Erasing DNFs

[+Brooklyn51]

When you finally, triumphantly, after the umpteenth visit, find that elusive cache that's been sitting on your DNF list forever, do you delete the original DNF from the cache log or do you allow it to stay to commemorate, as it were, your initial defeat along with your final victory? Also, if you do delete the log, does it drop off of your DNF list? Ours is starting to get kinda long.

[+blueberryice]

its part of the story of your hunt so keep it up there.. I asked this question last week. I don't think the DNF would not be listed anymore but its important to remember DNF are not bad.

[+Jeep4two]

I'm with blue on this one. DNF's aren't a negative thing, just part of the game. I would never erase a log after posting it. If you are concerned about DNF's you could just not post them, however I highly discourage that as they not only tell your story but also benefit the other cachers and the CO.

[+Scouters Fred and Brenda]

I have to agree with the above. A DNF lets the CO know either there maybe a problem or that their hide is very good

[+The Blorenges]

Let your DNFs stand with pride!

 

Try and make them amusing logs that will tell the story and give you a chuckle when you look back on them as a "well seasoned cacher"

 

First two attempts...

 

Thwarted again!...

 

Success at last!

 

MrsB

[+StarBrand]

DNFs tell future seekers they may have to spend a little more time. It tells owners about a potential issue. It is part of your history - it is part of the caches history. Leave it be.

[+Knight2000]

Never! Hiders like me thrive on DNF's. It gives future seekers an opportunity to know how others have fared. Of course many will skip it if it has had 2 in a row. What's up with that? Are smileys that important?

Edited July 24, 2009 by Knight2000

[+BlueDeuce]

DNFs are nothing but battle scars. Take pride in showing'em off.

[+WRASTRO]

DNFs are nothing but battle scars. Take pride in showing'em off.

To quote someone I respect: ayep.

[+flask]

DNFs are part of the story of what happened.

[+mfamilee]

A DNF lets the CO know either there maybe a problem or that their hide is very good

Agree.

 

Last week I posted a big, fat DNF with none previously posted on the cache. The CO went out the very next day to check on his cache & it was indeed missing.

[+Team Three Boys]

I used to post my dnfs but my pride always gets the better of me now.

[+Kohavis]

The DNF is an activity. The log records activity. If you didn't find it on that day, the DNF is valid. Unless you go back in time and change history, you shouldn't delete the DNF.

 

Cache owners use the finds and the DNFs to gauge if their difficulty factor is correct or not. A cache that's a 1.5 difficulty that has 35 finds and 50 DNFs is seriously underrated. Remove an old DNF and you're skewing the numbers.

[+flask]

I used to post my dnfs but my pride always gets the better of me now.

 

i imagine a good therapist might could help you with that.

[FourQ]

A DNF is nothing to be ashamed of. It shows you've taken the effort to find something and you're an active member of the caching community.

Personally I don't care much what people think of me, they'll either accept me as I am or they won't. If my list grows to be 95% DNF's then so be it, the point is I tried.

 

My son's going to a party tomorrow so I plan to walk around and get a few notched under my belt but if I don't find any then at least I've got some exercise eh?

[+rdfirebrd]

I used to delete my DNF's after I found it...but after reading some of these forum threads, I kind of regret doing so and have since decided not to delete anymore.

[+ohgr]

Logged a DNF myself tonight. I'm sure the cache was probably there, but I was there after dark, searching by the light of my cell phone.

 

I think if you visit the cache, A DNF at least lets the owner know that people are interested in the cache, and actually spent the time to look for it, find it or not.

[+Sharknose Bunnies]

Whenever I look for a cache and can't find it, I like to record a DNF, and I leave it there forever.

 

But where I get a bit confused is with "Did Not Look". This is when I'll go to a particular cache with the intent to find it, but for whatever reason decide not to search for it. It could be a muggle infestation, it could be that I'm not comfortable with the location of the hide, or it could be that two minutes into the search my daughter has to go the bathroom.

 

Do people recommend posting those as DNFs? I haven't been doing so, just because, well, I never really looked for it, just showed up and decided not to play.

[+bittsen]

Whenever I look for a cache and can't find it, I like to record a DNF, and I leave it there forever.

 

But where I get a bit confused is with "Did Not Look". This is when I'll go to a particular cache with the intent to find it, but for whatever reason decide not to search for it. It could be a muggle infestation, it could be that I'm not comfortable with the location of the hide, or it could be that two minutes into the search my daughter has to go the bathroom.

 

Do people recommend posting those as DNFs? I haven't been doing so, just because, well, I never really looked for it, just showed up and decided not to play.

 

If I don't search for the cache, I don't log it either way. I had one I was going to look for along a steep riverbank at night. For safety sake I didn't look. No DNF there.

[Knight-Errant]

Whenever I look for a cache and can't find it, I like to record a DNF, and I leave it there forever.

 

But where I get a bit confused is with "Did Not Look". This is when I'll go to a particular cache with the intent to find it, but for whatever reason decide not to search for it. It could be a muggle infestation, it could be that I'm not comfortable with the location of the hide, or it could be that two minutes into the search my daughter has to go the bathroom.

 

Do people recommend posting those as DNFs? I haven't been doing so, just because, well, I never really looked for it, just showed up and decided not to play.

 

If I don't search for the cache, I don't log it either way. I had one I was going to look for along a steep riverbank at night. For safety sake I didn't look. No DNF there.

Depending on the circumstances though, a note indicating WHY you didn't look could be very appropriate (i.e., there is currently a forest fire in the area, the normally quite stream is small swift river for a while, there is construction going on in the area, etc.). We agree that these shouldn't really be considered Didn't finds as you never really looked for the cache.

[Quentonious]

From what i have seen, people just add a Found it, and leave the other one alone.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Whenever I look for a cache and can't find it, I like to record a DNF, and I leave it there forever.

 

But where I get a bit confused is with "Did Not Look". This is when I'll go to a particular cache with the intent to find it, but for whatever reason decide not to search for it. It could be a muggle infestation, it could be that I'm not comfortable with the location of the hide, or it could be that two minutes into the search my daughter has to go the bathroom.

 

Do people recommend posting those as DNFs? I haven't been doing so, just because, well, I never really looked for it, just showed up and decided not to play.

 

If I don't search for the cache, I don't log it either way. I had one I was going to look for along a steep riverbank at night. For safety sake I didn't look. No DNF there.

Depending on the circumstances though, a note indicating WHY you didn't look could be very appropriate (i.e., there is currently a forest fire in the area, the normally quite stream is small swift river for a while, there is construction going on in the area, etc.). We agree that these shouldn't really be considered Didn't finds as you never really looked for the cache.

 

I agree. I've posted a DNF on a cache that I didn't attempt because it was about 40' down a steep hill that I might have normally gone done, but not with six inches of very icy snow on it. My intention was to let others know that the current conditions were not conducive to a safe retrieval of the cache. Unexplainedly, the CO deleted my log.

 

There is a cache in Indiana that has 3 finds and 197 DNFs and the owner frequently checks on the status of the cache.

[+Von-Horst]

We'll post a 'write note' for a DBL (Didn't Bother Looking) if we think a DNF isn't the right approach.