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Any hints on improving our unobtrusiveness?


ckmanning

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Is unobtrusiveness even a word? :o

 

Here's the situation: We live in a suburban area and have just started caching. I am a SWF and go out with 2 or 3 of my young children. The times when we are in parks we have no problem, but other times we seem to attract tons of attention. Our first trip we had a fine fellow come running out of his garage to inform us we "couldn't go that way". We were at least 500 yards from his home, on public property! Our most recent trip we had two vehicles stop to ask if we needed help and a police officer drive by to find out what we were doing. We enjoy the search, but don't like to be made to feel like criminals :) , and also don't want to be limited to caches in very remote areas/parks. We dress to "take a walk", don't obviously carry our GPS (sometimes not at all!) and don't look guilty, or like criminals :) (I think!).

 

So, any hints on what we can do so as not to attract so much unwanted attention? We really do want to continue this.

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some neighborhoods are jumpy no matter what you look like. i prefer not to cache in those neighborhoods.

 

in some neighborhoods the inhabitants are really sick of seeing strangers pull up and examine "their" guardrail. they don't understand it, and they don't like it.

 

recently i was looking for a roadside micro across the street from some houses and this guy came running out.

 

"excuse me", he said, politely and yet not very friendly. "people with out of state plates keep pulling up and looking at that guardrail. do you mind telling me what you're all doing?"

 

he was nervous, and maybe rightly so. once i'd explained it to him, he seemed amused and ok with it.

 

in some neighborhoods they never get past nervous.

 

 

most places, however, all you have to do is march right up as if you belong there. nothing makes you more invisible than minding your own business.

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most places, however, all you have to do is march right up as if you belong there. nothing makes you more invisible than minding your own business.

 

ayep.

 

-----

 

I do have to wonder why you seem to be attracting that much involvement/attention on your first few caches. You don't have to go deep woods but maybe stick with the parks until you fine tune your geo-presence.

 

The fact is bringing my kids along is one way I get around a more urban placed cache.

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I got noticed a couple of weeks ago by a couple at a Lamp Post Cache. I happened to be wearing a Shirt from Alltel that was given to me by my Daughter. I held up my GPS and pointed to my clipboard and told them that I was searching out WiFi Hotspots for the company and walked on.

That seemed to satisfy them.

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I like to wear my (conservation & environment) Departmental jacket as worn by firefighters (bushfires) when doing caches in rural residential areas. As this time of year, I just look like I'm checking to see if people have cleared away potential fuel - dead leaves, branches, bark, etc. I look like I have every right to be there, and like police, people are reluctant to approach.

 

But I also have this story in my arsenal about climate change and the septimus optii beetle. ....after a drought when you get a month of rain, they've been known to breed ferociously, and migrate up to a hundred miles away. They were detected in this area 4 years ago....blah blah blah. ....It's all hooey. There is no such beetle.

 

Moral of the story - as long as you look and sound convincing, they'll believe you. You only have to say a small amount - people really aren't interested in a beetle.

 

Make up a story that suits the type of cache you do (urban, rural, etc) and keep it handy, just in case.

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it's a lot easier to tell the truth, and when you tell people the truth, they are less likely to be angry when they find out what's really going on, and they willfind out. maybe not from you, but if they live there, they WILL find out.

 

do you want to represent the sport as a creepy guy with a sneaky story, or a person engaged in a legal and healthy game?

 

edit to add: the answer to "what are you doing?" need not be any more complex than "something hidden. it's part of a game."

 

most people lose interest right there. the few that don't lose interest will appreciate knowing.

Edited by flask
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In five years of caching, as a single, middle aged male (to be kind to myself!) I have only been questioned about three times. Once was by a security guard outside of the library that he worked in. And he only walked away, rolling his eyes.

 

Once was by a neighbor that thought my GPSr was a camera and, for reasons I could never figure out, found that more threatening than what it really was, once I told him.

 

And once was by a cop driving down a rails-to-trails path, just wondering what we were doing. He had no problem with it.

 

 

Strikes me odd that a young women with children would be stopped more often in a much shorter period of time than I have been, but perhaps that just where you live.

 

 

In any case... if questioned, be friendly, be truthful, and let your enthusiasm for caching show. Carry some printouts with you if you aren't comfortable with explaining caching in your own words.

