+Ampresearch Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) Well I started hiding caches. i made one that i consider a nicer then the norm type. not super fancy or anything but more then just a plastic box. Because of this I made it a member’s only cache. I assumed this would help protect it from total selfish jerks that like to take thing that don’t belong to them. i put up the listing last weekend. if was off to a slow start with no DNF's no activity hardly at all. Well yesterday we got a DNF. I want to be a good hider to i went out to check on it within a few hours. Sadly it was gone. i looked al over and it is 100% not their. The problem i have is this. It was in an area that no person would go without a reason. I cant think of any reason any person would be in this area. I am convinced that it was a member that read the page. Needless to say this was a huge turn off to the hobby. We put a lot of time into this one we filled with lots of swag and trackables and were very excited about it. The fun was stripped away in a second. Really disappointing. Is this common? Is this why you don’t find many nice caches? Here is a shot of the cache that’s gone missing. Sure wish I would wrap my head around why someone would take it. Especially a member. Not reall sure why I posted this. I guess I was just looking for some reassurance this cryptex was placed inside a large bear shaped plastic container (hence the cache name) was hidden about a half mile out in the woods in a heavy brush area inside the container was LOTS of kids swag long with the cryptex Edited September 17, 2010 by Ampresearch Quote
+briansnat Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 The problem i have is this. It was in an area that no person would go without a reason. I cant think of any reason any person would be in this area. I am convinced that it was a member that read the page. Sorry to hear about yyour cache, but don't be so sure it was a geocacher. I have many caches in areas that you would think nobody would venture without a reason. Some with pretty tough terrain. One winter I was in the area of one and decided to check on it. I followed footprints in the snow heading right toward my cache. I was certain it was a geocacher. Nobody else would have a reason to go to this spot. It is really out of the way. Well the footprints went right past the cache and there was obviously no attempt to hunt it. The person was just exploring off trail or taking a short cut. Another was really well hidden and it was found by a non geocacher. He sent me an e-mail telling me he found it. Being that I thought there was no way someone would find this without looking for it I asked him how he found it. He said he loves to poke around rock formations and look in dark crevices and that is how he found it. Another local hid a cache called "Middle a Nowhere". He selected the location by finding the spot on the map that was as far from any road as possible. It truly was in the middle of nowhere and quite a challenge to get to. I found it about 2 years after it was placed and someone had recently built a camp within 20 feet of the cache. Mushroomers, birders, hunters, naturalists and others go off the beaten path and venture into places that you might think nobody would go without a reason. Caches go missing, but geocachers generally don't take caches. It is almost always a non geocacher. Could be a park official (they get free premium memberships if they ask), could be a anti caching vigilante (there have been a few and they pony up for membership so they can steal member only caches). Could be someone who simply stumbled upon it. Quote
+SeekerOfTheWay Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 Could an animal have gotten to it? A park ranger? Teens? i can't imagine a cacher that pays for a premium membership would steal a cache. Or any cacher for that matter. Quote
+dakboy Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 i can't imagine a cacher that pays for a premium membership would steal a cache. Or any cacher for that matter.Turn it around - someone pays for a premium membership for the purpose of stealing/destroying caches. Utica/Rome (NY) Cache Thief Paul Repak did it for seven years, and he's not the only one. If you're of the belief that cachers are destructive and dangerous to the environment and must be stopped, $210 over the course of seven years is peanuts when you're that serious about the cause. His "probation" period expires in another month or two, will be interesting to see what happens. Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 17, 2010 Author Posted September 17, 2010 Caches go missing, but geocachers generally don't take caches. It is almost always a non geocacher. Could be a park official (they get free premium memberships if they ask), could be a anti caching vigilante (there have been a few and they pony up for membership so they can steal member only caches). Could be someone who simply stumbled upon it. i sure hope your right. becasue its not the missing cache that bothers me as much as the thought of a cacher being the one that took it. i think i'm just dissapoint as a whole since we were excited about this one. i have two others but they are a bit more traditional. (also in the same area) Quote
