Ever had a DNF that made you feel silly?

July 27, 2009

I think I know the answer to this question, because I'm sure most everyone has one of these. I have to admit I'm just fishing for some positive reinforcement here

Have you ever run across a cache hide that it seems everyone else could find, and you were the only one it had stumped? I would love to hear your stories.

4.8k · July 27, 2009

I think I know the answer to this question, because I'm sure most everyone has one of these. I have to admit I'm just fishing for some positive reinforcement here

Have you ever run across a cache hide that it seems everyone else could find, and you were the only one it had stumped? I would love to hear your stories.

Yup, my first LPC was a DNF. I pulled into the parking lot, did the drunken bee dance and was totally stumped.

Learned of LPCs a few days later and smiley'd that bad boy!

July 27, 2009

My first cache was a DNF I wore my roller blades to the park and I scated around with my sisters and I coudln't find it then someone made fun of me for looking stupid cuz I was on a playground with roller blades. so I went home and never found it.

I think I know the answer to this question, because I'm sure most everyone has one of these. I have to admit I'm just fishing for some positive reinforcement here

Have you ever run across a cache hide that it seems everyone else could find, and you were the only one it had stumped? I would love to hear your stories.

Yup, my first LPC was a DNF. I pulled into the parking lot, did the drunken bee dance and was totally stumped.

Learned of LPCs a few days later and smiley'd that bad boy!

what's an LPC?

4.8k · July 27, 2009

My first cache was a DNF I wore my roller blades to the park and I scated around with my sisters and I coudln't find it then someone made fun of me for looking stupid cuz I was on a playground with roller blades. so I went home and never found it.

I think I know the answer to this question, because I'm sure most everyone has one of these. I have to admit I'm just fishing for some positive reinforcement here

Have you ever run across a cache hide that it seems everyone else could find, and you were the only one it had stumped? I would love to hear your stories.

Yup, my first LPC was a DNF. I pulled into the parking lot, did the drunken bee dance and was totally stumped.

Learned of LPCs a few days later and smiley'd that bad boy!

what's an LPC?

I cannot say because it would be a spoiler.

July 27, 2009

:'( pretty please? I wanna know... you coudl encrypt it.

4.8k · July 27, 2009

:'( pretty please? I wanna know... you coudl encrypt it.

Do a search for skirt lifter.

July 27, 2009

July 27, 2009

I don't know that I've ever had one make me feel "silly", per say. I've had several where I was one of the only DNFs POSTED, but I always figure that just means that there are people out there who are too insecure to post up their DNF. I've gone back and founds a few of my DNFs, and when I do, it usually takes some work and wasn't something easy I just missed. Besides, no reason to feel silly about a DNF, it's a part of the game, whether you log it or not, and I don't even worry about what other people think about seeing a DNF with my name next to it.

July 27, 2009

I had one. I looked and looked. Took my wife back with me, she found it in like 45 seconds. Duh.

4k · July 27, 2009

Of course. :blink:

July 27, 2009

I've only been geocaching 2 weeks and already have 15 DNF's....so yes, I do feel silly :blink:

4.7k · July 27, 2009

I've only been geocaching 2 weeks and already have 15 DNF's....so yes, I do feel silly

don't worry; as you get more experience, you'll have lots more DNFs.

1.5k · July 27, 2009

I've only been geocaching 2 weeks and already have 15 DNF's....so yes, I do feel silly

don't worry; as you get more experience, you'll have lots more DNFs.

ain't that the truth!!

July 27, 2009

Have you ever run across a cache hide that it seems everyone else could find, and you were the only one it had stumped? I would love to hear your stories.

I just started geocaching. So far, I've only tried to find 5, and I have one DNF. Went looking for it, but it had rained really hard that morning, and there was evidence of high water in the area. I had no luck finding it, so assumed that it had been washed away. I posted a "Maint Req" for it. A couple of days later, there were two logs where other people had found it, and mentioned how easy it was to find.