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My best advice is to be bold.

 

Forget stealth or trying to appear innocent. You are innocent - when you are Geocaching, you aren't doing anything wrong. Boldy and confidently identify the cache location and then go find it, sign the logbook and return it. Do it as though you belong there. As though it is your job and a job you know well. Be filled with confidence at your every action. Just do it.

 

If anybody questions you - tell them what you are doing with the same casual bluntness.

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My best advice is to be bold.

 

Forget stealth or trying to appear innocent. You are innocent - when you are Geocaching, you aren't doing anything wrong. Boldy and confidently identify the cache location and then go find it, sign the logbook and return it. Do it as though you belong there. As though it is your job and a job you know well. Be filled with confidence at your every action. Just do it.

 

If anybody questions you - tell them what you are doing with the same casual bluntness.

 

I have taken to carying around with me a pamphlet that I located at http://www.geocacher-u.com/. It explains Geocaching and has some useful information on it. I have yet to actual give one out to anyone who has questioned me about what I was doing while out searching...but I have given out several to friends who have expressed interest in getting into Geocaching themselves.

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Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately many won't work while with kids i.e. fire scouting, WiFi spotting, etc., but we will keep at it, and maybe try some more parks for a while. Kinda makes me wish I had a dog to hike with (we do have a dog, but he has decided he is "retired" and is no longer able to do long walks). I would think walking a dog would be the perfect "excuse" to be most places, and to pause and wander in circles sometimes :o

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...So, any hints on what we can do so as not to attract so much unwanted attention? We really do want to continue this.

 

The simplest method is to flat out search where people aren't. They can't run out of their garage if you aren't hunting hear a garage.

 

Whenever you search where people are, well, you will always look funny. Caching hits 80% of all the behaviors that folks are trained to look for and report in our post 9/11 world.

 

Every now and then I've been "busted" in some pretty bizzar ways. y daughter and I were hiding a cache on a hill side and a good samaratain sees "dude with young girl heading into snowy woods clearly only one of us is coming back" and he intervened. That was interesting. Later that same day in a heavy snow I had locked my keys in my rig and a single woman picked us up. Clearly she didn't see killer dude, and saw doofy dad. People are strange.

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it's a lot easier to tell the truth, and when you tell people the truth, they are less likely to be angry when they find out what's really going on, and they willfind out. maybe not from you, but if they live there, they WILL find out.....

 

This is my experience. Where I chose to be a bit less than honest about caching (guy who thought I was trying to kill a young girl) he wasn't buying it. As soon as I told him about caching he decided he believed me. I'm not at all sure what the difference was, but that was my one attempt at less than "yes I'm caching" and it didn't work. I've only had one person ever not believe what I was doing when I explained it to them. 1000 caches and I've had to do this about a dozen times. Normally to a good result.

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I've heard from several people that having a good disguise can help make it easier. But since I also take my kids with me people actually don't bother me too much. But if you need some quick stories here what I would suggest:

 

parking lot cache:

 

Tell them one of your kids threw a toy out the window and your looking for it.

 

Park trail cache:

 

Tell them on your kids saw a deer/fancy animal and you were cashing it

 

Residential cache:

 

These can get a bit tricky, but you could say your looking for a lost pet.

 

Always make sure you have a good cover story. I think that makes the game a bit more fun.

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i do not know why people insist on lying to people with questions.

 

if we wish to be perceived as a group as creepy, dishonest and possibly illegal, cover stories are a great way to go.

 

if we wish to be perceived as regular people playing a legal game, we ought to tell the truth.

 

"i'm looking for a clue. it's kind of like a scavenger hunt" takes care of it in a nonspecific way.

 

"i'm looking for something hidden. it's for a game" answers the question but doesn't give much away.

 

if YOU come by and lie stupidly to a local person and then ANOTHER cacher comes by with ANOTHER stupid lie, the locals are going to figure out they're being lied to, and the results won't be pretty.

 

if lying to people makes your life more fun, well, i have little time for you.

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When approached by a sheriff during a hunt next to a library (spotted by good samaritan at next door post office who saw hubby in bushes), we simply told him the truth..."ever hear of geocaching? It's what we're doing and there's a cache hidden right in those bushes". He'd heard of it, saw that I was explaining the GPS (in my hand) to hubby, laughed it off, wished us luck and was on his way without bothering for ID, etc.

