Crappy Caches...

[RavenGuider]

Again, checking on the "codes" I might be breaking....

 

I logged a find and then privately contacted the owner to tell them the cache needs tlc. I left a few items of interest for the next people to find, but did not feel it was my place to remove the broken toys, soggy notebook or other nasty items we found. (Even the kids couldn't find anything of interest to trade.)

 

Is caches in this state common? I'm sure the owner didn't realize... it's a couple years old and is the obvious victim of people trading down rather than up (or even lateral).

 

Does my duty end here? Should I have cleaned it out? Was it even my duty to make note of the condition of the cache, or should I have chalked it up to a bad find and kept my opinion to myself?

 

Raven

[+BlueDeuce]

I found a cache that the owner listed in the original trade items, a broken garage door opener. I even saw it.

 

It's in my favorite top three caches.

 

Swag ain't got much to do with geoaching, in my opinion.

 

Trade out the trash, kind of hard to 'trade even' if you ask me. So leave what you can.

Edited August 11, 2006 by BlueDeuce

[+cachew nut]

Again, checking on the "codes" I might be breaking....

 

I logged a find and then privately contacted the owner to tell them the cache needs tlc. I left a few items of interest for the next people to find, but did not feel it was my place to remove the broken toys, soggy notebook or other nasty items we found. (Even the kids couldn't find anything of interest to trade.)

 

Is caches in this state common? I'm sure the owner didn't realize... it's a couple years old and is the obvious victim of people trading down rather than up (or even lateral).

 

Does my duty end here? Should I have cleaned it out? Was it even my duty to make note of the condition of the cache, or should I have chalked it up to a bad find and kept my opinion to myself?

 

Raven

 

I think it's your duty to notify the cache owner, like you said, they probably didn't know.

 

It's not your duty to fix or clean the cache.

 

However, there's nothing wrong with going above and beyond your call of duty.

[+ADKcachers]

You said "duty."

[+team moxiepup]

We've done our share of dumping water out of caches and drying them, and have replaced a log book or two. We've applied duck tape to a leaky plastic container lid. Basically... we do what we can. I think the worst condition we ever found a cache in was when we were newbies. It was so damp that everything in the cache had thick, green mold growing on it! Everything was too disgusting to handle and we didn't have a separate bag to lug the stuff back to the car, so we left it like it was. We signed the log best we could and noted the cache needed help online (as many had done before us.). We now probably would have e-mailed the cache owner, and clicked on the "needs maintainence"icon, but I doubt we would have gotten a response, as the owner had disregarded the logs that were before ours.

[+MountainMudbug]

I appreciate it when occasionally a finder on one of my caches shoots me a quick email and lets me know the state of the cache, or writes about it in their online logs. Especially when there is a problem with a cache, ie: logbook full/almost full, cache damp inside, camo or label coming off, status of the trade items inside. If it really does need attention, I'd say definitely hit the 'needs maintenance' button.

 

It isn't your duty to do anything, but I know most owners would appreciate you adding in a couple decent trade items if you can spare them, even if you don't take anything. Sometimes cachers will replace a busted ziplock bag or add an extra, new logbook to the cache if they find one is full, or drop in a new pen or pencil. If there is something truly nasty (wet, dirty, slimey, food-stuffs ) most owners probably wouldn't mind it being removed (would likely appreciate it), but you just have to use your best judgement on a case-by-case basis, I guess. When I'm out hunting, I try to do unto caches as I would have done unto mine.

 

Regarding the state of trades:

Only the very first couple/three cachers to find a cache really get to see what the hider intended in the most original sense of the hide, trade-wise, unless those finders are of the TNLN persuasion, in which case the contents will change very little.

 

Often it isn't the owner's choice or fault as to what the cache contains when you get there, it just happens over time. Several times I have gone out on spontaneous maintenance checks of my own caches and have been rather embarrased at the state of the "trades" inside. I intend that my caches (those large enough for trades) would give finders a little selection of goodies to sort thru if they choose. I want to present more than a sparse selection, like 3 cheap plastic toys (unwrapped and used), 47cents in loose change, a handfull of business cards, and 2 motel shampoo packets. I try to keep my caches stocked with small variety of 'interesting' (or at least new/sealed) things as best I can, but honestly the quality will often degrade fairly rapidly. It doesn't always happen, I have checked and discovered some interesting things and neat handmade signature items, so there are definitely some people making an effort!

I've just had to loosen up and hope that the finders will appreciate the location or the smiley count or something. Maybe they'll find a travel bug in there and be happy about that.

 

I can't stress out over the trades anymore, sometimes folks do Ok and sometimes it's less than Ok.

Whatcha gonna do......

 

edit: eye kan spell guud, trewlie eye kan!

Edited August 11, 2006 by MountainMudbug

[+cachew nut]

You said "duty."

No, I didn't.

[+Sagefox]

Should I have cleaned it out? Was it even my duty to make note of the condition of the cache, or should I have chalked it up to a bad find and kept my opinion to myself?

 

 

Your duty, absolutely not! But...

 

Why not take out some, or all of the junked out stuff: broken toys, broken anything, moldy, soggy paper items; replace torn ziplock's if you have some in you cache bag; wipe out the container with a rag or paper towel you can easily carry in a coat pocket or cache pack; remove offensive items like cigarattes, condoms, and other items inappropriate for a family sport; rehide the container so that it won't get muggled but keeping in mind the owner's intended placement.

 

Do any or all of these things at most of the cache sites you visit and the world will be a better place for it. It does not take any special effort to do this.

 

If a junky container is not cleaned out it will beget more junk and leave the finder with a negative impression. If the container and contents are clean and serviceable people just might think of adding something nice.

