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what do you do if you can't reach the cache?


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Hi there,

 

I'm only 5foot tall and have just had my 8th cnr (could not reach). Having taken a bit of flak for logging as found a cache that i couldn't sign cos i couldn't reach I wonder what other shorties do?

 

If i am certain I've seen it (e.g. a nano on the back of a tall roadsign) then as far as I'm concerned I've found it. I have discovered its a bad idea to knock it off cos then I can't get it back (and with a nano you risk losing it).

 

If i think i know where it is, but haven't seen the actual cache I don't log it. yesterday there was one wich i'm sure for the clue, is hidden in the rim around a tall gateway structure. Didn't actually see it, so didn't log it.

 

So, shorties, apart from finding a tall person, what do you do?

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Hi there,

 

I'm only 5foot tall and have just had my 8th cnr (could not reach). Having taken a bit of flak for logging as found a cache that i couldn't sign cos i couldn't reach I wonder what other shorties do?

 

If i am certain I've seen it (e.g. a nano on the back of a tall roadsign) then as far as I'm concerned I've found it. I have discovered its a bad idea to knock it off cos then I can't get it back (and with a nano you risk losing it).

 

If i think i know where it is, but haven't seen the actual cache I don't log it. yesterday there was one wich i'm sure for the clue, is hidden in the rim around a tall gateway structure. Didn't actually see it, so didn't log it.

 

So, shorties, apart from finding a tall person, what do you do?

 

Open up a new account and troll..

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Hi there,

 

I'm only 5foot tall and have just had my 8th cnr (could not reach). Having taken a bit of flak for logging as found a cache that i couldn't sign cos i couldn't reach I wonder what other shorties do?

 

If i am certain I've seen it (e.g. a nano on the back of a tall roadsign) then as far as I'm concerned I've found it. I have discovered its a bad idea to knock it off cos then I can't get it back (and with a nano you risk losing it).

 

If i think i know where it is, but haven't seen the actual cache I don't log it. yesterday there was one wich i'm sure for the clue, is hidden in the rim around a tall gateway structure. Didn't actually see it, so didn't log it.

 

So, shorties, apart from finding a tall person, what do you do?

 

I have the same problem.

I'm only 5 feet 11 inches - and find there are some caches around here that I just can't reach without climbing.

There are also some really tricky puzzles nearby that I haven't been able to solve because I'm not smart enough!

 

If I can't be bothered to climb to get them, or I can't work out the puzzle, I don't log them.

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How about a walking stick with a really strong magnet on the top? Of course you couldn’t get an ammo can down with that, but it might work for a nano that is just out of reach. As long as the magnet is stronger than the one on the nano. My husband has one of those things to help you reach things that are too high or on the ground when you aren’t allowed to bend over (He had both hips replaced and used it after his surgeries) and one of those would work well too. Maybe I should put his in the car just incase. So far I haven’t had to climb for any and I think only 1 would have been out of reach of my 2 year old, so I’ve been lucky. I don’t know how I’m going to handle one that’s up something I can’t scale my best thought would be to knock it down and then tie a fishing line to it and toss it back up until it stuck. But my plan doesn’t include getting the line back off. LOL Sorry I'm not more help. But good luck.

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I'm pretty short too.

 

Out caching alone one time, I ran across a really high fence cap. I was out of state, so wouldn't be back with anyone ever.

 

I waited until some very friendly looking, TALL muggles came by.

 

Asked them if they knew what geocaching was. Explained it to them, showed them the GPS, and then told them there just happened to be a cache right there. Could they help me get it down?

 

They were really nice about it and all excited about learning a new game. They wrote down the website and said they were going to get the Iphone app. (for what good it will do them).

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I am not vertically challenged, but I have had several times where for one reason or another I could not reach the cache. I always came back later, prepared. If I don't sign the log I don't count it as a find.

 

But that's for me. I need to do that to feel that I have integrity. Others have different standards. As long as they don't insist on comparing themselves with me (claiming explicitly or implicitly that higher find counts / more FTFs / etc. make them a better cacher) I could care less.

 

In other words, as long as you don't go bragging about your find count, you can log them however you want and I don't care.

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The argument of seeing the cache as opposed to signing the cache is a long one. If I can't reach it, I will look for something that will do, interesting what you can find to help you reach things, logs, buckets, stack of newspapers, a tall muggle, etc.

