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Brand new cache = broken


BeaveMeister

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What in the world makes you think the FTF broke it?? Muggles stumble across our stuff all the time, animals inhabit the world and weather happens.

 

Sorry...

 

As they say... one data point does not make a trend.

 

That said, after you own a number of caches and/or happen to find a number of "pristine" caches right after certain finders, you start to get a feel for which cachers are careless or unnecessarily "hard on caches". I make it a habit to check on some of my caches after those folks find them to perform any necessary repairs (mostly because they won't even tell me if there's a problem with the cache).

 

Someone gave me a good piece of advice once. When you construct a cache, make it 2-3 times more durable than you EVER believe you'll need it to be.

Edited by daschpeeg
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In my limited experience, any cacher dedicated enough to run out and be FTF will probably be very respectful of the recommended ethics and values laid out by the geocaching community.

 

Maybe in your area. :laughing:

 

I've watched FTFers tear places up, just trying to make a find "quickly". The end results: Mulch on the sidewalk/road, damaged plants/shrubs, disassembled bricks (even after the cache advised that it was not hidden in any of those places).

Edited by daschpeeg
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In my limited experience, any cacher dedicated enough to run out and be FTF will probably be very respectful of the recommended ethics and values laid out by the geocaching community.

 

Maybe in your area. :laughing:

 

I've watched FTFers tear places up, just trying to make a find "quickly". The end results: Mulch on the sidewalk/road, damaged plants/shrubs, disassembled bricks (even after the cache advised that it was not hidden in any of those places).

That certainly is not my experience either. I often find little or no evidence of previous seekers when I go to find a cache around here.

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Well given that I hid the cache in a spot muggles would not ever try to get to, and that the FTF was atually weeks after I placed the cache, I would say that it was probably the FTF who ruined it. Certainly there are respectful FTF cachers out there, but there is a trend up here in NE Iowa with a lot of reckless cachers.

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In my limited experience, any cacher dedicated enough to run out and be FTF will probably be very respectful of the recommended ethics and values laid out by the geocaching community.

 

Think you got yourself a case of the muggles. ;)

 

Ah Grasshopper. There must not have been a "entering parks, hiking trails or cemtereries after hours to be FTF" thread since you joined last month. :D

 

But not to sidetrack the conversation, Yeah, a case of a muggle of course, but am I the first one to mention a Geocacher who has no intention of logging their attempt online, or fessing up to the whole thing? To blame the FTF in this case, is absurd, in my opinion.

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Well given that I hid the cache in a spot muggles would not ever try to get to, and that the FTF was atually weeks after I placed the cache, I would say that it was probably the FTF who ruined it. Certainly there are respectful FTF cachers out there, but there is a trend up here in NE Iowa with a lot of reckless cachers.

You would be surprised on the places muggles go that you don't think they do. And how do you know it was the FTF? Maybe the second person to find it broke it but never logged it so no fingers could be pointed at them. Unless you have 24/7 surveillance and reviewed the tape you simply don't have a clue.

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It could have been the FTF.

If could have been the STF who didn't want to fess up.

It could have been a cacher in between who didn't log it when they broke it.

It could have been a muggle.

It could have been an animal.

It could have been some alien life force bent on destruction of all mankind. ph34r.gif

 

As for Stupid Cacher Tricks (SCT), I've seen all manner of offending behavior. Based on experiences with my first cache I'm coming to the belief that a lot of missing caches are due to a finder placing the cache in an easier-to-find location where muggles eventually spot it.

 

As for FTFer's, and cachers in general, some are just more destructive than others. I've found from my own experience and from talking with other CO's that you need to check your cache after certain cachers log a find.

Edited by Ecylram
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Well given that I hid the cache in a spot muggles would not ever try to get to, and that the FTF was atually weeks after I placed the cache, I would say that it was probably the FTF who ruined it. Certainly there are respectful FTF cachers out there, but there is a trend up here in NE Iowa with a lot of reckless cachers.

 

:rolleyes:

 

It looks like the cache is in a city. Cities are filled with curious humans and animals, who do all kinds of things.

