geocasher101 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 recently in my past few caches I have noticed that for some reason there have been white powder put on the trails like arrows and dots that lead to the cache. Maybe it was one person but I personaly think it is cheating. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment
+Walts Hunting Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 If there is no rule against it it isn't cheating. Quote Link to comment
geocasher101 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 If there is no rule against it it isn't cheating. well i just thought it can take the fun out of it? Quote Link to comment
+thedeadpirate Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 recently in my past few caches I have noticed that for some reason there have been white powder put on the trails like arrows and dots that lead to the cache. Maybe it was one person but I personaly think it is cheating. Any thoughts? There is a very disappointed coke head somewhere? Quote Link to comment
+KBI Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 recently in my past few caches I have noticed that for some reason there have been white powder put on the trails like arrows and dots that lead to the cache. Maybe it was one person but I personaly think it is cheating. Any thoughts? Don't clean up the powder -- ADD to it! Get yourself a big bag of flour and make lots of arrow-trails that lead in all kinds of random directions. This hobby is chock full of fun if you know how to find it. Quote Link to comment
+lavender5215 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 (edited) OMG! You have got to be kidding, someone is leaving breadcrumbs to the cache, thats no fun! Yes, thats cheating. Not exactly sure what the person gets out of doing that, but its unfair to legit cachers and the co. I would be upset if I showed up to look for a cache and someone totally ruins it by pointing the whole thing out. Edited December 20, 2009 by lavender5215 Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Could it be Hashing? Quote Link to comment
+bittsen Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Obviously it's cachers doing this and not some other group that uses the same trails. Of course this has been verified by going much farther than the cache and observing that the arrows do not extend beyond the caches and also checked other trails that contain no caches to assure that there are no arrows on non-cache trails. I'm glad someone did all the research to verify that it IS a cacher doing this dastardly deed. Quote Link to comment
geocasher101 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 recently in my past few caches I have noticed that for some reason there have been white powder put on the trails like arrows and dots that lead to the cache. Maybe it was one person but I personaly think it is cheating. Any thoughts? Don't clean up the powder -- ADD to it! Get yourself a big bag of flour and make lots of arrow-trails that lead in all kinds of random directions. This hobby is chock full of fun if you know how to find it. i think it was flour but they basicly leaded to the cache Quote Link to comment
geocasher101 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 Ill make sure to kick them all out next time I see any Quote Link to comment
geocasher101 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 maybe a group of cachers were having a personal little game Quote Link to comment
+Shop99er Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 (edited) Could it be Hashing? That is EXACTLY what it is. There are a couple of different Hashing groups up here. To the OP. PLEASE do NOT rub out the markings. That the markings lead to a cache is a coincidence. They are an intregal part of the Hashing game. It would be comperable to someone stealing your cache. It's a whole different game, played in the same outdoors we use. Edited December 20, 2009 by Shop99er Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I guess it is hidden under one of your other accounts? I like KBI's suggestion best. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 (edited) What? What what? In case it is directed at me, I should have quoted the OP in my reply. When I started composing my reply your post wasn't in yet. I thought the OP meant his hides, but I guess he probably meant the last few caches he found. Since he only found 4, and a few of them has some lines leading to the cache, seems to be a huge coincidence. Still, if it is not his hide, I'd suggest just ignoring it. Edit : looks like OP only found 3 caches. GC19R4D is logged twice. Edited December 20, 2009 by Chrysalides Quote Link to comment
+Shop99er Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 What? What what? In case it is directed at me, I should have quoted the OP in my reply. When I started composing my reply your post wasn't in yet. I thought the OP meant his hides, but I guess he probably meant the last few caches he found. Since he only found 4, and a few of them has some lines leading to the cache, seems to be a huge coincidence. Still, if it is not his hide, I'd suggest just ignoring it. Edit : looks like OP only found 3 caches. GC19R4D is logged twice. I thought you were talking to me, and I had no clue what you meant. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I thought you were talking to me, and I had no clue what you meant. My bad. I should have quoted to give context, but I was lazy. Quote Link to comment
