Public Service announcement….it’s okay if you DON’T find i

[Trekkin and Birdin]

I know we’ve been over this topic before, so I won’t rehash that part of it, but just a friendly reminder that it’s OKAY if sometimes, you can’t find a cache. Really. If you don’t want to post the DNF, then write a note. Or email the owner and explain your situation–frozen in place or whatever. Or just move on.

Don’t say you found it when you didn’t. The owners might just do a maintenance visit, read the log and see no signature. As a reminder….posting the DNF lets the owners know there could be a problem. Saying you found it might suggest all’s well, sending others on wild goose chases.

DNFs are part of the game. I am the not so proud owner of the ONLY logged DNF on a 1/1 cache that 232 others have found. Trekkin’ wasn’t there, so it’s all mine to own. As far as I know, none of you has yet disowned me for that fact.

Laughed behind my back, I’ll count on that. 🙄 I laugh about it, too. Which is my point. No shame, if you don’t find it, don’t log it as if you did!

[-cheeto-]

and like when there’s a series of dnf’s including one of my own and then someone logs a found it so I go and try and log another dnf so the owner looks into it and finds it’s MIA. Did they really find it??

Log your dnf’s people. It helps us responsible cache owners stay on top of our maintenance. 🙂

[Mister Greenthumb]

Yesterday I found Ranger Boy’s Indian Trail (24 stage multi puzzle) and today I couldn’t find a new cache that someone with only 200+ finds of experience got the ftf on. We also have had a dnf on a different 1/1 so some times it’s just not your day. As the owners of nearly 100 hides we really appreciate the dnf logs. I checked on several hides recently because of dnf’s and one needed to be replaced which I otherwise wouldn’t have know about. We have over 1400 finds and have logged more than 200 dnfs.

[gotta run]

I like to wait to log our DNFs until after I see a bunch of other people DNF it first. Then I log a “me too” DNF…or maybe just a note…with some snide comments to the cache owner for not checking on their cache sooner. 😡

On the Left Side of the Road...

[-cheeto-]

with some snide comments to the cache owner for not checking on their cache sooner.

and maybe a needs maintenance log too and if you are in a really good mood, a archive request too.

been a rash of those types of logs around here recently.

[amita17]

Thanks for the perspective. As a sometimes-cacher, I tend to have a 30-50% DNF every time I set out. I’m always a little embarrassed to log a DNF, and have only done it (like Gotta Run said) when others recently have. I just figure most of my DNFs really are there, and I am just too blind to see them, am off on the coordinates, or I give up too easily. (Most likely the last one.) Now I see that there’s a real reason to log them that may have nothing to do with my caching abilities. Since no one is keeping track of my DNFs but me, why should I be hesitant to log them? Thanks for educating me on another aspect of geocaching.

[gotta run]

Sorry, I should really use the winky face when I am being facetious…one of my frustrations is when there is an actual problem with a cache of ours and I don’t hear about it for weeks (months) because rather than logging them right away, people lurk about and wait for someone else to jump in the pool first. We check out DNFs on non-evil hides as soon as practical, so the sooner they are logged the faster problems get fixed.

On the Left Side of the Road...

[Team Deejay]

Folks, from a reviewer perspective, it is essential that you log your DNFs as well as any maintenance issues. When I get an NM, NA, or just an email complaint about a cache being missing, I look at the number of DNFs. If there are two DNFs on a 3 star hide, well, I’m not touching it. Maybe 40 people really DNFed it, but if they don’t log their DNFs it won’t get cleaned up in a timely fashion.

The same applies to caches not being maintained. If I see a NM log claiming a wet log, but the prior finder didn’t mention it, I’m forced to assume that the owner fixed the cache, and then it got wet again. I always try to give owners a month or more to fix any maintenance problems, so posting finds without indicating problems will keep resetting that monthly clock.

By the way, I may be the only person to log a DNF on a 1/1 virtual! I use my logs to make a record of my geocaching (mis)adventures, so I wouldn’t want to miss logging a DNF any more than i would want to miss logging a find.

