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Hello,

 

the Guidelines say :

1.1. Fundamental Placement Guidelines

6. Geocaches are not placed on school property or military bases. Many primary, middle and secondary schools, as .....

 

I think this is not enough.

They really should add Kindergarden and they should add playground.

 

What do You think?

 

I guess this has been talked about several times.

 

How to make a suggestion to Groundspeak?

 

Thx for reading...

 

and sorry for Spelling

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Hello,

 

I mean a "playground for children"

You are not allowed to enter if you are older then 14 Year. (except you look after your children)

 

There has a cache been placed ON a playground.

 

I think that will really make parents affraid to see "strange" looking and searching people on a Playground for Children.

 

They enter playground ... rummage in corners .. leave playground.

 

If I was there with my 2 little children I would call the police.

 

I guess local resident might call the police too if strangers enter playground late night.

 

thx for reading

Edited by O Z R I C
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Hello,

 

I mean a "playground for children"

You are not allowed to enter if you are older then 14 Year. (except you look after your children)

 

There has a cache been placed ON a playground.

 

I think that will really make parents affraid to see "strange" looking and searching people on a Playground for Children.

 

They enter playground ... rummage in corners .. leave playground.

 

If I was there with my 2 little children I would call the police.

 

I guess local resident might call the police too if strangers enter playground late night.

 

thx for reading

 

Well, you could move to the Eastern Half of New York State, where the reviewer doesn't publish playground caches. :lol: Seriously though, it's a controversial subject. I certainly don't go near such caches when caching alone. I'm 6'0 200 Lbs. with a perpetual military brush cut, and said to be mean looking.

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Or you could just make do with the rules/guidelines we already have instead of asking for a new one for each and every possible situation? Some families combine caching with visiting playgrounds so it is perfectly normal for them to be there.

 

I won't seek a cache in a playground while it is being used, but if no one is there why shouldn't I be able to crawl around under the equipment for a cache? And I will make a point of mentioning that I'm not crazy about that kind of placement in my logs so that other cachers are aware of the location and can decide what is best for them.

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I almost always cache with my kids but I do understand how creepy an adult on a playground sometimes looks.

 

I would hate to see all such placements banned. Just defining "park" and "playground" alone could be a huge issue around the rural area I live. Parks often have a random piece of equipment not at all separated from the rest of the park. Which in turn is not separated from baseball fields/schools/businesses/residences in any way.

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Hello,

 

I mean a "playground for children"

You are not allowed to enter if you are older then 14 Year. (except you look after your children)

 

There has a cache been placed ON a playground.

 

I think that will really make parents affraid to see "strange" looking and searching people on a Playground for Children.

 

They enter playground ... rummage in corners .. leave playground.

 

If I was there with my 2 little children I would call the police.

 

I guess local resident might call the police too if strangers enter playground late night.

 

thx for reading

I take it you are from Germany?

 

Kindergardens here in the States are part of the schools. Also I have never seen a playground here like they ones you are talking about. I have seen them in Germany of course. I do think that due to the fact that they restrict acess to many adults they should be on the list of restricted place there.

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I almost always cache with my kids but I do understand how creepy an adult on a playground sometimes looks.

 

I would hate to see all such placements banned. Just defining "park" and "playground" alone could be a huge issue around the rural area I live. Parks often have a random piece of equipment not at all separated from the rest of the park. Which in turn is not separated from baseball fields/schools/businesses/residences in any way.

 

I agree, our parks, our playgrounds, and even our schools are sometimes all attached on the same large property.

Almost all of the parks have some bit of play equipment. Our schools are attached to the open spaces that belong to the park system, some of which are very large.

In general, I don't think it is wrong for an adult to play on a playground -- remember when you were a kid?

If there are kids or others there, I would not get too close to them and if the cache is where they are, just move on.

But if I am the only one there, it is public use land that I pay for with my tax dollars, I am definitely allowed to be there.

We don't need a rule, just good judgement. On the part of both hiders and seekers.

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I would like the relevant rule to be restated to not allow caches to be placed within 50m of

 

- and type of preschool, kindergarten, or school

- military bases

- establishments employing security guards or camera surveillance.

 

As well as making cachers feel uncomfortable, making parents and children feel uncomfortable, and running the risk of confrontations with security staff,

there is also a potential for geocaching to get bad publicity as a result of these issues, which will most likely have other restrictive consequences on where we can operate.

 

It's not enough to say caches can't be placed on school etc property, as lurking around fence lines and perimeters is just as bad.

 

In my experience, caches hidden in playgrounds are VERY ordinary caches, and don't show much imagination or give the finder a lot of pleasure anyway.

