Caching in safe areas if your are on your own

[+springbok200]

I'm nearly at 200 caches and I have the bug for good now. I have one annoying problem like many others probably but I have not seen it mentioned on here yet. (If I missed it my apologies)

 

I'm a bit limited with caches on my own or with my daughter. I don't go off in to woods when it's just us 'just in case' So I pick my areas very carefully so they are safe etc. I have to then either drag my husband out to do Woodland ones or drag fellow friends out!

 

I know they have 'mobs' and 'meets' but is there anything else that would allow people to cache safely that are in the same position?

 

I would be interested in your thoughts or similar situations.

[GOF and Bacall]

Go to events. You'll meet fellow cachers. Get to know them and you'll find others who need caching partners.

[I!]

You could ask in the UK forum to see if anyone nearby wants a caching buddy.

 

Otherwise ... get a dog?

[+Fianccetto]

It depends what you mean by 'in the woods'. If you are willing to follow woodland paths (where people walk their dogs or go for short walks) then it should open up a lot of possibilities. In the UK, country parks, nature reserves, Forestry Commission land, Woodland Trust land, Natural Trust land, county Wildlife Trusts all have interesting places with good paths, often with caches. Go in daylight, dress conservatively with spare clothes for potential weather changes, and wear sturdy footwear. Take a good (high detail) paper map in a clear bag and spare batteries and a camera & phone. Mark on your GPS where you parked the car!

 

However, if you're talking wilderness country (e.g. Cairngorms) or hiking somewhere remote, it's better to go in a group of at least 3, but 4 is better, so someone can stay with an injured person & 2 others can go for help, or for if the weather suddenly changes, then you have more people to carry emergency equipment between you, or if you lose your bearings, there's more eyes and memories to help out. Would advise only going to the higher/remote UK places in the summer in good visibility unless you're all experienced or with people who are trained and know the area.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

I know, we live on the other side of the pond.... so there may be something to this that I don't understand.

 

But I must ask, Do you find the woodlands any more dangerous than the cities? I suppose it may be possible that your less-desirable types lurk in the woodlands more-so than on the corner, or in the shadows/alleyways.

[+Fianccetto]

It's a good idea to listen to local news and get the facebook feeds of your local police force just to be aware of what is happening in your local area. If I hear reports of people being assaulted in a certain place, whether a park or wood or street, I'd avoid going there on my own, at least at night, and as we've lived near woodland where bodies have been found, we've just given those woods a wide berth until the culprit was found. We've occasionally encountered police tape on a walk and if we can't walk around it keeping well away, we turn around and go back. Just don't want to mess up their investigations with any extra footfall.

[+Chokecherry]

I cache in the woods alone regularly. I make sure to let people know where I'm going and take a hpone with even though there's a good chance I won't have reception where I go. I also mark on the GPS where I parked the car. And then if I encounter terrain that I know is pushing my limits on my trek I don't do it until I can bring someone back with me.

 

But for me it's about knowing my limits and working with them. If I didn't I'd be stuck doing only urban caches and that's not fun for me.

[+deacdiddy]

I have mace that i carry with me in the small parks...I've had two instances where someone followed me into the woods looking to "muggle" my cache. I look out for lone guys sitting in their cars, who are backed in to their parking spaces

[I!]

But I must ask, Do you find the woodlands any more dangerous than the cities?

We don't have no-go areas in cities to the extent that you do in the States. For that matter, we don't really have much by way of cities, full stop; it's mostly towns and villages. A walk in the woods would, for many, feel much more alien and uncomfortable than walking pretty much anywhere in the nearest town.

[I!]

I have mace that i carry with me in the small parks

You carry a mace?! What the ...

 

... oh, hang on. Got it now.

[Mr.Yuck]

Go to events. You'll meet fellow cachers. Get to know them and you'll find others who need caching partners.

 

Yeah, or if nothing's coming up, start some email correspondence with a local. Email exchanges can lead to "lets get together". That's how I met my first prominent local back in 2003. And she in turn introduced me to the whole local gang. Before I knew it, I was going out caching with 6 people on a regular basis. I didn't go to my first event for about 2 years, I think!

