Staying stealth when cache is hard to reach

January 18, 2009

I posted a question about a hard to reach cache (magnetic key case on a lamp post about 15 feet off the ground) and got some very interesting responses - thanks to those who replied. But now that leads to some more questions:

1. Currently I'm only seeking out caches that are within my biking range, about 10-15 miles from home, so carrying a ladder or standing on my bumper is not going to work if I find these types. So is there anyway to indicate that the cache is above eye level and I'll just avoid these until I get a few more caches under my belt?

2. Also, this particular cache was in the parking lot of a very busy, major department store and there were lots of mugglers around - how can I be stealth if I have two ski poles duct taped together and I'm standing on the roof of a car swatting at a light post????

1.8k · January 18, 2009

I posted a question about a hard to reach cache (magnetic key case on a lamp post about 15 feet off the ground) and got some very interesting responses - thanks to those who replied. But now that leads to some more questions:

1. Currently I'm only seeking out caches that are within my biking range, about 10-15 miles from home, so carrying a ladder or standing on my bumper is not going to work if I find these types. So is there anyway to indicate that the cache is above eye level and I'll just avoid these until I get a few more caches under my belt?

only by reading past logs and cache descriptions

2. Also, this particular cache was in the parking lot of a very busy, major department store and there were lots of mugglers around - how can I be stealth if I have two ski poles duct taped together and I'm standing on the roof of a car swatting at a light post????

That is the challenge

18.9k · January 18, 2009

for 1 - Look at past logs and the difficulty rating. Higher difficulty caches should be harder to retrieve.

for 2 - Go at night or give up on stealthy, Be bold - just go do it. Wear a hardhat and carry a clipboard somebody will think you are inspecting the thing.

January 18, 2009

I posted a question about a hard to reach cache (magnetic key case on a lamp post about 15 feet off the ground) and got some very interesting responses - thanks to those who replied. But now that leads to some more questions:

1. Currently I'm only seeking out caches that are within my biking range, about 10-15 miles from home, so carrying a ladder or standing on my bumper is not going to work if I find these types. So is there anyway to indicate that the cache is above eye level and I'll just avoid these until I get a few more caches under my belt?

2. Also, this particular cache was in the parking lot of a very busy, major department store and there were lots of mugglers around - how can I be stealth if I have two ski poles duct taped together and I'm standing on the roof of a car swatting at a light post????

1. Read all the logs and look at the difficulty/terrain rating under the cache name on the cache page. If a terrain is 3 stars even though you know where the cache is located in your city, chances are it requires you to do something other than stay on flat ground. Usually it means you have to do some climbing or jumping. Oh and a lot of cachers carry around "grabby poles". I'm not sure what they are officially called but they are aluminum poles with a trigger on the end that operates a claw on the other end so you can reach up and "grab" an out of reach cache! That should be fairly easy to tie to your bike or self.

Oh I thought I should edit this post cause I just thought of something! One thing to keep in mind if you think a cache is going to be hard to retrieve is or you're not sure where exactly in the area it is is: Geocaching should not require a cacher to break or harm a structure that the cache is on. So if you get to a cache site and you see a structure that looks "iffy" to climb on, chances are the cache isn't on it. It's all about your safety and not harming public property.

2. Go at night or early morning. Or on a Sunday or Holiday when most people stay home or leave town.

Edited January 18, 2009 by P4nD0r4

10.1k · January 18, 2009

Yup. Sometimes you just avoid these caches. Got one on my Ten-Mile List that's 45 feet up a tree. It takes professional tree climbing equipment to retrieve. It is rated 5 for terrain.

You scope them out. If you cannot do them, you try to think of a way to do them. If you cannot, then you avoid them.

5 terrain can mean many things. From professional tree climbing equipment, to a kayak, to a two day hike in the wilderness (albeit along the AT.) If the terrain is 4 or higher, I do not assume that I'll be able to retrieve the cache. But I may look at it it, and see if it is doable. If it isn't, there are many more caches for me to hunt. I don't get that hung up on finding every cache! (Okay, I did spend ten months on a 5/5. And 5 months on a 3/5.) Hey, I even DNFed a cache 15 feet up a tree (yes. I could see the cache). 3 for terrain. But there ain't no way this dolphin is attempting to climb THAT tree!