 

If a cache doesn't take you somewhere interesting, employ a clever hide, or otherwise prove to be a pleasurable experience, why place it?

Edited by gmj3191
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Here in the states, we all pay for those parks. Very few municipalities have rules that do not allow adults and those that do have and very little success enforcing those type rules against any real challenges.

 

Parks, with playgrounds or not, are meant to be enjoyed by the public. Just because your a male adult it does not automatically make one a criminal or deviant. Prohibiting me from legally utilize something I pay for because parents can not be bothered to watch their little ones (I raised three and am still involved in scouting) is not something that would be welcomed by anybody thinking rationalli.

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I would like the relevant rule to be restated to not allow caches to be placed within 50m of

 

- and type of preschool, kindergarten, or school

- military bases

- establishments employing security guards or camera surveillance.

Would "school" include colleges and universities? How about barber schools? What about establishments that employ only night guards? Establishments with security guards present one weekend each year during a music festival? Do fake security cameras count?

 

It's easy to get carried away and see monsters under the bed that don't really exist. Rather than ban hides from every potentially uncomfortable location, I think people should use good judgment when they hide caches. I placed one on a university campus. The local police and campus security are generally well aware of geocaching and are okay with the activity. If they weren't okay with it and asked me to remove my cache, I'd gladly do so.

 

If a cache doesn't take you somewhere interesting, employ a clever hide, or otherwise prove to be a pleasurable experience, why place it?

I think my campus cache is a clever hide. It's certainly an unusual cache that often seems to provide pleasurable experiences (57% favorite points).

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I would like the relevant rule to be restated to not allow caches to be placed within 50m of

 

- and type of preschool, kindergarten, or school

- military bases

- establishments employing security guards or camera surveillance.

 

There goes all the wonderful Walmart parking lot LPC micros :(

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It's simple. Just like the guidelines say, you need PERMISSION To place the cache, where-ever it may be. Now if adults are not allowed on the playground, then obviously there is no permission. And Second point, Just because a cache is there doesn't mean you should go for it. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure you are not doing anything illegal, dangerous, too hard, too scary...etc, not the cache owners.

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If you are not comfortable looking someplace for a cache then don't look for that cache.

 

If you think your presence might make someone else uncomfortable, consider ways you can look less out of place or consider coming back when others aren't around.

 

The rules regarding schools are primarily ones of permission. It is assumed that a school would not give permission for a number of reasons including issues of security. If you can show you have permission you can sometimes get a school cache approved.

 

Likewise, those reviewers who won't publish playground caches may assume that in certain localities permission to place a cache on or near a playground would not normally be given. If the playground has signs prohibiting unaccompanied adults, that might imply that permission would not be given to leave something that is likely to attract unaccompanied adults.

 

The presence of security guards, surveillance cameras, or helicopter parents, in and of itself, does imply that permission wasn't obtained so reviewers will publish caches in these areas even if they are aware of these conditions. However the guidelines do say:

Select an appropriate location and container. Think about how your container and the actions of geocachers seeking it will be perceived by the public. Although your geocache will be hidden with landowner permission, concerned passersby who are unaware of geocaching may view people searching the property as suspicious. For example, a geocacher will likely be wrongly suspected of being malicious if a cache is hidden in full view of an office or apartment windows.

 

If you have concerns about a particular cache, and you can't follow the two suggestions I made above, contact a reviewer with your concerns. If the cache is in a inappropriate location, I contend the reviewer can archive it. They at least can try to determine whether the cache was placed with permission.

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In my experience, caches hidden in playgrounds are VERY ordinary caches, and don't show much imagination or give the finder a lot of pleasure anyway.

 

I sometimes cache with my 5 year old granddaughter. You search for the caches you like, and I will receive plenty of pleasure when she is thrilled that the cache is at a playground.

 

Austin

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Isnt kindigarden grade part of Primary school ? And playgrounds? do you mean one thjat are in parks or playgounds of schools? If you mean "other" playgrounds outside school , ie: city parks , their goes 25% of caches and 90 % of urben hides.

And this is bad why?!?! LOL! ...I agree with what you are saying... just thought it was funny, after all isn't i about quality, not quantity? ;)

Edited by Arndtwe
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Hello,

 

I take it you are from Germany?

 

Kindergardens here in the States are part of the schools. Also I have never seen a playground here like they ones you are talking about. I have seen them in Germany of course. I do think that due to the fact that they restrict acess to many adults they should be on the list of restricted place there.

 

You are right. I am from Germany.

With playground I do not mean those BIG Parks where you go for a walk or jogging or ...

 

Here in Germany we have Playgrounds only for (smal) childrem.

