Logging Caches when you were a hider

[MichelleDonnelly]

My sister and I hid a series of caches near my cottage. We thought we could both be the hiders but when we put them on the website for publishing while on her account, I didn't get a "find" or a "hide". I have been caching my way further and further away from my houses in sequence, and it's getting annoying having a full series of geocaches right by my house that my app keeps "suggesting I go find".

 

I didn't want to log them as found, because I thought this was a little weird, But they don't even show up with a star on my map... Today I saw someone who had said they were "part of the placement crew" log a cache they had helped hide, but not hidden with their account. Is this bad caching etiquette? or is it commonplace?

[+Touchstone]

Not commonplace, and yes, kind of tacky.

 

Adding relevant link:

 

Logging My Own Geocache

Edited May 23, 2014 by Touchstone

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

I've seen it often enough that another cacher accompanying the CO when hidden logs a Found It -- so far though, none (I have seen) claims FTF.

[+geodarts]

In my area it is relatively common to log a cache if you were with the hider, but people generally sign the log so that it is not near the top and wait until at least three others have found it.

 

If the hide is truly a joint effort, with both names on the cache page (even though it is linked to only one account), or both taking responsibility for putting together the container or recording the coordinates, then we have solved the problem by putting the cache on both the watch list (to be informed of the cache status) and the ignore list (a premium member feature). I would not claim a find under those circumstances.

Edited May 23, 2014 by geodarts

[+NYPaddleCacher]

My sister and I hid a series of caches near my cottage. We thought we could both be the hiders but when we put them on the website for publishing while on her account, I didn't get a "find" or a "hide". I have been caching my way further and further away from my houses in sequence, and it's getting annoying having a full series of geocaches right by my house that my app keeps "suggesting I go find".

 

I didn't want to log them as found, because I thought this was a little weird, But they don't even show up with a star on my map... Today I saw someone who had said they were "part of the placement crew" log a cache they had helped hide, but not hidden with their account. Is this bad caching etiquette? or is it commonplace?

 

A cache hide is associated with a distinct user so even though you hid them with your sister, the owner is whoever submitted the cache listings for publication. You can edit the "Hidden by" field such that it contains both of your handles, but there is still only one owner. I don't know which app you're using but you might be able to add those caches to an ignore list.

 

I've seen people log caches with a find even tough they were part of the placement crew. In one case, 3-4 cachers got together to hide a 800 cache power trail but because the hides were tied to a single account, created for the series, they all justified logging finds on all 800 caches because they didn't get "credit" for the hides. Personally, I think it's kind of tacky.

[+captnemo]

It's Tacky! Add them to your ignore list.

[+Chrysalides]

It's Tacky! Add them to your ignore list.

Premium only. OP is not a premium member.

[+Ben0w]

You could log them as "beta tester" (simply say so in your log). Still kind of tacky, as it will show on your find count, but this will explain things to others and they won't get annoyed.

 

I mainly use "Looking4Cache" on the iPhone/iPad as Geocaching-App (free version available). There I can mark caches as found without logging them online, so they show as smiley on the App but don't count as find (within the cache's "additional information" section, last checkbox). Check your App if it has this possibility, may be a workaround for you not having the PM ignore list feature.

[+narcissa]

Since both accounts can't officially share credit for hiding them, there's nothing wrong with logging these as found. Nothing tacky about it - if you helped create, hide, and maintain the geocache, you deserve some credit for that and as it stands, a "find" is the only way you can do that. Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait until someone logged "FTF" just to avoid the insufferable whining and tears from those who take that unofficial side game too seriously.

[+lamoracke]

You're talking about one cache your account does not physically own, if it bothers you, just log it as a beta test find. There are so many ways to bump up numbers these days, who really should care about you logging one find so it stops being your closest cache in your caching app. Its not like you are claiming most finds or post on the internet, I found it and I rock! You are finding it because you are not the owner and its bothering you not finding, log it if you ask me. However, yes, you could put it on your ignore list too but not sure how that works the app or not.

 

And you have likely already let someone find it first so no chance for a hard feeling there.

