Jump to content

Where NOT to hide geocaches


BRF!

Recommended Posts

Let's face it: we've all found a cache that makes you wonder what the CO was thinking when they hid it. Whether it's an ammo can in a high-density muggle area, or a micro on a train track (however that could get approved is beyond me), they just make you wonder why in the heck somebody would hide that cache there. Time to spill the beans: where would you never, ever hide a cache? What is the worst-placed cache you have ever found? Have YOU ever placed a cache in a bad place?

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment

Let's face it: we've all found a cache that makes you wonder what the CO was thinking when they hid it. Whether it's an ammo can in a high-density muggle area, or a micro on a train track (however that could get approved is beyond me), they just make you wonder why in the heck somebody would hide that cache there. Time to spill the beans: where would you never, ever hide a cache? What is the worst-placed cache you have ever found? Have YOU ever placed a cache in a bad place?

 

I would never place a cache in a parking lot, or otherwise at a business without permission (and probably not with Permission either). I know this is a radical stance, but I pre-date the existence of such caches in my area. I remember the first ever one in my area, a regular at a restauraunt, and the first finders log made it quite clear there was no permission to leave it there. It was though, one of those "they're OK with it" cases, but I ignored it before there even was an ignore list (which came out in 2005). Then in the winter of 2005, the parking lot micros started coming. It was so obvious no one had permission, and being that the Geocaching community was much, much, much smaller than, I even asked a few of the local early turd pioneers if they had permission. Nope. So call me a radical, but I do not believe we have the right to play this game on private property, and 90+% of them don't have permission.

 

Admission of guilt? I have placed a couple of caches where there was garbage in the woods, and even made the conscience decision it wasn't "too bad". :laughing:

 

Worst location I looked for? This is actually a popular cache, and has very little complaints. A relatively easy Puzzle Cache in lets just say a major Canadian City. I solved it, and Sat viewed it, but went anyways. It was in the middle of a Roundabout on a horrifically busy street, so busy that it took me 10 minutes to cross even on a Sunday Afternoon. That's strike 1. Strike 2, it was a winter placement, and the clump of trees the cache was in was surrounded by a 360 degree 25 foot wide flowerbed full of beautiful annuals. Despite me already at this point thinking this is a really stupid location, I tiptoed through them without touching a single one. Then I get into the clump of pines, and I kid you not, there's a shopping cart full of clothes, and a homeless guy lives there. Fortunately, he wasn't home. He must have waited 10 minutes to cross to go out and collect some bottles or something. I didn't even look for the cache after that. Horrible location, where the general public just doesn't go to. EDIT: Placed in 2007, 60 finds, and still active. Not a single favorites point though, at least that's good. Last finder is a Groundspeak reviewer who doesn't hide his identity, so I suppose stupid locations are legal. :laughing:

Edited by Mr.Yuck
Link to comment

TB hotel with strict 1 for 1 trade rules hidden among live wires behind an access plate for one of those 40 foot tall, high wattage lampposts in a turnpike rest area. It was where the 16 wheelers parked in the direct line of sight for any truckers, which means there would always be someone watching 24/7 - 7 days a week. :blink:

Edited by 4wheelin_fool
Link to comment

 

I would never place a cache in a parking lot, or otherwise at a business without permission (and probably not with Permission either). I know this is a radical stance, but I pre-date the existence of such caches in my area. I remember the first ever one in my area, a regular at a restauraunt, and the first finders log made it quite clear there was no permission to leave it there. It was though, one of those "they're OK with it" cases, but I ignored it before there even was an ignore list (which came out in 2005). Then in the winter of 2005, the parking lot micros started coming. It was so obvious no one had permission, and being that the Geocaching community was much, much, much smaller than, I even asked a few of the local early turd pioneers if they had permission. Nope. So call me a radical, but I do not believe we have the right to play this game on private property, and 90+% of them don't have permission.

 

:

 

 

Turd Pioneers? :P

Link to comment

 

I would never place a cache in a parking lot, or otherwise at a business without permission (and probably not with Permission either). I know this is a radical stance, but I pre-date the existence of such caches in my area. I remember the first ever one in my area, a regular at a restauraunt, and the first finders log made it quite clear there was no permission to leave it there. It was though, one of those "they're OK with it" cases, but I ignored it before there even was an ignore list (which came out in 2005). Then in the winter of 2005, the parking lot micros started coming. It was so obvious no one had permission, and being that the Geocaching community was much, much, much smaller than, I even asked a few of the local early turd pioneers if they had permission. Nope. So call me a radical, but I do not believe we have the right to play this game on private property, and 90+% of them don't have permission.

