archived caches

[+arnoldbikerider]

I have a friend very new to geocaching that has found a geocache that apparently has been archived. He found it because it is outside his work (a fire station) and people keep stopping and finding it. It's not listed as current or anything in the geocache pages. It doesn't seem to be the "end" of a multi-cache or puzzle cache. So how do I find on the Geocaching.com site any archived geocaches?

thanks

[GOF and Bacall]

The short answer is you don't. Archived caches are not searchable by the normal methods. The only way I know of is to look at peoples found caches or public bookmarks. You can see how hard that would be to single out one particular cache.

 

Are you sure it is a geocache and not a letterbox? Even if it is a geocache it may be listed on one of the other sites.

[+arnoldbikerider]

Not 100% sure it's not a letterbox. I did look and I also looked at Waymark. He has the coordinates (what his GPS said).

I guess I'll encourage him to ask other geocacher friends if there was one there, and what it was.

Thanks

[GOF and Bacall]

Probably your best bet.

[+dfx]

take a look yourself. if you find a rubber stamp or something like that inside, you got yourself a letterbox.

 

otherwise, check other listing sites such as terracaching.com (am i allowed to say that here?)

 

of course it could still be the final for a multi or mystery. how did you figure that it isn't?

Edited August 31, 2010 by dfx

[Clan Riffster]

So how do I find on the Geocaching.com site any archived geocaches?

I would contact the Reviewer local to that area and tell them what your friend found, and the coords.

They can look in the area and see what used to be active there.

[+arnoldbikerider]

Good idea about the reviewers.

 

I don't think it's a multi or puzzle as nothing within 5 miles has even a close mention of where it's at.

 

I'll post the coordinates he gave me when facebook comes back up. (Yes, I communicate via facebook once in a while...)

 

The "cache" is near 37° 58.632'N 120° 14.233'W.

 

Thanks again for all the interesting help everyone. It's almost like doing a puzzle cache in reverse.

Arnold

[Keystone]

I put those coordinates into the reviewer toolset and ran a proximity test.

 

There has never been a cache container, including a hidden waypoint for a multicache or puzzle, within a quarter mile of those coordinates - published, never published or archived - here at Geocaching.com.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Keystone

[+malo mystery]

Try two other things:

 

1) Go find the cache, check out - maybe the log book or container indicates a GC code - and look it up on the GC web page.

2) If there is no GC number on the container or logbook then take down the last few names of cachers in the logbook, look them up and cross reference the caches they found with the dates they logged in the log book.

 

That might help

[+Markwell]

Try two other things:

 

1) Go find the cache, check out - maybe the log book or container indicates a GC code - and look it up on the GC web page.

2) If there is no GC number on the container or logbook then take down the last few names of cachers in the logbook, look them up and cross reference the caches they found with the dates they logged in the log book.

 

That might help

 

There has never been a cache container, including a hidden waypoint for a multicache or puzzle, within a quarter mile of those coordinates - published, never published or archived - here at Geocaching.com.

[+dakboy]

Have you checked the other cache listing sites? Just because it's never been on geocaching.com doesn't mean that it's not listed elsewhere.

[+GeoGeeBee]

If you're keeping track, add my vote to the "go look in the container" contingent. Whatever the thing is, shouldn't there be some kind of a stash note in it?

 

All of my geocaches contain a laminated card with my contact info, the geocaching.com URL, and the GC number. Most of the geocaches I find, even nanos, contain the geocaching.com URL.

 

It seems like if it's a cache listed on another site, there should still be something in there to tell accidental finders what it is.

[+Too Tall John]

FWIW: The cache is not listed on either of the two other big (?) geocaching websites.

 

Perhaps a letterbox, but I'm going to echo what everyone else seems to say: The only way to know for sure is to go check it out yourself.

[+malo mystery]

Try two other things:

 

1) Go find the cache, check out - maybe the log book or container indicates a GC code - and look it up on the GC web page.

2) If there is no GC number on the container or logbook then take down the last few names of cachers in the logbook, look them up and cross reference the caches they found with the dates they logged in the log book.

 

That might help

 

There has never been a cache container, including a hidden waypoint for a multicache or puzzle, within a quarter mile of those coordinates - published, never published or archived - here at Geocaching.com.

 

From the opening line I thought that there were people finding "the cache"

I have a friend very new to geocaching that has found a geocache that apparently has been archived. He found it because it is outside his work (a fire station) and people keep stopping and finding it. It's not listed as current or anything in the geocache pages. It doesn't seem to be the "end" of a multi-cache or puzzle cache. So how do I find on the Geocaching.com site any archived geocaches?

thanks

[+Castle Mischief]

So how do I find on the Geocaching.com site any archived geocaches?

thanks

 

As previously answered, you can't. You can contact a reviewer and ask them.

[+pppingme]

Look at the log book for the last couple of names that signed it, look those names up on the site and look at their recent finds.

 

This could very well be a stage of a multi-cache.

 

Although technically required, I question how often the reviewers know that info is accurate, and there is also the fact that final coords weren't always required, so they may not even be on the site for reviewers or anyone to find.

[+LightHouseSeekers]

Let us know the final results.

[+roziecakes]

Look at the log book for the last couple of names that signed it, look those names up on the site and look at their recent finds.

 

This could very well be a stage of a multi-cache.

 

Although technically required, I question how often the reviewers know that info is accurate, and there is also the fact that final coords weren't always required, so they may not even be on the site for reviewers or anyone to find.

 

This is a good idea. This is what I would do as well.

[Clan Riffster]

Have you checked the other cache listing sites?

I did. There is a Navicache about 6.5 miles northeast of those coords. Hidden in '06. Never logged as found.

The closest Terracache is within Yosimite, over 35 miles away.

[+arnoldbikerider]

Final Results...

It's an archived Geocache! GCZ1PP - Iron Jackass

 

My friend who is new to geocaching had a blast figuring this out. I'm glad I didn't live so close that I spoiled his fun.

 

Thanks to the suggestions from everyone. I thought it was next to where he worked, but apparently it is closer to his house.

[+Ed & Julie]

I put those coordinates into the reviewer toolset and ran a proximity test.

 

There has never been a cache container, including a hidden waypoint for a multicache or puzzle, within a quarter mile of those coordinates - published, never published or archived - here at Geocaching.com.

 

Final Results...

It's an archived Geocache! GCZ1PP - Iron Jackass

 

OOPS...

[+arnoldbikerider]

The story keeps getting better... truly better. My friend is a fireman, and they were cleaning the area around the archived cache location, and he found a TB! So he's going to mark it "retrieved" and put it back into circulation. Not bad...

[+Lil Devil]

I put those coordinates into the reviewer toolset and ran a proximity test.

 

There has never been a cache container, including a hidden waypoint for a multicache or puzzle, within a quarter mile of those coordinates - published, never published or archived - here at Geocaching.com.

Final Results...

It's an archived Geocache! GCZ1PP - Iron Jackass

OOPS...

 

Not oops.

I thought it was next to where he worked, but apparently it is closer to his house.

Iron Jackass is about a mile away from the original coords that were provided.

[+Lil Devil]

Oh, and BTW you should tell your friend to log a find on Iron Jackass.