Caching in Built Up Areas

[+Coyote 8a]

I can understand the need to ensure a cache, usually a micro, has to be concealed from muggles, however, no GPS is ever right on. When caching in built up areas, as the hider it is pretty easy to select a site, and from time to time check on it; after all you hid it, you don't need the GPS to refind it. Now for the rest of us, the seekers, we have to try and be discreet. Doesn't work so well. Personally, I will no longer search for micro caches in built up areas. I'm tired of looking strange and out of place as I try to be discreet. For those of you who hide them; think about the seekers. Camoflage, yes, but hiding in areas with multiple stash spots; it just pisses me off.

[+meark]

Then don't look for them.

 

However, I hunt for them due to the cost and expense of driving out to parks to find caches out there. It's just a different environment with different challenges and expectations. It's definitely not for everyone, but for some it's their only option.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Then don't look for them.

 

However, I hunt for them due to the cost and expense of driving out to parks to find caches out there. It's just a different environment with different challenges and expectations. It's definitely not for everyone, but for some it's their only option.

 

The OP does have a point. I've found caches where it was pretty easy to determine where the cache was but the cache was so difficult to extract that I is very difficult to extract the cache, sign the log, and return it undetected. In one case, the cache took me a good 10 minutes to extract, only to discover that it was actually a letter box (in a hide a key, no less) that was less than a foot from the actual cache. I was fortunate to be searching for it at around 9:30am on January 1st so muggle traffic was uncharacteristically low. The Starbucks that was only 25' or so away was even pretty empty.

 

BTW, the cost and expense of driving into a city is just the same for those that live outside the city as it is for those that live in the city and drive outside the city to cache.

[+Marcas_Found]

I can understand the need to ensure a cache, usually a regular, has to be concealed from muggles, however, no GPS is ever right on. When caching in rural areas, as the hider it is pretty easy to select a site, and from time to time check on it; after all you hid it, you don't need the GPS to refind it. Now for the rest of us, the seekers, we have to try and find it in hundreds of acres. Doesn't work so well. Personally, I will no longer search for regular caches in rural areas. I'm tired of looking strange and out of place as I try to find a cache out in the middle of nowhere. For those of you who hide them; think about the seekers. Camoflage, yes, but hiding in areas with multiple stash spots; it just pisses me off.

 

...sorry, sarcasm runs in la familia...I get your point, but, its a matter of preference. To us its just part of the challenge. You've vented and probably feel better which I'm assuming your post was for. If you don't like them, don't hunt for them. Go for those that make the game enjoyable to you!

 

BTW, My personal dislike, like yours would be puzzle caches by some of the 10 lb brain individuals around here. We avoid them until we have A LOT of time to devote to them.

 

-galaP-

[+gmcpower98]

Then don't look for them.

 

X2

If you don't like the style of hide.........DON'T SEARCH IT!!

Some of us do!!

[+Silfron Mandotheneset]

Then don't look for them.

 

X2

If you don't like the style of hide.........DON'T SEARCH IT!!

Some of us do!!

 

X3. I rather like that type as it happens. I'd rather find a well hidden AMMO CAN there of course, but the urban micros are the majority of caches we find.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Hey, as someone said: If you don't like them, don't go looking for them. Yes, there are badly hidden ones, that should never have been hidden, but the clever ones can be great!

What have I done the last few weeks? Molested a parking meter on a downtown street. Spent a half hour molesting the yews overlooking the East River in New York (DNF). Fondled a fire hydrant on Lexington Avenue. Avoided the fellow on a bicycle drinking something from a brown paper bag. Climbed a tree with a fishermuggle twenty feet away. Then there was the railroad trestle... And nobody saw a thing, or if they did, they didn't care. But I've also hiked the Pine Barrens. Seen some beautiful parks. Been to Delaware Bay. Walked along the Delware River, and the Atlantic Ocean. And, you might be interested to know, the only places anyone asked what we were doing, were at remote locations, like Heislerville WMA.

I'll go almost anywhere hunting caches, from the mountain tops to the Big City. If the caches are good, then all is good.

Pick your poison.

[+sbell111]

Then don't look for them.

X2

If you don't like the style of hide.........DON'T SEARCH IT!!

Some of us do!!

X3. I rather like that type as it happens. I'd rather find a well hidden AMMO CAN there of course, but the urban micros are the majority of caches we find.

X4. The beauty of this game is that I can decide where I want to look for caches. Heck, most of the time, I decide where I'm going to go and then see if there are caches there, rather than blindly following the arrow to wherever it might lead.

 

If I didn't like caches in built up areas, I simply wouldn't go to those areas to look for caches.