 

:

 

 

Turd Pioneers? :P

 

Wow, someone actually read my long winded Toz-like post? Yes, pioneers of the parking lot turd. :P

 

I didn't know we were supposed to give short answers. Where not to hide a Geocache? Using common garbage in the woods as "cover" for the cache. I've found about 10. Hidden under hubcaps, sheet metal, discarded plywood etc.. I thought we were supposed to CITO garbage, not integrate it into the hide. <_<

Link to comment

There was one in Texas that turned out to be inside a mens outhouse near an old church. Loaded with black widows no less. We walked away from that one.

 

Other places would include near homeless camps, playgrounds, lamp skirts, stone walls, inside cemetaries, and electrical junction boxes. Not that we've ever seen any in those places.

Link to comment

I pulled up to one that was down a steep hill and was looking at my phone when a man drove up to me and asked what I was doing. After a short description of geocaching, he told me that was private property, had a steep 500 foot drop off not to far away, and was likely a good place to get shot at. I did a DNF with a long note. The CO archived it about 3 hours later.

Link to comment

I pulled up to one that was down a steep hill and was looking at my phone when a man drove up to me and asked what I was doing. After a short description of geocaching, he told me that was private property, had a steep 500 foot drop off not to far away, and was likely a good place to get shot at. I did a DNF with a long note. The CO archived it about 3 hours later.

 

now THAT is the definition of not getting permission for private property!

Link to comment

 

I would never place a cache in a parking lot, or otherwise at a business without permission (and probably not with Permission either). I know this is a radical stance, but I pre-date the existence of such caches in my area. I remember the first ever one in my area, a regular at a restauraunt, and the first finders log made it quite clear there was no permission to leave it there. It was though, one of those "they're OK with it" cases, but I ignored it before there even was an ignore list (which came out in 2005). Then in the winter of 2005, the parking lot micros started coming. It was so obvious no one had permission, and being that the Geocaching community was much, much, much smaller than, I even asked a few of the local early turd pioneers if they had permission. Nope. So call me a radical, but I do not believe we have the right to play this game on private property, and 90+% of them don't have permission.

 

:

 

 

Turd Pioneers? :P

 

Wow, someone actually read my long winded Toz-like post? Yes, pioneers of the parking lot turd. :P

 

I didn't know we were supposed to give short answers. Where not to hide a Geocache? Using common garbage in the woods as "cover" for the cache. I've found about 10. Hidden under hubcaps, sheet metal, discarded plywood etc.. I thought we were supposed to CITO garbage, not integrate it into the hide. <_<

 

Yes, and those forum users such as Mushtang and KBI (as well as others) who used to furiously defend the turd droppers by insisting they can be filtered out in PQs, have not logged in recently. I suppose they "won", and can sleep peacefully knowing "lame" has been successfully defended. :D

 

Or they got bored finding creative caches..

Edited by 4wheelin_fool
Link to comment

In the end's of gaurdrails,, it seams bee's love them I've got stung once, my brother ( nubie) was out with me reached in one, befor I could say no, he ripped out a hive got stung several times. Lol, he won't do that again.

:Tip.. Bang on gaurdrail from a safe distance and look at the end

Link to comment

I've discovered that I was SUPPOSED to start caching 10 years ago... I just didn't know it. I do not LIKE any urban caching. I will admit SOME is better than others... but I LIKE a nice sized container with nice swag to look through. THAT said... I can't say the worst I've FOUND - because I tend to just walk away and refuse to look for anything on a dumpster OR a trash can OR a portapotty OR a bus stop! And recently I was brought to a wooded area where "something" was cleverly disguised... but the place had obviously been someone's trash dump - and I walked away from that too! If the CO isn't going to CITO before inviting people to find something, I'm not even going to LOOK for it! It was a brand new hide. I CITO when I hide. I CITO when I check on my caches, and I CITO other people's caches too - if they are MOSTLY well taken care of. I'm not digging through TRASH to find a cache!

Link to comment

Not a huge amount of experience here yet, but so far: a bison tube clipped to an electric fence.

 

There was no current, but apparently nobody but me, my "country boy" other half and my dog (who has come across an electric fence before and NOT enjoyed the experience) thinks this is a bad idea.

Link to comment

Not a huge amount of experience here yet, but so far: a bison tube clipped to an electric fence.

 

There was no current, but apparently nobody but me, my "country boy" other half and my dog (who has come across an electric fence before and NOT enjoyed the experience) thinks this is a bad idea.

It depends on how much you want the smiley. At the very least, it should have a high difficulty level.

Link to comment

D:3, T: 1.5.

 

Just struck us as a bit, well, ill-advised. If any other finder thought it odd they haven't said so; one, in his or her log, obliquely advises you to ignore the warning signs.

 

For all we know that particular fence may never be "on" but that doesn't mean that others like it won't be and and it ain't much fun finding out one does have current! The hide is in an area of high tourist traffic with many non-locals passing through country that still has a lot of agriculture and therefore stock fences.