+SeekerOfTheWay Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 i can't imagine a cacher that pays for a premium membership would steal a cache. Or any cacher for that matter.Turn it around - someone pays for a premium membership for the purpose of stealing/destroying caches. Utica/Rome (NY) Cache Thief Paul Repak did it for seven years, and he's not the only one. If you're of the belief that cachers are destructive and dangerous to the environment and must be stopped, $210 over the course of seven years is peanuts when you're that serious about the cause. His "probation" period expires in another month or two, will be interesting to see what happens. i never heard of that happening before. Wow. What did he do with the caches then? Throw them in a landfill. Geez. i don't understand how caches are considered trash. Aren't they the same as, say, playgrounds? They sit there until used and enjoyed. And empty until then. i wonder what the cache thieves theories are... Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 17, 2010 Author Posted September 17, 2010 Could an animal have gotten to it? A park ranger? Teens? i can't imagine a cacher that pays for a premium membership would steal a cache. Or any cacher for that matter. well the park rangers helped me hide it so that it was in an area they dont even go to in order to avoid it being messed with. and i would think if an animal took it i would find evidence. swag on the ground. torn up container. paper. at least something. inside i have laminated instructions, geocache info paper work paper, name of ranger, i thoguht i ahd every base covered. oh well i guess i'm just a bit put off by it and taking it to seriously. Quote
+SeekerOfTheWay Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 i would be annoyed and sad too if my cache went missing. i hope you figure it out soon and/or it's returned to you. Sorry. Quote
knowschad Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 Yeah, doesn't sound like an animal to me, either (at least not of the 4-legged variety). But my experience corroborates what Briansnat said. I have also followed footprints in deep snow with thick brush that went within a foot or two of caches, then continued on without stopping, and you have to wonder why on earth they would go there. In any case, sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. However it happened, it sucks. Quote
+Lovejoy and Tinker Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 Can I be the first to say that cache looks superb - very 'out of the ordinary', and love the logbook. What is it made from out of interest? Sorry it went missing. You obviously put thought, time and effort into your containers and contents, which is quite rare these days, so I hope you continue to hide. Not that I would ever be able to go find any of them, sadly Who says 'newbies' just chuck film pots in hedges Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 17, 2010 Author Posted September 17, 2010 i would be annoyed and sad too if my cache went missing. i hope you figure it out soon and/or it's returned to you. Sorry. yea i dont see that ever happening. i would be shocked to see it again. i guess i will just move on and try again. not sure i'm willing to put any real amount of work into one again though Quote
+dakboy Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 i can't imagine a cacher that pays for a premium membership would steal a cache. Or any cacher for that matter.Turn it around - someone pays for a premium membership for the purpose of stealing/destroying caches. Utica/Rome (NY) Cache Thief Paul Repak did it for seven years, and he's not the only one. If you're of the belief that cachers are destructive and dangerous to the environment and must be stopped, $210 over the course of seven years is peanuts when you're that serious about the cause. His "probation" period expires in another month or two, will be interesting to see what happens. i never heard of that happening before. Wow. What did he do with the caches then? Throw them in a landfill. Geez. IIRC, they found a couple hundred in the trunk of his car. Logbooks and all. i don't understand how caches are considered trash. Aren't they the same as, say, playgrounds? They sit there until used and enjoyed. And empty until then. i wonder what the cache thieves theories are...This type of person believes that cachers are destroying the environment by leaving "foreign debris" among nature and trampling plants & wildlife off established trails. Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 17, 2010 Author Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) Can I be the first to say that cache looks superb - very 'out of the ordinary', and love the logbook. What is it made from out of interest? Sorry it went missing. You obviously put thought, time and effort into your containers and contents, which is quite rare these days, so I hope you continue to hide. Not that I would ever be able to go find any of them, sadly Who says 'newbies' just chuck film pots in hedges thank you, much appriciated. Thats just why we did it. This area is FILLED with tiny micros and what i consider "regular" hides. We have yet to find one that took any imagination. not bad hides just "regular". again thats not a bad thing but we saw a change to spice things up a bit. So my wife and i said "let change this" and set out to put several "not so regular" hides to try and boost the interest in the hobby for our area. As for the log.certificates,trophy, We made them all. We wanted to have a theme of sorts and have everything match. The log was printed on a marine paper to help it weather well. We have made several to go with all the themed plans we have. This is just the first of 10 planned. All art work and design is done by my wife. Im just the guy thats good with my hands. she directs and i do. lol. Edited September 17, 2010 by Ampresearch Quote
