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Approached by cachers you never met...


Unkle Fester

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OK, this most likely happens to me more than most (I look like my name suggests).

 

I was at a geocoin event in February waaaaay out of town and got approached by a guy who was telling me all kinds of things about my caching. Come to find out a local was pulling a fast one on me and everyone got a good laugh.

 

I've always had cachers come up to me at events and figure out who I am, no problem. But recently I've had a few instances where with no outward sign of caching, people have walked up to me and asked if I was Unkle Fester. Two different days folks at work walked up and started talking, identifying me by sight. Another in the parking lot of work, and a fourth was at Lunch yesterday after church (Yes Virginia, I said church) a family walked up. They're a new family of cachers and the boys (Teen and a pre teen) were convinced of who I was and kept staring. So they all walked over to say hi. I loved the approach they had as a family, really cute and apologetic. Turns out we go to church together. They also admitted to seeing the TB on the wifes rig, that was their second clue.

 

I told them it was not a problem, because I'm always happy to meet other cachers and chat. Gets me a little more social than I would otherwise. Great folks, all of them.

 

On one hand, really cool talking to folks about geocaching and making new acquaintances.

 

On the other hand, almost creepy they pick me out of a crowd. I shouldn't be surprised, but I do find it funny.

 

Have these kinds of experiences?

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Among other things related to geocaching I'm a voracious log reader. When I've found a cache or am going to be caching in a new area I'll look at a few caches and read the online logs, which in many cases, have photos. If there are any virtual or earth caches in an area, chances are it will have "take a photo of yourself with your GPS near the cache" as a logging requirement. Perhaps, they were just able to identify you from an ALR mug shot.

 

At an event a couple of years ago, the people that planned scoured the logs from lots of local caches and downloaded any photos which had local cachers in them. They also included a bunch of photos with scenic views or something else that the person logging the cache found interesting enough to photograph. Then they annotated many of the photos and played it as a slideshow with a projector and a laptop. It was a really nice feature of the event.

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Recently my caching buddy and I were out along a normally deserted park road just out of sight searching for a new cache. I heard a vehicle coming along the road and then it stopped. I just figured it was someone concerned about a car just sitting there. Then suddenly I heard a voice yell "Hey, mommio, did you find it yet?" Was a local cacher I hadn't met but he recognized my cachemobile from, as he put it, .10 of a mile away. My jeep is a TB and there have been pictures of it on event pages.

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I had that happen.

 

I went to my first first to find event, not really an event, but a local cache was published and I found out what a social event it really is.

 

I told them I am Sol Seaker, and I immediately got asked about (by name) the person I go caching with and a lot of other questions that showed that people pay alot more attention then I realized. I was pretty surprised.

 

They recognised me by my name and knew a lot about me. Very strange indeed. And I haven't even been caching that long!!!

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I don't get to very many events but lots of people suddenly know me - only after I slap on a nametag. Anybody caching within 100 miles of my home tends to do several of my caches. Plus you just about have to do several of my caches to complete 2 of the statewide challenge caches. I had a few hides among the first several caches in Nebraska and Wyoming. Add that to my ever growing forum post count - and lots of folks "think" they know me. Take off the nametag and I get anonymous again.

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Have these kinds of experiences?

 

Quite often. I guess between my long time forum presence and my numerous cache hides, a lot of geocachers know who I am - even when I'm out of my home area. Total strangers introduce theirselves to me and will recognize my wife as well. I guess people actually do look at the photos in the gallerys.

 

I was undergoing physical therapy for a foot injury a while ago and would chat with the with the therapist during the sessions. Somewere along the way I mentioned geocaching. She said she had geocached some and her sister and brother in law were avid cachers. Then she did a double take at the name on my chart and said "You wouldn't happen to be BrianSnat would you?"

 

Same thing happened with the 10 year old girls soccer team I coach. I wore a Geocaching.com hat to a practice and a parent saw it when he came to pick up his daughter. He mentioned that he and his family geocached, then he thought for a moment and said "is there any chance you are BrianSnat?'

