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Suspicious Muggles


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Yesterday we found ourselves in a moderately busy traffic area, navigating near a restaurant with a handheld. We caught the attention of a young waitress that had just arrived for her shift, and she asked if we were okay. I gave her a quick explanation of geocaching, and she smiled, "Sounds like fun." But two minutes later, she's walking towards us again with a man who turned out to be her manager. He asked to show him what we had found. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words "...something hidden in your parking lot...".

 

How do you guys handle suspicious people and inquiries?

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I explain exactly what I'm doing. It's worked fine for the most part. Twice, I was asked to leave and I did. I understand people's concern with having folks poke around.

 

Sounds like the cache you were hunting was on private property without permission. In that case, I'd log a DNF and state that in my log. All cahes are supposed to have permission, but many do not.

 

The property owner and/or restaurant manager has the right to remove the Geocache.

 

Your story is one reason I dislike urban hides that "require" stealth.

Edited by SeekerOfTheWay
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I explain exactly what I'm doing. It's worked fine for the most part. Twice, I was asked to leave and I did. I understand people's concern with having folks poke around.

 

Sounds like the cache you were hunting was on private property without permission. In that case, I'd log a DNF and state that in my log. All cahes are supposed to have permission, but many do not.

 

The property owner and/or restaurant manager has the right to remove the Geocache.

 

Your story is one reason I dislike urban hides that "require" stealth.

Right,I pass on those kind as well. I started to find one in a town and realized it was hidden in bushes alongside a bank,forget it,I just don't believe it's a good idea to be spotted skulking around the shrubbery right next to a bank or some other business.

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It all depends on the attitude of the people asking, If some one is friendly I happily explain the sport and answer their questions, but people with a bad attitude tend to bring ut my obnoxious, Smarta** side. Either way, in a situation like that Its good to just tell them what you are doing.

 

i know we are suppose to respect people and not cause a bad name for caching but i would have been so angry, i would not of left thats for sure! did you leave?

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I was told to leave while searching for a cache once, I went back and found it the next day. I have been questioned three times by muggles who after I gave a brief geocaching 101 lesson still looked hopelessly confused and suspicious. It's really hard to convince someone it is a harmless activity who has never heard of it.

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I have only been caching for about 5 months. In that time I've been looked at curiously by a number of people and have been approached once. My family was scouring a payphone looking for a nano and an employee of the gas station at GZ walked by and asked if we needed help. As this was the first time I'd been "caught" I didn't know how to respond so I told her we were doing a scavenger hunt. She seemed to think that was ok and said she thought we didn't know how to use the pay phone, lol. We must look like imbeciles to muggles. :laughing:

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The idea of being questioned freaks me out, a lot. I was looking for a pine tree cache a few days ago and I accidentally-on-purpose spilled my purse out under the tree so I could look for it while I appeared to be picking up my belongings. I also find that pretending to talk on a cellphone keeps people from being suspicious. I mean, who is going to walk up to someone who is talking on the phone and ask them what they are doing? When you are on your phone you look more like you are absentmindedly looking around rather than deliberately searching for something.

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My favorite response is to make the muggles WANT to go away by trying to engage them in an obscure, boring topic of conversation.

 

For example, I am looking for specific varieties of bugs to use as organic pest control. Home Depot and Lowes don't sell spiders, ladybugs, or worms, which is moronically stupid. In this day and age of environmental devastation, you would think that they would at least sell organic alternatives to pest control. Some people don't like bugs such as spiders. Do you like spiders? What do you have in your garden? People are ignorant about the environment and the damage they are doing to the environment.

 

My challenge is to see just how fast I can make them run, not walk.

Edited by opentoinput
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I had an encounter with a police officer, and being a teenager my search must have looked rather suspicious, especially being up a bank off the main path, behind a tree. He enquired as to what I was doing, and after a short explanaition, he turned out to have a friend who regularly Geocaches :D He understood and went on his way, although the next muggle to pass, an old woman, looked up and told me I was naughty. I did think his was rather amusing, as I wasn't actual doing anything wrong, and I wonder what it was she thought I was up to.

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But two minutes later, she's walking towards us again with a man who turned out to be her manager. He asked to show him what we had found. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words "...something hidden in your parking lot...".

Sounds like there's a good chance that cache is no longer in place. You may want to include what happened in your log, if you haven't already, to give the CO an idea of what probably happened to their cache if it's gone. May need to be archived if the manager has a problem with it.