Anyways, IMO you must sign the cache to log it found. Its kinda like being in a high muggle area, f you see the cache there and can't get to do it due muggles, then you can't log it. But of course, people play the way they want to....

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There have been a few instances where I couldn't reach a cache. In one case I came back with a chair to stand on, in another I came back with my niece on my shoulders and had her grab it. In another I took two trekking poles, used duct taped to create one long pole and stood on the roof of my car to reach the cache.

 

There is always a way.

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I'm about 6' 2" and there have been several caches over the years that required a bit of inventivness for me to grab as well. My hiking staff has served me well but I've gone off to get a step ladder, I've duck taped a few sticks together, used an old broom handle I found nearby, used a wire hanger to fashion a hook etc...

 

If I can't retrieve the cache and open it to sign the log - that is a 'DNF' for me.

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Hi there,

 

I'm only 5foot tall and have just had my 8th cnr (could not reach). Having taken a bit of flak for logging as found a cache that i couldn't sign cos i couldn't reach I wonder what other shorties do?

 

If i am certain I've seen it (e.g. a nano on the back of a tall roadsign) then as far as I'm concerned I've found it. I have discovered its a bad idea to knock it off cos then I can't get it back (and with a nano you risk losing it).

 

If i think i know where it is, but haven't seen the actual cache I don't log it. yesterday there was one wich i'm sure for the clue, is hidden in the rim around a tall gateway structure. Didn't actually see it, so didn't log it.

 

So, shorties, apart from finding a tall person, what do you do?

 

Open up a new account and troll..

Thats helpful..especially for newer members..

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I get something or someone to stand on or use a stick or grabber tool. I won't claim a find on something I saw, but didn't sign the log for. YMMV

 

Some cachers carry more gear than others. Some refer to these as TOTT-tool of the trade.

You will develop the tool set that suits your caching style and the types of hides in your area over time.

Edited by wimseyguy
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For those that mentioned that they simply don't log it...

 

This is wrong (from another viewpoint)! A posted DNF (include the "why") tells the CO that the design/style of the cache may need to be reconsidered. It also alerts other cachers (that read logs before the hunt) that there may well be a problem should they be vertically-challenged, and should take steps to be able to reach the cache.

 

In some locales (different laws in different states or countries), placing a cache on a hwy sign is flat-out illegal, be it front or backside. Do keep this in mind for placement purposes. You just may be jeopardizing geocaching as a whole.

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I'm 5' 2" and I keep a large ammo can in my car. I'm not ashamed to admit that I use it as a stepstool sometimes.

 

I would be ashamed to admit I fell off it once.

 

So I'm not admitting that.

 

But it makes a good stepstool. Two work even better when you stand them on end.

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There's a really tall fence cap cache here in Eugene that folks said they leaned their bicycles against the fence and used them like ladders. It definitely was a tall one, even for me, and I'm a six foot tall lady!

 

Now that is clever! I don't know that I'd do it but I fall over just trying to walk.

 

I'm totally envious of you living in Oregon and geocaching, we moved from Portland two years ago (before we started caching) to SW Colorado.

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There's a really tall fence cap cache here in Eugene that folks said they leaned their bicycles against the fence and used them like ladders. It definitely was a tall one, even for me, and I'm a six foot tall lady!

 

Now that is clever! I don't know that I'd do it but I fall over just trying to walk.

 

I'm totally envious of you living in Oregon and geocaching, we moved from Portland two years ago (before we started caching) to SW Colorado.

 

Ha ha! We moved from Colorado to Oregon!!! We lived in the Denver area though. That's where we started caching actually. And as for me, I wouldn't use a bicycle as a ladder myself either. With my luck I'd fall right down and the bike would flip over on me. :lol:

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I usually have a couple of approaches to help me out in these circumstances. First off, I look for something in the environment that I can climb on and move it closer to where the cache is hidden. Sometimes all I need is an extra couple of inches and my tweezers are handy in those circumstances. If it's within a foot or two I've got another tool in my arsenal: one of those extendable magnets that mechanics use. And for those extremely hard to reach ones I've met a cacher who took an extendable golf ball retriever, and put a hook on it with electrical tape (the hook looked like the end of a sturdy hanger).

 

Finding a tall caching partner is another strategy, and makes the game even more fun!

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I'm really short, too. One day I found a five-gallon bucket near a cache - it's a lot easier to keep in the trunk of my car than a stepladder, it was free (unlike a stepladder), and I keep my muddy boots in it when I'm not using it as a "lift-assist" device.