 

(edited to add the word "not")

Edited May 23, 2014 by lamoracke

[+Ma & Pa]

Since both accounts can't officially share credit for hiding them, there's nothing wrong with logging these as found. Nothing tacky about it - if you helped create, hide, and maintain the geocache, you deserve some credit for that and as it stands, a "find" is the only way you can do that. Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait until someone logged "FTF" just to avoid the insufferable whining and tears from those who take that unofficial side game too seriously.

 

I agree with this approach. I like all caches on my local map to be a star or a happy face. I don't use the ignore feature because we go for all caches no matter how lame or tough they may be

[+Mudfrog]

Since both accounts can't officially share credit for hiding them, there's nothing wrong with logging these as found. Nothing tacky about it - if you helped create, hide, and maintain the geocache, you deserve some credit for that and as it stands, a "find" is the only way you can do that. Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait until someone logged "FTF" just to avoid the insufferable whining and tears from those who take that unofficial side game too seriously.

 

I don't take the game too seriously and therefore don't worry too much when people do silly stuff like logging a find on a cache they helped hide. A person can do what they want but i'm not understanding why a person should expect to "get credit" for helping with a cache. I've helped many times and never ever thought about getting credit or some other kind of payback. The good feeling of helping a fellow cacher is all i need...

[+briansnat]

I wouldn't log a find on a cache I helped hide. I know where it is, what did I "find"?

[+WarNinjas]

For me it is not a find. I wish it was because I took a cacher with me on my kayak and we hid a bunch of caches. I could use those 5* terrains to up my D/T but never logged a find on them and maintain them. It is up to you though.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

 

That's it, in a nutshell. If you want to log them as found so that they do not show up on your app...then log them as found. No big deal.

[+TopShelfRob]

I've seen one like this where the person who was along with the hider logged it as found (even before it was even published, in fact). While the person made it clear in the comments in the logs that "we are not claiming FTF -- please continue the hunt for true FTF!!!!", it seems to me it could still confuse things a little -- just by having logged it as "found", it's no longer going to show up in a search of "caches not found yet" and maybe because of that a would-be FTFer from going for it with urgency.

 

So yeah, I'd wait until someone else claims FTF first.

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

Two of us place caches together sometimes under a group name but they are listed with one CO. We have each "found" the other's caches, mostly to get them off the map but since we've both done maintenance on them alone we have to find them again. We would never claim a FTF, only log after a few weeks.

 

I don't know about anyone else but I've had trouble finding some of my own caches, not to mention ones we hid together!

 

We do have a cacher in the area who does not maintain her own caches, they are a mess even after many NM logs. But when she does check on them or says she does she claims a find. She has found some of her own caches 3 times.

Seeing that I don't feel I'm wrong to find joint caches. We all play differently.

[+narcissa]

Since both accounts can't officially share credit for hiding them, there's nothing wrong with logging these as found. Nothing tacky about it - if you helped create, hide, and maintain the geocache, you deserve some credit for that and as it stands, a "find" is the only way you can do that. Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait until someone logged "FTF" just to avoid the insufferable whining and tears from those who take that unofficial side game too seriously.

 

I don't take the game too seriously and therefore don't worry too much when people do silly stuff like logging a find on a cache they helped hide. A person can do what they want but i'm not understanding why a person should expect to "get credit" for helping with a cache. I've helped many times and never ever thought about getting credit or some other kind of payback. The good feeling of helping a fellow cacher is all i need...

 

My understanding is that they hid them together as a team.

[+ngrrfan]

When I'm out with my caching partners and help hide a cache that is under their name, I wait for a month or so before I log a find. Our philosophy is that we did find a place to put the cache and we'll also note in the log that we were with the owner when it was placed. We'll never log it before an FTF though.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Since both accounts can't officially share credit for hiding them, there's nothing wrong with logging these as found. Nothing tacky about it - if you helped create, hide, and maintain the geocache, you deserve some credit for that and as it stands, a "find" is the only way you can do that. Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait until someone logged "FTF" just to avoid the insufferable whining and tears from those who take that unofficial side game too seriously.

 

I don't take the game too seriously and therefore don't worry too much when people do silly stuff like logging a find on a cache they helped hide. A person can do what they want but i'm not understanding why a person should expect to "get credit" for helping with a cache. I've helped many times and never ever thought about getting credit or some other kind of payback. The good feeling of helping a fellow cacher is all i need...