 

I have only been caching for about 5 months. In that time I've been looked at curiously by a number of people and have been approached once. My family was scouring a payphone looking for a nano and an employee of the gas station at GZ walked by and asked if we needed help. As this was the first time I'd been "caught" I didn't know how to respond so I told her we were doing a scavenger hunt. She seemed to think that was ok and said she thought we didn't know how to use the pay phone, lol. We must look like imbeciles to muggles. :laughing:

In today's abundantly high-tech world, there are plenty of youngsters who have no clue what a payphone looks like, let alone know how to use one. :huh:

 

I had an encounter with a police officer, and being a teenager my search must have looked rather suspicious, especially being up a bank off the main path, behind a tree. He enquired as to what I was doing, and after a short explanaition, he turned out to have a friend who regularly Geocaches :D He understood and went on his way, although the next muggle to pass, an old woman, looked up and told me I was naughty. I did think his was rather amusing, as I wasn't actual doing anything wrong, and I wonder what it was she thought I was up to.

LOL She probably thought you were taking a bathroom break.

Edited by TL&MinBHIL
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We stopped for a cache yesterday. It was a guardrail cache on the side of a fairly busy road, and we over shot it a little, so I just got out of the car and walked back to it. I had it in my hands getting ready to pull it out, and someone stopped on the other side of the road and was watching me. I stood up and started walking away (he looked a little scary)and he did a u-turn in the middle of the road, and pulled up alongside of me. He got very nasty, asking me what I was doing, and accused me of tampering with the guardrail (not sure how you do that, or for what reason, but ok). I told him I was looking for a cache and kept walking, as he is following RIGHT behind me in the car. I got back in our car and we left. He tailgated us for about 1/2 mile or so then did another u-turn in the middle of the road and took off. Needless to say I was shaking!!! I don't know what he was up to... if he took our license plate or what the heck he was doing. Don't know if I'll be back for this one or not. I'm kind of spooked now.

..

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A few weeks ago my gps lead me to the loading dock of a furniture store...i started looking in the trees near by for the cache when I hear the garage of the loading dock open...i played stupid and acted like nothing was up...after 10 minutes someone yelled "what are you looking for you arent suppose to be here." I start to talk preparing my "Geocaching is a world wide tresure hunt" speech when he says you must be with that website a few of you were here the other day...idk what it is but i looked up geocaching it seems pretty cool." I talked to the guy as he had a smoke and explained to him geocaching and where to get a gps. He told me to write in my log that he thinks its awesome and welcomes geocachers to come back...ever since then whenever the employees spot a geocacher they introduce themselves and talk to the cachers.

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I was once looking for a cache in the parking lot of a shopping center when I caught the attention of a maintenance worker. He'd been eyeballing me and I decided to just approach him and let him know what I was doing. After explaining geocaching in intricate detail he looked at me like I had two heads! As I walked away I overheard him use his walkie-talkie to have someone bring him a pen. He jotted down my license tag number as I drove off...

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I was looking for a cache on an abandoned train rail. This guy kept riding his bike back and forth outside the patch of trees that the rail was hiding in. After his 5th time circling, I grabbed one of the old rail spikes on the ground and walked out into the open. He made a comment, but I didn't hear what he said because I was trying to get far away. I came back several weeks later to find another cache on the same trail, and he rode his bike up to where I was signing the sheet and asked if I ever found the one on the rail. Turns out he was a cacher!

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Once I was caching with my dad and we were looking around a tree near a supermarket. An employee walked up to us and asked us what we were doing. I told him we were geocaching, and what that meant. He didn't seem to believe me. He walked away with a weird face. We couldn't find the cache, and as we walked away, a police car pulled up into the parking lot. The employee walked back out and started to talk to them, and pointed at us. We walked over in time to hear the police officer saying "Geocaching's a real thing." The employee started complaining, then walked away furiously. One of the cops walked up to us and said: "great to see a fellow Cacher", and shook our hands. And then we drove away.

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Once I was caching with my dad and we were looking around a tree near a supermarket. An employee walked up to us and asked us what we were doing. I told him we were geocaching, and what that meant. He didn't seem to believe me. He walked away with a weird face. We couldn't find the cache, and as we walked away, a police car pulled up into the parking lot. The employee walked back out and started to talk to them, and pointed at us. We walked over in time to hear the police officer saying "Geocaching's a real thing." The employee started complaining, then walked away furiously. One of the cops walked up to us and said: "great to see a fellow Cacher", and shook our hands. And then we drove away.