OK, so I missed it. Went back on the way home from work and looked again. Still no joy, but I knew it had to be there. Finally went home and got my wife and son. Went looking again thinking "This one is not going to beat me again." Based on the area, the description, and the hint, there was only one place it could be.

We spent another 10 minutes looking. Finally when we were about to give it up again, I realized that there was one spot I had not stuck my head, and thus there was one small area I had not been able to see. Sure enough, that's exactly where it was. WELL, DUH!!! It was also the most obvious place to put it!

Anyway, we eventually did get to log the find.

18.9k · July 27, 2009

Several. I know of at least 4 caches where there are over 100 finds and only 1 logged DNF - mine.

July 27, 2009

My favorite is going to a cache and getting the FTDNF, followed by someone coming along 10 minutes later and getting the FTF.

Darned night caching

July 27, 2009

GC1R4DA: 51 Finds and 1 DNF

GCC64C:242 Finds and 3 DNF

Just 2 of my most recent

38.2k · July 27, 2009

I had one last winter that had over 100 finds without a single DNF. Mine was the first (and only). I looked and looked and was absolutely certain it was missing. It was found by someone else the next day.

4.1k · July 27, 2009

The hardest ones are where everybody else has logged about what a quick and easy find it was . . . But if I found those, I would not be in the running for the Worst Cacher in My Area award.

July 27, 2009

Truth be told........every single one of them!

July 27, 2009

I think I know the answer to this question, because I'm sure most everyone has one of these. I have to admit I'm just fishing for some positive reinforcement here

Have you ever run across a cache hide that it seems everyone else could find, and you were the only one it had stumped? I would love to hear your stories.

We couldn't find a cache and then the owner wrote us and said we were standing on it :blink: that was one of thous "yep that was dumb" moments.

6.7k · July 28, 2009

"You're standing on it" happened twice yesterday! Myself, artican and jrou111 found 11 caches that required 4wd trucks, all accessible by very rugged power line trails and muddy logging roads.

One of them I had been to about three years ago, so it was fun watching these two look for it. It's about 10' down a 25' vertical rock bluff alongside a creek... if you stand at ground zero you are at the top edge of the cliff. After about forty minutes of looking I started the "You're getting hotter" routine, graduating to "You're standing on it" but they took forever to get my hint that "You're standing on it" meant that it was 10' below their feet!

At another, overlooking a beautiful lake but on a hillside almost too steep to stand on under heavy tree cover a tepee formed of sticks is used as a landmark for cachers whose GPS can't get a signal. The cache description tells you how far and in what direction is the cache hidden from the tepee. The guys with me were newbies, one has 100 finds his first month, the other was just getting started, I think this was his 8th cache. Man, we looked everywhere for over a half hour but kept coming back to the same spot. These newbies were giving me grief... they were just starting but I have thousands of finds, so they thought I was holding out on them and man it was way too hot and the hillside too steep for such messing around. I wasn't; I just couldn't find the thing! Finally I called the last finder on my cell phone, he listened, laughed, and said "You're standing on it!". Bummer, but at least I knew I was close and told my companions to just stand still and look for anything odd. Sure enough, it was a very realistic fake plant poking up through the leaves with a film can base maybe 3' from me. Yeah, I felt pretty darn silly!

Edited July 28, 2009 by TheAlabamaRambler

10.1k · July 28, 2009

I contend that I am quite capable of tripping over a 1/1 and not finding it. There have been a few DNFs that I've walked right up to on the next attempt. Made me feel silly? Definitely! I've even posted "Prett sure this cache is missing" only to have it found the next day. Oh, well. Sometimes it depends on your frame of mind, or how tired you are.

July 28, 2009

Probably the most embarrassing DNF was one that was an ammo can hidden in one of the state parks here. It's a classic case of being fixated too much on the GPSr and not eyeballing the area.

It was one of my earlier finds and I hadn't gotten much experience yet. I looked all over, and my GPSr said the thing was on the other side of a low fence. Knowing that caches usually aren't placed where fences need to be hopped, and especially since there was a sign saying to stay out of the area - the only access path around behind the display wall near the tree - that didn't require I hop the fence:

Not wanting to violate the park's rules, and being still wet behind the ears as a geocacher, I gave up and went on to the other 8 or 9 I had on the list.

