Inappropriate Treasures

[+metalhack]

Im not sure if I have a question here or if this just a comment for thought...

 

I have been caching for off and on about 2 years now. I have a few finds under my belt, though I do it for my own satisfaction and dont log them all.

 

I found a cache yesterday and was quite surprised to find 3-4 cigarettes in the cache. I smoke cigars and dont condemn anyone that smokes one bit, to each his own right? I am very far from being a PC person but I think crosses the line. Theres too many youngsters caching on their own.

Edited September 25, 2007 by metalhack

[+Kiwi Nomad]

Those who smoke think the nonsmokers are the minority (I would disagree).

On the other hand maybe placed by a muggle.

 

I would certainly remove them.

[+briansnat]

The first cache I ever placed (in 2001) I stocked it with two very good cigars. The cache was placed in memory of a family friend who died on 9/11 and was a avid cigar smoker.

 

I didn't think anything of it and even mentioned them as among the contents on the original cache page.

 

About a year and a half later they were still there when I made a maint visit and by that time the guidelines were out and the prohibition of tobacco was in them, so I removed the cigars. I had vacuum sealed them using a Seal a Meal type food sealer and they were as fresh as the day I placed them (at least I discovered a

good method for preserving cigars).

 

Anyway, at the time I really didn't think anything was wrong with leaving cigars. I guess the people who leave

cigarettes think the same way.

 

I now agree that tobacco products are inappropriate in caches and not good for the image of our sport, but I really don't buy the "what if kids find it" argument. Young kids should be accompanied by a parent so if there is a cigarette in the cache the parent just has to remove it and remind the kid that it is not a good thing.

 

Not a real lot of teens geocache, but I know some do. They are either going to smoke, or not. If they are going to smoke they will have no problem finding a cigarette somewhere. I sincerely doubt that finding a cigarette

in a cache is going to turn a kid into a smoker.

[+StarBrand]

When I see tobacco products I remove them and put something better in its place. Drop them off in the nearest convienient circular file.

 

But I must say that I agree with Briansnat about the kids thing.

[+metalhack]

 

but I really don't buy the "what if kids find it" argument. Young kids should be accompanied by a parent so if there is a cigarette in the cache the parent just has to remove it and remind the kid that it is not a good thing.

Young kids, say pre teen yes I agree they should and probably will be with an adult, not a problem. Thats not the age I was referencing too, sorry. I was more speaking of teens that cache. An example...a local high school just started a GPS/Geocaching club. Thats a potential problem. You have to agree with that.

[+outdoorsaddix]

There is a lot of ways to look at this, I do agree that they are probably not a good idea to have in a cache, they can get ruined, and yes there is the argument that kids might find them, but then again anyone kids caching should be accompanied and therefor not be able to access them, again teens will choose to smoke for their own reasons, not because they found some in a cache (theres easier ways to get a hold of such things) being 18 i kno this as i do enjoy the occasional cigar, not because i think they make me look cool or I got addicted (i dont do them often enough to be, but simply cause i genuinlye enjoy them. But simply out of logic, I don't think its an appropriate thing for a cache

[+Lakebum]

We all know many many kids cache with their parents. If a kid sees a cigarette in a cache he may generalize that cachers smoke, and since he knows that cachers are cool, well then smoking must be cool.

 

I know its reaching, but I hate seeing cigarettes in caches also. If I was caching with a child I would think it would be hard to explain it away.

[+Moore9KSUcats]

I have no idea why someone would want to put cigarettes in a cache, but it is against the guidelines:

 

Please! No alcohol, tobacco, firearms, prescription or illicit drugs. Let's keep this safe and legal.

 

Did someone feel they really needed to leave a trade item? Or.... was that possibly left by a curious muggle?

 

Just trash them out!

[+Arndtwe]

 

but I really don't buy the "what if kids find it" argument. Young kids should be accompanied by a parent so if there is a cigarette in the cache the parent just has to remove it and remind the kid that it is not a good thing.

Young kids, say pre teen yes I agree they should and probably will be with an adult, not a problem. Thats not the age I was referencing too, sorry. I was more speaking of teens that cache. An example...a local high school just started a GPS/Geocaching club. Thats a potential problem. You have to agree with that.

While I agree that we should be careful about this and not put cigs in caches, if a teen that can cache without supervision and is underage, I think that there are plenty other and easier sources of getting them. Not that people should put them in geocaches, just that I don't think it is a worthy topic to start. It's not become a problem, and wont become one either. I wouldn't worry about it....

