How to get over feeling conspicuous and like you'll give it away.

October 10, 2006

I got into this accidentally. I wanted a gps I could use in the car and on foot. I bought a Garmin Venture CX which I discovered would not work for me in the car. I ended up with a streetpilot i2 for the car but couldn't give up the Venture because it was so cool. Good thing I didn't get the streetpilot first or I might not have known what I was missing. I had some encouragement to go this route from a member of the gpsinformation forum.

I think the best thing about this is discovering beautiful places close to home. I found my first 3 caches last weekend at a fantastic park. There are a couple of caches in a small park just a couple of blocks from where I work. I went over there after work today and got close but just felt too conspicuous to really pursue them. I was doing the beginner's dance, wallking back and forth and back and forth. I also felt funny traipsing off the path especially because residential areas are within site at some parts. I'm worried I'll give it away somehow too. How did those of you who had this get over it? I suppose, I just need to do it but hearing others experiences might help.

I was reading the cemetery thread and though I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable rooting around in a cemetery for a physical cache, I really like the idea of caches that are puzzles eg., letters or words from grave stones or other things that lead to something else or solve a riddle. Are there many caches like this?

October 10, 2006

There are a couple of caches in a small park just a couple of blocks from where I work. I went over there after work today and got close but just felt too conspicuous to really pursue them. I was doing the beginner's dance, wallking back and forth and back and forth. I also felt funny traipsing off the path especially because residential areas are within site at some parts. I'm worried I'll give it away somehow too. How did those of you who had this get over it? I suppose, I just need to do it but hearing others experiences might help.

I was reading the cemetery thread and though I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable rooting around in a cemetery for a physical cache, I really like the idea of caches that are puzzles eg., letters or words from grave stones or other things that lead to something else or solve a riddle. Are there many caches like this?

I started caching not too long ago (April of '06) and after almost 80 caches I still feel conspicuous some of the time. Just remember that the other people you see around most likely aren't paying a bit of attention to what you're doing. Now if you're trying for a magnetic keyholder attached to the bench they're currently sitting on they might :rolleyes: Just use your best judgement. If you're surrounded by muggles it might not be the best time to dive off into the woods shouting "there it is!" As you keep caching you'll get more and more comfortable with the hunt and with doing slightly "strange" things in public.

As for cemetery caches...I absolutely adore these. I've found that most of the caches in my area are placed with the utmost respect for the area. Most often they are located around a perimeter fence well away from the graves themselves. If they are located within the cemetery itself they will be smalls or micros hidden in a tree and the owners do their best to make sure that the graves themselves are protected from heavy foot traffic and overzealous searchers. I do think that there are a lot of cemetery-based puzzle caches. We have one located in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton OH, about 20 miles from where I live. It's several stages, takes about 3 hours to complete and uses numbers from the stones to guide you from point to point. If you have any really large cemeteries around you then I'd say chances are good there will be something like this in them.

October 10, 2006

I think the best thing about this is discovering beautiful places close to home.

Yup, far away from home too. I will never forget a cache I did where I encountered the largest, most majestic oak tree I have ever seen. The backdrop was a lot of small, wimpy, underforest type trees and this old oak just towered above them all. In front of the tree was about 500' of open prarie so the tree could be witnessed from a really good vantage point and the cache placer put multiple waypoints just to make sure I approached the tree from the best angle. It was awe inspiring.

How did those of you who had this get over it? I suppose, I just need to do it but hearing others experiences might help.

I haven't gotten over it completely, but that is why I generally prefer to cache in more out of the way places. Generally though I just look walk resolutely forward like I belong there and figure nobody will pay me any attention. Can't say anyone ever has. In cases where there is another person, obviously not caching right near ground zero I generally wait them out or come back another time.

I was reading the cemetery thread and though I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable rooting around in a cemetery for a physical cache

Please try just one. I totally understand the mental hang up, I had it too until I did one. There is nothing disrespectful with the way cemetary caches are done and they can be very rewarding experiences if you take your time while doing them. In the very unlikely event you find one that is done in an offensive manner, report it so it is archived, but I doubt you will ever encounter one like that. There is a lot of history in cemetaries worth remembering and often caches that take you to cemetaries want to tell you a story that is worth hearing and experiencing. Caching in cemetaries is a way of honoring and remembering the dead, not disrespecting their resting place.

