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Something's just not right here.......


Geo-Johnson's

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I am only venting however....Please do not contact the cache owner!!

 

A new cache popped up on our list, and we decided to take it on this morning. Someone had already logged the first find, but that's not a big deal. So we go to the coordinates on the cache page and end up right in the middle of the parking lot. Thinking we had the coords wrong, I came home and checked it out. Nope we had them right. So I logged a no find. I was a little confused however, when the first log states that "The coords were right on for this one". Huh? The description states it's a nice uphill trail........but we didn't even get close to the hill from the parking lot.

 

Anyway, I logged it as a no-find, and then the cache owner changes the coords on the cache page, and rather than make a note, he changes the description to read "Bob found it with skill and perserverance". Bob would be the first finder. Do I have no skill or perseverance? icon_confused.gif

 

I've attached a copy of the lostoutdoors.com photo with the old coords and the new ones. Blue is us......Red is Bob. Am I to believe that Bob searched the entire tree covered hill to find this cache? I checked out Bobs log list, and he also found 16 other caches that day clear over on the other side of the city approximately 1 hour away from this cache......

 

Here'sthe link to the cache. Again, please do not contact the owner or Bob as I have the feeling they are related. The cache owner is a newbie, 1 find, 1 hide, and refers to himself as Grandpa in the cache description. I don't want to discourage Grandpa from caching......

 

I did want to blow off some steam though. Thanks!

usgsmapsJ.jpg

 

worried.gif Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners.

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It sounds as though Bob faked the find and the cache owner saw that something was screwy and fixed it..

Let Bob fake the finds, nobody cares, there's no prize for logging more finds though in this case, it did cause some confusion.

When you do find the cache, I'll bet that Bob isn't in the log book.

 

Mickey

Max Entropy

More than just a name, a lifestyle.

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The cache placer says right in the page they had first entered the coords wrong. So that brings up the question about how Bob found the cache.

I have to guess one or three things happened:

 

1. Bob faked the find and the owner didnt care

 

2. Bob got there and relized the cache owner had made some sort of error (how far apart the old and new coords? maybe it was just a transposed number or something) Since this placer is new maybe he put in the parking coords instead of the cache's coords? icon_rolleyes.gif Bob then searched around till he found it, since he seems to have several finds maybe the "force" lead him to the cache. Then as a sorta joke hes says "the coords were right on".

Seems pretty far streched, but could happen.

 

3. Bob was given the coords directly from the cache placer who then entered them wrong on the site(by accident I hope). If Bob was personally given the coords by the cache placer I have to guess he was being used a lab rat to test out the cache. (who better to have test your new cache then a family member or favorite cache partner, which fits if you think they know each other.)

 

Oh, and don't worry about the comment about perseverance. If they do know each other it may have been an insider joke, or maybe they dont (see #2). If/when you do go find this cache you should be able to verify or deny #1.

 

waypoint_link.gif22008_1700.gif37_gp_logo88x31.jpg

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I ran into a cacher a few weeks ago who laughed about listing fictitious coordinates on several of his caches that he had "hid". He said he and another cacher do that just to mess with each other. He admitted he had just listed a cache which the coordinates would take a person to the middle of a river but there was nothing there. Glad I found out about their game. I won't be wasting my time on his caches.

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Either Bob faked his find, or he did find it by searching the entire hill and his remarks that the coordinates are right on is not true. I can't say which, but I'd go find it right away and see if he logged the find in the logbook. If he didn't find it, expose him. If he did find it, then it's an unfortunate mistake by the owner of the cache.

 

I have a similar pet peave. A couple of times I've went out and found a cache first. When I get home someone else has written comments about how they been to the location before, or they love that area, or whatever. They just blather on about nothing because they want to post a note on the cache web site first whether they've earned it or not. Why can't they just hold their comments until the first finder has logged. If someone beats me to the log book, I'm going to give them a while to log it before I do, it's only fair. If anyone posts a note on any of my caches before the first finder posts, I'm going to delete their comments. But, now I'm getting way off topic.

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<<3. Bob was given the coords directly from the cache placer who then entered them wrong on the site[by accident I hope). If Bob was personally given the coords by the cache placer I have to guess he was being used a lab rat to test out the cache. [who better to have test your new cache then a family member or favorite cache partner, which fits if you think they know each other.)>>

 

This is certainly possible. When I place a new cache I generally send give my close friends a heads up before the cache is even approved. If Bob and the Cache placer are indeed related it's possible he gave the coordinates to Bob so he could be the first finder.

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

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quote:
Originally posted by Wadcutter:

He admitted he had just listed a cache which the coordinates would take a person to the middle of a river but there was nothing there. Glad I found out about their game. I won't be wasting my time on his caches.


No ****! icon_mad.gif, if you know which caches these are you should log them "should be archived"!

Who is it? I want to make sure I avoid this... Person.

 

quote:
by 3fros:

If he didn't find it, expose him.


My view on this is, why bother? If someone feels they need to cheat then let them, Its their lose for having missed an adventure. Now on the other hand if someone is actually going around causing problems, posting please archives for no reason, no finds they never looked for, or listing caches that are not there!!icon_mad.gificon_mad.gif Then yes deal with them swiftly. Asking Jeremy to delete their account wouldn't be out of line in that case(IMO).

 

I realize I'm wandering OT, but... icon_razz.gif

quote:
by 3fros:

I have a similar pet peave. A couple of times I've went out and found a cache first. When I get home someone else has written comments about how they been to the location before, or they love that area, or whatever. They just blather on about nothing because they want to post a note on the cache web site first whether they've earned it or not.