I hope you didn't take the bucket with you. It may have been placed there intentionally by the CO.

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There's a really tall fence cap cache here in Eugene that folks said they leaned their bicycles against the fence and used them like ladders. It definitely was a tall one, even for me, and I'm a six foot tall lady!

 

Now that is clever! I don't know that I'd do it but I fall over just trying to walk.

 

I'm totally envious of you living in Oregon and geocaching, we moved from Portland two years ago (before we started caching) to SW Colorado.

 

Ha ha! We moved from Colorado to Oregon!!! We lived in the Denver area though. That's where we started caching actually. And as for me, I wouldn't use a bicycle as a ladder myself either. With my luck I'd fall right down and the bike would flip over on me. :)

 

We live in Durango but my sister just moved to Denver so we might be visiting her soon to do some geocaching. I'm always so envious of folks who have large numbers of finds in short amounts of time (with out doing power trails) since in Durango it just isn't possible as we've got a lower number of caches - but they are good ones! and so my almost 100 finds is pretty good for the area in under a year.

 

Like you I'd probably fall, and probably injure myself but that is why we carry a first aid kit :anicute:

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The question is not how to grab it, but rather whether to log it. The answer is to play the game however you like. The find count is for you, and you alone. There is no prize. If you feel you deserve to log a find, then go ahead. For me, seeing it isn't enough. If the log on a nano is full, I'll put just a dot somewhere as my signature and log it. If the log is too wet to sign, I'll add paper and sign that. If there is no room for additional paper or the whole thing is just too wet, I'll log a find, figuring that messing with the soggy mess is a signature.

 

If I can't get to the cache, I won't log a find. There was one that was supposed to be hanging inside a fence post, but had fallen to the bottom. I could see it. I could even get a part of a finger on it through a hole at the bottom of the sign. I did not, however, log it as a find. I've found velcro stuck to a post, but without a cache. I did not log a find. But, that's just me.

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I usually only log caches, even tall ones, if I can write in the log. However there is one close to my house that I believe is completely inappropriately placed. It is about 8 feet up, in a tree, directly above a grave marker. I can imagine people climbing on the stone to reach it. I logged this one and sent the owner a message about the placement.

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No signature in log equals no find. Do what the rest of us do and either bring a tool back to the cache to get to it or you log a DNF. Ah haa.. I see that cache 80' up there on that there cliff. I just logged a find on a 5-star terrain cache. Do you see the error in that approach?

 

And for the record, other play the game they way they want. This is the way I play as a finder AND a hider. Some of us would politely delete your log if you admit to not having signed the log. If you do choose to use the "I see it" method, you be better served to keep it quiet as I also do not audit my caches unless I have reason to do so.

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And for the record, other play the game they way they want. This is the way I play as a finder AND a hider. Some of us would politely delete your log if you admit to not having signed the log. If you do choose to use the "I see it" method, you be better served to keep it quiet as I also do not audit my caches unless I have reason to do so.

 

The "I see it" method is also known as Waymarking- which sounds neat to me but I havent' tried it yet.

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I'm pretty short too.

 

Out caching alone one time, I ran across a really high fence cap. I was out of state, so wouldn't be back with anyone ever.

 

I waited until some very friendly looking, TALL muggles came by.

 

Asked them if they knew what geocaching was. Explained it to them, showed them the GPS, and then told them there just happened to be a cache right there. Could they help me get it down?

 

They were really nice about it and all excited about learning a new game. They wrote down the website and said they were going to get the Iphone app. (for what good it will do them).

 

Wish I had thought of that when driving for an hour to a big busy city, to get a rather cryptic letterbox cache (letterboxes are my favorite cache type - I'll drive out of my comfort zone for one). When I got to the life station (next to a swirling river) I figure I knew where it was....at the top of the station pole about 7.5 feet up. No way to climb the metal pole. I walked away defeated and p.o'd. Later online logs confirmed the height issue. If I knew that I had to be tall to get it I wouldn't have wasted my time and money going out there alone. Now I wish I had thought to wait for a tall friendly stranger to hike by. Guess I was too caught up in the whole stealth thing....sigh.

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No signature in log equals no find. Do what the rest of us do and either bring a tool back to the cache to get to it or you log a DNF. Ah haa.. I see that cache 80' up there on that there cliff. I just logged a find on a 5-star terrain cache. Do you see the error in that approach?