Edited September 8, 2008 by sbell111

[Skippermark]

X5. Someday you might find yourself in an urban area and want to try to find some caches and enjoy it. Or, you may never enjoy it. Stick to what you enjoy and don't stress yourself out about the others. Caching is about fun, and you want to find what you enjoy and what makes it fun for you.

[+bnpkidz]

Then don't look for them.

 

X2

If you don't like the style of hide.........DON'T SEARCH IT!!

Some of us do!!

 

X3. I rather like that type as it happens. I'd rather find a well hidden AMMO CAN there of course, but the urban micros are the majority of caches we find.

 

Could not agree more. We LOVE micros (most of the time). There are a few that have us walking away asking why anyone would put one there, but it is fun to be stealthy when looking for a cache. Using stealth tactics is a blast for us when we just can't get out into the woods.

 

There is a cache out there for everyone. If you don't like those kind, don't go looking for them.

[+Coyote 8a]

Well, I guess I know where most of you stand. Have fun with that. Gas don't mean nothing to me, but spending a couple of hours in the police station does. I guess it's what ever turns your crank. Myself, give me one or two hide options. It just makes sense. Why draw attention to yourself if you don't have to. Of coarse there is always the option of mag light searchs. Imagine that, you hid a cache, and someone got shot, because the GPS, Map 60Cx, looked like a gun. Yeah, I want that on me.

[+Kit Fox]

Well, I guess I know where most of you stand. Have fun with that. Gas don't mean nothing to me, but spending a couple of hours in the police station does. I guess it's what ever turns your crank. Myself, give me one or two hide options. It just makes sense. Why draw attention to yourself if you don't have to. Of coarse there is always the option of mag light searchs. Imagine that, you hid a cache, and someone got shot, because the GPS, Map 60Cx, looked like a gun. Yeah, I want that on me.

 

You'll get plenty of defenders of lame, high visibility caches here. I personally can't stand them, I share all of your concerns, and then some.

 

My advice to further your geocaching enjoyment, is to follow my recipe for fun.

 

I avoid 1/1 caches in public areas. Stick to caches with a terrain rating of at least a 2. This will weed out 99% of the caches hidden in high-vis, and generally crappy areas. Most Park and Grab caches are placed for the "couch potato" cacher who wants to find the maximum number of caches per day, with the least amount of effort. They need to continually increase their find count to elevate their "perceived status."

Edited September 13, 2008 by Kit Fox

[+9Key]

Well, I guess I know where most of you stand. Have fun with that. Gas don't mean nothing to me, but spending a couple of hours in the police station does. I guess it's what ever turns your crank. Myself, give me one or two hide options. It just makes sense. Why draw attention to yourself if you don't have to. Of coarse there is always the option of mag light searchs. Imagine that, you hid a cache, and someone got shot, because the GPS, Map 60Cx, looked like a gun. Yeah, I want that on me.

Wow, Brandon, Manitoba (population 41,511 per Wikipedia) sounds like a tough place!

Like others have said, skip the ones you don't like. No one is forcing you to find all of the caches in Manitoba. Just pick and choose the ones that appeal to you. If there aren't any that appeal to you at the moment then go hide some that you think others might like. Show your local cachers what *you* think caching should be!

Edited September 13, 2008 by 9Key

[+wapahani]

Its pretty simple. If you arrive and that location doesn't make you comfy, then don't do it.

 

We have a local cache in the middle of downtown across from the bus transfer station. I like the cache idea, but haven't logged a find on it because well, its just to OPEN.

My first rule of thumb on making a find is:

"If I will reveal the location or the cache itself, then I won't grab it at that time!"

 

So if you don't feel good about getting that cache, then DON'T! There are others to grab.

[Clan Riffster]

Like Kit, these types of caches usually aren't my cup of tea, and I've set up my PQ's to avoid them. I get notified of every new hide within X miles of my house, and sometimes I'll see one of these that looks interesting. I'll add them to my PQ on a one on one basis. I think it was Snoogans who first coined the phrase, "If you ain't havin' fun, you're doin' something wrong". Find what cache types appeal to you and stick to hunting those.

[+TrailGators]

Like Kit, these types of caches usually aren't my cup of tea, and I've set up my PQ's to avoid them.

Me too. I've seen some really stupid places that caches have been hidden. I'll go one step further and ignore those types of caches when I get home. The ignore button is like gonging the cache to me (for those that remember the Gong Show).

[+vizlor]

I live in a smalltown and there aren't many caches around so I go for all, urban or not. I enjoy doing urban caches in the middle of the night, since it makes me feel like a kid, sneaking about, looking for a hidden secret. Of course, I'm not really afraid of getting shot, hurt, or arrested for geocaching.