 

Have seen a few other bisons-on-fences but none of them have been even possibly electrified.

Link to comment

I tried to go after one once that was somewhere near the bottom of what was basically a sewage ditch. There was garbage floating everywhere in it, and at one point I slipped in (I had been trying to skirt along the edge) and got my foot stuck so far in the mud that it broke my shoe. Needless to say, I gave up on that one.

 

And I actually don't mind the playground ones. There's a whole playground series near where I live and most are far enough from the play areas themselves that muggles aren't an issue. Plus I discovered a lot of new playgrounds for when I let my inner child out.

Link to comment

In the end's of gaurdrails,, it seams bee's love them I've got stung once, my brother ( nubie) was out with me reached in one, befor I could say no, he ripped out a hive got stung several times. Lol, he won't do that again.

:Tip.. Bang on gaurdrail from a safe distance and look at the end

Something I did today while hunting Nanos in/on guardrails....if your cell phone has a front facing camera, use that to look under and around the innards of those guardrail ends to see if you can spot the cache as well as any bees, spiders, or any other antisocial critter that might be there.

Link to comment

...And I actually don't mind the playground ones. There's a whole playground series near where I live and most are far enough from the play areas themselves that muggles aren't an issue. Plus I discovered a lot of new playgrounds for when I let my inner child out.

 

It not the chance of being seen, it's just plain creepy for an adult to be poking around a playground.

Link to comment

...And I actually don't mind the playground ones. There's a whole playground series near where I live and most are far enough from the play areas themselves that muggles aren't an issue. Plus I discovered a lot of new playgrounds for when I let my inner child out.

 

It not the chance of being seen, it's just plain creepy for an adult to be poking around a playground.

Most playgrounds I pass by have at least as many adults as kids in the area. The harsh reality is it is "creepy" for a man to be poking around a playground alone. A woman likely won't get a second glance.

Link to comment

I pulled up to one that was down a steep hill and was looking at my phone when a man drove up to me and asked what I was doing. After a short description of geocaching, he told me that was private property, had a steep 500 foot drop off not to far away, and was likely a good place to get shot at. I did a DNF with a long note. The CO archived it about 3 hours later.

 

At least he talked to you, someone shot in my direction when I was looking for a cache that had the permission of the property owner.

I wonder what kind of permission he had given.

Link to comment

I pulled up to one that was down a steep hill and was looking at my phone when a man drove up to me and asked what I was doing. After a short description of geocaching, he told me that was private property, had a steep 500 foot drop off not to far away, and was likely a good place to get shot at. I did a DNF with a long note. The CO archived it about 3 hours later.

 

At least he talked to you, someone shot in my direction when I was looking for a cache that had the permission of the property owner.

I wonder what kind of permission he had given.

Permission to hunt? :lol::ph34r:

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment

In the end's of gaurdrails,, it seams bee's love them I've got stung once, my brother ( nubie) was out with me reached in one, befor I could say no, he ripped out a hive got stung several times. Lol, he won't do that again.

:Tip.. Bang on gaurdrail from a safe distance and look at the end

Something I did today while hunting Nanos in/on guardrails....if your cell phone has a front facing camera, use that to look under and around the innards of those guardrail ends to see if you can spot the cache as well as any bees, spiders, or any other antisocial critter that might be there.

 

That is a nice tip! For sure I will make use of it one of these days! :D

Link to comment

In the end's of gaurdrails,, it seams bee's love them I've got stung once, my brother ( nubie) was out with me reached in one, befor I could say no, he ripped out a hive got stung several times. Lol, he won't do that again.

:Tip.. Bang on gaurdrail from a safe distance and look at the end

Something I did today while hunting Nanos in/on guardrails....if your cell phone has a front facing camera, use that to look under and around the innards of those guardrail ends to see if you can spot the cache as well as any bees, spiders, or any other antisocial critter that might be there.

 

That is a nice tip! For sure I will make use of it one of these days! :D

 

Or just use a mirror and a flashlight.

Link to comment

Hmmm ... several I've run across that was less than ideal ...

 

- Nano on the bottom/back of a fire hydrant. At first, this looks OK, but you know what dogs do to fire hydrants?

 

- Any size very close to a kids playground. As a single male geocacher, it looks bad for me to be searching for this, even when the playground is empty. I've even taken my aunt with me just so I (we) can do these caches.

 

- Any spot near big windows at a coffee shop. (I've tried several times to find a particular cache in Renton,WA, but have failed each time, as there are always muggles watching me!)

Link to comment

 

- Any spot near big windows at a coffee shop. (I've tried several times to find a particular cache in Renton,WA, but have failed each time, as there are always muggles watching me!)

 

You are wasting time.

Find the cache.

Hold it up and show it to anyone watching as you sign the log.

Put it back and walk away with confidence!

