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Cache found, not on map


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I don't geocache but I am a trail builder and I find a lot of caches hidden near the trails I have built. I've never had an issue with a cache before however I am constructing a new trail and discovered a cache in extremely rocky terrain, it was very well hidden with rocks covering the entire box to the point that you really couldn't even see the cache. Additionally, prior to clearing out the area where I was building trail, the area around the cache was completely impassable for 100' in any direction due to the density of undergrowth, even in the dead of winter it would have been nearly impossible to get to this cache without crawling on hands and knees through cedar branches and invasive honeysuckle. So either this cache is really old and pre-dates the invasives that have grown out of control in the past 5-10 years or it was placed after I opened the area up and made it accessible.

The cache is pretty cool, well placed and fits well with the intended use of the area I am working in however it appears that absolutely no one has any interest in returning the cache to where they found it. Every time I go out it's laying on the ground fully exposed with only a couple of the latches closed, I keep dropping it back down in the slot between two boulders where I found it and covering it with rocks to no avail. So I'm wondering if perhaps this an old cache that is no longer used and the general public (non-geocachers) are stumbling across it and opening it out of curiosity? How can I figure out who owns the cache so I can work with them to move it?

 

The cache does not show up on the map for me but its coordinates are roughly 38.991094, -94.796754.

Edited by SeanCairns
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It might be the final to a puzzle cache or a multi cache. The posted coordinates could be 2 miles away, so it wouldn't show up on the map at that location. Did you open it up and look at the log book/ sheet? Do that and see if the cache ID is on it or there's  a cache name. If there is none, then look at the name(s) of anyone who signed it. If it looks like  a geocacher name(s), then look up that person's profile on GC.com and send a message asking what cache it is so you can contact the owner. If it doesn't have a geocaching style log book or log sheet it might be a letterbox, not a cache. Also, it could very well be a Premium Member Only cache and wouldn't show up on your map. In that case, same advice.

Edited by The Rat
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14 hours ago, SeanCairns said:

I don't geocache but I am a trail builder and I find a lot of caches hidden near the trails I have built. I've never had an issue with a cache before however I am constructing a new trail and discovered a cache in extremely rocky terrain, it was very well hidden with rocks covering the entire box to the point that you really couldn't even see the cache. Additionally, prior to clearing out the area where I was building trail, the area around the cache was completely impassable for 100' in any direction due to the density of undergrowth, even in the dead of winter it would have been nearly impossible to get to this cache without crawling on hands and knees through cedar branches and invasive honeysuckle. So either this cache is really old and pre-dates the invasives that have grown out of control in the past 5-10 years or it was placed after I opened the area up and made it accessible.

The cache is pretty cool, well placed and fits well with the intended use of the area I am working in however it appears that absolutely no one has any interest in returning the cache to where they found it. Every time I go out it's laying on the ground fully exposed with only a couple of the latches closed, I keep dropping it back down in the slot between two boulders where I found it and covering it with rocks to no avail. So I'm wondering if perhaps this an old cache that is no longer used and the general public (non-geocachers) are stumbling across it and opening it out of curiosity? How can I figure out who owns the cache so I can work with them to move it?

 

The cache does not show up on the map for me but its coordinates are roughly 38.991094, -94.796754.

 

Putting those coordinates on a map shows it to be in a park that has quite a few caches, mostly traditional caches (where the location of the container is at the location shown on the map) as well as a fair amount of multi and puzzle caches.  I used to have a cache that was found out in the open a few times and wondered why that kept happening.  When I put it back the third time I noticed that part of the container had teeth marks on it and it became apparent that it wasn't a human that was moving the cache.  

 

The Rat's advice about looking for identifying information on/in the container (a cache name or GC number) is good as is jotting down the names of recent finders in the log book and trying to contact them to see if they know anything about it.  You can also look at some of the nearby multi or puzzle caches (this is the closest multi cache: https://coord.info/GC51QDE) and send a message to the cache owners and see if it's one of theirs.  

 

Since you found the container, you can sign the log sheet, then once you figure out which cache it is, log it as found.

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On 7/19/2018 at 6:44 AM, Isonzo Karst said:

I've sent a message to the owner of the Mystery cache that I'm thinking is right.  Hoping that proper connections can be made.

 

Thank you for contacting me, I don't think its any of mine. I know I've found one there at that location but I'm not seeing anything on any of my maps. I've reached out to a few other people to see if they have any ideas. But like P98 mentioned, if you could snap a photo of a a few pages we'd definitely be able to figure out who owns it and where it belongs. 

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I took a look in the cache again today. The larger canister does not have a log book or pencil but does have a laminated geocache.com info sheet. It also contains a bunch of film canisters, with each having a note inside, some have coordinates some with random quotes. It also has a grocery bag inside of a ziplock bag with a note saying "this might be helpful for the next step". 

 

The other smaller ammo box has a bunch of trinkets in it, a small notebook and pencil as well as the same laminated geocache.com info sheet. There is nothing written in the notebook.

 

So maybe this is a really well hidden puzzle piece that has been sitting there for years and no one has found?

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Edited by SeanCairns
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14 hours ago, SeanCairns said:

I took a look in the cache again today. The larger canister does not have a log book or pencil but does have a laminated geocache.com info sheet. It also contains a bunch of film canisters, with each having a note inside, some have coordinates some with random quotes. It also has a grocery bag inside of a ziplock bag with a note saying "this might be helpful for the next step". 

 

Some good clues here.  It looks like this is a multi cache of some kind and the stage you found contains a bunch of film cache,  one of which with coordinates to the next stage.  This sort of hide, with a bunch of film cans inside another container,  is supposed to be a clever way to frustrate finders by forcing them to open every film can until they find the log or in this case some sort of information that will lead finders to the next stage.   If this is part of a multi or puzzle cache (and not the initial starting point) you wouldn't see an icon on the map at this location.   

If you're seeing a set of coordinates in a few of those film cans, I suspect that the grocery bag inside the ziplock is a clue which tells you which of those set of coordinates needs to be used to determine where to go next.  There may be another stage after that, but it may be the final location where you'd find a log book.

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The cache is not mine. Though I can see why one might think it were mine. Looks like it is a stage of an involved multi or puzzle to me. I really would not suspect that the container is abandoned. It could be of course. But it takes a lot of work to set up a puzzle like that and that would be a lot of container to leave in the field. 

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