Wondering....

[+Malemotives]

I am wondering how often, as a CO, you physically visit your cache(s) / logs.

[+K13]

I am wondering how often, as a CO, you physically visit your cache(s) / logs.

 

Depends of what the logs say. If a log mentions issues with the cache, like wet inside, damaged container, or other maintenance issue, I visit as soon as I can. I have one cache I haven't visited since placing it 2 years ago, another I haven't visited since March of '12. I replaced one container a couple of months ago, having not visited it since '07.

 

If the logs indicate that things are fine, I don't see the need to check on it.

[+WarNinjas]

I used to visit them more often. Now mostly when someone logs a problem or a couple of DNF. If I am in the area especially on caches we own further from home I will stop by and give it a quick check.

We have one cache in a crowded area and it didn't have problems. After we checked it, It went missing. Now we only check that one after it is reported to have a problem!

[+FourFunKiwis]

We're making a habit of checking and updating swag fortnightly, assuming logs are all good - but that's partially due to the encouragement of two very eager young children

[+MartyBartfast]

Only if the logs suggest there may be a problem, I've never been back to three of mine as they're all in order.

[+redsox_mark]

Generally only make a special trip if there are logs indicating a problem. Though if I'm in the area near one of my caches I'll check on it regardless.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

A couple of times a year. We visit more than finders. It would be a shame if that 1 searcher every year and a half couldn't find it due to a maintenance issue...but it still happens.

[+L0ne.R]

On average twice a year. The closer ones that I pass weekly on my dog walks might get looked at one or twice a month just for the heck of it.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

Very seldom.....I wait until I feel there are issues with the cache.

They get moved and many times I can't find them anyway...then I leave a throwdown.

[+dprovan]

I try to visit each about once a year. But since you ask specifically about logs, I don't always open them to look at the log. I mainly go to check for changes in the local environment such as vegetable growth or elimination that might impact the search, so in some cases I just look at the cache without actually retrieving it.

 

It goes without saying that I'm talking about the situation where there are no indications in the logs of a need for an earlier visit.

[+coachstahly]

I used to go twice a year but now find myself only visiting when there's mention of an issue or a short string of DNFs. If I have a lonely cache (one that hasn't been found in quite a while), I'll check up on it if someone lets me know they're going to attempt it.

[+The A-Team]

Like most of the others here have said, I usually don't check on my caches unless a problem has been reported. There are a few caches in more suburban areas that I'll stop in and check on unbidden, but I also have some in more remote areas that I haven't checked in a few years. I probably have about a dozen that I haven't checked in about 3 years because nobody's reported any problems. I'll go check on them at some point this year, though, because there may be unreported problems (ie. migrated container, environmental changes, etc.).

[+SageTracey]

Like the COs above, I will check if there is a reported problem or a couple of DNFs. However, I will also go out and check if they haven't been logged in any way for a while (length of time depends on usual level of activity and will vary). Unfortunately some people don't log a DNF which means that I have no way of knowing that they have searched and not found, and that there may be a problem.

 

I have put some extra effort into most of my caches and I want others to find and appreciate them!

[+The A-Team]

However, I will also go out and check if they haven't been logged in any way for a while (length of time depends on usual level of activity and will vary). Unfortunately some people don't log a DNF which means that I have no way of knowing that they have searched and not found, and that there may be a problem.

Good point. I'll occasionally scan through my list of hides to see when each was last found, and go check on any that have an unusually-long period of inactivity. More often than not, though, the cache is still just fine and it's just that people haven't been going to look for it.

[+MountainWoods]

I have it easy. On the two caches I own, I can do a drive-by review to see that they are still there. Of course if there are problems with the container, I can either wait until someone reports a problem, or I can stop to see how they're doing. I just usually forget to do the latter.

[+humspuds]

We have quite a few multis among our hides, and we pay special attention to those, checking them several times a year. There's nothing more frustrating than completing a few stages of a multi only to find a key stage is missing. If cachers are willing to invest time in one of our multis, we want to make sure they have a rewarding experience and a smiley.

Edited January 16, 2015 by humspuds

[+L0ne.R]

1421360145[/url]' post='5464212']

Like the COs above, I will check if there is a reported problem or a couple of DNFs. However, I will also go out and check if they haven't been logged in any way for a while (length of time depends on usual level of activity and will vary). Unfortunately some people don't log a DNF which means that I have no way of knowing that they have searched and not found, and that there may be a problem.

 

I have put some extra effort into most of my caches and I want others to find and appreciate them!

 

Exactly how I feel. I want people to enjoy a nice cache in good shape.

