Put It Back Like You Found It

[+lilbluyze]

I would like to encourage all hunters new and not so new to take the extra time to put caches back like you found them. Cover them well if they have been covered by brush or what ever. You may not have noticed that there were vines that were also covering the disguise that is an important part of the camouflage, or there were decoy piles etc nearby.

 

Before you leave your find

Look to see if the cache is easily seen ( It may not have been intended to be)

Did you place it back in the hole, pipe etc so that it isn't easily seen?

If there were other piles of stuff near the cache and you disassembled them during your hunt; did you re-pile the stuff?

Did you leave the disguised container with the open end facing away from the trail?

 

Think about how you leave the cache before you walk away. You may be able to even cover it a little better than when you found it. Maybe the weather blew or washed away some of the camouflage. Geocachers that have hidden caches (Hopefully) have put some thought and usually hard work into their hides, especially if they are disguised or camouflaged. It's a bit dissapointing to go check on one and find it just out there. ( I know that's one reason why we do maintenance checks)

 

PLEASE don't misunderstand and move the cache or something of that nature. Just think about how much fun it was when you found a particular cache and it was well hidden or disguised.

Let it be that much fun for the next geocacher.

 

Here's to lots of fun finds

Lilbluyze

[+BlueDeuce]

Good post. Good advice.

[+lilbluyze]

Color me silly. I SWEAR I looked for a thread on this before I posted.

Similar Thread

Lilbluyze

[+Renegade Knight]

Criminal has an angle on this too. But a search won't likely turn it up using normal keywords.

 

I'll add to the list. If you figure out that the cache isn't right based on the clue or whatever, email the owner and tell them. I found a letterbox and figured out that it didn't match the owners intent but since I haven't seen it when it was 'right' I don't know what 'right' is.

 

So now I'm trying to track down that owner (the letterbox isn't on letterboxing.org) to let them know somethings wrong.

[+BlueDeuce]

True, but that one is a self-proclaimed rant, which isn't the best approach in the getting started forum.

[+lilbluyze]

I could go on & on & on & on.... and probably will as your responses trigger other thoughts I have on this subject.

I'll add to the list. If you figure out that the cache isn't right based on the clue or whatever, email the owner and tell them. I found a letterbox and figured out that it didn't match the owners intent but since I haven't seen it when it was 'right' I don't know what 'right' is.

Renegade Knight is right about this - I think sometimes, it is at least somewhat obvious that the cache wasn't intended to be hanging out the end of a tunnel-ram or left in the middle of a trail or such. Then yes, you should put it out of sight. But, as Renegade Knight mentioned,

I haven't seen it when it was 'right' I don't know what 'right' is.

If in doubt don't. But please e-mail the owner and encourage them change it if it's been misplaced. I'd like to think that owners read the notification of their respective cache finds. If and when there is a remark that makes them question something, then "DING " go check it out.

The key is consideration, and thought.

 

I'd like to read Criminals ideas, I find his view points very thought provoking.

Lilbluyze

Edited August 8, 2004 by lilbluyze

[+Criminal]

Was it this one?

[+briansnat]

This is a sore subject with me. Just yesterday I found out that a cache of mine...a micro that was in the hollow of a tree that was leaning at a 45 degree angle was moved to the crotch of a nearby tree. When I placed it, I meant for the finder to have to climb the 10 feet or so to the hollow to grab the cache, but apparently some geocacher thought that was too hard and moved it on me .

 

As a cache owner I expect to have to visit my caches periodically to maintian them, but it really galls me that I have take time out of my day to go back because of a lazy, or careless geocacher.

Edited August 9, 2004 by briansnat

[+CompuCash]

BrainSnat -

 

see also my rant in geocaching topics

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=77174

 

I copied his whole post into one of his quotes - it is a good post - after his comments yesterday I guess he decided to put a copy on getting started.

 

I actually had a cacher LOG that he made it easier to find. Had to go out there - had a pile of rocks on it that made it pretty obvious.

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

"We'll" go through the effort to climb the 10' to get it and climb back down to find it, but "we" can't go the extra 10' to put it back after signing the log. No point. "We've" found it. Time to move on.

 

I, too, have had some issues with my own cache. I don't so much care about the boxes - they're far enough out in the boonies it is unlikely they will be happened upon by too much random-ness, but the micros are extremely dependent on being put back exactly where they were found.

 

The last time I found one of them high-and-outside, just after a n00b described it as an extremely easy find (that was my FIRST clue something was wrong), I just about had a thrombosis and left nasty words on the cache page... eventually I calmed down, took the time to move the cache back where it is supposed to be (it's a complete and total pain in the a** placement for a PURPOSE, people) and re-issued a kinder, gentler statement on the page.

