Theft. The inevitable death of a geocache?

[Rubbertoe]

I think I'm beginning to realize the truth. The inevitable end of a geocache's life will come at the hands of a cache thief. I suppose it could even be considered a "natural death."

 

This person might not have ever heard of geocaching, and just stumbled across the cache on their own. This person might have come to the site here, and set out with the sole intent of stealing someone's cache. Any way you look at it - a geocache is almost always clearly labeled, with the intent of the game described in great detail.

 

So, in my opinion, anyone who steals a cache is a pretty rotten person. However, I've come to understand that this is human nature - if you find something, you want to keep it. ALL of it. Even though I don't understand the people that decide to take someone's cache - it seems that the natural life of a cache will end with it either being vandalized or stolen.

 

When my a few of my caches were stolen, it made me mad... but the one that upsets me the most is my Monster Cache being stolen. I think it was marked pretty clearly as a geocache.

 

All it was, was a small plastic container - filled with a handful of cheap plastic monsters. It couldn't have been worth more than a dollar or two. Yet someone decided that they wanted to keep all the monsters, and the container. I mean, what is wrong with these people? This was a cache for geocachers and their young children, with a cute little story to go along with it!

 

I am glad that several people were able to find that cache with their kids before it was stolen. I guess that is the best way to look at it whenever a cache disappears... appreciate it for the visitors it DID get before it was taken. At least it provided a hunt and some enjoyment for a few people, rather than having never placed that cache at all.

 

Any comments are appreciated.

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

[+Zartimus]

I am amazed that some nasty freak with a GPS has not yet decided to pilliage every cache in his immediate area just for fun. I mean the co-ordinates are all out there for them to see, it would be painfully easy for someone with malicious intent to embark on a course of destruction like that.

 

Most of the pilfered caches in my area look to be the work of nasty people who just stumble across them by accident.

 

At least there hasn't been any incidents involving using a cache as a toilet which I have read about in the forums(now THAT'S nasty).

[+ApK]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rubbertoe:

I think I'm beginning to realize the truth. The inevitable end of a geocache's life will come at the hands of a cache thief. I suppose it could even be considered a "natural death."

---

 

I can only hope you're wrong.

 

Of course, even if 99 percent of people are good, that still leaves one person out of every hundred who could make your prediction come true. :-(

[Rubbertoe]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ApK:

I can only hope you're wrong.

---

 

I've never been accused of being an optimist.

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

[Lyra]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ApK:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rubbertoe:

I think I'm beginning to realize the truth. The inevitable end of a geocache's life will come at the hands of a cache thief. I suppose it could even be considered a "natural death."

---

 

I can only hope you're wrong.

 

Of course, even if 99 percent of people are good, that still leaves one person out of every hundred who could make your prediction come true. :-(

---

 

All it takes is one enegetic flea to annoy the hell out of a dog.

 

My first cache, Lyra's Lair 1 was reported MIA not too long ago. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until I received a Not Found e-mail and went to check on it that it was hidden in view of the back of someone's house. I'm assuming that the homeowner got suspicious at seeing people poking around near the same tree stump and went to check it out. My fault on that one. However, it would have been nice if they'd have replaced it once they realized it was harmless fun.

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

[boreal jeff & sons]

I hate to say this, at the expense of being negative but out of 14 hides, 8 have been either stolen or you've had to remove them. Maybe your just picking bad spots.

 

Every hour spent geocaching is added to the end of your life

[+briansnat]

I have 33 hides. Most of them are real caches. I know I've been lucky, but I've yet to lose a single one. Some of my caches have been out nearly a year. Most of my caches are very unlikely to be stumbled upon by an non geocacher, so that may be why I've been lucky...which brings up:

 

quote:

---

I am amazed that some nasty freak with a GPS has not yet decided to pilliage every cache in his immediate area just for fun. I mean the co-ordinates are all out there for them to see, it would be painfully easy for someone with malicious intent to embark on a course of destruction like that.

