Found a cache not in the map

[Sam Hobbs]

I apologize for using the incorrect terminology.

I found a cache a couple of years ago. I logged it. Then I found another one that I did not log. Recently I could not find the second one so I logged that failure; it is likely gone. I looked at the map to see what is in my area and I could not find the first one I had found. So I returned to where it was at. Well there is a tube there that looks like a cache with just a blank piece of paper inside it.

Is there anything I can do or should do? Probably not. I could sign the paper assuming it is a cache but that is all I can think of. Except it is so close to where the second cache was at that it might be too close. For multiple reasons the one that is there but not in the map cannot be the one that is supposed to be near there. Could it be that the one that is supposed to be there has been taken by someone that wants to make the first one available? I doubt it but it seems suspicious to me.

Edited March 16, 2018 by Sam Hobbs

[+Touchstone]

If by, "a couple of years ago", you mean 2012, that cache has been Archived by the cache owner, so won't appear on the maps anymore.  The "tube" you found with the blank paper, might have been a placement that was never submitted.

[+noncentric]

Touchstone already mentioned that the tube with the blank paper could be a cache that was placed, but wasn't published (yet).

The other possibilities are that the tube you found with the blank paper could be a Premium Member Only cache, which you wouldn't see on the map because you're a Basic Member. The tube could also be the final location of a Mystery or Multi cache, which usually shows up on the map in a different location. The tube might be part of a Mystery/Multi cache, and the paper might have something written on it in UV ink.

[+KBoyd2017]

So I'll put this here as it's a similar issue. 

We were looking for a simple spot (LPC) for my daughter to put her first cache and we found the perfect spot, except when I lifted the skirt for her to put her container in, there was a little pink box. It had an old log dating back several years, but had logs as recent as a year ago. This cache isn't on the geocaching map, and there were no notes or anything indicating clues to a different spot. Could this just be a de-activated cache that simply never got removed by the owner? And what would be the etiquette here if my girl still wants to use this spot? Is it wrong to take over one like this? I'd prefer her to just find a new spot, but I'm curious as to what you guys think. 

Also is there any way to see if it's an old cache that was deactivated? 

[+TriciaG]

KBoyd - it could be a cache that was never removed.

If you can list a couple of the old names and dates they signed the log, some of the GC sleuths around here might be able to find the archived listing. Also, where the cache was is a help, too. Be as specific as you can, since this is a worldwide game. ("In the Walmart parking lot in our town" isn't going to help much. What town? Approximate coordinates, if possible?)

[+niraD]

1 hour ago, KBoyd2017 said:

So I'll put this here as it's a similar issue. 

We were looking for a simple spot (LPC) for my daughter to put her first cache and we found the perfect spot, except when I lifted the skirt for her to put her container in, there was a little pink box. It had an old log dating back several years, but had logs as recent as a year ago. This cache isn't on the geocaching map, and there were no notes or anything indicating clues to a different spot. Could this just be a de-activated cache that simply never got removed by the owner? And what would be the etiquette here if my girl still wants to use this spot? Is it wrong to take over one like this? I'd prefer her to just find a new spot, but I'm curious as to what you guys think. 

Also is there any way to see if it's an old cache that was deactivated? 

When I've found caches that I wasn't actually looking for, I used the dates and names from some of the old logs to identify which cache it was. I just looked up the names and then looked up the caches those members found on those dates.

There are a number of possibilities. Given that there are logs, it almost certainly isn't a cache that was hidden but never published. But it could be an old cache that was archived (e.g., because someone "hid it better than they found it" and the CO could no longer find it and thought it had been muggled). Or it could be the final for a mystery/puzzle cache or for a multi-cache. If there's a stamp in it (or if there used to be a stamp in it, but the stamp was stolen), then it could be a letterbox hybrid cache. It could even be listed on some other site.

Edited April 10, 2018 by niraD

[+KBoyd2017]

Thanks guys. I'll go back and take a pic of the log and see if I can get some names and dates to sleuth. 

[+icezebra11]

My first inclination is that it's the final of a mystery or multi.  Check for mystery and multi icons on the map within a two mile radius of where you found it.  Depending on where you live and cache density, that could range from "not many so this should be quick" to "so many it's not worth it."  Maybe you'll come across logs that match the log book.

[garyo1954]

Or.....