 

Parents sit on a bench and watch their childrem play in the sandpit or swing or riding on a rocker.

 

There is no reason for old childrem or adults (without childrem with them) to enter this kind of playground.

 

thx for readind....

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The guidelines are just that. Guidelines. I generally keep 5 or 6 pocket queries in my GPS, and I rarely read the cache page before going after a hide. If i arrive at GZ and it's a playground that's empty, I go for it . If it's in use by children or adults I move on. I used to have small children and understand the mindset. IMHO no new guidelines needed. Just like if I arrive at GZ that turns out to be a 5 mile hike at dusk. I an responsible for my safety and managing interactions with: Security guards, neighbors, suspicious parents, bees, bears, ferrel dogs, poison ivy, snakes, spiders, rivers and mud flats.

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Climb to the top of the slide (or highest platform available) and announce to all present that you are just an innocent Geocacher looking for a small container with a piece of paper to sign your name on. Emphasize that you ARE NOT a pedophile or kidnapper, and that once you find your quarry you will quickly depart.

 

That should either allay the parent's fears, or make everybody leave.

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When I cached with my kids, playgrounds were easy to cache in - no one thinks twice about a dad and his two daughters having fun.

 

Now, since I cache mainly with adult friends, we are more careful. We try to find the caches during the day when kids are in school, or on lousy weather days when the kids are inside playing nintendo. If there are kids and their parents, we move on to the next one.

 

However, I am sure htere are cachers out there that don't feel the same way, and just go right on ahead and search out the cache, possibly making hte kids and parents nervous. While they may have the legal right to be there, that doesn't mean an anxious parent won't call the police. And this could lead to bad press for geocaching as a whole.

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I posted this pic a couple years ago in a similar thread. It is not mine, I stole it from the cache page's image gallery. This is a leg of a 4 leg multi in suburban Scranton, Pa. It was placed in 2003, and is still active. The coordinates are under the wooden playground structure. When I showed up to find it about 4:00 PM on a Saturday, there were, I kid you not, at least 100 kids on that structure. Any lone adult male takers? :laughing:

 

Side note, I came back at 6:30 AM the next day, and did complete that cache.

 

8e6782e9-d4a1-4403-a5de-8e5303acf873.jpg

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I have a 3 year old, and it's already difficult enough to judge how safe a playarea is (I live in a rough part of my city).

Play areas are more often than not in a park, it can't be that hard to find a place away from the playground.

 

Even as a geocacher myself, if I saw someone fiddling with equipment and walking in circles with something in their hand, I'd be inclined to call the police. :ph34r:

 

It's just a matter of being responsible and sensible. If the hobby gets bad publicity, it's likely to be restricted. Why take the risk when there's likely to be a place to hide close by? :blink:

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It's simple. Just like the guidelines say, you need PERMISSION To place the cache, where-ever it may be. Now if adults are not allowed on the playground, then obviously there is no permission. And Second point, Just because a cache is there doesn't mean you should go for it. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure you are not doing anything illegal, dangerous, too hard, too scary...etc, not the cache owners.

 

Right. Because all cachers are adults. :huh:

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Hello,

 

We don't need more rules. We need more common sense from both hiders and seekers.

 

You are right.

 

But... I gues not all have this common sense.

Otherwise I cant understand why someone can be so bone-headed an place a Cache on a smal playground.

Delete all nice and friedly writtes notes in his cache that bid him to archieve or move the cache.

No... this person act like:" It not forbidden to place cache here so stfu."

 

Do we really have to make Geocaching disliked be the public?

That will only have the result that there will be new laws.

We really want that?

Better some "low level" rules from Groundspeak then HARD LAWS from government.

 

Here in Germany we have the first result of no common sense .... Geocaching in Caves, Bunker, Tunnel etc. is forbidden by Law. (in parts of Germany)

Thats because "some" did not take care of bats and other pets while periods of rest.

 

How ever.

 

thx for reading

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I think people are over paranoid in this culture about child predators. I can understand not wanting one's child abducted but I think the risk is way overstated by the media. Plus if a predator wants a particular child bad enough, it will happen. Keeping adult males off playgrounds isn't going to prevent anything. Maybe I just live in a safe/sheltered area though. With that said I don't like caches in any densely populated residential areas, playground or otherwise, and would not go for any cache when there's lot of muggles around, children or otherwise.

Edited by sholomar
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I think people are over paranoid in this culture about child predators. I can understand not wanting one's child abducted but I think the risk is way overstated by the media. Plus if a predator wants a particular child bad enough, it will happen. Keeping adult males off playgrounds isn't going to prevent anything. Maybe I just live in a safe/sheltered area though. With that said I don't like caches in any densely populated residential areas, playground or otherwise, and would not go for any cache when there's lot of muggles around, children or otherwise.

