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Why don't people cover it back up?


Jenny L

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I don't have that many caches under my belt, but have checked back on two just to see if I could still find them without a GPS. Neither of the two were covered up in any way, shape or form. Just laying out in the open. One of them very visible from a road that gets a lot of walking and biking traffic. I covered them both up in the same way that they were when I found them the first time.

How hard can it be to cover them up when you are done? Or did the last people just figure that the find was too hard and needed to be made easier for the next person? Am I just a cranky person when it comes to this or what? Thanks for letting me sound off.

Jenny L

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I am from your area and I have found several that were not exactly well hidden. I did a maintenance check on my cache and it was pretty well hid after the first visit. I added to the camouflage and hopefully it will be a better hunt for the future visitors.

 

A couple of the caches that I have visited with little cover were intentional (No Barriers), but others were not.

 

We need to keep after our fellow cachers to keep re-hiding them.

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Usually I put things back how I found them, but if it's out in the open and rated a 2 or above on difficulty I assume that a previous cacher didn't re-hide it well and so I try to do a better job. Also of it's exposed but there is a pile of sticks or an out-of-place flat rock nearby those are also pretty good signs that a previous finder got lazy.

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I am sort of feeling guilty about my visit to This Cache. Every previous finder commented on the camoflage job. Without giving too much away, it involves tree bark. When re-hiding the cache, I placed enough tree bark to make the cache totally invisible. When I got home and re-read the logs, I noticed that one finder said he was grateful to see the white lid of the cache container peeking out. Oops. It ain't peeking out anymore!!!

 

It would be a SHAME if anyone left this one out in the open... the hiding place is that good. But I think I went overboard in the other direction.

 

EDITED TO ADD UPDATE: Whew! Others have since found the cache.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Next time, instead of getting married, I think I'll just find a woman I don't like and buy her a house."

 

[This message was edited by The Leprechauns on July 28, 2002 at 12:16 PM.]

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Because folks are sometimes lazy. I did a cache a few weeks ago that was under a pile of rocks. Removed the ammo container and a whole bunch of rocks rolled into the (formerly) empty hole. It took about ten minutes to move rocks around before I could get the container back UNDER the pile of rocks. It was even tougher to find the moss covered ones and make sure they were all properly oriented to the north.

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Many cache pages ask that the cache be replaced carefully and as it was found. One person ignoring that request spoils things. Just as bad are those that think they can hide things better. icon_mad.gif For example, a hunt I've been to a few times was made futile because someone rehid a coordinate tag in a way that was not as the owner left it or intended it to be left.

 

My philosophy on hiding is to prevent casual hikers from finding it but to enable geocachers to find it, perhaps with the aid of a resonably explicit hint. Keep in mind that more government agencies are concerned about us stomping down an area.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

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Many cache pages ask that the cache be replaced carefully and as it was found. One person ignoring that request spoils things. Just as bad are those that think they can hide things better. icon_mad.gif For example, a hunt I've been to a few times was made futile because someone rehid a coordinate tag in a way that was not as the owner left it or intended it to be left.

 

My philosophy on hiding is to prevent casual hikers from finding it but to enable geocachers to find it, perhaps with the aid of a resonably explicit hint. Keep in mind that more government agencies are concerned about us stomping down an area.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

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I have ranted about this over my own caches. I really think that the biggest reason that people don't hide them back is that they think they are doing the next cacher a favor.

 

I'm not sure why it is that they think they are so smart that they can find the cache....but the next person couldn't!

 

Just my thought.

El Diablo icon_mad.gif

 

Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse.

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I have ranted about this over my own caches. I really think that the biggest reason that people don't hide them back is that they think they are doing the next cacher a favor.

 

I'm not sure why it is that they think they are so smart that they can find the cache....but the next person couldn't!

 

Just my thought.

El Diablo icon_mad.gif

 

Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse.

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I'm still relatively new at this, but my understanding was that we were supposed to put it back the same way we found it. I mean, outside of the obviously uncovered caches out there, what's not to say the owner intended it to be that way?