I really like the idea of caches that are puzzles eg., letters or words from grave stones or other things that lead to something else or solve a riddle. Are there many caches like this?

I imagine it varies area to area, but in general, yes there are. Not as many as regular caches, but still plenty to keep you busy for some time.

October 10, 2006

You may want to consider "practicing" on less conspicuous caches (say, a 1/1 ammo box after a 1/2 mile hike into the woods). If your city is like mine, there will be plenty of those around (look for park spaces within city limits, suburbs, etc.). There should be very few people around so you don't need to worry about looking conspicuous. After a while you will get used to using your GPSr and honing in your geocaching "spidey sense" about how things are hidden. Once you are comfortable finding caches, you can tackle the trickier ones where you will need to focus more attention on not being noticed.

You will find lots of threads in these forums with tips on how to avoid strange looks from muggles. One of the best things to do is find some friends and go together. Somehow being with the group empowers you to do things you might not have done alone (this may not always be a good thing), and passers-by will likely be more willing to ignore a group of people than a single odd-looking person.

Edited October 10, 2006 by GreyingJay

2.6k · October 10, 2006

I have found that, for the most part, if you go on about your business like you know what you are doing, most people will pay you no mind at all. Most are busy with whatever they are doing and may not even notice you are around.

The ones to watch out for the most (IME) are ( a ) people waiting on someone or something (they often have nothing to do but watch others) or ( b ) parents with their kids in parks and playgrounds.

Edited October 10, 2006 by Semper Questio

38.2k · October 10, 2006

I also felt funny traipsing off the path especially because residential areas are within site at some parts. I'm worried I'll give it away somehow too. How did those of you who had this get over it?

I generally avoid those kinds of caches. In the rare cases where I do go after one where I'm easily observed I really don't worry about whether I'm being watched. I figure if the owner chooses to hide a cache in high visibility area, that's his problem. I'm not in this sport to play a cloak and dagger game.

There may be a benefit to my method however. Nobody looks more suspicious than someone who is trying not to look suspicious. I think that by acting brazenly I'm probably much less likely to be noticed than someone who keeps looking over his shoulder to see if anybody is watching.

October 10, 2006

Park benches/parks/anywhere people go to relax. Lay down on the park bench, take a little time to just rest, as if you were really resting, then look around. I've found that people treat you as if you are simply laying back and resting in a park. Imagine that. Big cities are sometimes a different thing, although in most big cities, Baltimore, Washington D.C., New York, people have a tendency to try not to look at you, except for the touristas and I just ignore them. Small towns/cities are a bit more problematic as most of the time everyone knows everyone and everyones business and when you show up and they don't recognize you, and then to top it all off you are walking around as if you are looking for something... But I have managed to deal with it. There have been times that I simply just go straight to it as if I was meant to be there.

I also joined the Volunteer Map Corps (look into it is a great thing). Now I'm doing the volunteer work, but at the same time I have this neat badge that they give you that says you are a member of the volunteer map corps. So if anyone every approaches me and asks me what the heck I'm doing walking about with a gps, I'm just going to toss that out and say, look... Hasn't happened yet, geocaching or collection points for the vmc, but it is there in case.

