The responsibility of placing a Cache.

[Guest WJJagfan]

to encourage others to enjoy it as well. That requires some commitment on my part to maintain my cache.

 

WJJagFan

[Guest gstrong1]

Well put WJ.I have 13 caches placed & I am alwys checking them out.I carry, in my car trunk,a bag that contains cache items & single use cameras.And 1 of my GPS units is always with me.Whenever I am in the vicinity of 1 of my caches, for whatever reason, I'll stop in & check on the cache & sit there & read the log book.I'll also check how many pictures are left on the camera & how the cache contents stack up.More than once, I've added a few more things to the cache to bring it up to the quality of cache that it was when I originally placed it.I've also on occasion had to add a few writing instruments or remove something I deemed not suitable for one of my caches.I also think that it would be helpful,that if when a fellow cacher logs a find at a cache, he also notes anything suspect about the cache, or the area around the cache, (area getting trampled down,etc.) so the owner can check it out.Lets keep it fun for everyone. .--Gimpy

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest gstrong1]

Well put WJ.I have 13 caches placed & I am alwys checking them out.I carry, in my car trunk,a bag that contains cache items & single use cameras.And 1 of my GPS units is always with me.Whenever I am in the vicinity of 1 of my caches, for whatever reason, I'll stop in & check on the cache & sit there & read the log book.I'll also check how many pictures are left on the camera & how the cache contents stack up.More than once, I've added a few more things to the cache to bring it up to the quality of cache that it was when I originally placed it.I've also on occasion had to add a few writing instruments or remove something I deemed not suitable for one of my caches.I also think that it would be helpful,that if when a fellow cacher logs a find at a cache, he also notes anything suspect about the cache, or the area around the cache, (area getting trampled down,etc.) so the owner can check it out.Lets keep it fun for everyone. .--Gimpy

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest Robereno]

quote:

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Originally posted by WJJagfan:

I have two other caches in the trunk of my car. They have been there for quite a while.

my cache is there because I enjoy this activity and I want to encourage others to enjoy it as well. That requires some commitment on my part to maintain my cache.

 

WJJagFan

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Leave it in the trunk of your car but give the coordinates of where you park at night. I?ve got a crow bar just looking for some action!

 

I consider myself new at this and I?ve only had time to place two caches however, I prefer the casual approach regarding quality of cache contents. I just try to use common sense and not go overboard in either direction. Then again, in the 3rd grade during one of those Christmas gift exchanges I only gave the other kid a comic book. Man he was bummed! Maybe my common sense needs to be adjusted.

 

Maintaining a cache you?ve placed certainly seems the responsible thing to do. I?ve also been told that a lot of people sign the log but don?t log the cache on this web site. I?m looking forward to checking my caches for that reason alone.

[Guest Robereno]

quote:

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Originally posted by WJJagfan:

I have two other caches in the trunk of my car. They have been there for quite a while.

my cache is there because I enjoy this activity and I want to encourage others to enjoy it as well. That requires some commitment on my part to maintain my cache.

 

WJJagFan

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Leave it in the trunk of your car but give the coordinates of where you park at night. I?ve got a crow bar just looking for some action!

 

I consider myself new at this and I?ve only had time to place two caches however, I prefer the casual approach regarding quality of cache contents. I just try to use common sense and not go overboard in either direction. Then again, in the 3rd grade during one of those Christmas gift exchanges I only gave the other kid a comic book. Man he was bummed! Maybe my common sense needs to be adjusted.

 

Maintaining a cache you?ve placed certainly seems the responsible thing to do. I?ve also been told that a lot of people sign the log but don?t log the cache on this web site. I?m looking forward to checking my caches for that reason alone.

[Guest WJJagfan]

quote:

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Originally posted by Robereno:

Then again, in the 3rd grade during one of those Christmas gift exchanges I only gave the other kid a comic book. Man he was bummed!

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The comic is probably worth $1,000 now.

 

You never know what will be a treasure to someone.

 

WJJagFan

[Guest WJJagfan]

quote:

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Originally posted by Robereno:

Then again, in the 3rd grade during one of those Christmas gift exchanges I only gave the other kid a comic book. Man he was bummed!

---

 

The comic is probably worth $1,000 now.

 

You never know what will be a treasure to someone.

 

WJJagFan

[Guest JIntorcio]

A dissenting vote? I don?t view a cache I place as a vehicle through which I can give away trinkets. I think it?s the responsibility of the cache finders to make even trades and leave trinkets of equal quality to whatever they take. I agree that that cache placer has a responsibility to ?maintain? the cache, but I disagree that the means I?m encumbered with the responsibility to provide an endless supply of valuable trinkets. Rather, I think I have the responsibility to watch for environmental impacts, remove the cache if requested, and perhaps replenish a camera or a logbook if the cache has those.

