+Dragonfire870 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 One of the caches I've found before I added to my watch list to see who else has gone to it. Recently, someone went to the cache and left a bottle of coke next to it for the next cacher (the cache was a micro, but was well hidden so it could be done). My question is should I email the person who placed the coke there to go kindly remove it, or should I email the owner, or should I go there myself and remove the coke? Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 How do you know the last finder left the Coke? Could have been left by anyone. Just CITO it out. El Diablo Quote Link to comment
+Dragonfire870 Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 How do you know the last finder left the Coke? Could have been left by anyone. Just CITO it out. El Diablo I know it was the last finder because it was the most recent log on the site. I didn't actually go to the cache, the person posted a log on the site. Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 (edited) How do you know the last finder left the Coke? Could have been left by anyone. Just CITO it out. El Diablo I know it was the last finder because it was the most recent log on the site. I didn't actually go to the cache, the person posted a log on the site. Don't assume anything. The coke could have been left by a muggle that had no idea the cache was there. Like I said....just remove it. If you send an email to the last finder accussing them of leaving trash...your not going to like the response you get. El Diablo Edited December 31, 2004 by El Diablo Quote Link to comment
+Dragonfire870 Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 Here is the exact quote from the most recent log on the site... This has had a lot of visitors. The log is almost full. Found with the JSEJ gang. Left a bottle of coke for the next group of thirsty cachers. <.< Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Here is the exact quote from the most recent log on the site... This has had a lot of visitors. The log is almost full. Found with the JSEJ gang. Left a bottle of coke for the next group of thirsty cachers. <.< So trash it out. Take some advice though....don't send a email. El Diablo Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 They did what they thought was a nice thing. Their heart was in the right place. They will learn soon enough about food being a bad idea on caches. You can go get it, or let the next group of cachers that come along take care of it. It will be taken care of one way or the other. If you do want to email them I'd point out that food is not considerd something you should leave at a cache. However that is the kind of email that gets the messenger shot, or at least bearing the brund of the ill will... Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 They did what they thought was a nice thing. Their heart was in the right place. They will learn soon enough about food being a bad idea on caches. You can go get it, or let the next group of cachers that come along take care of it. It will be taken care of one way or the other. If you do want to email them I'd point out that food is not considerd something you should leave at a cache. However that is the kind of email that gets the messenger shot, or at least bearing the brund of the ill will... There you go...sound advice. Renegade and I are usually at opposite views. So if we agree on this one...it must be right. Don't send a email. El Diablo Quote Link to comment
+primofam Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I agree. Enjoy the Coke. Don't send an email. I did a lot of StUpId stuff until I "learned the ropes". Hopefully they will come to the forums and read as we all have and take some useful information away and grow with it. Perhaps log the find and put a comment about how thankfully there were no muggles that found it, etc. Just keep it on the "not so blazing" side of a post. Quote Link to comment
+Shalimarjim Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 The "do not email" responses are probably correct although I know you want to do it. I put a couple of caches out last week and had them stocked well with items that cost $1-$3 dollars a piece. The FTF took 3 of the items and left a dadgum stamp!! This guy has found 100 or so caches so he should have known that was not "kosher". I thought at first that I would email him and thank him for gracing the cache but I guess I'm lucky that he didn't take everything! Quote Link to comment
+nfa Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 (edited) Hi, I recently visited one of my caches to switch the plastic container for an ammo-can and found quite a surprise... The cache had been found by a camper who had read the description of geocaching, and liked the idea so much that he left a beer, some goldfish and a cigar in the cache after signing the log. This has prompted me to modify my cache notes from the traditional gc.com one to one that includes a tutorial about what types of things are OK to leave in a cache. Happy New Year! nfa-jamie Edited January 1, 2005 by NFA Quote Link to comment
+Mopar Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 They did what they thought was a nice thing. Their heart was in the right place. They will learn soon enough about food being a bad idea on caches. You can go get it, or let the next group of cachers that come along take care of it. It will be taken care of one way or the other. If you do want to email them I'd point out that food is not considerd something you should leave at a cache. However that is the kind of email that gets the messenger shot, or at least bearing the brund of the ill will... If nobody ever tells them, how will they learn this? Just pointing out that the majority of cachers do not read the forums, and if they haven't read the FAQs before finding any caches, why would they go back and read them after they've found some caches? I think the cache owner SHOULD send them a polite email explaining why certain bad practices are bad. If nobody takes the time to teach you, how can you learn? I lost one of my favorite caches because a new cacher thought a pack of mints made a good sig item. It seems 30 other cache owners were "too polite" or afraid to "ruffle any feathers" by telling them it was a bad idea, so he just kept leaving them. My cache was #31 and it went missing shortly after. Being the cache required a 30 minute bushwack through a swamp, it's highly doubtful it just got muggled. Quote Link to comment
