Logging Failed Attempts

[Guest MountainDiver]

What is the general opinion on logging a failed attempt to find a cache? Does it do the cache hider (or anyone) any good to know that I tried to find it and couldn't?

 

I did leave one failed attempt log and the hider contacted me the next day to say they had checked the cache and found it missing. On the other hand, I tried for one this past weekend and my GPS never gave me a reading of less than 150 feet from the waypoint. After tracking back and forth through the woods for about 45 minutes I gave up and went home. Does logging that do anyone any good?

 

Since the "didn't find it" option is there on the log pages I assume it is expected to be used but I can't see logging every failed attempt. So, for all of you hiders and hunters out there... when do you want to see a "couldn't find it" log?

 

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The MountainDiver

N 34 01.649

W084 27.211

 

"GPS satellites are nice because they can answer two of the three most common questions in my life: "What time is it?" and "Where am I?" If they could also somehow determine whether I have any clean underwear left, the bases would be covered." --- The Brunching Shuttlecocks

[Guest bunkerdave]

Because no one knows why any particular hunt was a failure, I consider it important to log all hunts, good, bad, and ugly. I was at one just last night, and hunted for 45 minutes to no avail. I went home and promptly posted this in the log. 20 minutes later, another guy who had been there that same evening logged that he hadn't found it, but was embarrassed to log in as such until he saw that I had also been unsuccessful. (I have found 66 caches since 4/26, so I guess he thinks I know what I am doing...hmmm, maybe, maybe not ) Anyway, this is a big red flag to any cache owner that the cache may have been stolen, particularly since this cache is in a city park frequented by a large number of...unsavory characters. I saw several of them there last night. There was quite a long discussion on this subject on another thread a while back. I used to not always log my failed attempts, but after I read that thread, I log ALL attempts, regardless of the outcome. Just part of being a good "citizen," in my opinion.

 

In case you are interested, here is that thread I mentioned. Some of it is relevant, some is not. Some good thoughts here, though.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000319.html

 

 

[This message has been edited by bunkerdave (edited 20 June 2001).]

[Guest bunkerdave]

Because no one knows why any particular hunt was a failure, I consider it important to log all hunts, good, bad, and ugly. I was at one just last night, and hunted for 45 minutes to no avail. I went home and promptly posted this in the log. 20 minutes later, another guy who had been there that same evening logged that he hadn't found it, but was embarrassed to log in as such until he saw that I had also been unsuccessful. (I have found 66 caches since 4/26, so I guess he thinks I know what I am doing...hmmm, maybe, maybe not ) Anyway, this is a big red flag to any cache owner that the cache may have been stolen, particularly since this cache is in a city park frequented by a large number of...unsavory characters. I saw several of them there last night. There was quite a long discussion on this subject on another thread a while back. I used to not always log my failed attempts, but after I read that thread, I log ALL attempts, regardless of the outcome. Just part of being a good "citizen," in my opinion.

 

In case you are interested, here is that thread I mentioned. Some of it is relevant, some is not. Some good thoughts here, though.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000319.html

 

 

[This message has been edited by bunkerdave (edited 20 June 2001).]

[Guest Hawk-eye]

Most defintely log misses ... after all we're not in competition with each other. If you want to be in competition fine ... just be honest about it. Logging a miss is most helpful to the cache owner ... but I myself have gotten clues from someone else's miss report. I've have a ratio of 20/0 ... but mostly because I'm too bull headed to give up ... and I usually have my son along ... a natural at homing in on caches. But when the miss comes ... and eventually everyone gets one ... I don't have a problem logging it. I like for my page to accurately reflect how I'm doing ... for myself.

[Guest bunkerdave]

on."

[Guest Hawk-eye]

Have at'her Bunkerdave ... but then again that's the point right?

[Guest Miles678]

quote:

---

Originally posted by bunkerdave:

Cheating? Probably. But then, as long as I have fun, the objective is met, and the game is "won."

---

 

Not cheating at all in my mind.

 

Actually, I find that half the fun is the homework I do before I go out on a cache. Then I go out there and see how good a job I did with my route selection.

 

My favorite finds so far have been the ones where the best route to a cache wasn't direct - yet I found the best route beforehand through researching aerial photos, topos, and the like. I guess I find it fulfilling when I get out there and my route selection is right on the money.

 

Just my personal preference is all.

[Guest Cybeq]

As someone who has hidden a cache and will hide more in the future I would just like to say: Please log all your failures! I like to hide difficult caches and I want some failures. If all I see are successful logs then I will assume I didn't hide it good enough and it is not a challenge for the seekers.

 

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"You know you've reached middle age when all you exercise is caution."

[Guest PneumaticDeath]

Here's a more subtle question. If I have a failure, I log it, being carfult to say what I tried, where I looked, etc.

 

If, on a subsequent attempt, I suceed in finding the cache, I will often delete the failure and replace it with a sucess including what hints I think appropriate from the previous (now deleted) log entry. Why delete the failure? It's because the detailed failure entry often has a lot of spoilers, that I included in case the owner was trying to evaluate whether the cache has been stolen, or if I'm just on the wrong track.

