This IRKS me

[+jampoi]

I thought the point of the forums was to spread the word and have discussions is it not? The topic is "WHAT IRKS ME".

As to your other question there were several, two in particular my wife and I really enjoyed because they were unique and highly imaginative and took some planning and work to achieve. I complimented them and even asked if I could duplicate them.

The fact that you looked at the logs and picked out the few to complain about reveals your agenda. So save it for someone who cares WYS.

 

The same things irk me, and probably everyone else. Lets recap the original gripes:

 

• Wet containers
  
• Broken or lousy trade items
  
• Failure to rehide properly, or at all
  

 

After finding many wet containers, you would think that most people would learn not to use the same ones, but they do.

 

Broken stuff is in nearly every cache. Why? It's a mystery, but obviously there are people all over the world carting around broken things to leave as trade items. They are all working in concert, but likely don't know each other. They also never post in the forum, but are everywhere. It seems that many people think that following the rules of trading an object is more important than leaving something useful to anyone. That movie stub, pine cone, or broken pez container is better off somewhere else.

 

Leaving containers poorly rehidden is another constant. It seems that nearly everyone likes to leave it easy for the next finder. That's not the best thing for the CO, who will have to deal with the 13 year olds who found it accidentally and took a dump in it. If its found out in the open, it should be rehidden, not shrugging your shoulders and saying that it isn't your problem.

 

I believe the OP has found the reasons why many people leave the game.

[+jampoi]

Well when a person doesn't care to really do their home work (IE: looking for the positives which are clearly in my posts) I figure they want to enforce their own beliefs (prejudgments)which is bias and therefore agenda's. My wife and I have been literally astounded by the ingenuity of some people and the time and effort they have expended to place a cache. And we have told them so not necessarily on the web site but by personal emails.

Some of the suggestions posted on here were useful and I will utilize them more diligently in the future.

I went back and looked at all my postings and there are roughly 10-12% TFTC. If they were really bad I said so and if they were really good I said so. If the others don't care about their caches why should I?

[+Team Microdot]

. If the others don't care about their caches why should I?

 

And yet you cared enough to spread the word on here and insult a bunch of people along the way.

 

Awesome.

[+jampoi]

.If I choose to keep a highly maintained Cache loaded with Swag that is on me...If someone else wants to keep a different level of maintenance and appeal I guess that is up to them.......

 

not really. the only ethical choice is if you want to put swag in or not. level of maintenance is not. it is expected you maintain the cache well and not let it go down hill because that is the way you want to play the game. it is so very simple. place a cache, maintain it on a regular basis, keep it clean — how hard can that be?

[+jampoi]

@Redshoesgirl: I like the way you think. You go girl!!!

@Teammicrodot: If the shoe fits.

[+jampoi]

The very last one we went to was literally a trash dump and not safe for kids or adults. It was disgusting and I said so in my comments.

 

If it was so disgusting, why didn't you just turn around and leave? You could've taught your grandchildren that the cache was in a trash heap and there was no reason to even bother looking for one there.

[+jampoi]

In that case I should have but we drove over thirty miles and it was the last one in the area.

The last time I looked at the rules (paraphrasing)

Get permission to hide the cache on the property

Maintain the cache, do not place it so far away from your home that you can't access and take care of it like you should

No digging or disturbing of the area. Heck I couldn't even put a nail in the ground when I tried to hide a cache.

I could not believe, once I was told all the rules, that all Co's adhere to ALL those rules.

I really believe that Geocaching.com SAYS you are SUPPOSED to follow those rules but since they have no way to enforce them it mostly is to satisfy the lawyers. But I digress.

[+KC2WI]

I'd say the CO is responsible for maintaining the cache but not the quality or quantity of swaq.

 

If the cache is damaged or wet then the CO should be notified.

 

If I come upon a wet cache I try to dry it if possible and I notify the CO with a needs maintenance note.

 

I generally don't stock my caches with much swag. I might put one or two semi-valuable or interesting items in a new caches but I definitely don't spend much money on swag because I know it is generally just going to disappear and be replaced with junk.

 

If people are taking their kids or grandkids to caches and allowing them to trade nice swag for rocks or other junk or just take stuff then they don't understand the premise of geocaching and they are not bringing up their kids properly.

 

If I find real junk in my caches I toss it.