 

Perhaps, but there's opportunist predators out there. It's much better to be safe than sorry, and with crime constantly going up, parents have every right to be extra vigilant. We seem to live in a society that says don't get abducted, rather than don't abduct. Or at least, I do. And from past experiences, I know the world isn't a safe, pleasant place.

I'd rather call the police and cause a fuss over a geocacher in a play area who'll be told to be mor careful and go on his merry way, than have my child snatched in a place that's supposed to be for children.

 

Maybe I'm one of those people who constantly fear the worst, but the area I live in isn't exactly an ideally safe place for children. :blink:

Edited by firestronaut
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It's simple. Just like the guidelines say, you need PERMISSION To place the cache, where-ever it may be. Now if adults are not allowed on the playground, then obviously there is no permission. And Second point, Just because a cache is there doesn't mean you should go for it. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure you are not doing anything illegal, dangerous, too hard, too scary...etc, not the cache owners.

 

Right. Because all cachers are adults. :huh:

No, but just as most people on playgrounds are kids, most people in retirement homes are old, and most cacher are adults.

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Hello,

 

We don't need more rules. We need more common sense from both hiders and seekers.

 

You are right.

 

But... I gues not all have this common sense.

Otherwise I cant understand why someone can be so bone-headed an place a Cache on a smal playground.

 

Am I the only one who finds this combination of statements extremely ironic?

 

Having read through this thread several times, I still don't see a problem with hiding a cache in a playground. All the complaints are really about people caching in a playground full of muggles. Those on the side of banning are admitting to not having this common sense.

 

Austin

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It's simple. Just like the guidelines say, you need PERMISSION To place the cache, where-ever it may be. Now if adults are not allowed on the playground, then obviously there is no permission. And Second point, Just because a cache is there doesn't mean you should go for it. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure you are not doing anything illegal, dangerous, too hard, too scary...etc, not the cache owners.

 

Right. Because all cachers are adults. :huh:

No, but just as most people on playgrounds are kids, most people in retirement homes are old, and most cacher are adults.

 

And most geocachers will never go on the International Space Station. Does that mean the cache there should be banned? This hobby covers a lot of niches (such as people who cache with their small children). Not every cache is for every person. If a cache is not for you, move on. But banning it for everyone else is just silly.

 

Austin

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Hello,

 

 

Am I the only one who finds this combination of statements extremely ironic?

 

Having read through this thread several times, I still don't see a problem with hiding a cache in a playground. All the complaints are really about people caching in a playground full of muggles. Those on the side of banning are admitting to not having this common sense.

 

Austin

 

Playgrounds are made for Childrem to have Fun!

That you cant see any Muggel, does not mean no Muggel sees you. Local resident have open eys and ears.

 

And if only ONE MOTHER forbids her children to play on that playground since she heard a rumor about "strange old people" which run around the playground early mornings / late evenings /if noone else is there.

 

There you go. There is a reason NOT to place a cache on Playground.

 

Playground is made for Kids to have fun.

Playground is not made for undiscerning geocachers to have fun.

Cacher have enough other places to "play"

Childrem not.

 

thx for reading

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Having read through this thread several times, I still don't see a problem with hiding a cache in a playground. All the complaints are really about people caching in a playground full of muggles. Those on the side of banning are admitting to not having this common sense.

 

Austin

 

The problem is, there are cachers who have no common sense. Cachers who hide on Posted private property. Cachers who go into areas after hours/at night, knowing full well they shouldn't. Cachers who hide caches in locations that will raise suspicion by anyone looking for them. Cachers who hide caches that look like explosive devices. Etc.

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Having read through this thread several times, I still don't see a problem with hiding a cache in a playground. All the complaints are really about people caching in a playground full of muggles. Those on the side of banning are admitting to not having this common sense.

 

Austin

 

The problem is, there are cachers who have no common sense. Cachers who hide on Posted private property. Cachers who go into areas after hours/at night, knowing full well they shouldn't. Cachers who hide caches in locations that will raise suspicion by anyone looking for them. Cachers who hide caches that look like explosive devices. Etc.

 

First, everything you list above is already banned.

 

Second, since your concerns apply to all caches, therefore all caches should be banned. See how silly this is?

 

If you don't like the cache, move on. Don't ruin it for everyone else by banning the cache.

 

Austin

Edited by AustinMN
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And if only ONE MOTHER forbids her children to play on that playground since she heard a rumor about "strange old people" which run around the playground early mornings / late evenings /if noone else is there.