---

 

It does happen. Caches have gone missing in our area and most were difficult to find even with a GPS. Some involved walks of up to 6 miles. I can't believe that these were found by a non Geocacher. There are definitely rogue GPS users who go out specifically to rob caches. Sometimes they target a specific cache owner, sometiems a specific area and sometimes just a specific cache. I can't figure out why someone would waste their time to steal a $4 ammo box or $3 Rubbermaid container filled with maybe $10 worth of mostly useless stuff.

 

"Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing" - Helen Keller

[Rubbertoe]

quote:

---

Originally posted by boreal jeff & sons:

I hate to say this, at the expense of being negative but out of 14 hides, 8 have been either stolen or you've had to remove them. Maybe your just picking bad spots.

---

 

Not really... the kids cache was in a park where there is lots of activity, but hidden well in a location where kids wouldn't have a tendancy to be. Easy to get to for toddlers, but not in plain site or where kids would be playing.

 

Another one was hidden underneath some bushes and branches, on the bank of a pond at a city park. The way I hid it, I don't believe it would have been easily discovered. It was several feet under some brushy growth, and well covered.

 

The one before that was well hidden in the middle of a bundle of trees, with no path leading to it - about 50 yards into some really grown trees/weeds at a city park. Not something that people would just stumble upon.

 

The cache that was removed due to being vandalized was also placed underneath some brushy growth, and not in a location where someone would just stumble upon it.

 

And the very first cache I had stolen was placed in the base of a tree, 20 or 30 yards off of a trail - in an area of a park that doesn't see many visitors, let alone people going off trail to snoop around inside trees.

 

The ones that I removed were because of circumstances beyond my control. One area suddenly had been chained off, another area was objected to by an anonymous geocacher, and the latest one that I removed was due to a park request. I had placed it on the face of a large hill/mountain area at a local city park - however, they've changed the rules and people are no longer allowed in that area.

 

So, no - I understand what you are saying... but I don't think there is any problem with the locations I am choosing. The kids cache in the park was the only one that was even close to being "out in the open" - and even then, it really wasn't. When I hid them all, they were well concealed - and I don't believe that any of them would have just been discovered by someone walking around the area.

 

Maybe you should read through my caches a little bit, rather than just assuming something based on my numbers. I think you'll see that I put some thought into all my caches and their locations, and it is getting down to where the only ones I have left in circulation are the ones that are hidden deep in the woods or swamp or whatever - where even geocachers don't really wanna go.

 

So, I stand by my original statement.

 

Oh, if you meant "bad spot" as the whole city of Lancaster, you might be on to something... other caches have come up missing around here as well. Not just mine.

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

[+briansnat]

The problem seems to be that you're hiding them in city parks. I don't know what size container you're using, but city parks receive a lot of visitors and many of them go off into areas that you wouldn't think would warrant a visit. Sometimes to hit the "mens room", sometimes for a tryst, sometimes to chase a ball, or frisbee, sometimes to smoke something illegal, or drink some beer and sometimes just out of curiosity.

 

Any of my caches in city parks are either micros, or very small (e.g. army decon boxes) and I've yet to lose any of those either (knock on wood). I wouldn't consider hiding anything larger in a city or suburban park.

 

I save the ammo boxes and larger containers for the forests, well off the beaten path.

[BassoonPilot]

That's the biggest problem I see ... people not rehiding caches to match their rating. I read countless logs each week where people state things like "the cache was well hidden and completely covered, so I left the corner of the box showing." AARRGH!!

 

The second biggest problem I notice is that many cachers just don't give a dadgum about the security of a cache ... they compromise it by grabbing it (or replacing it, or both) in full view of others.

 

In busy areas, cache hiders have to ensure that their cache is completely concealed, and that the manner of hiding the cache has a totally natural appearance. I've visited dozens of caches in high-traffic areas where the covering only served to draw attention to the location. Amazingly, some of those caches lasted a long time, but not surprisingly, a good number of them were stolen prior to the arrival of the first seeker.

