I posted the following note on the "Bell Bomber Park" page (GCJ3T9).

"I checked the log of this cache this morning and found no log entries for this past weekend, only a single sticker announcing that Team Big K came to Atlanta. I don't really care who went to Atlanta; if it's too much trouble for an individual to sign the logbook, then I'll take the time to delete their entry at the website."

So far I've deleted 3 logs and will delete any others that appear. I don't mind if groups are formed to find caches but in this case, there is no evidence that anyone in the group was even in the state of Georgia. I did a quick check of some of the group's logs and found that at least three of the caches were temporarily disabled at the time they were logged. I'm disgusted. Has the sport become just a bookkeeper's contest?

Oh we were there all right go to:
GC3C48 Don’t Be Bashful Now , by mtn-man
And view our picture of the gang, it you will notice all of us are in the picture, one of the three local geocachers that were with us for part of the time took the picture.

I don’t have a problem with being deleted from a cache at all, its just a number but if you don’t like this method of logging please say so on your cache page and we would have not visited it.

Happy Trails…………. JOE

Well, I noticed a lot of online logs coming in for many of my caches from members of this group. I don't care if the logbook is signed as a team. The part that annoys me is the C&P online post for every single cache hit. All of them say the exact same thing. I thought Owl's post was going to refer to that, but it didn't. Oh well.

quote:

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I don’t have a problem with being deleted from a cache at all, its just a number but if you don’t like this method of logging please say so on your cache page and we would have not visited it.

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Like most, I'm happy when our caches are visited and all it takes to get credit for a find is for the cacher and the cache owner to agree that a cache was found. In this case, all I found on the log was a single sticker that could have been placed there by anyone, even one of our local cachers. Is it too much trouble to at least sign your name? Just stop by and sign the log. That's all it takes to get credit.

And I also do not appreciate getting an email from one of your group containing a thinly veiled threat. I will do more caching in that area but you can be sure that his will be avoided.

As a member of Team Big K I feel it is my duty to respond...

Thursday before last several of us got together for dinner in Nashville, as we often do. We got to talking about going out of town as a group to go caching before the hectic schedule of the holidays gets started. Many ideas were batted around and we finally settled on your fair city as a likely destination. Over the course of the next week, the group grew from the original 5 to 11, fine with me, I figured the more the merrier. We arrived in Atlanta Friday evening and cached until about 1 AM. We rose Saturday, had breakfast at the Cracker Barrelaroun 8AM and then cached solid until about 8PM when we stopped for dinner at the OK Cafe, where we also found a cache. After dinner, we met up with a local cacher who ran around with us till shortly after midnight. We continued to cache until 3:45. Sunday morning we met another local cacher for breakfast at the IHOP near Famous Fowl and then went on into Marietta to meet yet another local cacher. One of these cachers ran with us and hunted with us until about 1PM. We then headed north toward Kennesaw and kept hunting until it was time to head back for Middle Tennessee. We had a wonderful time and found many interesting places and clever caches. This was not a "numbers run", it was just a bunch of cachers who wanted to spend a weekend hunting together before the holidays make it hard for us to get together.

We have hunted together as a group on many occasions. When we do this Rippietoe will often make up stickers to put in the log books. Sometime we put our names on the stickers, sometimes we put a "team" name. Thhis time we opted for a team name because we had so many people with us. This is not only for our convenience, but also to conserve logbook space. We have found many micros where all of our names would have filled the sheet. Just for reference the members of Team Big K were: Southpaw, JoGPS, Grannylani, Mosestron, Jaypea, Esspea, Backbrake Billy, Better Half, Rippietoe, Scoot the Frog and Monkeybrad. I am sure you can see how much space those names take up. Using stickers or stamps to "sign" logbooks, has always been an accepted practice, as far as I understand it. I have seen many Georgia cachers use this same technique in other parts of the country. It was not our intent to offend you by using stickers.

