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Lonely Caches


Rick345

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Here's a list caches I've cobbled together that haven't been found since 12/31/09 or before. What inspired me to put together this list was a story about a trio that rediscovered a cache in Florida that hadn't been found in almost eight years.

 

There's no guarantee these caches still exist, but if you want to look for something elusive I've put'm in one spot.

 

I've included two links one to my list and if you scroll to the bottom of the list there's button that when generate a PQ of the list...

The second link takes you to my page were you can download a KML file so you can view the caches on Google Earth.

 

A few are in Florida, most are in California and Idaho, the plains states are barren of lonely caches. However, many states have at least one and there 're several on the west and east coasts of Canada. Lonely Caches are what I call ones that have not been visited in a long time.

 

Link to my Lonely Caches list

 

At the bottom of the list page you will find a way to generate a Pocket Query or LOC file of the list

 

Link to site were a KML file can be downloaded so the list can be viewed on Google Earth

Edited by Rick345
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I have a hard one to get to called Floatin' the Lux that was last logged by an into app user that is no longer active in 2013, though I suspect the last time the cache was actually logged was in April of 2009. I've made arrangements to go check on this one next month. Another cacher is coming with me, so if it's still there, he's gonna log it. Quite the dust-off if that intro app log is false.

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I have a hard one to get to called Floatin' the Lux that was last logged by an into app user that is no longer active in 2013, though I suspect the last time the cache was actually logged was in April of 2009. I've made arrangements to go check on this one next month. Another cacher is coming with me, so if it's still there, he's gonna log it. Quite the dust-off if that intro app log is false.

 

My guess is you're right the last person that truly logged it was probably in 2009 however, it didn't make my list because it was logged perhaps mistakingly so in 2013...

Edited by Rick345
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Lonely Caches are what I call ones that have not been visited in a

long time.

 

What do you define as a "long time"?

 

 

B.

 

A cache that hasn't been logged since 01/01/10

 

What makes that a magic date?

 

As I mentioned in the first line of this discussion the reason I made the list was I was inspired by a story of a trio of local cachers that found an ammo can cache in Florida that was last found in 2008.. The date is arbitrary it just somewhat matched what I read in the story.

 

What I discovered by making the list was interesting, there are a couple of caches hid in 2003 that have never been found. There are about 50 caches in California that haven't been found since 01/01/10 or before, yet Idaho has the record for lonely caches the state seems to be littered with them, I haven't tallied the actual count for Idaho but just looking at Google Earth I would guess its 75-80... Idaho is a mountainous, rugged, sparsely populated, place to be sure, so that's a large part of the answer, but Wyoming fits that bill as well but only has a dozen so so long lost caches.

 

It was very surprising at least to me that a state as large as Texas only has one. I was also surprised my State Alabama doesn't have a cache "lost" since 2009. I was also surprised that several cache owners whose caches are on my list came forward and have assured readers that their long lost caches were there, just hard to get to.

 

To better describe what the list will hopefully help you find. Its a list of caches of regular or larger size, that are traditional type, that were last found in 2009 or before. I chose the size and type to give the users of my list a fighting chance of finding a listed cache. If you find an ammo can sized cache lost for over six years you became a bit of a celebrity. Also larger caches have a better chance of surviving the elements than a nano or film canister. I have flagged the list so if any of the caches it contains are found I'll receive a notice.

 

What I like someone to explain to me why is Idaho king of the lonely caches? Colorado and Wyoming are just as rugged, not to mention Montana. Why does Texas only have one? Why doesn't New Mexico have at least one? I go to New Mexico for vacation occasionally and parts of the state are very remote. I remember traveling from Roswell, NM to Vaughn, NM on HYW 285 and never seeing a house, a barn, a shed a building of any type. Its a road trip of about 100 miles. Southern NM is inhospitable desert, northern NM is rugged mountains, yet it doesn't have any caches within my perimeters that have been "lost" since 2009. I find that interesting.

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What I discovered by making the list was interesting, there are a couple of caches hid in 2003 that have never been found. There are about 50 caches in California that haven't been found since 01/01/10 or before, yet Idaho has the record for lonely caches the state seems to be littered with them, I haven't tallied the actual count for Idaho but just looking at Google Earth I would guess its 75-80... Idaho is a mountainous, rugged, sparsely populated, place to be sure, so that's a large part of the answer, but Wyoming fits that bill as well but only has a dozen so so long lost caches.

Out of interest, did you look outside of the US/Canada?

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Are you aware of the story of the 4.5lb Walleye cache, by any chance?

 

Thread about the finding of 4.5lb Walleye: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=311580&st=500&p=5269339&fromsearch=1entry5269339

 

And here is another Lonely Cache thread that may hold some interest for you: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=324630&st=0&p=5418182&fromsearch=1entry5418182

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Are you aware of the story of the 4.5lb Walleye cache, by any chance?

 

Thread about the finding of 4.5lb Walleye: http://forums.Ground...1

 

And here is another Lonely Cache thread that may hold some interest for you: http://forums.Ground...1

 

I have looked into the logistics for getting to Conch Shell Horn and, although it would be pretty expensive it appears doable, especially if 2-3 cacher could get together to charter a boat for the last part of the trip (a 4-5 hour boat ride).