 

Ironically enough, I placed, never submitted, and just last week retrieved a cache sitting in the woods I had second thoughts about. It was along a desolate, little used City bike trail. I started thinking on the way home that it wasn't safe for solo female cachers. Or in a case like you mention, a mother-daughter outing. Most people probably don't take that into consideration though.

[+deacdiddy]

I have mace that i carry with me in the small parks

You carry a mace?! What the ...

 

... oh, hang on. Got it now.

Now THAT is impressive!

[+Fianccetto]

I have mace that i carry with me in the small parks

You carry a mace?! What the ...

 

... oh, hang on. Got it now.

Now THAT is impressive!

Might be over doing it in deepest, darkest Essex, but you never know!

[+Manville Possum]

I have hiked trails while geocaching with my daughter when she was eight. The woods are not the scary places. We are Country people that have no use for Mace, but I do carry a hiking staff. It helps me steady my large frame handgun.

[+JesandTodd]

Solo cacher here, with nothing but woods around me...

 

I do just what everyone mentions above. I have pepper spray that hangs off my backpack, so it's easy accessible. I take my dog. I tell the hubs to watch me on "where's my iPhone" and call me if my blue dot doesnt move for a while. I keep my eyes peeled for any suspicious behavior, etc. as a woman, you know this. This is what we do all day, everyday.

 

Whats different about the woods as opposed to the city? I can be pulled off a trail in a split second. There could not be another soul around.

 

Sure, the people in the city are probably far more dangerous than those in the woods. Most solo male hikers are nothing but respectful and give me plenty of space on the trail.

 

But... IF one wasn't, it's FAR easier for them to attack me alone in the woods than alone in the city, IMO...

[+wandersfar]

You could ask a non caching friend that you think might enjoy caching along.... it might start them on a great hobby and get you a new caching partner to boot. I cache mostly in the country and do not worry so much about

my safety in the country, I feel urban parks and suburban areas require much more caution in scouting the area for possible problems- of course if I get that creepy feeling (all us women know that one) I just skip the cache. I carry a phone, hiking staff, and of course a small pistol for rattlers... and know how to use all of them, just in case.

[+jobrerry]

As a woman also, I enjoy doing cemetary caches when I am by myself. I find them peaceful, relatively safe, and an almost guaranteed find. I also let my family know where I am going in case there ever is a problem.

[+tomfuller & Quill]

I am well known for caching in remote areas with no cell phone coverage. This makes my wife very nervous. I recently purchased a SPOT device ($80-100) and paid $100 for 1 year service. You can send a I'm OK, I need help or a 911 message using a satellite (not the GPS satellites). The message will go to a cell phone as a text message or an email address. Your precise location (decimal degrees) comes along with the message. The person who receives the message can click on the coordinates and see the Google map.

If you are injured and can't make it back to your vehicle, it's nice to know you can get help even if your cellphone won't work.

One lifesaving tip I learned: Try to send a TEXT message to someone who will come find you. The cellphone will keep trying to send the message until it completes the call.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Being male, I cannot answer about concerns of females. (Other than that my sister has stopped going off into the woods geocaching. But this is the same woman who climbed the 20 mountains in Maine over 4000'.)

I've done a considerable amount of hiking, including section hiking 1000 miles of the Appalachian Trail in ten years. My only concern has been finding drinking water, and bears.

Urban environment is a different story. One urban cacher labelled us as 'fearless'. (That would be mostly New York City, Newark and Paterson, NJ.) I've never felt in danger. What stopped us was a cache in Washington Heights, NYC. Parked on the road. Okay, that looks like a drug dealer. No problem. When we got back, someone was eying the cachemobile. That had us worried! We are probably among the top cache finders for Manhattan Island, but that we do not need! We'll let someone else take over as top Manhattan cache finder!

As I've mentioned, the only things that worry me about hiking in the woods are my abilities, water, and bears!

[AZcachemeister]

 

But... IF one wasn't, it's FAR easier for them to attack me alone in the woods than alone in the city, IMO...

 

Except for their five friends hanging in that alley over there...

 

As a male cacher, my concerns might be slightly less, but only slightly.

ANY woman's biggest problem is the mindset that they are a fragile defenseless little flower.

RELEASE THE TIGER!

With only a little training, I'd bet that any (ANY) woman could kick my a** into next week if I accosted them.

 

Are the thugs really likely to be hanging out in the woods where there is less prey?