[+VentureForth]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BassoonPilot:

In busy areas, cache hiders have to ensure that their cache is completely concealed, and that the manner of hiding the cache has a totally natural appearance.

---

 

You mean several sticks all about the same size just don't randomly sit parallel to one another in nature???

 

Seen more of that than anything. When out in the woods look for the stick pile that looks like the foundation of a log cabin...

 

---------------

Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

[Rubbertoe]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BrianSnat:

The problem seems to be that you're hiding them in city parks.

---

 

Well, take the term "city park" lightly - we're just barely a real city, here... probably 40k people at the most, I'd guess. So, the parks aren't as urban as people might assume. Most of our city parks have lots of woods and plenty of nooks and crannies for hiding stuff.

 

I see what you're saying, though - and I take those concerns into account when I hide stuff. I don't just plop it down somewhere. I look for places where it doesn't look like people have been, because I assume that if people haven't been tromping around there before - they shouldn't be tromping around there any time in the near future, either.

 

If it looks like a place where people seem to go, I won't hide it there. I'm pretty much going with the same idea that BassoonPilot just said. When I do a good job of originally selecting locations and hiding these things, I appreciate when people can do whatever they can to keep them hidden and "secret" from everyone else.

 

(With that said, let me again say that I don't blame the last successful finder of my missing caches for their disappearance. Any number of people could have found it before them, even people that didn't log their finds online - any one of those people could have moved it or left it in a visible location... the final finder would have no idea that they were putting it back in a condition that was different from the way it was originally hidden by the owner)

 

Boy - I'm just spewing words today, ain't I?

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

[+Rusty & Libby]

The biggest problem I have seen with urban and semi-urban caches that end up plundered is they are placed so that it is almost impossible to hunt for them without attracting attention. Some hiders note this in the log and make it part of the hunt, that's fine. I just don't like it when you have to poke around under a bush in the middle of a playground when there is a woods 50' away.

 

You can lure people into a special area with your cache but sometimes it isn't necessary to place the cache smack dab in the middle of that area. Getting them there was the point, let them walk another 100' and find the cache.

 

Rusty...

 

Rusty & Libby's Geocache Page

[+Rusty & Libby]

I've only had to archive one out of six hides. It was placed a half mile from the nearest trailhead and about 150' off the trail. It was 6 miles to the nearest town of a few hundered people, go figure. Everytime I checked it several non-cachers had found it, at some point all the contents were plundered and someone else replaced them. It kept being moved from it's original spot so I just archived it. It was only logged online a handful of times in a year and I never did figure out why so many non cachers found it?

 

Rusty...

 

Rusty & Libby's Geocache Page

[Broncoholics]

If Candie and I were new to geocaching and read a quote like this........

 

quote:

---

it seems that the natural life of a cache will end with it either being vandalized or stolen.

---

 

We would probably get discouraged.

 

Of course we haven't had any negative logs from any of our caches, and I'm sure that's why the kids and us have positive attitudes. We have said before in previous posts, the kids and us love it when a member from either site logs a find. Just today, my youngest son Casey got home from school, and went to the computer to see how his cache was doing.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=27486

 

Sure enough, his cache was found today. The kid was so excited, he called his grandma and told her all about. Now he can't wait for school tomorrow, so he can tell his friends and teachers all about it.

 

Upinyachit will always promote geocaching! If a cache is taken or vandalized, don't get discouraged. It certainly isn't going to be the end of geocaching, that's for sure.

 

Duane

Upinyachit

 

 

Our feet go where the caches are!

[Rubbertoe]

quote:

---

Originally posted by upinyachit:

Upinyachit will always promote geocaching! If a cache is taken or vandalized, don't get discouraged. It certainly isn't going to be the end of geocaching, that's for sure.

---

 

You might lose a little bit of that enthusiasm if your son's cache gets stolen... he hides a new one... it gets stolen too, etc.

 

I hope that doesn't happen, of course - and I'm glad when anyone gets involved with the hobby and has a good time. I never thought that it was the "end of geocaching" if my caches get stolen... it is more a matter of not wanting to put out $4 ammo boxes filled with $10-$15 worth of stuff, only for them to be stolen a few months into their existance.

