claypigeon58 Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I thought I'd seen it all, but this evening I went to a cache where I could choose from, among other junk, a coffee cup with brown rings on the bottom, or a stainless steel coffee cup for your car, complete with spots on the outside (coffee? water? saliva???). Good grief, what goes through the minds (other than the wind) of people who put this junk out there? Hey, drink up!!!!!!!!!!! I'm about this close to making "cache in, trash out" apply to what I see in the cache as well as on the trip to and back. This is *really* taking the fun out of the game. Maybe I need to reconsider my disdain for micros. Quote Link to comment
+Og's outfit Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Excellent comment on a common problem. It seems that forum users are not at fault. We all trade up......RIGHT!? Maybe we should make a "RULE" that all new users have to read threads such as this one. (I'm kidding) I do think that reading the forums has helped me to be a better cache trader. And I promise to remove all gross or moldy contents in the future, even if I can't replace the number of items I trashed. WOW it sounds like the start of a Geocache Motto, like the Boy Scout motto:...... Be prepared to make a cache enjoyably for the next cacher after you. OG Prophetically Challenged Quote Link to comment
+sept1c_tank Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Found 5 moldy, water-stained cigarettes in a cache last week. The doner could have at least left them in a baggie! Quote Link to comment
+Confucius' Cat Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Haven't people heard of DISEASES? I once found a used toothbrush in a cache. I think it is a great idea. Cache in Trash out the cache itself. I can't see why anyone would object if you remove unsanitary things from a cache- even if you don't have anything to replace it. Trading up from someone else's used coffee mug or toothbrush doesn't take much! OTOH, I suppose a dirty mug that has had intimite contact with somone else's filthy lips could be useful as a dirt scoop or something and a used toothbrush that has been used by who knows who for who knows what makes a good parts brush. One man's trash..... NO! NO! Please don't send them to me!!!! Caint never did nothing. GDAE, Dave Quote Link to comment
+pnew Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I went on my first geocache in over a month with my brand new gps. I brought along this exotic fish fossil in a plastic bag that by golly looked pretty durn cool. When I got to the cache I almost wanted to take the log book because it was much more interesting than the crap left in there. I "traded up" much to my disgust and took a scratched mardi gras coin... The Department of Redundancy Department Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 There have been times when I have DONE THE CACHE OWNER A FAVOR and just threw out some of the junk in caches. It really is a bad reflection on the owner to have a garbage can cache. I am in Michigan this week doing some caching, and am "trading up" big time, leaving hand-engraved desert rocks from Arizona and Tombstone trinkets in the caches up here. I feel like I am representing the Arizona cachers, and therefore want to make a good impression. Back to the issue, if there was junk in any of my caches, I would NEVER complain if another cacher were nice enough to clean it up. Quote Link to comment
umc Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 "hand-engraved desert rocks" I better get out to ummm check on my caches, yeah, thats it, I need to check on them and make sure there are no ummmm used coffee mugs in them. I probably should pull out any "hand-engraved desert rocks" too while I'm at it. Oh, if you have the time you may enjoy doing my 4th cache. Its a multi with some nice hiding. My 5th cache is right there too which is a virt so its like a 2fer. Anyway, I need to get and maybe stop at a, ummm ahhh cache this morning. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Caching without a clue.... Quote Link to comment
+bigredmed Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Constant problem. Don't know anything that will for sure stop it. Themes and signature items have slowed it down in some of my caches. Dirtbags cheat in every sport. We have a problem in that while the powers that be are more than willing to tell people not to put some type of item in a cache, they are not willing to tell people what they should put in the cache and are completely unwilling to put anything in writing as to what happens when someone leaves garbage behind. (FYI: I favor publishing their log sheet entries and names). http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nebraskache/ Quote Link to comment
+DxChallenged Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Yeah it seems to me that over the past year caches contents have gone down but in my area the number of caches has gone up.....So what I guess that I'm saying is that I would rather discover a great area than find a cool trade.......Caches placed near a dump really aren't my favorites but then there was this one cache that we went that had fish guts sprewn everywhere.....We managed to trade clean boot bottoms for rotted fish parts......This in Feb where we had to have the heat on in the car....I take that back....we had the heat on until we couldn't stop gagging from the smell....turned the heat off and rolled down the windows until we froze and repeated this sequence for the 45min. drive home....... Now that was a cache I won't forget! And a trade that I'm sure no one else would want! Dx "Have you no news on your travels?" the Book of fairy & folk tales of Ireland (1888) Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Well I'll beat everyone else to it and say it. It's about the hunt, not the contents. Actually, no. The contents are important to new geocachers, to those of us who geocache with children and even to some long time geocachers who still open the box with a sense of anticipation. Yeah, there are some smug geocachers who will belittle you because you're disappointed when you make the effort to find a cache, only to discover that it's filled with broken toys, 3 inches of slimy, green water and a soaked log book. But hey, that's their gig. Don't let it get to you. "Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois" [This message was edited by BrianSnat on June 11, 2003 at 03:32 AM.] Quote Link to comment
