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Terrible area, should I log a DNF, if so how?"


SkellyCA

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I just stopped on my way home to look for a cache that had been published last night, thought I might even be the FTF. 

 

Anyway, the area is a total homeless place, though I didn't see anyone but clear signs, trash all around, jury rigged ovens(I think), just gave me the willy's just being there. The CO only has a couple finds and this is the their hide. I maybe spend 2 minutes looking cause I didn't want to be there.

 

Should I log the DNF and if so, should I mention how bad I thought the area was?
 

This cache is also next to train tracks, albeit unused for many years. I was standing on the tracks and my eTrex 30x said I was 2' away.

 

So is there something else I should do?

 

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6 minutes ago, Crow-T-Robot said:

If that was your experience, there is nothing wrong with writing an honest log. As a cache owner, if something was making you feel like searching for my cache wasn't safe or proper, I'd want to hear about it.

 

And as a female finder who caches on her own, I would definitely want to know about the "total homeless place, though I didn't see anyone but clear signs, trash all around, jury rigged ovens(I think), just gave me the willy's just being there." So OP, definitely, yes please, log a DNF and outline the conditions of the location. It's important to future finders. 

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1 hour ago, SkellyCA said:

I just stopped on my way home to look for a cache that had been published last night, thought I might even be the FTF. 

Anyway, the area is a total homeless place, though I didn't see anyone but clear signs, trash all around, jury rigged ovens(I think), just gave me the willy's just being there. The CO only has a couple finds and this is the their hide. I maybe spend 2 minutes looking cause I didn't want to be there.

Should I log the DNF and if so, should I mention how bad I thought the area was?

This cache is also next to train tracks, albeit unused for many years. I was standing on the tracks and my eTrex 30x said I was 2' away.

 

If you looked and didn't find a cache, log a DNF.  I'd use a write note if I didn't bother...    

You say the area is a "total homeless place", yet you didn't see anyone or feel unsafe.  We've seen areas trashed by partiers in one weekend.  

I would appreciate knowing if my cache areas are now trash dumps, and future finders would too.    :)

Rails to trails here were all "unused for many years train tracks" at one time.   I'd think the Reviewer could see that before published.

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31 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

 

If you looked and didn't find a cache, log a DNF.  I'd use a write note if I didn't bother...    

You say the area is a "total homeless place", yet you didn't see anyone or feel unsafe.  We've seen areas trashed by partiers in one weekend.  

I would appreciate knowing if my cache areas are now trash dumps, and future finders would too.    :)

Rails to trails here were all "unused for many years train tracks" at one time.   I'd think the Reviewer could see that before published.

 

This wasn't trashed by partiers. The cache was published about 9:00 last night and the area looks like it has been lived in for quite a while

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43 minutes ago, colleda said:

If it's the CO's first hide it is quite possible they got the coordinates wrong. Log a DNF as suggested above then put it on your watch list to see if any other seekers have similar problems and also DNF.

 

 

The area is as described on the cache page, just not to the extent that I saw. So I'm sure it's the right area.

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It's a good question. I could see how someone might want to "armchair" log a DNF by simply looking at a location and thinking "ugh I don't want to go there, that's the bad part of town, or that's a known homeless person hangout" or whatever reason. But you actually went there and even started looking for the cache. Deserves a DNF and, as was mentioned previously, some sort of public log giving other people a "heads up" as to what's going on there.

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1 hour ago, Korichnovui said:

It's a good question. I could see how someone might want to "armchair" log a DNF by simply looking at a location and thinking "ugh I don't want to go there, that's the bad part of town, or that's a known homeless person hangout" or whatever reason.

I'm puzzled by this (and we may be getting off-topic here but, anyway....) If I see a cache published that I don't want to go after for whatever reason, I just ... don't go there. No armchair logs, I just simply ignore it.

 

There was one published this morning, about 5 am, just a couple of miles from home.  Right across the street from the local high school.  On the first day of school.  We saw it when we got up, and thought, NO WAY are we going to go look for this today!! (It was found, at 1 this afternoon, just before school let out for the day, but not by us!)  No thoughts of an armchair log, we just laughed about the location and the timing and let someone else have fun with it.

 

We've found some in some questionable areas (and made note of it in our logs), we've DNF'd others in questionable areas, but only if we've visited GZ first - and more to let others know of the situation they may find when seeking the cache.