 

- Toe.

 

--==< Rubbertoe's Webcam, Photo Albums, and Homepage >==--

[King Pellinore]

wow I hear you on this one. Ive got several caches and haven't seen too many of the log books. Wheretogo, Vertigo is particularly annoying in it's utter inability to remain. Normally this would prompt me to make them even harder (heh heh heh) but after seeing what happened to Team Epitome I'm not sure I want to go that route either. . .

 

King Pellinore

[The Artful Dodger]

It was just reported to me that my short-lived JUKEBOX cache was supremely plundered. Man! That really pisses me off!

 

Sometimes I wonder why I bother...

 

You try and do something unique and creative and some asswipe comes along and trashes the place and spoils it for others.

 

< grrr! >

 

Apart from that rant, it was a bright sunny day in New York today with abundent tourists!

[JohnyReb]

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Artful Dodger:

It was just reported to me that my short-lived http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=27102 cache was supremely plundered.

---

 

If you spent as much time on the cache as you did the page I can see why you're upset. Nicely done!!

 

-------------------------------------------------

"Big Mouth don't make a big man"--John Wayne

[+Web-ling]

So far, I've archived 7 caches. The 3 that were stolen, I'm really surprised they lasted as long as they did. Two caches I removed due to safety concerns, one washed away in a flood, and one had a chain-link fence put up around it (in a city park).

 

I have a few other caches in high-traffic, public areas that have lasted a whole lot longer than I really expected them to. It's kinda fun to try to hide a cache in a place where thousands of people passing by, and see how long it will last.

 

[Rigour]

A few weeks ago, I went by one of my caches and upgraded the contents, re-seeding it with some better stuff to counter-act the normal "erosion", i.e. degradation caused by trading down.

 

Went to check on it recently and guess what, all the good stuff gone and nothing traded for it. Went through all the usual reactions:

 

1. Thought about archiving it. Decided not to for now.

2. Thought about ugrading it AGAIN, decided not to do that either. Maybe the cache will die and maybe it won't, but I'm not prepared to throw good money after bad.

 

My one thought about this is as follows: The higher a cache's difficulty, the less likely it is to get plundered, either because:

a) it's less likely to be stumbled upon by a non-cacher, or

the kind of cacher who would do this is probably too lazy to invest the time and effort in going out to a difficult cache

 

It is a great let-down to leave some nice stuff hoping that fellow cachers will enjoy it only to find it ends up in the pockets of some shmo.

[katmom]

The low lifes that raided a number of our local caches this weekend left only the logs, the writing instruments and a white paper calling card with their names on it...This cache has been pirated by *&(*, @#&@( aND (*&@# type of thing. I didn't take it to check to see if the names were registed geocachers.

[+Jacksons]

One I had stolen 'dryport' i put another near called dryportII and made it a members only cache.I hope that way it cant be found unless someone is willing to put up the bucks to become a member just to steal caches.of course that is assuming that someone out there is getting the info from this site just to plunder

[Rubbertoe]

Yeah, I'm going after Dryport II this weekend... to log, of course, not to swipe. But yeah - it seems the SE Columbus is getting bad in general. I know your original Dryport was stolen from there, the REGZ series of microcaches have been reported missing, my Bundletree Cache vanished... along with two of mine in Lancaster. All within the past month or two.

 

But yeah, I noticed there were a few members only caches popping up in central Ohio now - hopefully, like you said, paying members will be a little more careful not to be seen, and to re-hide it well.

 

Click the Toe...  and please stop confusing your opinion with fact, ok?

[ikayak]

quote:

---

Geo Trashers

 

I am amazed that some nasty freak with a GPS has not yet decided to pilliage every cache in his immediate area just for fun. I mean the co-ordinates are all out there for them to see, it would be painfully easy for someone with malicious intent to embark on a course of destruction like that.