+briansnat Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 i can't imagine a cacher that pays for a premium membership would steal a cache. Or any cacher for that matter.Turn it around - someone pays for a premium membership for the purpose of stealing/destroying caches. Utica/Rome (NY) Cache Thief Paul Repak did it for seven years, and he's not the only one. If you're of the belief that cachers are destructive and dangerous to the environment and must be stopped, $210 over the course of seven years is peanuts when you're that serious about the cause. His "probation" period expires in another month or two, will be interesting to see what happens. i never heard of that happening before. Wow. What did he do with the caches then? Throw them in a landfill. Geez. i don't understand how caches are considered trash. Aren't they the same as, say, playgrounds? They sit there until used and enjoyed. And empty until then. i wonder what the cache thieves theories are... There is the self named Forest Defender (in Oregon I think). She has a blog where she brags of her theft. She is an environmental extremist who thinks caches are a scourge. She even takes caches placed with permission of park personnel. And the infamous Paul Repak. No cache was safe from him. A difficult puzzle, MOC, a 6 mile hike into the mountains, a full day paddle on a river - but he was also stealing caches where there were no environmental concerns, roadside caches, caches in town parks and a cache at the Adirondack Museum all became his victim. There is another long time thief in Idaho. He hasn't been caught yet as far as I know. And there was one in Germany who was busted when the locals set up a camera at a new cache and filmed him stealing it. They showed his picture around until they found out who he was and approached him threatened him with a civil suit. Quote
+Ecylram Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 Can I be the first to say that cache looks superb - very 'out of the ordinary', and love the logbook. What is it made from out of interest? Sorry it went missing. You obviously put thought, time and effort into your containers and contents, which is quite rare these days, so I hope you continue to hide. Not that I would ever be able to go find any of them, sadly Who says 'newbies' just chuck film pots in hedges I'll second this comment. I've very impressed by what you accomplished and would have loved to come across a cache like that. Very memorable. I hope you throw more caches out there. We need more inventive souls such as yourself. Quote
+Lovejoy and Tinker Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 thank you, much appriciated. Thats just why we did it. This area is FILLED with tiny micros and what i consider "regular" hides. We have yet to find one that took any imagination. not bad hides just "regular". again thats not a bad thing but we saw a change to spice things up a bit. So my wife and i said "let change this" and set out to put several "not so regular" hides to try and boost the interest in the hobby for our area. As for the log.certificates,trophy, We made them all. We wanted to have a theme of sorts and have everything match. The log was printed on a marine paper to help it weather well. We have made several to go with all the themed plans we have. This is just the first of 10 planned. All art work and design is done by my wife. Im just the guy thats good with my hands. she directs and i do. lol. and the cache container itself? What is that made from? It looks like a, like a, well I don't know what it looks like but it looks interesting Quote
+addisonbr Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 Can I be the first to say that cache looks superb - very 'out of the ordinary', and love the logbook. What is it made from out of interest? Sorry it went missing. You obviously put thought, time and effort into your containers and contents, which is quite rare these days, so I hope you continue to hide. Not that I would ever be able to go find any of them, sadly Who says 'newbies' just chuck film pots in hedges I'll second this comment. I've very impressed by what you accomplished and would have loved to come across a cache like that. Very memorable. I hope you throw more caches out there. We need more inventive souls such as yourself. Thirded. If that cache was in my local area I can guarantee you it would be an instant favorite, probably get a dedicated thread in our local forums. It looks fantastic. Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 17, 2010 Author Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) and the cache container itself? What is that made from? It looks like a, like a, well I don't know what it looks like but it looks interesting The cryptex itself is made from PVC pipe parts. We just did ALOT of craving on the plastic to make it look otherwise. When done it was VERY heavy duty. The only way to open that thing without the code was with a saw. I know this because this is the second one we made. The first as you can see in this short video we marked the code with blue tape while testing and building. Our daughter thought it would be a good idea to "help" and removed the tape to "clean" it. Needless to say after about two days of trying to open it I ended up having to throw it away since we could no longer figure out the code. lol. this is what it looked like before painting and carving. (this is the one i had to throw away) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf_m_bES29E The container in which the cryptex was in was a large plastic bear that has a large hole on top with a lid. Lots of room for all worst of stuff. To claim the find you had to sign the log which was inside the cryptex. Edited September 17, 2010 by Ampresearch Quote
+Lovejoy and Tinker Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf_m_bES29E The container in which the cryptex was in was a large plastic bear that has a large hole on top with a lid. Lots of room for all worst of stuff. To claim the find you had to sign the log which was inside the cryptex. Oh Wow. That is even betterer and cleverererer than it looked in the original photo. Sorry, but you were born to construct caches. Please don't let the loss of this one put you off making another. That would be a waste of talent for the cachers in your area. You just have to come up with a way to make it completely invisible to non cachers. I would love to find something like that and it would go straight to my top 5 well constructed caches. Possibly the top 2 Quote
+PKJ&Legato Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 I'm sorry to hear that someone took your cache. I find that so sad. And I too would have enjoyed finding your cache from the sound of it. Don't let someones idiocy destroy your fun. PKJ Quote
+lachupa Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 Its too bad this went awol. It looks cool. could it have been someone who got frustrated about not being able to open it? Quote
+terrkan78 Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 That is one awesome cache! I'm so sorry that it's gone! Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 17, 2010 Author Posted September 17, 2010 Its too bad this went awol. It looks cool. could it have been someone who got frustrated about not being able to open it? thats what my wife said do. she things someone went there. tried to open it got mad and thought "i'll show you" no finds of DNF's were reported until yesterday. i even looked through all the people that show on the "veiwed log" but all of them had LOTs of finds so i cant imagine they would do it. i gave up trying to firgure out who or why. and in the end even if i did know how what am i gonna do about it? its not like i'm going to go knock on thier door for somthing like this. i would call them out in the community though. oh well. i think i am just going to suck it up. rebuild and try again. i thought about putting a Plain box back in the same place without relisting the cache. Then if it goes missing i know it was not a cacher since it was not a listing. that would make me feel alot better. Quote
+lachupa Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 If someone took it because they couldn't get it open, I really don't think they would log it. Is there a way you can secure it in place. Not that this would deter someone who was determined but I found a bison tube in a dog park that was under a tree. It was attached to a wire in the ground...hard to explain but you have to sort of crawl under there and unscrew it to get the log out. Quote
+Ike 13 Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 Awesome cache write up, awesome home made cryptex with what sounds like an awesome hike. I'm sorry it went missing. There are a lot of options. It could have been a cache thief who has a premium membership and steals caches (Paul Repak). It could also have been a teen wondering in the woods (I know I did it a lot as a kid). They probably thought they found a treasure (and they did) and took it home. I recently had a similar situation. I hid my Golden Ammo Can that I recieved as a gift for hitting 1000 finds off a local neighborhood trail system in a wildlife area. It didn't look heavily traveled and the exact site was not in view of any house. The cache was fairly well concelaed. We had a huge rain which may have moved the camo and exposed the cache. It went missing around the same time as the rain with my other cache 600 feet away. I know it wasn't washed away because I found my pen nearby. I'm hoping it was just some teens rather than a cache thief. Quote