 

Does this seem like an appropriate way to handle this, or should I leave the failure (and just encrypt it)?

 

-- Mitch

[Guest Hard Slate]

I would leave it and encrypt it.

[Guest jefficus]

I'm still new at this, but I just posted my first "miss". In this particular case, I had to give up early because my youngest kid wasn't up to the full expedition. But I have seen almost no traffic at this particular cache and wanted the owner to know that someone had at least made an attempt. I've now hidden three caches of my own and would hate to think that nobody was even trying.

[Guest DParesh]

This opinion is worth what you paid for it, but I'd think it would be best to log failures, and leave it. If there are spoilers of some sort, note it at the beginning of your story. I enjoy reading about the misses as much as the successes!

 

Ron

[Guest rediguana]

I think its good to post failures. I've only had two so far, and one had a nearly marker vandalised making the cache very difficult to find, and the other appears to have incorrect coords. If any spoiler information is presented in the log, then the cache placer can always encrypt the log if they chose. It also serves to highlight which ones you need to go after again on 'My Cache Page'

 

Cheers Gav

[Guest rediguana]

I think its good to post failures. I've only had two so far, and one had a nearly marker vandalised making the cache very difficult to find, and the other appears to have incorrect coords. If any spoiler information is presented in the log, then the cache placer can always encrypt the log if they chose. It also serves to highlight which ones you need to go after again on 'My Cache Page'

 

Cheers Gav

[Guest arffer]

Question: I recently failed to find a cache and logged it as the frowning "Didn't find it" entry on the cache's page as has been recommended on this thread.

 

Now it looks like the cache may be gone, as the cache owner has confirmed via e-Mail that I was at exactly the right spot. He/she is going to confirm that it is missing.

 

If it turns out that it is indeed gone, since I had found the exact spot, should I:

 

1) Leave my log entry as is

2) Delete and re-enter it as an 'Other' category with my comments

3) Delete and re-enter as a Found since I did my part right in finding the exact spot

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Guest PharoaH]

quote:

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Originally posted by MountainDiver:

What is the general opinion on logging a failed attempt to find a cache? Does it do the cache hider (or anyone) any good to know that I tried to find it and couldn't?

---

I log every one that I attempted, successful or not. For one, I love to keep track of my (mis)adventures. Also, a string of "not founds" should be a message to the cache hider to verify its still there. "Not found" logs can also help me decide if a cache is worth going for. If several people have "not found" it, then I might not want to hunt for the cache. After all, who wants to go on a wild goose chase, as in the case of a plundered cache?

[Guest PharoaH]

quote:

---

Originally posted by arffer:

If it turns out that it is indeed gone, since I had found the exact spot, should I:

1) Leave my log entry as is

2) Delete and re-enter it as an 'Other' category with my comments

3) Delete and re-enter as a Found since I did my part right in finding the exact spot

---

I would definitely do #1 - leave the "not found" log up there. The cache owner owes it to other geocachers to at least write an "other" log confirming that the cache has been plundered. Even better, they should archive the cache or replace the cache asap.

 

As far as you logging it found, that's between you and the cache owner IMHO. You did the work, you found the spot as confirmed by the placer, so its as good as a virtual cache. So with the cache owner's approval, log it found also. Just be sure to note the circumstances in the log so some other geocacher doesn't repeat the same sad series of events!

[Guest Cape Cod Cache]

I left 2 no-finds, felt it was the right thing to do. 1 I didn't bring the print out, the other I scraped and scratched my legs badly enough and had to get to the city. As Doris Day used to sing : 'Que sera sera'...

[Guest tecmage]

Tracy and myself didn't log our first three failures, but did contact the cache owners. Since then, we log our failures. Many times, the cache owners have contacted US asking for details, and really being good about probing to see if the cache might have been plundered or moved. We use that opportunity to give detailed info.

 

Richard and Tracy

[Guest CharlieP]

I can think of at least two good reasons for logging a failed attempt.

 

1. It may let other cachers and the person who placed the cache know that it may be missing.

 

2. It gives other cachers a better idea of how difficult the cache is. If I see a couple of failed attempts logged, I know this one is going to be a bit tougher.

 

I like to see some details of the failure, such as "I could not get reception under the trees" or "I could not find an approach to the cache" since this can be useful in planning my own attempt. That way I can make different mistakes

 

CharlieP

[Guest CharlieP]

I can think of at least two good reasons for logging a failed attempt.

 

1. It may let other cachers and the person who placed the cache know that it may be missing.

 

2. It gives other cachers a better idea of how difficult the cache is. If I see a couple of failed attempts logged, I know this one is going to be a bit tougher.

 

I like to see some details of the failure, such as "I could not get reception under the trees" or "I could not find an approach to the cache" since this can be useful in planning my own attempt. That way I can make different mistakes

 

CharlieP