 

Sometimes ya just gotta admit that you're doing something that might LOOK suspicious, but is actually just an innocent game, and you're actually staying OUT of trouble...it's easier than trying to keep a bunch of excuses handy, plus it doesn't gum up the works for the next person that's trying to enjoy some honest fun.

 

All the above is just my $.02.

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I agree with flask 100% on this point.

 

A BIG reason more than two dozen caches on Ft. Richardson outside of Anchorage got archived was because the Recreation Officer got tired of being lied to by cachers when asked what they were doing. The army has the trails festooned with cameras and he knew exactly what the cachers were doing and where'd they'd been. However, the facts that no one had approached the army for permission to place caches on army land coupled with cachers not truthfully answering the questions from the army's equivalent of law-enforcement officers really, really irritated them to the point of not wanting to deal with geocachers any longer.

 

Whether approached by LEOs or civilians, I always start my answer with "have you heard about geocaching? I on a scavenger hunt with my GPS." Sometimes that's more than enough to send the questioner running. Othertimes, it leads to follow-up questions. In no situation has it had negative consequences.

 

Back directly on topic...I don't take my family on urban hunts often, so we're not typically in areas where we can be seen and attract attention. I think you'd do fine when approached by neighbors, police, etc., to just respond, "no help needed, we're on a geocaching scavenger hunt." Chivalry may not be dead...many of those folks may honestly be concerned about your welfare.

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While we have never been questioned by anyone while hunting, I did see a great sign that we have used to explain to friends. And forgive me if it is a common saying, etc. cause it was new to me. "We use billion dollar satelites to look for tupperware in the woods, what's your hobby?" They either walk away, or show interest. And honesty is always the best policy.

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In almost six years of caching we have only been approached or questioned a relatively small number of times. We have found the best approach is to try to explain the game as a sort of treasure hunt or some such. If you are out and about searching for random stupid stuff you are not likely to be a threat.

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We were looking for a nano in some ivy and a neighbour drove up to question us. Was this a drug pick-up/drop off point? Lots of strange activity and strangers here which concerned him and his neighbours. We explained what we were doing, showed him the travel bug on the car. In this case, we made a note in our DNF log......but the cache owner lives close by (can see the activity from his porch) and I wish he had alerted his neighbours. It is one of those places that is a Neighbouhood Block Watch...."we report all suspicious activities to the police!" We were lucky that this neighbour came to ask us - apparently another had had enough and was prepared to call 911. We are not going back to that one (or any of the others this CO has, for other reasons.)

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Its always my policy to immediatley and unequivically tell the truth to anyone of authority who might question me. Security Guards, Police Officers, Home/Land Owners...etc. And especially if it will ease the minds of home owners suspicious of the activities going on near their homes.

But, I am rather vague and even outright evasive to any others who may question me while in public areas if I perceive them as a possible threat to the safety of someone elses caches.

Edited by rat31465
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I've heard from several people that having a good disguise can help make it easier. But since I also take my kids with me people actually don't bother me too much. But if you need some quick stories here what I would suggest:

 

parking lot cache:

 

Tell them one of your kids threw a toy out the window and your looking for it.

 

Park trail cache:

 

Tell them on your kids saw a deer/fancy animal and you were cashing it

 

Residential cache:

 

These can get a bit tricky, but you could say your looking for a lost pet.

 

Always make sure you have a good cover story. I think that makes the game a bit more fun.

 

No. Tell them the truth. Start off by saying it's some kind of scavenger hunt, then if they need more explanation, explain geocaching. People have got into so much trouble here for making some weird story they couldn't then substantiate.

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Like Flask said, there is no reason to lie. What else could you say that would be better than saying "we are geocaching." In fact on Sunday was the first time someone came up to us, well kind of. We were caching next to a trail and someone passed us and said "Are you geocaching?" On Sunday morning we decided to get some urbans. We were outside the front doors of a closed restaurant when a guy opened the door and asked if we needed some help. I stammered something about we were geocaching, and he interrupted and said yeah he knew, did we want some help finding it? We chatted for a bit and then he asked us if we wanted a cup of coffee. :(

 

To the OP, if you are still worried about getting pestered, then go find more in the woods or outback where you are. Those are the kind that we like anyway.