I would periodically check in on the cache page and read the logs, and everyone else was calling it an "easy find" and "it jumped right out at me". I was thinking to myself "How the heck did I miss it? Everyone else is finding this thing, but I gave up on it!!"

I always snap a few pics of every hide I go after, and I had snapped a few showing how impossible this one was to reach. I posted to that effect in my DNF at the time. So I went back and reviewed the pic of where the GPRr said it was, and lo and behold, there it was in the picture - sitting there out in the open

Here's a zoomed area of the base of that tree behind the low fence:

If I had stopped looking at my GPSr and just glanced at the tree, I would have seen it :blink: So I went back, and there was a park employee there. I identified myself as a geocacher and asked if I could step over the low fence for the cache. She said "Sure. No problem". It's now a smiley

By far the most embarrassing

July 28, 2009

I placed a well camo'd micro in my area, and one cacher said he found it right out in the open and put it where he guessed it should be. So I went out there and...yes... could not find my own cache. In my defense, it was raining slightly so I probably didn't look as well or as long as I could have. The worst part is other cachers have found it afterwords.

There is a cache that I have logged two DNF's on. I was able to figure out what the container was, but I still couldn't find it. *sigh* I'm sure I'll have a 'ah ha' moment when I'm finally able to find it. :blink:

Edited July 28, 2009 by ClanBlakley

7.9k · July 28, 2009

Hundreds.

The best ones are those where you can see the container from your car when you go back the second time.

July 28, 2009

Had one where I placed my GPSr on the cache tree to let it settle down while I wandered all around for a LONG time and came back lots of times to check on it and see where it was pointing to GZ... Came back to go home and noticed a little tiny thing stuck in an almost invisible hole in the lopped off dead tree.... D'oh!

Others I've kicked the fake rock a little frustrated (the cache had a series of DNFs and it was snowing), Sat on the cache, etc... I rule.

Favorite though was the 1/1 A Hidden Healing Place where it was supposed to be all about no stress, nice spot.... and I stressed the heck out of it! Went back and found it eventually but felt pretty stupid

1.7k · July 28, 2009

This DNF made me smile. Then laugh evilly. But it's not my DNF.

----------------------------

Sometimes one has to Admeet Defeat (HAHA). So, anyhoo. .. now we know what Dr. Horrible means when he thinks you can be Sionevaed. HOLY MOLY. Mrs. XYZ went yesterday and didn't get the FTF--not a big deal, you can't get em all. Anyway, I go over today after 36 holes of golf and dinner and think, I'll show Mrs. XYZ who the cache master is--HAH!! 2 hours, 2 geocachers, 1 DNF.

Just when you think, hey I'm getting pretty good at this BOOM. Of course, neither of have ever found a Sioneva hide--just don't cache Bellevue tons. We both have one Guardian Series find--so, for now, this seems to be a difficulty 5 for us.

TFT Hunt--WE WILL RETURN and WE MAY PLOT REVENGE!!!! (IN GOOD FUN OF COURSE)

--------------------------

6.7k · July 28, 2009

Oh yeah, did one some years ago where I literally searched for hours. It was advertised as an evil unusual cache and I would be FTF, so I was determined to stay till I found it. I probably looked for this one harder than any I have ever looked for. I was fairly new to the game and determined not to give up without the find. Exhausted I finally sat down on a rock to rest. I looked down to get something out of my pack and there beside my foot was the cache, a 2" ceder tree stump with a film can set flush with the top.

Yeah, I felt pretty silly! Coords were dead on and I had looked around that rock several times. FTF Wahoo!

Edited July 28, 2009 by TheAlabamaRambler

July 28, 2009

GCRMMK

Its my favorire DNF.

Swizzle

July 29, 2009

I had a cache in my area that was almost a DNF.

