Yep, It's Gone...

[+SixDogTeam]

When cache owners get 2 or 3 DNF's on a cache, they USUALLY disable the cache page, then visit the site, and if the cache is not there, either archive it or replace it, post a log and enable the page. However, I've seen just about one too many logs like this one, and if I see another, I think my head will explode:

 

"The cache has indeed gone missing, and I will try to get back out here in a couple of weeks to replace it"

 

and of course, that's usually a lie anyway, otherwise they would have fixed it on the first visit...

[+Team Tigger International]

Maybe they didnt bring stuff with them to replace it ? Or maybe a new hiding spot needs to be scouted out as it is one that is Muggled a lot ?

Dunno , just some thoughts , and if a cache is disabled for to long I think the approvers are archiving them these days arent they ? But then again as you stated it could be just a lie.

 

Star Of Team Tigger International

[+SixDogTeam]

But Star, my point is, Since they know the cache is probably gone, why not take the new cache stuff with them, and/or go at a time when the can scout out a new location? I mean why bother going out there, if you're not going to fix it?

[+TeamK-9]

Well, for example, there's a local cache that's not even that hard, but like 90% of the hiders DNF on their first try. If the owner ran out to the cache every couple DNFS he got, he'd be out there once a week just to confirm it's still there. The cache isn't even particularly hard. The first stage is a bit of a puzzle but an easy puzzle, you just need to be inconspicuous. The second stage the hiding place is incredibly obvious, it's just fairly large and you need to be really thorough...

 

I know if I got a bunch of DNFs on my cache, I wouldn't be able to scramble and get a new cache ready before I head up just to check on it...

[+TotemLake]

It does have the smack of the tech coming out and telling you yep, your PC is broken and not have anything to fix it. But sometimes, the tech has to see why the PC is broken before he can get the right parts to fix it.

 

The same is true with caches. Conditions change and caches become exposed due to a myriad of reasons and ultimately muggled.

 

Checking out the location first, determines what you can do to make it better, be it a different or improved hiding spot or a different sized container. Bringing a box ready to go doesn't necessarily fix the problem if the conditions of the original hide has changed significantly enough to make that a bandaid fix ready to be painfully peeled off at a moment's notice. Making a second trip to fix the problem after the initial inspection is sometimes more efficient. Sometimes, that can take more than a couple of weeks.

[+Buddaman]

But Star, my point is, Since they know the cache is probably gone, why not take the new cache stuff with them, and/or go at a time when the can scout out a new location? I mean why bother going out there, if you're not going to fix it?

I agree with you 100%.

[+The Dillon Gang]

"The cache has indeed gone missing, and I will try to get back out here in a couple of weeks to replace it"

leaving the message is fine if you are indeed intending on replacing it soon....however, i have seen a few with that message that are still that way a year later!

[+Confucius' Cat]

Too Harsh!

 

This is a game (at least to some). It is not a full time job (at least to some). I, for one (though undoubetdly not the best cache owner there ever was), have done this several times. In fact I did it just today and have a beautiful, fully stocked ammo box lying by my desk right now that I went and pulled without further ado a few days after a finder logged a problem with the cache. I could have scouted a new location and moved it immediately but I chose rather to take a "wait and see" attitude and perhps will put it back where it originally was. That is my perogative.

 

I "schedule" (very loose definition of the word) cache maintenance trips when I happen to be in the area- which is in itself somewhat unpredicatable. While I do carry cache supplies with me generally, they are somewhat generic and not suitable to each and every cache I have placed- i.e. not every cache I have placed is an ammo box.

 

One that has gone missing recently, for which I have posted the "offensive" post, took me several hours with my brazing torch to fabricate. Will I replace it "soon"? Who knows. Will I replace it in the same place? NO. Can I find a suitable place to place it in the same park? Maybe- but I'll need more time to scout- preferably in daylight, which we have saved very little of in Indiana. Will I git er done in a month? Anybody's guess. Am i taking this personally? Not really, I just feel these are appropriate examples.