umc Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Well, while doing my "cache maintenance" on my first cache this morning I have to tell ya that I was impressed. I placed it in October of last year and stocked it full of good thing. People have been trading fairly for the most part and the cache (.50cal ammo can) is filled to the top with great items. What I've learned is that the better you stock it the LONGER it takes to go to 'junk'. My intention all along was to place just a few caches that are unique and fun and take care of them rather than just leave them to turn into a pile of broken, dirty toys. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Caching without a clue.... Quote Link to comment
Team VaxCave Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 I've found about 2 dozen rusty finger nail files in caches around my area. Very odd and disconcerting. ==================================== Searching through the cave. Team VaxCave. Quote Link to comment
shrekTBA Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 I guess this shoots down my underwear trading cache idea...... It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home. Quote Link to comment
+GeoGryffindor Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 I believe the cache contents should be check periodically by the cache owner and cleaned out if need be. Also, maybe paying members should only make available "better caches" to other paying members. That way, if you cared enough to spend the money you are willing enough to put in the good stuff. Also, if you can't put in anything worth while, do the right thing = "TNLN". "Nice find! I must go tell Harry, Ron and Hermione." Quote Link to comment
+Erwinia of B & E Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 We get really excited when we find something "neat" in a cache. This is because we expect to find the usual assortment of junk. If there is nothing in there we want (lot of the time) we take nothing and then gladly leave our trademark item; a handmade miniature birdhouse. The birdhouses take a couple of hours each to make, but it is our addition to the game. We like finding things handmade by others, but have come to realize that to some people a half burnt birthday candle is actually an equal trade for a Micky Mantle rookie card. Whatever...we aren't in it for what we find. If that was the case, we'd have quit after about the third cache. I would say, though, that I wish more people would leave things appealing to little kids. They seem to be the ones most interested in the "treasure". Anyway, if you are in it for the profit, you are definitely in the wrong business. I say keep trading up and make it fun for the next people to come along after you. Botrytisfree Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 quote:Also, maybe paying members should only make available "better caches" to other paying members. That way, if you cared enough to spend the money you are willing enough to put in the good stuff. A good theory, but it doesn't work in practice. Most of the geocachers in this area seem to be paying members of this website. Cache contents still degrade. I doubt it's the handful of non paying geocachers who are responsible for it. "Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois" Quote Link to comment
+DxChallenged Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 ...speaking of "adding to the quality"...Did I mention that I have given away 6 quilts with geocaching...the last one was raffled off this past weekend at a cache event. My avitar has a picture of a quilt that I gave away last year and I still have one waiting to be given away in Canada....... Signing quilt squares while logging a cache creats a pretty amazing project......people from all over the country......... Dx "Have you no news on your travels?" the Book of fairy & folk tales of Ireland (1888) Quote Link to comment
+jollybgood Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 First cache I found had a rubber doggie chew toy, a keychain and a few mcdonald toys. It could just as well have have been a box ofgold dubloons. I was thrilled to have found something the size of a cigar box 12 miles from my front door in the middle of a woods in an area I never knew existed. I'm sorry. I know the pot at the end of the rainbow is more important to some than others. But it really wouldn't have mattered if that first cache had been empty or packec with goodies. It was still a magic moment. Yeah, I've found alot of crap in caches. toothbrushes, moldy, soggy beanie babies, gooshy bars of soap even a mini bottle of vodka!! I guess I just find such items more amusing than annoying. What were the people who left these items thinking? But I basically let it roll off my back. As long as the cache itself was located in an intersting spot I'm easy. Jolly R. Blackburn http://kenzerco.com Quote Link to comment
+jollybgood Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 quote:I say keep trading up and make it fun for the next people to come along after you. Botrytisfree Amen!! That's a great attitude. Jolly R. Blackburn http://kenzerco.com Quote Link to comment
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