I can only speak for myself in this but I do not believe what I said about merging the old and new logs has anything to do with numbers.. You will notice I have logged DNF's. I have never bragged of having 100% success rate. Actually I brag about driving from Tucson to Pheonix 4 times (or was it 5) for no reason really other then to try SHOVE OFF one more time.. I sometimes compile my DNF's and Founds together because if it was over 6 months ago that I logged the DNF, nobody reads it, so the story I write about the cache is missing half or more of the information about my trip.

I really do get sick of hearing "It's not about the numbers".. For some people it is ALL about the numbers, others could not care less.. I log caches as I can. When I have an enjoyable time on a cache either because of the cache or because of the people I was with, I like to write a story about that cache. If I was about the numbers and removing my DNF's for this reason, I would not still be angry about a cache owner deleting my DNF log in January 2004 (3 months after we began caching). Thats correct, a DNF log and the owner deleted it because they did not like the story about my 7 year old climbing a peak to get a cache that has only been logged by 6 people in over 11 months... Yep it is a touch climb and this little guy made it all the way, it was his first real hike of his life and I was so damned proud of him. We got cliffed out within .2 miles of the cache he looked at me and said 'Daddy I really want to make it'.. So we found a small chimney in the rocks and I made him crawl up under me so I could lay down on him if needed..

We got to the top and found a container.. Signed the sheets and got off the mountain. When we got home we realized we had not signed the logbook but signed a summit log instead (we had never heard of this either)... Cache owner said I complained about the cache and nobody is stupid enough to confuse a summit log with a cache and deleted my log.. Yep I still have a copy if you want to read it..

So please do not say that I delete my DNFs and convert them into a narration to pad numbers. I do it because we like to write stories about our day. If it is a simple urban 1 of 300 same caches, no we wont write a long story but then again, we wont worry about converting the DNF into one later either.

-----Original Message-----
From: az-geocaching-bounces@listserv.azgeocaching.com [mailto:az-geocaching-bounces@listserv.azgeocaching.com]On Behalf Of Ford, Denny
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 4:41 PM
To: 'listserv@azgeocaching.com'
Subject: RE: [Az-Geocaching] If It's Not a Find, What Is It Then?

The ethical question only comes about because people are too worried about the stupid numbers and not the actual enjoyment of finding the cache. I admit I was one of those, but if you don't look at the numbers, does it really matter whether or not you find the cache. I can be a challenge on ones that are very difficult to reach or to grab due to high traffic or difficulty where it takes you three or four times to sign the log. I agree the DNF should be left in tact and quit worrying about the numbers and just enjoy the journey.