+MacHammer Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Hi, I was in the parking lot of my PetSmart and saw a place that I thought would be great for a hide. On inspection, I found a cache. I opened it, signed it (along with about 100 other people) and thought I'd log it in when I got home. Funny. It doesn't exist. No listing anywhere. What do you do with a cache that is obviously in use, as it was found in November, but no longer exists? Just wondering. Mac Hammer Quote Link to comment
+msrubble Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 When you say, "not listed anywhere," does that include other geocaching web sites? geocaching.com is the biggest, but there at least two others just in the U.S. Did it have an ink pad and rubber stamp? If so, it may have been a letterbox. This is a long shot, though, because letterboxers generally prefer more scenic or at least quirky spots than random parking lots. Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 When you say, "not listed anywhere," does that include other geocaching web sites? geocaching.com is the biggest, but there at least two others just in the U.S. Did it have an ink pad and rubber stamp? If so, it may have been a letterbox. This is a long shot, though, because letterboxers generally prefer more scenic or at least quirky spots than random parking lots. Well, if it has 100 signatures, and is located in a Pet Smart parking lot, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not a Terracache. Or a letterbox for that matter. I'd be shocked if this is anything but an archived geocaching.com cache. Assuming you can figure out which one it is, there would be no problem logging this archived cache as a find. Maybe look through the finds of some local cachers, and look for a cache with an amazingly clever reference to Pet Smart in it's name? Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) Well, if it has 100 signatures, and is located in a Pet Smart parking lot, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not a Terracache. The Terracaching site has an option to look for nearby caches from other sites. So if you give the coords or a GC number close to it we could try to check it out for you. Edited January 7, 2009 by TrailGators Quote Link to comment
GOF and Bacall Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 You could go look at some of the names in the cache and try to ask one of those previous finders what cache it is. It may be the final for a multi or a puzzle. Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 You could go look at some of the names in the cache and try to ask one of those previous finders what cache it is. It may be the final for a multi or a puzzle. Excellent point GOF. I didn't see any archived candidates with a quick look at the hides of some of the more prominent Chandler cachers. Or a reviewer could step in and help. They see dead caches. Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 You could go look at some of the names in the cache and try to ask one of those previous finders what cache it is. It may be the final for a multi or a puzzle. Good point! That has happened to me before. Quote Link to comment
+MacHammer Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 You could go look at some of the names in the cache and try to ask one of those previous finders what cache it is. It may be the final for a multi or a puzzle. Good point! That has happened to me before. I hadn't thought of the fact that it might be stage n of a multi... Since I haven't charted a multi, yet, I still think in terms of traditional caches. Next time I'm grabbing food for the dog, I'll check some of the names. I'm already becoming familiar with many of the active cachers around here. Thanks for the tip! Mac Hammer Quote Link to comment
+MacHammer Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 When you say, "not listed anywhere," does that include other geocaching web sites? geocaching.com is the biggest, but there at least two others just in the U.S. Did it have an ink pad and rubber stamp? If so, it may have been a letterbox. This is a long shot, though, because letterboxers generally prefer more scenic or at least quirky spots than random parking lots. I don't think it would be a letterbox. It is a small magnetic, typical of many of the caches I've found. And...not very scenic! I wish I'd taken more note of the names on the log, but I just figured it was a regular cache and I'd find it listed. There don't appear to be any nearby multi's. Mac Hammer Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 When you say, "not listed anywhere," does that include other geocaching web sites? geocaching.com is the biggest, but there at least two others just in the U.S. Did it have an ink pad and rubber stamp? If so, it may have been a letterbox. This is a long shot, though, because letterboxers generally prefer more scenic or at least quirky spots than random parking lots. I don't think it would be a letterbox. It is a small magnetic, typical of many of the caches I've found. And...not very scenic! I wish I'd taken more note of the names on the log, but I just figured it was a regular cache and I'd find it listed. There don't appear to be any nearby multi's. Mac Hammer It could be a mystery cache. Those can be as far away as 2 miles. Older ones can be farther way than that. You could also check with your local Admin. Quote Link to comment
7rxc Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I hadn't thought of the fact that it might be stage n of a multi... Since I haven't charted a multi, yet, I still think in terms of traditional caches. Next time I'm grabbing food for the dog, I'll check some of the names. I'm already becoming familiar with many of the active cachers around here. Thanks for the tip! Mac Hammer When you go, try reading the front of the log... even a micro should have the cache ID information... at least the GC / TC whatever number... I'm assuming it's not a full size cache... which would have more. Even the smallest I've found to date had ID and that was a nano.. Good luck, sometimes Identifying the mysterious is more fun than finding the planned cache. Doug Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 When you say, "not listed anywhere," does that include other geocaching web sites? geocaching.com is the biggest, but there at least two others just in the U.S. Did it have an ink pad and rubber stamp? If so, it may have been a letterbox. This is a long shot, though, because letterboxers generally prefer more scenic or at least quirky spots than random parking lots. I don't think it would be a letterbox. It is a small magnetic, typical of many of the caches I've found. And...not very scenic! I wish I'd taken more note of the names on the log, but I just figured it was a regular cache and I'd find it listed. There don't appear to be any nearby multi's. Mac Hammer Hey, there are at least two LPC letterboxes within 5 miles of my home coords. I can't be the only one. This surely isn't one with all the signatures though. There's This multi which looks like a 6 leg parking lot cache. I doubt any nearby puzzle would have 100 signatures (I noticed a whole bunch of math one), even if it's 5 or more years old. Besides, people didn't generally hide micro caches in Pet Smart parking lots back then. Some good advice in these forums though, I think noting a bunch of signatures, and emailing some of the usernames would work out pretty good. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 When you go back to PetSmart, note some sig names and the dates that they found the cache. With this information, you should be able to easily identify the cache. Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Had something similar happen involving an ammo can at the end of an obvious geotrail and it turned out to be a stage of a puzzle/multi. Quote Link to comment
+MacHammer Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 UPDATE: Following the advice of someone above, I noted a couple of people who had signed the cache within the last couple of months and contacted them. Both were able to give me the name of the now-archived cache. I contacted the owners and received permission to re-publish the cache. I'm turning it into a stage in a new multi-cache in and around the original location, with proper credit given to the former owners for their hide. Thanks for all the advice. Mac Hammer Quote Link to comment
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