 

The next time it happens, the cache will be archived.

 

Another I have is in a similar situation - altho it has far fewer finders and those that have been finding it must be appreciating it's location enough they've been VERY careful about replacing it. I think that's pretty cool.

 

-=-

michelle

[+lilbluyze]

I have been considering adding a note to my cache pages. The note would be a (maybe) gentle reminder to leave things like you found them & report anything that the hunter might think needs attention.

 

I haven't found a method that wasn't antagonizing. I certainly don't want to provoke any one or anything.

 

Lilbluyze

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

I haven't found a method that wasn't antagonizing. I certainly don't want to provoke any one or anything.

A little provocation isn't always a bad thing.

 

My terminally wandering cache now very clearly states, front and center:

 

If you cannot put this cache back properly,

DO NOT REMOVE IT.

 

This, on Criminal's latest:

 

IMPORTANT!  If you do not feel that you have the intellectual capacity to re-hide the container exactlyas you found it, PLEASE just skip this cache!  Replace it "around to the right" as you found it.

 

I found it was easier just to harass him into showing up at the cache so he could make sure it was put back correctly before I left. <mumble, cough, bastard, mumble>

 

-=-

michelle

[+briansnat]

I'll sometimes put something like this on my cache pages:

 

"The cache is well hidden, kindly ensure that it remains that way"

[+Criminal]

If you cannot put this cache back properly,

DO NOT REMOVE IT.

 

This, on Criminal's latest:

 

IMPORTANT!  If you do not feel that you have the intellectual capacity to re-hide the container exactlyas you found it, PLEASE just skip this cache!  Replace it "around to the right" as you found it.

 

Hmmm, you're pointing out how verbose I am.

 

And you did a fine job of re-hiding it, I checked.

[+Kai Team]

I haven't found a method that wasn't antagonizing. I certainly don't want to provoke any one or anything.

A little provocation isn't always a bad thing.

I disagree. People who won't take the time to put a cache back where it was aren't going to be reformed by a "provocation". If anything, it will make a few want to push your buttons by deliberately leaving the cache out. At the very least, it makes the game (or the cache owner) seem mean spirited to those who read the cache page.

 

I have a magnetic micro (City View, GCGF7F). I added a note to the cache page that said, "I've replaced this cache three times in 12 months - please return the cache to exactly the same spot where you found it (so that's it's hidden from casual passersby), make sure sure it's solidly reattached, and be discrete to protect it from curious onlookers. Thanks!"

 

Shortly thereafter, the following log appeared:

 

"Well Well... I'm logging this as a found - with a twist. As we were walking to the coordinates, we found a "geocach" key holder on a light pole (maybe 150 feet out). As it turns out, I think it was the one we were searchign for that someone had taken and simply placed there. No log was in it. At the spot for this geocache, you could see the rubbed spot where it had previously been pulled on and off. At any rate, we put the keyholder at the spot we thought it was suppose to go, but it currently has nothing inside in the way of a log".

 

I went to check the cache and replace the log and they hadn't placed it in the correct spot, but I can't fault them because it was a rubbed spot where others before them had placed it incorrectly.

 

In the final analysis, cache maintenance is part of the game. If a cache is too high maintenance, then you should archive it and get on with your life! (I'm sticking with City View for a while longer, but many more times missing and I'll either relocate it or archive it).

[+Night Stalker]

I to have added requests to my cache pages without success. I will say they were not quite as direct and to the point as some of the statements above and maybe thats why my caches have been left out in the open. I think I'll try Criminal's approach next time. It may not work any better, but it sure can't be misunderstood.

[Ferreter5]

Someone went to a park to find one of my caches. When they got out of their car, the cache box was sitting right next to the parking lot! Needless to say, that's not where I'd hidden it. It's amazing how these things move about on their own.

[+Baskerville]

Some of the examples above are obviously caused by careless searchers, but I wonder how many are caused by animals. I recently checked up on my cache to find it pulled out from its hiding place. The plastic bag it was wrapped it had a few holes in it but the container itself was just fine. The last person to find it is an experienced hider so I can't imagine he would have just dropped the cache out in the open. I figure some animal dragged out some odd human smelling container for a good sniff. Quickly realizing that there was no food to be had, it left the cache without the the expected scratch or bite marks and without rehiding or logging the find.

[+CompuCash]

Someone went to a park to find one of my caches. When they got out of their car, the cache box was sitting right next to the parking lot! Needless to say, that's not where I'd hidden it. It's amazing how these things move about on their own.

 

Yes - next step is to specify our caches as legless and wheelless caches -

 

<giggle>