 

Time and experience mean a lot to this issue, I'm sure, but I would think that an owner that is able to maintain a cache and check on it regularly mean even more.

 

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 aim has to be to keep the cache hidden in exactly the same ways as it was originally hidden. However, changing seasons, weather and wildlife sometimes mess things up, and so do cachers who don't take care to put things back the way they were. The tricky bit is determining what the original state was. The only person fully qualified to put things right is the cache owner. The rest of us will have to guess, and sometimes we'll guess wrong.

 

Purrs... LazyLeopard http://www.lazyleopard.org.uk

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Another way to make sure the cache is put where it is supposed to be is to have the owner check on it and put it back wherever he intended it to be as frequently as possible. I am placing a cache about 1 mile from my house today, and I intend on checking on it after every visit, so I can ensure it is in the right spot and all of the people looking for it will be looking for the smae thing. I do realize every cache owner can't do this, but if possible they should check back once in a while to make sure it's in the right spot.

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I have long ago stopped asking people to put the cache back exactly as they found it. As sbukosky said, it only takes one person to leave it out and all others who follow will do the same. Instead, I describe in the first page of my log book how the cache is intended to be hidden. For example, "Please slide the container all the way into the crevice as far as it will go, then place the branch in front of it so it cannot be easily seen by passers-by."

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Wish I could get people to figure this one out. Went out to a cache this week-end and was having a lovely time stumbling through the same little patch, wondering where the cache was, looking, seeking and then WHAM! my gaze is arrested by 8-10 parallel sticks.

 

I don't think you could be more obvious if you stuck a neon orange flag on the thing.

 

So, when it came time to re-hide it, I pulled it less than a foot away from where I found it (wrong of me??) and pulled a tree branch down and anchored that with a single branch. Standing ten feet away from it, I couldn't tell where it was.

 

Now. Was that so difficult?? icon_wink.gif

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Wish I could get people to figure this one out. Went out to a cache this week-end and was having a lovely time stumbling through the same little patch, wondering where the cache was, looking, seeking and then WHAM! my gaze is arrested by 8-10 parallel sticks.

 

I don't think you could be more obvious if you stuck a neon orange flag on the thing.

 

So, when it came time to re-hide it, I pulled it less than a foot away from where I found it (wrong of me??) and pulled a tree branch down and anchored that with a single branch. Standing ten feet away from it, I couldn't tell where it was.

 

Now. Was that so difficult?? icon_wink.gif

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Same thing here, im semi new at this but sometimes you can pick out where the cache is from over a hundred feet. Maybe the cache owner chose to hide it under a bunch of parallel sticks, maybe not, but when i do recover it you can bet it wont be as noticable. On the other hand, i wont move a cache without an owner's consent, this being the exception: If its obvious that its in the open and someone, non GeoCacher, is gonna find it, i might place it off a few feet, but i will definitely contact the owner and let them know. If he/she tells me i did wrong, i will go back and change it. I hope that everyone would do the same for my cache!

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While reading the posts, so far, in this thread I had a few thoughts. You mentioned the general thought here. I have a couple of suggestions that may get answered elsewhere but anyways, they are my thoughts.

 

I have a few hides in mind and am thinking that what I might do is photograph the cache placement as I hide the cache. Then I will go print them out and return to my cache(s) later and include them into the cache. That way, the finders can be reminded, approximately at least, how the cache was and encouraged to try to rehide it, as best they can, to the original intentions. In addition to this I think that the best solution is that if you find a cache that has been manipulated, doesn't seem to fit the clues, hasn't been rehiden or may even have been taken, MAYBE(?) BY AN ANIMAL, and discarded elsewhere along the path or whatever, you should either relocate it as close to the original location and concelement or cover and notify the owner or mail the cache back to the owner so he/she can relocate it.

