warner15 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Hello, I am very new to the concept of geocaching and have not yet gone out to find any but I plan to do so tomorrow. I was looking for some geocaches in my area and I noticed that a lot of them instruct me to use stealth...why? Does it really matter if people see me when I am finding/looking for the caches? Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) Does it really matter if people see me when I am finding/looking for the caches? Yes, depending on who's watching. It's important that the container doesn't get stolen due to the attention being brought to it. But in many cases, just going about your business (find, open, sign, and replace the container) is fine, if you just go and do it like you mean it. If people are just too close for comfort, you may prefer to wait til they leave, or even explain Geocaching and maybe they'll help search. It just depends on the people. If it seems like a bad place to do a discreet hunt without drawing a crowd, truly not a well thought out hiding spot, you may mention that in the log. Edited August 16, 2011 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
+Chief301 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Hello, I am very new to the concept of geocaching and have not yet gone out to find any but I plan to do so tomorrow. I was looking for some geocaches in my area and I noticed that a lot of them instruct me to use stealth...why? Does it really matter if people see me when I am finding/looking for the caches? Yes, it does sort of. It's not like you're doing anything illegal, but the whole point of hiding caches so well is so that non-players ("muggles") don't stumble across them by accident and remove or vandalize them. It happens all the time...most of the general public don't even know what Geocaching is, much less that there are caches hidden right under their noses where they work and play. If they spot you replacing the cache to its hiding spot, they'll be curious. MOST will just ignore you, some will be curious and ask what you're doing, some others will be curious, wait till you leave, and go investigate what's you just hid under that park bench. Then there are the ones who will check out the container and then get some stupid perverted entertainment from stealing it, or throwing it away, or putting nasty stuff in it, or just breaking it into little pieces. There are even some idiots who sign up for GC.com so they can locate the caches in their area just for the purpose of vandalizing them. So, in order to protect the cache, we try not to let others see where the hiding place is. Quote Link to comment
+Rckhnd Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Hello, I am very new to the concept of geocaching and have not yet gone out to find any but I plan to do so tomorrow. I was looking for some geocaches in my area and I noticed that a lot of them instruct me to use stealth...why? Does it really matter if people see me when I am finding/looking for the caches? Yes, it does sort of. It's not like you're doing anything illegal, but the whole point of hiding caches so well is so that non-players ("muggles") don't stumble across them by accident and remove or vandalize them. It happens all the time...most of the general public don't even know what Geocaching is, much less that there are caches hidden right under their noses where they work and play. If they spot you replacing the cache to its hiding spot, they'll be curious. MOST will just ignore you, some will be curious and ask what you're doing, some others will be curious, wait till you leave, and go investigate what's you just hid under that park bench. Then there are the ones who will check out the container and then get some stupid perverted entertainment from stealing it, or throwing it away, or putting nasty stuff in it, or just breaking it into little pieces. There are even some idiots who sign up for GC.com so they can locate the caches in their area just for the purpose of vandalizing them. So, in order to protect the cache, we try not to let others see where the hiding place is. Agreed. If I was a muggle and saw somebody hide something, I would wait until they left then check it out. My curiosity would get to me. If I found a sheet in it explaining geocaching then I'm sure I would have replaced it carefully and gone to check out the website. However, in the past I worked in housing and would often find hobo camps and stashes on the property. I was obliged to always gather it up and trash it due to resident's concerns. Quote Link to comment
+farmer and farmwife Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) We are just beginner too but this is exactly the reason we decided to include our faithful dog Tommy on all our searches. He is a good cover. No one thinks anything if they see you out "walking" your dog. Edited August 16, 2011 by farmer and his wife Quote Link to comment
warner15 Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 Thanks for the replies, it makes sense now. Quote Link to comment
+geodarts Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 (edited) Hello, I am very new to the concept of geocaching and have not yet gone out to find any but I plan to do so tomorrow. I was looking for some geocaches in my area and I noticed that a lot of them instruct me to use stealth...why? Does it really matter if people see me when I am finding/looking for the caches? Some caches that "instruct" you to use stealth have been placed without permission, so that can be a factor. I have seen caches that specifically advise people to stay away from security cameras or not to let people who work in the building know what you are doing. I have been to other caches where the business owner came to me to ask what I was doing - they did not know that a cache had been placed on their property - so perhaps I was not "stealthy" enough, but it gave me the opportunity to inform them about the game. Some caches may advise stealth because they are in a high traffic area and the CO wants people to take care so that the cache will be protected (or the bomb squad will not be called out when a person finds a suspicious looking object). In any event, trying to act stealthy will often draw attention to yourself. There have been numerous threads about this in these forums. Some people like to use clipboards or vests to look official, but nobody would believe me if tried that. So I generally just go about my business. That does not mean that some caution is not in order. I try to time my finds. If an area is temporarily full or the park bench where the cache is hidden is being used, I might come back at another time. I might get out my cell phone if I need a reason to be in the area. I will try to limit the search location in such areas (by looking at the description/hints/past logs). If I am not comfortable in searching an area, for whatever reason, I leave. There are enough smileys out there without me having to look in some of the areas where caches are placed. If asked, I always explain the game - regardless of whether it be a property owner, security officer, law enforcement, or just a non cacher. As one person said to me, "People do not look as strange when you know what they are doing." I have found quite a few caches (and my comfort level is probably higher than some), but have only run into an angry property owner on a couple of occasions. So really, just do what you feel comfortable in doing and everything should be fine. The bottom line is that the game should be fun, so that should be your guide about how much stealth to use,whether to look for a cache, or anything other situation you run across. Edited August 16, 2011 by geodarts Quote Link to comment
+Great Scott! Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 To me, "Use Stealth" means that it is not a good location for the cache. Eventually someone nearby will be watching and investigate. "Use Stealth" in a cache description is a automatic Ignore List cache. Quote Link to comment
+Shebaz Jenkins Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 To me, "Use Stealth" means that it is not a good location for the cache. Eventually someone nearby will be watching and investigate. "Use Stealth" in a cache description is a automatic Ignore List cache. I don't think that is completely true. some of my favorites so far are under people's noses. Found a puzzle cache under a bridge over a man made pond in a parking lot. Loved the cache but certainly had to be stealthy and time the find the right. If all caches were hidden where no one would see us, there wouldn't be that many caches. It's all part of the fun! Quote Link to comment
sabrefan7 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 If all caches were hidden where no one would see us, there wouldn't be that many caches. It's all part of the fun! Your correct, but so is reading about the monthly Bomb Scare Story http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=909c9502-796e-442f-aa8f-b71be68a772b Quote Link to comment
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