What to do after moving away from cache area

[+Bsoyka]

My family and I move a lot, but not in a sense that we aren't in one place for very long. A while back I placed a few caches and I have since moved away from those areas. The caches got lots of activity for a while but a couple have recently slowed down. I have even received messages asking about them.

 

What is the best practice when moving away from a cache you've placed? Should you archive it? Try to find a new owner? Thanks in advance!

[+cerberus1]

How about asking around if someone would like to Adopt them ?   

Edit your cache pages with an offer of adoption in bold, and see what happens.

Maybe even an email to the people who gave them a favorite point is worth it too.  Don't expect a reply.  

Guess you know that one has a NM wrench on it...

 

Edited August 17, 2020 by cerberus1
to/too

[+TriciaG]

Keep in mind that if you adopt them out, they will no longer show in your stats. For this reason, some opt to just archive them.

 

Since you're not in the area anymore, archiving them will likely leave the containers there to turn into litter. Are you able to go back and pick up the containers?

[+niraD]

Some adopt them out to other local cachers.

Some archive them and retrieve the containers before they move.

Some come up with a maintenance plan.

 

Some abandon them and let them deteriorate until the volunteer reviewer has to archive them. This is the only bad option of the four.

[+L0ne.R]

On your cache page, ask the next finder to please remove the cache container and also log an NA when they have removed it. You can then archive the cache listing in good conscience. 

[+SamLowrey]

I adopted one of mine out and it lasted 10 years after that.  Really good run by any standards.

 

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCVAHK_b-cs-path-less-travelled?guid=5f1db2b2-636b-4cfb-b0c6-457e96552439

 

 

[+Bsoyka]

17 hours ago, TriciaG said:

Are you able to go back and pick up the containers?

Sadly no, at least not in the foreseeable future.

 

15 hours ago, L0ne.R said:

On your cache page, ask the next finder to please remove the cache container and also log an NA when they have removed it. You can then archive the cache listing in good conscience. 

That's not a bad idea, I'll try that out.

 

Thanks everyone!

[+L0ne.R]

5 hours ago, Bsoyka said:

21 hours ago, L0ne.R said:

On your cache page, ask the next finder to please remove the cache container and also log an NA when they have removed it. You can then archive the cache listing in good conscience. 

That's not a bad idea, I'll try that out.

 

Quote

GC5J99G:

 Hi, everyone! Please note that I no longer live in this area and therefore cannot perform maintenance on the cache. If you can't seem to find the cache, please leave a DNF log. If a few come up in a row I will archive the cache. Sorry for any inconvenience. Happy caching!

 

Just to clarify...personally, I would ask the next finder to remove it, log their find and log that they removed it. Then I would archive it since you no longer can maintain it.

 

 

 

 

[+terratin]

I would get in contact with your old local community and ask if someone wants to adopt them, and if not if someone would be so kind to collect your geotrash. If you move next time I suggest you find a solution for your caches first - either archive and collect them, or adopt them out. This way there's no unmaintained garbage out there.

[+Bsoyka]

Just as a quick update as to what I've ended up doing:

 

First of all, I've decided to try to go for the adoption path.

 

15 hours ago, L0ne.R said:

Quote

GC5J99G:

 Hi, everyone! Please note that I no longer live in this area and therefore cannot perform maintenance on the cache. If you can't seem to find the cache, please leave a DNF log. If a few come up in a row I will archive the cache. Sorry for any inconvenience. Happy caching!

 

Just to clarify...personally, I would ask the next finder to remove it, log their find and log that they removed it. Then I would archive it since you no longer can maintain it.

 

I've since removed the log above as I realized it wasn't quite what you meant. Someone has also found that cache very recently and I've reached out to see if they might want to adopt the cache.

As for my cache with the NM tag, I've reached out to someone to see if they'd be willing to take care of that one too.

Thanks for all your help, folks. I think I've got it from here.  

[+JL_HSTRE]

I would not archive any hides while you have reason to believe the container is still there. 

[+Goldenwattle]

I would do what has been suggested; to ask the next finder to log the find, but remove the cache and dispose of it. Then archive the cache. If I were asked to remove a cache for archival, I don't see that I would find that a burden.

[+cerberus1]

1 minute ago, Goldenwattle said:

I would do what has been suggested; to ask the next finder to log the find, but remove the cache and dispose of it. Then archive the cache.

If I were asked to remove a cache for archival, I don't see that I would find that a burden.

 

The opposite, I'd leave them, asking for adoption first.       Removed from my "caches owned", I wouldn't care what happens to it afterwards.

A new person not knowing the helpful suggestion came from one who feels all COs are terrible anyway wouldn't matter...

If adoption isn't met,  then I'd ask if the next finder could pick up my cache , keep it, or throw it away.  I might send them a geocoin.