[Mister Greenthumb]

An owner can only maintain his cache as well as the information received from finders or non-finders. The log that does the most disservice to the cache owner is simply “tftc”. This tells me nothing as far as any needed maintenance or attention. I think it’s also thoughtful to write something about your experience. I believe most who hide caches enjoy reading about your adventure. It’s also a way of educating new geocachers as most do not regularly have personal contact with other geocachers.

[jim1830]

I always log DNF’s. How else is the owner going to know if there’s a problem? For my own caches, I tend to check on them fairly quickly if there’s a DNF. I may have to wait a day, or week, but I will check on it. If no one tells me it’s missing, I won’t check on it, and that might kinda ruin it for the next person. And besides, half my adventures that end in DNF’s turn out to be interesting for some reason or another.

[Ray]

We have been known to log a DNF here and there, sometimes more than just a few in a day. I believe We may be the only team to log a DNF on a locationless cache. we normally try again, sometimes again and again to redeem ourselves. occasionaly the effort is futile, sometimes not.

[AuntieNae]

DNF’s ..
1) tell the cache owner there could be a problem
2) keep you humble, sometimes those 1/1’s require far less thought than you are putting into them.

I usually log my DNF’s and have a nice string of them in my geo history. It is fun to go back and find them later and have that “da” moment.

Here was my latest DNF ..
GCZ624
I would say we were “distracted” by the arm hanging there …

[Vans Clan]

My rule of thumb is if I attempted to find the cache, I must post one of two things, Found It or DNF. Period. Not posting DNFs just seems wrong. DNF’s show you at least tried for it and that you’re not scared of it. In fact, some of the DNF stories are the best ones to read.

[baileyhk]

I agree – I wish everyone would log their DNF’s!! I nearly always do.. in fact some of my best geocaching adventures have been on DNF’s. The only time I don’t is when I don’t feel I have searched enough or if I didn’t have enough time for a proper search. In that case I go back and then try again. If I am going out caching and a cache has had several DNF’s with no owner check they I will probably leave it until I know its there.
Another good reason to log them is that you might get help from others – after my 10th (maybe higher) DNF on Sundrop 1 Team Black Cat checked on it for me and confirmed it was indeed there. I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have found it without their help!

[seldom|seen]

@baileyhk wrote:

I agree – I wish everyone would log their DNF’s!! I nearly always do.. in fact some of my best geocaching adventures have been on DNF’s. The only time I don’t is when I don’t feel I have searched enough or if I didn’t have enough time for a proper search. In that case I go back and then try again. If I am going out caching and a cache has had several DNF’s with no owner check they I will probably leave it until I know its there.
Another good reason to log them is that you might get help from others – after my 10th (maybe higher) DNF on Sundrop 1 Team Black Cat checked on it for me and confirmed it was indeed there. I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have found it without their help!

This is my approach too. If I don’t think I’ve given it ample time, I’ll skip the DNF until I get out there for a second look. If I DNF a second time, I almost always post a DNF, but rarely indicate that the cache might need maintenance or might be missing. I’ll let the cache owner decide that. On the other hand, if ground zero has a beacon, I will make mention that I looked in the “obvious” spot which might tip the owner off that the cache may indeed be in trouble. I am not embarrassed by logging DNF’s and try to be descriptive about my hunt, without spoilers it, when I do. Owner of almost 200 caches, I know first-hand how vital field reports are and am eternally greatfull for the PM’s and e-mails I get indicating that I might want to have a look.

What does bug me a little is a situation where a cacher posts a “needs maintenance” log because the cache, in thier opinion, is not labeled well enough (even though it clearly says “GEOCACHE” on it) or because they think it doesn’t fit one of the attributes. Forgivable from a newbie, which was the case, but no so from experienced cachers who should know that a private message to the owner is simply a much better way to convey a potentil issue than posting a NM log to the listing.

[Author]

Posts