 

Your cache page acknowledges the reality: This is right off a busy street (University Avenue). Because of the difficulty and the high muggle flow I am asking very kindly and earnestly to be inconspicuous when searching for this cache.

 

To continue to believe that the FTF was the one to break the cache is not facing reality, and is unfair to the FTF.

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Well given that I hid the cache in a spot muggles would not ever try to get to, and that the FTF was atually weeks after I placed the cache, I would say that it was probably the FTF who ruined it. Certainly there are respectful FTF cachers out there, but there is a trend up here in NE Iowa with a lot of reckless cachers.

 

You'd be surprised where non geocachers might look. I had an extremely well hidden cache, one that stumped a few cachers, found by a non geocacher. He e-mailed me to ask me more about geocaching. Stunned that he found it accidentally, I asked him how. He says he has always enjoyed poking around rocks to see what kinds of things he can find.

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I'm sure that a "micro-hater" wrecked your cache.

 

Truthfully though, it is wheelchair accessible, just off a busy street nearby to a hospital -- just about anything in the world could have done the deed. Sure, it's possible that the FTF did it, or even some cacher that was too ashamed to admit it (thereby not logging at all). But it is just as possible that a muggle, cat or dog are to blame. You yourself proclaim the area to be of high muggle activity.

 

I think pointing at any particular "possible" culprit is a bit of conclusion jumping.

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I've broken two caches during a FTF. One had glue that wasn't even close to dry and came apart when I picked it up. The other had an extremely thin and brittle lid which broke when I stuck my hand into the hiding spot to feel around. Both times I immediately notified the CO via my log and also separate email. In the case of the non-dry glue, the CO had to go out and fix it but he lived very close to the hide. In the case of the broken lid the cache was out in the country. I couldn't find a replacement lid but I did drive back out and replace the entire container with one very similar which had a much thicker and more sturdy lid - and then let the CO know I had done so.

 

I know a long-time cacher who broke a cache and failed to tell the cache owner he was the one who broke it. The thing was extremely brittle and thin plastic and also a "novelty" type of container that couldn't be replaced by the finder and, while it was a "cute idea" it wasn't even close to being a suitable container. The person who broke it told me he'd done so and I went out and found the cache and then immediately reported it to the CO as being broken and in need of repair or replacement. He may have figured that I was the one who broke the container but it needed to be fixed and I thought he should know. It wasn't really my place to narc off the person who had actually broken the container although I thought that person should have fessed up to the CO as to what had happened.

 

I've seen FTF hunters who are scrupulous about maintaining site integrity and then I've seen other places which were as described above - mulch strewn about, leaves piled up to "get them out of the way", branches broken, bushes mangled, etc. Myself, I prefer to leave the place looking as if I've never been there if at all possible.

 

Edit: I've seen several caches (and even owned one) that were trashed or moved by squirrels. They love to mess with stuff.

Edited by Thrak
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Well given that I hid the cache in a spot muggles would not ever try to get to, and that the FTF was atually weeks after I placed the cache, I would say that it was probably the FTF who ruined it. Certainly there are respectful FTF cachers out there, but there is a trend up here in NE Iowa with a lot of reckless cachers.

 

:rolleyes:

 

It looks like the cache is in a city. Cities are filled with curious humans and animals, who do all kinds of things.

 

Your cache page acknowledges the reality: This is right off a busy street (University Avenue). Because of the difficulty and the high muggle flow I am asking very kindly and earnestly to be inconspicuous when searching for this cache.

 

To continue to believe that the FTF was the one to break the cache is not facing reality, and is unfair to the FTF.

 

Until you have been to the cache location I do not think you can fully grasp what I mean when I say a muggle would not enter this spot. Hence the high difficulty. Don't just assume :)

 

None the less, all of this is derivitive from the question posed in the beginning of this topic:

 

Has this happened to you?

Edited by BeaveMeister
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Until you have been to the cache location I do not think you can fully grasp what I mean when I say a muggle would not enter this spot. Hence the high difficulty. Don't just assume :)

 

Without having been there, I still say with confidence that there is no spot where muggles won't go. You'd be amazed at the places where I have seen signs of human activity.