It is called Monkeying Around (GC175GT), and specifically states that you need to climb a tree to get to it. So I take my 6 year old son, and we decide to give it a shot. It was a bit of a climb, so I decide to climb up and leave Seth as a spotter. I looked up and down that maple tree for a good 20-30 minutes, when I'd had enough. I said it's time to go, we can't find it. I am just getting ready to jump down when Seth said "Is that it there?"

Sure enough, he spotted the camo'ed micro from 10 feet below, when it was a mere foot in front of my face.

10.1k · July 29, 2009

Had one where I placed my GPSr on the cache tree to let it settle down while I wandered all around for a LONG time and came back lots of times to check on it and see where it was pointing to GZ... Came back to go home and noticed a little tiny thing stuck in an almost invisible hole in the lopped off dead tree.... D'oh!

Others I've kicked the fake rock a little frustrated (the cache had a series of DNFs and it was snowing), Sat on the cache, etc... I rule.

Oh! I remembe that one! Spent about a half hour the first time, with no luck. Came back again, set my backpack down on the rock near GZ, and searched for another hour or so. Well. Yeah. It was under the rock I set my backpack down on. DOH!

July 29, 2009

did the drunken bee dance

I'm glad I'm not the only one who calls it that!!! Whoo!!!

I think the first DNF that made me feel silly was a cache that I had gone to and searched for about 20 minutes until I gave up and decided to go back the next day. Upon my return, I searched another 20 minutes and was about to give up until I walked right into it. Literally. Stepped back and looked right at it.

July 29, 2009

I only log a DNF if I think it is muggled or if I am in another state where I won't be coming back. Cause, usually I will come back to get it at some time or another. Or I put a watch on it to see if it really got muggled or to see if it was due to my "geo-blinders" being on. I have gotten some caches by bringing my family with me and the kids will find it in 2 minutes. So the DNFs usually end up found.

Edited July 29, 2009 by alohabra

July 29, 2009

LOL the one I was looking for was actaully a bright orange bag hanging in a tree! :lol:

1.5k · July 30, 2009

Oh yeah!

One pesky little stop and grab that everyone else was logging "easy" and "Quick find on the way home from work"! We tried twice and dnf'd it both times. Finally swallowed our pride and asked for a hint. It was in a fake rock. So, we went out with another couple to introduce them to geocaching. Armed with the hint, we decided to make it their first cache. And we DNF'd it again!!!!

Boy, did we ever feel silly, trying to look like experienced cachers in front of the novices, and all.

In our defense, it had actually been muggled this time, but for feeling silly, this one really did it for us!

Took us till the fourth try to finally nail it after the CO replaced it.

July 30, 2009

Oh yeah!

One pesky little stop and grab that everyone else was logging "easy" and "Quick find on the way home from work"! We tried twice and dnf'd it both times. Finally swallowed our pride and asked for a hint. It was in a fake rock. So, we went out with another couple to introduce them to geocaching. Armed with the hint, we decided to make it their first cache. And we DNF'd it again!!!!

Boy, did we ever feel silly, trying to look like experienced cachers in front of the novices, and all.

In our defense, it had actually been muggled this time, but for feeling silly, this one really did it for us!

Took us till the fourth try to finally nail it after the CO replaced it.

I love this story :lol: Thanks for a grin and pang of empathy!

4.8k · July 30, 2009

Oh yeah!

One pesky little stop and grab that everyone else was logging "easy" and "Quick find on the way home from work"! We tried twice and dnf'd it both times. Finally swallowed our pride and asked for a hint. It was in a fake rock. So, we went out with another couple to introduce them to geocaching. Armed with the hint, we decided to make it their first cache. And we DNF'd it again!!!!

Boy, did we ever feel silly, trying to look like experienced cachers in front of the novices, and all.

In our defense, it had actually been muggled this time, but for feeling silly, this one really did it for us!

Took us till the fourth try to finally nail it after the CO replaced it.

That experience could make anyone feel silly. Great story. Thanks for sharing it.

C

Ever had a DNF that made you feel silly?

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