+Shop99er Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I thought you were talking to me, and I had no clue what you meant. My bad. I should have quoted to give context, but I was lazy. S'Okay. Stuff happens. Quote Link to comment
+CanUK_TeamFitz Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Could it be Hashing? That is EXACTLY what it is. There are a couple of different Hashing groups up here. To the OP. PLEASE do NOT rub out the markings. That the markings lead to a cache is a coincidence. They are an intregal part of the Hashing game. It would be comperable to someone stealing your cache. It's a whole different game, played in the same outdoors we use. Oh man.... and here I thought it was an opportunity to try out my new pitchfork! Quote Link to comment
geocasher101 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 Oh man.... and here I thought it was an opportunity to try out my new pitchfork! lol Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Could it be Hashing? That was my thought as well (although I couldn't remember what it was called) Quote Link to comment
+lavender5215 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 OK judging from the website and a search for the hashers in california, hashers could be a good possibility. There where a lot of hasher groups listed for california. and might i add holy crappie we got them in RI too, never had any idea but its good to know of the hobby of hashing exists incase i come across it here. I am editing my original post by saying...... Yes it is cheating if another geocacher is marking out a breadcrumb trail for others to find and it ruins the fun in my eyes. No its not cheating if its hashing, its part of their game. Yes it is unfortunate that it runs through a geocache and leads people right to it. but.... it looks like from the description of hashing that the trail is only temporary, they make a new one, or what they call the hare makes a new one, for each hashing run. If it was me I like the idea of getting my own flour bag and making extra arrows, its devious its fiendish i like it either that or i would just erase the trail but only if it was MY cache to play with if it is someone elses I would let them deal with it, and probably leave a comment on the sitch in the log Quote Link to comment
+ngrrfan Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Is it really any worse than leaving tracks through the snow to a cache?? Quote Link to comment
+ecanderson Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Is it really any worse than leaving tracks through the snow to a cache?? Yes - since it is undoubtedly done in "reverse", providing an accurate track, and is done intentionally. It's really easy to obfuscate things if you leave a snow track, and there's no guarantee that a snow track is the right track, either. Quote Link to comment
+Trekkin' and birdin' Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Am I the only one who read this and got a chuckle out of the idea of arrows to a cache? I'd forgotten about hashing, as it came to our area just a little after we "retired" from competitive running to raise kids. But the notion of arrows leading to a cache was just....funny. At least to me. I'm sure many here will disagree. But haven't we all had those caches where we *wish* someone would do just this for us? I thought this was supposed to be a game...for fun. Maybe I was wrong. Quote Link to comment
+ironman114 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Am I the only one who read this and got a chuckle out of the idea of arrows to a cache? I'd forgotten about hashing, as it came to our area just a little after we "retired" from competitive running to raise kids. But the notion of arrows leading to a cache was just....funny. At least to me. I'm sure many here will disagree. But haven't we all had those caches where we *wish* someone would do just this for us? I thought this was supposed to be a game...for fun. Maybe I was wrong. It is a game for fun to me. But my idea of fun doesn't include arrows or ribbons or other such marking to find a cache. My idea is to use my gps and my imagination to find the cache. Quote Link to comment
+Trekkin' and birdin' Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 That's my idea of fun, too. But if I encountered something like this on one of my searches....I know I'd crack up laughing. Quote Link to comment
+Snoogans Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Could it be Hashing? That was my first thought! Right after the anthrax scare, a local hasher-cacher got stopped and questioned by the cops when someone reported him dropping white powder. It's a really funny story to hear him tell it. Quote Link to comment
+KBI Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Our local Hashing group calls itself "A drinking club with a running problem." Quote Link to comment