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just had an experiance like this on todays caching run.. was looking for a VERY wel camo'd and hidden cache on a walk bridge when a guy about my age came up and asked "you lose something?" i looked over thought of a few stories then said "actually playing a game called Geocaching with my GPS" as soon as i said that he looked really interested and said i've heard of that whats it about, make a long story kinda short i explained a little more and that i was looking for a container well hidden that was about this big (hands making a box of varying sizes between small and regular). well he started looking together for it and after about 30 minutes he said "You know what this is pretty fun" after an hour though we both gave the search up and parted ways, need less to say i think i just recruited a muggle to the caching world, YAAAY.. honesty and a look of belonging in the area seem to be the best remedy and may add to the fun as well :( .

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Many thanks to all who answered. I too have decided honesty is the best policy (and I would never have lied to any officer of the law - can't imagine why you would when their job is to protect and serve!) I also have a much better GPS en route to us so that will hopefully minimize some of our aimless wandering. We were trying to use our Tomtom - not too accurate. I did drag the canine companion for a short trek also. That made me feel safer and looked more natural, in my opinion. He (the dog) did give me a few dirty looks for interrupting his day-long nap, but I informed him that even seniors need exercise! The kids can't wait to find our next treasure :blink: Hopefully the weather will be cooperative this weekend.

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Mama said it best.... "Honesty is the best policy." Put yourself in the homeowner's/cop's/security guard's shoes... stranger walking slowly. no apparent destination, looking around... could arouse anyone's suspicion especially in an urban setting with the economy being what it is. I'm a courier/driver with a route that covers 300 miles thru NV/CA working swing and graveyard. I cache when I have time between stops and have been questioned a few times.

Attitude is everything... I explain I'm geocaching, describe the treasure/scavenger hunt angle and the "Trillion-dollar satellites to find Dollar-store Tupperware" has gotten more than a few smiles. Getting confrontational is lame and unnecessary... you aren't violating any laws if you cache properly.

Never lie to law enforcement or security personnel! They are only doing their job and have the right to check you out for due cause... like when they see you waving a flashlight around tree trunks in a park-and-ride at 2 in the morning! I've been questioned many times by LE in 5 states... always ended on a positive note by being up-front. Feeding them a line of BS is pointless... an experienced officer will see right through it and you may wind up sitting on the curb, like C.O.P.S. on TV while they make sure you aren't one of those chain-saw massa-kree types.

Last March I had just logged GCH549 in Folsom CA (a mag-nano near a Dental Office) unaware that a FPD officer was watching me and pulled me over as soon as I entered the public street. Did the license/reg/i thing and he asked why I had been poking around the canopy in front of the dentist at 1:00 AM I explained the game, showed him my GPS, cache notes and offered him a copy of the Groundspeak flier. He explained there had been a number of attempted break-ins at medical offices in the area, apologized for the delay, thanked me for my time and left. Two months later I had just delivered to a regular stop a couple of miles away when a Folsom PD car pulls up... same cop, grinning from ear to ear. He says, "I saw your car! Checked out that (Groundspeak) website a few days after you told me about it!" Turns out he got curious, tried a cache with his I-phone GPS and got hooked... so did his wife and kids.

Edited by 6079smithw
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wear camo clothing and you wont be seen

but it will make finding the kids harder

 

just kidding

 

tell the truth

as many times as I have been asked what I was up to I give a lesson

on geocaching

and have converted a few as well

one couple followed me for an hour or so in a large park and

actually made a couple of finds-got em hooked on the sport

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I just started last week and have been asked a few times if I lost something or if I need help. I've been out with anywhere from one to four small children in sometimes odd locations so people are just wanting to make sure we're ok ;)

 

I've just thanked people for asking and told them we're geocaching, and they have all been happy with that (maybe looking quizzical but not staying long enough to get an explanation) :rolleyes:

Edited by Opalblade
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I just had a thought while reading the replies....Carry a clipboard (kids too) and pen...reply to any inquiries that your children are homeschooled and you are on a "field trip". Carry your GPS and compass with you....geocaching teaches navigation, geography, history, orienteering and plenty of other subjects. I have carried a clipboard and that seems to deter any questions as long as I look like I know what I am doing and that I belong where I am. I just started this great sport about 4 months ago and already have over 100 finds....it becomes addicting. I have taken my granddaughters, ages 14 and 16, along and they like it too. My geodogs also love the walks in the more remote areas. Welcome to geocaching.