[+Too Tall John]

A couple weeks ago I found a beer in a cache. The fact that it was hidden in a nice cool place made it much easier for me to dispose of it so a young cacher wouldn't find it.

[+UncleJimbo]

...a local high school just started a GPS/Geocaching club. Thats a potential problem. You have to agree with that.

Yes, this could lead to all kinds of problems later in life for these poor kids.

[+SGT red jeep]

I've found shotgun shells, beer, bullets, knives, matches, food, garbage, a log book that was filled with profanity by a deranged muggle who smashed the ammo can and did something nasty to the space blanket.

One cache I found was clearly found by some muggles who found it while partying in a cave. They made some good comments, signed the logbook, cleaned out the contents and "left some smokes". More to the point, they left the ammo can and log book. I think the cigs, beer, ammo and other inappropriate swag are mostly left by newbees or accidental finders but don't think finding any of these items in a cache is going to immediately turn a teen or younger cacher towards a life of crime.

 

Haven't found any steroids yet so we aren't as bad as MLB.

"He's got 2000 finds."

"Yeah but he did it on steroids"

 

I don't know how you can prevent the inappropriate stuff and other geotrash from landing in a cache. Just clean it out when you find it and cache on.

[+TrailGators]

A couple weeks ago I found a beer in a cache. The fact that it was hidden in a nice cool place made it much easier for me to dispose of it so a young cacher wouldn't find it.

Why doesn't that ever happen to me? I would be willing to dispose of a beer to help out the local kids!

[+UncleJimbo]

A couple weeks ago I found a beer in a cache. The fact that it was hidden in a nice cool place made it much easier for me to dispose of it so a young cacher wouldn't find it.

Why doesn't that ever happen to me? I would be willing to dispose of a beer to help out the local kids!

 

CITO - Cache In, Trashed Out ?

[+TrailGators]

A couple weeks ago I found a beer in a cache. The fact that it was hidden in a nice cool place made it much easier for me to dispose of it so a young cacher wouldn't find it.

Why doesn't that ever happen to me? I would be willing to dispose of a beer to help out the local kids!

 

CITO - Cache In, Trashed Out ?

Good one...

[+metalhack]

My point really wasnt if cigs could lead a youth down the wrong road, theres plenty of other ways for that to happen. I know theres not one circle of our worlds youth sitting around going from cache to cache to get some smokes.

 

Point being it surprised me that they were in there. I dont get on here in the forums much and my caching group is small so I wasnt sure if this was an accepted practice.

[+"we two want to play too"]

Just lil ole me, who grew up in the woods

who stole more than one cig from Mama

 

Your cache has probably been comprimised by a kid who doesn't want to cause a problem, just wants ten minutes alone in the woods. They figure nobody will mess with their stash.

 

Can't believe I actually thought nobody would smell it on me!

Edited September 28, 2007 by "we two want to play too"

[+michigansnorkelers]

Last month, I found a 22 caliber bullet in a small cache! Yup, a live round.

[Guyute1210]

I found a cache a couple weeks ago, where a muggle left a camel in the cache...It's a hydrocache that doesn't get hit too often...well it was in there for over a year, and was quite moldy by the time we got there...eww...

[+Confucius' Cat]

a muggle left a camel in the cache...

Wow! That must have been a HUGE cache!

[+Lotho]

Im a teen cacher who either caches on my own or with a freind. If i found cigarettes in a cache i would take them and bin them. If animal can smell packaged foods and then break up a cache for the food im sure they would do the same for tobacco also.

Edited September 29, 2007 by Lotho

[+Cache_advance]

Just wanted to throw this out there... I did maintenace on one of my caches, and found several non-used (thank God) tampons. EEWWWWW!! I trashed them out... and prayed that nobody would see me with them!

[+Rathergohiking]

I found a cache with a cigar slicer in it. My 5 year old neice got to it first and cut her finger with it. Some people have no class!

[+TrailGators]

I found a cache with a cigar slicer in it. My 5 year old neice got to it first and cut her finger with it. Some people have no class!

...or brains.

[+SGT red jeep]

Im a teen cacher who either caches on my own or with a freind. If i found cigarettes in a cache i would take them and bin them. If animal can smell packaged foods and then break up a cache for the food im sure they would do the same for tobacco also.