 

And for the record, other play the game they way they want. This is the way I play as a finder AND a hider. Some of us would politely delete your log if you admit to not having signed the log. If you do choose to use the "I see it" method, you be better served to keep it quiet as I also do not audit my caches unless I have reason to do so.

 

If a CO is going to be a stickler about the sign-my-log or no-smiley-for-you, it would be nice if they warn shorter people that they are going to need to bring a reaching tool to get the cache.

 

If the cache is properly rated and there's some hint in the clues that there's going to be a height issue then at least those of us who do not meet the caching requirements can forego the journey out to it.

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No signature in log equals no find. Do what the rest of us do and either bring a tool back to the cache to get to it or you log a DNF. Ah haa.. I see that cache 80' up there on that there cliff. I just logged a find on a 5-star terrain cache. Do you see the error in that approach?

 

And for the record, other play the game they way they want. This is the way I play as a finder AND a hider. Some of us would politely delete your log if you admit to not having signed the log. If you do choose to use the "I see it" method, you be better served to keep it quiet as I also do not audit my caches unless I have reason to do so.

 

If a CO is going to be a stickler about the sign-my-log or no-smiley-for-you, it would be nice if they warn shorter people that they are going to need to bring a reaching tool to get the cache.

 

If the cache is properly rated and there's some hint in the clues that there's going to be a height issue then at least those of us who do not meet the caching requirements can forego the journey out to it.

 

If we try to be practical we could assume that a CO can't address everyone's possible shortcomings (pun intended) when writing a cache description. Geocachers come in every shape, size, skill level, and intelligence level. If we tried to take all possible situations into consideration then caches descriptions would be very very long and a pain in the rear to write.

 

I have trouble with caches that are in small spaces. I DNF'd a drain pipe caches recently that was about 50' into the pipe. I am too large to turn around in the pipe and didn't want to crawl out backwards. No big deal, on to the next cache.

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We live in Durango but my sister just moved to Denver so we might be visiting her soon to do some geocaching. I'm always so envious of folks who have large numbers of finds in short amounts of time (with out doing power trails) since in Durango it just isn't possible as we've got a lower number of caches - but they are good ones! and so my almost 100 finds is pretty good for the area in under a year.

 

Like you I'd probably fall, and probably injure myself but that is why we carry a first aid kit :)

 

We've been caching four years and don't quite yet have 1000, but most of them have been REALLY cool. We recommend caching in Buena Vista, CO there are some wonderful caches there, and it's beautiful.

 

Also, we recommend the virtual cache at the top of Mt. Evans. GC7C07

 

Sorry for being off-topic... to the OP.

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No signature in log equals no find. Do what the rest of us do and either bring a tool back to the cache to get to it or you log a DNF. Ah haa.. I see that cache 80' up there on that there cliff. I just logged a find on a 5-star terrain cache. Do you see the error in that approach?

 

And for the record, other play the game they way they want. This is the way I play as a finder AND a hider. Some of us would politely delete your log if you admit to not having signed the log. If you do choose to use the "I see it" method, you be better served to keep it quiet as I also do not audit my caches unless I have reason to do so.

 

If a CO is going to be a stickler about the sign-my-log or no-smiley-for-you, it would be nice if they warn shorter people that they are going to need to bring a reaching tool to get the cache.

 

If the cache is properly rated and there's some hint in the clues that there's going to be a height issue then at least those of us who do not meet the caching requirements can forego the journey out to it.

 

If we try to be practical we could assume that a CO can't address everyone's possible shortcomings (pun intended) when writing a cache description. Geocachers come in every shape, size, skill level, and intelligence level. If we tried to take all possible situations into consideration then caches descriptions would be very very long and a pain in the rear to write.

 

I have trouble with caches that are in small spaces. I DNF'd a drain pipe caches recently that was about 50' into the pipe. I am too large to turn around in the pipe and didn't want to crawl out backwards. No big deal, on to the next cache.

 

Average height:

Men : 1.736 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Women: 1.595 m (5 ft 3 in)

 

Is it too much to ask that a CO keep that in mind. If the average geocaching woman (let's allow her some independence and not have to take a tall person with her) can't reach your cache it would be nice to let her know in advance. If the CO forgets about height, then gets logs that say you have to be tall to get it then it would be nice of the CO to edit the cache description and add the height requirement.

