Etiquette

[Scots Boy]

Being very new to all this I was wondering how I should have handled this situation.

 

We were out looking for a cache up in the Wicklow Hills when getting within about 800 meters we overtook another three people heading in the same direction. There then followed an odd sort of dance as it seemed to me both parties were trying not to obviously look for something, but this have merely been my overheated imagination. We even had a brief conversation and we passed on leaving then in the vicinity of the cache. We came back half an hour later they were gone and we found the cache, they had either failed to find it or were in fact just people acting oddly on a hill and not Geocachers at all.

 

Now how does one recognise a fellow Geocacher, should I have dropped a hint or asked outright or in fact do as I did and kept quiet for fear of appearing strange (after all do normal people roam the hills looking for boxes).

 

Any advice from seasoned professionals gratefully received.

[+briansnat]

I'd just ask if they are geocaching and if they'd mind if you joined in the hunt.

 

If they say yes, you can decide between you how you want to handle a find. There are two ways. The first is if any of you find it, you gather 'round the cache and sign. The second is that if one of you spots the cache, you walk away, declare that you know where it is and let the others continue with the hunt.

[crawil]

The first thing I look for is a GPSr in their hand or around someone's neck. Also, don't feel shy asking something like, "What brings you up here on a day like today?" Make sure to listen between the lines to see if their response is geocaching related.

[+oldsoldier]

Should they NOT be geocaching though, there is your opportunity to welcome someone else in on the game. Me, I rarely hide what I am doing, unless it is an urban cache (which I rarely go after these days). When out doing woods ones, and someone asks, I explain the game. I also carry a few of the fliers on the gc.com site to hand out. These days, someone sneaking around rouses more suspicion than coming right out and stating what you're doing.

[+BCandMsKitty]

Just ask if they are caching. There is no secrecy involved in being a geocacher ..... it's the act of finding the cache that sometimes needs to be discrete to prevent mugling. Asking can lead to a meeting of fellow cachers, or maybe introducing someone to the game.

[Neos2]

We were in a quiet neighborhood, standing on a little hill by a flagpole, peering as inconspicuously as possible into the bushes for a container that sounded a lot like it would be a matchstick container, when a guy in a truck pulled up and yelled out "Hey, are you guys geocaching?"

 

We said we were, but not very well at the moment, to which he replied, "Great, let me just park and I'll join you if that's OK" We spent the rest of the afternoon caching with the fellow and getting to know him. We've been asked a lot of ways if we were caching, but never quite so boldly. It was great!

 

I agree, onc eyou have identified everyone as cachers, the only thing to iron out is how everyone prefers to handle the finds. Some folks just sign the log after someone finds the cache, others prefer to let everyone find the cache first on their own.

 

I've found that the people who are the most selective about who finds the cache tend to want to cache without other companions.

[+The Pathman]

I got asked by two different people today "why do you have a GPS around your neck, These trails are all clearly marked"....

 

I had to explain Geocaching twice in less than an hour

 

Guess I need to start carrying around some copies of the fliers when I go skiing/caching

[+PhxChem]

I got asked by two different people today "why do you have a GPS around your neck, These trails are all clearly marked"....

 

What GPS? This is a phaser....and it's set to stun!!!

 

The only time I've ever met fellow geocacher was during FTF (first-to-find) hunts just minutes after caches are published. In that case it's pretty obvious......or it's just a coincidence that we're all (3 of us) shining flashlights inside random bushes at 11PM. So, we just shook hands and introduced ourselves. We all knew each others' handles from finding each others' caches. Funny, thing, we never stopped looking for the cache...even during introductions!

[+emb021]

Best way to figure out that the other is cache is the GPSr.

 

So far, I've only encountered other cachers on the trail 4 times.

 

* once I came to a spot and encountered a father and 2 kids. We quickly figured we were all caching and proceeded to look for the cache. After quite a while, we had no success and all left. (I would find it on a subsequent trip there and it was a very tricky micro).

 

* another time I came to a spot and encountered a couple and son looked. We again worked to find the cache, which we did, and went our separate ways.

 

* another time I had just found a cache (located on a fence near a road) when a car pulled up next to me. Found out it was the cache owner and we chatted.

 

* another time I came to a spot and encountered a father and 2 kids. We proceeded to look for the cache (would later find out it was lost). After a while we gave up, and decided to engage in a day of caching, which was fun. (i don't get much group caching).

 

So you never know what will happen on the trail.

[+The Pathman]

I got asked by two different people today "why do you have a GPS around your neck, These trails are all clearly marked"....

 

What GPS? This is a phaser....and it's set to stun!!!

 

LOL...

 

I'll have to remember that one