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dorqie

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Posts posted by dorqie

  1. Why adopt? There are very, very, very few caches in the entire world that I feel are worth adopting, and I'm not so sure about those. If you feel the cache... be it the idea, or the place, is worthy of a cache, and the current one is in need of an owner, the for goodness sake... post a NA, let it die naturally, and put your own out there so those that found the first one have motivation to get back to that gorgeous spot. This cache adoption idea needs to die.

    agreed

  2. The other day I was on the bus, with my headphones on, reading a book. A lady sat down next to me and started bombarding me with questions. While I didn`t want to be mean, I was annoyed. I was looking forward to tuning out the world. I wasn`t in the mood to befriend a stranger. Sometimes people just don't feel like chatting, some people go caching to be alone.

     

    Another poster has pointed out that if they didn't know you were ok with them geocaching, that could have been a reason to be vague about it.

    "What are you doing/looking for?" can seem like an accusation to a geocacher.

  3. I do take pictures of interesting and unique containers, but those are for my own personal use, I don't upload them because I think it's more fun to be surprised when I'm on a hunt, so I don't want to spoil it.

    It is allowed, but frowned upon. I know a lot of CO's who would ask you to remove such photos if you did post them (the link to the pictures does contain a warning about how it may contain spoilers)

     

    I post pics of other things near the cache that I find interesting.

  4. CALL the police! even if they were cachers its better to take precuations...

    Isn't that exactly the sort of "paranoid" behavior that we complain about here so often?

     

     

    Ive thought about it... Its better to take precautions.

     

    So, you, a geocacher, would call the police on someone that you felt "looked suspicious" as they searched around a bush, looking for something. Is that right?

    According to the OP's description of what the people were doing, yes.

    Why? Seriously... why? So perhaps, maybe, just possibly, these guys are rummaging around some bush looking maybe, just possibly, for some drugs (not a bottle of booze or food or money or porn, but drugs because they look like addicts) you would feel it important to call the police? Are they attacking you?

     

    That's kindof my feeling as well.

    A) What in gods green earth is the dispatcher going to think when I tell them that I'm calling to report some guys looking around in a shrub?

    B ) They smiled, they just wanted me to move along so that they could keep searching (a position I've been in a few times under different circumstances) There was no reason for me to be afraid of them, I didn't need protection, nor did anyone else.

    C) The cops know what kind of stuff goes on in that neighbourhood. If they had the resources to stop it they would, but they don't. It's no secret there are drug deals and other illegal things for sale ever 5' on that street. Me telling them about it wouldn't change anything.

     

    edit: I didn't realize B + ) makes a smiley.

  5. Also have in mind that they might be letterboxers. Although its highly unlikely.

    I don't know what kind of happy place you come from... really... I know an addict when I see one, I've been around long enough.

    Okay, I just thought along the lines of what you described in the OP. You said aside from the fact..(skip ahead :) ) they looked like geocachers.

    the part you skipped was imperative

    But s'all good, I'm not really as grumpy as I may have one believe. :)

  6. Umm, there was just an article on all the news sites that talked about a criminal taking the police to a 'spot in the swamp' where a cache of stolen items including a Super Bowl or some other kind of ring that was stolen from a local sports figure. Where money is involved, people will do whatever they can to make it.

     

    Urban areas are not the only area you could find this. Drug dealers/suppliers have been using the National Forest system for decades to grow their 'crops' because the government owns the land so it's untraceable, there's a ton of it that's fertile and covered in dense forest making it impossible to see through from above.

    Just one more thing to keep in mind before you leave the house for that next cache.

    wow, that sounds right out of a movie o.O Do you have a link to the article?

     

    I've definitely found some "crops" while out caching. Luckily I've never had to explain myself to the "farmers"

  7. There is nothing that says a cacher needs to respond to eMail from other cachers.

    Rude, perhaps...but it certainly is their prerogative.

     

    I have seen many cases of 'cache container transformation', but from an ammo can to a film can is pretty wild! :o

     

    My favorite scenario is looking for a cache (maybe after a couple of others have DNFed) and also DNFing. I put a watch on the cache, and a few weeks later someone posts a find. I go back, and there it is in the same place I looked before (lampskirt), but no maintenance log was posted.

    I am guilty of replacing a cache and forgetting to post a note on the page. I replaced it before anyone posted an NM, so I didn't have anything to "clear" and I just kinda forgot to tell everyone that it was back. Oops

  8. I have found alot of weird things while caching including porn, marital aids, explosives, booze, pot farms, and a huge bag of what appeared to me to be meth. I used a long stick to tear the bag open and empty it on the street. Imagine the tweekers surprise when he came back to get it. Lots of weirdos out there, and they aren't all cachers.

     

    In the meantime the rains washed the meth into our water supply. Thanks for that.

    Did you wonder why you felt so energetic during that day?

  9. no, they were looking for drugs, I'm sure they were not geocaching as they had all their worldy possessions in a shopping cart.

     

    As for the police, this area is CRAWLING with blatant prostitutes and drug users. They would have just laughed and said "oh yeah, what else is new?"

    Seriously.

  10. So I have heard stories of geocachers being accused of searching for hidden drugs by LEO's but chalked them up to strange paranoia.

    Surely no druggie would go to the trouble of hiding a container of drugs for another one to pick up.(all the things that could go wrong, fellow tweak is too stoned to find the goods, someone steals the container, drugs get muggled)

    I've grown up in some less than desirable areas, and never seen or heard of this actually happening.

    Well the other day I was walking down a particularly notorious street, when I saw two men frantically searching a bush.

    I *KNEW* there wasn't a cache there.

