Benefit from a Geocide

[+BCandMsKitty]

about 8 months ago, A friend and her BF broke up. They geocached together all the time, and hid some caches together. Seems he didn't want to play the game alone, or with anyone else, so he simply archived all the caches they had hidden, as if they were his alone, and quit the game. Told her he had gone out and retrieved all of the dead caches, and that seemed to be the end of it.

I like a couple of the former locations, so today I went out to hide a new cache in one of the spots.

 

He hasn't retrieved the caches! The container was still there, in great condition, so I changed the log book, verified the coords, called the original friend to see if she wanted the container, or if I could use it for a new cache .... she said "Go for it"! New cache ... old container should be published soon!

 

Nice of him to cut the work of hiding a cache in half!

 

I told the fiend I would check the other caches for her and re-use the ones I wanted a cache at, and retrieve the rest, and she is fine with that. She actually doesn't have the wherewithal to re-list them, or to maintain, but doesn't want them just left there as geotrash.

Edited November 7, 2012 by BC & MsKitty

[+DragonsWest]

I picked up 3 that way, once. All the containers are now my replacements. On keeps going missing, so now I'm a little trickier with the hide.

[+Totem Clan]

I sort of did that in reverse. When I moved from North Dakota I had some cache over in Minnesota that I archived and left the containers (included a couple of ammo cans) in place. It was done with the understanding that one of the newer cachers in the arae would pick them up for me and reuse them. Some he rehid in almost the same place. Others he moved to locations the he liked better. I had adopted all of them anyway and they been in place for some time and just weren't be visited often, so I was glad so see them go to a good use.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Very nice! 2 smilies for the price of 1.

[+BlueDeuce]

...

 

stepping back for a bit

Edited November 7, 2012 by BlueDeuce

[+briansnat]

We just had a guy who as a newbie 2 years ago was a prolific placer, tossing out 150 some caches in a short period of time. He just joined the military and archived all of his caches with a note telling people to help themselves to the containers. Most are crappy micro containers though.

[+BCandMsKitty]

Very nice! 2 smilies for the price of 1.

Well, sort of ....

The names are changed, and the two I'm gonna do for sure were multis. I'm making them just regular caches. Many folks won't realize until they're at GZ.

[+Mitragorz]

I'm in an almost-kinda-sorta similar situation. Minus the bf/gf situation.

 

I was just in FL for work. Whenever I go someplace new, I check tb-rescue.com to see if there are any TBs around that may need to be rescued from a cache. There was one near where I was staying so I made a trip to the cache, even though it had been archived (the link to the archived cache was on the tb-rescue website.) I found the cache without any problem at all. No TBs inside, though, and since the cache had been archived (the owner moved away and apparently left his caches) I removed the container. I cleaned it up in the hotel room and took it back to NY with me. I logged my find that told the situation, and told the CO to email me if he wants his container back.

 

If I don't hear from him in a few weeks, I've got a great reason to go hide a cache!

[+BCandMsKitty]

I need to update this a bit. My reviewer (correctly) asked that if I'm going to re-use the container, and spot, I need to make sure I get permission from the previous owner(s), and indicate that on the cache page.

 

Since I only actually contacted the friend ... not her BF, I'm going to replace the container with one of my own, and wait to see if the BF wants it back (as unlikely as that is). The cache is completely renamed, and I even shot my own coords, so it is a completely new cache, not a recycle of the old one.

[+niraD]

I need to update this a bit. My reviewer (correctly) asked that if I'm going to re-use the container, and spot, I need to make sure I get permission from the previous owner(s), and indicate that on the cache page.

We had a similar situation occur around here when the owner of several beloved puzzle caches committed geocide. No one could get in touch with him to get permission, so the owners of the redux puzzle caches had to specify that they had used new containers, and had not used the original owner's containers without permission.

[+Sol seaker]

We just had a guy who as a newbie 2 years ago was a prolific placer, tossing out 150 some caches in a short period of time. He just joined the military and archived all of his caches with a note telling people to help themselves to the containers. Most are crappy micro containers though.

 

This is actually a crappy, lazy way to go about it.

He's leaving his mess for others to clean up.

If he had to leave in a hurry, I'd rather he at least put out a note on the local forums to ask for volunteers. I'm sure many would be happy to help out, but as it is, he's just leaving his geo-trash mess.

[+Totem Clan]

We just had a guy who as a newbie 2 years ago was a prolific placer, tossing out 150 some caches in a short period of time. He just joined the military and archived all of his caches with a note telling people to help themselves to the containers. Most are crappy micro containers though.

 

This is actually a crappy, lazy way to go about it.

He's leaving his mess for others to clean up.

If he had to leave in a hurry, I'd rather he at least put out a note on the local forums to ask for volunteers. I'm sure many would be happy to help out, but as it is, he's just leaving his geo-trash mess.

Hmmm...

 

How 'bout a geoCITO for the geotrash?

[+Prescott Patrol]

I need to update this a bit. My reviewer (correctly) asked that if I'm going to re-use the container, and spot, I need to make sure I get permission from the previous owner(s), and indicate that on the cache page.

