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Don't move a cache that doesn't belong to you!


Guest cache_only

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Guest cache_only

It was bound to happen.

 

Somebody who found a cache I buried must have thought it was too difficult so he/she/they left it above ground on their way out (I could tell by the cache logs this had happened). I guess they were trying to "help" future seekers by making the hunt a giveaway.

 

So...

 

Geocaching Etiquette Rule #1: Never move a cache that doesn't belong to you.

 

i. Don't leave a buried cache above ground because you thought it was too difficult.

 

ii. Don't move a cache because you think a spot across the trail is much "prettier."

 

iii. Don't move a cache from a fallen tree bottom because you thought it was too difficult.

 

iv. Don't remove a cache from water because you thought it was too difficult.

 

v. In short, no matter the reason, DON'T MOVE IT! IT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!

 

If you don't move caches, then I am not referring to you. So don't respond with flames if the anger isn't directed at you.

 

Rob

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Guest logscaler

Agree whole heartedly. I have traded out a cache container- "Need a Drink", Oregon - but the original was broken and I carry spares. I did leave it in the same spot, even if the given numbers where wrong. I have some caches out I hope are replaced as found,(If found, hehehehe), and if not, tell me and I will go out and reinstall it as per MY needs.

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Guest cache_only

quote:
Originally posted by logscaler:

...tell me and I will go out and reinstall it as per MY needs.


 

Exactly. You own it and you are the one who controls where and how it should be placed.

 

I did thank one guy very much when I learned that a cache I planted about 300 miles from my home was raided by an animal. After he found my cache in disarray, he went to a store, bought some replacement items and a new logbook, returned to the scene and did the best he could to reconstruct the cache. He followed the description and tried to leave it in the same manner and location. This guy was acting out of kindness. His intent was not to relocate a perfectly fine cache.

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Guest bunkerdave

Some genius has apparently made off with the logbook from one of my caches. A finder reported it was missing. Apparently it doesn't take much to run a GPS.

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Guest Scout

quote:
Originally posted by cache_only:

I did thank one guy very much when I learned that a cache I planted about 300 miles from my home was raided by an animal. [He] did the best he could to reconstruct the cache.


 

I suspect that many of these cases are similar. People find caches in disarray, or in places that don't agree with the lat/lon coordinates or the written description of the cache hider, and they attempt to relocate the cache back to its original hiding spot. Many times they actually do improve matters. Sometimes, they get it wrong. Don't be too hard on them.

 

Note that I am not defending the case at hand, where the log entry implies that the move was a deliberate change to the original hider's intentions. But when the evidence is ambiguous, give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CacheAcrossAmerica

 

[This message has been edited by Scout (edited 10 July 2001).]

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Guest cache_only

quote:
Originally posted by Scout:

People...don't agree with the lat/lon coordinates...and they attempt to relocate the cache back to its original hiding spot.


 

I can understand your point, but they should exercise some deference to the owner before moving it. Using your example above, what if I had eleven strong satellite signals when I hid the cache, and the coordinates were dead on. So John and Mary Doe, fairly new to geocaching, set out to find my cache. They may find my cache after much searching because they were 100 feet off: unknowingly they had only three satellites and were in 2D NAV. Thinking they are helping, they move the cache to the wrong location thinking they are dead on. That's why I have an absolute hands-off policy. I never move a cache for any reason at all. If I think something is amiss I notify the cache owner and leave it to him/her to make any necessary adjustments.

 

Rob

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Guest brucebridges

"Then, the novices would be making a mistake in moving the cache. Novices do that. I try not to be too hard on them. There are valid reasons for moving a cache and there are invalid reasons. Even experienced geocachers will disagree on where to draw the line. There is no simple rule here, like the topic title seems to want."

 

In the FAQ section it specifically states that you should never move a cache. That's pretty simple. I say contact the owner if you think a cache needs moving.

 

Otherwise we'll have ANARCHY!

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Guest Scout

quote:
Originally posted by brucebridges:

In the FAQ section it specifically states that you should never move a cache. That's pretty simple. I say contact the owner if you think a cache needs moving.

 

Otherwise we'll have ANARCHY!


 

But jeremy himself says to remove a cache if the cache owner ignores reports of environmental damage. So, the simple rule has at least one exception. Here is another example of a gray area.

 

I found a cache named "It's a bird...it's a plane...it's a geocache." It was on the ground. Tied to it was a string that was looped over a high branch. The other end of the string was swinging loose low on the other side of the tree. When I left the site, the cache was hanging high. Some purists may say I did the wrong thing by leaving the cache in a different place than where I found it. I respectfully disagree.

 

I'm sure you can come up with other examples of gray areas. And where each person's boundary is varies. So, I'm inclined to give people the benefit of the doubt and not be too hard on them when their opinion and actions differs from mine.

 

But I do agree that contacting the cache owner is good policy as well. If you make a mistake in judgment, that gives him the opportunity to reset things right.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gpsstash

 

[This message has been edited by Scout (edited 11 July 2001).]

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Guest Prime_Meridian

I'd say there's a lot of grey area on this topic. Granted, moving a cache to a completely different physical location is a bad idea, however, I've visited a few sites, where even moving the cache by a matter of a few inches makes a complete world of difference as to whether or not the cache is visible to the general public. In such instances, I believe it is not wrong to alter the cache (within reason) to prevent it from being discovered.

 

There were two such caches that I found today. The first was part of a multi-cache (difficulty 5, terrain 1.5) that was located in a hollow tree trunk, it was a small tupperware container that had been partially blocked by two pieces of tree bark. It was arranged in such a way that you could tell that the pieces of bark were leaning up against the container in the middle of the tree, and parts of the container were visible without disturbing the bark. It was possible to move one of these pieces of bark to completely close the hole in the side of the tree, and most likely no one would've known that the tree was actually hollow. I opted against doing this, but went ahead and set the bark back inside the hollow, but I made sure that the bark completely blocked the view of the container within the tree.

 

The second cache (letterbox; difficulty 2.5, terrain 1) in question had been placed in a planter box among some grassy flowers in a heavily traveled section of a zoo. When I approached the cache, it was visible to anyone who would've casually glanced in its general direction. The leaves on the plant looked like they had been brushed aside, but not moved back into position, when checking the log, the cache had been visited earlier in the day. In the interest of making sure it stayed relatively hidden, I fluffed the plant a bit to cover the container from general view, it wasn't completely hidden from sight, but then again, it wasn't out in the open for everyone to see.

 

Third situation, a cache is placed in a hollowed out log... is it acceptable to push the cache further inside the log, to keep it from being seen?

 

At what point in time can you make the call that the integrity of the cache would be compromised by leaving it as you found it?

 

Once again I say that it's not wrong to slightly alter a cache *within reason* to prevent the cache from being detected, and that doing so doesn't change the nature of the hunt.

 

(changing things within reason - moving items further inside a log, hollow tree, or space between stones; using a piece of bark to fully conceal a cache container; using natural vegitation to cover a container)

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