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If you dont have a pen


timjm25

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No, a photo is not an acceptable form of proof. Many COs accept it, anyway, though, so it's a fairly common practice. It's easier to always carry a couple pens everywhere you go so you don't have to remember to grab one when you're specifically geocaching, but if you're caught without a pen, you can appeal to the CO with a picture and, in most areas, grace will usually be granted.

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No, a photo is not an acceptable form of proof. Many COs accept it, anyway, though, so it's a fairly common practice. It's easier to always carry a couple pens everywhere you go so you don't have to remember to grab one when you're specifically geocaching, but if you're caught without a pen, you can appeal to the CO with a picture and, in most areas, grace will usually be granted.

+1

In most areas...

  • Surprised 1
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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

I usually don't plan to go caching without a pen. Or to leave my ID card in my computer at work, or to leave my GPSr on the ground near a cache, or to pour myself a cup of coffee and then leave it on the counter and go to work without drinking it. But all have happened to me at least once in the past few months.

  • Upvote 4
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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

I usually don't plan to go caching without a pen. Or to leave my ID card in my computer at work, or to leave my GPSr on the ground near a cache, or to pour myself a cup of coffee and then leave it on the counter and go to work without drinking it. But all have happened to me at least once in the past few months.

But not to Mockingbird559!

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Dear Community,

 

If you dont happen to have a pen, which I do 90% of the time, is an emailed photo of the cache to the cache owner also an acceptable form of proof of finding it.

 

Thank you.

 

-Tim

 

Nope.

 

I have signed logs with charcoal, grass and leaves (they make a nice green juice) and blood. If I don't sign the log, I don't claim the find.

  • Upvote 4
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Dear Community,

 

If you dont happen to have a pen, which I do 90% of the time, is an emailed photo of the cache to the cache owner also an acceptable form of proof of finding it.

 

Thank you.

 

-Tim

 

Nope.

 

I have signed logs with charcoal, grass and leaves (they make a nice green juice) and blood. If I don't sign the log, I don't claim the find.

 

Yep. A twig and some mud, a twig and squished flowers, even a muddy fingerprint.

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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

 

Well, we all *plan* to. Just like we plan to eat our vegetables and get more exercise.

 

I always carry a pen, I always eat my vegetables. I got into caching to get more exercise.

 

Pick two, as long as one is I always carry a pen.

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I always carry a pen. Except last Thursday when I left mine laying on the counter after signing the credit card slip. Except last week when I lent it to someone who failed to return it. Except last month when I leaned over and it fell out of my pocket. Except when the pen ran out of ink. Except when the paper was too wet or of a material that wouldn't take the ink. Except for that time when I got soaked looking for a cache and changed shirts at the car and didn't move the pen.

 

Wonder if someone would put a high dollar reward for catching him without a pen. <_<

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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

 

Well, we all *plan* to. Just like we plan to eat our vegetables and get more exercise.

 

I always carry a pen, I always eat my vegetables. I got into caching to get more exercise.

 

Pick two, as long as one is I always carry a pen.

 

How about pick three, as long as one is the pen and one is the gpsr?

 

Or have you ever arrived at the trail and said, "Hey, where's my #$!@! gpsr?" :yikes:

;)

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I won't even bother signing some logs.

I open up a cache to see a very moldy wet/damp log - it gets a Found and NM (maybe an NA if there have already been NMs), but I'm not going to handle that mess and attempt to write in mold when the CO could care less.

Button nano owners can't check the scroll. Most of those squiggles could never be tracked and deciphered. Never heard of a nano owner who checks. What's the point of the aggravation? It's an exercise in futility.

In both cases I will document the find with a photo.

 

  • Upvote 4
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Except when the paper was too wet or of a material that wouldn't take the ink.

 

In my GPSr carry case I carry an assortment of writing implements.

A space pen

A pencil

A gel pen

A magic marker (last time I picked up on at Home Depot they didn't know what a magic marker was)

and a regular pen

Almost identical, except replaced magic markers (many) years ago with sharpies :) , and I keep a space pen refill in my wallet.

