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Skip the log sheet


MHCacher

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Geocaches can be logged online as Found once the physical log has been signed

First of all, that's an instruction to the CO not the finder. Non CO's will probably never see that text.

 

Second, It doesn't specifically exclude other things from allowing online found it logs. The usage of the word "once" makes it a little ambiguous as people seem to read it as "only once".

 

The definition of once here is "as soon as":

 

Geocaches can be logged online as Found as soon as the physical log has been signed.

 

Just the same as "We can rest as soon as we get home". You can rest sooner if you drive by a motel.

 

The best way to resolve the ambiguity? Ask the author. The community did. Groundspeak said it was not the only prerequisite. They said it was the only one the CO could not ignore.

Step 4 – The Actual Find

Hurray! You found your first geocache. Congratulations! Now what?

 

Take note of the style and method of this hide. Where did this geocache bring you? Enjoy the location.

Sign the logbook with your name, the date, and a few words about your experience.

You keep quoting that. I don't see the part about Found logs. Just:

 

"When you get home, log your experience online by going back to that cache page and using the links provided. The cache owner is automatically notified of your log and is always happy to know about your adventure, the condition of their cache, and any environmental factors. Upload photos to share your experience visually with other geocachers."

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There are nanos, and there are nanos. A film canister and a little tiny tube are listed as the same size when you are searching. You have no way of knowing how small it will be until you find it. Since there are so many nanos out there now, in some areas there will not be lots of fun small and regular size ones to hunt.

 

If it's too small for the log to be manipulated with painful joints, what's the big deal if someone skips it and mentions it in the on line log? It's not as if he is doing it on every find.

 

Heck, I opened a PB jar today and the log was folded into a tiny bag about .5 inch by .5 inch. Seriously.

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Pretty much everyone agrees that the log should be signed. What some are trying to argue is that you can't log an online found if you didn't sign the log no and's, if's or but's.

I'd have to re-read the whole thread, but is anybody really arguing that? I thought everybody that's posted has essentially agreed that it's a soft guideline with room for exceptions.

It's been going for so long I'd have to re-read it as well.

 

I believe it's evolved to whether or not the guidelines say this or it's just a de facto rule.

The OP's question was "[is] Anyone else skipping the log sheet?" I'm not sure how many answers he got. But the initial response was "Don't be surprised if the CO deletes your logs." There wasn't really much else that needed to be said. Only some people insisted on telling CO that the rules says you have to sign the physical log in order to log a find online.

 

I will accept some of the blame for where this has gone. For some reason I felt compelled to point out that there is no rule that says you must sign the physical log in order to log a find online. There is also no rule compelling a cache owner to delete a log just because the log is not signed. Cache owners who routinely ignore their duty to "Delete any logs that appear to be bogus, counterfeit, off topic, or not within the stated requirements" may risk having the cache listing archived. This applies whether or not the physical log is signed; though it may seem prima facie that a signature in a log book means the cache was actually "found". I'm pretty sure that if a cache owner can make a case that the signature itself is bogus, they can still delete the online find.

 

This thread may have had a little more controversy since the OP's premise is that since there is no requirement to sign the physical log he can skip it because it takes too much time or because he finds it boring. As has been pointed out, by routinely skipping signing the log, your log is more likely to appear bogus to a cache owner. While you may have found what you think is the cache, it could've have been a decoy or something else. By opening the cache and at least looking as the log book you confirm to yourself that you have found the cache. It is up to the cache owner to decide whether an online log appears to be bogus or not. Some cache owners are likely to find the OP's excuse for not signing compeling and believe that he did find the caches he did not log.

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How are you punished? Just don't do nanos.

You answered your own question.

 

If thats a punishment, you've had a good life. Congrats!

Let's imagine you have an activity you like. You spend $400 on equipment. You pay to be in a club (gc.com). Now because of some little lame problem you can only participate in 75%. This has happened in every activity I've done in the last 5 years. Mountain biking, fractured back ended that. Playing music in a band, wrist problems. Hiking, torn calf muscle. Nanos, can't manipulate them. I'm sure you will feel a little less sarcastic when this happens to you. But don't worry, I haven't given up yet.

Edited by dreamarcher
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Ok.. I'm still a newbie to all this, but I have to say..that no matter what.. I always have signed the logs... I've let one or two know that logs were wet or full and in need of replacing (nano sized). Recently I went to a cache, dried off the log as best as I could, placed a dry log in, replaced the ziploc bag it was in, took out the rusted crude (pins and a few nails!) and replaced it with some charms and angel tokens. I then emailed the cache owner to let them know. I think it's just a nice thing to do. I mean, when I go out, I generally look at the contents, don't take anything, and sign the log. If my daughter is with, she sometimes will take something, replace it with one or two items and off we go.

