Oh No! No pen!

[+cownchicken]

This log was recently written for a Namibian 'micro' cache:

 

"Nice hide. Nearly left and thought it is gone! Did not have a pen so left my name torn out of one of my business cards!

Please indicate on cache page that there is no pen."

 

Regular caches that have been out in our harsh conditions for a year or two, well you can count on it that the pen will most likely not be working anymore or would have been carried off accidently by a cacher.

Where a pencil and sharpener were left to sign the log - the pencil has no point and the sharpener was again carried off by a cacher thinking it was a trinket.

We take a handful of pens along with us to all caches, as when you get to the top of Chapmans Peak or the top of Constantiasberg you can count on it that the one pen you are clutching in your hand is about to breathe it's last breath.

 

Now, do you take a pen or two with you when you go out caching?

Edited April 3, 2008 by cownchicken

[+cincol]

To carry a spare pen or not to carry a spare pen? That was a lesson learned the hard way for me. I now have a box of pens in my cache-bag and always carry at least one with me when visiting a cache. In the past I have been known to "write" my name in a log with a piece of charcoal and even a stone! On both occasions I had left my pen in the car and after a long trek to the cache in the heat of the day was not going to return to the car to fetch a pen!

 

That said, last month during a lay-over at Charles de Gualle Airport I left my hand luggage in the lounge and hopped on a train, GPSr in hand, to do a quick cache in Paris. After finding the cache - a micro - I realized I had nothing to write with and could not risk compromising the cache location by asking a passing muggles for a pen. They probably wouldn't have understood me anyway as this was NOT a tourist area. Needless to say I felt an absolute idiot after an expensive train ride and running about like an idiot in sub-zero temperature. I ended up with a cellphone photo of the cache with a distinguishable landmark and an e-mail to the cache owner in lieu of signing the log! Yes, we learn to be creative don't we.

[+Goofster]

And then, of course, we have those cachers who will place a new, regular sized cache out in the middle of nowhere, but without a pen or pencil to log your finds! I normally have at least two pens with me, but what do you do when you're halfway up a mountain at 05h30 in the morning, and you realise you left your pens in the cache-mobile?

[+The Huskies]

You use an old rusted nail

[+Wazat]

It is when you climb all the way up a mountain 3000 meter sign the log book and go all the way back down and find that you forgot to leave a calling card..... Now I need to go back up and leave that. Eish.

 

Or write in the logbook and pack it all away grab your kit and head home. Unpack your kit at home and find you had packed in the logbook as well.....

 

Lucky some caches are not visited for weeks or months in this area....

Edited April 3, 2008 by Wazat

[+Wazat]

Aaargh double post...... Wait till you get to a cache and find some animal or vagrant has left their mark.....It happens.

Edited April 3, 2008 by Wazat

[+Renegade Knight]

...Now, do you take a pen or two with you when you go out caching?[/color] [/size] [/font]

 

Yes, I normally bring a Unibal power tank. Waterproof ink. Writes when cold. Writes on damp (but not soaking wet) logs. It's a good pen and reasonably priced. Others who pay attention to wet logs and waterpoof ink will use Sharpies or Space Pens. Both do the job fairly well.

[+Carbon Hunter]

You use an old rusted nail

Yep - I use the nail to draw blood for the log - and then get a tetnus shot afterwards for the nail1

[+QFC]

You use an old rusted nail

 

That or a piece of burnt stick. (When in Africa learn from the busman painting)

 

* My caching bag has an assortment of pens that for the most part do not work.

[+TrailGators]

I always try to remember a pen. But I've had to make a stick pen and signed in mud before when I've forgotten to bring a pen.

Edited April 5, 2008 by TrailGators

[+Gipsie]

This happened to me today....I hiked in a ways, only to find a completely awesome hide....It was small (of course I didn't check the cache page first). NO PEN!!! Made the hike back ( if the cache wasn't as good as it was, I might have said forget it) and came back and signed the log. I had a pen cliiped to my shirt, but took it off to make notes for when I logged later and left it sitting on the front seat of my car...AAARGH!

[+Gipsie]

Double sorry.......