+mospeed1 Posted September 17, 2010 Posted September 17, 2010 well with it being such a unique container if someone did steal it,and they go to rehide it,they will be busted if anyone see this topic and the pics and then finds it they will know it was stolen maybe email a pic to all your local preium member cachers in your area and ask them if they see it rehididnf somewhere to email you Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 18, 2010 Author Posted September 18, 2010 well with it being such a unique container if someone did steal it,and they go to rehide it,they will be busted if anyone see this topic and the pics and then finds it they will know it was stolen maybe email a pic to all your local preium member cachers in your area and ask them if they see it rehididnf somewhere to email you yea. I also made sure to make a pocket list that will send all new hides so if it does go up. i will see it. i dont expect that though Quote
+addisonbr Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 I wonder if it's possible that a cacher took it home to work on it? Maybe a newer cache who doesn't quite understand how the game works? Quote
l2embrandt Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 i just wanted to chime in and say, for one, i'm sorry about the loss of your cache. but, even more so, i want to admire your handiwork! very inspiring to a rookie like myself. i also want to share my opinion that many wanderers who may not be well off, could very well happen upon a cache and take it along with them as one of the best finds. i know some of the cachesi've found thus far could be very amusing to either a nongeocacher or a straight-up homeless person (not trying to be offensive...) i suggest many people go to places way off the beaten trail- i've seen it, but i've also done it since i was a young teenager. i'm sure this incident was not malicious in nature. again, very well done cache! it is amazing the wonderful ideas and individuality i've seen in geocachers! top notch. Quote
+The Blorenges Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 I wonder if it's possible that a cacher took it home to work on it? Maybe a newer cache who doesn't quite understand how the game works? I was just wondering that, too... Have you been back to the location just in case it's been returned? I agree with all the above comments about your wonderfully creative cache. I'm so sorry it's disappeared. MrsB Quote
+Isonzo Karst Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 (edited) could it have been someone who got frustrated about not being able to open it? I'd strongly suggest that your cache went home with a cacher, who broke it, and now won't 'fess up. They're probably mortified, but not really thinking it through....ie, even broken, you'd rather have it back then this. By all means, return and check the spot one more time. Look broadly too. There, but not where you left it is another possibility. By example, when a copy of YorkyLovers Monkey Puzzle was placed up in the Palatka FL area, that cache kept disappearing. The disappearances were mostly temporary, as people took it home so they could fiddle with opening it. Jim finally archived that hide, and recreated it on his front porch, so it wouldn't walk off. Or your cache really was just found by someone wandering in the woods. In your urban oasis of parkland, I suspect the density of folks in those woods is pretty high. I know of a couple of caches in the most astonishingly remote and difficult places that nonetheless walked off. I spend time far out into the trackless swamps of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge; it's astonishing to me the number of people I see out there. Far from population centers, far from trail, far from any dry ground. Humans, we're ubiquitous. Edited September 18, 2010 by Isonzo Karst Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 18, 2010 Author Posted September 18, 2010 (edited) thanks for all the replys. i also was hoping maybe somone would return it but i have been back twice and looked over the whole area very well. I have also dome dome investigating and found two cookie wrapers and two juice boxes yesterday along with cig buts. this means that the area is infact a place someone calls home. or atleast a hang out. there are 4 other caches in this same park and all are accounted for. one of which belongs to me and all are there as of yesterday so its not a anti cacher. I have moved on and bought all the parts to make another one and got up first thing this mornign to start. i plan to have this one back online tomorrow in a new very well planned location. I am going to investigate the crap out of the area. if i see even a single sign of human foot trafic i'm looking elsewhere. then if it goes missing again i will know that its not a radom person. I am also going to put a note on the listing that says "if you REALLY like this cache and feel the need to take it please just contact me. I would be more then happy to help you make one of your own". For now i'm going to chose to believe that the remote area i chose was not as remote as i had thought and give the cacher the benifit of doubt PS: as for breaking the cache, unless they brought a sledge hammer with them i highly doubt it. the one i locked myself out of i beat the crap out of it trying to open it and still ended up using a table saw Edited September 18, 2010 by Ampresearch Quote
