Adopting orphan geocaches

I did my good caching deed yesterday. I adopted three geocaches that needed good homes. Team Adelos, a long time Southern California geocacher, decided to put his caches up for adoption. Many of them were far from my house, but a few were close enough that I decided to take them. I don't adopt just any cache... I mean, why adopt a LPC in a mall parking lot? But one of them was on Black Mountain (Heart Pumper link) and two were on Iron Mountain (puzzle caches GCWGE0 and GCWGE1), so they were nearby and in interesting areas.

Cachers like Team Adelos make it really easy to adopt, because they find new owners before their caches are in dire straights. There are definitely two schools of thought about adoption, however. I have met cachers who believe that when a cache needs maintenance and the owner is AWOL, the cache should be archived to open up the spot for new caches. For many caches, I agree with this. I have certainly requested a few DNF-riddled caches be put down simply because I was tired of seeing the cache pop up on my map. I suppose I could have replaced the cache, but that has its own set of challenges. Sometimes, cache owners get pretty upset when their cache is replaced without permission, and on the rare occasion that I do this for a neglected cache, I usually have tried to contact the owner about adoption anyhow. Another problem with replacing the cache is that if you change containers (say, from an ammo can to a pill bottle) or hide type (hanging vs. geopile), you can't make the necessary changes on the cache page.

That said, the one type of cache I really have a soft spot for is an oldie. There is something unique and special about a cache with a really low GC number, and I will go out of my way to adopt these whenever possible. Again, some will say that if the cache has been replaced over the years, or the hide site has changed, then you really aren't finding that classic cache. This may be true, but I still like finding them, so I presume others do too. When I am traveling to a new area, the first thing I look for are caches with low GC numbers or high favorite point totals. Not just for Challenge grids, but because cachers have been coming to that spot for over a decade to sign a scrap of paper. To me, that is cool.

Besides, low GC number caches are a dying breed and it is really exciting for me to get them. About a year and a half ago, I adopted GC140 (San Diego Ocean View/Double Peak Summit, link). It was the second cache hidden in San Diego county (in January, 2001). Back in the day, it was a significant hike to get to GZ, but now you can drive right up to the peak! Even though it is much easier to get to and the cache container has been replaced many times over the years, it doesn't take anything away from the fantastic view from here! Plus, it is GC140! It's still a little piece of GC history. So, I'm happy with my new 2006-era caches. One day, they will be antiques as well... just like GC140.