And finally, Cemetaries. I spent four years of my life working about two weeks out of four in cemetaries. I was there for funerals, for the families of the deceased. During one year I lived in the cemetary for a 24 hour period every three days. Cemetaries are not places to drop dead bodies. Cemetaries are living monuments/memorials to those that have passed on, to family members, to those that shaped our country. From the simple construction worker to presidents and everything in between. It makes them all even in the end, and shows respect to them all in the same way. It would not be a monument to our history or our past without visits from those that are still living. Go to them to find geocaches, but visit them to show respect for the dead, and respect for their relatives. Have you ever been to Arlington National Cemetary? A real working active national cemetary that hosts thousands of visitors a day. Not individuals visiting their deceased relatives (although that does take place), but for the most part visitors coming to see the cemetary for whatever reason, dragged their by their High Schools, their church groups, etc. They are not thought ill of. And those that are attending funerals there, those that are placing their deceased in that place, they understand, or they would not have them there. (I wish to be placed their when my time comes.) Trust me, I know cemetaries. If anyone asks you why you are looking about a cemetary, tell them that you have come to understand the history of the area, the people who lived their, how long ago settlers came to the area, what type of people they were, what they believed, their faith, their families. One can not argue about that. And make sure that you take the time to do this. You might be surprised at what you find. As much time as I have spent in cemetaries I still love to visit them, the small and the large. Public, private, old new, national.... They are a tribute to the human experience. (Anyone know how Arlington Cemetary started? It was the intense hatred for the confederacy and the belief that Lee was a traitor to his country that led a man by the name of Montgomery Meigs, the quarter master general of the Union Army to use Lee's lands as a cemetary for the growing number of dead Union Soldiers. The first burial sites in the cemetary where placed around Lee's prized rose garden so that he would never be able to enter it again without walking across the graves of the men whom he had a hand in killing.) Cemetaries, the history of our country. Visit them.... really....

I used to ride my Harley through the cemetary early in the morning on the way to work and on the way out the next day. Down near the bottom, where it comes close to the Patomac the sound would echo off the hills. There are those that would think this disrespectful, there are those buried in that cemetary who would be touched to know that a man who followed their love for hd just as they did after wwII was thinking about them.... Just a thought.

Crap this has gotten long, I type too fast for my own good. I'm betting nobody has gotten this far.... I'll be quiet now....

October 10, 2006

There may be a benefit to my method however. Nobody looks more suspicious than someone who is trying not to look suspicious. I think that by acting brazenly I'm probably much less likely to be noticed than someone who keeps looking over his shoulder to see if anybody is watching.

I think this is it exactly. Act like you belong there, and there's no reason for anyone to even question it - and no one will. Act sheepish and apologetic, and you invite questions. I've noticed that when I go caching in my "work clothes" - dockers and a polo shirt - I get much less notice, even when wandering in a park, or in the woods... I think it makes me look "official", even though it's the completely wrong outfit for the location. Someone recommended to me once to carry a clipboard with a few "official" looking papers on it... everyone who looks will just assume you're doing some sort of business. A prop like this may give you the confidence to not feel insecure.

My biggest fear is more with police officers. I've several times had police watching me as I search for a cache. I've never been stopped and questioned yet... once I was alone in a park looking for a cache, and once I was finished I noticed a police car sitting in the nearest parking lot. Since I was alone in the park, he was obviously watching me. I walked back to my vehicle, right by the police car - made eye contact with the officer, and kept walking. Then he drove away... If I had tried to avoid him I think I would've gotten stopped, and had to practice my "what is geocaching" speech.

2.6k · October 10, 2006

... I really don't worry about whether I'm being watched. I figure if the owner chooses to hide a cache in high visibility area, that's his problem. I'm not in this sport to play a cloak and dagger game.

There may be a benefit to my method however. Nobody looks more suspicious than someone who is trying not to look suspicious. I think that by acting brazenly I'm probably much less likely to be noticed than someone who keeps looking over his shoulder to see if anybody is watching.

And again the omnipotent briansnat speaks wisely! :anicute:

That's pretty much my take on it. And I REALLY don't worry about it with the park and grab micros. My lack of effort in being stealthy is directly proportional to the apparent lack of effort in placing the cache.

October 10, 2006

Ok all, what do we think? Can we let this one in on the most precious secrets of all geocaching? Are we sure? Really Sure? Ok here it is...

Wait for it.....

This is so exciting....

Clipboards.

There is no one person on the face of this earth that is more annonymous and virtually unnoticable than a person carrying a clipboard. I Always carry a clipboard when caching in a park or someplace where there could be muggles nearby. I usually wear a button down collar shirt as well. When was the last time you remember seeing a city worker gonig about his daily routine?

