Geocaching and the Cache Owner pt. 2

Good morning everyone.  This week's fun fact is all about trackables.  The Manitoba geocacher who has discovered the most trackables is =GeoJoe= with 2,781 discoveries.  In North Dakota, that honor goes to WhiskeySowers with 688 trackables discovered.

Earlier this year, I did a blog about being a cache owner and asked the question, when is it a good time to archive your own caches?  Today I'm going to take you with me as I, a cache owner, archive some of my caches.  I will reflect on why I hid a container in that particular spot.  Majority of the caches I archived were still in good shape.  Only three that I checked on were missing.  The reasons for archiving vary slightly, but for the most part, it's the inability to maintain the caches.  Why can't I maintain these hides?  That's quite simple.  I had all my geocaching gear stolen out of my car.  Yup.  Gone.  Flashlight, i-pod, my custom made caching bag with my caching name on it (a gift from sm66) with everything I need to create a hide.  Bison tubes, preform containers, log sheets, wire to make hooks, earth magnets, and my GPS, all gone.  Yes, all of this is replaceable, but I don't have the finances to replace it all.  Since I can't maintain my caches, then I have no choice but to archive them.

(R.I.P. caching bag  :(  )

As I mentioned last week in my spotlight on Beausejour, Manitoba, 14 caches hidden there "were" mine.  Past tense.  Archived.  I no longer live in Beausejour, and to drive out to perform maintenance would be time consuming, particularly if it's only one that needs to be checked.  I had plans of hiding more caches in the area and had scouted out a few more hiding places.  It only made sense to pull the plug on all the hides I had out there.  The first one I got to is on the way in to Beausejour from Winnipeg on highway 44.  "Food, Gas, and a Cache"  GC7AEP4  As you can see, it's an itty bitty nano, hanging on the back of the sign advertising for the local Co-op food store, and gas bar.  I had a whole bunch of those nanos, but now I have none.  I can't replace this one so I was left with no option but to archive.

Next up; "crackerjackie's jukebox: Hey Jude/Revolution" GC6TYQH.  You may remember this picture from last week's blog.  That's because this cache was hidden underneath the caboose.  One day, while on a bike ride, I decided to check on this one.  It's no longer where it's suppose to be.  Something told me to check a small compartment that's on the side of the caboose, beside the word "Rail".  The bison tube somehow migrated into that compartment.  I placed it back under the caboose.  I would check on it again and this time it was missing.  I decided to replace the container with the same type of container as "Food Gas, and a Cache", only I moved it over to a sign nearby.  There is a Periscope video I made showing me hiding this in the new location.  For this one, you had to get down, and reach up between the sign boards to find it hanging from a hook.  When I retrieved this one, it wasn't the container I had placed.  I'm guessing it was missing and someone was nice enough to replace it with a small bison tube.

This was actually the second incarnation of "crackerjackie's jukebox: Hey Jude/Revolution"  The first one was hidden in a park in Winnipeg.  That one went missing in a week after being published.  I had replaced it a few more times before giving up on that location.  I felt that having this in Beausejour would give it a much longer life.  I guess not.  

Next up for archiving was my "Walking Series".  One of my first series of caches I hid about four years ago was five caches, all with the word walk or walking in the title,  "Walk This Way", "These Boots Were Made For Walking", "Walk Like An Egyptian", and so on.  I would expand it by another three caches.  Eight in total making up the "Walking Series".  These ones were in constant need of maintaining.  Growing tired of maintaining the series in Winnipeg, I started to archive that series and rebirthed it in Beausejour as the "Beausejour Walking Series"  These would be scattered along the walking trails in the Wally Chryplywy Nature Park.  I discovered this park while going for a walk with sm66 and her dogs.  What a great place to hide caches, with the exception of all the poison ivy.  There is an attribute warning of poisonous plants.  One day, about two years ago, I set out and hid eight caches in the trails.  I would switch things up with this series.  The original series is all traditional caches.  This time, I left four as traditional, but changed the others.  One puzzle, two letterbox (my first letterbox hides) and a multi-stage.  

(one of my letterbox hides)

"Beausejour Walking Series: Walk This Way" GC6TYJ8 greeted you when you entered the trails from the cemetery.

The only one missing from the bunch was the multi.  It was a two stage multi.  I had gotten word in the Spring that stage one was missing.  I replaced it with a bison tube.  As I was walking away, I found the original container on the ground.  When I checked on the final, that container was in need of some TLC, so I used the original stage one container as a replacement for the final.  On this day, both stages were missing.  Of all the Walking Series hides on these trails, this multi was becoming a pain in the arse.  In a way, I'm glad to have that one archived.

Speaking of the original Walking Series, I did check on the few remaining that still exist the next day.  There was four still listed out of the eight.  Two had recent DNFs.  Those ones were missing so they got archived.  Of the two remaining, one has changed containers a number of times.  I didn't even recognize the container.  Not one of mine.  I left that one there for now, but could be archived as it's clearly a troubled spot.  As for the other one: "Walking Series: Walk This Way" GC4TWHP, it's still the original container with original log sheets.  I'm impressed.  This is my second oldest hide and it has lasted four years.

A few more that got archived: "Looking Out My Backdoor" GC5EXK2.  This was the very first puzzle I created and put out.  As you can see, it's attached to a fence post.  I could see this from my backdoor.  The whole point to having this one hidden where I placed it was to catch other geocachers trying to find it.  I did catch one.  Since then, I separated and moved out.  My ex-wife knew nothing of this.  One day, while caching outside the city, I got a text from the ex asking if there was a cache hidden behind the house.  Yup.  Since then, she was nice enough to leave it there, but she didn't hesitate to tell any cachers that she caught where it was hidden.  It was easier to spot in the Winter, but in the Summer when the vine was in full bloom, good luck.

Another one of my puzzles that I pulled the plug on was "Auntie Mo Loves Puzzles" GC6445H.  This one was named after my geocaching/puzzle solving friend, Auntie Mo.  The puzzle itself was what some would call a "liar, liar".  In other words, the posted coordinates was the final coordinates.  This particular one hasn't been found at all this year.  A few DNFs.  I replaced the container earlier in the year and checked on it a few times.  I consulted with Auntie Mo about archiving this one.  She was ok with it and mentioned that the GPS was a little wonky in that area.  Tired of constantly checking on this one, I archived it.

In total, I archived 19 caches over a weekend.  There could be more to come.  There are a few that are special and I don't want to archive those ones.  "Eclipse (ing) the New Moon" GC69V9V is my most evil, twisted puzzle.  "Working For The Weekend" GC4RT0P is my very first hide.  I have replaced this one a couple of times.  "Toys in the Attick" GC4Z26G is my most found cache (318 times as I write this), and "Cat's in the Cradle" GC60VE0 is placed at the cemetery where my Dad is buried.  Some think that this cache is a tribute but it isn't.  I just hope that none of my monthly puzzles don't go missing.  With no containers to replace, my simple geo-art (it's the letter X) that I've assembled in the North part of Winnipeg will become a thing of the past.  As I write this, My November puzzle was just published this evening (I'm writing this on November 28).  The next puzzle will be December and will be my very last geocache hidden.  I'm not hiding any more after that.

One bright note in all this, I thought I had lost my small trackable collection as well as it was in my caching bag.  It must have fallen out prior to the bag being stolen as I found it in the back seat of my car.  

That's it for this week.  Until next time, be safe, have fun, and enjoy.