+reveritt Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 I found an unopened can of beer next to a cache, once. I have also found all sorts of consumables, which I assume were accidentally dropped by cachers. This is the first time I have heard of someone intentionally leaving a drink for the next finders. Whenever I find anything truly inappropriate in or near a cache, I just remove it and note it in my on-line log entry. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 ...I think the cache owner SHOULD send them a polite email explaining why certain bad practices are bad. If nobody takes the time to teach you, how can you learn?... My logs will sometimes read. "Trashed out the candy and other junk" It's not subtle, but it is indirect, and it's not a shovel used to beat them about the head. If they read the logs following theirs they will 'get it'. The question isn't so much not talking to them as how to apply the peer pressure. Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 ...I think the cache owner SHOULD send them a polite email explaining why certain bad practices are bad. If nobody takes the time to teach you, how can you learn?... My logs will sometimes read. "Trashed out the candy and other junk" It's not subtle, but it is indirect, and it's not a shovel used to beat them about the head. If they read the logs following theirs they will 'get it'. The question isn't so much not talking to them as how to apply the peer pressure. I'm inside some kinda wierd dream that I can't wake up from. There can be no other explanation as to why I keep agreeing with RK. El Diablo Quote Link to comment
+Mopar Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 ...I think the cache owner SHOULD send them a polite email explaining why certain bad practices are bad. If nobody takes the time to teach you, how can you learn?... My logs will sometimes read. "Trashed out the candy and other junk" It's not subtle, but it is indirect, and it's not a shovel used to beat them about the head. If they read the logs following theirs they will 'get it'. The question isn't so much not talking to them as how to apply the peer pressure. I'm inside some kinda wierd dream that I can't wake up from. There can be no other explanation as to why I keep agreeing with RK. El Diablo Me too, I almost always agree with El D, but not this time. Say I'm a newbie caching family; The 4 Peeps. I honestly don't know it's bad to leave food in caches, and we leave a marshmellow peep in every cache we find. My kids thought up the idea, and my wife agrees it's pretty cute. I think I (and my kids) would be a lot more upset if every time I checked the logs on a cache I previously found, I read RK's log "Nice cache location, trashed out the marchmellow peep and the rest of the junk." Remember, I honestly don't know food is bad. All I can figure out is some maggot is throwing out my kid's cool sig item. Now, compare that to a friendly, private email from the cache owner. "Hi! Thank's for finding my cache today, glad you enjoyed it. I see you guys are just getting started, and I noticed you left a marshmellow peep in the cache. I think it's a pretty clever idea (since you guys are the 4 peeps and all) but leaving any kind of food in a cache is really not a good idea. Animals can often smell food even inside a sealed cache, and might destroy the cache trying to get to the food. Don't sweat it this time, RK visited the cache right after you and already removed the peep for you. Just something to keep in mind for next time. Hey, I saw a bag of little plastic chick-a-dees at Dollar Tree on Main street, maybe those would work as a new sig item? Anyway, welcome to the game, hope to meet you at our next event!" You really think the 1st way is the better way? Quote Link to comment
+El Diablo Posted January 1, 2005 Share Posted January 1, 2005 Keep in mnd Mopar that the OP is not the cache owner. Also the cache is a micro and the bottle of Coke was left near the cache...not in it. Now you do have a very valid point that is someone is leaving prohibited items in a cache that it would be a good idea to let them know it's not a good idea. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was getting the impression that the OP was about to fire off a not so nice email. As RK pointed out...there are polite ways to educate people. Like I said, I may be wrong. El Diablo Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 "I took some food someone had inadvertatnly left at the cache. It's a good thing I got to it before a skunk or badger did, or this cache would have been torn apart and that would have been that. Thanks for the cache hunt, I haven't been back to this park since I was a kick. Talk about a walk down memory lane..." Quote Link to comment
+WxGuesser Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 I only read the initial part of this thread.. seems to me that if someone left a coke for a cacher... and you were there.. you could have just thrown it in the trash and nobody would know any different! Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Recently, someone went to the cache and left a bottle of coke next to it At least it wasn't a Pepsi... Quote Link to comment
rescue557 Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 At least it wasn't a Pepsi... You have to give the cacher credit for having good taste in beverage selection! Quote Link to comment
+WCoaster Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Although I agree with all your comments on leaving food in caches, the suspect bottle of coke was only observed via a log entry. Ever head for a cache and the last log on the page read "TFTH took batteries Left $5.00 ($10, $50, $1000, or whatever)" only to discover a keychain with with plastic bills attached to it? For all anyone in this thread knows the nefarious coke bottle could very well be a similar clever log. JMTC Quote Link to comment
+JMBella Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Have a Coke and a Smile and shut the... nevermind. I miss Richard Prior. "Hi! Thank's for finding my cache today, glad you enjoyed it. I see you guys are just getting started, and I noticed you left a marshmellow peep in the cache. I think it's a pretty clever idea (since you guys are the 4 peeps and all) but leaving any kind of food in a cache is really not a good idea. Animals can often smell food even inside a sealed cache, and might destroy the cache trying to get to the food. Don't sweat it this time, RK visited the cache right after you and already removed the peep for you. Just something to keep in mind for next time. Hey, I saw a bag of little plastic chick-a-dees at Dollar Tree on Main street, maybe those would work as a new sig item? Anyway, welcome to the game, hope to meet you at our next event!" That would be the way I would handle it whether I was the cache owner or not. Nothing wrong with introducing yourself and offering a little friendly advice at the same time. I've handled similar situations that way and have always gotten a positive response. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Also the cache is a micro and the bottle of Coke was left near the cache...not in it. That's another issue. Nothing like a bottle of Coke next to a micro to give away its location . Perhaps a nicely worded e-mail might be the way to go, but you never know how people will react to it. Some people will take offense from the most politely written admonishment. Quote Link to comment
+Jeeping Family Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 I am waiting for a reaction currently, I went out in a ice storm to remove food from the cache my kids placed. Would not do good for their moral to have their cache eaten up. Quote Link to comment
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