Archiving your caches

[sandlanders]

Have you ever archived any of the caches you have placed? If so, what were the reasons you did this, and did you ever revamp them near the same area?

[jerrys dad]

I achieved one because the container came coming up missing. It was in a park and I had placed it there after somebody had archived theirs in the same park. I figured somebody found the one then mine and took the caches, both nanos, for some reason. I did not want to loose any more.

[greyhounder]

I like to archive after about a year — that way I can avoid too much of a volunteer trail developing (my caches aren’t highly visited). I have one that I really like that I should archive — it’s been in place well over a year. But I just haven’t yet. Also, I have an Otter cache that I will not archive.

It’s also a chance to give someone else the location for a hide. I prefer finding to hiding myself!

Bec

[Mister Greenthumb]

If I have a container or muggle problem I have archived caches. I monitor all of my hides as to their activity and finder reaction. I have archived 26 of the 110 hides that I have placed to date. I try to keep caches out there that people have fun finding and are are found often. I ‘m hoping when I place a cache it will be found at least a couple times per months and 50 times or more per year.

[RSplash40]

1 – Freaked out neighbors “suspicious activity” calls to P.D.
1 – Someone made a camp under the bridge right where I had the mag keyholder…it was gone but the empty beer can’s and other “things” were plentiful.
1 – The parts of a multi were torn down(not by cachers)
1 – One spot turned out to be a popular place for kids
1 – Cemetery hide, went missing after 6 finders in 8 days, let someone else put one there.

[Trekkin and Birdin]

We’ve archived two. One was archived because people tended to be careless in replacing it and it kept ending up in the wetland. Too many maintenance visits! We might rework it to be smaller, but the point had been to provide kids swag of a nature exploration variety.

The other we archived because we decided it was too tough for a cemetery hide. We redid it with a different kind of hide, and one that drew attention to one particular stone.

I had to laugh at Bill’s comment. You can sure tell a difference in cache rich areas. If *any* of our caches have had 50 visits, EVER, I’d be thrilled!

Course, it seems like what we place isn’t all that popular—-long hikes in interesting terrain, letterboxes and sneaky containers (Trekkin’s fave). Not usually quick finds.

[Mister Greenthumb]

@Trekkin’ and Birdin’ wrote:

I had to laugh at Bill’s comment. You can sure tell a difference in cache rich areas. If *any* of our caches have had 50 visits, EVER, I’d be thrilled!.

I knew someone would pick up on this. I’ve had a few hides that had 25+ finds in the first month. I think I have about a half dozen with more than 100 finds.

Even though we put out our hides mainly for the enjoyment of area cachers, we do most of our geocaching out of our area. In the next 2 months we’ll be going to Dodge, Columbia, Portage, Manitowoc, Walworth, Oconto and Marinette Counties. We enjoy the rural atmosphere more than our home base of Waukesha County. We also try to visit caches placed by the many geocachers that we have met at events during the last 2 years. I hope to get to the western part of the state and try some of the T&B hides within the next year.

[LDove]

I have archived quite a few. Some due to muggles getting it or animals messing with it. Mostly, I archive to free up the area for other caches to be placed. I have archived several from the Cache Bash from last year that went missing or had problems so that we can use the area again for a fresh idea. With so many spots getting taken – all over, not just Washington County, it would be great if more people archived and allowed new caches in… just my opinion.

[sandlanders]

@LDove wrote:

With so many spots getting taken – all over, not just Washington County, it would be great if more people archived and allowed new caches in… just my opinion.

Oh, yeah . . . I remember that topic a while back. No cache saturation problem here, but volunteer trails pop up frequently. And caches do get raided or go missing.

[-cheeto-]

I guess I’ve archived a few…

1st – Issues with original hide forced a new much more creative hide which resulted in a container that could not withstand the elements. Gave up on the spot. Not re-used.
2nd – Issues with a “neighbor” Not re-used.
3rd – Muggled way too many times. Damage to tree on more than one occasion. Not re-used.
4th – Muggled way too many times. Not re-used.
5th – Container was broken. Decided to archive rather than replace. Not re-used (yet)
6th – Multiple confidential issues. Final location was re-used a subsequent cache owned by me.
7th – Was notified by a muggle that property lines within the park were not clearly designated on any maps and that it was located on private property. There was no way to prevent searches from crossing onto and off of private property (though there is no way to prevent normal trail-goers from doing so as well!). I later placed a tough puzzle final nearby on known park property that get’s less traffic than a traditional.
8th – Hide spot did not support a long term permanent cache. Not re-used.
9th – Puzzle element was changed and opted to archive rather than keep going. Site was later re-used in a cache owned by me.
10th – Hide spot did not support a long term permanent cache. Not re-used by me.
11th – Decided I did not want to maintain a “playground cache”. No other viable hide spot available.
12th – “Winter Friendly” cache race which I intended to only last 6 months or so. Re-used 6th archived cache spot. Site has not been re-used (yet).
13th – Removed to make way for a newer cache series owned by me. Site was re-used.
14th – No one ever understood the puzzle idea so I scrapped it. Not re-used (yet)
15th – Another puzzle no one ever understood. Site was re-used by me as a traditional.
16th – Another puzzle no one ever understood. Was on a streak here for awhile I guess… Spot also had muggling issues. Not re-used by me.
17th – Subject of the puzzle and cache was closed down due to our economic times. Site re-used by me for a subsequent cache.
18th – Spot subject to multiple muggle issues. Original container was a “unique idea” and once it was nabbed I lost interest in the spot. Not re-used (yet)
19th & 20th – Have held 2 CITO events in Appleton that are archived.
21st – Was muggled and I decided it was too far away for me to keep going and someone more local showed interest in placing their own cache at this location. Site not re-used by me.
22nd – Was muggled and I decided it was too far away for me to keep going. Site not re-used by me.
23rd – Location was clear-cut to make way for a new condo construction site. Had little option but to remove. Site not re-used by me.

[marc_54140]

Obviously cheeto has a lot of time on his hands.

I archive caches for a variety of those reasons.

[JimandLinda]

Of the 232 caches owned by us, we have archived 32, for most of the same reasons listed.

We also believe in archiving when a cache gets “stale”, to open the area for other cache hides.

Our Exchange on Hwy. 41 south of Oshkosh, which is located on private property and monitored by security cameras, has had over 200 ‘smileys’ in 16 monthes, which is alot more than expected! This doesn’t include local cachers that swap/discover trackables. Guess we’ll keep that one going for awhile.

We have gotten a few e-mails from new cachers, asking if it’s OK to hide a cache in one of “our old spots”. First come, first serve, folks! I remember hiding a new cache in Oshkosh, only to have the reviewer tell us that there was a cache there already, within a few feet of our hide! Fine by us…a Find is as good as a Hide!

We plan on archiving more, as time goes on, and the cache game evolves. But we will continue to hide some, too.

[Timberline Echoes]

One of ours was used as a urinal… got rid of that one quickly.
TE

[Cache_boppin_BunnyFuFu]

I have archived for similar reasons mentioned above. I sort of feel that if a cache has been around a while, and areas have been locked up with the same old same old, that maybe they should be archived to give others a chance to place in the area, as well as giving those previous owners MORE caches to do themselves. 🙂

[brkster]

I’ve archived caches due to muggles (usually more than once) and natural causes (mostly floods), but I also keep track of how long I’ve had caches out and how many visits they get. If a cache of mine has been in place for 3-4 years, with very few visits in the last year, and most of the local cachers have found it, I may archive it just to keep the area open for new hides.

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