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cache protocol when it gets busy?


uk89camaro

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Hi folks.

 

Only been doing this a couple of weeks..doctors orders to get more exercise, plus two new dogs, plus a 10 year old who doesn't recognise "the outdoor world".

 

We did a week near Cardigan bay, at some resonably remote spots, and two of our finds had been discovered in the same day.

 

I assume in the spring and summer months you'd want to avoid the very busy cache areas (don't know where but could guess a couple).

 

But what happens if you end up at the cache point and someone's sitting on the cache writing in the log book. Ignore/carry on, and come back. Or strike up a conversation and sit waiting. I actually can't imagine it being a problem, but maybe I should carry a "I'm not a muggle" flag just in case.

 

Excellent hobby, glad I found it.

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Hi folks.

 

Only been doing this a couple of weeks..doctors orders to get more exercise, plus two new dogs, plus a 10 year old who doesn't recognise "the outdoor world".

 

We did a week near Cardigan bay, at some resonably remote spots, and two of our finds had been discovered in the same day.

 

I assume in the spring and summer months you'd want to avoid the very busy cache areas (don't know where but could guess a couple).

 

But what happens if you end up at the cache point and someone's sitting on the cache writing in the log book. Ignore/carry on, and come back. Or strike up a conversation and sit waiting. I actually can't imagine it being a problem, but maybe I should carry a "I'm not a muggle" flag just in case.

 

Excellent hobby, glad I found it.

You can recognise other cachers because they usually walk roung in circles, scratching their heads whilst looking down at there GPS with a confused look on there face.

 

I've only ever bumped into three other cachers, two on Raliegh mount, one was walking round looking for the cache and we found it together (It does look a little suspicious sometimes when 2 grown men come out of some bushes together!! B) ), the other was walking up the mount as we were walking down and the other one was coming along the footpath in Wickford as I was coming back out through a broken fence.......it's a strange old game! B)

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But what happens if you end up at the cache point and someone's sitting on the cache writing in the log book. Ignore/carry on, and come back. Or strike up a conversation and sit waiting. I actually can't imagine it being a problem, but maybe I should carry a "I'm not a muggle" flag just in case.

 

Excellent hobby, glad I found it.

 

Do what I did, just say "are you caching ?" A look of relief comes on their faces when they realise you know what they are doing, as only another cacher will know. Its not a big deal old chap........

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...but maybe I should carry a "I'm not a muggle" flag just in case.

You've got one. It's called a GPSr. B)

 

We recently came across a guy in a pretty remote spot who was searching through the undergrowth at the point where we believed a cache was hidden. He also had a piece of paper in his hand, so we approached saying "Have you got one of these?" whilst waving a GPSr at him. We were a little embarassed when the reply came "What's that then?". He was looking for nesting boxes in a nature reserve and had a map of where they should be. We had a bit of a laugh and agreed that whoever found the cache or nesting box first would give the other a shout! B)

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Last year, I was up on the moors above Skipton - the only person for miles and I was openly walking around with my GPSr in my hand.

 

From a distance a guy came walking up the track trying to hide his GPSr in his hand like a mobile phone and began to start looking not 10 yards from me as if was not there.

 

I quickly found the cache and the called him over - I'm sure that we would have gone on to completely ignore me given the chance.

 

I think a little bit that's a down side to caching, unless you attend events, its a very lonely sport/hobby and not good for meeting friends etc.

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Always an interesting point. we've done a multi cache that was a potential FTF and seen other groups dashing around the area concerned as our paths criss-crossed. We were also sat on a wall at another multi stage when some cachers came up and said 'know what you're doing'. It really does depend on where the cache is and if you are on Muggle alert! B)

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...but maybe I should carry a "I'm not a muggle" flag just in case.

You've got one. It's called a GPSr. :D

 

We recently came across a guy in a pretty remote spot who was searching through the undergrowth at the point where we believed a cache was hidden. He also had a piece of paper in his hand, so we approached saying "Have you got one of these?" whilst waving a GPSr at him. We were a little embarassed when the reply came "What's that then?". He was looking for nesting boxes in a nature reserve and had a map of where they should be. We had a bit of a laugh and agreed that whoever found the cache or nesting box first would give the other a shout! :rolleyes:

We had a similar experience on a multicache in a graveyard. The clues to the multi were on gravestones and as we were walking round another couple came along looking at the graves and were taking photo's of the gravestones, which at the time I thought was a little strange but some people do that to keep a record of the answer but they were taking pictures of the wrong gravestones. So I waved and said hello, they waved and said hello, I said have you found the coords yet and they said.........No idea what you're talking about! :huh:

 

Who walks round graveyards taking pictures of gravestones :D must be a stranger game than this one :D

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...but maybe I should carry a "I'm not a muggle" flag just in case.