 

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>>> John <<<

[Guest adventuretom]

All four of my caches are close enough that I can visit them every couple of weeks, to make sure they are holding up and the impact on the area is minimal. On a couple of occasions I have replenished the cache with my cache "trading cards" because I found that was what most people are interested in taking. I also took some of the things out that other people left to make room, but left what I considered the most interesting items. Though I am sure there are exceptions I believe that you ought to be able to maintain a cache if you place it. If people note problems in the log, go out and fix them! We have a great cache here in Charlotte that has been waterlogged for months because it is apparently abandoned. It is tempting to take that one over and fix the problem, but so far I have resisted. I have to go take care of one of mine tommorrow because where it is located a group of ants built a nice huge nest and now people are of course reluctant to reach into the hiding spot.

[Guest WJJagfan]

Certainly making fair trades is the ethical thing to do. As I said before, these days I usually leave something without taking anything.

 

If you are placing a cache to just place a cache, then the only responsibility is to do just as JIntorcio has stated. But if you have placed a cache to promote enthusiasm for GeoCaching and encourage others to participate and look forward to their next adventure, then in spite of the delinquency of others, I think you need to maintain the content of your cache as well.

 

Just my opinion.

 

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WJJagFan

[Guest McIrish]

I am also new at geocaching, nine finds and two placements. Both of the caches that I have hidden are close enough to home to maintain. I am going to Maui in two weeks and have been thinking about placing a vacation cache there. Obviously, I would not be able to check on this cache and would depend on other geocachers to trade evenly and add to it when needed. I am starting to think that this may be a bad idea, and just adding to littering this beautiful island. What is your idea on the subject of hiding vacation caches???

[Guest WJJagfan]

I just placed a virtual cache in a park where I didn't feel a real cache was a good idea.

 

Perhaps for a vacation cache you might consider making it virtual (no box to maintain). This way you can still track those who visited the location by their online logs, but you have nothing there to maintain.

 

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WJJagFan

[Guest Markwell]

There's two related discussions going on here. Here's the other

[Guest mfratto]

Agree in spades. Well put.

 

quote:

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Originally posted by JIntorcio:

A dissenting vote? I don?t view a cache I place as a vehicle through which I can give away trinkets. I think it?s the responsibility of the cache finders to make even trades and leave trinkets of equal quality to whatever they take. I agree that that cache placer has a responsibility to ?maintain? the cache, but I disagree that the means I?m encumbered with the responsibility to provide an endless supply of valuable trinkets. Rather, I think I have the responsibility to watch for environmental impacts, remove the cache if requested, and perhaps replenish a camera or a logbook if the cache has those.

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[Guest mfratto]

And here is another related thread, on the issue of uneven trading, which got a bit bent around into people thinking I was saying caches always had to be pricey (NOT) but the issue of even trading is important to ethical geocaching, IMHO, and as said earlier, it's not my responsibility to provide an endless supply of nice things if other folks are trading trash...:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000447.html

 

quote:

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Originally posted by Markwell:

There's two related discussions going on here. Here's the other

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[Guest mfratto]

I agree with this snippet, though not with the providing new items bit (obviously). I think what gets tense here is that there is this pressure to increase geocaching, promote it, as well as place new caches (the whole thing of placing as many as you find -- our placing will always be more about quality than quantity -- we just don't have the time to maintain more than half a dozen caches), but then there is the issue of maintaining -- so we are being asked, on different threads, to:

 

1) place as many caches as we find

2) promote geocaching so more people do it (connected to placing more caches, at least in part)

3) maintain all of our caches

 

At this point we have placed 5, found 11, and we might find a few more this summer, and won't place any more. This is a hobby after all, I can't spend every single weekend or evening on it, and that ends up taking the fun out of it. Becomes a profession and not a passtime.

 

Mauri, of Mauri and Mike

 

quote:

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Originally posted by WJJagfan:

 

A cacher is ultimately responsible for a cache in my opinion, and should be revisiting his/her caches at least monthly (depending on how often it gets visited). If that puts a strain on you, then perhaps you should lighten the load a bit.

 

WJJagFan

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[Guest McIrish]

quote:

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Originally posted by WJJagfan:

I just placed a virtual cache in a park where I didn't feel a real cache was a good idea.

 

Perhaps for a vacation cache you might consider making it virtual (no box to maintain). This way you can still track those who visited the location by their online logs, but you have nothing there to maintain.

 

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I have decided not to place a "vacation cache" thanks for the idea of a virtual cache, I think I may pursue that angle. Thanks for all the imput, it has been helpful.