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Found an existing unlisted cache


shellysnail

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I wouldn't do that.

 

It could be listed on another site, there are a few others.

 

It could be a Letterbox.

 

It could be an archived Groundspeak cache.

 

It could be a Groundspeak cache awaiting publication.

 

It could be a stage of a Groundspeak multi-cache.

 

There's a lot of scenarios to consider before claiming it as your own.

 

Did you see a GC code? The cache owner's name? Were there any logs indicating that it had been found? Do you remember any of those names?

 

If nothing else, post the approximate location, and maybe a reviewer could provide some information about it, if it is indeed a Groundspeak cache.

 

And to officially adopt a Groundspeak cache, you would need the cache owner's permission. If it is an archived Groundspeak cache, or the owner is no longer active here, then adoption isn't possible.

Edited by Pup Patrol
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Pup Patrol has a great list of possibilities in his post.

 

The caches actually belong to the person who placed them, so whether or not it's abandoned (which we don't know) it actually belongs to the cache owner.

 

If it is a cache waiting to be published it would be quite a shock to the owner to have someone else try to publish it when they did all the work of getting the container and creating a cache page already.

 

If it's a stage of a multi it would just be really weird.

 

If it's an archived cache then it could have been archived due to reasons that would make it bad to bring it up again, such as neighbors or property owners asking it be archived. It would open a whole 'nother bag of worms to try to list it if that were the case!!! We don't want to give geocaching bad press, and caches where locals don't want them gives us bad press!!

 

There are a lot of other reasons why it's not a good idea.

 

I like someone's suggestion of trying to find out whose cache it is and emailing the owner.

If you can't locate the owner, just leave it where it is. It may be listed on another web site. There are other geocaching websites, although they have very few caches on them, and most are cross-listed from this site.

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Hi,

I have found an existing cache, which has all the cache printout etc, but it's not been registered on the site.

Shall I register it under my own profile? I don't mind adopting it as my own...

what do you think?

 

you can't just claim/adopt someone's cache, the owner has to initiate the adoption

 

Adopting or Transferring a Cache

Edited by t4e
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It's got a logo'd log printout with the standard explanation of what it is. It's been there for quite some time - we found it about a year ago but it;s still not been registered - and there's no contact details on it...ok I'd better leave it be.

 

Are there any signatures on the log?

 

I'd suggest contacting your local reviewer, give them the coordinates and any other info on the log sheet (Name of cache and/or owner, GC ID NO, etc)and let them decide what should be done about it.

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It's got a logo'd log printout with the standard explanation of what it is. It's been there for quite some time - we found it about a year ago but it;s still not been registered - and there's no contact details on it...ok I'd better leave it be.

A puzzle cache can have bogus coordinates up to a mile or more from the final location. Does it have a log? Does the log have signatures? Then I would also vote for a puzzle final.

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If it turns out the cache has been abandoned ... no finds, no owner activity for a really long time, etc, then a reviewer can archive it and the location becomes available for someone else to use (you know, that 500 feet rule). Depending on your area's saturation, that may matter to you or not. I know there are a couple spots that just opened up in my area that I'm working on trying to adopt ... an owner had to archive a cache that was taken and that he can't maintain, and I'm trying to recreate the cache and get it listed in the same spot before someone else does. But I'm working with the former cache owner on that one.

 

It's odd that it wouldn't have any information on it at all. It could be a leftover from an old event ... I held a geocache/letterbox workshop for some Girl Scouts recently and very nearly left my cache at the camp when we were all done ... I am sure that would've baffled a lot of folks later on. LOL. Kind of like finding old Easter eggs, but less smelly. :)

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