Strange experience today ....

January 1, 2013

Happy New Year folks

Strange caching experience today. I'd hidden a cache in Jersey (Channel Isles, Great Britain) last week, but its publication was refused due to its proximity to a physical stage of a mystery cache.

Where and how I'd hidden it would make it impossible to find without co-ords and as it hadn't been published, no one knew it existed apart from me. There would be absolutely no reason for anyone to go looking around its GZ as it was really remote, no cachers trail, absolutely nothing to draw you there.

So today I went to retrieve it due to it not being able to be published and I found it in a slightly different place. As I got it out, I found that it was full of money but the log book hadn't been signed and none of the swag taken. Really baffled! It was all Geocaching labelled-up etc.

Bizarrest!

Anyone experienced something similar?

Happy & safe caching in 2013 guys

N

xx

3.7k · January 1, 2013

How much money? :blink:

January 1, 2013

Lol. Not much. A few pounds. It looked like someone had just emptied their pockets into it.

2k · January 1, 2013

I occasionally look for caches in obvious hiding spots, in case I crash into a puzzle or multi or unpublished. Perhaps muggles found it. It happens, doubt anyone found it on purpose.

3.8k · January 1, 2013

Happy New Year folks

Where and how I'd hidden it would make it impossible to find without co-ords and as it hadn't been published, no one knew it existed apart from me. There would be absolutely no reason for anyone to go looking around its GZ as it was really remote, no cachers trail, absolutely nothing to draw you there.

Anyone experienced something similar?

No such thing as impossible to find. We recently had a geocache-a large about 3 feet long with yellow writing on it take people 20-45 minutes to find and yet it was spotted by someone nearby.

Yes I have had some weird cachees. One was a mystery cache that I replaced 2 times. I archived it when it went missing the third time and found the original but not the one that should be there. I also adopted a cache that I had previously found. Had some trouble finding it and it wasn't in the obvious spot. So I adopted it and went to replace the container and took it away and went to put the new one in the mentioned obvious spot- and there was the original cache-with SWAG and logbook from over 3 years, yet it wasn't there before.

38.2k · January 1, 2013

Maybe someone saw you hiding it from a distance and investigated when you left.

And sometimes you'd be surprised where people poke around. I had a cache a good distance off the trail, extremely well hidden in a rock formation. No reason for anybody but a geocacher to go there and no way for anybody other than a geocacher to find it, so I thought.

Yet I received an email from a non geocacher who found it and wanted to know more about geocaching. When I expressed surprise that he found it, he told me he enjoys wandering of trail and poking among rocks to see what reptiles and insects he can discover.

7.9k · January 1, 2013

That someone accidentally found your cache isn't particularly odd, but leaving you all their pocket change is a bit unexpected. :huh:

It's a sign from above, use the money to buy a lottery ticket!

January 1, 2013

I guess what I found strangest of all was the fact that someone just emptied their pockets into it!

Edited January 2, 2013 by NickyWiltshire

January 1, 2013

I found that it was full of money

If I was you, I'd hide a larger container in the area and see if it comes back "full of money".

8.6k · January 2, 2013

Perhaps the outcome is EXACTLY what a muggle intended.... think about it.

Edit to add: Some folks actually like doing such things.

Edited January 2, 2013 by Gitchee-Gummee

January 2, 2013

Odd that they left money. I can't think of any reason to do that other than to just be nice to the person they expected to come find it.

If I'm out hiking and I see a particularly cool tree/rock/view, I'll sometimes stop and spend some time assessing whether I might want to place a cache there (or I'll just stop to get a photo). I've stumbled upon several letterboxes that way. (I've yet to find a suitcase full of cash *sigh*)

8.6k · January 2, 2013

Nice story.

My best guess would be that a birdwatcher or somebody else with binoculars saw you hiding it, from some distance away, then went to investigate. Then decided to leave you some money just to give you a smiley when you discovered it. If it was me, I'd put the box back in place with a little thank you note in it because if I was them I'd go back and check the location again later...

Happy New Year!

MrsB

6.5k · January 2, 2013

And sometimes you'd be surprised where people poke around. I had a cache a good distance off the trail, extremely well hidden in a rock formation. No reason for anybody but a geocacher to go there and no way for anybody other than a geocacher to find it, so I thought.

Yet I received an email from a non geocacher who found it and wanted to know more about geocaching. When I expressed surprise that he found it, he told me he enjoys wandering of trail and poking among rocks to see what reptiles and insects he can discover.

^^This^^- we aren't the only ones who poke around in off areas. I've run into birders several times while out caching.

A few weeks back I was biking along a trail and spotted another bike lying in the grass about as far up as the GPS was telling me to stop. As I parked I called down to the woman about 50' off the trail so I did not startle her. I asked if she had found the cache yet. No, I'm picking mushrooms was her reply.

3.1k · January 2, 2013

Where and how I'd hidden it would make it impossible to find without co-ords and as it hadn't been published, no one knew it existed apart from me.

At least one reviewer also knew where it was hidden. Maybe they felt bad about having to deny publication and put the money in there as compensation? Maybe there's a new Groundspeak worldwide policy to randomly reward hiders who actually go back and remove what is (hopefully) temporary geo-trash? Maybe the world really did end on Dec. 21 and this is just a post-apocalyptic dream?