+Lovejoy and Tinker Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 I have moved on and bought all the parts to make another one and got up first thing this mornign to start. That's good. Was worried you'd be put off making another by the experience of losing one. You've inspired me. Going to study your video again and do some googling and see if I can make one myself Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 18, 2010 Author Posted September 18, 2010 no worries. we have been building hidden object containers for a long time for another hobby we have. it just happens to carry over very well to this hobby and we plan to place several "interesting" caches. he have one other in this same park that seems to be liked by the finders and although there are not and DNF i know there are some out there becasue i have watched people come and go without finding it. here is a link right on this site that shows how to build one of your own. there are others but this one has some nice pics and detail http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=242865 Quote
+Lovejoy and Tinker Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 here is a link right on this site that shows how to build one of your own. there are others but this one has some nice pics and detail http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=242865 You're a star, thank you. Will get the team to have a go at one of those. Not seen anything like it in over 750 finds, so maybe it's about time we had one around here Quote
+Team Dromomania Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 I'm often surprised where I find evidence of people in the wilderness. Once I crossed a chest high creek, bushwhacked a couple of miles (but with a few animal trails here and there) and fought my way through head high bush and scrubs where I sat down to rest on at a small bare ground area. I looked down and spotted a crack pipe - WHAT? Who in the world would hike out here through that stuff to smoke crack. I have only two possible answers - they were very, very high. Or the pipe was dropped from an aircraft. Quote
CoyoteRed Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 I, too, have had my experiences with disappearing caches in places where you'd not expect folks to go. It's part of hobby. You learn how you can hide caches and how you can't. I've got caches hidden in a nice small park and have been there for years with no problems. Yet, caches well off the beaten path go missing. Go figure. It's a learning lesson. Not only that (and now to my favorite point on the subject) some caches simply migrate--though most likely not the case in your situation. I've had caches returned to a different spot than the original. We get a DNF. Then we or a previous finder go and check on it. It's not in its original spot so we assume it's gone. I was ready to archive a cache over this when I get another log. Someone found it. I ask where and they describe the location. We go and find it. Not gone after all. Knowing this, I had another cache turn up missing and I looked all over for it. Spend a good while, too. So, I put out a replacement. Then I started getting logs that indicated they were finding the original cache--things like "the cache is no longer tethered," etc. The replacement was tethered with a steel cable and fastened securely, yet no longer? Odd. I email them and they describe where they found the cache. Yep, one of the places I hadn't looked mainly because I thought the cache had been carried away in the flood and not placed there by another cachers. Assumptions! If you can, always tether your cache so it won't float away in a flood. It's happened more than once with mine. Always put a stash note and contact information in it! We had a cache float away once and a year later someone called us saying they found it. How cool was that? Always try to use good sturdy containers. For a regular straight forward cache a sturdy plastic container will do, but I ways prefer some form of ammo can. If it's one like yours, then nothing less than an ammo can is what I would recommend. Yeah, it sucks that you can't leave a custom-made container in the wild, but it's very hard to make one that will stand the abuse of the elements and geocachers handling it. Good luck and don't get discouraged in placing stand out caches. Your community will appreciate it. (Most anyway.) Quote
+Walkworthy & Wife Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 Your cache, if you'll pardon the cliche, "is awesome". Thank you for the inspiration. There is a Geocacher in North Carolina and I'm not referring to HeadHardHat, that makes some pretty clever cache containers too, but nothing like this!! This is what I am endeavoring to do. To take cache hiding beyond the stagnant normal hides. (i.e. ammo boxes, film canisters, lock and locks, bison tubes, magnetic key holders and such) To find a cache like this would certainly get my imagination juices flowing. So look at it this way. Loosing your cache isn't a total loss. You have inspired a number of cachers by posting this. Those of us who never would have had the opportunity to find it now knows that it existed. Quote
