Quick move or remote location?

[+-CJ-]

There are several TBs in my inventory right now. The choice is whether I should let them go further quickly or keep them for some time so they could travel to a really interesting location with me.

 

I've got these trackables at a small geoevent in Europe with an intention to bring them to a dozen of places in Russia (Moscow and Saint-Petersburg) and return to Western Europe. That was the original plan. The trackables already travelled a bit with me and I'm ready to pass them to my friend who's going to travel abroad next week.

 

However, since I took these TBs my summer schedule has changed. I'm planning a hike about 1,300 kms from home and will (hopefully) ascend one mount which has a geocache on its summit. Logged as found only once since placed. It's a really wonderful and remote place and a rare chance for TBs to visit such a cache. I will not leave them in that cache but bring them back to Moscow and pass to someone going abroad. But the hike is planned for August so I'll have to keep the trackables here for at least 1.5 months.

 

What would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you return these trackables to Europe quickly so they could continue their way ASAP? Or let them wait and ascend the mount?

Edited July 5, 2013 by -CJ-

[+Yorkshire Yellow]

I'd see what their missions were and then let that lead me on what to do on a TB by TB basis. .

 

Personally I'd rather see my TBs keep moving to wherever, rather than potentially be dropped off in an out of the way, rarely found cache.

 

But that's just me. Others may well think differently.

[+-CJ-]

As for missions - nothing special. Just travel from cache to cache.

 

Personally I'd rather see my TBs keep moving to wherever, rather than potentially be dropped off in an out of the way, rarely found cache.

 

I missed one important detail: I have no intention to drop any trackables into that remote cache. The idea was to dip them into that cache, bring them back to Moscow and let them move further. (I made corrections in the first posting, thank you).

Edited July 5, 2013 by -CJ-

[+Sagefox]

I missed one important detail: I have no intention to drop any trackables into that remote cache. The idea was to dip them into that cache, bring them back to Moscow and let them move further.

 

After 10 years of trackable owning and handling I am not fond of dipping. I have done it and had it done but I would just rather have the trackables move from cache to cache - cacher to cacher. (There has been one remarkable exception where an admirable Nevada cacher handled a special-purpose travel bug of ours for two years then we met up with her and got the bug back and retired it.)

 

To me, dipping in a distant location is not a real visit, not the same as actually leaving it there for another cacher to pick up and move.

 

Just my opinion...

 

EDIT: An I really don't like one person dipping a travel bug multiple times! A few dips doesn't bother me but 8, 10, 20, or more, and what is the point? Junks up the travel page and the stops are not significant if the trackable is not left at the dip site.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Team Sagefox

[+-CJ-]

I can understand your opinion, Team Sagefox, but I don't live in the US - my country is Russia. There are not many geocachers here and very few people who know about trackables. We (the Russian geocaching community) do our best to introduce trackables to folks here but it's not so fast. Frankly, not many people know about geocaching at all. Leaving trackables in containers here is risky. They may be taken as souvenirs or just stolen. Except several TB hotels near airports I would not recommend anyone to put a trackable in a cache in Moscow, at least now. This is why I usually don't take trackables from geocaches to bring them to my country (if only a trackable has no mission to travel to Russia, of course). This is why we still have to practice dipping.

[+The Blorenges]

I'd be very happy to have one of my trackables dipped in the remote cache on the mount, particularly if the cacher wrote a few lines on the log to explain it was a special place. A photograph added would be a lovely bonus!

 

MrsB

[+dprovan]

My limit is two or three weeks, maybe a month. If my special trip is further away than that, I'll just drop the TB in the next convenient spot.

 

On the other hand, some people don't think twice about holding a TB for half a year for no particular reason...

[+ngrrfan]

I'd be very happy to have one of my trackables dipped in the remote cache on the mount, particularly if the cacher wrote a few lines on the log to explain it was a special place. A photograph added would be a lovely bonus!

 

My feelings as well. Besides the photo, a drop and retrieve (instead of dipping) will notify the owner that the TB has done something.

Contact the owner, tell them what you propose to do, and see if they are open to the idea. I had someone contact me about holding a TB of mine for a couple of months because they had a trip to Scotland planned for this summer and would have liked to take the TB with them and turn it loose over there.

 

I knew the TB was safe with them, otherwise they wouldn't have contacted me, and hey... having a TB travel from the US to Scotland... heck yes!

[+Sagefox]

I can understand your opinion, Team Sagefox, but I don't live in the US - my country is Russia.

 

Yes, I understand that your situation is very different than in the US. I should have said that. Thanks.

[+-CJ-]

Thank you all for sharing your experience and thoughts about trackables.

 

Contact the owner, tell them what you propose to do, and see if they are open to the idea.

 

I followed your advice and sent messages to all owners of these trackables. Let's see.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I'd be very happy to have one of my trackables dipped in the remote cache on the mount, particularly if the cacher wrote a few lines on the log to explain it was a special place. A photograph added would be a lovely bonus!

 

MrsB

 

Fortunately (or not, in this case), the trackable owner is not notified of the visit. So I would not know that the trackable has visited somewhere interesting. (Yeah. I've basically stopped looking at trackable pages. Too much clutter with visiting 34 or more caches .14 apart. I agree with Sagefox!)

[+-CJ-]

To me there will be no problem to drop a PM to owners.

 

I guess that if a trackable owner isn't happy with his item to travel along powertrails he could include this wish into a trackable mission, right?

[+Me&Geppetto]

If it were me, I'd take it up the mountain, dip it, take a picture and write a nice log. Then take it down and move it somewhere out of Russia based on what you said about TB's there. As a TB owner I'd be thrilled I had a TB make it all the way to Russia and would be even more thrilled to see it ascend a mountain. Go for it.

[scidawg]

To me there will be no problem to drop a PM to owners.

 

I guess that if a trackable owner isn't happy with his item to travel along powertrails he could include this wish into a trackable mission, right?

 

Yes, he could, but it probably wouldn't do much good. I did exactly that with one of mine, and the person holding it has had it for a year and visited it to every cache they find, as well as ignoring 2 emails 3 months apart asking them if they still have it. Sounds like you want to be considerate, but sadly many don't.

[+-CJ-]

To close this topic: I contacted all trackable owners and all of them sent me their answers. They approved the idea of waiting for a while and taking their items to the exotic location rather than releasing them to other hands quickly.