 

But if you think your spot is so special, explain to us why you think no muggle would go there.

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Street view shows this as the location.

 

I take it from your logs that you haven't had a chance to see the cache for yourself yet. Visually seeing the cache might give you clue as to the cause.

 

You might also want to consider disabling the cache until you can check it.

 

If the street view is actually the site of the cache then it would appear the cache would be in the bushes - looks like Juniper or some other horrible bush. While I personally hate going into bushes of that sort I don't see them as being particularly "muggle proof" or a place where "no muggle would ever go". Of course, even with the street view given, I don't actually know where the cache is sited.

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Until you have been to the cache location I do not think you can fully grasp what I mean when I say a muggle would not enter this spot. Hence the high difficulty. Don't just assume :)

 

Without having been there, I still say with confidence that there is no spot where muggles won't go. You'd be amazed at the places where I have seen signs of human activity.

 

But if you think your spot is so special, explain to us why you think no muggle would go there.

 

Tone down the condescension :) thanks. Well, seeing as how it is Winter here in Iowa and I placed the cache in Winter, I don't think muggles would trek into the middle of bushes and bend down rummaging through them. Especially when there was 2 ft of snow on the ground and it's less than 10 degrees in January.

Edited by BeaveMeister
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....

Tone down the condescension :) thanks. Well, seeing as how it is Winter here in Iowa and I placed the cache in Winter, I don't think muggles would trek into the middle of bushes and bend down rummaging through them. Especially when there was 2 ft of snow on the ground and it's less than 10 degrees in January.

 

I've had caches hidden in very remote rural areas that looked pristine get muggled within weeks of being placed. What you think will happen and what does are often a long way apart.

 

View from my muggled cache...

647c7ae9-9092-49a2-96ca-4b6e384b4d40.jpg

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Ok, well we've at least established that there's a whole lot of reasons to not assume it was the FTF without considerably more data. Since you don't visit the cache every day, you really don't know when the damage occurred. As Ecylram said, maybe it was a STF looking around and caused the damage and either didn't find it or chose not to log it to avoid the revelation that it was them.

 

Beyond that, without knowing the nature of the container, the camo, the construction materials, and the extent of the damage, I'm not sure what additional value we can offer at this point.

 

Right now my speculation meter is running everywhere from "extreme cold" to "snow plows" to "evil hobo overlords" to "aliens".

Edited by daschpeeg
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Until you have been to the cache location I do not think you can fully grasp what I mean when I say a muggle would not enter this spot. Hence the high difficulty. Don't just assume :)

 

Without having been there, I still say with confidence that there is no spot where muggles won't go. You'd be amazed at the places where I have seen signs of human activity.

 

But if you think your spot is so special, explain to us why you think no muggle would go there.

 

Tone down the condescension :) thanks. Well, seeing as how it is Winter here in Iowa and I placed the cache in Winter, I don't think muggles would trek into the middle of bushes and bend down rummaging through them. Especially when there was 2 ft of snow on the ground and it's less than 10 degrees in January.

Maybe a snowplow broke it.

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Until you have been to the cache location I do not think you can fully grasp what I mean when I say a muggle would not enter this spot. Hence the high difficulty. Don't just assume :)

 

Without having been there, I still say with confidence that there is no spot where muggles won't go. You'd be amazed at the places where I have seen signs of human activity.

 

But if you think your spot is so special, explain to us why you think no muggle would go there.

 

Tone down the condescension :) thanks. Well, seeing as how it is Winter here in Iowa and I placed the cache in Winter, I don't think muggles would trek into the middle of bushes and bend down rummaging through them. Especially when there was 2 ft of snow on the ground and it's less than 10 degrees in January.

 

You certainly are persistant in your theory. Why are you not believing a Geocacher who is never going to log online did this? It's been shown repeatedly over the years that most Geocachers don't log their DNF's, what make you think they would post a note admitting to breaking a cache?