Time to move on to the next cache.

4.7k · January 19, 2009

if you want me to be stealthy with your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

3.3k · January 19, 2009

Quite a few of my nearest unfound caches are ones that require a boat to get to. Easy. I haven't tried for them yet. I may someday when it is nice and warm and I have a bunch of free time. Or I may not. My choice. If I get to a cache that I can retrieve and stealth is an issue I decide if I want to continue or not. I am not aware of any cache that has been muggled after I found it because someone saw me during the hunt. Many people have seen me retrieving caches but almost all pay no attention.

If I just can't do the cache I post a note and move on. Here is a great example of a cache that I could have logged but didn't because I was not willing to do what was needed. Crazy Monkey Tripod GCMYJK. It didn't make my experience there any less memorable and I had no problem posting a note. The cachers I was hiking with found it and logged a well deserved find. I could have asked the climber to scratch my name onto the log but that would have been outside of what I consider to be "finding" a cache. This is the only cache I have been to that I did not find and log because I was not willing to do what was needed for the cache. Of course I have not attempted other caches that were beyond my personal limits. That is a different topic that is a natural offshoot from this one.

Stealth - your opinion at the time you are hunting.

Other factors - your opinion at the time you are hunting and your own sense of what is safe for you and within your ability to accomplish without endangering yourself or others in your party. And your own integrity.

3.3k · January 19, 2009

if you want me to be stealthy with your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

Poorly worded response but in the right direction. If a cache requires extreme stealth to retrieve it should be expected that it will be muggled. Easy to reach has nothing to do with it. Extreme stealth required should equate to an expectation that the cache will have a short life or will need to be replaced fairly often.

January 19, 2009

I've just been bringing my camera. That seems to afford leeway from muggles. Since you bike, you could pretend to be fixing your tire or something.

January 19, 2009

"Stealth" is something that somebody made up and has lingered around in cache listings ever since. As far as I'm concerned, barring a cache to close to private property, "stealth" is for suckers. That's _your_ rule, not mine.

January 19, 2009

One thought that springs to mind to remain virtually invisible in an area full of muggles is…

In the UK, (I don’t know about the rest of the world), town workers who fix and inspect all the street lights, rubbish bins, signposts, roads etc. etc. etc. normally wear bight yellow jackets/waistcoats over their normal clothing.

These jacket/waistcoats can be easily purchased in a shop and could be worn when geocaching. The muggles will merely think you are a town worker doing regular duties and (usually) completely ignore you.

4.7k · January 19, 2009

if you want me to be stealthy with your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

Poorly worded response but in the right direction.

no, it is not poorly worded. it is exactly what i meant to say.

if you wish me to be stealthy at your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

if it have to build a platform to reach it, i will. if i have to jump or climb, i will. if i have to bring a stepladder, i will. if i have to make a hands and knees search, i will. if i have to lie on the ground and reach under something, i will.

none of these things is stealthy.

if you want me to be stealthy, you will not place your cache so i have to do any of these things in order to retrieve it.

January 20, 2009

if you want me to be stealthy with your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

Poorly worded response but in the right direction.

no, it is not poorly worded. it is exactly what i meant to say.

if you wish me to be stealthy at your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

if it have to build a platform to reach it, i will. if i have to jump or climb, i will. if i have to bring a stepladder, i will. if i have to make a hands and knees search, i will. if i have to lie on the ground and reach under something, i will.

none of these things is stealthy.

if you want me to be stealthy, you will not place your cache so i have to do any of these things in order to retrieve it.

Agreed. Besides, I don't think "stealth" should be a part of those side options when creating a cache because "stealth" should be inferred in geocaching anyway. Unless you know you're going out into the middle of BFE and no one will be there...but even in my hikes in Big Sur, CA, there have been muggles approaching along trails and even off-trail that have me rolling my eyes while I'm deep into "cache ninja mode".