    As I approached I could see them checking notepads, and muttering "I swear he said the container was here! Keep looking! Is it under that bush?"

    Aside from the fact that they were covered in track marks, in poor general hygiene and appeared to have not eaten real food in years, they looked exactly like geocachers.

    When I got within 8 or so feet of them, they stood up and smiled and tried the whole "stealth" thing.

    I couldn't help but smile back at them, although they had no idea why. (Ok, I admit I felt a strange kinship with my fellow seekers :unsure: )

    So I know know that on at least one occasion, people have been looking for drugs in a bush.

  11. I have a good friend who actively caches but logs none of his finds online. People may or may not agree with that practice, but it does happen.

    I went through one of those phases too. All you AZ cachers will never know I found your caches :ph34r:

     

    He could be one of those.

    If he described an area 50' from gz, he's either the best bot i've ever seen, or he's actually a person.

    Just uncheck the box that allows him to see your email if you are nervous.

     

    But remember that if all you give out about yourself if your email address (so he could reply) there isn't a whole lot he can do with that information but spam you.

  12. Ok, I didn't make this point clear enough.

    My community considers these caches sacred, just because of the "age" and proliferation of the hider.

     

    The first thing I'm going to say is I know it took a tremendous amount of volunteer time to get these adopted and I appreciate this.

     

    However, I'd love to do a poll and see how many in our community see these as 'sacred'. My guess is those who sent emails after the initial archiving were all in favor of the caches being adopted. Those who didn't see the merit, would not have sent an email. I wish that we had as a community at the time had an in-person meeting and democratic VOTE about this. I'm guessing if we put it to a vote, most of those who had been caching for many years would have voted yes. I can see the nostalgia for cachers who had been around when these caches were new. My family has been geocaching less than a year, so my only impression of these caches before all this happened was a legacy of neglect. Everytime I went looking for one of these caches, I knew to expect a box with broken hinges or a cracked lid, full of mildewy crap, probably with a full log book too.

     

    I'm glad some of them were saved, I can see the value in that. I know it took a tremdous amount of volunteer time to get these adopted and I appreciate this. I adopted one myself that had been hidden in 2002, it had been there 9 years (2 replacement containers) and I'm glad I did. I also thought the name was really cool. It was also one of the first of the Team caches I had found. So, for me, adopting this one had significance.

     

    However...I don't think so many should have been adopted. I'm going to get crucified for this, but I'm also kind of tired of keeping my 2 bits to myelf. :( I put a tremendous amount of effort into my caches and cache pages. Proximity frustration is a BIG issue for me. I frequently have to work around one or two of those caches that have recently been adopted. Right now, I'm looking to place a cache in a spot sandwiched between 2 Team caches. Proximity is very tight. 1 of these caches, the new owner has not bothered to check on and has simply enabled it. It needs the dirty junk cleaned out and new swag put in and an updated hint. None of this has been done. The 2nd cache I am working around for proximity has been replaced by a tiny lock n lock and shoved under a rock and barely hidden, no camo job to speak of. And the old cache(geo-junk)was STILL in place when I last checked. There's a 3rd cache nearby which was also enabled without being checked. It's got mold inside. All 3 of these caches have created proximity hell for me. Why...because they are old and apparently they have more value than any cache I or another new cacher want to put out.

     

    This is just one example. While many adoptive owners have done a great job of fixing up their caches, many have shown minimal interest. I have seen caches that have been adopted months ago still with the original damaged container, with moldy stuff inside, and the new owners have simply enabled the cache and not bothered to fix it up. Sorry, but wouldn't we all rather see a brand new cache that the owner is excited about and has put alot of effort into? Yes, for a time there would be fewer caches to find, but I have a feeling any gaps would soon be filled.

     

    I agree :)

  13. Knowschad provided the fact that a special arrangement had been made with Groundspeak regarding the TEAM's caches. They had retired and archived them all. Many wanted their caches to remain an important part of BC's caching history, so a special appeal was made. Together with Groundspeak, the agreement of the TEAM and the hard work of the Wizard Of Ooze, the caches were unarchived and adopted out to new and willing owners. Had the Team decided against adoption, the unarchiving would not have happened.

    Some of the Team's caches have been around for a long time, some are tricky to get to, others were placed as part of the Hide and Go Events. On our local forum, Vancouver Island GPS the team have their own section. See TEAM KFWB/X-treme Team. They organized competitions that teams of cachers had great fun with.

    I am glad that the caches remain, and in good condition now. Those that are not adopted for whatever reason will remain archived.

    Part of the pleasure for me is the rejuvenation of the cache containers, but keeping the original descriptions. One thing I still wonder, as do many, many others.....who were TEAM KFWB?

     

    "had great fun"

    They no doubt contributed to the community a lot.

    I guess I'm just not into the nostalgia as the rest of us.

     

    edited to reiterate: what's best for the community is best for me. I in no way want to change any decisions already made.

  14. any cache placed near a physical stage of a multi is subject to the .1 mile rule.

     

    Stages within THE SAME multi are not subject to the distance rule.

     

    For example stage 1 and 2 of a 2 stage multi BOTH have to be .1 miles away from any other caches, however, the can be closer than .1 mile (or farther) to EACH OTHER.

  15. *sigh* while not geocaching, I might as well have been... the other day I was doing the "smart phone shuffle" and smacked into a lamp post.

     

    New York recently passed a law making texting, operating a smart phone, and even operating a GPS (that is not dash mounted) while driving a primary offense, in an attempt to prevent accidents like yours. You're lucky it was only a lamp post (did you check under the skirt?) and not a kid on a bicycle.

    I was not driving. I was walking.

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