Old Dates

[+JRMGSJ]

I am looking at Geocashes on my map near me... dates are 2003, 2005, etc.... these are over 10 years old... how do you search for new geocaches and are those even relevant anymore?

[+cerberus1]

You don't have any finds yet, so couldn't get a location.

If you have so many "old" caches that there's few "new", I'd bet there's a lot of folks who'd like to know where that is.    

Caches don't have expiration dates.  If they're in decent condition, they could stay there until the hobby ends.

[+arisoft]

58 minutes ago, JRMGSJ said:

I am looking at Geocashes on my map near me... dates are 2003, 2005, etc.... these are over 10 years old... how do you search for new geocaches and are those even relevant anymore?

 

How lucky you are. Old caches are considered better than new caches. Many geocachers complain about having too many new caches plastered everywhere.

[+The A-Team]

1 hour ago, JRMGSJ said:

I am looking at Geocashes on my map near me... dates are 2003, 2005, etc.... these are over 10 years old... how do you search for new geocaches and are those even relevant anymore?

 

All caches should be shown on the map regardless of when they were hidden. If the only caches you see in your area are that old, then it could be that nobody has hidden any caches in your area recently.

[+JRMGSJ]

I have never done this before, so I guess I am concerned that they won't be there? is that a thing? I am concerned I'm late to the game with this whole thing?

 

Im excited! just not really sure what I'm in for

[+arisoft]

12 minutes ago, JRMGSJ said:

I have never done this before, so I guess I am concerned that they won't be there?

 

If you check log entries of a cache you will see when it has been found. If there is no finds for a long time the cache may be lost.

[+Windstorm+]

While caches do go missing on occasion, if the listing is active (not archived), the cache is most likely there whether it was placed 10 years ago or last week. When a cache does go missing, the owner is supposed to replace it or archive it, but sometimes that takes a little time. You can read the recent logs by other cachers to see how recently they searched and whether they found the cache.

[+JRMGSJ]

21 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

You don't have any finds yet, so couldn't get a location.

If you have so many "old" caches that there's few "new", I'd bet there's a lot of folks who'd like to know where that is.    

Caches don't have expiration dates.  If they're in decent condition, they could stay there until the hobby ends.

I am in the Lakes Region of NH

[+cerberus1]

19 hours ago, JRMGSJ said:

I have never done this before, so I guess I am concerned that they won't be there? is that a thing? I am concerned I'm late to the game with this whole thing?

Im excited! just not really sure what I'm in for

 

A new cache placed today might not be there tomorrow.  

A fisherman, hunter, hiker, park maintenance, or kid may have found it,  and not knowing what it is, took it home or pitched it 

That's why proper logging by others is so important, and why it's always a good idea to pick up all you can from Geocaching 101 and the Help Center.

We have many here who only head for older, "lonely" caches.

 - Imagine their disgust if no one ever said anything, and every cache they attempted wasn't there.

By placing a DNF (did not find) or a NM (needs maintenance) log, the Cache Owner and others  can see there's issues. 

The last couple logs often tells you all you need to know about a cache.

[+The A-Team]

20 hours ago, JRMGSJ said:

I am concerned I'm late to the game with this whole thing?

 

Geocaching has been around for about 19 years, but I wouldn't say you're late to the game. New members are constantly joining, and new caches are being placed around the world every minute, so the game is always evolving. For example, 168 caches have been hidden in New Hampshire since the start of the year. The screenshot below shows where these are in the state. I expect more will be hidden as the weather improves coming up to summer.

 

[+NYPaddleCacher]

On 4/15/2019 at 7:54 PM, JRMGSJ said:

I have never done this before, so I guess I am concerned that they won't be there? is that a thing? I am concerned I'm late to the game with this whole thing?

 

Im excited! just not really sure what I'm in for

 

Just to make sure that you're not having any misconceptions in how the game is played;  when a cache is found, the finder might trade some items (swag) in the cache, and will sign the log sheet and replace the container so that it's available for the next seeker.   Older caches may have just been found more times than a new cache.  A cache that has been around since the early 2000's is likely hidden well enough that non-geocachers would not stumble upon it.