Is this really a problem?? icon_confused.gif I guess I've never considered who gets to post first a contest. I mean when I've listed new caches sometimes I have even put the first log on the cache page. Just so I could add additonal hints, or photos, or maybe just a side note somehow related to the cache.

I've seen caches where half the logs are notes from people chattering back and forth about how they hate the rain or similar non-related subjects. I figure if they want to talk about that stuff they can use email, or forums, or even a chat. I find that type of thing annoying...

 

waypoint_link.gif22008_1700.gif37_gp_logo88x31.jpg

 

[This message was edited by welch on December 31, 2002 at 08:11 PM.]

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So, while caching my brother in law and I discuss a cache location. Next thing you know, he's got a cache there and nobody has found it yet.

 

If he made a typo on the coordinates nobody will find it. Tomorrow when I go caching I will find it just to check it out, and I will find it weather or not the coordinats are right.

 

To second guess what happened is sort of a waste of time. It's no big deal. I've looked for caches that later had coordinates revised and got skunked in the process. Not to mention getting skunked with the coordinates right on.

 

Wherever you go there you are.

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quote:
Originally posted by welch:No ****! icon_mad.gif, if you know which caches these are you should log them "should be archived"!

Who is it? I want to make sure I avoid this... Person.]


 

The 1 cache that was listed by his buddy in the game has been archived. Several people logged the coords were off by several hundred feet. We found it only by a detailed search and we also noticed it was off by a couple of hundred feet. I thought it might have been common error and the +/- factor between a couple of different units. But then the hint took the person in a different direction too. Not knowing the people I again gave them the benefit of the doubt, figuring some people couldn't tell which way was north with a gps, compass, road map, and the north star labled for them. Some people just don't have a sense of direction. It wasn't until I ran into the other part of the team that he admitted they knew the directions were off and it was part of their private game. The next day or 2 they archived that cache. I think I've figured out at least 1 other they've done the same with just from reading the notes and knowing the general location. When the weather clears enough I'm going to give it a go and if it is another similiar cache I'll definitely be posting it as a request to archive. And I'll let Groundspeak know.

They are/were in the general area of St Louis.

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quote:
Originally posted by MaxEntropy:

It sounds as though Bob faked the find and the cache owner saw that something was screwy and fixed it..

Let Bob fake the finds, nobody cares, there's no prize for logging more finds though in this case, it did cause some confusion.

When you do find the cache, I'll bet that Bob isn't in the log book.


 

Doesn't look like a fake to me. There is a partial list of items originally loaded in the cache. The item he traded out of the cache was not one of those listed. Now the log has been edited in response to this thread, so we can't tell if this information was in the original log. However, Geo-Johnson would know, since he saw it before it was amended.

 

The cache page states:

"Park by the outdoor Ice Hockey rink...

Nice uphill trail and find a coffee can with pen..."

 

The finder must have thought the coordinates were purposely for the parking lot, since it's mentioned on the cache page. You were then supposed to follow the trail uphill, and try to find the cache. That's not much different from this cache.

 

Also, the cache finder states "took us a half hour to find the cache". That implies a group of seekers, making the job easier.

 

Looks legit to me.

 

3608_1400.gif

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quote:
Originally posted by Wadcutter:

I ran into a cacher a few weeks ago who laughed about listing fictitious coordinates on several of his caches that he had "hid". He said he and another cacher do that just to mess with each other. He admitted he had just listed a cache which the coordinates would take a person to the middle of a river but there was nothing there.


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The cache placer took Bob to the cache. I've read several postings about people who want their buddies to be the first finder, so they essentially take them with them while placing the cache, or lead them back to the cache.

 

Maybe there should be a term added to the Geocaching glossary for this kind of person. I'd suggest "Diotrephes-ite." I'll let you figure out why. icon_wink.gif

 

Oh, and to Wadcutter: Thanks for clarifying about the St. Louis area. Being in Central Illinois myself I didn't want to waste my time on caches like that.

 

Bret

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again." Mt. 13:44

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For what it's worth, I have found 3 caches with very incorrect coordinates. In one, two digits were interchanged. In another, the puzzle that was required to solve the cache had a mistake. In the third, the latitude and longitude were inadvertently interchanged on the last leg of a multi.

 

Of course, in each of these cases, I either made a note on the cache page or emailed the cache owner to have the correction made. Since that didn't happen in this case, I concur with the general consensus that something fishy was going on.

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A caching family placed about 6 or more caches all over the area one weekend. Every single cache had coordinates that were about 160 feet off. It seems like too big of a coincidence, and I really don't think they did it on purpose.

 

I'm wondering, could they have been using a different format and translated the waypoints to the decimal format wrong?

 

Could the same thing have happened with Bob and the cache owner?

 

Bret

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again." Mt. 13:44

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The next day or 2 they archived that cache. I think I've figured out at least 1 other they've done the same with just from reading the notes and knowing the general location. When the weather clears enough I'm going to give it a go and if it is another similiar cache I'll definitely be posting it as a request to archive. And I'll let Groundspeak know.

They are/were in the general area of St Louis.

------------------

 

I have found nearly every cache in this area and I know of NO cache in the St. Louis, Mo area that fits this description in the last two years.

 

If you email me the name of the cache I will check it out.

 

We try to maintain high quality caches of all skill levels in the area. If ANYONE hears of a cache that is not on the up & up, PLEASE contact US.

 

glenn nash

st. louis area geocachers assn.

www.GeoStl.com

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