So today I told my parents I was interested in geocaching. They had no clue what it was, so I told them. My dad's first reaction was that because it's on the internet, there must be all kinds of weirdos and sick people taking advantage of this. Like stalkers. And weird perverts. And people who would plant bombs or drugs in a cache. I'm thinking this is more of his personal prejudice against the internet than anything, but he's trying to deter me from taking part in what sounds like a really fun and rewarding hobby.
I haven't started geocaching yet, and I don't have a gps unit, but I am 99.9% convinced that this is a legitimate thing. Also, at the state park where I work, in the orientation session yesterday the guide told us where one of the caches was (not that I wanted to know ... he kinda spoiled it for me). But that pretty much confirmed my belief that geocaching is an alright thing.
But back to my dad's concerns... See, I'm 20 years old and I'm also not stupid enough to go out and put myself in dangerous situations. I would definitely go geocaching with a buddy. I have common sense and I know how to use it. My dad did not raise an idiot.
And just out of curiosity... have any of you heard of or known of anybody who's gotten themselves in a dangerous situation with a stalker through geocaching?
"People can take a good thing and turn it into something bad" (said my dad) I mean, I see his point, but how can I be convinced, and how can I convince him that geocaching is safe?