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6 minutes ago, CAVinoGal said:

I'm puzzled by this (and we may be getting off-topic here but, anyway....) If I see a cache published that I don't want to go after for whatever reason, I just ... don't go there. No armchair logs, I just simply ignore it.

 

There was one published this morning, about 5 am, just a couple of miles from home.  Right across the street from the local high school.  On the first day of school.  We saw it when we got up, and thought, NO WAY are we going to go look for this today!! (It was found, at 1 this afternoon, just before school let out for the day, but not by us!)  No thoughts of an armchair log, we just laughed about the location and the timing and let someone else have fun with it.

 

We've found some in some questionable areas (and made note of it in our logs), we've DNF'd others in questionable areas, but only if we've visited GZ first - and more to let others know of the situation they may find when seeking the cache.

 I have the same philosophy. There was a cache in St. Louis that led you into an abandoned factory area (or, what looked like that to an outsider). I was like "no way!" for this girl-looked like a good area to get jumped. I just went onto another cache. As I circled around, I saw what appeared to be another cacher coming out of the area, happy as a clam. So, I think it is an individual preference. 

 

As far as area where someone who is homeless is living, we just had this experience. Looked like someone had a fishing area all set up and a tent nearby.  I never saw them, and I assume maybe they heard me coming (?). I believe, in this case, the cache was there before the settlement and it seemed relatively safe. I guess maybe a private note to the CO might be okay, since they can decide to check on the area in more depth. Decide if they want to keep the cache there, as it will probably go missing fairly easily.

Edited by BugLuv
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Maybe this cache could be found in the daylight (I also mostly cache alone), rather than at night, or go in a group. It might be uncomfortable though, as it feels like you are invading someone's living space. Disappointing for a FTF attempt.

As a female the sort of caches that annoy me more are ones in areas where females are not allowed to go. I saw some on an island (religious place) which only allows males to visit, so females can't find those caches. Also a cache placed outside the entrance to a male toilet. With all the males using the facilities, I couldn't hang around the door to find the cache, so another as a female I couldn't find.

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10 hours ago, SkellyCA said:

Anyway, the area is a total homeless place, though I didn't see anyone but clear signs, trash all around, jury rigged ovens(I think), just gave me the willy's just being there. The CO only has a couple finds and this is the their hide. I maybe spend 2 minutes looking cause I didn't want to be there.

 

This cache is also next to train tracks, albeit unused for many years. I was standing on the tracks and my eTrex 30x said I was 2' away.

 

I wouldn't go for it if in such a place but, since you went there and looked for the cache, log a DNF (and describe your experience) ;)

 

Standing on the tracks is illegal here, there are regular campaigns to discourage people doing this as there are several deaths every year (and a lot of close calls).

 

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1 hour ago, Goldenwattle said:

It was stated, the railway line was" unused for many years ".

We have one like that close by. Not used for many years (20+?) by the rail co but once a year there's an historic steamtrain doing a 10Km ride back an forth during a festivities weekend, walking the rails remains forbidden all the time and railway crossings are operating all the time (although with "white" lights). The track remains railway co property and thus "off limits".

 

 

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12 hours ago, SkellyCA said:

Should I log the DNF and if so, should I mention how bad I thought the area was?

 

You post the DNF because you tried to find the cache and did not succeed. You should post DNF no matter how you feel or like the place.

 

12 hours ago, SkellyCA said:

So is there something else I should do?

 

You could ignore the cache if you are not going to find it. Or you could add it to your watch list if you are not sure yet. Some players do both B)

Edited by arisoft
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10 minutes ago, on4bam said:

We have one like that close by. Not used for many years (20+?) by the rail co but once a year there's an historic steamtrain doing a 10Km ride back an forth during a festivities weekend, walking the rails remains forbidden all the time and railway crossings are operating all the time (although with "white" lights). The track remains railway co property and thus "off limits".

 

 

So that line is not unused. Maybe the company train no longer uses it, but it is still used.