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Are you aware of the story of the 4.5lb Walleye cache, by any chance?

 

Thread about the finding of 4.5lb Walleye: http://forums.Ground...1

 

And here is another Lonely Cache thread that may hold some interest for you: http://forums.Ground...1

 

I have looked into the logistics for getting to Conch Shell Horn and, although it would be pretty expensive it appears doable, especially if 2-3 cacher could get together to charter a boat for the last part of the trip (a 4-5 hour boat ride).

 

Conch Shell Horn is on my to-do list since quite a while, but honestly speaking, I don't feel like visiting Venezuela as a tourist ... (even having family living there!). Where are you planning to board the boat?

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What I discovered by making the list was interesting, there are a couple of caches hid in 2003 that have never been found. There are about 50 caches in California that haven't been found since 01/01/10 or before, yet Idaho has the record for lonely caches the state seems to be littered with them, I haven't tallied the actual count for Idaho but just looking at Google Earth I would guess its 75-80... Idaho is a mountainous, rugged, sparsely populated, place to be sure, so that's a large part of the answer, but Wyoming fits that bill as well but only has a dozen so so long lost caches.

Out of interest, did you look outside of the US/Canada?

 

No not yet, in fact the list only includes the lower 48, hopefully today I can do Alaska, Hawaii, Northern Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the remainder of Canada...

Edited by Rick345
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It isn't difficult to find them yourself with a PQ. After defining the PQ (be sure it was placed at least a year ago, is enabled, etc.), preview the results, then sort the results by last find date. You may have to click the column twice to find the oldest.

 

Then think about your results...2 years without a find and 6 DNFs in a row probably isn't really a lonely cache.

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At the risk of sounding like a fool.. what's a PQ?

 

Pocket Queries are a way of downloading a select group of caches to your computer or a device. If I recall correctly, they are only available to Premium members.

 

Austin

 

Thank you! I plan on getting a premium membership soon, but I bought one for partner before I bought myself one (silly I know lol)

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Interesting that you would note ID as being a state with a lot of these. One on the list, a 5/5, was one I was going to look for a couple of years ago when I need that D/T combo. Wasn't looking forward to it as the hike in sounded a bit difficult. We have a lot of forest service roads in ID, and finding the right one to get to a cache is a challenge. There are a couple on the list I might go for. Too bad I sold my Jeep a couple of weeks ago--sounds like it's needed, as some of the roads are a bit rocky. But, I do have a Land Rover replacement, so that might work. Thanks for the list!

Edited by GrateBear
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Loneliest cache I found was an FTF 2 years after publish, Hans Brinker's Cache, after a friend and I looked at the puzzle for a couple of days then rushed down there ASAP to log it (and meet the CO). After word spread (away from its locals) about the puzzle (w/no spoilers), it was soon archived. The locals were none too pleased. So much drama surrounding that one... 2 years the CO had to put up with grief from people dry.gif. But it was a fun rush :)

 

4.5lb Walleye was a fun one to watch! Seeing the location tracker chirp in, and the tension rising as they drew closer to gz - did they find it?? did they?? Good times :)

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Loneliest cache I found was an FTF 2 years after publish, Hans Brinker's Cache, after a friend and I looked at the puzzle for a couple of days then rushed down there ASAP to log it (and meet the CO). After word spread (away from its locals) about the puzzle (w/no spoilers), it was soon archived. The locals were none too pleased. So much drama surrounding that one... 2 years the CO had to put up with grief from people dry.gif. But it was a fun rush :)

 

4.5lb Walleye was a fun one to watch! Seeing the location tracker chirp in, and the tension rising as they drew closer to gz - did they find it?? did they?? Good times :)

 

Well...I don't know if I really consider unfound caches necessarily as "lonely" caches. There are several unfound traditional caches I can think of that have had numerous attempts with no finds (Down With The Slickness and Got to Get Down to Get Up come to mind right away)...but to me a "lonely" cache is one that may or may not be easily found, but just doesn't get that many folks looking for it.

 

I found one along a paved trail that actually got a fair amount of traffic (Path 2), but for some reason nobody looked for it (or at least nobody logged looking for it) for 14 months! Even the caches near it got logged during that time period, but for some reason they didn't log this one. It wasn't too difficult to find, so I have no idea why it went so long. To me, a lonely cache is one that just doesn't get attention. The ones that everyone seems to be trying to find don't really strike me as "lonely".

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To me, a lonely cache is one that just doesn't get attention. The ones that everyone seems to be trying to find don't really strike me as "lonely".

+1

My neighbor finally admitted that the reason she wants to head out with me on longer walks is the lonely caches.

I never really thought about it. They're simply in the right environments.

- She's doing some challenges that total years...

 

My two lonelys just got hit not even two weeks apart.

One, a simple almost level one-mile walk (one way), a year lonely.

The other, a two mile (one way) paddle-to multi wasn't attempted since '11.

Funny and weird.