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I always love the geocaching "cache walk"... Go to the right, go to the left, look at your gps, circle back 3-4 times, spin in circles re-calibrating your GPS, and rinse and repeat. Numerous times my BF and I get cars that drive real slowly past us, especially when we're re-calibrating our GPS as the same time. 2 adults, spinning in circles.. What? this isn't normal?? :lol:

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I always love the geocaching "cache walk"... Go to the right, go to the left, look at your gps, circle back 3-4 times, spin in circles re-calibrating your GPS, and rinse and repeat. Numerous times my BF and I get cars that drive real slowly past us, especially when we're re-calibrating our GPS as the same time. 2 adults, spinning in circles.. What? this isn't normal?? :lol:

 

That reminds me of my first out of town (or was it my second?) cache that I found. It happened to be in a very wide opened Wal-Mart parking lot in the northwestern corner. After finding it and signing the log in my car, several cars made it a point to drive by my car to see what I was doing. I say that because all of them went COMPLETELY out of their way to do so. lol. Mind you this parking lot also had only one entrance/exit....way on the opposite side I was on so none of the cars had any reason to be driving by where I was parked.

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Once I was searching for a cache in a spruce tree behind a business district. We were taking awhile to locate the cache and a lady in a suit came running out asking what I was doing! She started accusing me of killing the "baby bunny rabbits" that she watches out the window. I tried explaining geocaching, but she wouldn't slow her mind down enough to listen. She finally went back inside and we found the cache, signed it quickly, and got the heck out of there. I always tease my mother that 40-year old woman freak out really easy and work themselves up. Classic example. PS- I never even saw a bunny :)

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after all the stories ive read and people ive run into, it amazes me how many people in this world believe drug dealers just hide there drugs in bushes. :P

Three months into our geocaching career we DID find some drugs someone had hidden in some bushes in a park in Scottsdale. Doubt it was a dealer though. More likely just some neighborhood kids. :laughing:

Cache or stash?

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I was recently geocaching with my nephews while on vacay in obx. We were looking for a nano cache on a boardwalk that was on the sound in Duck. We were zeroed in (or so we thought) on a set of benches built into the boardwalk. There was a lot of muggle traffic that evening, partly due to the fact the boardwalk offers great views of sunset over the sound.

 

We were leaning off the boardwalk look at the rail structure, under bench, etc trying to find the tiny little cache. When muggles would walk by and start to stare, my nephews would start to yell "planking" and lay stiff against/on where ever they were looking. I would stop looking at the map on my smartphone and pretent to take pics of them planking with my phone. Since there are less people that know what planking is compared to the number of people that know what geocaching is, we got strange looks. It was pretty funny. We did eventually find the nano cache about 10 feet from what we thought was gz. Was a fun find.

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The last cache I found was on top of this ginormous sand dune. My friend didn't want to go all the way, so I did. He's a people person, so he's at the bottom and is telling these people what I'm doing up top. Whatever :laughing:

 

When I was teaching him how to use a GPS, we were doing a cache that was by someone's driveway. I wasn't sure enough of where the cache would be, so I gave up. I'm not comfortable with searching around someone's property :unsure:

 

The last one I tried to find was by a hotel. I was buried in some juniper bushes, searching for all I was worth, and a few cars were drving by. I was half hoping I was hidden and half hoping they were watching the road. Didn't find it :( But I'm kinda keeping an eye on that cache and will try again.

 

As for if someone asked, I'd tell the truth. Geocaching. This is what it's about. Yep, see ya. If they're too freaked, then either they leave or I leave.

 

I dig the organic pest control thing. That's awesome! :laughing:

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So far, I have never been questioned about what I'm doing. I usually have my 10 year old son with me and when he decides to look in the bushes at something it creates a good ruse to keep people from paying too much attention. When I am caching solo in an urban area, I carry a clipboard and wear an orange relflective vest. It's amazing how it almost makes you invisible to muggles.

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I guess I am a suspicious muggle. I have a cache hidden in my front yard. I state on the cache page that it is my property and cachers have my permission to search. I also ask if they see me out to stop and say Hello. Most cachers hunting it act odd and try not to be seen. I have started to walk toward a couple of groups and had them depart quickly. Only one has ever walked over to me to say hello when I was outside. If the cache page lets you know cachers are expected to show up once in a while either wave at anyone around or just say Hello to them.

 

Charles

Edited by Texas Charles
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Yesterday we found ourselves in a moderately busy traffic area, navigating near a restaurant with a handheld. We caught the attention of a young waitress that had just arrived for her shift, and she asked if we were okay. I gave her a quick explanation of geocaching, and she smiled, "Sounds like fun." But two minutes later, she's walking towards us again with a man who turned out to be her manager. He asked to show him what we had found. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words "...something hidden in your parking lot...".