11.6k · January 2, 2013

Happy New Year folks

Strange caching experience today. I'd hidden a cache in Jersey (Channel Isles, Great Britain) last week, but its publication was refused due to its proximity to a physical stage of a mystery cache.

Where and how I'd hidden it would make it impossible to find without co-ords and as it hadn't been published, no one knew it existed apart from me. There would be absolutely no reason for anyone to go looking around its GZ as it was really remote, no cachers trail, absolutely nothing to draw you there.

So today I went to retrieve it due to it not being able to be published and I found it in a slightly different place. As I got it out, I found that it was full of money but the log book hadn't been signed and none of the swag taken. Really baffled! It was all Geocaching labelled-up etc.

Bizarrest!

Anyone experienced something similar?

Happy & safe caching in 2013 guys

N

xx

Since you placed your container at a cache stage, there's something about the place that attracts people. Something drew you there. But when someone stumbles upon one of my caches, the container ends up with fewer nice things. There's never been better things. Even if it's a Geocacher.

Edited January 3, 2013 by kunarion

3k · January 2, 2013

That's way better than my odd experience. Someone logged that one of my caches was found, but it was no longer an ammo can, as it says in the description. Someone swapped out my ammo can for a lock and lock. Wasn't me. Another cacher checked on it for me and sure enough, a fully stocked lock and lock, with original contents. I will have to go out and check who added the new logbook and speak with them, and see if they know anything.

nd this is a cache the Newtown Forest Association asked me to place for them. They got the log too, and the news distressed them. I am hoping that it isn't the result of someone being upset with an ammo can after the Sandy Hook shootings (same town), because what better harmless use of an ammo can, eh?

Trade UP or EVEN, gosh darn it!!! And never trade the container!!!! Those things aren't cheap or that easy to come by.

Wish they had left me some money, too.

2.4k · January 2, 2013

I would definitely put out more caches in that area if I were you!

Edit:typo

Edited January 2, 2013 by Sol seaker

January 2, 2013

That's way better than my odd experience. Someone logged that one of my caches was found, but it was no longer an ammo can, as it says in the description. Someone swapped out my ammo can for a lock and lock. Wasn't me. Another cacher checked on it for me and sure enough, a fully stocked lock and lock, with original contents.

We have seen that happen a number of times, in addition to seeing ammo can caches disappearing completely. We have a few caches in ammo cans but we never indicate that it is an ammo can, because that is a sure way to lose it

9.2k · January 2, 2013

It was me!

I left the money there.

I was out for a walk discovered I had a hole in my pocket, and looked around for somewhere safe to leave the money until I could get back with a bag.

I didn't have a pen/pencil so couldn't sign the log, or leave an explanation.

Thanks for looking after it, please can you forward it to me now? (A cheque will be OK to save postage)

Thank you!

11.6k · January 3, 2013

I would definitely put out more caches in that area if I were you!

If I go to that area, I'll put a bunch of containers out for a week, just to see what happens.

January 3, 2013

I have a cache that is in a small rock formation that you have to hop across a small stream which runs along a fence in order to get to it. There is a trail along the fence but you wouldn't see the cache as you walked by. A new friend of mine had gotten me into rock climbing and I had casually mentioned geocaching to him. About a month later he said that he thinks he found one of those "thingys" I had told him about. When he descibed the park and the location I realized he found my cache! He was looking for areas to go bouldering at and it seems my secret hiding spot wasn't as secret as I thought.

January 4, 2013

I'm thinking someone found it and saw swag, and just felt compelled to leave *something* =)

January 5, 2013

I used to live there, where about did you place it? (The Facebook group 'Geocaching Channel Isles' is good for local knowledge)

January 5, 2013

Did you label it "cash"? :laughing:

What a interesting story It was a nice gesture...not common these days +1 on getting a lottery ticket

Edited January 5, 2013 by Pontoffel Pock

3.3k · February 4, 2013

In the forums I saw an item where a UK guy was searching for a cache and found a hidden duffle bag first. He opens the bag & sees a lock-and-lock plastic container. He opens that and finds white powder. He says to himself, "methinks i found someone else's cache." No cell phone in pocket, so he goes to nearest house & calls police. The find? Heroin worth L-120, 000.

1.1k · February 4, 2013

I replaced one of my caches 4 times, it constantly got muggled,

the 5th time I show up with a new container, I find the ORIGINAL one,

all is there, total shock, how can it go away, and then suttently show up..

Maybe a muggler finally read the link I put in the stash note, and figured it was wrong to remove it.

you know if your unpuplished was created a few weeks ago ?

and you did input correct cords back then ?

it was not that hard to figure out the final :-)

they just changed (closed) that hole.. so from now on it is not possible,

however it is still possible to get the full name of your cache,

but not its position before it is puplished.

February 4, 2013

^^This^^- we aren't the only ones who poke around in off areas. I've run into birders several times while out caching.

A few weeks back I was biking along a trail and spotted another bike lying in the grass about as far up as the GPS was telling me to stop. As I parked I called down to the woman about 50' off the trail so I did not startle her. I asked if she had found the cache yet. No, I'm picking mushrooms was her reply.

I once went to check on one of my caches and when I approached ground zero, I saw a couple of parked bikes and some people in the bushes. Cachers, right?

Nope, when I greeted them and asked them if they found the cache yet, they told me they were mushroom spotting.

3.3k · February 4, 2013

Being a man of action, I would have left a dinner invitation in your cache, Nicky!

Strange experience today ....

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