 

And again, Squirrels (and I know you got 'em in Iowa) are notorious for messing with cache containers. And they gots sharp teeth and claws. ;)

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Well, seeing as how it is Winter here in Iowa and I placed the cache in Winter, I don't think muggles would trek into the middle of bushes and bend down rummaging through them. Especially when there was 2 ft of snow on the ground and it's less than 10 degrees in January.

Which brings us back to the start of this thread. There is no way of knowing who did the damage, especially since you haven't seen the container yet. It may very well been a cacher but not necessary the FTF.

 

BTW, you mention in the description that it is a micro pill container. Is it possible it got very brittle when it was subject to 10 degree weather?

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And again, Squirrels (and I know you got 'em in Iowa) are notorious for messing with cache containers. And they gots sharp teeth and claws. ;)

 

I'd really like to hear what this cache is made out of. Right now, I'm envisioning something with welded metal camo, military grade hardened corners and a water repulser field. I'm going to be really disappointed if this turns out to be a paper Pringles can covered in bright pink masking tape.

Edited by daschpeeg
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In my limited experience, any cacher dedicated enough to run out and be FTF will probably be very respectful of the recommended ethics and values laid out by the geocaching community.

 

Maybe in your area. :laughing:

 

I've watched FTFers tear places up, just trying to make a find "quickly". The end results: Mulch on the sidewalk/road, damaged plants/shrubs, disassembled bricks (even after the cache advised that it was not hidden in any of those places).

 

FTFers also hop fences, and ignore hours of operation signs. No offense intended but, your experience isn't the norm.

Edited by Kit Fox
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How about this scenario...

 

Cacher visits the cache site and figures the container is in the bushes. Since it is under the snow, they take to knocking the snow off the bushes but in doing so dislodge the container from it's resting place. They don't find it and move on, without posting a DNF. The next cacher comes along and in the process of searching accidentally steps on a frozen container hidden in the snow and breaks it. They never find the container in the bush either and leave.

 

Then the weather gets better, the snow recedes and a cacher now spots the broken container on the ground. All you see in the logs is the FTF & the STF, nothing that happened in between and no cacher knows they took part in the destruction of the cache.

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I recently spent a bit of time on making and placing a cache. The second person to find it said it was broken and on the ground. It is upsetting because the person who was the FTF broke it.

 

Who has worked hard on a cache only for something like this to happen to them?

 

The second person to "log" it noted that it was broken and possibly out of place. There's no way to know that this person was the second to find it. I don't know the FTF but after taking a glance at his profile and the log he left, praising the container, I don't believe he would be my prime suspect.

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How about this scenario...

 

Cacher visits the cache site and figures the container is in the bushes. Since it is under the snow, they take to knocking the snow off the bushes but in doing so dislodge the container from it's resting place. They don't find it and move on, without posting a DNF. The next cacher comes along and in the process of searching accidentally steps on a frozen container hidden in the snow and breaks it. They never find the container in the bush either and leave.

 

Then the weather gets better, the snow recedes and a cacher now spots the broken container on the ground. All you see in the logs is the FTF & the STF, nothing that happened in between and no cacher knows they took part in the destruction of the cache.

 

Best theory proposed as of yet!

 

I,in fact, did just that last winter. My size 12 took on a cheapie plastic 1/2 gallon container (concealed in tall, snow-covered South Dakota grass -- at -5°F) and WON. Luckily, the resounding crunch alerted me to the boo-boo. By chance I had just purchased a number of Lock & Locks which were still in the geo-truck. We replaced the container (nice upgrade, at that), notified the CO, and went about our business.

 

Such things happen.

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Well, seeing as how it is Winter here in Iowa and I placed the cache in Winter, I don't think muggles would trek into the middle of bushes and bend down rummaging through them. Especially when there was 2 ft of snow on the ground and it's less than 10 degrees in January.

Maybe a cold homeless guy was looking for cans he could recycle to get some money to buy some coffee. Or a blanket.

 

Have you actually emailed the FTF and asked him about it before dragging him in front of the bus in a public forum?