It could be a local cache not listed/registered here. You might find it listed on another site.

[+colleda]

There could be a lesson in this for placing your own caches and that is to always, if possible, have the GC code and your owner name somewhere on outside of the container and on the log sheet/book.

[+Braveheart2665]

I was out caching this afternoon and on my way back I stumbled upon what looked like another cache. So I pulled the container out & sure enough it had been placed there earlier this month by a girl scout troop. They had a log & some goodies in it and but it wasn't on the map & I  believe only 300 or so feet away  from another on the map. They had all the lingo in the log so someone must of had some idea about geocaching. Should I try to get in touch with them to let them know a cache has to be registered to be listed on the map so others can find it ? I'm a new cacher with 35 finds so far so I wasn't sure what to do. Thanks.

[+Max and 99]

46 minutes ago, Braveheart2665 said:

I was out caching this afternoon and on my way back I stumbled upon what looked like another cache. So I pulled the container out & sure enough it had been placed there earlier this month by a girl scout troop. They had a log & some goodies in it and but it wasn't on the map & I  believe only 300 or so feet away  from another on the map. They had all the lingo in the log so someone must of had some idea about geocaching. Should I try to get in touch with them to let them know a cache has to be registered to be listed on the map so others can find it ? I'm a new cacher with 35 finds so far so I wasn't sure what to do. Thanks.

I would first contact them and just inquire about the cache status, without the lecture. Then, based on the information they provide, I might give them some helpful feedback. That's just what I would do. 

Have you checked to see if it's registered on another site? In that case the distance doesn't matter. It's an unlikely scenario but possible. 

[+kunarion]

52 minutes ago, Braveheart2665 said:

I was out caching this afternoon and on my way back I stumbled upon what looked like another cache. So I pulled the container out & sure enough it had been placed there earlier this month by a girl scout troop. They had a log & some goodies in it and but it wasn't on the map & I  believe only 300 or so feet away  from another on the map. They had all the lingo in the log so someone must of had some idea about geocaching. Should I try to get in touch with them to let them know a cache has to be registered to be listed on the map so others can find it ? I'm a new cacher with 35 finds so far so I wasn't sure what to do. Thanks.

 

Yes, it's good to ask them about it.  Is there a "GC" cache code on it or inside?  It may not be in its original spot.  Sometimes caches are placed just for fun, and sometimes with the intent of listing on Geocaching.com.  From your description, it wouldn't be activated.  Also, there are other sites where caches may be listed.

 

If you can't seem to contact the troop, you could also ask an active cache owner of a nearby cache.  Someone may know more about it.

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by kunarion
My dog unplugged my alarm clock.

[+cerberus1]

3 hours ago, Braveheart2665 said:

I was out caching this afternoon and on my way back I stumbled upon what looked like another cache.

So I pulled the container out & sure enough it had been placed there earlier this month by a girl scout troop.

They had a log & some goodies in it and but it wasn't on the map & I  believe only 300 or so feet away  from another on the map.

They had all the lingo in the log so someone must of had some idea about geocaching. Should I try to get in touch with them to let them know a cache has to be registered to be listed on the map so others can find it ? I'm a new cacher with 35 finds so far so I wasn't sure what to do. Thanks.

 

It could be looked at by a Reviewer as you typed this.    I would have signed the log JIC.    

If too close... you don't know, a Reviewer might have said something to them already, and they just haven't fixed it yet.

We have a friend (and have done similar ourselves...) that places caches when hunting, fishing, and hiking, and maybe it's six months to a year before it's sent to a Reviewer to be published.  

[geoawareUSA9]

3 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

7 hours ago, Braveheart2665 said:

I was out caching this afternoon and on my way back I stumbled upon what looked like another cache.

So I pulled the container out & sure enough it had been placed there earlier this month by a girl scout troop.

They had a log & some goodies in it and but it wasn't on the map & I  believe only 300 or so feet away  from another on the map.

They had all the lingo in the log so someone must of had some idea about geocaching. Should I try to get in touch with them to let them know a cache has to be registered to be listed on the map so others can find it ? I'm a new cacher with 35 finds so far so I wasn't sure what to do. Thanks.

 

It could be looked at by a Reviewer as you typed this. 

 

It could be looked at by a reviewer now, if @Braveheart2665 provides a little more information, like its approximate location.

Edited September 30, 2021 by geoawareUSA9