[+Dread_Pirate_Bruce]

Do what is fun. Don't do what's not.

 

When I'm on a hot, dirty, brush-covered trail that leads straight up and can't find the ammo can because there are too many places it could be, I think: "I really do like urban micros." When I'm standing in front of the Department of Homeland Security offices trying to discretely look under 24 newspaper machines for "the" newspaper machine with a cache, I think "So what's wrong with hiking in the middle of nowhere?"

 

So long as I'm having fun, I'll do the cache.

 

I will, however, note that the one thing I generally don't like is caches where there are lots of good places for a hide, each of which is relatively easy, and the hider rates it a difficulty 1 or 1.5. This is especially true in urban areas. I can be quite stealthy ... but only for so long. Remember, the idea is to let the seeker find it, while protecting it from muggles. IMHO, there is no need to make it harder than necessary (unless it is clearly noted as being hard just for the fun of it.)

[+sbell111]

Well, I guess I know where most of you stand. Have fun with that. Gas don't mean nothing to me, but spending a couple of hours in the police station does.

Why would we spend a couple of hours in the police station? Is there a cache hidden there? Seriously, I have no fear of police because I don't do anything that would get me arrested, no matter where I cache (or even when not caching).

I guess it's what ever turns your crank. Myself, give me one or two hide options. It just makes sense. Why draw attention to yourself if you don't have to. Of coarse there is always the option of mag light searchs. Imagine that, you hid a cache, and someone got shot, because the GPS, Map 60Cx, looked like a gun. Yeah, I want that on me.

I think that what you describe is very, very, very, very, very unlikely. So very unlikely, in fact that I won't even consider it enough to seriously debunk it.

 

Is Southern Manitoba really this wild westy?

[+KBI]

As soon as a cache hunt begins to make me feel so uncomfortable that I realize I am no longer having fun, I’m outta there. No worries, no apologies.

 

No cache hunt is ever mandatory. All caching is strictly voluntary. If anybody ever tries to tell you different, just bring 'em in here and we'll dogpile 'em for ya.

 

You are always free and welcome, at any time during any cache hunt, to abort the hunt for any reason and move on down the road. No need to justify your reasons to anybody. If anybody ever tries to tell you different, just bring 'em in here and we'll flame 'em up but good.

 

Everyone’s taste is different. Just because a particular cache makes you uncomfortable doesn’t mean it is a bad cache, and it doesn’t mean that others won’t enjoy it immensely.

[+Coyote 8a]

Well, go figure. As much as I hate these types of caches, I just keep going back out. Learning to be pretty sneaky. For those of you that think Brandon's population is no challenge. We have no couch potatoes! Everyone and his/her dog are out at all hours.

[+brainandbraun]

Well, I guess I know where most of you stand. Have fun with that. Gas don't mean nothing to me, but spending a couple of hours in the police station does. I guess it's what ever turns your crank. Myself, give me one or two hide options. It just makes sense. Why draw attention to yourself if you don't have to. Of coarse there is always the option of mag light searchs. Imagine that, you hid a cache, and someone got shot, because the GPS, Map 60Cx, looked like a gun. Yeah, I want that on me.

 

You'll get plenty of defenders of lame, high visibility caches here. I personally can't stand them, I share all of your concerns, and then some.

 

My advice to further your geocaching enjoyment, is to follow my recipe for fun.

 

I avoid 1/1 caches in public areas. Stick to caches with a terrain rating of at least a 2. This will weed out 99% of the caches hidden in high-vis, and generally crappy areas. Most Park and Grab caches are placed for the "couch potato" cacher who wants to find the maximum number of caches per day, with the least amount of effort. They need to continually increase their find count to elevate their "perceived status."

we have those types of cachers in our area.

[+Cach Hunter1]

I agree with some of the other posts if you hate doing micros in built up areas simply don't do them. Theres no need to get all worked up over it.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I agree with some of the other posts if you hate doing micros in built up areas simply don't do them. Theres no need to get all worked up over it.

 

The problem with categorically ignoring micros in built up areas is that you'll occasionally come across some interesting spots and hides.

 

While I prefer looking for larger caches in rural woodsy areas, in a couple of weeks I'll be flying from NY to Mountain View, Ca for a one day meeting (at Google) and will have about 5 free hours the next morning free and will likely spend a good portion of that time looking for caches in a built up area. I geocache when I get the opportunity to do so. This time I'll only have the opportunity to seek a few caches in a built up area before heading back to the airport so that's what Ill do.

[Mr.Yuck]

Well, go figure. As much as I hate these types of caches, I just keep going back out. Learning to be pretty sneaky. For those of you that think Brandon's population is no challenge. We have no couch potatoes! Everyone and his/her dog are out at all hours.

