'DNF' to 'Found It'

[+BeorntheViking]

Hello! possibly a newbie question here but well..I AM kinda new to geocaching (hooked already too)...Anyway on to the question..

 

How you would handle this. I went out twice to a cache and could not find it so after two, what I thought were fairly thorough, searches I posted a DNF.

 

I then wrote the CO and he responded with a slight hint to help me out. He also went and checked the cache to make sure and updated the cache saying it is still there and so forth.

 

I plan on making another go of it this weekend to find it. Now..if/when I find it....do I change/edit my previous DNF to a found it? or just do a new 'Found it' report?

 

Thank for the help with this!

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Two schools to that thought.

 

THIS school says to make a new log, a "Found It" log. Each log is part of the cache history.

 

To do otherwise, is messing with your (and the cache) history.

 

Changing a DNF to a Found It is, well..... a lie. One exception (in our book), if you returned the same day to make the find -- go ahead and change it. We copy before deleting the wording of the DNF, then paste it to the front of the actual "find" report. All in that Found It log.

 

 

As an aside... don't fear your DNF logs. Wear them as a badge of honor.

 

Do as you see fit, not others.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+BeorntheViking]

Thanks for the quick response! I appreciate it!

 

As for fearing DNF logs...naw I don't fear them for myself. I was more worried about the cache having a DNF because I had a braindead time of finding it

[+Chief301]

Let the DNF log stand. Post an additional log as Found It. DNF's are part of the game and nothing to be ashamed of. They are also helpful to cache owners monitoring the condition of their caches (a sudden string of DNF's on a fairly easy cache, for example, often indicates that the cache may have gone missing. It should prompt a visit from an attentive CO to make sure it is still there)

 

Someday after you have been doing this for awhile, you may be interested in your caching statistics, such as your ratio of finds to DNF's. Not everyone cares about such things but some folks find it interesting.

 

Besides, I find that often the stories of caches that were not found are funnier and more interesting than some of the Found It logs.

[+Chief301]

Thanks for the quick response! I appreciate it!

 

As for fearing DNF logs...naw I don't fear them for myself. I was more worried about the cache having a DNF because I had a braindead time of finding it

 

Some CO's don't like to see DNF's logged on their caches. Some will go so far as to delete DNF logs. They see it as some sort of negative mark against them. I don't agree with this philosophy. As a CO, I want people to find my caches, but I like to hear about the misses too.

 

If I went to a particular amount of effort to make my hide sneaky or devious, really challenging, I would view DNF's as a compliment. It means I hid it really well.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Chief301

[+stijnhommes]

I agree with the others. Post a separate log for your find so other people hunting the cache know it's not as easy as a single find log would make it out to be. As you know, it's not a strike against you or the CO, so leaving it really is the best option.

[+The A-Team]

Finding a cache does not negate the fact that you may have previously failed to find it. Both events occurred, so it makes the most sense for both logs to exist.

[+BeorntheViking]

Makes a lot of sense. Thanks again everyone! I appreciate the replies!

[+Beach_hut]

I too would say keep the old log. It 'tells the story' of the cache.

 

We once got very slack at logging our caches for a while. To such an extent that we logged a DNF and then a subsequent find on the same cache, where the logs were obviously dated some days apart but we sent the logs both together. It might seem daft logging a DNF and then immediately a find but, as I say, it tells the story of the cache for us.

[+Kacher82]

I would certainly let the DNF log stay. Usually, I'll also mention in my Found log how many times I had looked for it previously. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to be able to say "found" after several attempts .

Edited May 17, 2013 by Kacher82

[+Don_J]

There is an inherent problem with editing logs and changing log types. When you post a log, the cache owner as well as anyone watching the cache, gets a copy of your log emailed to them. When you edit your log, no notification is sent. If you post a DNF, then go out the next day and find it, then simply change the log, everyone watching will be under the assumption that the last log was a DNF. As a cache owner, I'd like to be notified that you found my cache.

 

Some people delete their DNF logs if they later find the cache. I'm in the camp that thinks that it is part of both your and the cache's history. Because of the other other active DNF thread, I just went back over my DNF history and read a bunch of my DNF logs and it brought back a lot of memories. It's also fun to see how many you were able to turn into finds.

[+captnemo]

Leave the DNF as it is what happened.

 

Post a new find when you get it and thank the CO for their help.

 

Some of my most rememberable finds have followed a DNF. One I couldn't find after looking for 45 minutes but spoted from the car the next time.

[+Lieblweb]

You can do it however you want...really. You play it how you want to play it.

 

I will log a separate FIND log....(which will retain the DATE at which you actually found it). I will go back to all/any DNF logs (for that cache) and change them to a 'write note'. I'll edit the log by adding 'EDITED after a find'.

 

The reason I change them to a 'write note' is because I like to get them OUT of my DNF list. I will check my DNF list from time to time as part of a goal to keep this list cleaned up (and a goal 'per say').

Edited May 19, 2013 by Lieblweb

[+beehall & barbiehall]

You can do it however you want...really. You play it how you want to play it.

 

I will log a separate FIND log....(which will retain the DATE at which you actually found it). I will go back to all/any DNF logs (for that cache) and change them to a 'write note'. I'll edit the log by adding 'EDITED after a find'.

 

The reason I change them to a 'write note' is because I like to get them OUT of my DNF list. I will check my DNF list from time to time as part of a goal to keep this list cleaned up (and a goal 'per say').

[+beehall & barbiehall]

That is the best logic I've heard about handling a DNF that is later found. I shall go that route. Thanks for the insight....

[+Don_J]

That is the best logic I've heard about handling a DNF that is later found. I shall go that route. Thanks for the insight....

 

Where is the logic in rewriting history? The fact that you didn't find a cache on a certain date does not change because you found it on a later date.

[+TriciaG]

I prefer keeping my DNF's rather than changing them. Yes, they "clutter up" my DNF list, but I can go back and see what caches I didn't find. Changing them to a note means they're now lumped in with all my other notes, and no longer able to be filtered.

 

IMHO, as a premium member, it's better to make a "DNF" bookmark list and put your DNFs in there. As you find them, delete them from there. And as an added bonus, you can add a little note to each bookmarked cache, such as, "Trashy area. CITO when revisit" or "Save until winter."

Edited January 2, 2014 by TriciaG

[+Heli Leo]

+1