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Whatever the rules, some disused lines are used here to walk on. The tracks can be seen following them. I doubt the railway authority could be bothered policing a line which has been closed for say 50 years. To close a line also varies between states. For instance, in NSW a line can't be closed without an act of Parliament, although farmers will often (wrongly) claim they now own it, while in Victoria it doesn't need an act of Parliament to close it. There are of course official trails along some lines. Mostly in Victoria. Geocachers can be found along some of these closed lines. Crossing someone's property is a no-no though to get to the line. Also if people didn't walk on railway lines to cross them, it might be a long way to find an official crossing in more remote places. It would be like my Tom Tom telling me to drive 100kms to do a U-turn (next side road - it was doing it by the book) and adding 200 kms to my trip (I didn't). Farmers also mightn't be able to access their fields without crossing the old line., such as this farm gate very close to a closed line. I do wonder if the gate was there when the line was active. Wouldn't surprise me it it were :lol::o. Very impractical in a lot of country areas if one could only use an official crossing, which might be a long, long walk to get to.

Gate.jpg

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Yes, Oz is a bit awkward that way ;) and local laws/habits/rules can differ a lot. I don't know (didn't look at the profile) where the TS is from.

 

Getting back on topic: I would log a DNF, write about what I saw and put the cache on my ignorelist (the real one or my mental "not worth it" list).

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5 hours ago, on4bam said:

We have one like that close by. Not used for many years (20+?) by the rail co but once a year there's an historic steamtrain doing a 10Km ride back an forth during a festivities weekend, walking the rails remains forbidden all the time and railway crossings are operating all the time (although with "white" lights). The track remains railway co property and thus "off limits".

 

 

No historictoric trains here, big industrial area and this is at the end of the track

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13 hours ago, SkellyCA said:

I logged it mentioning the "lived in" look and that the current resident could come home any time and gave me the willy's. I also mentioned the trash.

 

That's a perfectly good log in that situation. Whether I find it or not, I often log that "there are many containers here", in a trashy spot. Some log that "this would be a suitable place for a CITO Event".  Most cachers log the find, mention nothing and move on. 

 

So it's this cache.  You found a similar cache a couple blocks up the tracks and mentioned no particular issue.  The place in the picture. Both caches are in a "cat hotel" area, where people set up assorted found trash to shelter and feed stray cats.  Looking at the map, it doesn't seem at first to be a likely homeless hangout, but zoom in and you see the larger trash pieces.

 

The train hasn't run on that spur in a while.  Trees are growing through the tracks.

 

5a671dfb-cf62-40ef-9f5e-628bfc4f49d1_l.jpg

 

 

Edited by kunarion
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4 minutes ago, kunarion said:

One day someone found the ammo box, removed the cache log book, and only that, and used several pages as toilet paper. :o

 

We'd see that on the AT a lot.  Hikers knowing there's "some sorta paper..."  in caches, good 'til they get to the next town.

We picked up coleman's TP in bulk,  left a couple each maintenance in ammo cans, and the logs stayed.  

I drop TP off at shelters whenever I'm up there now. 

 

We finally found out a hunter was "borrowing" things from an ammo can (in a series) that happened to be only a few feet from his stand area.

Turns out he'd watch folks below, never yelled at them, and they never looked up.    :laughing:

TP once, and "forgot a pen", and borrowed a pencil to write out his kill tag.   We thought that a fair trade...

 

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My first FTF in the US was in San Antonio, apparently outside a crack house.  I got there at 6 AM, so I didn't have issues.  But other finders weren't so pleased.

 

I've run across more than one cache in a homeless encampment.  Turns out that an out of the way place that's perfect for a geocache, can also be an out of the way place that's perfect for camping out and avoiding attention.

 

I usually mention such circumstances in a matter of fact log and leave it to the cache owner whether that's a place they want to keep bringing other geocachers.  And whether I find it or not, I usually opt not to return.

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36 minutes ago, bflentje said:

It's obviously not an ideal hiding spot but why must we all assume caches need to be provided on a silver platter hidden in Shangri la?

 

We can't today.  But I hear there may eventually be dozens of Geocaches in the world.  Then we can become selective.

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1 hour ago, bflentje said:

It's obviously not an ideal hiding spot but why must we all assume caches need to be provided on a silver platter hidden in Shangri la?

Not all but having to go through a dump to find a cache is not my idea of fun. There are plenty of "OK", "good" and "excellent " caches around so we won't have to bother with caches in lousy locations.

 

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7 hours ago, kunarion said:

 

That's a perfectly good log in that situation. Whether I find it or not, I often log that "there are many containers here", in a trashy spot. Some log that "this would be a suitable place for a CITO Event".  Most cachers log the find, mention nothing and move on. 