That's why I try to check a couple of times per year. Usually once in early Spring, and another time in late Fall to clean up typical problems that often go unreported:

• Cache needs a wipe down to clear dirt and debris
• Lots of junk in the cache could use a clean up, maybe add a couple of new trinkets for the fun factor
• Logbook is almost full or full
• Water got trapped in the cache - log book and some contents are moldy

[+doc73]

I only have one that is mine, one I care for and one on the way so it is not to hard for me to check on them while I am in my normal course of life. Both of mine are in a park I am always at so it is no bother. They do require a bit of a hike so they have mostly been found by the local Geocacher's so now they are not probably going to be found as much since they require... walking!!.... To get to so I will probably back off my OCD monitoring of them unless a pattern of DNF's start.

 

Not to hijack the thread.. But for the CO vets out there, is it OK to check on other's caches? There are a few caches I walk past while doing my rounds. Would it be bad form to put a note on their page that it has been checked as alive and well?

[+K13]

I only have one that is mine, one I care for and one on the way so it is not to hard for me to check on them while I am in my normal course of life. Both of mine are in a park I am always at so it is no bother. They do require a bit of a hike so they have mostly been found by the local Geocacher's so now they are not probably going to be found as much since they require... walking!!.... To get to so I will probably back off my OCD monitoring of them unless a pattern of DNF's start.

 

Not to hijack the thread.. But for the CO vets out there, is it OK to check on other's caches? There are a few caches I walk past while doing my rounds. Would it be bad form to put a note on their page that it has been checked as alive and well?

 

Why not ask those CO and see what they think? After all, theirs is the only opinion that matters in your case.

[+WarNinjas]

I only have one that is mine, one I care for and one on the way so it is not to hard for me to check on them while I am in my normal course of life. Both of mine are in a park I am always at so it is no bother. They do require a bit of a hike so they have mostly been found by the local Geocacher's so now they are not probably going to be found as much since they require... walking!!.... To get to so I will probably back off my OCD monitoring of them unless a pattern of DNF's start.

 

Not to hijack the thread.. But for the CO vets out there, is it OK to check on other's caches? There are a few caches I walk past while doing my rounds. Would it be bad form to put a note on their page that it has been checked as alive and well?

We would appreciate it on any of our caches.

[4wheelin_fool]

I try to place the hides in interesting areas that I don't mind revisiting. I usually check all of the paddle tos in the early spring, and the others only if I suspect a problem. There's one that I drive by and verify that it's there without stopping the car, and another that I cannot find, although others keep finding it. My policy is that if I don't feel like visiting and doing maintenance out of my own disinterest, then it should be removed and archived.

[4wheelin_fool]

I only have one that is mine, one I care for and one on the way so it is not to hard for me to check on them while I am in my normal course of life. Both of mine are in a park I am always at so it is no bother. They do require a bit of a hike so they have mostly been found by the local Geocacher's so now they are not probably going to be found as much since they require... walking!!.... To get to so I will probably back off my OCD monitoring of them unless a pattern of DNF's start.

 

Not to hijack the thread.. But for the CO vets out there, is it OK to check on other's caches? There are a few caches I walk past while doing my rounds. Would it be bad form to put a note on their page that it has been checked as alive and well?

No that's good form. Bad form is posting the answers to other peoples puzzles in the forums.

[+jellis]

I guess it depends how many and how far away they are. I mostly don't bother unless someone posts it needs a new log, log is wet, cache maybe missing. I've had some of mine not be found for a year or more and when found the cachers say the cache is fine. Then I have some that seem to go missing quickly.

[+crazypig88]

I have two of mine within a half a mile of my house, so u like to bike up to them and just see how it's doing. The other two that I own are close to my school, so I will check on them about every other month.

[+MountainWoods]

Here's a thought from my experiences. There are a bunch of caches placed in a Conservation Area, with permission, by an experienced geocacher somewhere in my neck of the woods. They are spread out far enough that it would be a hardship for the CO to be checking on them constantly, so I'm pretty sure that he just goes by the logs to determine when to check on potential issues on a specific cache.

 

The positive side of this is that it was his varied and wide-spread set of GCs that got me (and some others) into this game. I am thankful that he put them out (of course), and that he put them out in such a far-ranging manner, even though doing so is more difficult for him.

 

I do not think of him as being a location hog at all. I realize that he was trying to do just what he did do: provide a wonderful geocaching experience for anyone in the area of that CA.

 

It would not be as pleasant an experience if all of the caches were huddled just outside of .1 miles in an area that would be convenient for the CO to check on them. It is the variety of spots, with their required hikes, that make the set of GCs a great experience.

[+captnemo]

When I first started I checked on them every month but that soon became almost impossible.

 

Now I check on them if I'm in the area or if there is a hint of a problem. For example a cache near mine is found but mine isn't or two out of three in a series are found but the third one isn't.

 

I put a series of 18 caches last year with about a 1/2 mile spread and encouraged others to add to the trail. Several have so now I have new finds to get while checking on mine.