[Az-Geocaching] One exception to "signing the log" rule

[Mike Schwarz]

I do think it is essential to sign the log book/sheet at the cache
location, with one exception:
It is VERY important that a non-cacher does not see you retrieving
or replacing the cache.  If they do, it's quite possible the end
result is they could walk off with the cache, and all its contents,
including any travel bugs, are history.  We have quite a number of
archived caches in Arizona, and it's always best to minimize the
chance that a cache will be stolen.

For some of the urban caches in city parks, people may be having a
picnic nearby, sitting on a bench nearby, etc., etc.  I feel that
if other people nearby would probably witness your act of retrieving
or replacing the cache that you've located, and it appears that they 
will be there for awhile, it is okay, and in fact much preferred,
that you do NOT retrieve the cache and sign in, and go ahead and log
this as a find out on the web.  In this situation, the importance of
not having the cache "liberated" overrides the importance of signing
in to the physical logbook.

Of course, if the non-cachers nearby appear like they might be gone
soon, or are just walking by, you should just wait a few minutes
until the area clears, then retrieve the cache and sign the log.
However, if it looks like those people may be there for a long time,
NOT retrieving the cache, and logging a find on the web, is then
okay.  Some may say you should wait until the area clears and then
pull the cache out, but most of us don't have time to sit around idle
for 1 hour, 2 hours, or longer, waiting for nearby people to leave.
It's a judgement call on your part.  I would say if people appear
like they will be in the immediate area of the cache for 10 minutes
or longer, then leave the cache be, and log it on the web as a find.

Taekwondoman also had this attitude, and did this with several caches,
and I know of at least one other cacher (with well over 100 finds),
who posts here periodically, who has done this too.  For myself, I
only had to do this once (out of 110 physical caches I've found).
I didn't retrieve Secret Garden for this reason, a dozen people may
have seen me pull it out of its hiding spot, which I could see a few
feet away.  The irony of this was, after this cache had a few more 
finds in April, it disappeared, and since Dobre emailed me that he 
was "very busy", I took a replacement container down there myself 
several weeks later, when the garden was empty.

Other than this one situation, I think you should always sign the
physical logbook/sheet in order to log the cache as a find on the
web, unless there is no logbook in the cache.  I found this last
situation with Sacagewea's Retreat in Mund's Park.  Fortunately,
I had an extra logbook with me, so I signed it and left it in
that cache.  But the majority of cachers don't carry spare logbooks
with them, so needless to say, it would have been impossible to
sign a physical logbook if it ain't there.

Mike
Team Malthusian

At 08:14:18 -0700 7/1/02, Steve wrote:
>
>Karl,
>
>> IMO, I don't think they 
>> should count as a 'real' find, but at least they make me feel like I 
>> accomplished something.
>> 
>> What you do you guys/gals think?
>
>This guy thinks you're right on both counts.
>
>To me, the essence of a find is signing the log (or in the case of a
>virtual, finding the required information). I can think of several
>caches where I have been within inches of them, and have been unable to
>find the cache. I know I have been within inches, because I have gone
>back and found them on the subsequent attempts.
>
>There aren't a lot of rules in what we do, but signing the log is one of
>them. "Close" only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and Geodashing
>(which counts a find if you get within 100 meters, or something like
>that).
>
>Steve
>Team Tierra Buena
>
>