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Dangerous Cache in the Midwest


Buschnut and Jaden

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I need some help.

My wife and I were out caching durning our last vacation in Minnesota. We were out by St. Anthony Heritage Trail (GCP1ZA). While I was looking for the cache I was stung by several Hornets (Bees or Wasps) and couldn't grab the hide to sign the log.

I figured it would be smarter to get away from the area.

 

So I signed the log like this "Took a little to find it. Couldn't sign log I was attacker by wasp like insects. Stung like ten times". I figured I would post the fact that I didn't sign the log because of the Hornets (or what ever they were) to warn other geocachers.

 

The owner of the cache as emailed me several times demanding I prove that I was there by describing the cache to him.

 

Here is a copy of the last email to me.

 

Next time don’t admit publicly that you didn’t sign a cache log. You know, from the terms and conditions that you agreed to abide by on geocaching.com, that signing your name on the paper log is a requirement for logging a find online. If that notion bothers you, then perhaps geocaching isn’t the right hobby. If you’ve got no problem with that, then satisfying my request to prove you were there in order to let your find stand shouldn’t be a bother to you. Besides, this “Dark camo hidden up under a ledge of rocks close to the river” is hardly doing your best at describing the cache. I could have come up with that by just reading the last 5 Found It logs.

 

Where were the bees so some bee eradication can take place?

 

How do I report this to Groundspeak or Geocaching.com?

 

Thanks Buschnut and Jaden (aka. Chris and Laura)

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Odd how you breezed right past A which reads,

"Inherent Risks.

Geocaching and other location-based activities facilitated by our services (e.g. Waymarking and Wherigo) can be dangerous and may take you to difficult to access or potentially treacherous locations. When hiding or seeking geocaches or taking part in other location-based activities, you risk property damage, bodily injury or death. There are many variables that must be considered prior to seeking or placing a geocache or engaging in other location-based activities, including: weather, fitness level, terrain features and outdoor experience. Be prepared and be sure to check the current conditions before heading outdoors. Always exercise common sense and caution. You assume all risks associated with hiding or seeking a geocache and other location-based activities associated with our services and agree to release and hold harmless Groundspeak, landowners on whose property geocaches are located, and community members who serve as reviewers, translators and forum moderators/administrators from any liability for injury or loss suffered by you through the use of our services to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

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Sadly, people forget this is supposed to be fun, as is evidenced by the CO's response. As a CO, I would never require someone to 'prove' anything. For Pete's sake, it's just a geocache!

 

If someone was deliberately logging false finds regularly, then I'd probably just delete their logs and move on. Problem solved.

 

My hay-penny's worth...

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You wait out the bees, they belong there, you don't. <_<

 

I use this disclaimer on my outdoor caches:

 

"DISCLAIMER: Cache owner does not in any manner direct or indirect endorse or otherwise promote rash or dangerous behavior. The juxtaposition of certain unforeseen events over the course of a "cache hunt" are not the responsibility of said cache owner. Furthermore, natural events and/or the presence of natural inhabitants cannot be predicted with any regularity. Cache hunters are responsible for discerning conditions and acting appropriately. Cache owner is not responsible for any injury of any type that could possibly occur as a result of the cache hunt. In short, cache at your own risk."

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Sadly, people forget this is supposed to be fun, as is evidenced by the CO's response. As a CO, I would never require someone to 'prove' anything. For Pete's sake, it's just a geocache!

 

If someone was deliberately logging false finds regularly, then I'd probably just delete their logs and move on. Problem solved.

 

My hay-penny's worth...

 

That's my view on it....I think the CO is being unreasonable in this case. It's just a game after all, it's supposed to be fun. I would let the log stand and thank the finder for alerting me to the problem, so that I could either address it myself or disable the cache until the wasps went away.

 

However, if the CO insists on being unreasonable, there's not much you can do. The "letter of the law" is that the CO has the right to delete any finds where the log was not signed. Just move on and ignore the rest of that CO's caches if he bothers you that much. There's plenty more caches out there.

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As someone who is allergic to bees, I can sympathize with this issue. I've been to several geocache locations where bees were active, and I had to walk away without a smiley. The good news is ... bees are less active when the temps are colder. If I can't get within 10 ft of GZ, I'd submit a Write Note log, because I wasn't really able to look for the hide. Then I'd return at another time, when the bees aren't there.

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It sounds like the consensus is DNF, and I agree with that. You don't have to find every one, so you really shouldn't sweat the fact that you couldn't sign the log on this one. Not signing the log means you didn't actually find it, in the technical sense of "find". It's easy to get confused about that point and forget that the fun is in the search, not in the counting of "victories".

 

Your DNF should make clear about the insect problem. If you think the insect problem is chronic rather than just a random event that only happened to you, you should post a Need Maintenance, too, making clear why you think this problem will happen to other seekers.

 

If the CO was snarky, that's an unrelated issue. It actually sounds like he was being nice, at least at first, giving you some leeway by accepting a description of the cache in lieu of you being able to sign the log. It's hard to parse your post, but from "Where were the bees so some bee eradication can take place?", it sounds like he's asking you for help in dealing with the problem, right?

 

On the other hand, don't listen to him about lying publicly to avoid consequences. You didn't sign the log. No shame in that, so there's no problem admitting it. You just also have to admit that makes it a DNF. It would still be a DNF even if you followed the CO's advice and lied about signing the log and claimed the find, anyway.

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I agree, I DNF the log. Also wrote this.

 

I believe I found the cache but couldn't sign log because I was attacker by wasp like insects. Stung like ten times. I decieded it wasn't worth the pain to stay in the area. Just be careful when looking for this one.

 

Not worth the rise in blood pressure.

 

Sorry about the stings. I can relate. I was swarmed by wasps last Saturday while just about 5 meters from the cache. Luckily got only 2 stings out of that ordeal - but they're big red itchy marks right now. Extremely un-fun experience. I posted a note to warn others. But one lesson learned from this experience - never admit that you didn't sign the log. If I have the cache in hand and forgot a pencil I'll try writing with dirt or a leaf or a twig, but occasionally I only take a photo. Actually, taking a photo of the cache (if you managed it before you got swarmed) might have sufficed, for some cache owners (this one sounds like a stickler though).

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