+Glyn Morris Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi all, A bit of advice please. I was out and about with family the other day, mistakenly thinking Geocaching wouldn't happen, when a few minutes of freedom came my way. I spotted two caches within a few hundred metres of my location so sidled off to find. I got the first one and signed the log book with the pencil in there and then set about finding the other. However, the second was a nano and they don't make nano pencils. I initially thought I would take a photo of the cache, in hand and against the sky so as not to give anything away but then wondered if the picture of the cache itself might be a spoiler so replaced and didn't log. Nano, though, was in the title of the cache. Any thoughts? Would I have been ok taking pic and logging? Is this a crime punishable by death or execution by forum damnation? Cheers, Glyn Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Always, ALWAYS ALWAYS, carry a pencil, spare pencil, pen and spare pen, just in case! Could try asking the cache owner if they will allow you to log it as a find... Quote Link to comment
+squirtchy Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 This is one of them "everyone plays by it's own rules" situations, personally I do take a photo and send it to the Co then log it as a find, never had a problem with it, die hard cachers may think that's not right and some cache owners wouldn't agree with it, but there is nothing wrong with emailing the CO and getting his approval, 9 times out of 10 they're fine with it! Quote Link to comment
+The Patrician Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I've taken a picture once or twice, against the palm of my hand usually, and logged the find. Once I couldn't get what was left of the log (a wet pulpy mass) out of a tube and once I seem to recall that I couldn't unscrew the tube. I think I left a note on the logs saying that I hadn't actually signed and if the cache owner wished to delete the log I wouldn't complain. Quote Link to comment
+eusty Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Write with anything, "a toenail dipped in blood" as our French teacher used to say..... Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 find small twig break said twig to form a point if blackberry bush nearby then squish blackberry dip twig in blackberry juice else dip twig in soil/mud endif make mark with twig log online commenting what mark you made, and make it part of your story. (also works with a spent match in urban areas where twigs, mud & blackberries (of the fruit kind) are maybe not so common. Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Is this a crime punishable by death or execution by forum damnation? No, but it may very well distort the time/space continuum. Quote Link to comment
+perth pathfinders Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 (edited) Photo of log book with last few names will prove you was there! Photo at ground zero of GPS with coords will prove you was there! If its not a puzzle/multi/ then no harm in a photo of view with a team member/GPS. Or with cache if its not a sneaky disguised one. Improvise with burnt twig etc. Pockets full of spare log books, pencils, sharpeners (every jacket you own!!)a MUST, don't do it again, bottom of class, go stand in corner, detention for a month! ........... Failing that - Off with yer head, off with yer head!! Edited April 9, 2012 by perth pathfinders Quote Link to comment
+The Blorenges Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 ... mutter... mutter... mutter ... hanging's too good for 'im Quote Link to comment
+Legochugglers Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi all, A bit of advice please. I was out and about with family the other day, mistakenly thinking Geocaching wouldn't happen, when a few minutes of freedom came my way. I spotted two caches within a few hundred metres of my location so sidled off to find. I got the first one and signed the log book with the pencil in there and then set about finding the other. However, the second was a nano and they don't make nano pencils. I initially thought I would take a photo of the cache, in hand and against the sky so as not to give anything away but then wondered if the picture of the cache itself might be a spoiler so replaced and didn't log. Nano, though, was in the title of the cache. Any thoughts? Would I have been ok taking pic and logging? Is this a crime punishable by death or execution by forum damnation? Cheers, Glyn Your guilt at not signing the log is already eating you up, you are waiting for that 'DELETED' e-mail popping into your in box. You are beating yourself up for not making that twig writing implement and cutting your finger so the log could be etched with your own blood and this will continue to haunt you until you make another return journey to sign the log!!!!!!. But seriously, I think a photo of the actual log is a great idea. You dont even need to post it on the listing but simply quote in your story that a photo of the log is available if the CO required it as evidence of the find. Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi all, A bit of advice please. I was out and about with family the other day, mistakenly thinking Geocaching wouldn't happen, when a few minutes of freedom came my way. I spotted two caches within a few hundred metres of my location so sidled off to find. I got the first one and signed the log book with the pencil in there and then set about finding the other. However, the second was a nano and they don't make nano pencils. I initially thought I would take a photo of the cache, in hand and against the sky so as not to give anything away but then wondered if the picture of the cache itself might be a spoiler so replaced and didn't log. Nano, though, was in the title of the cache. Any thoughts? Would I have been ok taking pic and logging? Is this a crime punishable by death or execution by forum damnation? Cheers, Glyn Hehehe, I had to laugh when I saw this thread. Punishments for such an infringement can range from "hanging drawing, quartering, excommunication AND eternity spent in hell....." to someone rolling their eyes at you and saying, "Oh for heavens sake, it's only a game, what are you worried about!" It actually comes down to a matter of personal conscience at the end of the day, but the best way to solve the problem is to ALWAYS have a pen! OK, yes, of course, we're all human so if you really can't get hold of a pen, the second best thing is to photograph the log only, perhaps in an unidentifiable location and perhaps with your GPS in the shot. Then e-mail the photo to the CO and say, I'm sorry, this was the situation, will this be OK? It would take a heart of steel (and someone who was up for a bit of a barney) to delete your log after that! Mind you, I'm reminded by something very silly, but pertinent mentioned by GeoBain, which says "must have siggy in loggy to get findy". I think if you're going to lie awake nights about it, then don't log it as a find until you've gone back ans signed the log. After all, if you're someone who prefers it when rules are followed, the rules say you have to have signed the log. I've found myself without a pen on several occasions, but each time, have found a way round it (phew!). The first time, was in the pouring rain, a half mile walk away from my scooter, (where I had left it. D'oh). I'm a "rule-follower" so there was nothing for it but to walk the mile round trip in the rain, through a field of soaking wet grass, to get it. The next time, I was in an urban location and asked an employee at the nearby station ticket office to lend me thier biro! This is ALWAYS a possible soltution in an urban area. As at a bank, post office or any office-based business and I'm sure they will lend you a pen! The next time, there was no-one to ask, but it was a semi-urban sitiation. I just started walking, staring at the ground and within 10 minutes, had FOUND on the ground, a broken biro insert, which still worked! Hoorah! I've also seen logs signed with a stick dippied in mud, and as Marty says, blackberry juice (in season) will do just as well - as would blood, of course..... but you personally have to decide how far you want to take this one! Quote Link to comment
+topmonkey Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 People get far too hung up about signing log books. If you found it, you found it. Whether the CO believes you or not is their problem. I would never delete a log from someone who said they found one of my caches and didn't have a pen or pencil. Why on earth would they lie about finding it? That would be ever sadder than deleting someone's log. It's a game when all said and done... Quote Link to comment
team tisri Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi all, A bit of advice please. I was out and about with family the other day, mistakenly thinking Geocaching wouldn't happen, when a few minutes of freedom came my way. I spotted two caches within a few hundred metres of my location so sidled off to find. I got the first one and signed the log book with the pencil in there and then set about finding the other. However, the second was a nano and they don't make nano pencils. I initially thought I would take a photo of the cache, in hand and against the sky so as not to give anything away but then wondered if the picture of the cache itself might be a spoiler so replaced and didn't log. Nano, though, was in the title of the cache. Any thoughts? Would I have been ok taking pic and logging? Is this a crime punishable by death or execution by forum damnation? Cheers, Glyn Personally if I found the cache and successfully opened it then I consider that a "find" regardless of whether I signed the log or not. Obviously if I can sign the log I do but if the log is wet, or I don't have a pencil (which does happen, even with the best intentions) then sometimes it's just not possible. Sometimes a caching trip is on the spur of the moment and you forget a pencil, I've been out caching only to realise my caching pencil was in my other caching trousers, and on one occasion I can only assume I rested my pencil on my bike saddle while I replaced the cache and then lost the pencil as I remounted. Whatever happened I got to the next cache only to find my trusty caching pencil had gone. What I usually do is take a picture of the cache. That way I can provide the owner with a detailed description of the site and the hide, and can email them the photo if they would like to see it. For a traditional the photo is unlikely to be classed as a spoiler unless it shows exactly where the cache was hidden; for a multi or puzzle you don't want to give away the final location. If the owner decides to delete my log on the basis I didn't make a mark on the log book that's just one of those things. I think it's very easy to end up bogged down with endless etiquette when a little common sense is, IMO, all that is needed. If a cache is rated 1/1 then I'd regard proof that I spotted the cache as acceptable. If it's rated 4/4 and 50 feet up a tree then it's clear you have to climb the tree - if I climbed the tree only to find I couldn't sign the log then I'd look to provide proof I retrieved the cache (perhaps a photo of the cache, with log book visible, in my hand). Quote Link to comment