Some folks here will tell you to have a good lie prepared - Arboreal Enumerator - from another thread comes to mind. Others will tell you to carry a few geocaching brochures around with you and show them if anybody asks. I say play to the situation. Assuming the person even bothers asking you what you're doing, if they have a glazed over look in their eye and seem to be asking because they have nothing in life better to do - lie. At least you'll give them a fun story to tell over dinner at the McDonlads tonight. If they seem reasonably intelligent and seem to have a reason to ask (the'yre a parent with children there, or a resident, or a uniformed official) by all means - espeically if they are law enforcement, tell them exactly what you are doing and why.

Otherwise, you get to take a ride in the special vroom-vroom with lights all the way "downtown" as they say on TV. Ever try to ride in a car with your hands behind your back? Neither have I but I'd imagine it's not too comfortable. Uhh.....where was I....uh?

Oh right! Clipboards. Just carry a clipboard and ignore the rest of this sleep deprived, longer-than-it-had-to-be post.

Toodles

--MGB

Edit: Horrible horrible spelling..

Edited October 10, 2006 by mgbmusic

October 10, 2006

> Some folks here will tell you to have a good lie prepared - Arboreal Enumerator - from another

> thread comes to mind.

That was a good laugh.... :anicute: I can't tell you how many hours I've spent on nature preserves/biopreserves taking gps locations and recording the number of each species of tree at that location.

Just tell them to leave you alone and go back to pointing up at the sky and going 1, 2, 3, 8, 12....

October 10, 2006

You'll probably never COMPLETELY get over feeling conspicuous. There will always be those that make you a little bit uncomfortable.

Kate and I have only logged 27 finds at this point, but I felt pretty good searching, even near muggles, but then we recently found a cache about 100ft behind a house. It was on public property, but anyone in the house could watch me while I looked around. Needless to say I was bothered, and thankfully found the cache quickly.

Just like others already said, act like you belong there, doing whatever, and most people won't even look twice. Play each situation by ear, and if all else fails, tell the truth. 99% of people won't steal a cache just because they find out it's there, and you might start someone else off on this fun-filled hobby!

Mike (Mike & Kate)

October 10, 2006

When I am in a muggle populated area I like to pull out my cell phone and pretend I am on a long and boring call. I poke around, and wander around, while looking really bored with my conversation.

2.6k · October 10, 2006

Some folks here will tell you to have a good lie prepared - Arboreal Enumerator - from another thread comes to mind.

Yeah, that's one of my favorites that I use from time to time. I figure if someone thinks they have a right to stick their nose into my business when I'm not bothering anyone, then they are just begging me to mess with their head. :anicute:

October 10, 2006

Don't forget, too, that unless you're caching in your own neighborhood or it's a very small town, you will never see these people again. So who cares if they saw you and think you were nuts?

I need to remind myself this whenever I feel self-conscious about anything (including worrying about bombing a public presentation of any kind). So what - you'll never see them again, life goes on.

October 10, 2006

I also felt conspicuous untill I took my six year old son with me. After having him yell "wheres the treasure dad" in a park full of muggles nothing make me feel uncomfortable now. Just have fun and don't wory what others think. Gotlost001 :anicute:

October 10, 2006

Thanks for the support and the suggestions.

I do like cemeteries as places to connect with history and I'll try to find some caches of the virtual variety (is that the right word) in particular . Oddly, I was in Fort Snellling National Cemetery today for a funeral and my mapsource navigator v8 didn't have it listed as a POI. There was Fort Snelling State Park, Fort Snelling Credit Union, Fort Snelling Antiques, Fort Snelling Ice Cream Parlor (not really) etc. but not the National Cemetery. A bit of an oversight I'd say.

October 11, 2006

Thanks for the support and the suggestions.

I do like cemeteries as places to connect with history and I'll try to find some caches of the virtual variety (is that the right word) in particular .

As someone else said, NON-virtual, respectful caches on cemetary grounds are usually placed so that they won't result in people walking over graves, etc. The ones I've found have been in small wooded areas on the grounds but away from the graves, on or near a nearby building, and so forth.

