Replacing Containers

[+Team Zappy 45]

Over the last three days I have found several caches from 20 ft away. One was a micro that I spotted from across a creek. It was hanging from a wire on a tree, it should of been in a hole in the tree. One container had its blue top shining like a spot light, it hadn't been put back up in the roots. Another was covered but the pieces of bark were placed so neatly in a row I actually spotted the hide when my GPS said 30 ft. Another was a micro which was hidden but somebody left a golfball next to the micro which was totally in sight. These could lead to lost caches.

[+Criminal]

It's a common problem. This open letter was my rant to it.

[+KG7JE]

I have one that folks insist on putting where the water collects. There is a nice spot within inches that drains well and is well hidden. Do folks put it back there? Nope, I always find it stuck into the water. <<sigh>>

[+Kite and Hawkeye]

I've seen quite a few logs where people were afraid to re-hide a cache well if they found it out in the open, because they figured it was supposed to be that way. I figure if there's a bunch of leaves and twigs lying next to the glaring white Tupperware container, they probably ought to be on top of it, but I'm starting to understand why a lot of people write "hide it better than you found it" in their instructions, rather than "put it back the way you found it"!

[+sTeamTraen]

On some occasions, the finder might not be the re-hider. Say if your 4-year-old finds the cache and brings it to you 20 feet away... either you get her to put it back "exactly as she found it", or you try and guess. And if your dog found it, he's going to have a hard time lining up all the branches "just so".

 

That said, a note to the owner would be nice in those cases.

Edited May 21, 2005 by sTeamTraen

[+Team Perks]

It happens, and there's not a lot you can do to avoid it (short of tethering your cache to something else--which isn't always a bad idea!). Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint the exact spot the cache should be located if the cache is one of your run-of-the-mill "thrown-under-a-bush" hides...especially if you have to walk away from the area due to the presence of bystanders.

[+Glenn]

I've seen quite a few logs where people were afraid to re-hide a cache well if they found it out in the open, because they figured it was supposed to be that way. I figure if there's a bunch of leaves and twigs lying next to the glaring white Tupperware container, they probably ought to be on top of it, but I'm starting to understand why a lot of people write "hide it better than you found it" in their instructions, rather than "put it back the way you found it"!

This is another reason for a good hint.

 

Whatever the case you should make sure to note in your log that the cache seems to have been moved but you placed it back where you found it, or that you move it to better location. So that the owner knows that the cache may have been relocated and can go check on things.

[+ADKcachers]

Am I quoting correctly?

 

KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid

[+Ed & Julie]

One problem is that a lot of people chronically under-rate their caches as a "1-star" for difficulty, when it should be considerably higher.

 

I have seen microcaches wrapped in cammo tape hidden 6 feet up in a tree completely out of site rated a 1-star for difficulty.

 

A cache found rated as a 1-star is often re-hidden (appropriately) with a portion of the container showing or some type of visual clue.

 

If the hider wants the cache hidden very well, then the difficulty rating needs to be bumped up accordingly.

 

Ed

TB&TB

[4x4van]

When we cache, we have a strict policy: Whoever actually finds/retrieves the cache is the one who must return it to it's hiding spot. They are the one who knows exactly how they found it.