 

if we don't open the cache, how do you know if anything needs replaced? that's my reckon'in on it all.

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I have been going on long geocaching excursions lately, finding a dozen or more caches at a time. This morning for example, I found 17. By the end of the hike I wasn’t signing the log sheets anymore, and in most cases, I soon as I saw the cache I marked it as found and moved on to the next. The only time I’ve been open a cache anymore is if my 8 yr old is along to trade swag.

 

Anyone else skipping the log sheet?

 

Maybe it's not a rule but to me i consider it the Geocaching tradition to sign the log book, if your too lazy to sign it then you should also be too lazy to post online.

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I have been going on long geocaching excursions lately, finding a dozen or more caches at a time. This morning for example, I found 17. By the end of the hike I wasn’t signing the log sheets anymore, and in most cases, I soon as I saw the cache I marked it as found and moved on to the next. The only time I’ve been open a cache anymore is if my 8 yr old is along to trade swag.

 

Anyone else skipping the log sheet?

Maybe it's not a rule but to me i consider it the Geocaching tradition to sign the log book, if your too lazy to sign it then you should also be too lazy to post online.

Good grief, do you have to dig this one up from where it was buried? Maybe the mods can lock this one.

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I'm pretty new, but I enjoy the experience of finding the cache container,logging my name and looking inside..I always have my eyes open now when I go into a store hoping to see something cool a child (or Adult) might like finding...It's FUN to give to other cachers. I'm glad my daughter got me hooked FINALLY :rolleyes::D

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So much fail...

 

There are very few actual 'rules' to geocaching, but signing the log book is one of them. I hope that all of those cache owners are deleting your logs.

There is actually no rule that says you must sign the log book in order to log a find online. (The puritans knew I would say this). There are rules that allow cache owners to delete logs that appear to be bogus, counterfeit, off-topic, or not within stated requirements. Should a cache owner decide to delete your log, do not expect Groundspeak to reinstate it if you didn't sign the log. There may even be cases where you did sign the log where Groundspeak will not reinstate your find, but at least if you have signed you may have some luck.

lol...even us non-puritans (ok...I will only speak for myself) feel that signing the log in the cache is an important step...

 

If I am out walking to locations and doing nothing else...I might as well just be out hiking... :laughing:

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To answer the OP: I don't skip the log. It's actually one of my favorite parts of a find. If I didn't read all of the logs online, I like to open up the logbook and see who was there, and see if I know any of the people. I like to read the little notes that people put in the logbook, and I like to see people's stickers and stamps. I personally find the log to be important because it's a record of you being there, so if that were called into question, it's a way for the CO to double check, and the guidelines do say to sign it.

 

However, it's your choice, I suppose; no one can stop you. Just know that if a CO deletes one of your logs for whatever reason you might not be able to get it re-instated if you can't prove you were there; but if you're willing to live with that, then cool, more power to ya.

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I consider myself still a newbie, but here's my take. I always sign the log. Just figure it's my way of marking my moment in geocaching time. Now, I can think of some instances in which I would not have "found" the cache without at least getting to the log, whether or not I signed it. One was a decoy in which a note indicated that I was close, but I would not have found the actual cache if I had not opened the decoy. Another was a large container full of film canisters. About a hundred. I had to go through each to find the one with the actual log. Kind of silly and tedious but it had been placed by a park system and the others had interesting facts on them about the park. Yet another time I made a find with a puzzle box inside. The trick was figuring out how to open, and for me, to close the box. That was where the log was. Lastly, the high terrain caches. Anyone can say, "I see it" but that's not a find. The point is getting to the hide in many of these cases.

 

Play any way you want, but you might be missing lots of the fun parts laughing.giflaughing.giflaughing.gif

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Hey, I have sat on my butt as a plane flew over thousands of caches! Can I log 'em online as found?

 

Facebook has spoiled me... I found myself looking for the "like" button for your post. :lol:

 

More seriously, I'm in consensus with most of what's been said: if you find the cache, you should sign the log; if you don't sign it, and do a "found" log without reasonable explanation, the CO is well within their rights to delete your find.

 

WRT "reasonable explanation" - once in a while, something prevents a person who normally signs logs from being able to do it on a legitimate find. In those cases, IMO it's acceptable to do a found log, explaining why you didn't sign, and a reasonable CO should accept it... in some cases, perhaps after exchanging private messages with the finder to verify that what they found was actually the cache. However, unreasonable and/or Puritan CO's are still within their rights - obnoxious, but within their rights - if they delete it.