 

OK then. We'll just add your name to the long list of people who profess to "hate" those type of caches, but yet run out and find every one of them.

 

Just messing with ya'. I know there's a strong tendency for active geocachers to find everything listed in their area. And being a non-premium member, you have no access to the "ignore list".

 

So if you don't like them, don't find them. I just thought I'd make that unanimous.

[+Cuddlefish]

Its pretty simple. If you arrive and that location doesn't make you comfy, then don't do it.

 

We have a local cache in the middle of downtown across from the bus transfer station. I like the cache idea, but haven't logged a find on it because well, its just to OPEN.

My first rule of thumb on making a find is:

"If I will reveal the location or the cache itself, then I won't grab it at that time!"

 

So if you don't feel good about getting that cache, then DON'T! There are others to grab.

 

I think this is the key for me. I was looking downtown Vancouver on the weekend for this micro. There were muggles around, at a nearby restaurant, walking from the grocery store etc. and it is surrounded by highrises. My GPS took me to a spot where I had to get into a bushy area along the seawall. In short, there was no real way to do that without looking suspicious. One fellow sitting nearby could not stop staring at me and so I simply had to give up.

 

I'll go back of course, but I am wary that this is the way of this cache.

[+Coyote 8a]

Well, for me the subject is closed. Having done Urban (built up) area caches for a bit now, I've come to appreciate, and participate in them. Most of the caching I do is in the dark, you can disappear so quickly. Some caches still must be done during the day. I've learned alot from cachers that are heavy in this area, my favorite; moses flf. I enjoy the hunt, even if I can't find them. I also enjoy locating places that I think could be tricky/evil cache sites. Sometimes they are. The Coyote is going to be searching, and stashing geocaches in an Urban enviroment for a long time to come.

[+Renegade Knight]

I can understand the need to ensure a cache, usually a micro, has to be concealed from muggles, however, no GPS is ever right on. When caching in built up areas, as the hider it is pretty easy to select a site, and from time to time check on it; after all you hid it, you don't need the GPS to refind it. Now for the rest of us, the seekers, we have to try and be discreet. Doesn't work so well. Personally, I will no longer search for micro caches in built up areas. I'm tired of looking strange and out of place as I try to be discreet. For those of you who hide them; think about the seekers. Camoflage, yes, but hiding in areas with multiple stash spots; it just pisses me off.

 

You have it right here:

You are rather wasting your time here:

[+wimseyguy]

Couldn't disagree with the OP more. If you think you look out of place, it is because you are acting that way. I've found plenty of caches with muggles less than 25' away, and never drawn attention to my actions. I've also walked away from plenty of caches when I felt I couldn't properly search for them. Sometimes I have returned at another time, some I will never find.

 

I've also had over a dozen conversations with LEO's who have stopped to talk with my while I am caching. None of them have ever drawn their gun, nor offered me a ride in the back seat.

 

I own several urban caches, and have had the pleasure of meeting folks seeking them on multiple occasions, and even spooking one or two. I enjoy looking for these caches at times, and other time prefer a long lonely walk in the woods in search of a view and a 'thunk'.

 

If you only like one kind of cache hunt, then limit yourself to those. But don't come into here preaching to the rest of us what we should hide and seek just to accommodate your preferences.

[Skippermark]

I love urban hides. I find that if I'm caching alone or with my family in a not-so-busy area, people tend to notice you more than if there are lots of people around.

 

We've cached in New York City, where there's hundreds, maybe thousands of people walking past as you're searching, and they don't pay any attention to you, but if you're looking in a park with no one around, and if someone drives by, they may stop and ask what you're doing because you're a new/strange person in their area.

 

It's all how you present yourself while searching. If you feel like you're doing something wrong and think you look suspicious, people are going to treat you that way, but if you act like you belong and aren't doing anything wrong, they'll usually ignore you.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

My wife likes urban caches but on most HIGH VISIBILITY caches she won't get out of the truck. I will at least try although I've almost been run over a couple of times at the drive through lanes at fast food places. Then there are the ones 5 feet outside restaurant windows with folks looking at you........just not our style but there's tons of stuff like that out there.

Edited October 22, 2008 by BAMBOOZLE

[Clan Riffster]

We've cached in New York City, where there's hundreds, maybe thousands of people walking past as you're searching, and they don't pay any attention to you

That may be a regional thing. My hypnotherapist tells me that in a past life I used to set myself on fire and jog down 42nd St from 8th Ave to Park Ave, and nary got a glance from passersby. Them New Yorkers are a tough crowd!