---

 

We found another empty cache today. These caches are not "walks in the park", or viewable by the general public, and involve effort to get to. This time, the raiders left a pre-printed note saying that the cache was emptied by ******* and then also left their names. They even had the forsight to put their note in a page protector. Bet they are real proud of themselves.

 

I searched the threads today to find out suggestions on members only caches and the like. Didn't come up with good descriptions. Can some one fill me in? Or other suggestions on making the caches more secure? The locations don't seem to be the problem since the raiders have a GPS and access to the internet.

 

I think the first cache I place will be at the coordinates of our local police station....

 

Time Flies like an arrow. Fruit Flies like a banana

[+briansnat]

quote:

---

The low lifes that raided a number of our local caches this weekend left only the logs, the writing instruments and a white paper calling card...

---

 

quote:

---

We found another empty cache today. These caches are not "walks in the park", or viewable by the general public, and involve effort to get to. This time, the raiders left a pre-printed note saying that the cache was emptied by *******

---

 

These cache bandits are a bunch of jerks, but at least they're considerate jerks and leave the cache for others to find. Since many Geocachers don't give a rat's patootie about the cache contents anyway, I hope these idiots are happy with their collection of McToys.

 

"Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing" - Helen Keller

[Rigour]

First, I am glad people are relating that their caches have been hit, I would want to know that if it happenned in my neighbourhood so that I could take action to protect my cache.

 

Secondly, I doubt very much people are motivated to loot by the booty. $100 to buy a GPS to amass a pile of crap is hardly a good investment. Plus they are making some good treks to loot.

 

What is really motivating these people is the sense that they have "won" that they are somehow smarter than the rest of us who actually place caches. I'm guessing white males in their late teens to early 20s at most, who feel a thrill that they are doing something naughty. Sigh.

 

Certainly from my point of view, if this was happenning in my area I would do 2 things immediately:

1: I would delete from the cache description all mention of booty contents.

2. I would strip my cache of its booty, leaving only the log book.

 

In addition I might a) leave a note to the vandals telling them why you have done what you did and/or leave a note indicating that if people want to trade, they can phone you at whatever your number is and you can arrange a meeeting.

 

None of these ideas are "solutions" but as long as the looters keep getting positive reinforcement, they'll keep doing this. Geo-looting has become their new hobby.

[+DirtRunner]

Hey!

 

Ya, I lost my first cache last week and I honestly felt like someone kicked me in the head.

 

I wouldn't feel so bad if beavers dropped a tree on it or a flood took it away.

 

But the only way I could have felt worse would have been if someone purposefully searched for my cache with the express intent of empting it out.

 

We got a problem with "Cachepirates" up here in Northern Ontario. And it looks like it might successfully shut down the hobby up there. The clowns move with frightening speed and efficiency. If I got hit by one of them I would really, REALLY be upset, mostly because I introduced a new cache to that environment.

 

My $0.02

DirtRunner.

 

Your not first...But you could be next.

[Rubbertoe]

"The clowns move with frightening speed and efficiency."

 

Just reading that single sentence put shivers down my spine, picturing a group of clowns quickly scurrying about the woods, doing whatever evil things that clowns naturally do.

 

My clown phobia story.

 

Sorry to distract from the subject here... and sorry to hear about other people's caches being hit as well. It is hard for me to understand the thinking of someone who empties a cache, but leaves the container there. *shrug* I've gone a couple of weeks with no further missing caches - I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Click the Toe...  and please stop confusing your opinion with fact, ok?

[+The Cheeseheads]

I just placed a series of four caches this past Saturday. On Sunday, I decided to hunt one in the area to pick up a travel bug to use as bait. I got to that cache, and there were two others, ProStreet and BruceS already there looking. Between the three of us, we could not find it, and due to the lack of potential hiding spots, we're assuming that it's no longer there.

 

I hunted a nearby cache, with success.

 

I headed off to another cache that had a TB in it to get that one instead. Found the cache, but no travel bug. Grr.

