Found a cache by accident?

[swhite7000]

Everyone talks of caches being muggled but I'm still waiting for the day I find a cache by accident, has anyone stumbled across one? Also many muggled caches just get thrown in the immediate area but what do you think happens to the ones that just dissapear, taken home, handed into the police?

[+MTGeoPirates]

I have yet to stumble across one, but several people I work with in the Forest Service have found them during the course of their daily jobs. (Usually clearing trails.) As far as what happens to a muggled cache? The one cache we lost, I think someone took all the swag and our decon container home with them. If it was a kid, they may have thought they had found some real treasure hidden out there! My bet is that most of them simply end up going home with the muggle, except for the high profile bomb squad gets called caches that give our game a black eye every now and then.

[wolfbait]

ours got stolen.... by the city without them realizing it....

they took the memorial cannon we hid the cache in for maitinence

[+j_czerwin]

Before GC.com required us to put in WPs on a multi, they only checked the start and end points. (At leas that is the way I understand it)

 

There were two 3 stage multi caches near each other with the 2nd stages being very close to eachother. While working on one that had the 2nd stage missing, I looked around long enough to accidentally find the 2nd stage of the other multi cache. The cache was not labeled, so I didn't know that happened when I logged it.

 

Then I was working on the second multi cache, and it lead me to where I had already been!!! It took a bit of homework to figure out what happened!

[+kingsting]

I just found one this week. I was scouting out a park to do a new hide and when I came upon the perfect hiding spot I discovered a keyhider stuck in it. This was a cache I knew was out there but never went after it. I thought it was in a different park. I signed the logsheet and put it back.

[+Renegade Knight]

I have found part of a multi on accident. As of today I've found 3 of the 7 parts and been skunked on two more. Perhaps in another couple of years I'll finish it.

 

The cache I had that was most often found my muggles was one I walked up to a Juniper Tree in the park and just stuck it in the tree. Every now and then it fell out. People would sign the log and stick it back in the tree. About 4 or 5 people did that. It was never taken.

 

My favorite muggle find was on a cache under a rock. A muggle couple out walking decided they wanted that very rock for their garden. They picked it up and found the cache. The signed the log and decided that maybe they could live without that rock.

Edited December 20, 2006 by Renegade Knight

[+wesleykey]

I found a micro a couple years ago while doing a multi. The stage of the multi was only 20 feet or so from the micro.

[+tomfuller & Quill]

While working on finding a puzzle cache near Milton-Freewater OR I spotted one at the edge of a Pioneer Cemetery. I called home with the coordinates and got the name of the cache. Signed the log and hid it a little better and made sure the top was secure.

[+ThePropers]

I found one while doing an earthcache. I signed the log (that already had 4 signatures on it) and went home. Discovered through a reviewer that it was a new cache that hadn't been published yet, and still isn't. Apparently the hider lost interest, and it's probably still sitting there.

[wolfbait]

heres the news article to go with my post

http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.s...hoga&coll=2

[+denden9]

About three weeks ago my brother and I were on a cache run about 100 miles for home and we were talking about a good place for a cache . We drive by area and saw something in tree it was a new cache and we got first to find. It was not in our palm or gpsr Didn't even know the cache name .

[+Harry Dolphin]

Caches, no. But I have found three letterboxes while hunting for caches. Letterboxes seem to be easier to find.

[campertime]

We were camping last October and had done all the caches in the park. Our last day there we decided to take the kids on a walk before packing up and heading home. While on our walk we stumbled upon a cache just off the trail when the kids were looking for a hiking sticks.

 

The cache was full of swag and a log book with about 30 signatures. We weren't sure wether we should sign the log or not, since we were not caching. We decided to sign ithe log and look the cache up when we arrived home. Never did find a listing for that cache.

 

Didn't know if it was misplaced, a private party doing a demo, or what? We should not have signed the log. Guess we know better now.

[+benh57]

The cache was full of swag and a log book with about 30 signatures. We weren't sure wether we should sign the log or not, since we were not caching. We decided to sign ithe log and look the cache up when we arrived home. Never did find a listing for that cache.

 

Didn't know if it was misplaced, a private party doing a demo, or what? We should not have signed the log. Guess we know better now.

 

Eh? Of course you should have.

[+TrailGators]

I found the final stage of a multi by accident while searching for the final of a puzzle cache. The final from the multi was only 15 feet away from the final of the puzzle cache! I think that was the closest together I ever ever found two caches.

[+Metaphor]

I was first to find on a letterbox today while dnf'ing a regular cache in Delaware...

[Via Con Ardillos]

i found a letterbox while looking for one up at a state park up hizzle

[+LoneHowler]

I could see how a cache could get muggled, I have one that's fairly out in the open, normally it's hidden under a boulder in a popular dog park, the challenge is getting the cache without the muggles spotting you, one winter some cachers failed to put it in it's proper spot, thankfully the cachers after the noted that it was out in the open, and I was able to re-hide it before muggles spotted it under the snow. After that I placed a note on the cache listing that it had to be placed back in the same spot. I haven't had trouble since

Edited December 22, 2006 by LoneHowler

[+bbsurveyors]

We found an unlisted micro one time while looking for a different nearby cache. It seems that the one we found was too close to the first one so it never did get published. It had a geocoin in it that we passed along. The cacher who hid the one we found was amazed that it had been discovered.

