Greeting other cachers in the wild

[+Cach Hunter1]

The main point I started this thread is coz I was bored so whats a good thread topic...... What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide. HAve you had any embarssing encounters with people you thought were cachers and they were actually muggles

[+CBT69]

I usually smile disarmingly, nod and say "hi", while trying to not get caught looking to see if it's a phone, ipod, camera, or GPS in their hands.

 

Couple of places I _KNOW_ they were cachers, as I ran into them later, in another part of the park, doing the same thing.

 

In once case I was sitting on the log, on the cache, waiting for this guy to walk down the trail (I don't worry about the mountain bikers much.. they are paying too much attention to not going tin cup over tea kettle) and he just stood there, up the hill, "ignoring" (rather obviously) me, while fiddling with his Ipod. So I lit a cigarette, and waited. And waited. And he eventually went down the trail, I nodded, he said nothing.. soon as he cleared my line of sight I did a real quick pop and sign, got it packed back up, and headed out down trail. At the bottom, I saw him coming back up from the parking area. Could have been a cacher, could have been a drug dealer, at that point (quite a few of them in that area as well).

 

So, I moseyed on along to the next one (four or five in this one big area, around a reservoir) and he must have taken a higher trail, cause I passed him coming down, on my way up to the cache, and he nodded and said "Found it, it's there!" and kept on going.

 

Still don't know who he was, couldn't read the signature in the log.

[+CBT69]

I usually smile disarmingly, nod and say "hi", while trying to not get caught looking to see if it's a phone, ipod, camera, or GPS in their hands.

 

Couple of places I _KNOW_ they were cachers, as I ran into them later, in another part of the park, doing the same thing.

 

In once case I was sitting on the log, on the cache, waiting for this guy to walk down the trail (I don't worry about the mountain bikers much.. they are paying too much attention to not going tin cup over tea kettle) and he just stood there, up the hill, "ignoring" (rather obviously) me, while fiddling with his Ipod. So I lit a cigarette, and waited. And waited. And he eventually went down the trail, I nodded, he said nothing.. soon as he cleared my line of sight I did a real quick pop and sign, got it packed back up, and headed out down trail. At the bottom, I saw him coming back up from the parking area. Could have been a cacher, could have been a drug dealer, at that point (quite a few of them in that area as well).

 

So, I moseyed on along to the next one (four or five in this one big area, around a reservoir) and he must have taken a higher trail, cause I passed him coming down, on my way up to the cache, and he nodded and said "Found it, it's there!" and kept on going.

 

Still don't know who he was, couldn't read the signature in the log.

[+CBT69]

GAH! edited, forum urped at me.

[+Snoogans]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

[+Cach Hunter1]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Standing in the middle of the forest using the sign would make you look like a complete fool But that's just my opinion please don't take it personally

[+CBT69]

Whereas standing in the middle of a forest, holding a 400$ piece of electronics to your head to make it look like you are on an important business call, while you stealthily attempt to re-arrange a pile of rocks that weigh 11lbs a piece with your left foot while staring at the sky and whistling makes you look.. dignified?

[+Snoogans]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Standing in the middle of the forest using the sign would make you look like a complete fool But that's just my opinion please don't take it personally

 

I would have no trouble telling a tree I'm a lesbian if it understood ASL. Since few trees are geocachers, I doubt many would get the esoteric meaning of the sign. .

[+CBT69]

You know, what's funny is there's a nearly identical photo, of two completely different people, on one of the roller coaster enthusiast forums I frequent as well.

 

So watch out.. in the woods, you _could_ be telling someone you love roller coasters!

[+wimseyguy]

The sign being flashed in that pic is the official geocaching salute. The official greeting goes back over four years when briansnat shared his technique with us.

I believe the standard we agreed on was when meeting another geocacher, one was to yell "Ho, are ye a geocacher?" and the correct response is "Yay I am".

 

Upon the confirmation, the two then approach each other, put their left hand on the other person's right shoulder, standing arm's length and dance around in a circle while skipping and singing (very loudly) "Geocachers are we! Runy muny mee! Yaba daba baba. He, he, he!". At least that's the way we do it in New Jersey.

 

I feel privileged that I was able to share the verbal greeting with him the first time we met, although the dancing in circles had to wait until the next gathering, as we were in a crowded bar and he was on crutches.

 

And since he has almost 30,000 forum posts he must be right!

[+Cach Hunter1]

So if anyone is standing in the forest using the SIGN you can greet them Groovy

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

If I am in the wild hunting a geoache, and if I encounter another "human being" that may or may not be a geocacher, I use my RenderGuard invisibility ray device to render myself largely unnoticeable, because you never know for sure if it is a real human or a reptoid reptilian shapeshifter that has taken human form in order to go about its dastardly business; worse, some of the shapeshifters mimic human geoachers by growing a device out of their hand that looks just like a generic GPS receiver, in order to deceive the unwary into thinking that they are a geocacher (and a human.) You can never be too careful nor too diligent, for this is a very dangerous world, now that the aliens are in cahoots with the Bavarian Illuminati and the Bilderberg Cabal. A stitch in time saves nine, and an eternally vigilant man lives to see another day.

[+TotemLake]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Standing in the middle of the forest using the sign would make you look like a complete fool But that's just my opinion please don't take it personally

The only one looking like the fool will be the one that stands alone not doing it. Please don't take it personally.