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I always carry a pen. Except last Thursday when I left mine laying on the counter after signing the credit card slip. Except last week when I lent it to someone who failed to return it. Except last month when I leaned over and it fell out of my pocket. Except when the pen ran out of ink. Except when the paper was too wet or of a material that wouldn't take the ink. Except for that time when I got soaked looking for a cache and changed shirts at the car and didn't move the pen.

Wonder if someone would put a high dollar reward for catching him without a pen. <_<

:laughing:

 

I'm afraid I can't collect yet...

 

The first find was a nano, so there was no pen in the cache. And yet:

 

My very first find! There it was, hidden in plain sight. Great container. TFTC SL

[/Quote]

Good habits start early - maybe great training by parents and teachers helped? :rolleyes:

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I went to find a cache a couple of months ago and one of the pens I keep in the car for emergency caching had melted in the heat and reformed itself into a J shape, while the other had just given up so I took a picture instead. Fortunately, the CO was fine to take my word that I'd found it. :)

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Get a telescoping keychain pen. I have one on my keys, so if I'm outside of my home (which is generally true when I'm caching), I'll always have my keys with me and therefore always have a pen.

 

eba7_telepen.jpg

 

I didn't have that pen, but I did have something similar. It too went missing. I checked my keys and all that was there was the keyring attachment. The pen portion had unscrewed and fallen off.

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I didn't have that pen, but I did have something similar. It too went missing. I checked my keys and all that was there was the keyring attachment. The pen portion had unscrewed and fallen off.

I had the Space Pen version, clipped to my cache pack. Now I have the clip and the hollow part that the pen half screwed onto. That part is still securely snapped into its holder.

 

I recently bought a pocket Space Pen (a little capsule like this). I've had bad luck with Space Pens where they always leak so there's a huge mess of ink at the tip, but here's hoping.

 

I also found a collapsible Zebra pen at Staples. But since I usually bring a caching bag, I have at least four different kinds of pens ready for signing logs. And a couple of pencils.

 

One thing I don't always bring is my pokey-stick (a compact hiking stick made from a golf club shaft) because "the cache is only a few feet away in the woods". Yet I almost always need it. :rolleyes:

Edited by kunarion
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I always carry a pen. Except last Thursday when I left mine laying on the counter after signing the credit card slip. Except last week when I lent it to someone who failed to return it. Except last month when I leaned over and it fell out of my pocket. Except when the pen ran out of ink. Except when the paper was too wet or of a material that wouldn't take the ink. Except for that time when I got soaked looking for a cache and changed shirts at the car and didn't move the pen.

I always carry a few pens so I have others to tide me over.

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I always plan on having a pen while caching. Having said that, i do remember two times when i inexplicably ended up at ground zero without a writing utensil of some sort. Had to get creative but i did get my name in the logbooks. One was stick and mud, another was fingernail and grass. Get creative and you can get your "X" on it. Well, as long as the log isn't a moldy wet disintegrated mess.

 

My name will be on the log somehow or i won't claim the find. :)

  • Upvote 1
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I always carry a pen. Except last Thursday when I left mine laying on the counter after signing the credit card slip. Except last week when I lent it to someone who failed to return it. Except last month when I leaned over and it fell out of my pocket. Except when the pen ran out of ink. Except when the paper was too wet or of a material that wouldn't take the ink. Except for that time when I got soaked looking for a cache and changed shirts at the car and didn't move the pen.

I always carry a few pens so I have others to tide me over.

 

Your strategy *seems* foolproof. Except that nothing in life is foolproof. So let's say that Scratch Ankle followed your advice and carried 5 pens. A bit of a hassle, but, hey, it's an insurance policy. Gradually they disappear and through an oversight are not replaced. Guess what happens on the sixth caching trip?!

 

No pen!. :signalviolin:

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...

One was stick and mud, another was fingernail and grass. Get creative and you can get your "X" on it. Well, as long as the log isn't a moldy wet disintegrated mess.

 

 

Get more creative! :anibad:

 

The moldy wet disintegrated mess can *easily* be signed with a stick - with or without mud! Best to just use an initial and note that in your log. Not that the CO of the moldy wet disintegrated mess will be checking! ;)

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Gradually they disappear and through an oversight are not replaced.