 

For example:

I recently made a find of an easy microcache which is on the grounds of a college which doesn't have public parking. The CO (a student at another local college) suggests that cache seekers park in a mall garage a quarter mile away.

 

I live nearby, and happen to know that the suggested garage is a frequent target of car thieves. Plus, I like to cache with my dogs, and walking through a 6-story parking garage with them isn't something I wanted to try doing. So, I just walked the mile or so to the cache with my dogs... not a way we normally go, since it's a commercial area & requires crossing a couple of busy roads, but doable as a one-time trip to look for the cache.

Got to the location, found the cache... and found that there was no log in it, just some soggy shreds of paper that had once been a business card, plus some small "swag" items. I hunted all through my jacket and pants pockets, and had *nothing* on me that I could write on... which was unusual for me, but there you have it.

I logged my find, since there was no question** that what I'd found was the correct container, with a note praising the hide method, but also noting that the interior of the container was wet and the log was missing.

I also posted a NM stating the log needed replacement... didn't say so in my log, but I was going to try to get back to the cache and put a log in if the CO didn't respond, despite the hassle it is to get there. It's been 3 weeks, and he hasn't, but the next two finders brought paper with them. One of them stated what I refrained from, which is that the container isn't waterproof enough to be used for the hiding spot.

 

I've also had a past occasion where I found a cache, found that its writing implements were missing or inoperable, AND found that somewhere along the way I'd managed to lose the pen I'd started out with. In that case, I logged my find, explaining in the log what had happened, and also said that if the CO had a question about my find, please contact me & I would describe the location, the container, etc..

 

**The location and hiding method of what I found, in addition to what was inside it, made it certain that it was, in fact, the cache.

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Good grief, this thing again? Are we at least responding the to OP or just a random tangent?

 

By the way, the OP has only posted once in this forum, ONCE!

 

Troll bait sure does have some long-time stink.

 

Oh, I remember this one well. If it was your question, you think you'd come back for a 2nd post? <_<

 

The guy was an avid hiker, and I'm quite sure he was serious and not a troll. Still going out every once in a while and finding caches. Whether he still just looks at them and "skips the log", I guess we'll never know.

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Hey, I have sat on my butt as a plane flew over thousands of caches! Can I log 'em online as found?

 

Sure as long as they are MOGA caches! You can log a "find" on really difficult MOGA caches without ever being within miles of the cache and log! If you thought the ET Trail was easy, the ET Trail is a 5 star compared to finding caches "MOGA" style!

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Good grief, this thing again? Are we at least responding the to OP or just a random tangent?

 

By the way, the OP has only posted once in this forum, ONCE!

 

Troll bait sure does have some long-time stink.

 

Oh, I remember this one well. If it was your question, you think you'd come back for a 2nd post? <_<

 

The guy was an avid hiker, and I'm quite sure he was serious and not a troll. Still going out every once in a while and finding caches. Whether he still just looks at them and "skips the log", I guess we'll never know.

 

You are correct, my apologies. I guess I took the bump and ran with it. Not good.

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I had the Electrician over today (who is actually a childhood friend I hadn't seen in about 5 years). He was in and out of the house a lot, and he really freaked out my Cat. My daughter eventually found the Cat hiding under the bed. Cats generally do not like change.

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I had the Electrician over today (who is actually a childhood friend I hadn't seen in about 5 years). He was in and out of the house a lot, and he really freaked out my Cat. My daughter eventually found the Cat hiding under the bed. Cats generally do not like change.

 

Hmm. My cat tries to help out workmen (plumbers, electricians, and so forth). Then again he's a Siamese. :lol:

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Hey, I have sat on my butt as a plane flew over thousands of caches! Can I log 'em online as found?

 

Sure as long as they are MOGA caches! You can log a "find" on really difficult MOGA caches without ever being within miles of the cache and log! If you thought the ET Trail was easy, the ET Trail is a 5 star compared to finding caches "MOGA" style!

 

00000dontfeedtrolls.gif

 

Some threads should really be left to die.

 

Is it time to start talking about our cats???

 

Cats are nice. :)

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Has anybody heard anything about Flask's neighbor's cats?

No I have not. Did you get a new hairdo? Something looks different.

 

New glasses. Thanks for noticing.

 

See, this is why cats are superior. You never catch THEM wearing glasses...

Vanity does not = superior. More likely it equals bruises due to walking into stuff.

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