+ipodguy Posted September 18, 2010 Posted September 18, 2010 Sorry to hear that the cache you put so much effort into has disappeared. Can't say for sure it was a geocacher, though. Before I began geocaching, I would hike and explore all over a popular park in my area and I'm the kind of guy that would turn over rocks, peer into holes in trees and stuff like that. Mostly, I was looking for snakes. And out of the way places were the only places I'd go. I never found a geocache until I joined this site, but I could see it being likely that a non-geocacher would find them no matter where you hid them. Funny thing is, when I began geocaching in the park I used to explore I was already very familiar with all the areas that the geocaches were hidden and would often think to myself, "How come I never found this one before?" Quote
+power69 Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 Its too bad this went awol. It looks cool. could it have been someone who got frustrated about not being able to open it? they would have just taken the cryptex, not the whole cache. Quote
Luckless Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 Sorry to hear you lost your nice cache. A sad reminder not to put anything out there you aren't prepared to lose. Don't know, maybe it would have made a difference to put out a few other plain old caches before this one to test the caching environment and see how people behave. I find that a puzzle to the cache will help protect a cache since a lot of people won't do them because they are too much trouble for those who are looking just to grab a cache. Quote
+briansnat Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 I'm often surprised where I find evidence of people in the wilderness. Once I crossed a chest high creek, bushwhacked a couple of miles (but with a few animal trails here and there) and fought my way through head high bush and scrubs where I sat down to rest on at a small bare ground area. I looked down and spotted a crack pipe - WHAT? Who in the world would hike out here through that stuff to smoke crack. I have only two possible answers - they were very, very high. Or the pipe was dropped from an aircraft. I was backpacking in the Catskills this Memorial Day weekend. My wife and I went to nice little spot that I discovered years earlier and set up camp. It was a few miles from the road and a quarter mile bushwack from the nearest trail and not the easiest bushwack at that. We decided to go for a day hike and my wife was concerned about us leaving our tent and other equipment behind. I said "nothing will be back here to bother our stuff, other than perhaps a bear". As if on queue we heard voices and watched a small group of hikers walk right past our camp. We caught up to them later and I was curious as to what they were doing so far from the trail and they told that they live in the area and they were taking a familiar shortcut that knocked a mile off the hike. About 2 months ago I was hiding a cache in a swamp. There is an "island" in the swamp that is accessible only via an old, long abandoned and very overgrown road bed with waist high swamp grass and numerous water crossings where the bridges long ago disintegrated. It's about a mile and a half walk and finding the "road" is an accomplishment in itself. Upon reaching the "island" I bushwacked another quarter mile and started looking for a place to hide my cache. A truly out of the way spot that nobody would have a reason to visit, unless they were looking for a geocache. Or so I thought. I looked down and saw a freshly deposited water bottle laying on the ground near where I was going to hide the cache. People wander places that you never think they would. Quote
+kunarion Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 i even looked through all the people that show on the "veiwed log" but all of them had LOTs of finds so i cant imagine they would do it.I'm impressed by your detective work and the other ideas you posted about how to test some disappearance theories. I do think the above Viewed Log info may point to a non-cacher accidentally finding and taking the whole thing. As mentioned, maybe they only took it temporarily to work the cryptex (muggles and even some new cachers mistakenly take entire containers). But when you put a new one out, I'd hope you add a tough puzzle to get the coords. Inscribe the cryptex and everything so everyone knows it's yours. And make the hide invisible to anyone walking past. The really fun, unusual puzzle containers seem to get broken around here. Cache Owners should consider how strong and… improvising… some cachers are. If you make something that's not massively sturdy (say, a good strong boring ammo box), or that some people will desire to keep, prepare to make replacements. I'd also hope you don't stop making creative cache containers. I like to watch what others make, and try to make my own version, improving them where there are problems. If a cool container vanishes, I'll try to figure out how I could design one that won't (sorry that doesn't help you much). Quote
