Etiquette?

[+goathag]

Today I tried a cache with my 9 year old son. It turned out to be a cemetery cache, which until today I have avoided. As we got close to the cache, we saw someone sitting on a bench with her head down. We started to walk away and realized she had a gps and was looking for the same cache. She had other friends searching, too. My son got right in with them and found the cache, and handed them the logbook to sign. Should we have just left them to find the cache and returned later?

[TermiteHunter]

While some prefer to find them all to themselves others would welcome the chance meeting of others involved in the same activity. It's just a chance you have to take. I for one enjoy meeting others while on the hunt and have been both the first and last to have arrived at the site. It's rather rare to run into someone while seeking a cache so I say take the chance and enjoy it.

[+flask]

if in doubt, you can always ask if they mind if you join the hunt.

[ao318]

If we are looking and someone else comes by to look we welcome the help. If we just found it and have already put it back we will hang back and assist the other cacher if they want help with clues. Everyone is different. I just usually ask if we can join them or if hey want to find it on their own.

 

What my kids and I do when we are together looking for a cache and one of us finds it is we stop what we are doing and stand still with a smile on our face looking in the direction of the cache. Once we see the smile we know where to look and we start looking. If we still can't find it we will ask for clues until all of us find it.

[+Dread_Pirate_Bruce]

I always enjoy meeting other cachers, especially ones I don't already know. If I found myself in the situation you describe, I think I'd ask if I could join the hunt. If they say "yes," do it as a group affair. If they say "no," hunt by yourself and treat them as muggles.

 

Of course, you could always have hidden your GPS, pretended you were muggles and driven them off by acting like breathed muggles. Perhaps you could have approached and asked the woman with the GPS and said something like "I remember you from the Christmas party last year, how nice of you to have come to share our sorrow over our loss of <insert name>." She and her friends would feel guilty, leave and let you search in peace.

[+NoHandsGPS]

I am always in favor of help. I rarely cache with someone else so when I get the opportunity to meet people at a cache I do so. I never thought about asking if I could join the search, I just do. Nobody has ever said anything. I was at an event last weekend where over 350 cachers were searching for 50 new caches in a 7 mile radius. Once in a while you met a cacher going to, coming from or at a cache. It was great to search with them or have a brief conversation. For me geocaching has introduced a great way to make new friends.

[+hairball45]

I think your son showed great sense, not to mention an ability to go right up to "grownups" and insinuate himself into a situation. That's something that will help him go far in life. Besides, its always fun to meet other cachers in the field. That's one of the ways to add faces to those names on the log sheets.

hairball

[+wimseyguy]

I too think it's fine for a child to just join in the hunt. Since I rarely cache with any, I generally ask if they mind if I join in when encountering other cachers on the trail. I've yet to be told 'go away we want to be alone" nor would I ever say that to someone else.

 

I might spot the cache and move away before announcing that I have found it to allow them to locate it on their own if they want to play that way. There seem to be regional differences on that issue. Around here we usually find it for all.

[+Bmxer11]

I have never had the chance to hunt with other cachers(not including family members).So if you have the chance share the fun.

[cliff_hanger]

I always enjoy meeting other cachers, especially ones I don't already know. If I found myself in the situation you describe, I think I'd ask if I could join the hunt. If they say "yes," do it as a group affair. If they say "no," hunt by yourself and treat them as muggles.

 

So, even though they were there searching first you would simply ignore their wishes if they said "no"? I thought the OP was asking about etiquette? Why would you even ask to begin with if you had no intention of honoring their wishes? Did I misunderstand your intent?

 

To the OP: The times I've run into another cacher, I've always asked if they mind if I join them. I've never had anyone refuse (although, so far it hasn't happened on a FTF hunt) If I find it first, I move away and, after a few minutes of further "searching" I announce that I found it and ask if they want to know where it is. Sometimes they want to find it themselves, other times they just say "ok, where is it?" If they find it first and ask me, I usually opt to keep looking until I find it myself. Though sometimes I've had people "cough" when I was real close.... ;-)

[+Renegade Knight]

... My son got right in with them and found the cache, and handed them the logbook to sign....

 

When your son got right in with them, did they smile and enjoy his help or did they give him the stinky eye? That's your answer.

 

Normally you would ask "May I join you?" Then you know going in, and don't have to read the signs to figure out what they thought after the fact.

[+infiniteMPG]

She had other friends searching, too. My son got right in with them and found the cache, and handed them the logbook to sign. Should we have just left them to find the cache and returned later?

They were already a "group" so a few more like-minded folks, especially with kids, should be welcomed with open arms. Still nice to ask especially if they give any kind of vibe that they're going to mind.

 

We were in Boca Grande caching on bikes and kept seeing logs writen the same day from some out of state cachers in the area. We rushed a little more to each cache and then when we were winding down, a car with that state's tags pulled over and a lady got out with a GPSr in hand... AHA! We probably spent 1/2 an hour at that cache joking and exchanging stories.

 

Cherish those times.

[+Tresco]

I would welcome the opportunity to meet a fellow cacher in the field. I would probably say "Mind if I join you?" too. I think you experience is really nice.

[+uxorious]

Meeting other cachers while out looking myself always makes the outing many times more fun. The polite thing to do would be to ask before you join in, but I haven't met anyone yet that didn't want to share the hunt.

As mentioned, some people like to try to have everyone have a chance to find, and others play that when one finds it everyone signs. (I've done both.) Might be a good idea to ask about that before it is found. Other than that, I hope if we ever meet on a cache, you don't hesitate to ask to join in. If your looking, I will be asking.

[pugsley&wednesday]

Today I tried a cache with my 9 year old son. It turned out to be a cemetery cache, which until today I have avoided. As we got close to the cache, we saw someone sitting on a bench with her head down. We started to walk away and realized she had a gps and was looking for the same cache. She had other friends searching, too. My son got right in with them and found the cache, and handed them the logbook to sign. Should we have just left them to find the cache and returned later?

Speaking as newbie cachers, hubby and I generally find it adds to the enjoyment of caching to meet other cachers while we are out looking. We've met people from all over the state, and had folks give us pointers that way. We've also been able to team up with cachers who showed up at the same location. If you're not sure, just ask the others you meet if they mind you joining in.

[JohnGGeo]

Go up, ask, join. *if they said yes* most of them will*

if not keep your distance..

[timp84]

27 caches and I haven't run into another cacher yet... but on the day I do, I'll be sure to ask if they mind if I join the hunt... I'd be absolutely cool with someone else joining me.

 

Plus, since it's a kid, I'm sure anyone could appreciate his enthusiasm.

Edited August 22, 2008 by timp84

[+rhelt100]

My policy is generally to walk up to them and make some kind of snarky comment like "Hey! Are you guys terrorists or something?" Then I start searching with them. Out of maybe 100 meetings, we ran into one caching group that didn't want help. What was funny about that particular incident is that it was at the Allegany Geobash on a night cache that literally had 100+ people on the trail going for it at the same time. They wanted everybody to stand back while they searched. Obviously that wasn't going to work when there were groups of cachers every 100 feet down the trail all the way back to the trail head .35 away. They stood back and let us go, then the next group...etc. I bet they had to wait awhile.

[+chuckwagon101]

In my book, just because someone else "got to the area first" does not give them the privilege of exclusivity. We are talking SWAG here!!

 

Thaaaaaaaat's Right! If there is a big pile of sticks out yonder somewhere, we are going to start looking. Sitting around, wringing our hands and waiting while we "honor" your hitting all the traffic lights just right is not on our schedule!

 

Now, you have a nice day!