Remote Caches and Travellers

[+Don_J]

This may get moved to the Geocoins Forum, but I honestly think that it has more to do with general Geocaching courtesy and ethics.

 

A cache in question is in a very remote area. It is at least a 12 mile hike, RT, with about 2000' of gain. It is the only cache on the trail. Obviously it does not get a lot of visits.

 

The last found dates are:

5/23/09

3/17/07

1/28/06

11/12/05

7/2/05

7/27/03

 

In other words, it's not uncommon for two full years to lapse between visits. The person that visited yesterday left someone else's Geocoin. A coin that had a specific mission goal.

 

Is this fair to the coin owner? My personal opinion is "no". The coin was put out there to travel. The odds are that it will be stuck at the top of that mountain for the next two years. That defeats the purpose of the coin.

 

Comments?

[+Cache O'Plenty]

Concur. Also applies to some Puzzle caches that don't get visited very often. Before dropping a TB/GC into a cache, review the find history to see the chances of pickup. It's just common sense.

[+coggins]

A cache in question is in a very remote area. It is at least a 12 mile hike, RT, with about 2000' of gain. It is the only cache on the trail. Obviously it does not get a lot of visits.

Sounds like a good cache, what's the GC#?

[+gof1]

I also agree. It is just not right to strand a traveler in a cache that is not reasonably going to experience traffic any time soon.

 

As a CO I think I'd want to get a bug or coin out of a cache that isn't likely to see a visitor for a while. While it isn't always easy, or even possible, to get to some remote caches if you own a puzzle that has a stranded traveler it would be good karma to get it moving.

 

It may be helpful for us COs to be able to see if a cache has a bug or coin in it on the list that we see when we look at our caches from the Geocaches(mine) link on our profile page. Or even a place on our profile page indicating that one or more of our caches currently contain a traveler.

[+wiseye]

I had a bug placed in a cache that was only visited 1-2x a year. It sat all winter,as it wasn't acessible. In the spring I put a note on the web page asking the next cacher to please take the bug . One came by a couple of months later and moved it along. He wrote and said he normally doesn't move bugs but did because of the note. COs with remote caches may want to place a note asking that any bugs or coins be moved by anyone logging the cache do to the remotness of the cache.

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the Travel Bug forum (since the subject is common to both coins and bugs).

[AZcachemeister]

I have many times deferred dropping travelers into remote caches due to the likelihood of an extended stay.

Apparently this coin's mission did not involve visiting remote caches? I have one that does.

One could argue that at least that coin will likely still be there when the next visitor finally arrives.

[+Steve&GeoCarolyn]

How does one make a judgement on this, though? It makes perfect sense to me that putting a travel bug/geocoin in a 5/5 cache is a bad idea since it gets no traffic. But it also seems like a dubious idea to place it in one of the caches that is easily found since it might end up either muggled or permanently pocketed. I ponder this issue each time I have a travel bug or geocoin that needs to be moved.

 

Do I leave it in a Premium Members cache knowing that it gets less traffic but trusting that people who have made an investment in the community will be more likely to move it on and not keep it? Shouldn't it be placed somewhere beautiful or interesting so that the photo of the travel bug will be a delight to the owner? But most of the beautiful places get less traffic. Is there an optimum balance between beauty, traffic, and safety? What do most travel bug/geocoin owners prefer? Safety or speed or pretty pictures?

 

Each time I leave a travel bug or geocoin I worry about it and it frustrates me when it is not picked up soon. Once it is picked up I worry that it won't be placed in a new cache. I truly don't breathe easy until the TB/geocoin has been placed in a good cache by me and picked up by another geocacher and placed in a new cache. Only then it seems to me that it has moved beyond my sphere of responsibility.

 

If I am this way about other people's travel bugs, I don't know how I will endure sending my own into the wide world. Since we just bought geocoins at GeoWoodstock, I know that I will be sending out my own travellers soon and I am already fretting about how best to do it.

 

Carolyn