And I think you can get a fairly good idea of the hider's level of respect by the way the cache is listed, and also by reading the logs of the finders.

Now, there's one near me that I declined to hunt for, because the cemetary is part of an active church, and when I drove past on a scoping run, my GPS indicted the cache was in a small wooded area which was RIGHT next to a large "No Trespassing" sign which was clearly intended for the cemetary grounds. No thanks.

WRT not feeling conspicuous... as so many others have said, acting normal rather than sneaky is the key. I have an advantage in that I cache with my dogs, and most people don't think twice about somebody walking dogs.

Last, the one thing I haven't seen mentioned in this thread, but have in several other recent ones... if a cache location, or a situation near a cache location, makes you TRULY uncomfortable or uneasy- trust your instincts and WALK AWAY. There *are* cachers who don't care about other people's property or privacy rights when they place caches, who don't take sufficient consideration for what surrounds their "cool" cache site... or just plain miss something.

For example of the last, there's a nice cacher local to me who's got a bum knee, and therefore when he recently hid a trail-side micro in a local park didn't notice that there was barbed wire and TONS of broken glass all over the hill behind it - it's an old farm dump. Pretty cool from an archaeological standpoint, but something you do need to watch out for!

There again, checking the logs (all of them, not just recent ones) may give you clues or pointers about such things... for another example, I decided to not even scope out one local cache, because even though it was on a patch of public property, every other log mentioned having to go within 10 feet of somebody's property line, with Dobermans barking furiously at the fence line.

My judgement was that looking for that cache was not only disturbing somebody's privacy, but wouldn't be enjoyable.

Edited October 11, 2006 by cimawr

October 11, 2006

Don't forget, too, that unless you're caching in your own neighborhood or it's a very small town, you will never see these people again. So who cares if they saw you and think you were nuts?

I need to remind myself this whenever I feel self-conscious about anything (including worrying about bombing a public presentation of any kind). So what - you'll never see them again, life goes on.

Heh. That ties into my strategy, when faced with something I'm worried or self-conscious about... I ask myself "What's the worst that could happen?".... and when I've figured out the worst (which is usually that I could be embarrassed, or something similar), the next question is "Well, can I survive that?".

If the answer is "Yes, I can survive that", then there's no reason not to try it.

1.7k · October 11, 2006

Kate and I have only logged 27 finds at this point, but I felt pretty good searching, even near muggles, but then we recently found a cache about 100ft behind a house. It was on public property, but anyone in the house could watch me while I looked around. Needless to say I was bothered, and thankfully found the cache quickly. Just like others already said, act like you belong there, doing whatever, and most people won't even look twice. Play each situation by ear, and if all else fails, tell the truth.

If you aren't one of the early finders, chances are the people in the house already know something is there, and they might even know it's a cache. There was one cache I was seeking near a fence separating a house and a park. I noticed a guy behind the house powerwashing his deck. I acted like I was working and supposed to be there, checking on the utility poles along the fence. I hoped he wouldn't see me. Turns out he did see me. And guess what he said. "Do you want a hint?" Yep, he knew about the cache right up next to his property. So either the cache owner or one of the early cache seekers explained it to him.

Edited October 11, 2006 by geognerd

October 11, 2006

Cell phones and clipboards will make a person disappear.

I recently figured out how to make a Ford F-250 Powerstroke Diesel invisible.

One a recent cache I had a choice of parking directly under a NO PARKING sign (set in turn-around cut in median, placed by city) or parking on the street and blocking one lane of traffic (two lanes each way, but without the no parking sign). The choice was ticket and not block traffic or no ticket but block very light traffic.

To make the truck disappear all you need are a couple of Orange Traffic Cones. Placed behind the truck and people see a work truck. Added bonus, if they see you near the truck they see just see some guy working for a living... No horns blowing, no second looks, people didn't even slow down.

Might not work for every vehicle, but it works for my cache-up truck.

How to get over feeling conspicuous and like you'll give it away.

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