Do not find this cache!

[+Eclectic Penguin]

I had an idea last Thursday of putting out a cache which exhorted everyone NOT to find it, to show that Geocaching wasn't an addiction and that it was possible to resist (knowing I'd be out there asap to find it to remove the rogue not found from my nearby caches list!). Before setting, I checked and discovered that it's not a new idea by any means - there's a fair few of these out there but only 2 in the UK so far, many miles from my stomping ground so decided to go ahead anyway and use some of these for ideas too.

 

What fun it's been! It went live late on Friday evening and I've had all sorts of "abuse" and "moaning" from the local crowd (all in good nature... I think). All of whom were out there like bullets from a gun over the weekend to find the cache (including one who has signed the cache log but refuses to sign the web log you know who you are)!

 

I didn't make it easy though. The resistance to go and find it wasn't really helped because I placed another regular cache 200yds away, which pretty much forced you to pass the distinctive sign post that hosted the Do Not find cache

 

Thanks to all the usual suspects for turning up and finding the cache despite the exhortation not to - and for the numerous log entries and emails! Also, thanks to the other DNFTC pages for ideas for the cache description.

 

To check out the cache: GC1CRCH

[+Matrix]

Evil Evil Penguin

 

 

 

I wonder who it is that refuses to log the cache online

 

 

 

 

 

No its not me I am not that clever

[+Team LRS]

I like it.......nice idea.

[+The Hornet]

It's as well you're asking people NOT to visit or this could be construed as cache advertising.

[+currykev]

It was a good idea while it lasted.

It didn't last long though did it?

Resistence is futile to addicts like us lot!

[+HazelS]

There is a roadside cache called Self Control up in North Wales.....

 

You're not allowed to find it, but there is a cache 0.13 or so from it which you are allowed to.... the thing is... you have to show self control NOT to bag the roadside one, but remember that caching is about walking and do the short walk to the other!

 

Mike Marzipan even deletes your log if you do Self Control!

[+perth pathfinders]

Like the wording of a similar cache near me.

Hidden near the gates of a local psychiatric hospital............

 

OK WHY ARE YOU EVEN LOOKING, DON'T DO IT LEAVE, OR WHEN YOU GET THERE HEAD STRAIGHT THROUGH THE GATES!

 

Do you have a problem with geocaching? Only you can answer that question for yourself. However, taking the following quiz may help to put your relationship to geocaching in perspective for you. If you end up answering "yes" to three or more questions, you may want to take a good look how your life is affected by geocaching.

 

Have you went out caching before you go to work, and find out you will be late?

Do you go online at every opportunity just to check! just in case a cache has went live?

Do you have trouble refusing geocaching?

Do you need geocaching in order to have fun at a party?

Do you use geocaching to build up your self-confidence?

Do you use geocaching to help you relax?

Have you tried to give up geocaching and failed?

Do you crave geocaching as soon as you wake up?

Do you get into trouble because of geocaching?

Do you crave geocaching at a definite time daily?

Do you lie to others about how often you partake in geocaching?

Have you gotten into financial difficulties because of geocaching?

Do you often wish people would just mind their own business about you and geocaching?

We're here to help. This cache is a test to see how addicted to Geocaching you really are.

 

Your goal is to NOT find this cache.

 

We all know that there are those among us (and you know who you are!) who, when they look at the page showing their 20 nearest caches, see nothing but a perfect page full of finds. Then that new cache comes along and spoils your pristine page. It sits there at the top of the list. Taunting you. Staring at you like a giant unblinking eye.

 

It calls out to you. "Fiiiind meeee..." You comply, even though the sun is barely peeking over the horizon.

 

If you're lucky, you score a First Find, and then race back to log it in and remove it from your top 20 list.

 

Ahhhhh. Order again.

 

The question is, how strong are you? Can you resist searching out this cache? You have nothing to gain from finding it.

 

There is no invigorating hike.

There are no breathtaking views.

There are no cool first finder tokens to find or other cool pieces of cache swag to trade for. In fact, the cache contains nothing but a small piece of paper just enough for your initals!