[+cownchicken]

This log appeared over the weekend:

 

April 12 by Tom&sons (104 found)

A newly published cache boasting a pure white logsheet after 3 weeks is a rare phenomenon, having noticed the overzealous speed at which new caches are initiated. Mr Pook and myself set out to help this cache along, combining 2 hobbies, i.e. mountainbiking and geocaching. The terrain is quite rough and we drew some blood. Having no pen or pencil, Mr. Pook had to revert to Bushman art to log our effort. A memorable outing for my 99th find. TFTC

 

We were the next cachers to find the cache and must say that the bloody writing freaked us out...... not to mention the photo's on the cache page.

[+Wazat]

It happens. I did one in Durban over the weekend. Go down a mountain through wet slippery grass. Find the cache to be pen less and have nothing but nature to use. So with stick and mud I the logsheet do sign. Put the cache back in hiding and head back up the hill. Then almost at the top I realised that the chirping that was going on on the walk down warning me of a nearby speed camera were silent. Checked the pockets and I am minus one GPS. Oh noooooo. I think, this is not good. I head back down to the site and start a frantic search. Lucky I find the GPS still there just hidden better than the cache was. I search my pocets for any other possible missing items such as cellphones keys etc and find a UNTB.... ah something to confirm my visit. So I left it in the cache. Next cacher please log my find.... Thank you note left on the page. Eish!

[+GlobalRat]

Two recent events:-

 

March 15 by erik88l-r (2209 found)

It took a lot of clambering and looking, but GlobalRat eventually spotted the cache in a cave I thought I'd pretty well scoped out. And just then the rain started. There was no pen in the cache and we'd neglected to bring one. What to do? GlobalRat had a personalized sticker, and I ripped my name off the Kalula Airlines boarding pass I still had in my pocket, we stuck both in the log. Also left a geocoin to prove I'd been there. Thanks for the adventure. ~erik~

 

2008/03/09 by Noddy

FTF with Globalrat & Wazat at 01h00 in the morning.

OK, so everyone had gone home from the event and the left overs were sitting chatting about caching when we checked the internet, like it was the right thing to do at 12h30 in the morning. A cache popped up and it was just round the corner, so the logical thing to do it go out and find it.

Good fun cache, with a slight typing error on the co-ords at the waypoint.

No you would think that we would have the experience to take a pen with us. Nope we had to drive around looking for a pen.

 

It was waaay early.......

 

"n boer maak n plan"

[+Wazat]

Two recent events:-

 

2008/03/09 by Noddy

FTF with Globalrat & Wazat at 01h00 in the morning.

OK, so everyone had gone home from the event and the left overs were sitting chatting about caching when we checked the internet, like it was the right thing to do at 12h30 in the morning. A cache popped up and it was just round the corner, so the logical thing to do it go out and find it.

Good fun cache, with a slight typing error on the co-ords at the waypoint.

No you would think that we would have the experience to take a pen with us. Nope we had to drive around looking for a pen.

 

It was waaay early.......

 

"n boer maak n plan"

 

I went back on Saturday with Rhino and DiePienaars and I swear there were about 5 pens in there or everyone just pulled out all their pens. Either that or I was a bit sloshed agaaaain.... Eish!

Edited April 15, 2008 by Wazat

[+the pooks]

This log appeared over the weekend:

 

April 12 by Tom&sons (104 found)

A newly published cache boasting a pure white logsheet after 3 weeks is a rare phenomenon, having noticed the overzealous speed at which new caches are initiated. Mr Pook and myself set out to help this cache along, combining 2 hobbies, i.e. mountainbiking and geocaching. The terrain is quite rough and we drew some blood. Having no pen or pencil, Mr. Pook had to revert to Bushman art to log our effort. A memorable outing for my 99th find. TFTC

 

We were the next cachers to find the cache and must say that the bloody writing freaked us out...... not to mention the photo's on the cache page.

 

So here is the offending log.

 

I subscribe to the notion that one should have pens on hand when geocaching. I normally have a few pencils and sharpeners with me for cases such as this, but still I have found myself without writing implements. A minor discomfort, but not considered a big problem.

 

On this day we combined two activities - geocaching and mountainbiking.

 

Anyway, we got to the cache,no pen. I started scratching on a till slip, looked at all the scratches on my leg, and had a flash of inspiration to use alternative ink.

 

At the time we thought it was very cool/funny, but having read subsequent logs and this topic it does not seem appropriate or amusing anymore.

 

What are readers thoughts? I am more than prepared do delete the photo's, and if requested I will personally go to the cache and remove/replace the offending log.

 

I'm having a slight attack of sense of humour failure...