It's Spring!

[Ekidokai]

Thanks! I've seen too many caches that obviously haven't been cleaned in years. Wet, dirty, rusty junk, logs turned to wet mush...

An a reminder to all cachers - make sure the container is CLOSED before you replace it! LOL!

Yes please do. I checked on the final for the BCF Adventure and the top of the ammo box was just sitting on top and everything was wet and yucky. Everything is better now. Just waiting on circumstances to be right to reactivate it.

[JustKev]

We've found a few that appear to have been place by cachers who may not be active in caching anymore. Aside from replacing the occasional log that's all mush, would it be appropriate to replace the container if one had a similar and had the inclination to do so? Broken containers with wet contents seem to result in more wet contents if you just take the wet stuff out, has anyone else noticed that?

[WhereRWe?]

We've found a few that appear to have been place by cachers who may not be active in caching anymore. Aside from replacing the occasional log that's all mush, would it be appropriate to replace the container if one had a similar and had the inclination to do so? Broken containers with wet contents seem to result in more wet contents if you just take the wet stuff out, has anyone else noticed that?

Best procedure is to adopt the cache. If you want to adopt one, coordinate with the owner. TAT can fill in the procedural details that I've forgotten...

[Ekidokai]

Think about it. You just got a GPSr. You find the site and go look for a cache. A broken, wet, crappy thing is all you find. Is this something that would keep your interest?

I do what I can to dry things out and leave good swag in there. If the hider is no longer active getting the cache fixed up or archived is a case by case basis.

[brdad]

Think about it. You just got a GPSr. You find the site and go look for a cache. A broken, wet, crappy thing is all you find. Is this something that would keep your interest?

That's exactly what I feel when I find a cache that was placed with little or no perceivable purpose. So now I just have to ask myself as a new cacher would I rather find a cache with no perceivable purpose, or one that was wet and broken.... In either case, I would be hoping that they were not all like that!

[Ekidokai]

The adventure is all I need for finding a hide.

Your experience with a cache is just that, an experience.

We as free willed, thinking beings are what place significance on a hide. A hide is neither significant or not. An experience is neither good or bad, significant or not. What we make of the experience is where the significance, importance, beauty comes from.

Each time I go out, it is a new adventure. How lucky am I to be able to figure out where and how to get the information needed to find the cache.

Purpose, significance, importance, It's so sad if a person losses the sense of wonderment and ability to see fun.

[pm28570]

We've found a few that appear to have been place by cachers who may not be active in caching anymore. Aside from replacing the occasional log that's all mush, would it be appropriate to replace the container if one had a similar and had the inclination to do so? Broken containers with wet contents seem to result in more wet contents if you just take the wet stuff out, has anyone else noticed that?

Ekidokai and Brdad make some very valid points. In the past, I've replaced a container when the cover was missing, exposing it to the elements. Notified the CO and never received an acknowledgment or a thank you. However, the next person to find it found it in good condition, which was my intent.

Hmmm, reminds of the phrase I often use.....responsible cacher.

[JustKev]

Which is exactly why we have been replacing logs as we find them wet or full. We look at things as if we had our granddaughter along with us. Will she enjoy the cache as placed, with what's in it and can she sign the log. We aren't set up to replace containers as yet, especially if they're some with camo duct tape on them. What we have available for camo duct tape is what we're using for our caches. Containers, same thing. We're using them of caches we want to place. I hesitate to go out and buy a boadload of Glad containers because our experience with them, thus far, is that they're substandard for our climate. Ultimately, I suppose a note to tat explaining the condition of the cache and attempts to the CO would be the way to go next? If it's disabled or archived, maybe a new cacher won't be discouraged by a cache that's ready to be retired.

[JustPJ66]

Perhaps one of your fine upstanding gentlemen ...or what ever....would write an article explaining how a cache is adopted and posted it here...That would be a great help as we seem to have run into several caches of the abandoned type this year.

[JustKev]

boadload = boatload

And the caches we would be willing to adopt would be ones we could maintain, but a sticky might help others who would adopt caches they've found.