 

The cache is hidden at a gateway to a place where help can be found.

 

The only thing you have to gain from searching out this cache is just adding another find to your total.

 

Show the world how strong you are. You can stop Geocaching anytime you want. Really you can...

 

"Fiiiind meeee..."

 

Inspired by by a wee visit somewhere else!!

 

Well the voices made me do it.

 

Additional Hints ( Encrypt )

 

It's bad enough that you're looking for this. Do you think I'm going to be responsible for helping along your addiction be actually providing a hint?

[+Rubarbb]

Was definately an evil penguin! This popped up as our nearest cache! It was there taunting us! We went out and found the other nearby cache but resisted this one. (Nothing to do with the people sat 2 metres away honest!). Then yesterday I go out and come back to find James has resisted and had been out and logged the cache! Yes I admit we are addicted, we point out cache areas to friends, we walk around and think thats would be a good idea for a cache, we even spot good cache hide locations on the TV.

 

My name is Ellen and I'm a cacheholic!

[klodopper]

This just stops other caches from being placed in the area and is just litter

[+scottpa100]

The cache that HazelS referred to would be on my first page. But I've placed an ignore on it so it doesn't appear in my cache listings and doesn't come through on my PQs. I do however have a watch on it so I do still get e-mails on it should someone stoop so low and actually log it (as my Dad did, but we removed his log and he withdraw his find! )

[+Pieman]

I do however have a watch on it so I do still get e-mails on it should someone stoop so low and actually log it (as my Dad did, but we removed his log and he withdraw his find! )

And as a strange Italian cacher did...

Edited June 3, 2008 by Pieman

[+The Blorenges]

This just stops other caches from being placed in the area and is just litter

 

 

I will resist, I will resist, I will resist...

 

MrsB

[+Stuey]

I had an idea last Thursday of putting out a cache which exhorted everyone NOT to find it

To check out the cache: GC1CRCH

 

If I was caching in the area, I'd probably find it and log it. It's a trad. I rarely read the cache pages of trads, especially drive-bys, so the GPS would take me to GC1CRCH and I'd find the cache (I assume).

 

Having said that, now I know about it I may as well add it to my ignore list.

[+mollyjak]

Well I don't care as we were FTF closely followed by a few other local cachers!!!! (Very rare to get a FTF in this area)

 

In our defence we had planned to go in that direction on the Sat our usual caching day and found a number of EP's caches and had a fabulous day out so many thanks Hywel.

[+Eclectic Penguin]

Before placing it I looked at some of the other similar caches. Most seem to have rules where you have to write a couple of sentences about why you're not addicted or such like. Others as mentioned above have another cache which you can only log as a find if you don't do the DNF cache.

 

To be honest, I thought it would be a bit of fun - I was pretty sure that most of the people round here would take is as such (and it appears they have). I agree with the klodopper in that if this was genuinely a tainted cache that affected other results that it is a waste of time and space.

 

I deliberately made it a basic micro with another regular only 200m away so that if people didn't want to mark it as a find - they still had something in the area to find. To be honest, it looks like most have taken it in the fun that was intended based on the logs.

 

Also, I do know that some people would ignore it because they genuinely didn't know it was there - at least two people I know deliberately screen micros out of their pocket queries and searches and hardly ever go for them when they pop up

[+ayepee]

, but remember that caching is about walking

 

Does that mean hat I am not supposed to drive to the cache and sign the log through the car window?

 

My favourite type is a drive by.

 

ayepee

[+Team Cobra UK]

OK so I am a newbie... does this mean I have to drive the 236 miles there so I cant find it.. then drive 236 miles home so I cant log it as well

Edited June 3, 2008 by Tucsonuk

[+Eclectic Penguin]

OK so I am a newbie... does this mean I have to drive the 236 miles there so I cant find it.. then drive 236 miles home so I cant log it as well

 

I really don't know what the rules for marking a cache as a DNF are... It seems that at least one person has already logged the cache as a DNF and hasn't been close to the location based on other caching activity on the day it was logged. Another has logged it as a DNF but has physically signed the cache's log book (and been spotted doing so by another cacher!).