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I've just considered lonely caches any cache that hasn't had any find activity for a long time; whether it's from a find, or the placement. (and from what I've seen, challenge caches tend to accept that as a default, unless explicitly said it must be previously found, or unfound, etc)

Unfound caches can feel 'lonely' too, yo! :P

 

But yes, the dynamic is a little different if the cache has already been found and verified, meaning it can (theoretically) be found. So then, the other factor in what type of activity - what about a very very difficult cache that's not hard to get to, just hard to find? Say, a year unfound, with oodles of people having visited and posted DNFs. Lots of activity at the cache, just lonely on the 'success'. Is that still "lonely" by your definition?

 

This "To me, a lonely cache is one that just doesn't get attention. The ones that everyone seems to be trying to find don't really strike me as "lonely"." makes me think that a cache which has been found, but gets a lot of DNF activity, you wouldn't consider lonely. So, lonely then becomes an unquantifiable measure, by available stats. It's not about the time since last find, or whether it's previously been found. It's now about how much 'activity' the cache gets (of any kind). So, am I right that you consider a cache lonely if a] it has previously been found, b] has not been found for a long period of time, c] does not get a lot of local searching activity?

 

It's a flexible term. Challenges for example just need to be clear what they mean by 'lonely'.

 

Then there's also distance lonely - caches with no other cache around for great distances. Those are getting harder and harder to find though with the geocaching creep into the countryside, all over populated areas.

 

tl;dr:

I've just come to see 'lonely' as an arbitrarily large measurement of some attribute between state A and state B. B):wacko:

Edited by thebruce0
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I've just considered lonely caches any cache that hasn't had any find activity for a long time; whether it's from a find, or the placement. (and from what I've seen, challenge caches tend to accept that as a default, unless explicitly said it must be previously found, or unfound, etc)

Unfound caches can feel 'lonely' too, yo! :P

 

But yes, the dynamic is a little different if the cache has already been found and verified, meaning it can (theoretically) be found. So then, the other factor in what type of activity - what about a very very difficult cache that's not hard to get to, just hard to find? Say, a year unfound, with oodles of people having visited and posted DNFs. Lots of activity at the cache, just lonely on the 'success'. Is that still "lonely" by your definition?

 

This "To me, a lonely cache is one that just doesn't get attention. The ones that everyone seems to be trying to find don't really strike me as "lonely"." makes me think that a cache which has been found, but gets a lot of DNF activity, you wouldn't consider lonely. So, lonely then becomes an unquantifiable measure, by available stats. It's not about the time since last find, or whether it's previously been found. It's now about how much 'activity' the cache gets (of any kind). So, am I right that you consider a cache lonely if a] it has previously been found, b] has not been found for a long period of time, c] does not get a lot of local searching activity?

It's a flexible term. Challenges for example just need to be clear what they mean by 'lonely'.

 

Then there's also distance lonely - caches with no other cache around for great distances. Those are getting harder and harder to find though with the geocaching creep into the countryside, all over populated areas.

 

tl;dr:

I've just come to see 'lonely' as an arbitrarily large measurement of some attribute between state A and state B. B):wacko:

 

Leave it to you to overthink the whole thing.

But yes...I'd agree to points A, B and C...though the challenge aspect brings up a good point. I wonder if a challenge could require the definition of 'lonely' to be activity on the cache rather than just finds. So if a cache is found in January, then in the next 11 months there is a string of DNFs, maybe a NM and a OM log in there, then is found again in January of the following year...it might not be considered "lonely" and would not count in the challenge.

 

I guess I just see "lonely" as implying a lack of interest or notice, which is reflected in the logs as activity. If one cache goes years without being found, but there are folks actively seeking it on a regular basis, I'd categorize that as what many call a "DNF Cache" or "evil hide".

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Yeah, I think too much, often to a fault :laughing:

 

But I'm glad that point got clarified. I don't think I've ever talked to a cacher who labeled a cache "lonely" only by lack of online logging activity. It's always been lonely based on the amount of time since the last Find (or in cases, Publish). So that's new; IMO, it's limiting, but at least helps this conversation a bit I think :)

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Where I live on Vancouver Island there is a hard core cacher who places caches not only where ATVs can't go. She has several that have been sitting, unfound (except by me in most cases) for years. She usually places them in the late fall and I always know they are good for a FTF 6 monthes (or in one case 2 years) after placement. I remember when I started caching a few years ago I had no idea how difficult it was supposed to be so I went after one in the woods near where I was staying. It turns out I was the only one to find it in over 6 years. The owner immediately after this moved it to an easier location from this so called impossible place and it was found one week later by a guy in a jeep. I found it second but because I don't have an off-roader it took me a 12km hike.

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I have a hard one to get to called Floatin' the Lux that was last logged by an into app user that is no longer active in 2013, though I suspect the last time the cache was actually logged was in April of 2009. I've made arrangements to go check on this one next month. Another cacher is coming with me, so if it's still there, he's gonna log it. Quite the dust-off if that intro app log is false.

 

Add it to the list! I checked on this one today. The 2013 log was not in the logbook. The other cacher could not make it, so no one logged a "found it" today. That makes it over 6 years of loneliness.

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