 

I met a lot of great people this way so I see it as a good thing.

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Well if you look anything like your avatar pic you are a bit distinctive looking. :anicute:

 

About 5 years back a group of us had planned a road trip to a cache dense town about 2 hours away. I had actually solved a puzzle (it doesn't happen often) for our route, but contacted the CO for verification. (this was in the days before geochecker/evince/etc.)

 

He replied that I was correct, and asked if we had a planned route so he could offer some hints and suggestions. So I sent him the route. In the third cache we found a pic of us at the first cache. That was odd.

At the fifth stop there was one of us forming a circus pyramid to retrieve the nano 12' up the pole. Now it's getting creepy.

Two caches later-there's another pic of us from earlier in the route. :huh:

 

This time when we exited the woods we were greeted by the three laughing locals who had been stalking us, including the one who verified my puzzle coords. I've never shared a route since then. :blink:

Edited by wimseyguy
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I did that caching last Saturday. I found out I am not as nimble as I used to be. Our caching routine (with the kids) consists of stopping at most of the playgrounds in the parks that we visit to find geocaches in.

 

The kids were on a spinning round-about and of course I am pushing them as fast as I can. Then I try to hop on. Nope. I ended up thrown off it and fortunately was just able to roll head first. At least I didn't get hurt.

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Yes, I have been approached, but the one that I remember most, because it seemed so funny at the time, was when I first met Skippermark. He came up to me at a non-event event, and asked if I was Planet, and he led to me another table in the restaurant, telling me there were people that wanted to meet me. I felt like a rock star for a second! LOL. I guess they had read some of my logs and wanted to say something about them. I wasn't asked for my autograph. :blink:

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I have, on occasion, been pinpointed as a geocacher. One time I was caching in Skagway, Alaska, and was approaching the cache, when a gentleman was sitting on a bench saying "Warmer, warmer, you're getting warmer". Turns out he was a geocacher who had found the cache I was looking for.

 

Another time I was picking my kid up from a birthday party, and one of the parents came and asked if I was a geocacher. Perhaps my shirt gave me away...

 

It says "Got Geocaching?"

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Our odd story-

The other day we were at Starbucks ordering our drinks and they asked for our names. So we gave them. Standing right behind us was a guy we had never seen before and he suddenly says "Hey! Do you guys Geocache?"

Turned out he had geocached with his ex-wife several times a few years ago and hadn't gotten back into the activity yet. He had just found his GPS and was looking forward to getting back out. So we wished him luck and told him how to update his username or re-log the previous finds so folks would know what was going on. He was really sweet.

 

I go to out-of-state events when I get the chance and always have a blast meeting cachers who I have seen post on the forums or whose caches are among the oldest or most recommended ones in an area.

Jen

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On a regular basis. I have a bunch of t-shirts that I had made just for caching, and they all have "Clan Riffster" on the pocket, and different snarky expressions on the back. (things like "Film Cans are to geocaching what kudzu is to plants") Lots of folks figure out who I am just by reading the backs.

 

They don't confuse you with that other short fat kid that says "Respect my Authority!!!!!"?

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Have these kinds of experiences?

 

It happens to me a lot. Mostly at mega events like GeoWoodstock, but at regional events and even local events too.

 

It's usually something to do with things that I post here or other caching websites and it's usually a lurker I've just met thanking me for keeping it real or making them laugh. ;)

 

I also get name recognition from folks that have found O.D.S. caches... Uh which was sorta the original point for that project. :blink:

 

I have a lot of geo-buds and many of them get around all over the country and world and I often hear back that they attended some event or other and someone asked them about me or about my cache: Quantum Leap. :( I.E. Mustard Devil took a job with KBR and went to work in Afghanistan and while on some vacation time he attended an event in Scotland where he said a couple cachers asked him "What that Snoogans bloke was all about." :shocked:

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