Edited by paweldon1
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I just had a thought while reading the replies....Carry a clipboard (kids too) and pen...reply to any inquiries that your children are homeschooled and you are on a "field trip".

 

"oh." the passer-by will say; "what are you studying?"

 

what will you say then?

 

contemporary american lampposts?

structure and design of guardrails?

these three rocks?

termite damage in park signage?

 

"oh, interesting", the passer-by will say; "last week a fellow was here searching that same bush and he said he was the landscaping supervisor."

 

try the truth.

 

it's easy. it's convenient. and it doesn't make you look goofy.

 

what i want to know is this: are all you new people who think lies and disguises are cute not reading the whole thread? or do you think YOUR lies and disguises are cleverer than everybody else's?

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"oh." the passer-by will say; "what are you studying?"

 

what will you say then?

If I'm that obvious that I got "caught", I just reply with the truth. It is so much easier.

 

Both times, after I answered them, they offered some information to help me with the find.

 

If someone asks if they can help me, instead of what I'm doing, I merely smile, decline, thank them, and leave.

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When I was doing the national map stuff while caching I wore a reflective vest like the construction guys do and carried a clipboard with the maps and cache info. Even a middle aged white guy walking around schools and such never got a second look.

Who's that ?, oh never mind hes wearing a construction vest with a clipboard must be official. The few times someone actually came up and asked I told them exactly what I was doing, both the map stuff and the caching. As most here say, just tell them the truth.

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Is unobtrusiveness even a word? :D

 

So, any hints on what we can do so as not to attract so much unwanted attention? We really do want to continue this.

 

Hey, I say tell them what you're doing. Don't show them the cache, but explain it away. I tell people it's kind of like an overgrown easter egg hunt, or a scavenger hunt. That usually comes up after I drop the G word (Geocaching) and they get the "what the f..." look in their eyes.

 

It helps to have some stuff with the colorful geocaching.com logo on it they can see. Seems to make it all official.

:D

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I too believe that it is wiser to just tell the truth. After reading the account of the guy in Texas that was arrested, I also took the precaution of printing a few of the grocacher-u pamplets that has my real name as well as my GC handle, and my email address. I alway make sure I have my ID in a pocket of my backpack.

 

If anyone questions me, I think that telling them that you are playing a scavenger hunt game would put most nervous people at ease. Of coursr if I am stopped by an LEO, they get the full explaination as well as

a pamplet. I believe staying calm, cooperative, and non threatening is the key. :lol:

 

Colleen Mills

digitalgoddess

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I have to chime in here.I just learned about this game last week by accident.I just bought a new GPS and am going to give it a go.but...

I live in a neighborhood that has recently been the target of numerous home and auto break-ins.As the father of two young kids and a wife I am needless to say "very aware"of what is happening in my neighborhood.I have to admit that if I saw a "suspicious"person mulling around near my home,or on my street, I would not hesitate to ask them what they were up too.If they were to give me a BS answer and i saw through it,they might end up explaining geocaching while sitting on their back-side.In todays society with all the sickos and crime I would be honest.And camo....You are not hunting something that will run away from you if it sees you.The best "camo"for an urban setting or park is to dress like you belong there,not like a soldier."And "soldier" is the nicest term i will use here.Many others come to mind".

Be an ambassador for the game.Do not deceive the public.I would hate to see communities ban the game because of unneeded fear and suspicion because people have been lied to.Its no different than what I teach my kids to say when questioned about what they are doing.They had better tell me the truth.If this is truly a family friendly "game"then lets keep it that way.I would much rather tell the truth than have to explain why I lied.I would not want to participate in a "game"that involved lying or deception,nor do i want my kids to think that it is alright to lie to adults when questioned about their actions.Of course,a little white lie to a nosey kid that may ruin the cache i feel is not too much of a sin.Use your best judgment.

Remember:The truth will set you free..Honesty is the best policy..ect.ect.

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