 

Got home, then decided to go back out and check on the first cache I had ever placed. This one has been inactive for awhile because the last people to hunt it found people camping nearby. In a city park. Unfortunately, I could not get to the cache location because all the bridges across the river you need to cross had been taken out as part of a new riverwalk project. So that one is still up in the air.

 

I got home, checked my email, and found out that another cache of mine was found, out in the open, empty. The funny thing is, that was a logbook-only cache. Someone took the book and pen, but left the container. Who does that? Unfortunately, I think most of the people that were going to hunt that cache probably already have, so I'm probably going to (*sniff*) perform my first cache archive.

 

All in all, not a good day.

 

P.S. Okay one good thing did happen. The other thing I had planned on doing was dropping off a first finders token in one of my caches. Unbeknownst to me, it had already been found, the the second finder would have gotten it. Fortunately, ProStreet was the one who found it, so he got his token delivered directly to him out in the field!

 

- - - - -

Wisconsin Geocaching Association

 

[This message was edited by Cheesehead Dave on October 07, 2002 at 01:12 PM.]

[+cachew nut]

I too was under the assumption that caches were dissapearing because of the fact that the waypoints are readily available to anyone, even those who aren't registered to play the sport. I was assured by many posts that there have been no documented cases to prove this. So it must be true, the caches are not hidden well enough. Go figure, I must have been mistaken.

[Dinoprophet]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rigour:

Certainly from my point of view, if this was happenning in my area I would do 2 things immediately:

1: I would delete from the cache description all mention of booty contents.

2. I would strip my cache of its booty, leaving only the log book.

---

If it's an ammo box, or other "desirable" container, I wouldn't mention that, either. I think some people go out just for the nice container.

Not an ammo box, but here's a case in point. Though in this case, it was just bad placement (by an out-of-towner).

 

[J-of-Clan-Gunn]

Yesterday we had our only hide stolen. We knew that it would happen eventually but it still was sad. We even went out to the area today and hiked around for 2 hours to see if maybe someone had discarded it further up the trail. I think we as catchers need to become aware of how the cache looks when hidden. When we first hid it we made it look random but every time i went to check on it for maintenance their were bricks stacked up neatly and it looked more obvious. Me and my father r-of-clan-gunn spent 3 months creating the cache and a good chunk of change on the materials as it was voice activated and required the completion of a kit, and the development of our own bead board circuit. The very first thing my dad told me was that i wasn't allowed to be upset or cry when it got stolen because it probably would happen ( he predicted in the first month but it has lasted nine) So i haven't cried but it makes me mad its kind of rotten to take it, lots of people have gotten to enjoy it and if you thought it was neat why wouldn't you want someone else to enjoy it as well. It was probably one of the ENTITLED who drive around to fast, cut lines, or do all of the other rude things that a little common sense would tell you wasn't right. As for being someone who isnt into hiding film canisters but who put a great deal of effort into my caches it makes me want to stop contributing, if its just a little Tupperware box who cares. I am defiantly considering stopping work on the cache im building now and just stick to finding them. As you an tell i haven't found a lot i really just liked the idea of building some that were cool but whats the point if someone decides the deserve it and just takes it. So to quit or not that's the Question.-- J

[knowschad]

Yup... even nine years later, caches are still being stolen.

 

You are right, though, that some cachers don't seem to give any thought as to how the cache was hidden when they found it, or to how it will look to passers by. I have a cache that has to be replaced in the correct orientation to give the proper experience. I even have arrows on it with the words, "This side in first", but twice now, I've checked up on it only to find it in wrong. It happens.

