High Travel Areas: How do you deal?

[+B192734]

So I was just wondering how other people out there in the world deal with caches that are in places that would be nice and easy if not for the constant flow of people wandering around.

 

How do you deal with it?

[+mfamilee]

We go at night.

[GOF and Bacall]

I walk away. If it is something that I think I really want to search for I come back at some odd hour. Dawn usually works.

[+Knight2000]

We get in the car and drive away.

[+wiseye]

In high traffic areas most people are going about there own bussiness and aren't concerned with yours, so go get that cache. Exceptions are people that are hanging around at the site, these people will notice and may ask what you are doing. If they ask tell them you are playing a game, then it's your choice if you want to explain geocaching to them or not, be polite.You can always walk away, if you want. If you are going for the cache in a busy area it helps to stand back and observe the site, see if you can spot the cache or locations you want to search then check them out as if you belong there. people will usually only question you if you look sneaky. Some cachers carry a clipboard and write something down after each "look", then they think you are an inspector. Good luck and don't sweat all those people.

[+plkapmaj]

I usually go with someone else and have them go to the opposite area from the cache site and start singing and dancing, doing David Blane style magic, etc then when everyone is looking at them, I grab the cache and log it. Works like a charm.

[+Hrethgir]

Sounds like an urban micro, and I deal with those by filtering them out with my PQs. I just generally don't enjoy those kinds of caches, so I don't do them.

[+briansnat]

For the most part I don't bother with them. I'm not in this to play cloak and dagger. On the occasions I do find one I simply walk up and grab the cache. It's actually probably better to do it that way, because I bet I attract a lot less attention than someone skulking about the area making sure nobody is looking.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Depends on the area. We did a stage on a multi in Central Park in New York, and several hundred people passed us as we searched. Nobody paid any attention to us! True urban caches, nobody ever notices.

Suburban caches are much more difficult. Walked away from one last week when the picnickers wondered what we were doing. Suburbanites are much more nosy. If you attract attention, you walk away. Otherwise try your best stealth mode. Did I mention the one in the gazebo with a girl sleeping underneath, and her parents leeping nearby? We got some other cachers to point into the lake and yell "Look at that!". Nobody saw me climb over the sleeping girl and retrieve the cache!

[+Chrysalides]

That's where pretending to talk into a cell phone (make sure the ringer is off, or it might go off while you're "talking" into it - embarassing) or your GPSr gives you a good excuse to pretty much hang around any place for a few minutes.

[d.c.e.edmo]

My job requires that I wear a reflective safety vest and I happen to have an extra at home. I am still new and haven't had to try this trick yet, but I think the vest and a clipboard would make most people overlook me.

[+Casting Crowns]

I'm an electrical contractor so I just pretend like I'm working.....especially if it's an LPS. LOL!

[+ras_oscar]

Stop being so self conscious. When I go out for a search I always have a plausible reason for acting the way I do. Never been asked yet. If you look like you belong most people ignore you. except children.

[+kraushad]

As many ior as few of the following as needed:

reflective safety vest, white hardhat, a palm to enter data into, an amber revolving light on white pickup truck, and a pair of the following magnetic door signs on said truck:

 

I guess I like the cloak and dagger stuff, but I choose to be sneaky by being obvious.

[+OKH]

Walk in like you own the place, make eye contact, smile, make your grab and leave like its the most normal thing in the world.

 

This works so well that in the past week, I've had two muggles spontaneously explain what they were doing in the area.

[+TeamFiestyMidgets]

Funny this should come up....recently my van decided to act up on memorial day weekend. This was making the idea of caching dim...but we decided to take my husbands car and go out. We don't usually like to take his car. Not because it is trashy, it is a 2002 Chevy Impala (not new but not bad) .....probably the more obvious reason......................It is a POLICE CAR! LOL....but we were not about to let our day of caching be hindered...so we loaded in the squad car (we have a great take home car policy) They pay for the gas so they can drive it for personal use.

 

The problem.....stealth is NOT AN OPTION in a squad car....LOL So we just had to be more cleaver! We just decided to go about our business and only do the LPS type...after we walked out of the woods with a few people very confused!

[+WebChimp]

How do you deal with it?

 

The easiest way to go unnoticed is in a crowd. Just go about your business, and you won't be noticed. Just act like you're doing what you should be doing.

 

Now, if you want to get noticed, hunt for a cache in a wide open area, when there's nobody else around you. People who pass by will notice you immediately.

[+wimseyguy]

The haz-mat suit and containment box tend to clear out the area pretty well.

 

Or I just act like I belong there and am not doing anything unusual.

 

Edited to add-do NOT play the Pink Panther soundtrack song in your head. There's no way to be stealthy with that rhythm.

Edited May 28, 2009 by wimseyguy

[+Jeep4two]

The haz-mat suit and containment box tend to clear out the area pretty well.

That sounds like a great Head Hard Hat "How not to hunt for a micro" video. . .

[+StarBrand]

A clipboard and a hard hat will make you blend into the background. You can do pretty much anything (within reason) and nobody will notice you.

 

or

 

Carry a book about local plants and trees and a notebook - flip pages and gesture a lot as you inspect every plant in the area and pretend to take notes.

 

Short of that - my best advice is to be bold, not stealthy. Spot the cache, boldly walk over and pick it up as though you were in your own home picking up a coin you dropped on the carpet. Act as though you are supposed to be doing exactly what you are doing. Take care of cache business and boldly put it back. Then walk off and don't look back - behave the whole time as though you have been ordered to do it by your boss.

 

Of course the other advice is to just skip it as such finds with an audience are rarely much fun.