 

My understanding is that they hid them together as a team.

 

And there is nothing stopping them from having each member of the team submitting a portion of the series using their user id. If the team of 3 cachers places 90 caches and each member submits listings for 30 of them, each member would "get credit" for a third of the work involved in placing the caches. It's not skin off my nose if they want to post found it logs on all 90 caches, but they're only fooling themselves if they actually believe that they *found* those 90 caches.

[+qtbluemoon]

What if they're going for a 5-mile bubble challenge? Not sure how many of those that are out there, but I have a 5- and a 10-mile bubble challenge that I'm working on. If I was a co-hider on a cache in that proximity, and that's the only way that cache wouldn't show up on that list of unfound caches, I'd log it as a find.

[+narcissa]

Since both accounts can't officially share credit for hiding them, there's nothing wrong with logging these as found. Nothing tacky about it - if you helped create, hide, and maintain the geocache, you deserve some credit for that and as it stands, a "find" is the only way you can do that. Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait until someone logged "FTF" just to avoid the insufferable whining and tears from those who take that unofficial side game too seriously.

 

I don't take the game too seriously and therefore don't worry too much when people do silly stuff like logging a find on a cache they helped hide. A person can do what they want but i'm not understanding why a person should expect to "get credit" for helping with a cache. I've helped many times and never ever thought about getting credit or some other kind of payback. The good feeling of helping a fellow cacher is all i need...

 

My understanding is that they hid them together as a team.

 

And there is nothing stopping them from having each member of the team submitting a portion of the series using their user id. If the team of 3 cachers places 90 caches and each member submits listings for 30 of them, each member would "get credit" for a third of the work involved in placing the caches. It's not skin off my nose if they want to post found it logs on all 90 caches, but they're only fooling themselves if they actually believe that they *found* those 90 caches.

 

So, it is skin off your nose, apparently.

[+Chrysalides]

To paraphrase the words of a green muppet, "Log, or log not. There is no consensus." Your biggest mistake is asking the forums My personal opinion is just go ahead and log it. I don't see anything wrong with it, but if it ever gnaws at your conscience and keeps you awake at night in the future (hey, you never know) you can always delete it then.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Since both accounts can't officially share credit for hiding them, there's nothing wrong with logging these as found. Nothing tacky about it - if you helped create, hide, and maintain the geocache, you deserve some credit for that and as it stands, a "find" is the only way you can do that. Geocaching is a game, but it isn't a contest.

 

Personally, I'd be inclined to wait until someone logged "FTF" just to avoid the insufferable whining and tears from those who take that unofficial side game too seriously.

 

I don't take the game too seriously and therefore don't worry too much when people do silly stuff like logging a find on a cache they helped hide. A person can do what they want but i'm not understanding why a person should expect to "get credit" for helping with a cache. I've helped many times and never ever thought about getting credit or some other kind of payback. The good feeling of helping a fellow cacher is all i need...

 

My understanding is that they hid them together as a team.

 

And there is nothing stopping them from having each member of the team submitting a portion of the series using their user id. If the team of 3 cachers places 90 caches and each member submits listings for 30 of them, each member would "get credit" for a third of the work involved in placing the caches. It's not skin off my nose if they want to post found it logs on all 90 caches, but they're only fooling themselves if they actually believe that they *found* those 90 caches.

 

So, it is skin off your nose, apparently.

 

No, I'm just expressing my opinion on the matter, because that's what the OP asked for when they started the thread. It doesn't bother me at all how others play the game, up until the point that it impacts how I play the game. Claiming a find on a cache that you hid doesn't impact anyone except for the one claiming the find. That doesn't mean I can't express my opinion on the behavior and certainly doesn't mean that I am in anyway bothered by it.

[+JPreto]

I've seen it often enough that another cacher accompanying the CO when hidden logs a Found It -- so far though, none (I have seen) claims FTF.

 

I´ve seen claiming FTF!!!

 

Bu anyway, I think that if you know where the cache is hidden how can you find it?!?!? If you want a +1 sure, say you´ve found the cache you have helped hide otherwise just help to maintain the cache you helped to hide and never log a FOUND IT.

 

Just my opinion.

[+narcissa]

Of course, this could all be solved if Groundspeak would allow accounts to share ownership of geocaches.