 

Personally, the second was more in the sprit of what this cache intended - but it's all for the fun of caching really so I'm not really bothered.

 

I know I'd have been out there like a shot to both find and log it as a find based not only on its proximity but also because of the theme.

Edited June 3, 2008 by Eclectic Penguin

[+drsolly]

OK so I am a newbie... does this mean I have to drive the 236 miles there so I cant find it.. then drive 236 miles home so I cant log it as well

 

I really don't know what the rules for marking a cache as a DNF are... It seems that at least one person has already logged the cache as a DNF and hasn't been close to the location based on other caching activity on the day it was logged. Another has logged it as a DNF but has physically signed the cache's log book (and been spotted doing so by another cacher!).

 

Personally, the second was more in the sprit of what this cache intended - but it's all for the fun of caching really so I'm not really bothered.

 

I know I'd have been out there like a shot to both find and log it as a find based not only on its proximity but also because of the theme.

 

I logged it as a DNF, on the grounds that I Did Not Find it. Is the fact that I wasn't close to the location relevant? How close do I have to get before I can log it as a DNF? Perhaps I should have logged a Note rather than a DNF? Certainly I shouldn't log it as a Find, since I didn't.

 

Perhaps youi could change the cache type to "Mystery", and make, a a logging requirement for a Find, that you didn't find it, or maybe make a DNF logging requirement, that you did Find it, or at least found it, or even "very nearly found it", which is a type of DNF I find myself doing all too often, or maybe require that people Find it but don't sign the log in order to log a find, or vice versa. Or something involving invisible ink. Or even not have the cache there at all, to ensure that no-one find it, but only allow people to log a DNF if they spent at least an hour searching for it (that's another situation I've been in far too often). Gosh, there's so many possibilities, my head is spinning. Isn't this fun?

[+SidAndBob]

How can that possibly be a 1.5 difficulty.

[+Eclectic Penguin]

Perhaps youi could change the cache type to "Mystery", and make, a a logging requirement for a Find, that you didn't find it, or maybe make a DNF logging requirement, that you did Find it, or at least found it, or even "very nearly found it", which is a type of DNF I find myself doing all too often, or maybe require that people Find it but don't sign the log in order to log a find, or vice versa. Or something involving invisible ink. Or even not have the cache there at all, to ensure that no-one find it, but only allow people to log a DNF if they spent at least an hour searching for it (that's another situation I've been in far too often). Gosh, there's so many possibilities, my head is spinning. Isn't this fun?

 

Quite a lot of options there - all valid, but I think in the spirit of this cache, it's just not logging what is potentially a valid find is the challenge. I spoke to a local cacher tonight who is absolutely not going to find it while visiting the nearby Mynydd Lliw cache soon. Interesting ideas for a future cache though...

 

With regard to people signing it as a DNF - if it's valid to do this without visiting the cache for other caches, then no problemo. It's meant to be a bog standard micro that people can chose to do or not, as they wish. The cache description a suggestion in this case and don't intend to delete any logs because people have broken some vague rule about the cache.

 

Sid & Bob - yes, difficulty should be 1 and I'll modify it on the strength that I have a picture with a large (and admittedly quite nice) arrow pointing exactly where to look along with the kissing gate and distinctive malfunctioning sign post. Terrain has to be 1.5 I'm afraid as the kissing gate and last 3m of narrow lumpy track make wheel chair access prohibitive.

 

At the end of the day, you can remove the cache from the list of caches you wish to see (though I'm uncertain whether this is a premium member only feature) and if the cache proves unpopular I'll decommission it.

 

One final thing - someone mentioned something about advertising caches on this forum - is that really not allowed? If I'd have known that I wouldn't have started this thread and I appologise to the mods for breaking the rules.

[+Eclectic Penguin]

Perhaps youi could change the cache type to "Mystery", and make, a a logging requirement for a Find, that you didn't find it, or maybe make a DNF logging requirement, that you did Find it, or at least found it, or even "very nearly found it", which is a type of DNF I find myself doing all too often, or maybe require that people Find it but don't sign the log in order to log a find, or vice versa. Or something involving invisible ink. Or even not have the cache there at all, to ensure that no-one find it, but only allow people to log a DNF if they spent at least an hour searching for it (that's another situation I've been in far too often). Gosh, there's so many possibilities, my head is spinning. Isn't this fun?