If he's not going to replace his supplies, then I'm not particularly worried about the fact that he'll have to file DNFs all the time. By your logic, running out of ink is an excuse to never sign logs again.

 

Nah, I said almost the opposite - see post 7. B)

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...

One was stick and mud, another was fingernail and grass. Get creative and you can get your "X" on it. Well, as long as the log isn't a moldy wet disintegrated mess.

 

 

Get more creative! :anibad:

 

The moldy wet disintegrated mess can *easily* be signed with a stick - with or without mud! Best to just use an initial and note that in your log. Not that the CO of the moldy wet disintegrated mess will be checking! ;)

:laughing: On wet logs that my pen (or stick) mushes through, i usually just add a dry snip of paper with my name. It of course, gets ruined as well but it is easier than trying to manipulate the wet mess in the first place.

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...

One was stick and mud, another was fingernail and grass. Get creative and you can get your "X" on it. Well, as long as the log isn't a moldy wet disintegrated mess.

 

 

Get more creative! :anibad:

 

The moldy wet disintegrated mess can *easily* be signed with a stick - with or without mud! Best to just use an initial and note that in your log. Not that the CO of the moldy wet disintegrated mess will be checking! ;)

:laughing: On wet logs that my pen (or stick) mushes through, i usually just add a dry snip of paper with my name. It of course, gets ruined as well but it is easier than trying to manipulate the wet mess in the first place.

 

Oooooh, an *enabler*! :yikes:

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...

One was stick and mud, another was fingernail and grass. Get creative and you can get your "X" on it. Well, as long as the log isn't a moldy wet disintegrated mess.

 

 

Get more creative! :anibad:

 

The moldy wet disintegrated mess can *easily* be signed with a stick - with or without mud! Best to just use an initial and note that in your log. Not that the CO of the moldy wet disintegrated mess will be checking! ;)

:laughing: On wet logs that my pen (or stick) mushes through, i usually just add a dry snip of paper with my name. It of course, gets ruined as well but it is easier than trying to manipulate the wet mess in the first place.

 

Oooooh, an *enabler*! :yikes:

 

Not me! The snip is just big enough to put my name or initials on. Oh, and,,, i make sure that my online log is the "needs maintenance" type. :D

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Dear Community,

 

If you dont happen to have a pen, which I do 90% of the time, is an emailed photo of the cache to the cache owner also an acceptable form of proof of finding it.

 

Thank you.

 

-Tim

Another no. Have used mud, leaves and charcoal on the rare occasion (when pen refused to cooperate) if the cache is not easily accessed or close to home. Normally I would log a Write Note and come back later and sign it then log my Found It.

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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

 

When I started caching pretty much all geocaches had a pen or pencil. It was expected. Even now, most caches i find around here still have a pen or pencil, so bringing a pen along rarely crosses my mind. Well until those instance where I find a cache without one. I've logged in with the ash from a cigar, the burnt end of a match, a crumbled leaf, a soft stone and even used my fingernail to indent my initials into the paper.

  • Upvote 1
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When I started caching pretty much all geocaches had a pen or pencil. It was expected. Even now, most caches i find around here still have a pen or pencil, so bringing a pen along rarely crosses my mind. Well until those instance where I find a cache without one. I've logged in with the ash from a cigar, the burnt end of a match, a crumbled leaf, a soft stone and even used my fingernail to indent my initials into the paper.

^^

 

Improvising works of course and there is always this option available as well...

"InsertCacherName" posted a note for "CacheWithoutaPen"

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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

 

When I started caching pretty much all geocaches had a pen or pencil. It was expected. Even now, most caches i find around here still have a pen or pencil, so bringing a pen along rarely crosses my mind. Well until those instance where I find a cache without one. I've logged in with the ash from a cigar, the burnt end of a match, a crumbled leaf, a soft stone and even used my fingernail to indent my initials into the paper.

 

Yes, it was the norm. Whenever there wasn't one in the cache someone would mention it in the log or drop one in if they had a spare.

Writing in the log was important back then, a big part of the caching experience. We all expected a pen/pencil in the log.

I love the extra effort of a cache owner who provides pencils in their new cache. Yesterday I found 4 new caches, 50 ml specimen bottles, the owner had a cut-down pencil in each one. He's old-school, been geocaching almost as long as I have.