 

So it's this cache.  You found a similar cache a couple blocks up the tracks and mentioned no particular issue.  The place in the picture. Both caches are in a "cat hotel" area, where people set up assorted found trash to shelter and feed stray cats.  Looking at the map, it doesn't seem at first to be a likely homeless hangout, but zoom in and you see the larger trash pieces.

 

The train hasn't run on that spur in a while.  Trees are growing through the tracks.

 

5a671dfb-cf62-40ef-9f5e-628bfc4f49d1_l.jpg

 

 

The cache a few blocks away is nothing like this nothing like this one, not near the tracks at all. It's actually in the parking lot of a business. There is a huge industrial area here and lots of the old buildings were backed up against the tracks because how they would ship their products. So there are actually multiple end of the line tracks like this that branch off of another rail line. So looking on a map maybe hard to see the difference.

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1 hour ago, SkellyCA said:

The cache a few blocks away is nothing like this nothing like this one, not near the tracks at all. It's actually in the parking lot of a business. There is a huge industrial area here and lots of the old buildings were backed up against the tracks because how they would ship their products. So there are actually multiple end of the line tracks like this that branch off of another rail line. So looking on a map maybe hard to see the difference.

 

Yeah, I don’t know how far off the container is.  I was just looking at the pictures and reading the logs.  The icon is beside the tracks, many cachers started there.  That one then could have a log about where the cache actually is, in reference to GZ.  People at that cache a couple blocks up the tracks are going into the same cat hotel situation that you did.

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17 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

Yeah, I don’t know how far off the container is.  I was just looking at the pictures and reading the logs.  The icon is beside the tracks, many cachers started there.  That one then could have a log about where the cache actually is, in reference to GZ.  People at that cache a couple blocks up the tracks are going into the same cat hotel situation that you did.

 

It's in the bushes in the corner of the parking lot. I didn't see any of that when I went there though.

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On 8/26/2019 at 10:24 PM, CAVinoGal said:
On 8/26/2019 at 8:17 PM, Korichnovui said:

It's a good question. I could see how someone might want to "armchair" log a DNF by simply looking at a location and thinking "ugh I don't want to go there, that's the bad part of town, or that's a known homeless person hangout" or whatever reason.

I'm puzzled by this (and we may be getting off-topic here but, anyway....) If I see a cache published that I don't want to go after for whatever reason, I just ... don't go there. No armchair logs, I just simply ignore it.

 

On more than a few occasions I have discovered that I was at a location for a cache that I didn't want to go after until after I was at the location, or at least very near the location.  If you're close enough to GZ that you can determine that its not an area you want to search it's not really an "armchair" log.  To am, an "armchair" log is one posted without leaving home.  

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On 8/27/2019 at 12:56 AM, on4bam said:

 

I wouldn't go for it if in such a place but, since you went there and looked for the cache, log a DNF (and describe your experience) ;)

 

Standing on the tracks is illegal here, there are regular campaigns to discourage people doing this as there are several deaths every year (and a lot of close calls).

 

 

A few weeks ago I saw a woman, and her two small children walking down the middle of an active railroad track (a train runs about once a day).  She was also carrying a gas can and smoking a cigarette.   I turned to my wife and said, "what could go wrong?"

 

 

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9 minutes ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

On more than a few occasions I have discovered that I was at a location for a cache that I didn't want to go after until after I was at the location, or at least very near the location.  If you're close enough to GZ that you can determine that its not an area you want to search it's not really an "armchair" log.  To am, an "armchair" log is one posted without leaving home.  

 

Whatever you call it, I see not a few logs about didn't even look because of how terrible an area is and thanks for the Smilie.

 

Edited by kunarion
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Just now, NYPaddleCacher said:

A few weeks ago I saw a woman, and her two small children walking down the middle of an active railroad track (a train runs about once a day).  She was also carrying a gas can and smoking a cigarette.   I turned to my wife and said, "what could go wrong?"

 

Was Quentin Tarantino nearby?  :o

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10 minutes ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

A few weeks ago I saw a woman, and her two small children walking down the middle of an active railroad track (a train runs about once a day).  She was also carrying a gas can and smoking a cigarette.   I turned to my wife and said, "what could go wrong?"

 

Darwin award nominee?

 

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