Christlove Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I am fairly new to geocaching. Today, while out on an excursion with my children, I stumbled across a geocache purely by accident. We signed the log, and the cache was in good shape. However, when I got home and tried to log the find it was not listed. I have no idea who hid the cache, if it is being maintained, or anything else about it. So my question is, what do I do with it? Should I take over the cache, just leave, or what? Thank you for any help or advice that might be provided. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 It may well have been a stage or a final part of a multicache. Or it may have been the final stage of a puzzle cache. Maybe even a cache not yet published. Also.... It is good to keep in mind that this is only one of several Geocache listing services out there. The cache may well have belonged to another site. Quote Link to comment
+tomfuller & Quill Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Were you FTF? If so, congrats. There are other sites besides geocaching.com that post coordinates for caches. Possibly a cache that has not been published yet and maybe never will be. Take the coords and try to find the closest published geocache. There should be a stashnote and the cache owners screenname inside the cache. Quote Link to comment
+Too Tall John Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 You can't take over a cache without the permission of the owner. As Starbrand listed, there are several different reasons why a cache might not be listed at the coordinates you found the container at. To help investigate further, if you have the chance you can return to the cache and see who else has signed the logbook. This may help you determine what the cache is. If nobody else has signed it, maybe you came across a cache that hasn't been published yet! Aside from the other cache listing sites, there is the chance you found a letterbox. If the container has a rubber stamp in it, and/or the logbook has been stamped a lot, that is what it is. Do not, under any circumstances, take the stamp from the container, it is an integral part of that game. Feel free to stamp it onto a piece of paper to take with you, but the stamp isn't a trade item. Quote Link to comment
+CanadianRockies Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Some other possibilities: 1. If the log was unsigned, then someone might have placed the cache, attempted to get it published, had it rejected, and abandoned it as geo-litter. Don't jump to this conclusion, however. 2. If the log has been signed, then it might be an archived and abandoned cache. If you can make out some of the other signatures, then you could contact them and ask if they remember finding the cache. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Could be any of a lot of strange things. See threads on cremated remains, and drug drops... But, might could be the final of a mystery or multi that no one has solved yet (Check the local area for those). Or could be a cache that has not been published yet. Keep your eyes open for newly published caches. I've found a few letterboxes (but they're usuallly obious), and a few never prublished caches, and even a few archived caches (but they usually have signatures in them.) Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 you have the coordinates or the general area? Quote Link to comment
+popokiiti Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We had a similar experience, brand new cache, nicely camo'ed Lock and Lock, virgin logbook (which we signed.) The cache we were after was a micro only 2 meters away. Found that too...we think that two folks had the same idea for location, at the same time and one was published. Have to feel for the owner of the Lock and Lock..... Quote Link to comment
+Too Tall John Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) Never Mind. Edited April 1, 2011 by Too Tall John Quote Link to comment
+ALAUNOS Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 What other sights list caches? I thought all caches were through geocaching.com other than letterboxes. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 What other sights list caches? I thought all caches were through geocaching.com other than letterboxes. Generally speaking - we don't discuss the competition by name while playing in this here sandbox. Quote Link to comment
Pup Patrol Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 What other sights list caches? I thought all caches were through geocaching.com other than letterboxes. Google is your friend: http://www.cacheopedia.com/wiki/Geocaching_Websites Quote Link to comment
+MoonCatKDT & Peanut Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Could it also be a Premium Member cache? if you aren't a PM, you wouldn't be able to see those. Quote Link to comment
+Student Camper Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 As per the guidelines, there should have been some identification on, or at least in, the cache container, If there was nothing to identify the cache or its owner, it would be nothing more than litter and should be removed. I fail to see where an unidentified container would be of any use in any listing agency. If there was a geocode or a name, a search would probably reveal something, doing a coordinate seach would be the hard way to do it. TIMHO. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) As per the guidelines, there should have been some identification on, or at least in, the cache container,... I see unmarked caches all the time - always have. While I see it as an appropriate thing to do - I hardly think we will start seeing NA logs and archivals over it. Edited April 1, 2011 by StarBrand Quote Link to comment
Pup Patrol Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) As per the guidelines, there should have been some identification on, or at least in, the cache container, If there was nothing to identify the cache or its owner, it would be nothing more than litter and should be removed. I fail to see where an unidentified container would be of any use in any listing agency. If there was a geocode or a name, a search would probably reveal something, doing a coordinate seach would be the hard way to do it. TIMHO. Huh? What guideline is this? Could you please provide the link? The nano we found yesterday had just enough room in it to hold a tiny scroll for a log book. There was no way to have any identification on the container itself. As numerous people have suggested already, there are many possible scenarios pertaining to the discovered cache. To categorically state that it's "litter" is rather rash. Edited April 1, 2011 by Pup Patrol Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 ... Huh? What guideline is this? Could you please provide the link?... I was thinking the same thing - till I looked it up. The revision to a linked guidelines - slipped this in: http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=305 Quote Link to comment