3.3k · January 20, 2009

if you want me to be stealthy with your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

Poorly worded response but in the right direction.

no, it is not poorly worded. it is exactly what i meant to say.

if you wish me to be stealthy at your cache, you will make it easy to reach.

if it have to build a platform to reach it, i will. if i have to jump or climb, i will. if i have to bring a stepladder, i will. if i have to make a hands and knees search, i will. if i have to lie on the ground and reach under something, i will.

none of these things is stealthy.

if you want me to be stealthy, you will not place your cache so i have to do any of these things in order to retrieve it.

My apologies as I forgot the title of the topic. That hard to reach thing.

I have a cache that is very easy to reach but is a bit of a challenge to find. No need to do any of the things you describe. When you find the right spot you grab the container once you recognize that you are looking at the container. Easy. You can do all of the things you describe and not find the cache and I make it clear that you don't need to do those things. It is a true 1 star terrain rating. Some people walk right up and find it. Others spend hours searching but they are usually doing things such as you describe despite the fact that I tell them they don't need to.

Easy to reach does not always equate to easy to retrieve without being noticed. Thus my comment regarding your post. I am sure it is exactly what you meant to say. I was off on a bit of a mental tangent.

4.7k · January 20, 2009

My apologies as I forgot the title of the topic. That hard to reach thing.

I have a cache that is very easy to reach but is a bit of a challenge to find. No need to do any of the things you describe. When you find the right spot you grab the container once you recognize that you are looking at the container. Easy. You can do all of the things you describe and not find the cache and I make it clear that you don't need to do those things. It is a true 1 star terrain rating. Some people walk right up and find it. Others spend hours searching but they are usually doing things such as you describe despite the fact that I tell them they don't need to.

Easy to reach does not always equate to easy to retrieve without being noticed. Thus my comment regarding your post. I am sure it is exactly what you meant to say. I was off on a bit of a mental tangent.

ah. i make a distinction between caches that are hard to spot but easy to reach and caches that are hard to reach or retrieve.

still, unless the description clearly states that i DON'T need to do any of those things, i go right ahead and do them. i start with subtle and toss stealth right out the window in a fashion directly proportional to the amount of time i spend looking.

yes, i have driven up with a ladder. and i have no problem asking that nice lady if she doesn't mind if i check under where she's sitting. i scour playgrounds during busy times, and i march right up to parking lot caches as if i'm in charge of lamp post inspections for the county. i walk into school offices and say "hello, i'm here to look for the geocache on your grounds. will you please direct me to your trails?"

you put a bison tube in a bush at an olive garden and three of us will walk right up and stick our heads into the bush. we'll stay there until we find it, too.

3.3k · January 20, 2009

My apologies as I forgot the title of the topic. That hard to reach thing.

I have a cache that is very easy to reach but is a bit of a challenge to find. No need to do any of the things you describe. When you find the right spot you grab the container once you recognize that you are looking at the container. Easy. You can do all of the things you describe and not find the cache and I make it clear that you don't need to do those things. It is a true 1 star terrain rating. Some people walk right up and find it. Others spend hours searching but they are usually doing things such as you describe despite the fact that I tell them they don't need to.

Easy to reach does not always equate to easy to retrieve without being noticed. Thus my comment regarding your post. I am sure it is exactly what you meant to say. I was off on a bit of a mental tangent.

ah. i make a distinction between caches that are hard to spot but easy to reach and caches that are hard to reach or retrieve.

still, unless the description clearly states that i DON'T need to do any of those things, i go right ahead and do them. i start with subtle and toss stealth right out the window in a fashion directly proportional to the amount of time i spend looking.

yes, i have driven up with a ladder. and i have no problem asking that nice lady if she doesn't mind if i check under where she's sitting. i scour playgrounds during busy times, and i march right up to parking lot caches as if i'm in charge of lamp post inspections for the county. i walk into school offices and say "hello, i'm here to look for the geocache on your grounds. will you please direct me to your trails?"

you put a bison tube in a bush at an olive garden and three of us will walk right up and stick our heads into the bush. we'll stay there until we find it, too.