[+5somewhere]

We recently found a cache that was in pretty bad shape (wet, molded, smelly, etc) and according to the logs had been for several months. Being new to caching we weren’t sure what the correct protocol was but took it upon ourselves to clean it up. We replaced the container, put in new swag and a new log. We bagged the old, wet log in a separate baggie so the history would be maintained but yet it would ruin the new stuff we put in. I am glad to see that most cachers think that this is okay. We were afraid that we would be stepping on someone’s toes but it just didn’t seem right to leave it in such bad shape.

[RavenGuider]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Reading back, the word "duty" sounded stronger than I had intended... I meant "is it ok", or "should I have"..... seems most of you got the jist of my question. I'll start stocking my backpack with some extras for the next time!

 

As for the traders... when your hunting with the kids "swag" is VERY important. Doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, they just like to have a momento of the occassion. Can't say I blame them. That being said, I can appreciate caching for the hunt as well.

 

Raven

[+sbell111]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Reading back, the word "duty" sounded stronger than I had intended...

Most people just thought it was funny because the title of the thread is 'crappy caches' and duty sounds like...

 

Ummm, never mind.

[+GeekBoy.from.Illinois]

Recently, while caching, my wife and I found a damp container. We removed a moldy wooden item that might have been causing the lid to no seal properly (yes, I was the one who had to carry it out <g>). We emailed the cache owner and let them know, and got back a reply thanking us for notifying them. We even got a reply back from them letting us know that they had "fixed" the condition of the cache.

 

We had hoped to leave a "Rose Compass Geocoin" in that cache but we didn't due to its condition. We ended-up leaving the geocoin in a different cache that day though...

[+Renegade Knight]

When it comes to broken junk in caches MOST of the time it wasn't placed there by the cache owner. It's not my job to make sure that cachers trade fair. I don't think twice about cleaning out expired cupons, broken toys and dumping the water out others caches. Heck most finders don't seem to know how to seal a cache let alone rehide one anyway. The better job cache finders do taking care of the cache that someone hid for them to find the more fun it's going to be for all of us.

[+The Laughing Gnomes]

We actually do the same thing. If its full of broken toys, grass, dirt, $.24, a rubber band, a candle without a wick, one single wet wipe, and acorner of an envelope with a postage stamp stuck to it (.37 cents at that) we will clean it out and add a few extra trade items.

 

(the above list was actually located at a single cache we found recently)

 

When logging the find we will usually do our normal find log, AND and needs maintenance log with a note for the owner to delete the maintenace log if they like.

 

The Laughing Gnomes

[+Atomic Elf]

Yes, I have no problem cleaning out a cache. There happens to be one just across the street from my office and I noticed a couple of logs saying the cache had been a bit wet inside, but the (adopted) cache owner had not taken note. So I retrieved the cache, dried the log, added a new log sheet since the existing one was full, and taped the crack in the container which was probably letting in water. Yes it's the cache owner's responsibility, but when it's not out of your way to do so, why not help out a cache. The owner later sent me a message thanking me for my efforts.

[+b'wile'd]

I've found my first 'real crappy' cache.. I posted a log, told the owner it needed maintenance and then told them they COULD delete my log. They deleted the log, but did not change, move cache. I feel cachers deserve better than this. I'd also like to let others who attempt this cache know that there is human excrement on/near the coords for the cache. It is not a good cache. Is there a way to report a bad cache? I see one may report an inappropriate forum post.

[+beezerb]

Are there any guidelines for removing wet logs that are in danger of disintegrating and returning them to the owner of the cache? Yesterday we found one of our caches muggled (first time for us) and what hurt the most was the loss of the log book.

[+Elde]

Does my duty end here? Should I have cleaned it out? Was it even my duty to make note of the condition of the cache, or should I have chalked it up to a bad find and kept my opinion to myself?

 

Don't forget to tag your log 'needs maintenance'. In theory cache owners are supposed to visit the cache and local reviewers theoretically search out caches with that tag....

[+fresgo]

Again, checking on the "codes" I might be breaking....

 

I logged a find and then privately contacted the owner to tell them the cache needs tlc. I left a few items of interest for the next people to find, but did not feel it was my place to remove the broken toys, soggy notebook or other nasty items we found. (Even the kids couldn't find anything of interest to trade.)

 

Is caches in this state common? I'm sure the owner didn't realize... it's a couple years old and is the obvious victim of people trading down rather than up (or even lateral).

 

Does my duty end here? Should I have cleaned it out? Was it even my duty to make note of the condition of the cache, or should I have chalked it up to a bad find and kept my opinion to myself?

 

Raven

If it was my cache (and lord knows I have been accused of having crappy caches) I appreciate the email to me let me know the concern either if it is the contents in the cache, the container, or the location especially if it is really really bad or unsafe. I will get out there and fix it if something is wrong. But there is nothing wrong with helping each other out once in a while.

Edited August 16, 2006 by fresgo

[+Zzyzx Road]

Nobody can be Johnny-on-the-spot about checking caches. I found one here in our small town that had a previous finder leave a small (probably pretty at the time) carnation in the cache. Airtight, moist conditions...hmmm. It was nasty when we found it.

I am always at least leaving some little dollar-store items in caches that are bare or minimum at best. My daughter (with her own account) doesn't care aobut teh swag unless there is something she is collecting (pins, polished rocks...)and we are sure to leave at lest the same amount or more.

When we went to Nevada this last spring, we found not only more ammo cans, (desert is easier to hide those in I guess) but higher quality swag too. (Thanks again Turtle Lady!) So if it is in a possibly high-muggle area, I would think that low-quality swag would become the norm - just so it didn't get stolen. I would hate to lose a perfectly good unregistered TB to some muggle idiot that stumbles onto a cache by accident!