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Best Excuse For The Question: "what Are You Doing?"


50Cal

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We had a bit of a close shave with a VERY questionable individual recently when we went out looking for a cache in a local park. I noticed him approaching and nudged my other half to stop looking for it, but much to my dismay, when asked by the individual what we were doing, he went into an elaborate explaination that I had lost something the day before and that we would appreciate his help in finding it. <_<

 

Cringing inside as he promptly joined in the search, I had the forboding that this was not going to be an "easy" find. We subsequently found it and were walking off to the car to log the find "in private", when he decided to ask us for money to buy some smokes. We both declined and this seemed to anger him. He started harassing us to give him money or he was going to report us for drug traffic-ing. He swore at us and got particularly verbally abusive. We tried to tell him in no uncertain terms that the container did not contain drugs, but he wouldn't believe us. We eventually had to open it in front of him to prove that it was no more then a bunch of kiddies toys, to which his response was, a jaw dropping disbelief of epic proportions(probably the only amusing part of the situation at the time).

 

We then had to climb into the car with the cache and drove off. We later returned to replace it, but were fairly shook up by the harassment that we had endured. I have come to the conclusion that you have to be more discerning about what you tell and to whom you say it. Choose to tell them the truth and reveal the cache to the possible detriment thereof or abandon the cache to be found at a later stage when you don't have to endure the "prying eyes".

 

Either way, ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY! :ph34r:

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I can't recall ever having anyone ask us what we are doing.

 

Then again with 3 kids, most folks run the opposite direction from us! :ph34r:

 

The kids have decided though to tell people they are looking for bugs, lizards and snakes....which in most cases they really are! <_<

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Or ~

 

What are you doing?

 

Geocahing.

 

What’s that?

 

Simply stated we’re weighing ticks.

 

Why?

 

Tick size is relative to lyme disease. This unit (quickly flashing my GPS) calculates the average weight of a group of ticks and formulates a mathematical ratio of probability. Based on this ratio we can quickly determine whether to alert a health bulletin.

 

Is this area safe?

 

That information has to remain classified until all the reports have been filed.

 

Then if they still hang around, I usually get out my notepad scribble some notes, then get out my cell phone and loudly say “call CDC” into it. Then I polietly ask them to excuse me while I file the report.

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"Uh yea.. uh, well see I saw this thing on the in-ter-net where it talks about this club with millions of followers with special connections to the military who hide presents in tupperware and fake birds and then cant keep the secret so they put that on the in-ter-net too. I swear it, man! These things! Theres one here too! Watch out! These are hiding everywhere, I swear the in-ter-net told me! They are calling for me! I have to find them! Help me!"

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Living in a rural area (the county has less than 10 people per square mile) we don't usually have this problem - most people we run into while caching are more concerned about us seeing them than vice versa. :blink:

When we ARE asked, though, my overly-honest child just launches into a rambling, 11 year old's explanation of geocaching, which usually sends folks quickly on their way.

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I just had a neighbor spot me out caching once (I'm 13) with a friend, she pulls up and goes "are you two starting trouble". I said "No I lost something".

 

She went off like she didn't care. Works all the time. Works the best in populated areas, if a muggle goes by I ask my friend "did you find them yet"? So the muggle thinks were looking for lost stuff.

 

-Eric

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If you are still in the process of finding it:

 

"What are you doing?"

"Looking..."

"Look for what?"

(stare at them with huge eyes) "IT."

-If they dont leave you alone from there...-

"Whats it?"

"I cant tell you."

"Why noy?"

"Because THEY will destroy me..."

They will probably leave you alone.

 

If you are opening the cache up then (esp. an ammo box):

 

"What are you doing?"

"I suggest you stand back."

"What? Why?"

"I cant remember if its the blue wire or the red wire you are supposed to cut..."

Edited by TheAngryTomato
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I can't recall ever having anyone ask us what we are doing.

 

Then again with 3 kids, most folks run the opposite direction from us! :laughing:

 

The kids have decided though to tell people they are looking for bugs, lizards and snakes....which in most cases they really are! :laughing:

 

Hehehe, mine does the "gotta pee" dance on command when we get to the point where we should leave the trail and start bushwacking. Kids in general are their own answer to "What are you doing?"

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On a mission to find a multi/micro placed on a jungle gym, a lady from a nearby house inquired as to what I was doing crawling around on a structure clearly designed for children. I immediately responded by saying that this really is a lovely jungle gym and that I was interested in constructing something similar in a nearby suburb. Well an hour later I managed to pry myself away from the conversation which covered all aspects of living in our current day and age and the importance of physical exercise for children. Needless to say sometimes the untruth hurts more.

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I havent run into but 1 yet, it was a hiking trail, and I was in my hiking garb, no words were exchanged... He didnt have a GPS that I could see, but I wondered if he was GCing.

 

Anyway...

"Ive received orders to scout out the next landing spot for the mother ship"

 

There are several others here that are very good!

 

11B out...

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Whenever you are out geocaching and you run into another person(s), what do you say when they ask you what your looking for or what you're doing? Anyone know some good answers?