As Joe pointed out earlier you can view the picture we took Sunday morning to verify that we were in fact in the state of Georgia, we also have a good many receipts from the Fairfield Inn off Delk road, meal receipts and other pictures that we took for our personal benefit, I even have a copy of the Marietta paper that I bought at the IHOP while waiting for a table for 12 (actually we ended up with a table for 8 and a table for 4).

I am sorry to be so long-winded, but it kind of got me wound up to be called a liar (albeit in not so many words). I assure you that we were all present at the caches this weekend. We travelled around in two vehicles, but we did not split up. If we logged a cache, we were all there. I only know of one disabled cache that we logged, and it was not disabled at the time we hunted and found it. Information that we gave the cache owner led to the temporary disablement of that cache. It was one of my favorites of the weekend and it should be back up and running properly very soon, according to the cache owner.

I appreciate your frustration, but I hope it was based on a lack of information. I further hope that the info I have provided in this long-winded post helps to clarify things. If I have left anything unanswered, please do not hesitate to contact me. I once again apologize for taking so long to answer, but our integrity has been questioned in an open forum, and I feel it my duty to defend our actions.

As the cache owner, you may choose to delete and log you wish, it is not a big issue with me, as Joe said, "it is just a number". However, if you delete the Team Big K logs from this weekend, you should know that you are deleting the logs of 11 people who parked up the street, found your cache, placed a sticker in the logbook, rehid the cache and then read the historical marker before moving on. I thought geocaching was about the hunt and the experience, well we got that, and you cannot take that away from us. If you want to keep the "find stat", well that is your option.

Thank you to everyone who placed the caches in the Atlanta area that we had the pleasure of hunting this weekend. We will always remember the fun that we had.



*I refrained from mentioning the local cachers by name, because I do not know if they would like to have their names linked to ours in this matter. For the record, there was not a local cacher with us when we found the cache in question.

Go Big Monkey!! I have been to Nashville several times with nobody questioning whether I was there or not. I have met all of the group mentioned above and they are good for their word. If it has come down to whoever signed the log (while with a group) can only get credit for a find, time to quit. I (as well as others) have enough BS to worry about without trivial matters such as that. But hey, that is only my opinion.

I can appreciate both view points. I get a little miffed when someone logs a cache I put a lot of work into with something like "Find number 14 of 22 found today", or something similarly generic.

On the other hand filling up a log book with eleven logs at one time might not go over real well either.

I use a sticker too, but always write something and sign my name. But then again I don't geocache with ten others. Not sure how it's done with a "cache machine" type hunt in other parts of the country.

Just remember, when all is said and done - it's only a game.

~erik~

I can understand. I've a virtual that a team hit and their "secretary" sent me the required information and the whole team posted finds saying, "see *geonick*'s email for info." I didn't prohibit that in the cache description so I updated it to show that each individual cacher logging the find must send me the info.

Yeah, picky, but I have no way of knowing if they were there or not. Come to think of it, I still don't as folks could share the info and post false logs. There's only so much one can do as far as verification of a virtual other than requiring a photo, which folks have been known to fake also.

It just the nature of the "numbers game" I guess.

OK, I've calmed down some. In this case, I didn't question anyone's ability to find the cache; after all, it's a difficulty 1 drive-by intended to be very easy to find. But I'm still offended that no one could take the time to sign the log.

As to deleting of the logs, that seems to be a moot point because some time after I deleted them and the deletion notices went out, they somehow became unarchived. And I didn't do it.

I guess I'll take Rebel's advice and add a line to the cache page requiring that the log be signed by each individual to get credit.

Any other comments?

I would just like to thank all the Georgia cachers for all the great caches that they have placed and all their efforts in making this a better sport for all of us.

I usually don't respond to this type of thread, but IMHO - it's a game. With my caches, it is nice to see the logs and everyone who signed it, BUT - it's still just a game to me.
If ya wanna sign it - fine ...
If ya don't wanna sign it - fine ...
If ya log it and ya weren't there - fine - you gotta live with it.
I've had a few that have logged my own virts that I know weren't there - so what? It's a game!