[+jampoi]

I wonder how much time you invest into preparation or whether you just choose caches spontaneously on your trips without having read the logs, looked at the photos, the description, the attributes etc.

 

The very last one we went to was literally a trash dump and not safe for kids or adults.

 

I'm an adult and would have turned around.

 

Was the cache classified as kid-friendly? Did the previous logs say something about the location?

It might be that the trash showed up later and the cache owner does not even know it.

In times of TFTC logs this can easily happen.

 

 

Exactly. When planning an outing with kids, it's up to you to pick a nice area, read the logs ahead of time, maybe even do Google Streetview. Bring a pocket full of swag in case the swag is no good. If you don't do that, well, then it might be a disappointing outing.

 

I have taken my own kids and other people's kids out many times. The best thing is just to have a group of kids. They will run and play with each other and have fun while the adults talk and search for the caches. If we find a cache with bad swag, I just toss some swag from my pocket on the ground and let them pick something. Because I've picked a nice location and a good group of people, we're all going to have a good time regardless of the content of the cache.

[+jampoi]

That is a good point! When my grandson comes over I ask him or he tells me Let's go geocaching!

I get out the computer, download my preset pocket queries, put them into the GPS and go. I usually do not look at comments. That I now know is a problem.

And I will not use any more TFTC comments, I will be more descriptive just so CO's are more informed.

[+niraD]

Maintain the cache, do not place it so far away from your home that you can't access and take care of it like you should

 

Here you go, from the cache maintenance guidelines:

Owner is responsible for visits to the physical location.

You are responsible for occasional visits to your cache to ensure it is in proper working order, especially when someone reports a problem with the cache (missing, damaged, wet, etc.), or posts a Needs Maintenance log. Temporarily disable your cache to let others know not to search for it until you have addressed the problem. You are permitted a reasonable amount of time – generally up to 4 weeks – in which to check on your cache. If a cache is not being maintained, or has been temporarily disabled for an unreasonable length of time, we may archive the listing.

 

The region in which a cacher is considered able to maintain caches responsibly will vary from person to person. A cacher who has previously logged caches within a wide range of their home may be considered able to maintain a geocache 200 miles (322 km) away. However, someone whose geocaching activities have primarily been within 25 miles (40 km) of home may not be able to maintain a geocache this far from home. This factor is determined at the discretion of the cache reviewer or Groundspeak.

 

Because of the effort required to maintain a geocache, please place physical caches in your usual caching area and not while traveling. Caches placed during travel will likely not be published unless you are able to provide an acceptable maintenance plan. This plan must allow for a quick response to reported problems, and might include the username of a local cacher who will handle maintenance issues in your absence. Alternatively you might train a local person to maintain the cache. Document your maintenance plan in a Note to Reviewer on your cache listing. This should include contact information of the maintainer. The note will auto-delete on publication.

 

Or maybe you're referring to the cache contents guideline:

Contents are family-friendly.

Explosives, fireworks, ammunition, lighters, knives (including pocket knives and multi-tools), drugs, alcohol and any illicit material should not be placed in a cache. Geocaching is a family-friendly activity and cache contents should be suitable for all ages.

If someone other than you places an inappropriate item in a cache that you own and this is reported, the cache may be temporarily disabled. As the cache owner, you may be asked to remove the questionable item before the cache listing is re-enabled.

 

Still, I don't see anything about removing expired coupons, broken McToys, or worthless movie stubs. And I definitely don't see anything about (re)stocking a cache with nice trade items.

[+jampoi]

You know what they say about "ASSUMING"? When I take my grandson Geocaching I try to teach him like I taught my son and daughter. BE RESPONSIBLE and always do the right thing.

Like I said in a previous post I do not care about swag at all except for my grandson. I want him to enjoy the experience as I have. I have been flabbergasted by the ingenuity and effort some CO'S have expended to hide a cache.

As to my not having hidden any caches you are right. I attempted it once. Had two nice ammo cans full of very nice stuff. I ran it past the reviewer several times with changes he required each time. I was down to down to the last item when I discovered the place I was hiding it was private property and not common property to the HOA from which I had permission. So I removed it.

I still cannot believe ALL CO'S adhere to all the rules I was asked to adhere to. I firmly believe that if all CO'S followed all the rules I was asked to follow there wouldn't be enough caches left for anyone to find. I could not even push a roofing nail into the ground according to the reviewer. I found the whole experience frustrating.