Sounds like you and I approach the game in a pretty similar fashion, although I don't think I would really want to stick my head in a bush at an Olive Garden. And as a male of the species I usually find that discretion is a good plan when I encounter a cache placed at a playground and I am there during a busy time. I know I am not doing anything illegal but the local Moms don't. You and your girly girl friends may be able to do this but me and my manly man friends do find that it tends to be a bit of a problem.

4.7k · January 20, 2009

My apologies as I forgot the title of the topic. That hard to reach thing.

I have a cache that is very easy to reach but is a bit of a challenge to find. No need to do any of the things you describe. When you find the right spot you grab the container once you recognize that you are looking at the container. Easy. You can do all of the things you describe and not find the cache and I make it clear that you don't need to do those things. It is a true 1 star terrain rating. Some people walk right up and find it. Others spend hours searching but they are usually doing things such as you describe despite the fact that I tell them they don't need to.

Easy to reach does not always equate to easy to retrieve without being noticed. Thus my comment regarding your post. I am sure it is exactly what you meant to say. I was off on a bit of a mental tangent.

ah. i make a distinction between caches that are hard to spot but easy to reach and caches that are hard to reach or retrieve.

still, unless the description clearly states that i DON'T need to do any of those things, i go right ahead and do them. i start with subtle and toss stealth right out the window in a fashion directly proportional to the amount of time i spend looking.

yes, i have driven up with a ladder. and i have no problem asking that nice lady if she doesn't mind if i check under where she's sitting. i scour playgrounds during busy times, and i march right up to parking lot caches as if i'm in charge of lamp post inspections for the county. i walk into school offices and say "hello, i'm here to look for the geocache on your grounds. will you please direct me to your trails?"

you put a bison tube in a bush at an olive garden and three of us will walk right up and stick our heads into the bush. we'll stay there until we find it, too.

Sounds like you and I approach the game in a pretty similar fashion, although I don't think I would really want to stick my head in a bush at an Olive Garden. And as a male of the species I usually find that discretion is a good plan when I encounter a cache placed at a playground and I am there during a busy time. I know I am not doing anything illegal but the local Moms don't. You and your girly girl friends may be able to do this but me and my manly man friends do find that it tends to be a bit of a problem.

if you'd ever seen me, you wouldn't have made that comment about me and my girly girl friends.

for starters, my girly-est friend is probably crashco, whom i criticized a few weeks ago for wanting to chip ice off of a cache the girly way with a tool rather than (i said) the proper approach of giving it some good hard kicks.

when we arrive at a playground, i say loudly to him "you check over there. i'll get this one." we pull on our gloves and start searching as if we are the playground inspectors. when asked what we are looking for, we say "clues" in a manner that suggests that we are joyless and tight-lipped and this is not a happy hunt.

we always say you know you've had a good day if you come home covered with dirt, smelling bad, and bleeding a little.

girly in my book is wearing pink socks to a 24-hour mountain bike race. girly is wearing cute earrings to go with your shaved head. girly is applying lip balm at forty miles an hour turning left in traffic. on a bike. girly is being able to say "well, that was discourteous!" in such a fashion as to frighten people away. girly is not caring if you win the fight, as long as the guy goes home with his stones in a handbag and his ear bitten off.

January 20, 2009

girly is not caring if you win the fight, as long as the guy goes home with his stones in a handbag and his ear bitten off.

Dang, you sound like a hoot to go caching with!

5.3k · January 20, 2009

Trying to be "stealthy" while caching is one of the main mistakes beginners make. That's a sure way to get yourself reported to the police/security people.

If you haven't ever been in special ops or the intelligence services, chances are overwhelming that you have no idea of how to actually be stealthy. Me, I have no experience with either, so I just act like I belong and people rarely question me. In fact, I go out of my way to say "hi" to people who walk near me. Works like a charm.

15.3k · January 20, 2009

If you haven't ever been in special ops or the intelligence services, chances are overwhelming that you have no idea of how to actually be stealthy. Me, I have no experience with either, so I just act like I belong and people rarely question me. In fact, I go out of my way to say "hi" to people who walk near me. Works like a charm.

I don't have experience with special ops or the intelligence services, but I (also) have experience with stage magic. Just acting like you belong there is a great approach. The key is to look perfectly normal, so no one gives you a second thought. If you look sneaky or "stealthy", then you're just drawing attention to yourself and to what you're doing.