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It's not fun when one of your caches get broken or stolen but don't be too discouraged. It's just part of the game.... unfortunately! The fatality rate on my caches is around 40% or more. Some I've had to relocate 3 or 4 times then they lasted maybe 6 months before getting ripped off again. Better luck on your next cache.

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Someone gave me a good piece of advice once. When you construct a cache, make it 2-3 times more durable than you EVER believe you'll need it to be.

 

That's good advice. Instead of assigning blame (wrongly, in my opinion), you would be better served in considering how you might make your cache more fool proof. All kinds of people geocache. I always try to foresee what could go wrong when I hide a cache. That consideration helps me hide better caches that don't require a lot of maintenance and cause aggravation.

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Someone gave me a good piece of advice once. When you construct a cache, make it 2-3 times more durable than you EVER believe you'll need it to be.

 

That's good advice. Instead of assigning blame (wrongly, in my opinion), you would be better served in considering how you might make your cache more fool proof. All kinds of people geocache. I always try to foresee what could go wrong when I hide a cache. That consideration helps me hide better caches that don't require a lot of maintenance and cause aggravation.

 

Yes. The container can be designed to look flimsy, but needs durability to withstand lots of handling. It's fine if you want to risk it anyway -- maybe a fragile container is perfect in some places. Just be prepared for possibilities.

 

About the time I submitted my first cache, I made a replacement container, an improvement over the original design, so it’s not a big deal when the first one breaks. And “Version One” is pretty solid. It’s a 35mm film can, with a metal framework that completely wraps around the container four times, to support a metal hook. ...and the hook broke off, but it was a design flaw which I’ve since addressed. I won't discourage cachers from posting logs that a container broke (or was found broken). I need to know, so I can fix it.

Edited by kunarion
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Until you have been to the cache location I do not think you can fully grasp what I mean when I say a muggle would not enter this spot.

I used to think this way, but over the years I've had way too many of my deep woods caches found by muggles. In fact, my latest Wherigo suffered just such a fate. The last group of seekers logged almost five miles of pure, Florida bushwhacking to get to the final, an ammo can chained to a tree. It was gone when they got there. It never occurred to me to blame the last finders, who got the FTF, for stealing the can.

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I used to think this way, but over the years I've had way too many of my deep woods caches found by muggles.

 

A friend placed a cache several miles deep into some of the most isolated area around. There was one trail leading out to the general location that was completely overgrown and covered with trees that had fallen from sudden oak death. Then when you reached a certain point, you had to bushwhack down to the cache location. The cache was completely covered. But it was found by noncachers between the first and second to find. Or was that the second or third to find. They left the container in the same general area and included a note. But it still seems almost unbelievable that anybody would have come across the cache out there.

 

Some of my caches, involving long hikes, have also been found by noncachers. Fortunately, they usually leave the cache alone.

 

I have not always been lucky, though. One of my early caches was a pirate themed ammo can stuffed with over $100 of genuine reproductions of pirate gear and treasure from the pirate supply store. The first to find got way too much into the spirit of the cache and raided all the pieces of eight. But it did not matter because within a day or two, someone came, dumped out the contents, took what he wanted, and filled the container with dirt, leaving a nasty note inside.

 

The cache location looked better on a cold, overcast, rainy day than it did when the sun was shining. I learned from that and moved on. Things happen.

Edited by mulvaney
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Well, seeing as how it is Winter here in Iowa and I placed the cache in Winter, I don't think muggles would trek into the middle of bushes and bend down rummaging through them. Especially when there was 2 ft of snow on the ground and it's less than 10 degrees in January.

Maybe a cold homeless guy was looking for cans he could recycle to get some money to buy some coffee. Or a blanket.

 

Have you actually emailed the FTF and asked him about it before dragging him in front of the bus in a public forum?

 

Seems to me that you're the one dragging someone in front of a bus. The op didn't mention a name of the ftf or the cache. You don't know who he is until you go looking for it. You on the other hand, posted the guys picture on the forum. NICE

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In my limited experience, any cacher dedicated enough to run out and be FTF will probably be very respectful of the recommended ethics and values laid out by the geocaching community.

