March 9th 2007: Geohamcash's 2006 GEO Geocoin Found In Philadelphia

Updated below, updated again


(On advice, Serial # edited out to prevent geocaching-fraud)

I've heard and read about geocaching (and am waiting on a reply from a fellow blogger who knows a little more about it than I, I believe) and now, it seems, I've been sucked into geocaching.

I don't have much to add to this post at the moment so if you have questions as to why I've even started this post, what geocaching is, etc, you're at about the same level of knowledge as I am.

This is where I'm currently learning about it, since it was the address indicated on the geocoin. Read up while I learn about it too.

Update - Ha! I got a comment from someone indicating they had lost the coin but I hadn't checked my email yet. Checking back in I found from the previous carrier:

Hi,

Apparently the coin fell out of my pocket last night when I was doing
laundry. I live xxxxx and I'd be happy to come pick it up whenever you're around.

Thanks,
-xxxxxx

And from the creator of the coin I got this:

Hi phillybits,
Welcome to geocaching! Interesting how you found our geocoin. Geocaching travel items are supposed to be logged into a cache, so someone must have lost it accidently. Thankyou for taking the time you have to find out about geocaching. We got an e-mail when you posted a note on the coins page.

Geocaching is played with a GPS unit and is a world-wide treasure hunt for caches. It's fun and frustrating trying to locate caches. To make it more fun travel items like Travel Bugs or Geocoins are sent around too. Geocaching.com is an awesome website.

Just checked my e-mails and see you've been contacted....
Thanks again for your help and hope you can join in.
geohamcash

I then decided to log back onto Geocaching to read some new messages.

ODragon wrote:

Well, at least now I know where it went. I was doing laundry last night. I've already contacted the writer to pick it up.

Followed by geohamcash:

Just like to say THANKS to phillybits for taking care of this coin while it was temporarily missing. Philly became a cacher just to help identify this coin! WOW! Your the best!
Wishing you all safe travels and happy caching! :)
Cache On!

Yet before I simply turn it over (which I dont' want to but will, nonetheless unless I hear otherwise [hint hint]), I had to reply with a few questions:

Oh man! The adventure is already over that quickly? I'm actually amazed that people got back to me so quickly, considering that the last entry on the coin was on the 3rd when Lux picked it up but ODragon was the one who lost 5 days later.
I'm more than happy to give it back but I have a couple questions since I'm new to this and who knows when the next time I may come across a situation like this will be.

1. Why the huge delay between items being picked-up and returned?

2. How did Lux get it 8 days ago but ODragon lost it 5 days later without an entry that ODragon had gotten it?

3. Will this brief stopover in Philadelphia be indicated on the Google .kml file of it's travels? (I'm a relatively new Google Earth aircraft spotter so I'm familiar with the file usage.)

4. Do "the rules" indicate I have to give it back, which I will regardless? What I mean to ask is that wouldn't it be in line with the sport of geocaching for me to either pass it on to somebody else or leave it somewhere else for someone to find and then log again or perhaps drop it in a local cache? (Looked up some local caches and there are quite a few.)

I'd just hate for this to be the extent of my experience geocaching with this particular coin but it's got me curiously fascinated.

And thus far, I wait for further replies.

Update Added a way mark on Google Earth.