[+terrkan78]

Yesterday we had our only hide stolen. We knew that it would happen eventually but it still was sad. We even went out to the area today and hiked around for 2 hours to see if maybe someone had discarded it further up the trail. I think we as catchers need to become aware of how the cache looks when hidden. When we first hid it we made it look random but every time i went to check on it for maintenance their were bricks stacked up neatly and it looked more obvious. Me and my father r-of-clan-gunn spent 3 months creating the cache and a good chunk of change on the materials as it was voice activated and required the completion of a kit, and the development of our own bead board circuit. The very first thing my dad told me was that i wasn't allowed to be upset or cry when it got stolen because it probably would happen ( he predicted in the first month but it has lasted nine) So i haven't cried but it makes me mad its kind of rotten to take it, lots of people have gotten to enjoy it and if you thought it was neat why wouldn't you want someone else to enjoy it as well. It was probably one of the ENTITLED who drive around to fast, cut lines, or do all of the other rude things that a little common sense would tell you wasn't right. As for being someone who isnt into hiding film canisters but who put a great deal of effort into my caches it makes me want to stop contributing, if its just a little Tupperware box who cares. I am defiantly considering stopping work on the cache im building now and just stick to finding them. As you an tell i haven't found a lot i really just liked the idea of building some that were cool but whats the point if someone decides the deserve it and just takes it. So to quit or not that's the Question.-- J

 

I'm sorry! It sounds like it was a really cool cache. I hope you do keep making caches - finding a unique one always puts a smile on my face and inspires me to try to make something unique myself. Unfortunately, your next hide could meet the same fate. The only suggestion I have is put it some place out in the boonies, where you have to hike some to get to it (though that has it's own drawbacks - less people will see your cool creation out in the boonies, which, I guess, is the point, but...) I'm glad at least nine months' worth of people got to see your hide.

[+The_Incredibles_]

When I hide a cache, I try to hide it with the expectation that I won't see it again. LOL. I take pictures of my handiwork, toss in as many mcToys as I can, and away it goes. I usually put in $2 for the FTF, but do not do expensive swag.

 

Even my most creative hide is re-doable. When I put it out, I expected it to go missing promptly, which it hasn't. I have a pile of cache containers, extra logbooks and a bin of McToys ready to go.

 

I'm infinitely impressed how infrequently caches go missing here, with all the info out available to everyone.

 

2 of my caches did go missing. Both, I suspect were children muggles. The first one, my daughter's friend told all her classmates at school about and one idiot boy took it and lost it. The other one, I was fixing up the cache and was stopped by some muggles. Explained what I was doing and they said 'there's some young people we know that would be interested'. Promptly, cache went missing. So for me, it's muggling, not nasty cachers doing it. The muggles are just ignorant. Some even think you're supposed to take the box.

 

The 1st one went missing I was angry as it was a special container. The 2nd one I already had a container camo'd and ready, so I just replaced it and shrugged my shoulders. At some point, you have to decide to not let it get to you. I've noticed alot of people will just archive the cache if it gets muggled, rather than replacing and then move on.

Edited October 5, 2011 by The_Incredibles_

[+GeoBain]

So to quit or not that's the Question.-- J

 

That depends on well you can incorporate your dad's very wise advice.

 

Building and hiding caches is a lot like lending money to family or friends. Don't do it unless you can afford to treat it as gift.

[knowschad]

It looks like it was a very cool cache, very much appreciated by those that found it. I doubt that the ENTITLED people that you refer to had anything to do with it going missing, however. Possibly the fact that the last person to find it was a newbie with only 3 finds logged had something to do with it not being rehidden very well, but I think the key facts were in the very nice log that cacher left:

 

found it, amazing cache! Checked back to show shkaBANK and it was gone . I saw some stuff that actually changed out there since the last time. lots of bottles and other things. I think kids go back there and tear the place up. Please keep up the great creativity for your next cache! I'm excited to look for your next one

 

Don't let your disappointment blind you to the words, "amazing cache!" and "Please keep up the great creativity for your next cache! I'm excited to look for your next one"

[J-of-Clan-Gunn]

So to quit or not that's the Question.-- J

 

That depends on well you can incorporate your dad's very wise advice.

 

Building and hiding caches is a lot like lending money to family or friends. Don't do it unless you can afford to treat it as gift.