 

I think most people have a little bit more going on in their lives than maintaining caches. Checking a cache when you have the opportunity and posting a note that it is out of service until you get around to fixing it is IMHO wholly appropriate.

 

In my case, if a rule stated that was not good enough, i would just quit hiding. I think many would react similarly and pretty soon GC would look like the other listing sites and people would have to log the same cache over and over to get more than 200 finds.

[+Shop99er]

I have a couple of caches that have generated more DNF's than I believe they should have. So, I go out and check on them. I never bring anything with me to repair/replace them. If they are missing, or need work, I'll figure out what's needed, and then go back and fix it. I never leave one disabled for more than a week. Usually, I will get it fixed and back in service in a couple of days.

 

Just FYI, I have had to replace the container on each of them, once. The other times that too many DNF's have sent me to look, they were where they were supposed to be.

 

I know that not everyone makes a big effort to repair their caches. Some stay disabled for a long time, then get archived. Personally, I think that in a few cases, this is a means for that owner to keep the area "reserved" for themselves. I know that's a rarity, but it might be a possibility.

[+Renegade Knight]

But Star, my point is, Since they know the cache is probably gone, why not take the new cache stuff with them, and/or go at a time when the can scout out a new location? I mean why bother going out there, if you're not going to fix it?

Now that's good thinking and I'm not always guitly of that when I go check on my caches.

[+Runaround]

I'm a volunteer for the Cleveland Metroparks and I'm responsible for the maintenance on 2 of their caches. One of them generates a good number of DNF's although there are only 6 on the cache page today. Many have been deleted by the cachers.

 

Every time there is a DNF I head back out to check on the cache. There was even a couple of times where there were 2 or 3 DNF's in a row. Each time, the cache was still OK.

 

After checking on the cache I send a note to the DNF poster offering encouragement and possibly an extra hint if they are interested. The CMP's caches get a lot of newbies. I've even gone back out with a couple of families to help them find the cache and teach them to use their GPSr.

 

It would have been unnecessary to carry a replacement cache with me every time it was missing. I don't have a problem with a cache owner making 2 or 3 trips back to the cache to get it corrected. I'm not happy when they don't use the temporarily disable feature since I eliminte those with my PQ. If they take to long to get it fixed, say 3-4 months, I'll post a SBA log.

[+Team Perks]

Since they know the cache is probably gone, why not take the new cache stuff with them, and/or go at a time when the can scout out a new location? I mean why bother going out there, if you're not going to fix it?

Several reasons:

 

1. I don't happen to have any spare cache containers at the moment. I don't order more ammo cans until I'm planning on placing new ones, so if one of them goes missing it's at least a week til I can get another one out.

 

2. It's a difficult cache, subject to frequent DNF's anyway. I'm not going to scramble to put together a new cache container since experience has shown it's probably still there.

 

3. It's an expensive and/or time-consuming cache to make. Several of mine have taken a considerable time and financial investment to perfect the camo, so I'm not going to spend an entire weekend re-building the cache unless it's actually missing.

[+carleenp]

But Star, my point is, Since they know the cache is probably gone, why not take the new cache stuff with them, and/or go at a time when the can scout out a new location? I mean why bother going out there, if you're not going to fix it?

I can give you an example from one of my own caches. It is under a railroad caboose in a park with no hints and can be hard to find. The container preparation also requires some work. After the first DNF I went and checked it (it had an easier container then). It was gone, and I disabled and replaced it a few weeks later w/ a harder to find container. After the next DNF I posted a note that I would check. Another DNF came in before I did so, but when I checked, the cache was there. After the next DNF, I emailed the searcher and learned that they looked for only 10 minutes or so. So I waited to see for a week and sure enough it got found. I am all for quick maintenance, but knowing the cache, I am not going to prepare a new container that I will not use for anything else without waiting a reasonable time (e.g. a week or so) to see if there is a find or without checking!

 

Of course I know that some owners will be slow on things, some slower than should be expected, and yet others just plain absent, which is annoying. But I wanted to point out that there are valid reasons for checking or waiting without replacing.