What Does This Mean?

[+KayakGZ 5]

Yesterday a whole slew of new hides came in on my e-mail, but most of them had a blue box that said "This cache has been locked, but it is available for viewing."   Locked?

[+TmdAndGG 338]

A locked cache means that you can not log it. It is usually used for caches that have been archived but people still keep logging them. Strange number of new hides are locked. Would you mind giving us a GC code of one of the hides so we can see?

Edited May 25, 2020 by TmdAndGG

[+TriciaG 576]

Perhaps the reviewers published them but don't want anyone visiting and logging them yet due to local heath restrictions? It would be a strange way of doing it, though.

Edited May 25, 2020 by TriciaG

[+Max and 99 2152]

6 minutes ago, TriciaG said:

Perhaps the reviewers published them but don't want anyone visiting and logging them yet due to local heath restrictions? It would be a strange way of doing it, though.

But they can't stop geocachers from visiting and signing the log, and I assume coords are visible on the page. I would think it better to just not publish them.

[+TriciaG 576]

Yeah - that's why I said it would be a strange way to do it. ;)

[+Viajero Perdido 873]

Here's one.

[+Max and 99 2152]

16 minutes ago, TriciaG said:

Yeah - that's why I said it would be a strange way to do it.

I meant to imply I agreed with you. Strange indeed.

[+Max and 99 2152]

13 minutes ago, Viajero Perdido said:

Here's one.

That's odd. I know people are going to go out and find it anyways. They just can't log it yet. Thanks for posting an example. 

[+JPatton 8]

My guess would be the cache was reviewed when it was submitted back in March, but since it couldn't be published at that time, the reviewer locked it so no changes could be made to it. The reviewer probably just missed unlocking it when it was able to be published.

[+Max and 99 2152]

3 minutes ago, JPatton said:

My guess would be the cache was reviewed when it was submitted back in March, but since it couldn't be published at that time, the reviewer locked it so no changes could be made to it. The reviewer probably just missed unlocking it when it was able to be published.

That's a good guess!

[JeepGPS 0]

Here's another one that has been locked. It was a virtual that lasted only from Aug 2001-Nov 2001. It was archived but shows locked at the top of the cache page. Ten years later, people started logging it again although it hasn't been logged since 2013. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC165F_where-the-dead-people-live?guid=5a9909d3-672e-4f0e-901e-7b4349315675

[+TmdAndGG 338]

21 minutes ago, JeepGPS said:

Ten years later, people started logging it again although it hasn't been logged since 2013.

That's why it was locked. People technically aren't supposed to log a archived virtual (unless they have a really good reason). Probably locked in 2013