+Shop99er Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Our local Hashing group calls itself "A drinking club with a running problem." That's what the ones I met out here said, too!! Must be a recurring theme with those folks. Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Our local Hashing group calls itself "A drinking club with a running problem." That's what the ones I met out here said, too!! Must be a recurring theme with those folks. I believe that is a world wide motto.. for Hashers. Or at least add Germany to the list. They are in a race and certainly won't take time to disturb a cache. Same thing if you happen to see an Orienteering flag near a cache. I set a course a year or so ago with a control site about 2 feet from one of my own caches. 40 to 50 people went through that control in an afternoon and no one saw the cache. Quote Link to comment
+Team Cotati Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 recently in my past few caches I have noticed that for some reason there have been white powder put on the trails like arrows and dots that lead to the cache. Maybe it was one person but I personaly think it is cheating. Any thoughts? Have you logged those caches yet? What are the GC#'s? Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 recently in my past few caches I have noticed that for some reason there have been white powder put on the trails like arrows and dots that lead to the cache. Maybe it was one person but I personaly think it is cheating. Any thoughts? Odd that of the "four" finds you have (actually three, with one found/entered twice), there's no mention of it in logs by you or others. Why didn't you mention it there first ? You may have received an answer by someone familier with the area, instead of leaving it open to speculation by others outside. Quote Link to comment
+joukkusisu Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Something similar to arrows: we found several caches hidden in piles of woods, like when several oak trees fall next to each other, where a previous finder had stuck a prominent into the pile, marking the cache's location. The stick, jutting out of the pile, acted as an arrow, pointing to the cache. I don't know why a finder would do that. Help out the next person? I didn't appreciate the help and left the stick out of the equation when we rehid. Quote Link to comment
+tozainamboku Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Something similar to arrows: we found several caches hidden in piles of woods, like when several oak trees fall next to each other, where a previous finder had stuck a prominent into the pile, marking the cache's location. The stick, jutting out of the pile, acted as an arrow, pointing to the cache. I don't know why a finder would do that. Help out the next person? I didn't appreciate the help and left the stick out of the equation when we rehid. Did you decrypt the hint? The owner may have put the stick there to provide a hint "Look were the the stick is pointing". Will the next person will decrypt the hint and have no idea what it means? Quote Link to comment
+bittsen Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Something similar to arrows: we found several caches hidden in piles of woods, like when several oak trees fall next to each other, where a previous finder had stuck a prominent into the pile, marking the cache's location. The stick, jutting out of the pile, acted as an arrow, pointing to the cache. I don't know why a finder would do that. Help out the next person? I didn't appreciate the help and left the stick out of the equation when we rehid. Of course it's not possible the cache owner placed the stick that way, right? I try to place a cache exactly as I found it unless it's completely beyond obvious that it was placed wrong when i found it. That would be as if the cache page said the cache was under a rock and I found it on top of the rocks (and it HAS happened exactly like that). Quote Link to comment
+joukkusisu Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Something similar to arrows: we found several caches hidden in piles of woods, like when several oak trees fall next to each other, where a previous finder had stuck a prominent into the pile, marking the cache's location. The stick, jutting out of the pile, acted as an arrow, pointing to the cache. I don't know why a finder would do that. Help out the next person? I didn't appreciate the help and left the stick out of the equation when we rehid. Did you decrypt the hint? The owner may have put the stick there to provide a hint "Look were the the stick is pointing". Will the next person will decrypt the hint and have no idea what it means? Nah. There were no hints even. This hider isn't very fond of them. We were pretty sure it was the work of a previous finder. Quote Link to comment
geocasher101 Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Odd that of the "four" finds you have (actually three, with one found/entered twice), there's no mention of it in logs by you or others. Why didn't you mention it there first ? You may have received an answer by someone familier with the area, instead of leaving it open to speculation by others outside. considering I have school, am in the process of moving, and recently got my GPS figured out after a few months of not caching, oh and I dont have a car. Besides I'm still new to geocaching. Dont be so quick to down someone Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) considering I have school, am in the process of moving, and recently got my GPS figured out after a few months of not caching, oh and I dont have a car. Besides I'm still new to geocaching. Dont be so quick to down someone What cerberus meant (and I pointed out in post #15) is that you probably unknowingly logged a cache as "found" twice. It's generally not considered good practice. If you visit a cache for a second time, the custom is to log a note (or nothing at all). In my post #15, I linked to both logs. I'd pick one of them to delete, or to change it to a note. Threads with some subject titles tend to draw negativity. It should come as no surprise that "cheating!" is one of them There's a bunch of "hot button" issues and you happened to stumble onto one. Good luck with school and everything. (edited to change the tone of my post after bittsen pointed out my original one may come across as rather harsh. It wasn't meant to be, but I agree it may appear differently to others and the author is not always the best judge) Edited December 22, 2009 by Chrysalides Quote Link to comment