+C8W9 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 People get far too hung up about signing log books. If you found it, you found it. Whether the CO believes you or not is their problem. I would never delete a log from someone who said they found one of my caches and didn't have a pen or pencil. Why on earth would they lie about finding it? That would be ever sadder than deleting someone's log. It's a game when all said and done... Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Great post! OP, claim your smiley! Quote Link to comment
+firestronaut Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I've had two or three finds where I've been caught short of a pencil. I usually take a non-spoiler pic and log it as a find. Not had a problem yet. Quote Link to comment
+perth pathfinders Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 People get far too hung up about signing log books. If you found it, you found it. Whether the CO believes you or not is their problem. I would never delete a log from someone who said they found one of my caches and didn't have a pen or pencil. Why on earth would they lie about finding it? That would be ever sadder than deleting someone's log. It's a game when all said and done... Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Great post! OP, claim your smiley! I got a very snippy log going on and on complaining that there was no pencil, which I suitably ignored - after all, they were showing themselves up by the tone of their log. My boxes always start out with a pencil, but I also realise they do go missing, points break etc. BUT, when this person also put a NEEDS MAINTENANCE log on just because the pencil goes missing ........... Owner maintenance - BYOP!! Sorted!! Quote Link to comment
+AbbieK Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I got a very snippy log going on and on complaining that there was no pencil, which I suitably ignored - after all, they were showing themselves up by the tone of their log. My boxes always start out with a pencil, but I also realise they do go missing, points break etc. BUT, when this person also put a NEEDS MAINTENANCE log on just because the pencil goes missing ........... Owner maintenance - BYOP!! Sorted!! I always mention in a post if there isn't a pen/pencil there, I hope it doesn't come across at a complaint, just sharing information with other hunters. I've started carrying little personalised pencils with me, which I leave in caches where there aren't any pencils. I cannot seem to find any half sized pens though, I don't know where they hide! As for the OP - my first find I didn't think to take a pen! I still logged it as a find, and a few months later I made my way back and signed the log. It was a quick learning experience though, and I've since attached a pen on a lanyard to my rucksack, and a mini pen on my keys, and I usually have various pens/pencils/markers floating around in my bag and my geocaching pack. Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I cannot seem to find any half sized pens though, I don't know where they hide! Betting shops, Argos, Screwfix, pretty much any shop which requires you to fill in your own slips/orders to hand in at the till. (Caveat: some of the above may have moved from pens to pencils now) Quote Link to comment
+perth pathfinders Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 (edited) I cannot seem to find any half sized pens though, I don't know where they hide! They are usually called golf pencils and found in stationers. OR Cut a large pencil in half! I have found biros left in cache boxes freeze up in winter, or dry out, or even leak. Edited April 10, 2012 by perth pathfinders Quote Link to comment
+maw, paw + the piglets Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 (edited) IKEA!! Good for acquisition of pencils and you don't even have to assemble them! Plus as PP have stated, they don't freeze, leak or refuse to write on wet paper and can be sharpened on stones. Edited April 10, 2012 by maw, paw + the piglets Quote Link to comment
+Stuey Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I must have left muddy finger prints in log books on dozens of occasions. If in doubt, take a photo of the log sheet with your GPS or you, and offer to send it to the cache owner in your log if they require photographic evidence of your visit. Quote Link to comment
+Stuey Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Are people really condoning stealing pens/pencils from Ikea/Argos/etc.? You can buy a pack of a dozen pencils dirt cheap from almost any supermarket or stationers, get a hacksaw and cut them to size. Quote Link to comment
+drdick&vick Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 or even buy a box of THESE about 3pence each. Carry some around and leave where appropriate. Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 or even buy a box of THESE about 3pence each. Carry some around and leave where appropriate. "LESS THAN FORE p PER PENCIL" Quote Link to comment
+Glyn Morris Posted April 23, 2012 Author Share Posted April 23, 2012 Many thanks for the sage advice from all. Quote Link to comment
Copepod Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Even cheaper to pick up short biro pens from pavements outside betting shops. Quote Link to comment
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