You've got one. It's called a GPSr. :D

 

We recently came across a guy in a pretty remote spot who was searching through the undergrowth at the point where we believed a cache was hidden. He also had a piece of paper in his hand, so we approached saying "Have you got one of these?" whilst waving a GPSr at him. We were a little embarassed when the reply came "What's that then?". He was looking for nesting boxes in a nature reserve and had a map of where they should be. We had a bit of a laugh and agreed that whoever found the cache or nesting box first would give the other a shout! :rolleyes:

We had a similar experience on a multicache in a graveyard. The clues to the multi were on gravestones and as we were walking round another couple came along looking at the graves and were taking photo's of the gravestones, which at the time I thought was a little strange but some people do that to keep a record of the answer but they were taking pictures of the wrong gravestones. So I waved and said hello, they waved and said hello, I said have you found the coords yet and they said.........No idea what you're talking about! :huh:

 

Who walks round graveyards taking pictures of gravestones :D must be a stranger game than this one :D

 

People researching thier family tree id guess.

 

We just look for a gps or a tupperware container and if we see either we just say "caching".

 

We have a list of cachers we have met while caching on our profile page.

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If when you arrive at the Cache site, you find someone else with the cache, and particularly if this is a First to find hunt, then the use of a Rugby Tackle can be used to get the necessary tupperware into your teams posession :rolleyes: Providing of course the other team at that point has not actually managed to get their name on the log book :huh:

 

If a large enough team exists, such as during a caching event, then a scrum can be formed with a muggle drafted in to introduce the tupperware to the formation :D

 

Jon.

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'Who walks round graveyards taking pictures of gravestones.... must be a stranger game than this one ....'

 

:rolleyes::huh: You did make me titter!! Thanks for the laugh!

 

The other day we parked in the recommended spot where a car was already. Cachers, we knowingly agreed. And in the distance where we knew the cache to be we saw 2 figures which, of course, confirmed our theory.

 

As the couple then approached us, I didn't pop the PDA in my pocket, as usual, thinking they'd notice and start to chat but they walked past, so I yelled 'walking or caching?' to which they looked at me like I was off another planet! Then they walked past the parked car too!

 

In Summer, we also met a bloke twice, on Woodbury Common, with a GPSr who was just out walking- so that fooled us too!

 

Thankfully, we've met loads of cachers and whiled away several merry minutes in geochatting.

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Happened to us once, so we waited a bit nearby ... and a bit more ... and then put a quick 1 km loop on to the walk, to let them finish. When we got back they were still cackling in the undergrowth. Another 1k loop and they were gone, cache re-hidden and log signed. Quite why the cache necessitated so much thrashing around in the undergrowth I don't know!

 

So, you can take the chance to get in a bit more exercise as ordered by the doc!

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Happened to us once, so we waited a bit nearby ... and a bit more ... and then put a quick 1 km loop on to the walk, to let them finish. When we got back they were still cackling in the undergrowth. Another 1k loop and they were gone, cache re-hidden and log signed. Quite why the cache necessitated so much thrashing around in the undergrowth I don't know!

 

So, you can take the chance to get in a bit more exercise as ordered by the doc!

 

Thanks for the suggestions folks. Many thanks for your support.

Now that I'm almost in double figures, I'm gagging to put one of my own out. :rolleyes:

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I've yet to meet another cacher out in the field but I've seen photos of plenty in forum threads and so on. I'm sure there are a few I'd recognise and I've sometimes wondered whether it would totally freak them out to just walk up and say "Hello <name>; found it yet?" :):D

 

Who walks round graveyards taking pictures of gravestones :) must be a stranger game than this one :)

My fiancée likes wandering around old graveyards and taking photos of perculiar stones - I'm in so much trouble if she reads this now :D

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I've yet to meet another cacher out in the field but I've seen photos of plenty in forum threads and so on. I'm sure there are a few I'd recognise and I've sometimes wondered whether it would totally freak them out to just walk up and say "Hello <name>; found it yet?" :):)

 

 

Tried that on SP a few weeks ago, he didn't bat an eyelid :)

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I have met a few while out and about

 

For a while I was a 'geostalker' as I bumped into a female cacher on what seemed to be a daily basis :D

 

I went through a phase of bumping into the Lydford Locators too (followed them around a mulit stage once as well!)

 

Other than the scramble for FTF, it is pretty rare for a cache to be visited more than once a day

 

If I spot a GPS I usually say good day and take it from there

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