Geocaching Maintenance
It’s that time of year again. Time for my annual trip to Flagstaff to check on the geocaches I placed there.
Some new geocachers get started, get a few finds under their belt and then decide to HIDE a geocache without ever realizing that there is on-going work associated with it.
Geocaching.com simply says:
- Owner is responsible for geocache page upkeep.
- Owner is responsible for visits to the physical location.
Geocache containers waiting to be hidden
But what does that MEAN? That means that as the cache placer you need to be ready to go check on your cache if you get notes saying that it needs maintenance. Notes might be that the log is wet or full. Or the cache seemed to be either too hard to too easy to located.
In the case of The Quiet Zone GC1X2F5 two years ago a BEAR made off with the cache. Or at least the cache disappeared over the winter. Since I live 200 miles away, I temporarily archived the cache and send a note into the review letting him know that I had a trip planned to check on the cache.
The EatStayPlay.com “Royal” Family placing The Quiet Zone in 2009
When I went, I went prepared to replace the cache if I couldn’t find it. I replaced the container and updated the coordinates and it was good to go!
As a cache placer, I am responsible for occasional (but regular) visits to make sure everything is a-okay. In the case of caches that are far away from me (like my Flagstaff caches) I have a few caching buddies that I can always call upon to take a quick look if I’m too busy.
How often do YOU do maintenance on your #geocaches? Click To TweetAnd those occasional visits are why geocaching.com requests that caches are not placed while you’re traveling on vacation or for business. If you live a 4 hour plane ride away, how is it feasible for you to check on a cache every time you get a report of a wet log? But, it is possible to place a cache and then have it adopted by a local cacher or to even have a non-geocaching friend maintain it.
If a cache is not being maintained, or has been “temporarily” disabled for an unreasonable length of time, we may archive the listing.
When I’m placing a new cache, I always ask myself these three questions:
- How often can I visit?
- How easy is it for me to visit?
- Do I have time to maintain another cache?
Readers Weigh In:
- How many geocaches have you placed?
- How often do you check on them?
Find Your Geocache: Container Maintenance | The Outdoor Princess
July 19, 2011 @ 8:38 pm
[…] Geocaching Maintenance […]
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July 26, 2011 @ 8:32 am
I carry with me things that I can put into a cache to get it maintained for any owner when I am caching. I know how important it is, and I have caches that have been archived and not maintained because of my health. Not an excuse, a fact. I am trying to get the ones I can’t get to, adopted now, before I archive them. Just carrying a roll of adding machine paper, and either empty prescription bottles or 35mm cantainers helps someone with their cache maintenance. They are light and they go a very long way to helping keep caches up and running. Then I make a note to the owner that I replaced the log/cache. It gives the owner time to get to it to fix what he wants to. Also, I have had people put in the log online that the cache was gone, when in fact a cacher put it in the wrong location, it would get disabled only to be found by a cacher who didn’t know it had been disabled as a find. They would even note that it was there and they had downloaded it before I logged it as disabled and told me it was there but in a location that was some feet away from waypoints. Recently, I have had children in my neighborhood who cached with parents at one time, bring other children to my cache at my home to show them, which is great except that the muggle children bring more children and more children and recently those children have destroyed the cache. I now have to buy a new one to replace it with. Just teach the children to be responsible and to remember to replace it exactly like they found it, and to be respectful of other’s properties, if I hadn’t been home, and seen this, I couldn’t have tried to teach these new children about the game. Unfortunately the new children weren’t interested and weren’t responsive to the fun of geocaching.
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July 26, 2011 @ 4:45 pm
@Terry — I think it’s great that you carry “extras” so you can help cache owners maintain their caches. That is wonderful! And I know how you feel about having someone say the cache is “missing” when it really just wasn’t where it was supposed to be!
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