 

Maybe in your area. :laughing:

 

I've watched FTFers tear places up, just trying to make a find "quickly". The end results: Mulch on the sidewalk/road, damaged plants/shrubs, disassembled bricks (even after the cache advised that it was not hidden in any of those places).

 

You'll notice that I said probably... and I'm sorry that you have to deal with that, my friend. No, I'm not saying that the FTF is necessarily a respectful cacher... However, you are correct: IMO, in my area, there are quite a few cachers, but almost all are respectful, in my experience. Especially the handful that seem to repeatedly get there first.

 

I feel sorry for you if it's THAT competitive and inconsiderate in your area. :(

Edited by CachinStrattons
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You'll notice that I said probably... and I'm sorry that you have to deal with that, my friend. No, I'm not saying that the FTF is necessarily a respectful cacher... However, you are correct: IMO, in my area, there are quite a few cachers, but almost all are respectful, in my experience. Especially the handful that seem to repeatedly get there first.

I feel sorry for you if it's THAT competitive and inconsiderate in your area. :(

Some of this may be due to the types of hides being searched. The typical Daschpeeg hide can be quite a challenge. One night I rolled up to one of his just published caches and four people had been at it for nearly 40 minutes at that point. They started leaving after an hour but nearly every square in of the area had been 'handled, including areas such as the retaining wall that had been ruled out in the description.

 

For the record, several people "saw" the cache but didn't realize what it was.

 

My guess is that quicker finds offer less opportunity for landscape destruction and may explain some of the differences in experiences here.

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You'll notice that I said probably... and I'm sorry that you have to deal with that, my friend. No, I'm not saying that the FTF is necessarily a respectful cacher... However, you are correct: IMO, in my area, there are quite a few cachers, but almost all are respectful, in my experience. Especially the handful that seem to repeatedly get there first.

I feel sorry for you if it's THAT competitive and inconsiderate in your area. :(

Some of this may be due to the types of hides being searched. The typical Daschpeeg hide can be quite a challenge. One night I rolled up to one of his just published caches and four people had been at it for nearly 40 minutes at that point. They started leaving after an hour but nearly every square in of the area had been 'handled, including areas such as the retaining wall that had been ruled out in the description.

 

For the record, several people "saw" the cache but didn't realize what it was.

 

My guess is that quicker finds offer less opportunity for landscape destruction and may explain some of the differences in experiences here.

 

Certainly a possibility. I have not been involved in very many newly published caches, and none with a difficulty rating that would require a scorched earth style search. As I said, I'm speaking out of limited experience, but the local groups that I seem to come into contact with all seem to be great people.

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My guess is that quicker finds offer less opportunity for landscape destruction and may explain some of the differences in experiences here.

 

To be fair, however, a responsible cacher might say "maybe it isn't worth digging through the darkness looking for it if it's that difficult". A responsible cacher might also say "now that I found the cache, maybe I should put back all the things I moved, tossed, etc., instead of just driving off into the darkness for the next FTF".

 

:)

Edited by daschpeeg
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My guess is that quicker finds offer less opportunity for landscape destruction and may explain some of the differences in experiences here.

To be fair, however, a responsible cacher might say "maybe it isn't worth digging through the darkness looking for it if it's that difficult". A responsible cacher might also say "now that I found the cache, maybe I should put back all the things I moved, tossed, etc., instead of just driving off into the darkness for the next FTF".

 

:)

One thing I noticed at that cache, and in talking with others, is some cachers don't pay much attention to the description. The better writers throw in clues on where to look and not look on the hard hides yet some just attack the GZ with a proverbial chainsaw when they could use a scalpel (to mangle an analogy).

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It could have been the FTF.

If could have been the STF who didn't want to fess up.

It could have been a cacher in between who didn't log it when they broke it.

It could have been a muggle.

It could have been an animal.