+The VanDucks Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 That looked like a great cache, and I can see why you are so disappointed to lose it! My first thought when I read your post was that it might have been taken by a homeless person living in the woods. If there are pawn shops in the nearby town, someone may have grabbed the container just to get some money for it. We have a lot of homeless "camps" in wooded areas where we live in suburban Virginia. I can't tell you how many times we've gone into little wooded parks to see if we can put a cache there and found a "campsite" with lots of trash, old underwear, beer bottles, soggy sleeping bags, etc. I feel sorry for these men who have come here from their home countries to try and make a living and send money back to their families, but at the same time I hate how our open spaces have become trash dumps. As a woman, I no longer feel safe being in some of the local parks by myself, and we have to evaluate whether it's even safe to send cachers to some of these locations. The local authorities can't keep up with the destruction and trash caused by these men living out in the "rough." And, as some of the posters noted above, it's hard to find unspoiled areas even when you go way back into the wilderness! Quote
+Ambrosia Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 When you replace it, make sure that you have a geocaching disclaimer (perhaps you did before) in the container (not in the cryptex). It might not deter some thoughtless people, but others might read it and not take something that is part of a game. Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 19, 2010 Author Posted September 19, 2010 When you replace it, make sure that you have a geocaching disclaimer (perhaps you did before) in the container (not in the cryptex). It might not deter some thoughtless people, but others might read it and not take something that is part of a game. THANKS. yup i did have one in there. double sided large print and laminated. Quote
+Ampresearch Posted September 19, 2010 Author Posted September 19, 2010 (edited) started building a new one this weekend. i decided to use this as a chance to make it even bigger and better. got all the rings cut out and glued. also engraved all the letters. this time i am putting bigger rings, and spacer between each section to make turning the dials easier and allow you to turn one without moving the one next to it. on the end this time i am carving a compas rose with an L on one side and a R on the other. this is so you know which side is left and right. here is a pic of one craved and one ready to be carved. i plan to be ready for paint tonight. i will post some pics of that part if anyone is interested. Edited September 19, 2010 by Ampresearch Quote
+Ambrosia Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 When you replace it, make sure that you have a geocaching disclaimer (perhaps you did before) in the container (not in the cryptex). It might not deter some thoughtless people, but others might read it and not take something that is part of a game. THANKS. yup i did have one in there. double sided large print and laminated. Cool. BTW, great compass rose on the ends! Quote
+TerraViators Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 i can't imagine a cacher that pays for a premium membership would steal a cache. Or any cacher for that matter.Turn it around - someone pays for a premium membership for the purpose of stealing/destroying caches. Utica/Rome (NY) Cache Thief Paul Repak did it for seven years, and he's not the only one. If you're of the belief that cachers are destructive and dangerous to the environment and must be stopped, $210 over the course of seven years is peanuts when you're that serious about the cause. His "probation" period expires in another month or two, will be interesting to see what happens. Interesting. I'd love to know the complete story on this cacher and why he stole caches. Quote
+TerraViators Posted September 19, 2010 Posted September 19, 2010 Well I started hiding caches. i made one that i consider a nicer then the norm type. not super fancy or anything but more then just a plastic box. Because of this I made it a member’s only cache. I assumed this would help protect it from total selfish jerks that like to take thing that don’t belong to them. i put up the listing last weekend. if was off to a slow start with no DNF's no activity hardly at all. Well yesterday we got a DNF. I want to be a good hider to i went out to check on it within a few hours. Sadly it was gone. i looked al over and it is 100% not their. The problem i have is this. It was in an area that no person would go without a reason. I cant think of any reason any person would be in this area. I am convinced that it was a member that read the page. Needless to say this was a huge turn off to the hobby. We put a lot of time into this one we filled with lots of swag and trackables and were very excited about it. The fun was stripped away in a second. Really disappointing. Is this common? Is this why you don’t find many nice caches? Here is a shot of the cache that’s gone missing. Sure wish I would wrap my head around why someone would take it. Especially a member. Not reall sure why I posted this. I guess I was just looking for some reassurance this cryptex was placed inside a large bear shaped plastic container (hence the cache name) was hidden about a half mile out in the woods in a heavy brush area inside the container was LOTS of kids swag long with the cryptex This is the coolest cache I've ever seen. Quote
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