Muggler Mistake

[+Ajax One]

My work involves travelling all around northwest Montana.

I discovered a cache by accident while doing some litter cleanup  at Mile Post 4.8 on US Hwy 2.

I guess that makes me a Muggler? What I found was a red plastic Folgers coffee can partially under a big rock with its lid lying on the ground nearby. The container was not really hidden. It was half filled with rain water and it looked to me like some youngster had lost a tub of toys and trinkets! I partially placed the lid on, drained the water out, and briefly went thru the contents. Everything was completely soaked and most printed matter on paper was very hard to read. What I realize now was the log had entries in different handwritings and notes and abbreviations that I could not decipher. When I came across the “CacheDeMayo” coin with “Track at Geocaching.com” on it, I realized that I needed to get on the web and find out what GeoCaching was! I had heard of it as explorers going out and finding hidden things. But being a Muggler, I did not know the proper procedures to take, so I guessed that I should take the entire container, and leave my own container of trinkets in its place (which I did . . OOPS). There is a 1 gallon Zip Lock bag under the rock now (covered with a good load of smaller rocks). The bag is filled with a number of strange items that I had in my work truck. I took the coffee can back to my shop in Kalispell, and laid everything out on my work bench to dry out. I searched for geocaching.com on the web and ended up signing in as a member to find out what GeoCaching was all about. At this point, I don’t know what to do with the coffee can and its contents. Maybe I could send them back to kowboyk somehow. Or put it all back under the rock the next time I am in Troy?

Although that might not be until next fall.

Can someone please direct me toward the proper path?

Thanks . Ajax One . TINM The Inexperienced Newbie Muggler

Edited June 8, 2019 by Ajax One
Update

[+popokiiti]

If you have a look on the map, close to where you found this cache, you may found out who it belongs to. You could then contact them through their profile (their name will be under the cache title, click on that) and see what you can arrange between you. Was there a GC # or a name you can decipher on the log?

You may want to sign the log you found and log it online once you are sure of which cache it is. You are not a muggle now - you are a geocacher!!

Thanks for taking the time to post here.

[+popokiiti]

I've had a look along Hwy 2 west of Kalispell, but not knowing the area, I'm not sure where your weather station is. I couldn't see Yaak Hill....but my eyes aren't as young as they once were! Give us as much info on your location and I am sure we'll find the Cache Owner.

[+6NoisyHikers]

It looks like this might be the coin:

 

Kalibud's 18th Birthday CacheDeMayo Coin http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=2923496

 

If so, it is owned by "Rat&Mushroom" and has been idle for a year, apparently never logged out of a cache in Idaho.

 

And this might be the cache: GCW81B "East-Flatlander-Bound TB Pick-up & Drop Off" owned by "kowboyk" http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GCW81B

 

If this is right, you should log the coin into that cache so it gets its mileage, retrieve it then physically drop the coin off in another cache near where you live. Make sure you log that too!

 

Post a "Found" log on the cache page, then post a separate "Needs Maintenance" log telling the cache owner what you did and that you found the cache in bad shape. You can email kowboyk through the website and offer to mail him the cache and contents.

 

Welcome to the cult

Edited October 14, 2011 by 6NoisyHikers

[+The Switch]

I have a good friend who works for the local parks department who ended up doing the exact same thing to a cache he stumbled on while working in an area. He ended up leaving it in it's original location for a few weeks and watched as people came and went from it. He ended up asking someone about it one day, and now he's caching too!

 

He says he finds them all the time (while working, not caching) now. Thinks it's the greatest when he's able to log a cache without using coords!

 

Welcome to the game! Glad you investigated instead of just tossing what you found!

[+A & J Tooling]

Welcome to the game. Is this your geocache you found?

[+luvvinbird]

This is a cool story and I love the way fellow geocachers jump in right away to help. But then that's what geocachers are.....cool people!

[+Ajax One]

Thanks To All,

And to 6NoiseyHikers, A&J Tooling and all others:

The cache is GCW81B "East-Flatlander-Bound TB Pick-up & Drop Off" owned by "kowboyk" http://www.geocachin....aspx?wp=GCW81B

--------------------------

Here is the location of my Yaak Hill weather station:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=204575677947857413521.0004af431574a92a91614

---------------------------

 

I will follow everyones instructions, log the find, log the coin and try to find another geocache to put it in (or create my own?). I will contact kowboyk for his input.

Ajax One

Edited November 6, 2011 by briansnat
removed detailed info on Geocoin at request of poster

[+NanCycle]

Unfortunately, kowboyk appears to have quit geocaching and has not logged onto the site since May 30,2008.

[+popokiiti]

Unfortunately, kowboyk appears to have quit geocaching and has not logged onto the site since May 30,2008.