Edited by L0ne.R
  • Upvote 1
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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

 

When I started caching pretty much all geocaches had a pen or pencil. It was expected. Even now, most caches i find around here still have a pen or pencil, so bringing a pen along rarely crosses my mind. Well until those instance where I find a cache without one. I've logged in with the ash from a cigar, the burnt end of a match, a crumbled leaf, a soft stone and even used my fingernail to indent my initials into the paper.

 

Yes, it was the norm. Whenever there wasn't one in the cache someone would mention it in the log or drop one in if they had a spare.

Writing in the log was important back, a big part of the caching experience. We all expected a pen/pencil in the log.

I love the extra effort of a cache owner who provides pencils in their new cache. Yesterday I found 4 new caches, 50 ml specimen bottles, the owner had a cut-down pencil in each one. He's old-school, been geocaching almost as long as I have.

We've included pencils, sharpeners, and pens in all caches larger than micro since we started.

Most times (along with the lack of trading, but taking going on for a while now), the pen, pencils and even the sharpeners are missing when we do maintenance.

Our Rite in Rain tablets are often missing pages too (the RiR booklets, less so).

 

That "extra effort" is sorta wearing thin, when folks take everything...

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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

 

When I started caching pretty much all geocaches had a pen or pencil. It was expected. Even now, most caches i find around here still have a pen or pencil, so bringing a pen along rarely crosses my mind. Well until those instance where I find a cache without one. I've logged in with the ash from a cigar, the burnt end of a match, a crumbled leaf, a soft stone and even used my fingernail to indent my initials into the paper.

But, there were a lot more caches placed back then that could actually hold a pen or pencil. Today, unless you filter for larger, you'd better bring your own when you cache.

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I always wonder why someone would go caching without a pen, which would be required to sign the log. The signature on the log being proof that you found the cache.

 

When I started caching pretty much all geocaches had a pen or pencil. It was expected. Even now, most caches i find around here still have a pen or pencil, so bringing a pen along rarely crosses my mind. Well until those instance where I find a cache without one. I've logged in with the ash from a cigar, the burnt end of a match, a crumbled leaf, a soft stone and even used my fingernail to indent my initials into the paper.

But, there were a lot more caches placed back then that could actually hold a pen or pencil. Today, unless you filter for larger, you'd better bring your own when you cache.

 

Film canisters, prescription pill vials, preforms, matchstick containers, larger magnetic keyholders can all hold a cut-down pencil. Pencils can be cut with an exacto knife or small saw.

 

open-film-canister-showing-contents-used-for-geocaching-cbyd80.jpgs-l640.jpgsmall+geocache.jpg2264167599_c2cb2c14dc_m.jpg64bcff59bb7d4f0bba205c4ef1199801.jpg

  • Helpful 1
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Am I the only one who still is fascinated by the fact, that nowadays carrying a simple pen is worth to be discussed while having a digital camera always on-site just is a matter of course?

LOL. Good point. I hadn't thought about the fact that the question is approximately "I can't be bothered to always carry a pen, so is it OK to claim the find if I take a picture of it with the camera I always carry with me?" In a year or two, they'll probably be able to sign their names using the printer built into their smartphones.

 

Feelin' old. :)

Sometimes I feel old. I can remember when TVs didn't have remotes and the cellphone wasn't invented. What I can't remember is how the heck we functioned like that.

 

But on the other hand, things like digital cameras built into something you always carry in your pocket is the kind of change that's happened so fast, anyone older than 30 should be astonished at how much their lives have changed.

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Feelin' old. :)

Sometimes I feel old. I can remember when TVs didn't have remotes and the cellphone wasn't invented. What I can't remember is how the heck we functioned like that.

 

But on the other hand, things like digital cameras built into something you always carry in your pocket is the kind of change that's happened so fast, anyone older than 30 should be astonished at how much their lives have changed.

 

I still pay for dial-phone service. I never updated to touch-tone, so they can't charge me the extra ten cents a month! I do remember as a kid, I had to pick up the phone and ask the operator "Operator, connect me to 7251." and she would.

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