 

I'M CALCULATING HOW MANY 40gal TRASH BAGS I'LL NEED TO CLEAN THIS PLACE UP.......what are you doing???

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well I have to say...who I'm talking to- a scary looking kid or a nice granny or a cop. If it is a law enforcement, I alway tell the truth- in most case, they just say ok and drives on but other time they ask for my driver licease and they run it on their computer and just hand it back to me with a ok. But if it is a kid of any kind, I caches alone a lot so often I runs into kids in lonely area so it is best for me to walk away if I see kids since being alone with a gps and pocket pc- I can get muggled. But other times when people asks, I usually gives excuses like,

 

- I'm just walking- what are you doing

- what do you care

- minding my own business

- waiting for a friend

- answering your stupid question

- say "what" (they ask the same question) "I say "what" again ---usually after the second or third "what" they say "never mind" and walk away fast (it works best for me since I'm deaf and they can see my hearing aid)

- I'm collecting (whatever is common in the area like rocks or leaf) for my school project

 

if it is a kid, I just give him a cold serious stare, and say "do you REAAALLLY" want to know?"

 

The BEST excuse for me is get on my cell and pretend to be talking to somebody while walking away

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Depends on the muggle. If they ask about my GPSr, I tell them about the game. I NEVER show them where the cache is.

 

Once I held my GPSr up to my ear and pretended it was my cell phone. Once I told someone that I dropped a quarter. Once I told someone I was looking for a buried Altoid tin cos I ate too much garlic and needed a mint. -BK :D

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if it's the money option, then they would, unless you go with the marbles......

 

You never know... People can be shocking sometimes and be more willing to help than we give them credit for. I know I'd offer help to someone who was looking for something, regardless of what the item was.

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Happened to us for the first time yesterday. I'm in the "kids are their own excuse" camp, and the bunch of us out with our GPS just look like we're earning a Boy Scout merit badge (three sons, one little girl).

 

But I was trying to get my bearings on a suburban cache starting point when I had a slightly disturbing experience. We had been wandering around a vacant wooded lot a bit when I suddenly remembered that the description specifically said "bring your scooters, bikes, blades"--obviously we should be looking from the paved road. Called to the buggers and was standing on the shoulder waiting when I heard "Hi" *directly* behind me and turned to see an older man on a bike--not a grandfatherly type, though. Sort of intense-looking. He asked what we were doing. I was calling to the buggers--"Guys, we need to be out here," etc--hoping we weren't trespassing on this guy's property, but thinking that it wasn't likely as he didn't seem ticked off...nor quite curious either. He asked if we were checking out the property. I said, "No, just playing a game," called to the kids again, and stepped away from him a bit as he was seriously crowding my comfort zone. Next thing I knew the buggers were finally responding and they guy was halfway down the block. I felt kind of bad because I was a bit abrupt, but he appeared VERY suddenly, stood VERY close, and didn't call out "on your right" and pass by as he ought to have done. (Around here, even if you're going to stop and talk to someone, you call a warning and pass them first so that you don't startle them any more than necessary...)

 

So my standard answers for those times when the whole truth doesn't seem appropriate will be basic stuff like--

"Playing a game."

"Practicing with our GPS."

"Teaching the kids a little about orienteering."

"Boy Scout treasure hunt."

 

Most times I feel okay just explaining geocaching, though.

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Priceless! Really! :laughing:

 

I was going to respond to one post that I thought was hilarious, but then I read onward, and I would be quoting far too many of them!

 

"Weighing ticks!" muahahahahaha! :laughing:

 

You could say (if you're female) that you are plotting a spot for your ex husband (or what remains of him anyway!)! :laughing:

 

That response is liable to land me in jail! The orange suit would come in handy! <_<

 

Thanks for the laughs folks!

Edited by *Butterfly*
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Usually, I just tell them I'm Geocaching. It's not like I'm doing anything wrong. :laughing:

 

<aside> I ran into a fairly well known caching couple one day at a trailhead. I had just placed a new cache and needed to fix something in order for it to be found. I noticed their GPSr's and asked "Are you Geocaching?". Their immediate response was 'Nope!'.

 

My reply?

 

"Darn, that's too bad, because I have the coordinates to a new cache and ya'll could have been FTF." :laughing:

 

They ended up being 2TF. :laughing:

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i don't have to worry about comming up with an excuse, last year iwas at a savers discount store and i found a t-shirt that was from the local marshals office that fit. so when i'm out geo-caching i wear it and now body bothers me, works great,(but if they ever do i just tell them i'm looking for evedence and they're on a crime scene..so bye bye). :o

 

Impersonating a police officer. Let us know how that goes for you. When you get out of jail...

 

it helps when your father happens to be a retired cop :D

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also, you can tell them that you lost your money (or your marbles, whichever) in this area and are looking for it

 

Then watch them offer to help you find the item you lost.

 

You could drop something while they are looking away and then tell them that you found it, then thank them for the help. They will probably move on when they see that you "found it."

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