Link to comment

 

- Any spot near big windows at a coffee shop. (I've tried several times to find a particular cache in Renton,WA, but have failed each time, as there are always muggles watching me!)

 

You are wasting time.

Find the cache.

Hold it up and show it to anyone watching as you sign the log.

Put it back and walk away with confidence!

That's not the problem. The problem is looking like a psycho on your hands and knees, feeling up the underside of a planter box under the windowsill, with a coffee shop full of people looking at you askance. If I could find the blasted thing, I would shout "Huzzah" (or maybe "bark" a few times, just to keep the psycho motif going) and lift it up like a trophy for all to see, but I can't find the blasted thing! So instead of a triumphant psycho, I'm just plain psycho. *sigh* :D

Link to comment

Hmmm ... several I've run across that was less than ideal ...

 

- Any spot near big windows at a coffee shop. (I've tried several times to find a particular cache in Renton,WA, but have failed each time, as there are always muggles watching me!)

 

I found one a few years ago that was about 20' from the windows of a well known coffee shop chain. It was stuck in a large metal sign structure and was a real hassle trying to retrieve the container. When I finally pulled it out I opened it to discover that it was actually a letter box. The cache was about a foot away on the opposite side of the sign, hidden in the same manner with the same kind of container. It probably took me 3-4 minutes to retrieve the container once I located the first one. I found in on January 1st about 9:00AM and there was nobody around.

Link to comment

Not a huge amount of experience here yet, but so far: a bison tube clipped to an electric fence.

 

There was no current, but apparently nobody but me, my "country boy" other half and my dog (who has come across an electric fence before and NOT enjoyed the experience) thinks this is a bad idea.

 

three_kinds_of_men_postcard-p239482783682299145z8iat_400.jpg

Link to comment

I don't mind the playground caches. I'm a man too. I just don't go when there's kids there. There's nothing more creepy about a guy searching an empty playground than anywhere else.

It's just a playground. I'm not suggesting talking to kids or stuffing them into your trunk here...

Link to comment

I have to say that I also enjoy a playground cache, but then I'm a mom with two elementary school-aged kids. We have discovered lots of playgrounds that we didn't know about this way.

 

I am not a fan of hides

  • near dumpsters
  • near bottle/can return kiosks
  • in parking lots
  • on busy street corners

 

In general, we don't urban caches and rarely do suburban caches. We like an nice ammo can at the end of a 3-mile hike in the woods. Thankfully, where I live there are a lot of woods.

Link to comment

I have walked away from many a cache that I wouldn't bother searching for.

They were:

Guardrail with no view and nothing redeeming about it.

Behind a Cracker Barrel, by the dumpster, where they fed stray cats.

Highway rest stops.

Most, but not all, but most urban areas.

Seedy, questionable, trashy locations.

Any parking lot. I won't even pull in.

In newspaper stands (the kind you need to pay to open, or any news stand)

On mailboxes.

In front, near, around, or behind a place of business.

Basically, any cache that is not in a nice, interesting area.

Almost any hide that says something like "There was no cache here, so I thought it needed one".

Hide to show me something interesting. Don't hide just because there is no cache within 528'.

PLEASE!

 

My worst hide was one you had to get to by boat, in a cracked rock by a river, painted to look like a dragon. It was a good hide until I got the reports of the three things that made me not want to go back and maintain it. Copperheads, wolf spiders, and poison ivy. And people were trying to find it from shore, so there was the risk of falling. I certainly wouldn't call it a bad hide, and would have let it go with spiders and poison ivy, because the ivy would only affect people doing a boat cache from land. But when the ranger warned me about the copperheads, that was the last straw for that cache. I archived it.

Otherwise, it was a good hide.

 

See the teeth of the dragon?

8036543c-a18c-4854-99a5-2033b1242245.jpg

d641ac89-268d-478d-b345-45f96a875ae9.jpg

Link to comment

I don't like those fake electrical box caches. I really don't want to teach the grandkids to go poking around electrical boxes to see if there is a cache hidden inside. And the fake poop containers.....they're a no also. I really don't want to pick up something I think is fake and find it's the real thing!! :(

Link to comment

There was one near my house that only lasted a couple of weeks. It was in a very small parkette with trees and flowers, surrounded by 3 streets. The cache was a PVC pipe, about 8 inches long, capped on both ends and zipped tied to a lamp post in a pretty ritzy area. One day, the geopup and I were driving home from caching and I heard on the radio of a road closure due to a potential pipe bomb. Yup, it was the cache. I actually called 911 when I got home and told them it was a geocache, but I was too late, they had already blown it up. It was announced on the news that the "pipe bomb" was actually a geocache. The poor kid who had hidden it arrived home from school to find his inbox full of emails pertaining to his cache. It wasn't so much as a bad location for a cache (the parkette) as it was a bad container and in full view.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...