Here in Montana we don't have a big problem with animals that smoke.

Must be a British thing.

[+briansnat]

I found a cache with a cigar slicer in it. My 5 year old neice got to it first and cut her finger with it. Some people have no class!

 

I would think that an adult caching with children should make it a point to examine any cache before handing it over to the kids. There is little likelihood of there being something harmful in a cache, but you never know.

[BelchFire]

Im a teen cacher who either caches on my own or with a freind. If i found cigarettes in a cache i would take them and bin them. If animal can smell packaged foods and then break up a cache for the food im sure they would do the same for tobacco also.

Here in Montana we don't have a big problem with animals that smoke.

Must be a British thing.

next time you're in a petting zoo, carry a pack of smokes around in your pocket and you'll see how "popular" you are. Herbivorous animals will eat raw tobacco. As a teenager, I watched a pet whitetailled deer eat many, many cigarettes from his owner's hand.

[+Too Tall John]

Just wanted to throw this out there... I did maintenace on one of my caches, and found several non-used (thank God) tampons. EEWWWWW!! I trashed them out... and prayed that nobody would see me with them!

Yesterday I found a cache that had candy AND a box of tampons in it. I can almost understand leaving one or two in a cache (one of the other guys with me suggested that someone may find it useful, which is true) but a whole box? And they were damp... and scented!

[+Lotho]

Im a teen cacher who either caches on my own or with a freind. If i found cigarettes in a cache i would take them and bin them. If animal can smell packaged foods and then break up a cache for the food im sure they would do the same for tobacco also.

Here in Montana we don't have a big problem with animals that smoke.

Must be a British thing.

I thought it was common knowledge 34% of British wildlife smokes

Edited September 30, 2007 by Lotho

[+TheManInStripes]

I found a cache with a cigar slicer in it. My 5 year old neice got to it first and cut her finger with it. Some people have no class!

...or brains.

 

No kidding!! Why would that 5 year old grab a cigar slicerand start cutting her finger with it!!!

[+TheManInStripes]

I found a cache with a cigar slicer in it. My 5 year old neice got to it first and cut her finger with it. Some people have no class!

 

I would think that an adult caching with children should make it a point to examine any cache before handing it over to the kids. There is little likelihood of there being something harmful in a cache, but you never know.

I cache with my kids most of the time, and part of the fun is letting the one that finds the cache have first pick of the loot. While I usually stand over and watch the selection process as I sign the book, they always get to be the ones digging through the cache. The kids range in age from 4 to 13.

[danoshimano]

A couple weeks ago I found a beer in a cache. The fact that it was hidden in a nice cool place made it much easier for me to dispose of it so a young cacher wouldn't find it.

 

Strained through your kidneys, I presume?

[danoshimano]

I found a cache yesterday and was quite surprised to find 3-4 cigarettes in the cache.

 

I once found a baggie with 3 cigarettes and a lighter. The biggest problem turned out to be the lighter, which I practically had to wrestle away from my son (10 at the time).

 

As for the cigarettes, I got my wife to pose as though she was smoking, we all laughed, then took them out and trashed them. The log book made it clear that the cache had last been found by geomuggles.

[+froldt]

We have found a number of geocaches containing cigarettes. In some instances we trade and throw them away, but if we had nothing to trade we would leave them. I wasn't aware of the rule against no tobacco (must have glossed over it since it doesn't affect me), but now that I am aware, I will be more diligent about cleaning up after others.

[+QuesterMark]

I found a cache with a cigar slicer in it. My 5 year old neice got to it first and cut her finger with it. Some people have no class!

 

That's why knives aren't "allowed" in the guidelines. (Are they? I hope not.) Because the kid might do something before the parent can stop them.

 

At least with smokes, I'd think the parent might notice before anything bad happens.

 

And I've noticed that no one has mentioned the added potential for starting a fire if an irresponsible cache found some cigarettes that an irresponsible other cacher had left....

 

Yeah, ok, it's a stretch...

[+Renegade Knight]

....why knives aren't "allowed" in the guidelines. (Are they? I hope not.) Because the kid might do something before the parent can stop them.

....

Knives are not allowed because of concerns that land managers had about them.

 

If knives were really a problem, we would not have pocket knives, nor would you ever allow your kids in the kitchen.

 

A Cigar Cutter is not so common that a kid would have the experience that even the worse of parents give their kids about knives in the kitchen.