 

 

that's great advice. I'm not really upset as much as disappointed, i had known it would happen it just always sucks a little when it eventually dose. Although i loan to my brother all the time and rarley get paid back and it dosent bother me at all, i guess over time having stolen geocaches will become as common place as helping my brother out. Plus it is especially rewarding when my brother dose pay me back or dose something nice in return, its a special treat. So i need to start looking at the months that it remained in play as the reward in this. Thanks alot-- J

although i am still posting lost signs around the area just for giggles

 

[+GeoBain]

 

although i am still posting lost signs around the area just for giggles

 

 

Change "someone has stolen it" to "has gone missing" and you will be much more likely to get a positive response.

[+SwineFlew]

That cache looks like a pipe bomb.

[+Viajero Perdido]

Theft: maybe not inevitable, but it's up there.

 

But there's also:

• Bulldozers & tree-clearing machines
• Floods
• Wild animals (I avoid hiding anything a squirrel could walk away with)
• Forest fires
• Cleanup crews (who generally don't inspect trash before tossing it in the bag)
• Landscapers (a cache in a flower bed that's landscaped annually will last up to a year)
• ...

You can plan around most of these hazards.

[+SwineFlew]

Theft: maybe not inevitable, but it's up there.

 

But there's also:

• Bulldozers & tree-clearing machines
• Floods
• Wild animals (I avoid hiding anything a squirrel could walk away with)
• Forest fires
• Cleanup crews (who generally don't inspect trash before tossing it in the bag)
• Landscapers (a cache in a flower bed that's landscaped annually will last up to a year)
• ...

You can plan around most of these hazards.

 

And the bomb squads Dont ever forget them, they need some love too.

[J-of-Clan-Gunn]

That cache looks like a pipe bomb.

 

yeah but it was hidden where just the ends were accessable when you removed the rubble hidding it.

[+ngrrfan]

That cache looks like a pipe bomb.

 

yeah but it was hidden where just the ends were accessable when you removed the rubble hidding it.

And it still would look like a pipe bomb. It has wires sticking out of the end of it.

[+Viajero Perdido]

That settles it then. The bomb squad took it.

 

Step forward to collect your prize.

[J-of-Clan-Gunn]

GOOD NEWS

 

someone responded to my flyers they called and said they had found it, but they thought some of it was missing and it might be broken but they put it back.

When we went out there the only things missing was the backdoor container with instructions, voice play back device and batteries. The log was stolen from the actual cache ( whic as you all know is the best part) but thank goodness for digital logging. There was even a travel bug in it. so hip hip houray. The mic is broken but everything else seems in tack. My new question is should I re hide it? same place or somewhere new? or should i just archive the cache? Thanks for all your help and laughs along the way.-- J.

[+niraD]

I don't think I'd hide it in the same location. But if the key components are intact or replaceable, it would be nice to find a new location for it.

[+vincepsp]

Four of my five caches have been stolen. What's even worse, I have gone geocaching three times this year for multiple caches and am finding that quite often they have been stolen. One "cache" was just a small abandoned cemetery in the woods - legitimate, but hardly worth the effort and excitement. I've seen empty containers with the tops removed and other evidence. Even worse, a greater number of caches are being placed in terrible locations such as back yards, between houses and apartment complexes. Others are being placed by local businesses as ads to draw customers to their doorstep. This became obvious to me last weekend when I was searching for a cache using two GPS devices: both led me to the exact same spot in the wide-open middle of a Red Robin restaurant parking lot. I'm sure you can imagine the embarrassment of being seen looking around in circles in some of the types of places I described here. If this is the future of geocaching, frankly I can't be bothered.

 

In my immediate rural area, the process of driving to the general proximity of a prospective cache is tedious: too many business and apartment parking lots making it confusing as to which side the cache is on. Often, I end up lot-hopping. Caches out in the country and remote areas are much more fun and interesting to find, and can offer great scenic views and discoveries of unknown places.

 

In my opinion, geocaching is best left to remote locations. Ones around the city seem more likely to be placed by children and those who have little idea what the sport is about.

Edited April 9, 2013 by vincepsp

[+cerberus1]

Four of my five caches have been stolen.

Hopefully you decide to either replace this last two or archive them, saving the reviewer from (again) doing it for you.