 

How do you guys handle suspicious people and inquiries?

 

Since the Geocache was certainly placed with permission (and the reviewer knows who gave that permission), I would gladly show them the cache that they absolutely already knew about...right?

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1328022904[/url]' post='4960897']

Always tell the truth. If the cache was hidden with permission, then there will be no problems. If it wasn't hidden with permission, it's better to remove it with the property owner present.

 

Good advice. Except a restaurant manager is cerrtainly most likely NOT the property owner.

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Yesterday we found ourselves in a moderately busy traffic area, navigating near a restaurant with a handheld. We caught the attention of a young waitress that had just arrived for her shift, and she asked if we were okay. I gave her a quick explanation of geocaching, and she smiled, "Sounds like fun." But two minutes later, she's walking towards us again with a man who turned out to be her manager. He asked to show him what we had found. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words "...something hidden in your parking lot...".

 

How do you guys handle suspicious people and inquiries?

 

Easy, I don't hunt those kinds of caches so I don't deal with suspicious people and inquiries.

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1328022904[/url]' post='4960897']

Always tell the truth. If the cache was hidden with permission, then there will be no problems. If it wasn't hidden with permission, it's better to remove it with the property owner present.

 

Good advice. Except a restaurant manager is cerrtainly most likely NOT the property owner.

 

Well, the OP only found 5 caches, and may not ever be heard from again in the world of Geocaching (last log in early August 2011), but it was actually easy to find the cache in question: http://coord.info/GC2NFVW

 

The awesome 20 word cache description contains the word "Stealth". Everyone knows that means no permission of any kind was obtained. :laughing:

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Im a night cacher so 99.9% of my caches are found in the dark with flashlights. so its a common occurrence to have the police stop and ask what Im up to. so far I have only had one officer not to have ever heard of Geo Caching before.and had to go into great detail showing and explaining the whole thing.Once I did this he said he was going to check into it more because it sound fun.

I have had officers actually help me look for caches before.

I once found a bag of stolen guitars,cell phones, guns, ammo , and drugs while searching. I called the police and turned it in...after about 3 weeks they called me back and told me I could come get the Guitars that no one has reported them stolen and they know nothing about them.. they kept the guns and everything else.

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I always love the geocaching "cache walk"... Go to the right, go to the left, look at your gps, circle back 3-4 times, spin in circles re-calibrating your GPS, and rinse and repeat. Numerous times my BF and I get cars that drive real slowly past us, especially when we're re-calibrating our GPS as the same time. 2 adults, spinning in circles.. What? this isn't normal?? :lol:

How do you re-calibrate a GPS?

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How do you re-calibrate a GPS?

 

Some GPSr's have a three-axis compass that can be/occasionally needs to be calibrated. Usually this is done by laying the GPSr on a flat surface and rotating it a time or two.

The routine in my old Magellan Meridian involves two complete rotations, 'standing' the unit on it's 'head' for a few seconds, and laying it on it's back for a few seconds.

 

So, actually, you aren't re-calibrating the GPSr, just it's internal compass.

Normally this only needs to be done once a week at most, but people read things in manuals and get carried away.

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1327874181[/url]' post='4959487']

I guess I am a suspicious muggle. I have a cache hidden in my front yard. I state on the cache page that it is my property and cachers have my permission to search. I also ask if they see me out to stop and say Hello. Most cachers hunting it act odd and try not to be seen. I have started to walk toward a couple of groups and had them depart quickly. Only one has ever walked over to me to say hello when I was outside. If the cache page lets you know cachers are expected to show up once in a while either wave at anyone around or just say Hello to them.

 

Charles

 

Please archive your yard cache.

 

There is nothing more creepy than a cache in someone's front yard. I'll not even consider doing it and sort of get ticked off when I get to GZ and realise what it is.

 

There is a reason people run away when they see you, despite the cache page welcoming them. They don't know you, they don't know the cache page is legit, and they don't know your not some perv trying to lure people to his house to then throw in a well 'Silence of the Lambs' style.

 

Yard caches......gives me shudders just thinking about them.

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1327874181[/url]' post='4959487']

I guess I am a suspicious muggle. I have a cache hidden in my front yard. I state on the cache page that it is my property and cachers have my permission to search. I also ask if they see me out to stop and say Hello. Most cachers hunting it act odd and try not to be seen. I have started to walk toward a couple of groups and had them depart quickly. Only one has ever walked over to me to say hello when I was outside. If the cache page lets you know cachers are expected to show up once in a while either wave at anyone around or just say Hello to them.

 

Charles

 

Please archive your yard cache.