 

I learned years ago that the "if only one" always applies.

"If only one person is killed by electricity..."

"If only one person falls down the stairs..."

"If only one person slips in the shower..."

 

The truth is, if only one mother forbids her children to play on a playground, then that one mother needs to get help. That is not my problem.

 

But you would ruin caching for my granddaughter because of that mother. Pathetic and misguided, I'm afraid.

 

BTW, using all caps is shouting. That doesn't help your case.

 

Austin

Edited by AustinMN
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Though I also don't like caches in playgrounds I try to use Common sense. If there are kids and parents there, I at least let one parent know what I am doing and maybe introduce them to the game. (they can tell the other parents later) If they feel uncomfortable about it then I will leave and maybe just come back when there are no kids around.

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Hello,

 

 

The truth is, if only one mother forbids her children to play on a playground, then that one mother needs to get help. That is not my problem.

 

 

ok.

 

If all people would think like You. Guess what a "Nice" Wourld we would live in.

 

How ever... Have a nice Day.

 

BTW..

BTW, using all caps is shouting. That doesn't help your case.

 

I did not write ALL in Caps. I use Caps like you use bold.

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I sometimes feel, while reading these forums, I am a little unusual. I really don't feel the need to find every cache. I have walked away from several that didn't feel like "my kind of cache".

 

Now I would bet that many, if not most cachers feel the same way I do. However, reading the forums sure make it sound as if every cache should be accessable to every cacher. :blink:

 

I got a couple of caches in the play areas of parks, back when I first started. They made me feel uncomfortable.(even though I found them when the park was empty other than myself.) So I just don't do them. But I have never felt they should be banned.

 

Believe me, if you can lose the feeling of having to get every cache, you will like this game a lot more. And, if you can get rid of the idea that any cache you don't like should be banned, you would be much better off.

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If all people would think like You. Guess what a "Nice" Wourld we would live in.

 

If all our laws (and guidelines) were based on what ONE person does, this world would be a lot more messed up than it is.

 

I know a few over protective parents. Believe me I don't want to live in a place where anytime any single person has a problem, we need a rule.

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Having read through this thread several times, I still don't see a problem with hiding a cache in a playground. All the complaints are really about people caching in a playground full of muggles. Those on the side of banning are admitting to not having this common sense.

 

Austin

 

The problem is, there are cachers who have no common sense. Cachers who hide on Posted private property. Cachers who go into areas after hours/at night, knowing full well they shouldn't. Cachers who hide caches in locations that will raise suspicion by anyone looking for them. Cachers who hide caches that look like explosive devices. Etc.

 

First, everything you list above is already banned.

 

Second, since your concerns apply to all caches, therefore all caches should be banned. See how silly this is?

 

If you don't like the cache, move on. Don't ruin it for everyone else by banning the cache.

 

Austin

 

I never said anything about banning caches - you assumed I was calling for a ban. I am not.

 

I agree, I can ignore a cache and move on, because I have common sense. However, when placing a cache, I consider the fact that there are people out there that lack common sense, and others that will go out of their way to do stupid/illegal/inappropriate things. If there's too much of a concern, I won't hide a cache there.

 

So the point I was trying to make is that hiders need to consider the fact the there will be finders ignoring common sense, and may lead to issues.

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But does the Cache have to be on the Playground.

 

A Cache on the parkingplace near the Playground or 100m away from the playground will be enough to show others these great Playground and all are happy.

Parents and Cachers.

Just add a waypoint in the Listing.

So why be so stubborn and place it "on" it and not only "near" it.

 

Noone ever complains not beeing allowed to place a Cache near a school.

In my eyes School and Playground is nearly the same.

 

thx for reading

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I never said anything about banning caches - you assumed I was calling for a ban. I am not.

 

I agree, I can ignore a cache and move on, because I have common sense. However, when placing a cache, I consider the fact that there are people out there that lack common sense, and others that will go out of their way to do stupid/illegal/inappropriate things. If there's too much of a concern, I won't hide a cache there.

 

So the point I was trying to make is that hiders need to consider the fact the there will be finders ignoring common sense, and may lead to issues.

 

If a hide is 10 or 15 feet up a pine tree and someone goes to visit it during a heavy storm and they slip because it is wet, windy or lighting, who is at fault? Surely not the hider.

 

If there is a hide on playground equipment and someone looking for it has the PD called on them, it is not the COs fault. Heck, I have had the PD called on me at a tree in the middle of a open field with no houses around in Indiana. the only thing that upset the officer was having to walk in the 10 yards in the snow because I did not see him and was writing in the log.

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