We've picked up and kept dozens of quality containers archived, with CO's permission (or failed to respond), some ammo cans.    

[+Goldenwattle]

27 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

The opposite, I'd leave them, asking for adoption first.

I wonder how many people volunteer to adopt a cache of someone they don't know, unless there is something VERY special about this individual cache? I personally wouldn't want to adopt anyone else's. But I would be willing to remove the cache and dispose of it. In fact, recently I was passing the spot of an archived cache (that was the response to my NM) and checked if the cache were still there. It was, so I removed the litter and wrote a log saying I had done that. Now this is a complaint for 'What Irks me'. COs who archive caches and leave them to break down to micro plastic. It would have been better to not archive straight away, but ask the next finder to log the find, but please remove the geo-litter. Then archive it. Instead this CO left the litter there. I found another broken down cache that day by the same CO in the same area, so after my last experience I was not just going to write a NM and leave the broken down cache, as I knew the same would happen. The CO would archive and leave the cache to break down and scatter about the environment. I wrote a NM and said as the last cache was not picked up and this was also beyond use I have removed it. Needs a new cache. No new cache was supplied; It was archived as I suspected it would be. If I hadn't taken the cache, it would be there now continuing to break down and litter the environment. If anyone objects to what I did, then you agree with leaving litter to pollute the environment. If the CO couldn't be responsible, I could. Anyway, they could have put a new cache there if they wanted to still have a cache here. Whether I removed the cache or not made no difference, as the old log couldn't be signed and the cache was broken. Unless you think it's not necessary to have a log to sign.

 

Edited August 22, 2020 by Goldenwattle

[+barefootjeff]

47 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

I wonder how many people volunteer to adopt a cache of someone they don't know, unless there is something VERY special about this individual cache? I personally wouldn't want to adopt anyone else's.

 

A couple of years ago I adopted two 2005-vintage caches on Barrenjoey Headland from the previous owner who had posted on the cache pages that he was no longer fit enough to look after them and would archive them if no new owner could be found. He in turn had adopted them from the long-gone original owner. It's a pleasant-enough ferry ride across Broken Bay and hike out to check on those caches (both terrain 3), and I thought it'd be a shame to see them go, so I stuck my hand up, but the area is an increasingly popular tourist attraction and they get mostly app-only big city cachers who leave one or two word logs and don't put the containers back properly. One of them in particular has become something of a maintenance albatros around my neck, having needed three new containers and three new logbooks in that time, and I keep hoping there might be a new active cacher turn up on Sydney's northern beaches who'd be willing to take them over, but that area appears to be even deader than the Central Coast as far as local cachers go. If I had my time over again I'd have kept my mouth shut, I think.

[+cerberus1]

3 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

I wonder how many people volunteer to adopt a cache of someone they don't know, unless there is something VERY special about this individual cache?

I personally wouldn't want to adopt anyone else's. But I would be willing to remove the cache and dispose of it. In fact, recently I was passing the spot of an archived cache (that was the response to my NM) and checked if the cache were still there. It was, so I removed the litter and wrote a log saying I had done that. Now this is a complaint for 'What Irks me'. COs who archive caches and leave them to break down to micro plastic. It would have been better to not archive straight away, but ask the next finder to log the find, but please remove the geo-litter. Then archive it. Instead this CO left the litter there. I found another broken down cache that day by the same CO in the same area, so after my last experience I was not just going to write a NM and leave the broken down cache, as I knew the same would happen. The CO would archive and leave the cache to break down and scatter about the environment. I wrote a NM and said as the last cache was not picked up and this was also beyond use I have removed it. Needs a new cache. No new cache was supplied; It was archived as I suspected it would be. If I hadn't taken the cache, it would be there now continuing to break down and litter the environment. If anyone objects to what I did, then you agree with leaving litter to pollute the environment. If the CO couldn't be responsible, I could. Anyway, they could have put a new cache there if they wanted to still have a cache here. Whether I removed the cache or not made no difference, as the old log couldn't be signed and the cache was broken. Unless you think it's not necessary to have a log to sign.

 

We have cachers in another state ask about one, and when we had a couple series, locals would ask all the time. 

Our oldest gets some sometimes. We archived most for safety reasons.  I wouldn't let someone else use my name in that situation...

I email each person who asks though, and ask them what gave them the idea I was no longer around.   

 

Curious why you'd say that to me.  I think my views on signing the log are well established ...

[+Goldenwattle]

23 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

 

We have cachers in another state ask about one, and when we had a couple series, locals would ask all the time. 

Our oldest gets some sometimes. We archived most for safety reasons.  I wouldn't let someone else use my name in that situation...

I email each person who asks though, and ask them what gave them the idea I was no longer around.   

 

Curious why you'd say that to me.  I think my views on signing the log are well established ...

I wasn't saying that to you. Sorry if you thought I was. It was a general statement and a continuation on the theme.