It’s Dead, Jim

No, Dr. McCoy never actually said those specific words, but the sentiment is real. Yesterday, after just over six years, I archived the third cache I ever placed. It was my most found cache. A nice, simple beginner find. There are actually two reasons I archived it. First, it is on the other side of Austin from where I live. When I placed it back in 2018, I was over in that area several times a week, so it was easy to look in on it at any time. Now, I have very few reasons to go to that area, so it’s a little more of a pain to maintain. It’s not as inconvenient as my caches in Smithville and Lampasas, mind you, which is why I’ve kept up with it for so long. Second, I had actually replaced it a month ago, but it was missing again by the time someone went for it last week. I had already noticed that I was having to replace it more frequently (three years, one year, one year, six months, six months). Having to replace it again after a single month? I can only assume that the spot is somehow compromised at this point. So, I did what I felt I had to do. Oddly enough, it feels like some kind of Old Yeller–type thing. It’s served me so well and has been of value to the community in the smaller sense (easy hides are always good for new cachers, visitors, and streakers, among others) if not in the greater sense (no, it didn’t fill anyone with amazement or net me any favorites). I guess I’m just sad to see it go after so long. Hopefully, someone else will put something better there or suitably close.

Thus far in my caching career, I’ve had occasion to archive thirteen caches. Only one of them has ever given me a real feeling of loss: my 3D-printed puzzle box that I couldn’t replicate in resin. I really, really liked that container. Maybe one day I’ll get a working filament printer and make more (I’ve got the files), but I don’t want to fiddle with that. A couple of my earlier ones were nice, but I was too lazy to keep them up. One I accidentally placed on private property (what I thought was a creekside greenbelt was actually someone’s expansive backyard), and one became inaccessible (who knew they’d fence off the entire back of a building for the first time in forty years?). The rest ran their course and were cast adrift. I always want to do something clever, but I don’t want to deal with the headache of upkeep. I’ve recently placed one that was a labor of love and had it disappear quickly. I made some adjustments to the design to make it easier to replicate in the future, but the first incarnation was perfect (it had gotten a favorite from every cacher who found it before “The Incident”). I have so many ideas that I want to make, but I don’t want to face the heartbreak of vandalism and theft or the drain of repair and replacement. No wonder some people like to hide things in the middle of the woods. But if I want to find cool things in the city, someone has to hide cool things in the city. And technically, I qualify as someone.