In many geocaching households, the phrase “the cache must have been muggled” is a standard joke. When out on the hunt for an elusive cache find, it is often easier to say the cache has gone missing instead of admitting you cannot find it.
From time to time, geocache containers can be misplaced, muggled or can simply disappear. If you suspect that a cache you are searching for is not at the location anymore, what should you do?
1. Check again. It could be a well-camouflaged cache and your eye hasn’t spotted it exactly.
2. Check your coordinates. Even o.1 of a degree can make a difference.
3. Search the immediate area. Often the cache has been misplaced somewhere near. If you find items that you believe belonged in the cache and now are on the ground, inform the cache owner with a note or a “cache needs maintenance” log. Most likely the cache has been destroyed.
4. Think about the cache title and/or the clue. Are you looking in a logical place relevant to what the cache owner wrote?
5. Scroll through the cache’s logs. Often cachers load up their GPS’r with coordinates for a week and the cache goes missing before they arrive.
6. Come back another day and with another person. A fresh perspective and a fresh set of eyes can often help spot the geocache.
7. Record a DNF (did not find). This is not a statement about your inadequacies as a geocacher. DNF’s are important to letting the cache owner know that there may be a problem, especially if there are multiple DNF’s in a row.
8. Keep an eye on the cache logs. If another player finds the same cache within a week or two, try again. If a few people record a DNF, alert the cache owner with your suspicions about the missing cache. The cache owner will often go have a look for the cache himself.
Cache logs are extremely important to record the status of a geocache, not only to celebrate your find. Make sure to record your found and not found caches as soon as possible so you can help the cache owner keep tabs on the cache.
Happy hunting and carpe cache!
Comments
Good advice. It would be disappointing to spend time looking and then realize that the cache isn't even there.
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