We had a similar situation occur around here when the owner of several beloved puzzle caches committed geocide. No one could get in touch with him to get permission, so the owners of the redux puzzle caches had to specify that they had used new containers, and had not used the original owner's containers without permission.

 

I actually disagree with this. If you archive the cache you are relinquishing all ownership. If someone leaves their trash in the field like this, abandoned it, they no longer own it. There is actually case law backing this up.

[+MartyBartfast]

 

I actually disagree with this. If you archive the cache you are relinquishing all ownership. If someone leaves their trash in the field like this, abandoned it, they no longer own it. There is actually case law backing this up.

 

Not necessarily true, Geocaching.com isn't the only cache listing site, it's quite possible (and has happened many times) that a CO may archive their caches on GC.com but may leave them listed on another site.

[+Prescott Patrol]

I've never heard of a cache being used for more than one site

[+NeverSummer]

I've never heard of a cache being used for more than one site

You can import your existing geocaching.com caches to another caching site run by a GPS company. Lots of folks have done it.

[+NeverSummer]

Also, see "Letterbox Hybrid" caches...

[+MartyBartfast]

I've never heard of a cache being used for more than one site

 

It's not uncommon, sometimes caches are listed on multiple sites at the same time, sometimes people get fed up with Geocaching.com for whatever reason and then remove the caches from here and then list them elsewhere.

[Mr.Yuck]

I've never heard of a cache being used for more than one site

 

It's not uncommon, sometimes caches are listed on multiple sites at the same time, sometimes people get fed up with Geocaching.com for whatever reason and then remove the caches from here and then list them elsewhere.

 

Wow, there is one site, started almost 2 years ago by a major GPS manufacturer where 90+ percent of their caches are listed both there and here. Proof positve of the defacto worldwide monopoly this website has on the game if there are people out there who are not aware of this!

 

I have hidden about 50 caches (about the same amount as here) that are exclusive to alternative Geocaching websites (but never that one). Probably 10 or them are virtuals and webcams, but could you imagine how I would react if someone stumbled on one of these things in the woods, considered it an abandoned "unlisted" cache, and tried to list it here?

[4wheelin_fool]

 

I have hidden about 50 caches (about the same amount as here) that are exclusive to alternative Geocaching websites (but never that one). Probably 10 or them are virtuals and webcams, but could you imagine how I would react if someone stumbled on one of these things in the woods, considered it an abandoned "unlisted" cache, and tried to list it here?

 

Based on the amount of traffic on that site, yes, many people would consider it abandoned.

Edited November 19, 2012 by 4wheelin_fool

[Mr.Yuck]

 

I have hidden about 50 caches (about the same amount as here) that are exclusive to alternative Geocaching websites (but never that one). Probably 10 or them are virtuals and webcams, but could you imagine how I would react if someone stumbled on one of these things in the woods, considered it an abandoned "unlisted" cache, and tried to list it here?

 

Based on the amount of traffic on that site, yes, many people would consider it abandoned.

 

Well, you've apparently misunderstood me. I would never hide (or even log a find) on the major GPS manufacturer's Geocaching website. That doesn't make your post any less funny though. I was talking about other sites. Four different ones, as a matter of fact. Two of which I agree, get even less traffic than the major GPS manufacturer's site, which itself doesn't get much traffic.

[+hzoi]

We just had a guy who as a newbie 2 years ago was a prolific placer, tossing out 150 some caches in a short period of time. He just joined the military and archived all of his caches with a note telling people to help themselves to the containers. Most are crappy micro containers though.

 

This is actually a crappy, lazy way to go about it.

He's leaving his mess for others to clean up.

If he had to leave in a hurry, I'd rather he at least put out a note on the local forums to ask for volunteers. I'm sure many would be happy to help out, but as it is, he's just leaving his geo-trash mess.

 

As a military cacher, I agree that this is, in fact, a crappy, lazy way to go about it.

 

Moving around is part of being on active duty. Dates and frequencies of moves may change, but we all move. The key is to anticipate the move and plan ahead. Have a plan in place and implement it when the time comes. Maybe even plan ahead as far as putting a cap on how many caches to hide in an area in the first place. We had about 2 years left in Germany when we started hiding caches, we hid a total of 31 caches. We archived some before we left and kept the rest in place for a while with maintenance plans. We were in Virginia for only 10 months, so we hid fewer caches (a couple stilla ctive, again with maintenance plans). This was a 3-year tour, so we've hidden over 70 caches in Alabama, but we've already started to wind them down in anticipation of our move this coming summer.

 

Now, as a new troop, perhaps they didn't fully anticipate how this was going to affect their geocaches until it was too late. Now they have to rely on the kindness of others to clean up their mess. OK, but hopefully they take this as a lesson learned and they won't do this the next time they have to move.

[FaithCacher22]

I only have 1 cache here and we are moving overseas next summer (AF spouse), I am having a cacher friend adopt mine. They are military as well, but her family is from a few hours up and come here occasionally, so I'm sure, even if they were to also leave, it'd be taken care of.