Edited December 22, 2006 by bbsurveyors

[+Team Four A's]

I work for a local conservation board. Our park ranger found a cache that is hidden in one of the parks in the dumpster once. Even though we currently do not have a policy or application for Caches in our recreational activities I have contacted all of the owner's of caches that are currently in our facilities. Only one owner has not responded back to my contact. But luckly this owner had and I was able to contact him and get the cache container to him. It needed some help. I was also glad he had the cache name and waymark GC#'s on it. It makes it easyer to find the owner that way to let them know if you did find it by accedent who to let know it needed attention. So far no other's to my knowleges have been bothered. This one that was has been hidden in a much better spot that will keep mugglers away.

[Dinoprophet]

I pretty much always know what the nearby caches are, so finding one on accident is pretty unlikely -- I'm either looking for them, or I've already found them. I have had a couple of mine found on accident and the finder signed the logbook.

[+The O'Hara Cache Crew]

Thanks for including the article link. What a cool story. Are you going to re-hide the cache when the cannon is restored? If so what is the GC## Berea's not that far from Shaker.

 

heres the news article to go with my post

http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.s...hoga&coll=2

 

Oh and I found a Letterbox while caching down near Hudson, OH which I mistook for a cache called Tristans Spaceship?? Some animal had broken the plastic part of it open and left it right out in the middle of a little clearing. (I guess something inside smelled good) It was full of beads and flowery pink and purple...stuff. No Camo tape whatsoever to be seen. And a couple other times I have found caches, not in their hiding spots, with the corner of the container chewed on and the contents spread all over.

Edited December 22, 2006 by The O'Hara Cache Crew

[+Cladius]

I have found a couple (that's how I got into caching) i also have found a few letter boxes which I have not as yet got into.

[swhite7000]

For about a week i couldn't get my GPS to work so just went caching knowing only the rough area and managed to find around 5 in this way which I suppose isn't actually by accident however i have found several parts of multis pretty randomly. They usually seem to be under bridges ? Don't know why

[Mr.Yuck]

Caches, no. But I have found three letterboxes while hunting for caches. Letterboxes seem to be easier to find.

 

More like about 15 letterboxes here.

[+SgtSue]

Yesterday one of my muggle coworkers came into my office to tell me he found one of "those cache things you look for" in a park near his home. I pulled up geocaching and plugged in his zip code. Looking at the names I figured it was one I had already located. With a mimium of minipulation of the google cache maps we identified which one it was. Me? I have hard enough time finding the ones I am searching for to find one by accident.

[+nekom]

I wish I had, would have been into caching much earlier. I'll bet most people who stumble upon them and aren't wise to the game would either be interested or at least not inclined to destroy it. My reaction would have beel "Why am I just learning of this now?"

 

I'll bet more than a few hunters do. Looking at a log (not on gc.com, but in the actual logbook) of one cache I saw a hunter's log. Something like "I guess I found it, wasn't looking for it. Left a musket ball."

[+Team Perks]

I came across a cache by accident a couple months ago when I pulled off a highway to look at an old building & read a historical marker. I had just finished saying something like "Gee, this would be a neat spot for a cache" when I looked down and sure enough, there was one about two feet away from me.

[Digital_Cowboy]

I have yet to stumble across one, but several people I work with in the Forest Service have found them during the course of their daily jobs. (Usually clearing trails.) As far as what happens to a muggled cache? The one cache we lost, I think someone took all the swag and our decon container home with them. If it was a kid, they may have thought they had found some real treasure hidden out there! My bet is that most of them simply end up going home with the muggle, except for the high profile bomb squad gets called caches that give our game a black eye every now and then.

 

Granted , I don't make it a habit of watching the news every day, but I have to say that I haven't heard of any caches being discovered by the police and/or blown up by the bomb squad. How many times has this happened?

[+Techcaching]

I have yet to stumble across one, but several people I work with in the Forest Service have found them during the course of their daily jobs. (Usually clearing trails.) As far as what happens to a muggled cache? The one cache we lost, I think someone took all the swag and our decon container home with them. If it was a kid, they may have thought they had found some real treasure hidden out there! My bet is that most of them simply end up going home with the muggle, except for the high profile bomb squad gets called caches that give our game a black eye every now and then.

 

Granted , I don't make it a habit of watching the news every day, but I have to say that I haven't heard of any caches being discovered by the police and/or blown up by the bomb squad. How many times has this happened?

 

Me and a buddy accidently found one way befor we knew what Geocaching was. We were scuba diving alexander Springs, FL and went about 15 feet into a little cavern where the cache was hidden. It was two water bottles tied toughter with a string. One filled with sand and the other with the log book inside.

