid point that you can't just lump every rock together as junk) :mad:

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if you appreciate rocks, trade even, rock for rock = acceptable.

 

if there's a cache next to the railroad tracks, and I go take a rock from

the tracks to put in the cache, that is trading down, that is not a polished

treasure at all ............. I could get a truckload of that.

 

You'd be surprised what rocks you can actually find on the railroad tracks. The mining of gravel for the railbeds is taken from areas with alot of minerals and rarities. I've found many green crystals that look like kryptonite, hematite(found so much of this stuff that I actually put a bag full with a description card as to what it is in our caches so everyone can have a piece.) No, I dont think it's cool to grab just any rock and use it for trade, that's LAME. If you happen to be a rock hound though, and find something interesting, it could be a good trade. We found one awhile back that was only filled with rocks, the kind bought at a rock shop though.

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I was thinking of this thread this morning as I got back to work. I noticed a small china dish that is on my wife's dresser. In it, are several cool little stones that I have traded out of caches. I have no idea what they are, but each one was kinda interesting and she didn't seam to mind them. Actually, I think she liked them because I was thinking of her when I traded for them (She's not a geocacher).

 

Please put more rocks in caches. :mad:

Edited by sbell111
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Ok, this has given me a fantastic idea. I am going to create a cache called "in the area" I will fill it with stuff that is around the immediate area and the rule will be you have to pick something up along the way and "trade it" with something in the cache :D .. Just put in a really nice log book and a garbage can stamp and Bob's your uncle, a cache no one can trade down in. Problem solved

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Very nice to know that I'm not the only one who likes a good rock :D

 

I'm glad I'm not the only person who walks railroad tracks looking for rocks. Most of the railbed here is limestone, but we occasionally get really nice granite and quartzites imported.

 

I've also been out to NC and collected sapphires and rubies, still in the rock matrix. (I also have some hiddenite). I think any of those rocks would be great for caches.

 

I also have topaz and red emeralds (the most expensive gemstone when cut) from Utah that I've collected. They don't cost me anything other than sweat and time, but I think they'd be good trade items.

 

My next TB is going to be a rock

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NO!!!!! see this was a rock, from a pile 5 feet away unless God made this rock special outta a group of 9-10 it just a regular rock. No special form, no special markings, no cool colors. JUST A ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! :D

 

I think everyone here agrees with you that this particular rock was a pretty crappy trade item given the circumstances. We just want to make sure that ALL rocks aren't looked at the same way. :D

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I see the OP is new. He hasn't figured out all caches eventually degrade until they hold a rock, three cents, two hacked up range balls and a moist ball of moldy wood pulp which may have been a log at some time.

 

I think that's called thermodynamics. :D

 

EDIT: WOOHOO!!! I've been upgraded to "Geocacher"

Edited by dshawk
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Trading is trading, not cheating. If you want to pick up and bring home every piece-of-trash cache or TB you find, you're not cheating or stealing. For those who think it is stealing, everyone who CITOs on public property or picks up and takes home a rock is stealing by the same reasoning. The concepts of cheating and stealing are matters of opinion, not fact, in this game. Furthermore, they don't add anything of value.

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Are you positive that the rock wasn't of some value, just because there is a lot of it in the local area? The following minerals can be found in the Lancaster PA area. Not all of them are "attractive" in the traditional sense of the word.

 

Anatase

Antigorite

Aragonite

Aurichalcite

Brucite

Cacoxenite

'Chalcedony' 'var: Bloodstone'

Chromite

'Chrysotile'

Clinochlore var: Chromian Clinochlore

Coalingite

Desautelsite (TL)

'Deweylite'

Dolomite (the dolomite in my area can go for as high as $60 for a fist sized piece)

Forsterite

Heazlewoodite

Huntite

Hydromagnesite

Limonite

Lizardite

Magnesite

Magnetite

Malachite

McGuinnessite

Nakauriite

'Olivine'

Pokrovskite

Pyrite

Pyrolusite

Quartz

Talc

Vermiculite

 

I regularly pay $0.50 to $2.50 each for a thumb size sample of these minerals to use in my science class. Moral: If you can any minerals you don't want in PA, send them along to me for my science class! I am especially eager to get minerals that react to UV light (and PA is famous for those!).

PA collecting sites: http://www.pennminerals.com/collecting.htm

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I regularly pay $0.50 to $2.50 each for a thumb size sample of these minerals to use in my science class. Moral: If you can any minerals you don't want in PA, send them along to me for my science class! I am especially eager to get minerals that react to UV light (and PA is famous for those!).

PA collecting sites: http://www.pennminerals.com/collecting.htm

 

I sense that Neos 2 is plotting a side trip to PA... I can suggest some caches on the Western side of the state... :D

 

Codeman3: unfortunately, no matter what you do, some people will trade down. I've learned that you just have to learn to live with it. As was stated above - remember that anything you leave in a cache is no longer yours, and that those who trade for it might have a very different opinion as to it's value (or as to the value of what they leave in exchange). Sadly, there are also some who don't care when they leave worthless items, and others who will take and not leave. Fortunately, they are the few. Unfortunately, the majority don't trade, and so only a few trade even or trade up - which is how caches deteriorate over time.

Edited by Beffums
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That's one heck of a list!

 

Neos,

 

If you send me an email with some of the things you're looking for, I may be able to send you some from my collection. I have tons of mineral samples that I don't need (Arkansas quartz and Illinois fluorite especially). I have a few other fluorescents, and fossils.

 

I usually help out my profs when they go to elementary schools to teach about rocks/minerals, and I often give out pieces of what I've collected recently.

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That's one heck of a list!

 

Neos,

 

If you send me an email with some of the things you're looking for, I may be able to send you some from my collection. I have tons of mineral samples that I don't need (Arkansas quartz and Illinois fluorite especially). I have a few other fluorescents, and fossils.

 

I usually help out my profs when they go to elementary schools to teach about rocks/minerals, and I often give out pieces of what I've collected recently.

 

yea me 2 i have ties to people who have garages with nutn but rocks!!! they dont sell them but know where a lot are.

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I realize that the op was talking about a plain ole rock, I just wanted to point out that I have placed rocks with a fossil or an outcrop of quartz or something in a cache to later realize that someone who doesn't look for or at rocks all the time would probably only see a rock. I wouldn't put one in a cache unless there was something special about it. I have also found worthless rocks in caches, it's a bummer.

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