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Average height:

Men : 1.736 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Women: 1.595 m (5 ft 3 in)

 

Is it too much to ask that a CO keep that in mind. If the average geocaching woman (let's allow her some independence and not have to take a tall person with her) can't reach your cache it would be nice to let her know in advance. If the CO forgets about height, then gets logs that say you have to be tall to get it then it would be nice of the CO to edit the cache description and add the height requirement.

 

That's a really good point... I'm going to remember that with all my caches that I place. Being really tall, sometimes I forget. I don't think it's too much to ask. Thank you for reminding me. :)

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Being relatively short myself (5'6") I already know my limitations. So, I'm usually prepared. Either the required TOTTs are in the car or I carry them.

 

I've backed up my car to then use the bumper as an assist.

I usually have a cooler in the car with water - I've used that to help.

I carry a short step-stool in the car (sometimes) - not a ladder!!!!

I carry a "reacher-grabber" (not a folding one as I've found them to be shorter than the standard ones).

I've fashioned a branch into a TOTT - leaving a branch fork at the end to assist in replacing the cache.

I've asked tall passerbys to assist if they seem friendly. One time they even climbed on shoulders to assist in one that was 11 feet up.

I've used my bicycle as a ladder.

Extendable retrieval tool - both the one with a magnet and the one with the little fingers that expand when you press the plunger at the other end.

 

There are lots of ways to do it.

 

And, for the other issue here: personally I won't log it as a find unless I've signed the actual log. I figure that if I haven't opened the cache and found the log, then I'm not really sure I actually found the cache. But that's my rule.

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I've done several where the CO has hidden.. sometimes in plain sight, a "retrieval tool" for the cache. I've hooked rings sticking out of the top of standing pipes and scraped the top of a concrete pillar with a 15 ft limb with exactly the right curvature to reach over the edge and skid the box off. (tossing it back up was much harder) My walking stick has knocked them loose and then, with a piece of duct tape, put them back in place. Also have climbed trees, made second trips with a step stool, leaned logs to scale, and piled rocks to add a foot or two to my reach. There's almost always a way to get it.

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If I don't sign the log, I don't log it online as found. If I want a record of my visit (and usually I do) I log a note.

 

So far they've only been because there's too many people around to retrieve it safely. I've so far managed to retrieve a difficult to reach cache through one way or another. That may explain my growing collection of scraps and cuts.

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I'm really short, too. One day I found a five-gallon bucket near a cache - it's a lot easier to keep in the trunk of my car than a stepladder, it was free (unlike a stepladder), and I keep my muddy boots in it when I'm not using it as a "lift-assist" device.

I hope you didn't take the bucket with you. It may have been placed there intentionally by the CO.

It was in a big pile of trash next to the road where I parked. The cache was out a ways in a field - and it wasn't up high. I'm sure the bucket was just garbage - but I was a little concerned about what all it might have contained in its prior life. Hopefully just paint, like the label said.

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I'm sure I'll get a little flack for this, but this is meant to be a game that brings about personal satisfaction, right? It's meant to be fun, correct?

 

If you're in a situation where you see the cache and there's no doubt about it that THAT is the cache, I don't see where it's so bad that you log the find. It's called geocaching, not geosigning. I've found a cache were the log was a soaked wad of goo and completely un-signable. It doesn't mean that I didn't find it. IMHO, do whatever makes you happy and lets you sleep in peace at night.

 

Now, if you're in a race or challenge, the rules might be a little different and more strict.

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I know it is unfair but that is part of geocaching. If you don't sign the log you shouldn't log it as found. Or it would fall under what some cachers do. Pull up to a park with the gates closed and just log all the caches in the park because you couldn't get to them. Unfair yes that is why you come back and actually get the caches and sign them or skip it all together. There are over a million caches out there you can always find a different one.

Or get a pole, grabby stick, step ladder and be prepared next time.

I was going for a cache and when I got there I couldn't find it, then I get a notification about another cacher who had tried it. They said they needed a long tool. I looked up and saw it. Tried to climb the tree but still couldn't reach it. Just then a fellow cacher called and asked if I was doing that cache and if I needed help to get it. Yes a pole. He brought it and we were FTF. I now carry one in my car. They are great for returning them to their location too.

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I am 5'4'' so I am kinda short- but I am very strong so climbing is easy for me. I like difficult terrain because there is usually climbing involved.

 

As for annoyingly high micros I can bring a folding grabber to retrieve and replace the cache. (if you just have a stick it might not be possible to put it back properly)

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