That's a shame! Still, you did a great job, AjaxOne...now you know what to look for, you can keep an eye on cachers searching! Thanks for helping out - you may want to look and see if there are any events coming up in your area, and you can meet a bunch of cachers "in the flesh."

[+Ajax One]

Unfortunately, kowboyk appears to have quit geocaching and has not logged onto the site since May 30,2008.

That's a shame! Still, you did a great job, AjaxOne...now you know what to look for, you can keep an eye on cachers searching! Thanks for helping out - you may want to look and see if there are any events coming up in your area, and you can meet a bunch of cachers "in the flesh."

Ok Thanks DoubleBent,

Yes, kowboyk seems to be inactive, he did not answer my direct email. I will replace the container and the contents of GCW81B "East-Flatlander-Bound TB Pick-up & Drop Off" at the same location at my nearest opportunity. I will include the old logbook and also a new one in a waterproof jar. I think that a bear may have smelled the cache and dug it out before I muggled across it.

I will find another cache to put the geocoin into.

Thanks again to All,

73s Joe AKA; Ajax One

Edited November 4, 2011 by briansnat
gc ID removed at request of poster

[+larryc43230]

Ok Thanks DoubleBent,

Yes, kowboyk seems to be inactive, he did not answer my direct email. I will replace the container and the contents of GCW81B "East-Flatlander-Bound TB Pick-up & Drop Off" at the same location at my nearest opportunity. I will include the old logbook and also a new one in a waterproof jar. I think that a bear may have smelled the cache and dug it out before I muggled across it.

I will find another cache to put the geocoin into.

Thanks again to All,

73s Joe AKA; Ajax One

You have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you, Ajax One!

 

--Larry

Edited November 4, 2011 by briansnat
Removing geocoin ID

[CACAHUETES]

What a kind muggler!!

[+Ajax One]

Returned kowboyk's cache to its original location. (I think)See string (visit link)

Took the geocoin & placed it in Columbia Mountain View GC1TGE7. Left North American Fishing Club swivels, left Cool Yellow Egg-Shaped Lucky Pocket Rock, left 4 red plastic key rings, left Canada Moose key chain, left a bunch of pencils. Included logs that had gotten soaked that I had dried out. Also included a new log book. Inventory of cache:Wet Ones wipe, blue oval foam thingy, pink barrel bead, red foam ball, orange & clear super ball, geocache pencil, yellow rubber happy face, little grey and white rock, blue pony tail clamp, hanging fish, puzzle game cube, pink rubber bracelet, red & green Itty Bitty Babe, purple plastic ring thing, one orange wooden dice, ride straight button/pin, lime green kazoo, WOW ribbon, party horn with purple tassles, I LIKE PIKE sticker, glow in the dark star, %$#@!sticker, wooden red & white Denmark flag, purple thermos with two lids.Placed all in a new Folgers container with tighter fitting lid and all inside of a clear plastic bag with two big rubber bands around it. If you go to this cache please re-hide it well as the owner "kowboyk" seems to have gone inactive.

Edited November 4, 2011 by briansnat

[+NanCycle]

Ajax One:

 

You have done a fantastic job with this cache. Many thanks on behalf of the entire caching community.

 

Now we have to ask one more thing--please edit your last post to remove the tracking number of the coin you moved. The tracking numbers are supposed to be "secret" and available only to those who actually have the trackable item. To identify the coin you could use the public reference number, in this case TB3JXY5.

 

For more information on why not to post tracking numbers, see here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=262591

[+Ajax One]

Ok Thanks DoubleBent,

I have gone back to my GCW81B log entries, and edited that. Also deleted the pictures that I had submitted of the geo coin and the new cache log (which also had the secret number listed).

However, I cannot figure out how to get back to my post # 14 to edit it.

Also, the secret number appears in post # 8 (by me) post # 11 (by me)

and post # 12 (by larryc43230).

Can these be fixed somehow?

Additionally, how do I find posts by me at some later date?

They get totally lost in among all the newer entries.

I tried to do some subject searches but still come up with thousands of posts to search thru. Is there a "List Posts By Me" button somewhere that I missed?

Thanks for the help. Joe aka Ajax One

Edited November 3, 2011 by Ajax One

[+larryc43230]

Is there a "List Posts By Me" button somewhere that I missed?

Go to your public profile page, then click the link that says "See the forum posts for this user."

 

Regarding editing previous posts, there is a rather strict time limit on editing posts. You can ask a moderator to do that for you, I think

 

--Larry

[+Ajax One]

Ok Thanks Larry,

That is a quick way to find ones posts.

I have asked moderator briansnet to edit my errors.

Happy Caching Joe ~ Ajax One

[+kwcahart]

Man, if everyone was like Ajax One, this would be even a better hobby than it is now. Way to go Ajax One.