Beware caching around Speculator NY

[+rebeccasp]

Beware of being followed..Today marked the last day I will hike in the Speculator,Lake Pleasant NY area. Temps as we {2 of us)(thank goodness not by myself) set out maybe 10 degrees and bitter cold on snowshoe across Cherry Beach to a cache.. A couple hour journey only to see tracks in our tracks on foot on the way back.. There IS NO WAY this was random...Our tracks were the only ones out in this wilderness and whoever this person was, was OBVIOUSLY following us.. I guess it is time to start carrying a pistol,as this is the 2nd time I have been followed.. If it was DEC and they were dumb enough to try and follow me on foot sinking into the deep snow..If they think this 52 year old mom is a poacher or something then confront me but don't stalk me..(I Have never killed anything other then a mouse...I am just an ordinary mom who enjoys geocaching but.since I have no idea..who this person is and why they would follow me.. I am not sure how you go about warning especially female geocachers of a possible dangererous geostalker up here. I had planned on placing new geocaches but now believe this is not such a good idea in this area. I am calling authorities as these footprints also had wondered around car before setting out in our exact path.. (AND this was not a path but us crossing a marsh)

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the Mid-Atlantic forum.

[+MartyBartfast]

Well if I was going to cross a marsh which is covered in snow, and on getting there I saw footprints in the snow going in roughly the same direction I wanted to go I would follow those tracks, clearly the person who made them (you) didn't fall into a hole, or river, or off the edge of a cliff, and I can see from the footprints how deep the snow I'm about to step on is, so I know it's gonna be a safe path. I'd probably follow that trail even if it wasn't going exactly the direction I wanted to go, and then adjust my route once I get off the marsh.

 

Maybe you're seeing a threat that doesn't exist?

[+murrayegger]

Maybe it was another geocacher, They could be circling the car looking for travel bugs on your vehicle. I have done the same at times. Though I always wear my GPS around my neck as a bit of a clue to cachers.

[+ArcherDragoon]

Well if I was going to cross a marsh which is covered in snow, and on getting there I saw footprints in the snow going in roughly the same direction I wanted to go I would follow those tracks, clearly the person who made them (you) didn't fall into a hole, or river, or off the edge of a cliff, and I can see from the footprints how deep the snow I'm about to step on is, so I know it's gonna be a safe path. I'd probably follow that trail even if it wasn't going exactly the direction I wanted to go, and then adjust my route once I get off the marsh.

 

Maybe you're seeing a threat that doesn't exist?

Same Here...

 

Caching in the winter...I will us other's tracks to help get where I want to go.

[+cerberus1]

While hunting/hiking in marsh/bog with snow cover, if I spot a fresh trail I'l take it.

If I don't find the trail ending, I've chosen a safe route.

- If it does end, hopefully I can yank you out, maybe chest high in frozen bog muck, still alive.

 

No, sounds to me like someone decided to travel the safer route.

 

Like murrayegger, tracks around vehicles could well be someone looking for bugs.

However, bad guys do also look for bugs on vehicles, knowing it means a GPS might still be in the car.

Best bet is to remember to close the power caps, as those are what bad guys look for in your car to make the decision to break in - open power ports.

These guys don't want to be seen so it's smash and grab. Rare to encounter one.

[+rebeccasp]

Well if I was going to cross a marsh which is covered in snow, and on getting there I saw footprints in the snow going in roughly the same direction I wanted to go I would follow those tracks, clearly the person who made them (you) didn't fall into a hole, or river, or off the edge of a cliff, and I can see from the footprints how deep the snow I'm about to step on is, so I know it's gonna be a safe path. I'd probably follow that trail even if it wasn't going exactly the direction I wanted to go, and then adjust my route once I get off the marsh.

 

Maybe you're seeing a threat that doesn't exist?

 

Well I decided to call DEC or Econ and they did say that they had been in the area last night and they would have the officer call me.. So apparently I won't know if they thought I was snowshoeing in to illegally fish or trap beaver until the DEC officer calls me back. Going to tell him he should have left a note on the car. I had even gotten worried someone was looking for us and had yelled..but.. because of this adventure I did decide to load all the emergency..lost hiker ..police .. ranger #'s into my phone..Thanks for your posts.. I too would follow a path across a marsh but I'm talking I followed the whole river/marsh which was extremely frozen way back..Guess it was a slow sunday night for these guys.. They have followed me once before 5 miles down old Route 8 looking for a cache with my son and trying to find a place to hide a cache or 2. When we got to the end of the old road and parked and got out with our gps's he just sat there, never rolled his window down or waved.. Not really feeling the geocaching support in this town. I am going to a meeting tom. night to address the situation if the town wants to promote geocaching they need to make geocachers feel welcome not freaked out.

