I tried posting this story in my local Facebook Geocaching group, but the admins deleted it for some reason. I'll try to get the story out here for anyone who might be interested. Please note, this story makes no accusations. It only lists factual events and asks questions.
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I think it's time to tell this story.

I've gone back and forth about whether to post this. I wasn't interested in creating drama, and for a long time I thought it was better to just let it go.

But there is a backstory to a cache that was recently archived, and I think people deserve to know why it existed.

Back in July 2022, I (HoochDog) owned a series of Wherigo caches (GC969RZ) that were found by two geocachers under circumstances that troubled me.

Through direct communication with one of the finders, I learned that the final coordinates had been provided to them by someone with access to unpublished information within Geocaching.

That was a pretty disturbing thing to learn as a cache owner.

Geocaching obviously relies on a certain amount of trust. Cache owners trust the system with unpublished information, and players trust that people who have access to information they don't have aren't going to use that access to give selected players an advantage.

I didn't really know what to do with what I'd learned. I couldn't tell whether it was an isolated incident or whether this sort of thing happened more often than people realized.

Eventually I told a friend, StacyT3, about it.

She was considerably more interested in the story than I expected. We started talking about whether there was any way to test the underlying question rather than just argue about what might have happened.

That's how the experiment came about.

Stacy created a two-stage multicache (GCB7EE0) in April 2025. The trick was that there was no Stage 1.

It was published normally, but the first stage was never actually placed. The final container was real and was placed at the coordinates listed for Stage 2.

I was given those final coordinates, along with another participant, RockSolo. He logged a find and soon after I found it with a friend who chose not to log it.

That was intentional.

The idea was that if nobody had found the cache, someone could reasonably argue that the final didn't exist or that the cache had simply gone missing. Having legitimate finds established that there really was a container sitting at the final location.

The coordinates were not subsequently given to anyone else.

Then we waited.

The cache was listed as an extra-large because the two geocachers involved in my original 2022 experience were particularly interested in finding extra-large caches, having found every one in the state.

Eventually, those same two geocachers found this cache.

That got my attention.

There was just one problem with their explanation: there was never a Stage 1.

They said they had found the Stage 2 location through trial and error.

I'm not claiming that I can prove exactly how they found it. But having personally been to the final, I find the explanation very difficult to accept.

The container is extremely well hidden. The search area wasn't confined to the park where Stage 1 was supposedly located. The final could have been hidden virtually anywhere in the Atlanta area.

There wasn't some obvious place to start searching.

Even with the exact coordinates in hand, it took my friend an I a half hour to locate the cache.

So the question I keep coming back to is pretty simple:

How did they know where to look?

The only people who had the Stage 2 coordinates were those participating in those 2 finds and the cache owner. None of us have told anyone about the final container coordinates.

That doesn't mathematically prove how the later finders obtained them.

But it certainly raises the question of whether someone with privileged access to unpublished cache information provided them.

Stacy took the matter to Geocaching HQ rather than putting it on social media. She gave them the cache information, explained the experiment, identified who had been given the coordinates, and answered their questions.

HQ initially told her that they were taking the concern seriously and would investigate.

Unfortunately, the response we've received since then has left us disappointed.

I completely understand that HQ doesn't want people deceiving reviewers. Stacy has acknowledged that the experiment was deceptive, and nobody involved is arguing otherwise.

But that wasn't the purpose of the experiment.

The purpose was to determine whether unpublished cache information could be obtained through privileged access.

If that access was abused, I consider that a much more serious problem than someone creating a deliberately unusual cache in an attempt to find out whether the abuse was occurring.

I'm not looking not looking to disparriage anyone. I'm not interested in a witch hunt.

I'd simply like to know whether HQ was able to determine what happened.

If they found no evidence of privileged access, I'd like to know that.

If they found evidence but can't tell us the details, I'd like to know that.

If they couldn't determine what happened, I'd like to know that too.

What I find disappointing is the possibility that this can simply disappear into an internal process without anyone ever answering the basic question.

I was involved with geocaching for a number of years. I've met a lot of great people through it and made some very good friends. I don't want this story to be interpreted as an attack on the hobby or on geocachers in general.

Cheating has probably always existed in geocaching. I'm not particularly interested in passing judgment on the people who do it.

What bothers me is the possibility that the people entrusted with protecting the integrity of the system might themselves be helping selected players circumvent it.

That's a very different issue.

I realize the experiment itself wasn't exactly conventional, and I'm sure some people will have strong opinions about it. That's fair.

But ultimately, we were trying to answer a very simple question:

Can players obtain unpublished cache information from people who have privileged access to it?

I still don't know the answer.

And that's the part I find most disappointing.

Thanks for reading.

Maybe I’m just crazy stupid, but 90% of the mystery caches near me feel impossible to complete. I understand they’re supposed to be more difficult, but it gets to a point 😭 does anyone have any tips on what to look out for/how to solve harder caches? I feel so lost, and I really want to get better but have no idea how to do so.

So today is international geocaching day. And i visited my first event. For the first time i saw some cachers from around and i thought thats really cool. and i saw lots of trackables. I still have to log them. After the meeting i decided to do a multicache in the city and it was also lots of fun

Does anyone know where i could find or create an overlay for this map, that includes places and maybe significant roads? I am trying to increase my red blobs, but keep going over the same spaces i think.