 

This brings up a question. If anyone is familiar with postal procedures, is it allowable if someone puts an address label onto their cache with a guarantee to pay postage will the P.O return the cache Postage Due? Or do you need to go to the post office and get some sort of permit or affix postage... I had the thought to put my P.O. Box address on my caches in case somebody or some thing wanders off with it and it is found. Then, hopefully somebody might find it and return it to me. Just drop it into a mailbox. Also, if a ranger finds it and doesn't want it in a certain place they might actually send it back to me instead of throwing it away. Rangers or Parks managers could even put a note into the log book or a letter explaining any concern or objection to it's location or can simply return it if they were to find it mislocated.

 

Also, regarding some reports of missing caches, is it possible that, in some cases, non-cachers may have found them and turned them into lost and found thinking they were lost items? If people don't rehide caches it makes it easier for others to find them. Also it makes them appear to be lost items. If the cache is just tossed into the middle of a path it could be that it is found and seen as a lost item. Another reason to have your caches labeled clearly with GEOCACHE, it's name, your name and address and/or email address, www.geocaching.com etc. If people are afraid to put their real addresses on their cache, P.O. Boxes could be an answer. Maybe local clubs or GeoCaching organizations or related merchants can sponsor neutral places where caches can be registered and returned if found. Then, someone more friendly can locate the owner and return it to the him/her who can properly relocate it.

 

Might be a good marketing idea for Outdoors type merchants. Outfitters, Camping Supply... I can think of a couple of good ones in my area. Thay could have labels with serial numbers. The label could include their logo and their address with postage... Cachers could pay for the labels and place them on their caches. The serial number would cross reference to the owner and allow the merchant to return the cache. The lables and service may not even have to cost that much since a.) the merchant gets promotional value from the service. Cachers may do more business with THEM and others who find a cache will see their logo and be prompted to maybe see them for their outdoors needs and b.) those who never need the service will be paying for those who's caches are found.

 

I only intended about 1 short paragraph about relocating and notifying the owner to check and confirm the location. As usualy though ideas started flowing.... Anyways, Just some rambling thoughts off the top of my head.

 

quote:
Originally posted by Lazy Leopard:

The aim has to be to keep the cache hidden in exactly the same ways as it was originally hidden. However, changing seasons, weather and wildlife sometimes mess things up, and so do cachers who don't take care to put things back the way they were. The tricky bit is determining what the original state was. The only person fully qualified to put things right is the cache owner. The rest of us will have to guess, and sometimes we'll guess wrong.

 

Purrs... LazyLeopard http://www.lazyleopard.org.uk


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Yesterday, I found a cache that was hidden under a discarded tire in some scrub brush in a park. There were a few small sticks covering the hole in the tire(!). Hawkeye (holding the GPS) was pointing out the general area; I (farther back) said, "Oh, there it is," when I spotted a large out of place object. Two steps closer, I felt very foolish for having actually pointed out a tire.. and a second after that, realized the cache was tucked under it.

 

From the cache description (it said to leave a marker where you found the cache, and move away, then use your marker to properly re-place it) I got the feeling that it wasn't originally under a BIG OL' PIECE OF JUNK that caught the eye from a distance. For one thing, it seems a bit dubious to put a nicely camouflaged ammo box under a very un-camouflaged object -- it's like putting a big day-glo flag on the site. We were concerned that some park maintenance person would eventually fetch the tire for disposal (the cache was close to what looks like a heavily traveled path), and thus discover the cache, too. It's an old and venerable cache that's been through quite a few changes in its lifetime, and we didn't think it was our place to change anything, so we re-hid it precisely as we found it and sent a note to the maintainer about its current state so he/she could decide if it was okay. I certainly wouldn't have felt comfortable altering the location at all.

 

A couple of weeks ago, we found a *very* well-hidden cache, covered almost completely and tucked in an out-of-the-way spot to boot. We took pains to restore the camouflage, with the opinion that we didn't want the next person finding it any more easily than we did (after we spent half an hour wading through poison ivy and getting scratched up and were on the verge of giving up before we finally located the cache)! v

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