Well, I'm the one that unarchived a cache so they could find it - Team Pez asked it for them since they didn't know how to get ahold of me and I wanted some feedback on the cache from non-local cachers too. I had to supply the numbers at two of the six locations so he could supply the coordinates when they found the broken parts. I then met them at the final cache and even dropped off some TB's so they could take them back to Tenn. I went with them to the next cache they did - Trailerman's Counterfeit Blend - which also ended up broken although several of the members of Team K had already done it and they hinted the rest to a find. I had a ball with them for the short time I was there and wished I had been able to spend longer, other afternoon plans had already been made though.

Long story short, I had fun with them, got the feedback I wanted on my own cache, got to watch other people hunt and trade stories on some mutual hunts, and get out of the house and off the couch and meet some new friends. Now if I can just find a way to keep my coordinates from fading...

T1

I can't believe I haven't chimed in on this one yet...

so Here I go.

phat.bak is right.

How you doing JoGPS? Haven't seen you at the GGA meetings lately.

OK, I'm wrong and I apologize to anyone that was offended. Thanks for the comments.

quote:

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Originally posted by ~erik~:
Just remember, when all is said and done - it's only a game.

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What? You mean you guys are not getting $50 from Jeremy for each cache logged? I am planning to retire on all the money I have made geocaching, and just hope my wife does not find out about the geo-groupies.

LOL, Charlie, you let Jeremy off easy, I held out for $100.00/cache and the checks come regularly. Guess I get to retire twice as fast, eh?

T1

Well I for one am glad the group made a run down here. I have met and cached with many of that group, even competed with a few. They are all good folk. I'm very happy they chose to do some of my caches. I have know one of the group for over a year, he schooled me in caching and have cached with him in 3 states. The only fault I find is that I would have liked a comment on a couple of my caches from him as I value his opinion. Yet I understand it is hard to log 110 caches in a sitting. SO I'll just e-mail him to find out.
COrey and I will try to post good comments tomorrow as we go to Chattanooga to try to get 40.
Cheers to all.

Hey Ga Cacher,
I hope you and the others will have the time to hunt some of our caches tomorrow. We have about 140 active just to the north of Chattanooga and would be honored to have y'all hunt for them. We had a blast this past weekend hunting for y'alls caches and yes they were very good hides and all were in interesting areas! Thanks for placing them one and all!
Corey has our # so if y'all need any hints just hollar.

I think we should get a group together and take advantage of this offer, I'm game. Numbers are okay, but my motive is to just get out of the house and see 'things''things'. Like a couple of weeks ago getting out with CharlieP and KVOM was a treat for me and I'm sure a thrill for them. We each did sign each cache log, but as a few have implied, we ain't gonna get rich doin this, in spite of all the 'cache' lying around.
If someone logs one of my hides and doesn't actually visit it...then they are the ones that lost out.
"Que Sera Sera" or is that "K. Sarah"?

quote:

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Originally posted by BackBrakeBilly:
Hey Ga Cacher,
I hope you and the others will have the time to hunt some of our caches tomorrow. We have about 140 active just to the north of Chattanooga and would be honored to have y'all hunt for them. We had a blast this past weekend hunting for y'alls caches and yes they were very good hides and all were in interesting areas! Thanks for placing them one and all!
Corey has our # so if y'all need any hints just hollar.

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Hey Joebirds,
That invitation is open to you and anyone else in the good state of Georgia! We would be honored if y'all would pay our area a caching visit. Besides ours, there are quite a few other caches in the area placed by some fine folks.
And I agree with you, the only one that loses is the one who logs a cache without actually visiting it and I consider myself a winner being able to say we DID visit all the caches we logged and we had a blast doing it!
Thanks again to all the Georgia Cachers!