+bunkerdave Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Not sure what all the fuss is about...we get white powder all over the place every November. Usually stays around until about April. Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Not sure what all the fuss is about...we get white powder all over the place every November. Usually stays around until about April. Except that in that case, it is the absence of the powder that leads directly to the cache. Quote Link to comment
+wimseyguy Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Could it be Hashing? Hmm, it's been a few years, but I don't recall hashing using white powdery substances. Now smoke rings and signals are another story. There's one Monday afterwork hashing group here that starts at a local Irish pub. I try to remember to go home a via different route as they routinely ignore the traffic light half a block north as they set off in search of the fox and next beer. Quote Link to comment
+Yukatah Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I have a local cacher who likes to tie plastic ribbon near some of my caches.......I just re-tie them about 50 feet away.....that way his friends will have more fun Quote Link to comment
+GeoGeeBee Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I believe that is a world wide motto.. for Hashers. Or at least add Germany to the list. They are in a race Race? I thought hashers handed out penalties for using the "r" word? I have very little experience with hashing, but I seem to recall that two things they really didn't like were racing and new shoes. Quote Link to comment
+KBI Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Remember, kids: Cheaters never lose; losers never cheat. Quote Link to comment
+Team Cotati Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Total smoke. Nothing to it. Quote Link to comment
+stanolli Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I am a hasher and we set trails with white flour marking the route. A new one is set, usually weekly, and the trail lasts as long as it doesn't rain or until it gets eaten by wildlife. The fact it goes past a cache is most likely that there is a shared interest in taking a group of folks to an area of natural beauty. Before I hash I usually check out the area and pick up a cache, sometimes two, along the trail if possible. I have also set hashing trails in areas that I have discovered while caching. Oh yes racing is a definite no no, penalised by being forced to drink beer lol. So is getting lost and I can't get the rest of the pack to understand that I am not 'lost' just because I go off trail a little to search in a bush or tree. Well not always ;-) Quote Link to comment
+Cedar Grove Seekers Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Maybe it was one person but I personaly think it is cheating. Any thoughts? It's ironic that someone who logged a find twice on the same cache is concerned about cheating. Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Odd that of the "four" finds you have (actually three, with one found/entered twice), there's no mention of it in logs by you or others. Why didn't you mention it there first ? You may have received an answer by someone familier with the area, instead of leaving it open to speculation by others outside. considering I have school, am in the process of moving, and recently got my GPS figured out after a few months of not caching, oh and I dont have a car. Besides I'm still new to geocaching. Dont be so quick to down someone Okay, I don't get it. Where did I "down" you (whatever that's supposed to be) ? I merely made a statement as if I was talking to a CHILD, which it's assumed you are. After you're very first statement, "Recently in my past few caches..." I decided to look and see what others' had to say about the unusual arrows at the past few caches you and others did. "Past few" turned out to be only three TOTAL, all in Dec., with one logged twice (first was Oct '08 - guess that's the "got my gps figured out after a FEW months of not caching" - over a year) - No mention of the white signs on any logs, by anyone. I merely tried to get it across that you would have been better off asking someone locally about the odd signage, rather than havings others' outside your area guess at it. Instead, YOU decided to make it personal. Quote Link to comment
geocasher101 Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share Posted December 23, 2009 Well I pesonaly thought geocaching was for the fun of it. Not how superior you are to other cachers. (down means make fun of) Quote Link to comment
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