[+The_Incredibles_]

As to my not having hidden any caches you are right. I attempted it once. Had two nice ammo cans full of very nice stuff. I ran it past the reviewer several times with changes he required each time. I was down to down to the last item when I discovered the place I was hiding it was private property and not common property to the HOA from which I had permission. So I removed it.

 

I found the whole experience frustrating.

 

Keep trying. Like many of the best things in life, submitting a cache for review is supposed to hurt. If you really get stuck for a location and you own a house, you can hide it in your yard.

 

Whenever I submit a cache listing, I take a Valium or two. It helps alot.

[+Ambrosia]

As to my not having hidden any caches you are right. I attempted it once. Had two nice ammo cans full of very nice stuff. I ran it past the reviewer several times with changes he required each time. I was down to down to the last item when I discovered the place I was hiding it was private property and not common property to the HOA from which I had permission. So I removed it.

 

I found the whole experience frustrating.

 

Keep trying. Like many of the best things in life, submitting a cache for review is supposed to hurt. If you really get stuck for a location and you own a house, you can hide it in your yard.

 

Whenever I submit a cache listing, I take a Valium or two. It helps alot.

Every time I review a cache, I take a valium or two. It also helps a lot. The only problem is, I review a lot more caches in one sitting than just one.

[jholly]

That is a good point! When my grandson comes over I ask him or he tells me Let's go geocaching!

I get out the computer, download my preset pocket queries, put them into the GPS and go. I usually do not look at comments. That I now know is a problem.

And I will not use any more TFTC comments, I will be more descriptive just so CO's are more informed.

[jholly]

What really irks me is posters that post an empty reply and then post their comments on the next post. Really rude and aggravating.

[+edscott]

If I am not mistaken the rules state that a cache should not be hidden so far away from the owners residence that they wouldn't be able to maintain the cache effectively. I believe a cache should be checked at least once a month at the very least. And it is clear that is not happening. So many logs I have found are completely full of entries that people have to write on the smallest blank space they can find. If a cache has old coupons, broken toys and gum wrappers the owner is not doing their job. Even if they don't replace swag they have a duty to at least clean and maintain the cache.

 

If I checked my caches once a month I'd not have much time left for caching, and I only have about 60 sites (caches and stages of multis) to check. Take a few weeks off caching, put out a couple dozen off trail woodland caches and check each one every month for awhile and get back to us on how it works out for you. If I get a report of a problem I go fix it. If I happen to be within a few hundred meters of a cache or stage of a multi I stop by and check it out.. but to say I must check it once a month is ridiculous.

[+edscott]

What really irks me is posters that post an empty reply and then post their comments on the next post. Really rude and aggravating.

 

wheres the like button????

[+niraD]

I believe a cache should be checked at least once a month at the very least.

Right after hiding my first cache, I might have agreed with you. I needed to visit that one at least a couple times a month for maintenance.

 

But I learned a lot from trying to maintain that cache. I check on my current caches whenever it's convenient, but they haven't really needed much maintenance, and they certainly haven't needed monthly maintenance visits. (One currently has the NM flag set, but that's really a reminder to myself that after 7 years, it's time to refresh the camouflage. And I'll take care of that at this weekend's Little Shop of Horrors event.)

 

And I've found a number of caches that don't even need annual maintenance visits, let alone monthly maintenance visits. A quality container, a good location, and an appropriate hide technique can go a long way toward eliminating maintenance issues.

[RedShoesGirl]

I love geocaching until I come to these forums! Just kidding.

 

:laughing: :lol:

[+dprovan]

I really believe that Geocaching.com SAYS you are SUPPOSED to follow those rules but since they have no way to enforce them it mostly is to satisfy the lawyers.

Geocaching.com says you're supposed to follow the rules because the rules are a good idea. They can, under the right conditions, enforce the rules, but we all should hope that everyone is reasonable so they don't need to very often.

 

While I suppose there might be some rules that make the lawyers more confortable, even then I'd claim that it is reasonable for all of us to avoid doing things that cause legal trouble for Groundspeak or geocaching.com, and that's why we don't do them, not because we want to satisfy lawyers.

[+jellis]

What irks me is similar, you plan a trip and on your list of caches you see many DNFs on some of them and no one is using NM and/or the CO is either not maintaining or is no longer active. Then when you post a note or NM you get local cachers getting upset because you haven't even tried to look.