[+rebeccasp]

Maybe it was another geocacher, They could be circling the car looking for travel bugs on your vehicle. I have done the same at times. Though I always wear my GPS around my neck as a bit of a clue to cachers.

 

What do you mean looking for travel bugs??? I guess if I put a geocaching sticker on the car that would be cool.

[+rebeccasp]

While hunting/hiking in marsh/bog with snow cover, if I spot a fresh trail I'l take it.

If I don't find the trail ending, I've chosen a safe route.

- If it does end, hopefully I can yank you out, maybe chest high in frozen bog muck, still alive.

 

No, sounds to me like someone decided to travel the safer route.

 

Like murrayegger, tracks around vehicles could well be someone looking for bugs.

However, bad guys do also look for bugs on vehicles, knowing it means a GPS might still be in the car.

Best bet is to remember to close the power caps, as those are what bad guys look for in your car to make the decision to break in - open power ports.

These guys don't want to be seen so it's smash and grab. Rare to encounter one.

 

haha I guess winter caching does leave a good set of prints to follow.. I know at a recent winter event it certainly made it easy following tracks... but what do you mean you look for bugs.. You actually look for a travel bug the car owner left on their antenna or something... And what is closing the power caps?

 

Maybe I should make a dear DEC officer sticker...Dear Officer."You don't need to follow me on the trail I'm only geocaching.. but if you see my vehicle sitting here a month later feel free to bushwack in or run my plates and see if there is a missing persons report.. Oh wait maybe not a whole month..

 

Dumb me just figured you meant the cigarette lighter and heck I always forget to even lock the car I'm more worried I have waypointed it.

[+Michaelcycle]

Maybe it was another geocacher, They could be circling the car looking for travel bugs on your vehicle. I have done the same at times. Though I always wear my GPS around my neck as a bit of a clue to cachers.

 

What do you mean looking for travel bugs??? I guess if I put a geocaching sticker on the car that would be cool.

 

Went to a Pi day event the other night and there were several vehicles with TB decals in the parking lot. Look here

[+rebeccasp]

Maybe it was another geocacher, They could be circling the car looking for travel bugs on your vehicle. I have done the same at times. Though I always wear my GPS around my neck as a bit of a clue to cachers.

 

What do you mean looking for travel bugs??? I guess if I put a geocaching sticker on the car that would be cool.

 

Went to a Pi day event the other night and there were several vehicles with TB decals in the parking lot. Look here

 

Thanks for the link..

Also trying to come up with my own sticker..Pistol permit carrying geocacher my gps is tracking my car's movement

[+Don_J]

While hunting/hiking in marsh/bog with snow cover, if I spot a fresh trail I'l take it.

If I don't find the trail ending, I've chosen a safe route.

- If it does end, hopefully I can yank you out, maybe chest high in frozen bog muck, still alive.

 

No, sounds to me like someone decided to travel the safer route.

 

Like murrayegger, tracks around vehicles could well be someone looking for bugs.

However, bad guys do also look for bugs on vehicles, knowing it means a GPS might still be in the car.

Best bet is to remember to close the power caps, as those are what bad guys look for in your car to make the decision to break in - open power ports.

These guys don't want to be seen so it's smash and grab. Rare to encounter one.

 

I hide my GPS mount but leave the power supply plugged it with the unattached end in plain view. This way it just looks like a cheap $10 phone charger without a phone. Even the dumbest thief has to understand that modern man can't go anywhere without their cell phone and the chances that they'll find it in the car are nonexistent.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

I think the original poster is fine with staying on the side of caution. I mean some (like me) have some level of acceptance with danger, but you have right to worry. Sure, there could also be easy explanations too (as given above) but keeping a sense of awareness of your surroundings is the first step for safety.

 

One of those times have a smart phone is nice. You could take a picture of the footprint of the stranger and email it to yourself with a quick note. May not keep you safe, but you have a record of someone's footprint. Even if you walked away fine, and you read about something happening to someone else, you may have valuable evidence.

[+JohnCNA]

My first suspicion is a law enforcement or park district employee wondered what the car was doing out there on such a cold day and with the deep snow. And yes, when caching in the snow, I'll follow footprints if they go in the general direction that I want to go. My assumption is that the steps I'm following might have a better idea of the terrain than I do. Besides, it's easier to walk in someone else's tracks in moderate to deep snow.