Secret handshakes, codewords, and other GeoIdentifiers

[WanderingTraveler]

Greetings all,

 

My girls (who go by the name of Book-a-neers) and I have been at this for less than a week. We just stumbled accross GeoCashing (my new moble phone has a built in GPS, and while downloading applications for it I found a "GeoCaching app" and wondered what it was all about.. which led me to GeoCashing.com). We have never physically met another GeoCasher (that we know of) and so we are trying to figure out things as best we can on our own.

 

One question we had is how do you identify other GeoCashers? Are there codewords, phrases, or handshakes? I have seen that we use channel 2 on walkie-talkies, but other than that (and actually finding someone with their hand in the cache) how do we know who is a muggle and who is a GeoCasher? We have gathered from logs and posts to the forumns that we need to be sneaky when tracking down a cache, and we should NOT let on to muggles what we are doing, where the cache is, or that we are not doing anything other than tieing our shoe or changing a tire.

 

Also, a question about trackables. We have figured out that we need to "trade up or trade even" with cashe swag (this makes perfect sence). However, does this apply to trackables too? I would assume not (as these don't belong to the cache and usually have their own mission). I mean, we know we don't keep them (we move them to another cache as per the owners wishes), but we were specifially wondering if we wanted to remove one from a cache, do we need to leave another trackabe in its place (thus following the concept of "trading even")? Our assumption is that they are not part of any trading (ie you can't take swag out of a cache and use a trackable as the "swap", but on the flipside if you are able to help the trackable move along toward its mission you don't need to swap something for it). Are we correct in this? We don't want to break any ediquete rules.

 

One last question. I don't live as close to my family as I would like. This means that I don't see them as much as I would wish (and they don't see me or the girls as much as we would wish either). I was wondering if there was a way to turn our log enteries that we make for caches and trackables into an RSS feed that they (or anyone) could suscribe to and read. This seems like a good idea (sort of like a blog or wahtever), but I can't immediately figure out how to do this, if if is possible, via the GeoCashing.com website. Obviously we wouldn't let this feed leak to muggles, but it might be fun to share with other GeoCashers.

 

Thanks in advance,

The Book-a-neers and their Dad

[+Gimpy13]

My understanding (as a newbie, also) is that there is indeed a secret handshake. I've seen it:

 

There are two people walking along, approaching one another. They pause and appear to be shaking hands. But if you look very closely, you'll see that there has been a very smooth transfer of two AA batteries from one palm to the other.

 

It's sort of like a platonic mating ritual.

[+va griz]

On meeting other cachers: If you get there and there's somebody wandering around with a GPS in their hand, there is over a 99% chance you found one. Wave your GPS and say hi. I think the stealth thing is a little overdone. Use common sence when in a crowd, but most muggles are oblivious to all but the most wierd behaviour.

 

Anybody, family included, can open your profile and see the logs of your caches. To use me as an example, click on my name and my profile will come up. Click on the various tabs for more info.

 

Trackables, there is more than one school of thought on that. I'll let some of the cachers that have stronger opinions amswer that one.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[+Trucker Lee]

Try here and here

 

edit to add............... and post #19 of this thread

Edited March 2, 2009 by Trucker Lee

[+ventura_kids]

If you see someone AT the cache site, they could be geocachers.

If you have your gps out and are heading their direction, they will probably say hi.

Remember, even if they are muggles, and don't know what you are doing, you can just walk past the cache without picking it up and giving away it's hiding spot.

 

Travelers in caches can normally be picked up and taken.

Remember to check their goal on line, and move them towards their goal....dropping them in another cache.

They are not kept.

[+jeffbouldin]

If you are on Twitter and/or Facebook then sign up for the service at http://coord.info/textmark.aspx and follow the instructions for linking them. Then while out caching log your finds through text messages and they send out through Twitter and update Facebook.

Edited March 2, 2009 by jeffbouldin

[+bubbasparkz]

Greetings all,

 

My girls (who go by the name of Book-a-neers) and I have been at this for less than a week. We just stumbled accross GeoCashing (my new moble phone has a built in GPS, and while downloading applications for it I found a "GeoCaching app" and wondered what it was all about.. which led me to GeoCashing.com). We have never physically met another GeoCasher (that we know of) and so we are trying to figure out things as best we can on our own.

 

One question we had is how do you identify other GeoCashers? Are there codewords, phrases, or handshakes? I have seen that we use channel 2 on walkie-talkies, but other than that (and actually finding someone with their hand in the cache) how do we know who is a muggle and who is a GeoCasher? We have gathered from logs and posts to the forumns that we need to be sneaky when tracking down a cache, and we should NOT let on to muggles what we are doing, where the cache is, or that we are not doing anything other than tieing our shoe or changing a tire.

 

Also, a question about trackables. We have figured out that we need to "trade up or trade even" with cashe swag (this makes perfect sence). However, does this apply to trackables too? I would assume not (as these don't belong to the cache and usually have their own mission). I mean, we know we don't keep them (we move them to another cache as per the owners wishes), but we were specifially wondering if we wanted to remove one from a cache, do we need to leave another trackabe in its place (thus following the concept of "trading even")? Our assumption is that they are not part of any trading (ie you can't take swag out of a cache and use a trackable as the "swap", but on the flipside if you are able to help the trackable move along toward its mission you don't need to swap something for it). Are we correct in this? We don't want to break any ediquete rules.

 

One last question. I don't live as close to my family as I would like. This means that I don't see them as much as I would wish (and they don't see me or the girls as much as we would wish either). I was wondering if there was a way to turn our log enteries that we make for caches and trackables into an RSS feed that they (or anyone) could suscribe to and read. This seems like a good idea (sort of like a blog or wahtever), but I can't immediately figure out how to do this, if if is possible, via the GeoCashing.com website. Obviously we wouldn't let this feed leak to muggles, but it might be fun to share with other GeoCashers.

 

Thanks in advance,

The Book-a-neers and their Dad

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

Welcome to the addiction!!! As far as TBs and geocoins go you do not need to leave one to retrieve one from a cache. The owners bought those trackables to be moved around so as long as you can help one in it's mission feel free to move it along and the trackables owner will really appreciate your helping it along. As you've correctly figured out a trackable is not swag so therefore you never have to trade to move it along.

 

If there is more than one trackable you can help along on their missions feel free to move more than 1 along at a time. I've seen some suggest that if taking more than one trackable that it's nice to try and leave at least one in the cache for the next cacher who comes along. That way they get to participate in the fun of helping trackables.

 

There are some TB Hotel owner that try and restrict a trackable items movements by saying you can not take a TB without leaving a replacement behind. In that case feel free to ignore what the cache owner says. The reason is the person who owns the trackable paid for it out of their own money and nobody has the right to hold it ransom just so they can brag that look my cache has trackables in it. Always remember the TBs owner's wishes to have his/her TB move always outweigh a cache owners preferences.

 

Again welcome and happy caching!!!!

[+Headhardhat]

Michigan Cacheman has it right on the money. Travel Bugs and Geocoins move completely independant to swag you find in a geocache. Please move any travel bugs as much as possible, the owners appreciate it.

 

-HHH

[Book-a-neers]

Thanks everybody!

 

Our Daddy (dcolpi) and the two of us practiced that dance that Mr. Trucker Lee mentioned. We thought it was very fun! Daddy says we can go out later to see if we can help a travel bug get to one of the places he wants to visit! We are very excited!

 

-The Book-a-neers