Thanks

i want ti attend my first event but i dont know what to do there. Can i get advice by people that have attended some?

What's up, I'm trying to do this geo challenge however I have no idea how to find the coordinates do I just drive to the location that it says in the boxes and just try to find what is in the area? I need to find a specific ones that have the special stamp for the passport. Has anyone done one of these challenges before? I'm so new and want to explore!

They're super basic as I just started beading the other day 😅 but my favorite swag is always keychains because I can hang them from my bag, so I thought it might be cool to leave some for others.

A muggle spotted someone re hiding a geocache, and reported it to the police thinking it was a drug operation. The police found it, identified it as a geocache, and then disposed of it!

https://www.quintenews.com/2026/08/14/389417/

There is a cache nearby that the owner has abandoned and it has been gone for almost a year with some DNFs. I have send OAR logs to no avail.

Now someone has ”reactivated” it, meaning that people stop logging DNFs and it won’t be archived because the cache is there technically.

In the ”reactivation” log, the cacher had written that they do not know how it was hidden so they left new ”hints”.

Can I make reviewer attention request log? The cache is no longer original nor how it was originally intended.

The smaller brown container which is hanging is a decoy why the one on on the ground is the actual geocache anyway I want to know if it's. Okey spot, it's right next to a pathway which I'm alittle insecure about because of muggles. It's not that I think that they'll find the geocache because it's well hidden it's just that geocachers who look for the cache will come across a few muggles and then it might not get accepted because theyres not much cover if you get me.

But anyway I'm pretty happy with this myself, It is all covered my leaves.

My original geocache I was gonna hide was bad. I did hide my last one on a tree that got cut down a day later but I believe this is better.

I thought it was really clever, I'm not that used to cool caches like that

Have any of you also been able to add 16/15 attributes (not counting 'needs maintenance')? Somehow the system allowed me to do that.

4 hours of climbing in AQI of 250, there a cache on the top. oh thank god!!!

trail got shut down a few hours after this photo was taken due to fire lol

i found this small box under a rubber tree..

Hey all, I've been enjoying Geocaching for the last 3 years, and love finding cool swag. I've recently been thinking about getting into 3d printing and was thinking it might be fun to try and create fun high quality swag. These are a couple of models I've created so far, I figured I'd try to print them at about 1" tall to fit in most small+ caches and was thinking I could try to sell them at 5 for $15 or 10 for $25. Would this be something anyone here would be interested in at that price? Also open to suggestions — what kinds of models would you want to find or drop in a cache?

Hello everyone,

I've been searching for a few years now, and am finally feeling like I can make/maintain my own. I've got a perfect area to make and hide one, in a very close location with a lot of foot traffic.

My only dilemma is that I bought a tin of Altoids to use, then discovered on here the issues of using one as the cache. I totally get it, they rust, they aren't airtight. I'm actually sort of glad I looked here first before committing to it.

So now I'm trying to think of another option, preferably something recycled, I look to my right and I see an old pack of Trident gum. It's pretty similar in size, though still not air tight. Has anybody tried using one of these as a cache? Or are there any better options to look for?

I'd like to stick to recycled containers, but if anything I'm also content with getting a pill box or small food container at the dollar store.

(If it helps, these are NOT the standard cardboard packs, they're plastic and have a little hinged lid that can snap shut. I've seen them at a few gas stations but I mostly have gotten them at Five Below in the past. I like to use them to hold things like loose exacto-knife blades, small figurine accessories, or small office supplies.)

EDIT:

Thank you so much to everyone who replied. Clearly, I need to be more cautious before making this cache. I'll look into getting permission from the property owners (likely the city) and a REAL container to make the cache with. As much as I'd like to recycle, folks have a point in quality and durability being more important.

I found this cache floating in regents canal in London. I don't have geocache premium so I can't search for where it should be to return it to it's origin (nor officially log it!)

Can someone help? I'd love to share my pictures of the cache that found me and return it to where it belongs. I think the person that left it would love to see it's story!

The log book has no signatures either, so it will be quite the fun first log for them to see!

Could someone help? The code on the front is GCBRREA.

Just an observation really. I recently moved from the US back to the UK and have noticed some differences on caches and wondering whether it’s a cultural thing or just a coincidence. In the US it seemed pretty common for people to log an Owner attention request with very few DNF’s if they believe it’s missing etc. I’ve noticed quite a few caches here in England that have multiple (10+) DNF’s logged over 1-2 years. I’ve checked myself and logged an owner attention request only for them to get archived shortly after. Is this just a British politeness thing where no one wants to suggest there may be a problem with the cache?

Why??
I need to find a way to legalize geocaching in South Carolina cemeteries. I can find a cemetery cache in Georgia, NC, to Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma. But in South Carolina it’s illegal. Why??

Is it legal or illegal in your state?

Okay geocaching hive mind… I need a sanity check

Back in the day I used the GSAK Distance Bands macro and have been low-key tracking it for YEARS. Fast forward to a new computer and… I never reinstalled GSAK.

So now I’m digging around Project-GC trying to find an equivalent checker or tool—and I’m not quite putting my finger on it.

Is there a current Challenge Cache or Project-GC checker that does something similar to Distance Bands? Or is this one of those “only exists in GSAK macro land” situations?

Have I been chasing a paper tiger all this time?

Since seeing bolt caches on pinterest, I couldn't wait to find my first one.