+Don_J Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 As per the guidelines, there should have been some identification on, or at least in, the cache container, If there was nothing to identify the cache or its owner, it would be nothing more than litter and should be removed. I fail to see where an unidentified container would be of any use in any listing agency. If there was a geocode or a name, a search would probably reveal something, doing a coordinate seach would be the hard way to do it. TIMHO. I guess that would make me a litter bug. Quote Link to comment
I! Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 No identification anywhere, Don_J? Not even on the logbook? NA! Quote Link to comment
+keehotee Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 As per the guidelines, there should have been some identification on, or at least in, the cache container, If there was nothing to identify the cache or its owner, it would be nothing more than litter and should be removed. Well, I'd better go and pull most of my caches in then...... By all means feel free to log a NA on a cache that you think doesn't comply with the guidelines for THIS listing site - but if it hasn't been abandoned it's no more litter than any other cache, listed or otherwise, and the only thing you have any right to remove it from would be the listing site. Quote Link to comment
+Don_J Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) No identification anywhere, Don_J? Not even on the logbook? NA! My logbooks, or sheets, with very few exceptions, contain my account name and and Geocaching.com. Bigger caches will have a complete info sheet. All but three of my caches are on hiking trails in the mountains. They are camouflaged. A lot of them are in plain sight. In my area, no one has ever called the bomb squad for a ammo can, spice container, or Lock n" lock that is five miles up a mountain trail. [Edit: Forgot a word] Edited April 1, 2011 by Don_J Quote Link to comment
+GeoGeeBee Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 The nano we found yesterday had just enough room in it to hold a tiny scroll for a log book. There was no way to have any identification on the container itself. Even a nano has room for "GC123xxx" on the scroll. Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) Oh, forget it. Edited April 1, 2011 by Mr.Yuck Quote Link to comment
Christlove Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Were you FTF? If so, congrats. There are other sites besides geocaching.com that post coordinates for caches. Possibly a cache that has not been published yet and maybe never will be. Take the coords and try to find the closest published geocache. There should be a stashnote and the cache owners screenname inside the cache. What is FTF? I'm still a newbie, so some of this stuff is greek to me. There is no published cache anywhere near from this site. I am pretty sure it is not a new cache, as it has about a dozen signatures, and as I got to thinking about it I remembered that I had stumbled across it before a few years ago. It is a big plastic spider, and since I didn't know about geocaching back then, I never thought to look inside of it for something. I don't know if the other sites use the same kind of things, but the signature sheet is exactly like the "official geocaching" ones I have seen from other caches on this site. At the time I didn't think to check the dates, or if there was some sort of identifier, but as soon as possible I will make my way back down there to investigate it a little more. Quote Link to comment
Christlove Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Could be any of a lot of strange things. See threads on cremated remains, and drug drops... But, might could be the final of a mystery or multi that no one has solved yet (Check the local area for those). Or could be a cache that has not been published yet. Keep your eyes open for newly published caches. I've found a few letterboxes (but they're usuallly obious), and a few never prublished caches, and even a few archived caches (but they usually have signatures in them.) It is definitely a geocache and nothing else. I signed the log and put it back before coming home to try to log it online. Quote Link to comment
Christlove Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 You can't take over a cache without the permission of the owner. As Starbrand listed, there are several different reasons why a cache might not be listed at the coordinates you found the container at. To help investigate further, if you have the chance you can return to the cache and see who else has signed the logbook. This may help you determine what the cache is. If nobody else has signed it, maybe you came across a cache that hasn't been published yet! Aside from the other cache listing sites, there is the chance you found a letterbox. If the container has a rubber stamp in it, and/or the logbook has been stamped a lot, that is what it is. Do not, under any circumstances, take the stamp from the container, it is an integral part of that game. Feel free to stamp it onto a piece of paper to take with you, but the stamp isn't a trade item. Definitely not a letter box, just a regular cache. I never thought about it possibly being part of a multicache though. Quote Link to comment
Christlove Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 No identification anywhere, Don_J? Not even on the logbook? NA! I don't know if it had an ID on the log or not. I honestly never thought to check for it when I stumbled across the cache. I plan to go back and check it out, but it may be next week or later before I can get back over there. Quote Link to comment
+rav_bunneh Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Am I wrong in thinking you never "take over" a cache unless the owner has asked you too? Quote Link to comment
+Too Tall John Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Am I wrong in thinking you never "take over" a cache unless the owner has asked you too?No, you're right. Quote Link to comment
+BluesHiker Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Found a letterbox once, about 10 feet away from the cache we were seeking. But it was labeled "THIS IS NOT A GEOCACHE!" Quote Link to comment
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