 

I've yet to search for it on the site, I guess I should go and log it. I'm sure its a x/4.5

[+leather-man]

I found one before I started caching and then found another while looking for a place to hide one.

The second one I found was in "My" perfect hiding spot and it was the end of a very hard puzzle.

[+Tallahassee Lassie]

I never found one by accident, but I think it would have been completely great if I h ad. I probably would have started sooner.

[+Frumious Jane]

I never found one by accident, but I think it would have been completely great if I h ad. I probably would have started sooner.

 

Me too. I'm terribly curious, and some worldwide treasure hunt involving stealth and keeping track of successes is something I'd have been interested in years ago! Oh for a time machine.

[+JennM]

Caches, no. But I have found three letterboxes while hunting for caches. Letterboxes seem to be easier to find.

 

We found a letterbox while looking for a cache too. I knew from the logs that there was one nearby and we found the letterbox first - but upon opening it I realized that wasn't our goal. Signed the letterbox log anyway (I need to make myself a stamp!).

 

Otherwise I've never found a cache by accident but I've probably walked by dozens of them without realizing!

 

Jenn

[nonaeroterraqueous]

We stumbled upon one before we had really discovered geocaching. We only knew a little about it before. We put it back exactly as we found it. I've tried to figure out which one it was, but so many have been muggled from that area that it's hard to tell.

 

We also found a puzzle cache by chance before we knew what puzzle caches were. While approaching the false coordinates we happened upon the actual cache.

[Digital Mind]

The First Cache I ever found was by accident. Just as I got introduced to geocaching, (or heard about it I should say) I tried solving one of those cache's where u need to solve a riddle to get the coordinates. Well I did it wrong, and got faulty coordinates (REALLY faulty, I was WAAAAY off). At the time, I didn't have a GPS but the coordinates I got, according to google maps, led me to a park just up the street. So I found nothing according to where google said it should be, so I searched the ENTIRE park (ok well it wasn't a really Large park) and found a Micro. I thought that was my cache, logged it as a find. Then about a week later realised what happened. (And fixed my logs).

 

Digital Mind

[+Night Stalker]

A muggle was first to find on one of my caches. The cool thing was that not only did he sign the logbook, but he even traded up. There is a lesson to be learned here for some of our fellow cachers.

 

[+FamilyDNA]

Granted , I don't make it a habit of watching the news every day, but I have to say that I haven't heard of any caches being discovered by the police and/or blown up by the bomb squad. How many times has this happened?

This is the most recent one I've seen. There are many, many more. I believe there's a bookmark list somewhere.

Edited January 2, 2007 by FamilyDNA

[+FamilyDNA]

Granted , I don't make it a habit of watching the news every day, but I have to say that I haven't heard of any caches being discovered by the police and/or blown up by the bomb squad. How many times has this happened?

This is the most recent one I've seen. There are many, many more. I believe there's a bookmark list somewhere.

I found the Bookmark.

[+mizdeeds]

I accidentally found a stage to a multi while looking for a regular cache. It was not long after I'd first started caching and I figured it was a multi with a lot of stages. Did I write down the numbers to check on it later? Nooooooooooooo. Was it only a 2-stage multi? Yes, DUH. I did manage to find the cache I was originally looking for. Have I learned? Yes.

[+Loch Cache]

Everyone talks of caches being muggled but I'm still waiting for the day I find a cache by accident, has anyone stumbled across one? Also many muggled caches just get thrown in the immediate area but what do you think happens to the ones that just dissapear, taken home, handed into the police?

 

I was working on placing 3 caches in the downtown Worcester, MA, area. I had scoped out the three locations and taken reads on two different days. Two weeks later I went out with the cache containers and placed the first cache with no problem. When I went to the little park to place the second I went to the exact tree I was going to hide the small cache in and saw there was a baggie in the V where the cache was going to go. I thought I had found someone's drug stash. No way would I leave a cache there now.

 

Before I walked away I tugged on the baggie and saw a TB tag in it. Under the baggie was a micro cache. Unpublished. I signed the log and left the TB for the FTF. The micro cache was published the next day. It was a newer cacher who works in the area.

Pocket Park

 

I have also found a few letterboxes. One was 6 feet from a newly published cache. As a courtesy I too a page from the logbook for the letterbox and wrote, "This is not the gecocache" on it and placed it so anyone opening the letterbox would see it. I know letterboxes sometimes get mistaken for caches and have heard of the stamps being taken by unaware cachers. I would hate for my cache to be mistaken for something it is not.

 

Loch Cache

[+edscott]

For about a week i couldn't get my GPS to work so just went caching knowing only the rough area and managed to find around 5 in this way which I suppose isn't actually by accident however i have found several parts of multis pretty randomly. They usually seem to be under bridges ? Don't know why

 

If this qualifies as "by Accident" then I have 1205 by accident....