It could have been some alien life force bent on destruction of all mankind. ph34r.gif

 

As for Stupid Cacher Tricks (SCT), I've seen all manner of offending behavior. Based on experiences with my first cache I'm coming to the belief that a lot of missing caches are due to a finder placing the cache in an easier-to-find location where muggles eventually spot it.

 

As for FTFer's, and cachers in general, some are just more destructive than others. I've found from my own experience and from talking with other CO's that you need to check your cache after certain cachers log a find.

 

A few years ago, we had a new cacher with a few months under his belt. It had become very obvious to a lot of us that he was last to find on quite a few caches that had come up missing. We figured that he wasn't re-hiding them properly. Instead of pointing fingers and starting a bunch of unnecessary drama, we simply asked them to go hiking/geocaching with us. Without being obvious, we showed them the proper way to re hide a cache. After that hike, there was no longer a problem and they have become a well respected member of our Geocaching community.

 

Granted, this will not work with everyone, especially established cachers that have established bad habits, and don't really care about anything but that smiley.

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Until you have been to the cache location I do not think you can fully grasp what I mean when I say a muggle would not enter this spot.

 

To add another example of where non-cachers go, even when it seems totally illogical for them to do so, there is a cache in a park that I found. The park sits next to a river but the park is elevated above the river by about 100 feet. There is a walking path next to the river and a walking path around the edge of the park that run parallel to each other. If you wanted to go from one path to the other in a straight line (no reason to, as the two trails connected at each end of the park), you'd have to either go down or up a very overgrown steep grade to do so.

 

The cache was placed about halfway between the paths in a hollow log and there was no discernable geotrail from either direction, yet when I found it, one of the more recent logs in the logbook was from some non-cachers who stumbled across the cache and signed the logbook. Looking at that spot, I was asking myself why in the world would anyone who wasn't a geocacher end up here? It seemed completely bonkers that someone would just choose to hike around in that tangled mess, but sure enough, people do it all the time.

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I know a long-time cacher who broke a cache and failed to tell the cache owner he was the one who broke it. The thing was extremely brittle and thin plastic and also a "novelty" type of container that couldn't be replaced by the finder and, while it was a "cute idea" it wasn't even close to being a suitable container. The person who broke it told me he'd done so and I went out and found the cache and then immediately reported it to the CO as being broken and in need of repair or replacement. He may have figured that I was the one who broke the container but it needed to be fixed and I thought he should know. It wasn't really my place to narc off the person who had actually broken the container although I thought that person should have fessed up to the CO as to what had happened.

 

I have broken more than one cache during my travels. One was a Tupperware container. When I put my thumb in the center of the lid and pulled at the lip, my thumb went right through it. It had been compromised by the Sun. I have also dropped caches down fence posts. I have always reported this in my logs and the owners were appreciative.

 

I've seen FTF hunters who are scrupulous about maintaining site integrity and then I've seen other places which were as described above - mulch strewn about, leaves piled up to "get them out of the way", branches broken, bushes mangled, etc. Myself, I prefer to leave the place looking as if I've never been there if at all possible.

 

Edit: I've seen several caches (and even owned one) that were trashed or moved by squirrels. They love to mess with stuff.

 

I prefer to look with my eyes instead of my hands. I have a find on a cache that is wrapped with five DNFs before and after my find. It's just laying there on the ground, two feet from the trail, in plain sight.

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Well... I'll spare my thoughts on the "why blame the FTF" - the water in that swimming hole is already had the silt kicked up.

 

The original question - has this happened to you?

 

No.

 

Then again, I only have 10 caches, and most have a number of visitors. So, if it gets broken, it gets broken. I'll deal with it when it does happen.

 

But I did have a funny story none the less. There is a little area of woods I know about, has a nice little trail, just right for a car to turn in on. Doesn't go very far. Seems I got a log entry from someone who was parked in the lane, and while he was searching for the cache, someone in a telephone company van got really upset. Turns out, the cacher was parked in the driver's secret "pull over and get a nap spot", because when he finished the figure 8 loop on the country road...that's what the driver was doing. ZZZZZZZzzzzzz!

 

DocWahala

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