4.7k · January 20, 2009

yes. someone trying to look normal spikes my weird meter right away. people pretending that a GPS is a cellphone spike both my weird and my idiot meter.

you want to get people to ignore you in droves? have a loud and very pretentious conversation regarding how much you know about architecture, functional harmony, oils vs. pastels, your stage auditions... any field in which self-important and attention seeking twits thrive. take out your iphone and talk loudly about how superior it is to anything else.

you will be invisible.

or you could just march right up as if it's the most natural thing in the world. nobody notices that, either.

14k · January 21, 2009

The key is to look perfectly normal...

That could be a problem for me...

5.3k · January 21, 2009

The key is to look perfectly normal...

That could be a problem for me...

Actually, you are right. It is harder than it sounds.

In magic, one of the most difficult things one must learn is what it means to "act normal." I have spent quite literally thousands of hours walking around with a coin palmed in one hand, getting used to it so that when I do it for a magic trick it looks "normal." New magicians have to learn to not act guilty when they do the "secret" part of a trick; that simple-sounding thing can take years of practice.

It's easier in a geocaching setting, though. Here are a few tips: if you are in a park, looking through the bushes, and somebody walks by, turn to them and say "Hi." If they ask you what you are doing, just tell them. Don't suddenly stop searching and wait for them to go by without saying a word, and then start again when it seems "safe." If you are approached by the authorities, walk up to them with empty hands visible and introduce yourself. Tell them what you are doing. Don't try making up a story. It will not work. If someone tells you that you are on private property or otherwise in a place you're not supposed to be, don't argue. Just say "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware," and leave. And don't come back until you know that you have the right to be there. And don't go places where you know it's not legal to be. Like in parks after dark. I have done it a couple of times and talked my way out, but it wasn't worth it, and I won't do it again.

Those things may seem like common sense, and they are, but you would be surprised how many cachers have a hard time with them!

9.1k · January 21, 2009

Rarely do I see two candidates for "forum post of the month" in the same thread, especially in the "Getting Started" forum.

Fizzy's advice on "stealth" is succinct and accurate. The sooner that you get over your newbie ninja phase, and behave as Fizzy describes, the better.

And flask's "girly girl" post... what can I say? I <3 flask.

14k · January 21, 2009

The key is to look perfectly normal...

That could be a problem for me...

Actually, you are right. It is harder than it sounds.

In magic, one of the most difficult things one must learn is what it means to "act normal."

Acting normal isn't a problem...but there's only so much I can do about "looking" normal.

While looking for caches out on the west coast near the end of the day I went in search of one that was about .25 miles down a trail. I came around a corner, looked at my GPS and saw the obvious hiding spot about 200' away. Problem was, that right next to this large stump along side the trail was some guy that picked that exact spot to stop his walk/jog down the trail to jump rope. I walked by him and nodded and went a bit further down the trail then when it looked like he wasn't going anywhere walked back and told him exactly what I was about to do. I explained a bit about geocaching to him, as I found the cache signed the log and replaced it. He thought it sounded like fun and was a good way to get some exercise.

When considering how stealthy I need to be to find I cache I judge each instance on it's own merits. I don't thinks a single approach works for all caches.

4.7k · January 22, 2009

Acting normal isn't a problem...but there's only so much I can do about "looking" normal.

why?

do you have a third arm protruding from your forehead?

January 22, 2009

Be Invisible.........Dress The Part!

1.1k · January 22, 2009

1. So is there anyway to indicate that the cache is above eye level and I'll just avoid these until I get a few more caches under my belt?

2. how can I be stealth if I have two ski poles duct taped together ..........

Yes, terrain ratings should be higher for the cache 15 feet off the ground.

I do high muggle caches at odd hours. I bet the lot is empty at 6:30 AM

January 31, 2009

Two techniques I use in high traffic areas, or area that need 'stealth':

1. Cell phone - walking in circles taking on the cell phone, looking up and down - no one cares

2. I bring my son - we're looking for bugs, lost toy, who knows what kids are getting into

Staying stealth when cache is hard to reach

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