 

Quite a lot of options there - all valid, but I think in the spirit of this cache, it's just not logging what is potentially a valid find is the challenge. I spoke to a local cacher tonight who is absolutely not going to find it while visiting the nearby Mynydd Lliw cache soon. Interesting ideas for a future cache though...

 

With regard to people signing it as a DNF - if it's valid to do this without visiting the cache for other caches, then no problemo. It's meant to be a bog standard micro that people can chose to do or not, as they wish. The cache description a suggestion in this case and don't intend to delete any logs because people have broken some vague rule about the cache.

 

Sid & Bob - yes, difficulty should be 1 and I'll modify it on the strength that I have a picture with a large (and admittedly quite nice) arrow pointing exactly where to look along with the kissing gate and distinctive malfunctioning sign post. Terrain has to be 1.5 I'm afraid as the kissing gate and last 3m of narrow lumpy track make wheel chair access prohibitive.

 

At the end of the day, you can remove the cache from the list of caches you wish to see (though I'm uncertain whether this is a premium member only feature) and if the cache proves unpopular I'll decommission it.

 

One final thing - someone mentioned something about advertising caches on this forum - is that really not allowed? If I'd have known that I wouldn't have started this thread and I appologise to the mods for breaking the rules.

[+Simply Paul]

Promoting your caches here is regarded as bad form, simply because if everyone did it, you'd not move for 'Look at my lovely cache!' threads.

 

For me, the reason for a cache is to be found. No matter how remote (and I have some experience in this area!) or evil. Listing one that you genuinely don't want found seems self-defeating to me. It's like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey and always keeping it out of reach. If this sort of thing becomes more fashionable (perhaps micros in woods with no clue and dreadful co-ords? Hang on, there already is a trend!) I'll have to start the CACHE (the Campaign Against Cacher Harassment through Evilness) or RSPCC (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Cachers)

[+The Blorenges]

...One final thing - someone mentioned something about advertising caches on this forum - is that really not allowed? If I'd have known that I wouldn't have started this thread and I appologise to the mods for breaking the rules.

 

In this case, as The Hornet observed earlier, you are not advertising your cache, you're telling us not to go and find it and I'm quite sure that we shall comply with your wishes... right up until we're over in your bit of south Wales once more.

 

MrsB

[+Flymgibet]

I had an idea last Thursday of putting out a cache which exhorted everyone NOT to find it, to show that Geocaching wasn't an addiction and that it was possible to resist (knowing I'd be out there asap to find it to remove the rogue not found from my nearby caches list!). Before setting, I checked and discovered that it's not a new idea by any means - there's a fair few of these out there but only 2 in the UK so far, many miles from my stomping ground so decided to go ahead anyway and use some of these for ideas too.

 

What fun it's been! It went live late on Friday evening and I've had all sorts of "abuse" and "moaning" from the local crowd (all in good nature... I think). All of whom were out there like bullets from a gun over the weekend to find the cache (including one who has signed the cache log but refuses to sign the web log you know who you are)!

 

I didn't make it easy though. The resistance to go and find it wasn't really helped because I placed another regular cache 200yds away, which pretty much forced you to pass the distinctive sign post that hosted the Do Not find cache

 

Thanks to all the usual suspects for turning up and finding the cache despite the exhortation not to - and for the numerous log entries and emails! Also, thanks to the other DNFTC pages for ideas for the cache description.

 

To check out the cache: GC1CRCH

[/quote

 

 

 

Did we drive the 200 miles not to find it, or did we not? what do you think.

To prove we did not find it we would not have signed the log.

So, as we did not sign the log can we claim "First not to find".

Great Idea and a welcome break from the "all about the numbers" game.

But, whatever floats your boat, and this did.

Just keep finding them,(or not).

Ros & Al.

Edited June 13, 2008 by Flymgibet