 

There is nothing more creepy than a cache in someone's front yard. I'll not even consider doing it and sort of get ticked off when I get to GZ and realise what it is.

 

There is a reason people run away when they see you, despite the cache page welcoming them. They don't know you, they don't know the cache page is legit, and they don't know your not some perv trying to lure people to his house to then throw in a well 'Silence of the Lambs' style.

 

Yard caches......gives me shudders just thinking about them.

That's what adequate permission is all about. If all you're doing is hunting for a cache, you're doing nothing wrong. If caught just explain what you're doing. If the person wants the cache removed, then remove it. You can contact the owner and the reviewer and handle the problem once you get home.

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1327874181[/url]' post='4959487']

I guess I am a suspicious muggle. I have a cache hidden in my front yard. I state on the cache page that it is my property and cachers have my permission to search. I also ask if they see me out to stop and say Hello. Most cachers hunting it act odd and try not to be seen. I have started to walk toward a couple of groups and had them depart quickly. Only one has ever walked over to me to say hello when I was outside. If the cache page lets you know cachers are expected to show up once in a while either wave at anyone around or just say Hello to them.

 

Charles

 

Please archive your yard cache.

 

There is nothing more creepy than a cache in someone's front yard. I'll not even consider doing it and sort of get ticked off when I get to GZ and realise what it is.

 

There is a reason people run away when they see you, despite the cache page welcoming them. They don't know you, they don't know the cache page is legit, and they don't know your not some perv trying to lure people to his house to then throw in a well 'Silence of the Lambs' style.

 

Yard caches......gives me shudders just thinking about them.

That's what adequate permission is all about. If all you're doing is hunting for a cache, you're doing nothing wrong. If caught just explain what you're doing. If the person wants the cache removed, then remove it. You can contact the owner and the reviewer and handle the problem once you get home.

 

I think for a cache hidden on a homeowner's property, they need to be explicit on which property the cache is on, especially if it near a boundary with another homeowner. "It's on the fence of the blue house with pink shutters". This way the cachers definitely know they are at the right house.

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1327874181[/url]' post='4959487']

I guess I am a suspicious muggle. I have a cache hidden in my front yard. I state on the cache page that it is my property and cachers have my permission to search. I also ask if they see me out to stop and say Hello. Most cachers hunting it act odd and try not to be seen. I have started to walk toward a couple of groups and had them depart quickly. Only one has ever walked over to me to say hello when I was outside. If the cache page lets you know cachers are expected to show up once in a while either wave at anyone around or just say Hello to them.

 

Charles

 

Please archive your yard cache.

 

There is nothing more creepy than a cache in someone's front yard. I'll not even consider doing it and sort of get ticked off when I get to GZ and realise what it is.

 

There is a reason people run away when they see you, despite the cache page welcoming them. They don't know you, they don't know the cache page is legit, and they don't know your not some perv trying to lure people to his house to then throw in a well 'Silence of the Lambs' style.

 

Yard caches......gives me shudders just thinking about them.

That's what adequate permission is all about. If all you're doing is hunting for a cache, you're doing nothing wrong. If caught just explain what you're doing. If the person wants the cache removed, then remove it. You can contact the owner and the reviewer and handle the problem once you get home.

 

I think for a cache hidden on a homeowner's property, they need to be explicit on which property the cache is on, especially if it near a boundary with another homeowner. "It's on the fence of the blue house with pink shutters". This way the cachers definitely know they are at the right house.

absolutly.

 

That should be the case on any cache where there could be confusion as to where the cache might be, or how to get to the caches site, where the cacher may go onto private property where the CO does not have premission.

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Oh, I'm not talking about adequate permission issues. I'm sure Texas Charles owns the property and cache. I'm sure he's a nice guy. I'm just saying that as a cacher its creepy to wander on someones front lawn and start hunting for a cache. I don't want to meet anybody when I'm in the position of rooting through their shrubs.

 

It's a personal thing. I'm not saying its not legal or should be banned. I'm just saying its creepy and I would never look for one.

 

Sorry for the hijack. I shouldn't have said anything...

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Oh, I'm not talking about adequate permission issues. I'm sure Texas Charles owns the property and cache. I'm sure he's a nice guy. I'm just saying that as a cacher its creepy to wander on someones front lawn and start hunting for a cache. I don't want to meet anybody when I'm in the position of rooting through their shrubs.

 

It's a personal thing. I'm not saying its not legal or should be banned. I'm just saying its creepy and I would never look for one.

 

Sorry for the hijack. I shouldn't have said anything...

Then why should the CO archive the cache just because you don't like it? :unsure:

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