Edited October 1, 2008 by TotemLake

[+Sioneva]

If I am in the wild hunting a geoache, and if I encounter another "human being" that may or may not be a geocacher, I use my RenderGuard invisibility ray device to render myself largely unnoticeable, because you never know for sure if it is a real human or a reptoid reptilian shapeshifter that has taken human form in order to go about its dastardly business; worse, some of the shapeshifters mimic human geoachers by growing a device out of their hand that looks just like a generic GPS receiver, in order to deceive the unwary into thinking that they are a geocacher (and a human.) You can never be too careful nor too diligent, for this is a very dangerous world, now that the aliens are in cahoots with the Bavarian Illuminati and the Bilderberg Cabal. A stitch in time saves nine, and an eternally vigilant man lives to see another day.

 

Sorry, Vinny, but your tin foil hat invariably gives you away. The sunlight just bounces right off it.

 

At least, that's what I was told happened during the attempted GPS Heist of '98... geocachers all over the world still CURSE your name for, quite literally, /foiling/ the scheme!

[+WRASTRO]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Standing in the middle of the forest using the sign would make you look like a complete fool But that's just my opinion please don't take it personally

The only one looking like the fool will be the one that stands alone not doing it. Please don't take it personally.

Lucy must be left handed.

[+BoggyWoggy]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Standing in the middle of the forest using the sign would make you look like a complete fool But that's just my opinion please don't take it personally

The only one looking like the fool will be the one that stands alone not doing it. Please don't take it personally.

Lucy must be left handed.

 

Hey! I'm friends with the guy on the left! That's Dude! This photo is on our SWAG site. What a lucky coincidence!

[+BoggyWoggy]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

I'm assuming Jeremy is on the right. The guy on the left is a fellow cacher here! It's Dude! He's not a noob!

[+Snoogans]

 

A little critique here......

 

The person on the left may or may not be a geocacher. He is giving the street sign that he is a loser or that someone within his line of sight is a loser.

 

The person in the middle is most certainly a geocacher. He is correctly giving the secret sign known to most geocachers.

 

The woman on the end may or may not be a geocacher. She appears to be finishing signing "Lesbian" in ASL although it's unclear what context she is signing it in. In ASL one makes the L shape under the chin and moves it to the left.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Snoogans

[+TotemLake]

 

A little critique here......

 

The person on the left may or may not be a geocacher. He is giving the street sign that he is a loser or that someone within his line of sight is a loser.

 

The person in the middle is most certainly a geocacher. He is correctly giving the secret sign known to most geocachers.

 

The woman on the end may or may not be a geocacher. She appears to be finishing signing "Lesbian" in ASL although it's unclear what context she is signing it in. In ASL one makes the L shape under the chin and moves it to the left.

Actually, it was a comment on the then new section of snow clearing losers on the bench. At that point we were on the tail end of moving 50 tons of snow out of a camp amphitheater at the Cougar Campground at Mt Rainier during June's CITO. Too many elbows and shovels were getting too close to each other so we opted out and let the kids mop up so to speak. I should add here, I was just too tired to lift my head off my hand.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Edited October 1, 2008 by TotemLake

[+Groovy Cachin' Dude!]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

I'm assuming Jeremy is on the right. The guy on the left is a fellow cacher here! It's Dude! He's not a noob!

 

My left or Jeremy's left...no wonder I turn west when I meant to turn right!

 

No, we weren't separated at birth, but we do have Geocaching Tee's and Slingbags over our shoulders. This picture was taken at the Friday Meet 'n Greet prior to GWVI. Jeremy was a very good sport and even gave me a Groundspeak Lackey Geocoin.

[Chattykin]

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Are these guys brothers? Cousins?

[+KD7MXI]

 

 

[+Wooden Cyclist]

So I am on the trail heading out of a local park after finding a new cache. Walking towards me are two middle aged men dressed for a walk in the woods. I ask "Are you guys Geocachers?". They look at each other and one says " I told you we should have brought our wives".

 

 

What did they think Geocacher meant? I have been trying to figure out how someone could take it to mean "men who hold great affection for each other", but it just doesn't make sense.

[+Sol seaker]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Funny, these guys don't look like Lesbians....

[+Sol seaker]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Actually, I think I'd rather just say, "are you a geocacher?" Not like I'm asking them if they're a drug dealer or something.

I think if I went around giving the lesbian symbol my boyfriend would start worrying.

[+DonnaMay]

What do you say when you see other people in the wild. Do you say hello or do you just run for the nearest cover and hide.

 

You don't say anything at first. You just give the sign.

 

Geocachers have adopted the "secret sign" from American Sign Language and changed the meaning to suit ourselves. In ASL it means "Lesbian."

 

Here is Jeremy teaching the "secret sign" to a noob cacher:

 

 

Actually, I think I'd rather just say, "are you a geocacher?" Not like I'm asking them if they're a drug dealer or something.

I think if I went around giving the lesbian symbol my boyfriend would start worrying.

 

I suppose if you are a lesbian geocacher you'd have all your bases covered!

[+zachh1020]

Edit.

Edited May 18, 2009 by zachh1020

[+zachh1020]

Edit.

Edited May 18, 2009 by zachh1020

[+currykev]

 

Funny, these guys don't look like Lesbians....

 

Funny, they look very much like our local Lesbians !!