Geocachine Etiquette

[+thepugmiester]

Hi all,

 

Vmisty and I are relatively new to the world of geocaching, having been active for only a couple of months and about 60 finds. Last Saturday we had the first instance of bumping into other cachers while we were hunting for GC561C5-Bolt in a tree.

 

We had retrieved the cache between muggles and were just updating the log from a safe distance when we noticed we were being watched from nearby. We were reasonable sure it was another pair of geocachers (and later turned out to be Joanna&Sally) but we were sitting there with the cache in hand. What do we do now? We weren't sure. In the end, Joanne&Sally walked a little distance while we returned the cache and then they promptly returned to log their find too.

 

Is there an approved etiquette to handle these kinds of situations? Should we return the cache or hand it over to the next cachers?

 

Any advice would be great from the more experienced cachers out there.

 

Thanks,

 

Martin (aka thepugmiester)

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

What we do (have done) in just such an instance... being scrutinized by what appear to be muggles... is take the cache with us. Return later when no others are about and replace it.

 

 

Do notice (according to your post here)... they (the other cachers) walked away, allowing you to replace the cache unseen. They understood your plight.

[+NanCycle]

It depends.

 

In your case, since the other cachers were obviously waiting for you to finish your find so that they could accomplish theirs, I would have done exactly what you did.

 

Sometimes I have had other cachers walk right up as I was signing the log, and in that case, I just handed it to them-they signed and handed it back to me and I replaced it. Leaving the scene before the cache is replaced is not a good idea, because the other cachers would not know exactly where it had been hidden.

[+Bear and Ragged]

It depends.

 

In your case, since the other cachers were obviously waiting for you to finish your find so that they could accomplish theirs, I would have done exactly what you did.

 

Sometimes I have had other cachers walk right up as I was signing the log, and in that case, I just handed it to them-they signed and handed it back to me and I replaced it. Leaving the scene before the cache is replaced is not a good idea, because the other cachers would not know exactly where it had been hidden.

 

^ Yes!

 

If they are cachers, don't hand the cache over and go, leaving them to replace the cache.

[+uxorious]

What we do (have done) in just such an instance... being scrutinized by what appear to be muggles... is take the cache with us. Return later when no others are about and replace it.

 

 

Do notice (according to your post here)... they (the other cachers) walked away, allowing you to replace the cache unseen. They understood your plight.

 

DO NOT TAKE THE CACHE, to return later when no others are about. I have a couple DNFs I feel may have been just that. Can't find it, come back days later only to find it right where I looked before. How rude.

 

If you know they are cachers, you can ask them if they want to walk away while you put it back. If you do not want to put it back while they are there, tell them, but don't wander off with the cache to leave them searching 15 min.s or more for something you have.

 

Edited to say if you must take the cache to insure it's safety, please mention in your online log you did so. And that you replaced it, so others will know it isn't gone and they can try again right away.

Edited June 7, 2014 by uxorious

[+Walts Hunting]

I would have walked over and asked if they were cachers and if they said yes hand it to them saying where it was hidden. Have actually done that a couple of times. If they said no would explain what I was doing and the re hidden the cache. I have also rolled up on my bike on people looking for or signing the log. Just ask.

 

You may have surmised that I am not much into this muggle stealth thing.

[+Ethankwolfe]

DO NOT TAKE THE CACHE, to return later when no others are about. I have a couple DNFs I feel may have been just that. Can't find it, come back days later only to find it right where I looked before. How rude.

 

If you know they are cachers, you can ask them if they want to walk away while you put it back. If you do not want to put it back while they are there, tell them, but don't wander off with the cache to leave them searching 15 min.s or more for something you have.

 

Edited to say if you must take the cache to insure it's safety, please mention in your online log you did so. And that you replaced it, so others will know it isn't gone and they can try again right away.

 

I second this. Please don't take the cache! People have a tendency not to take things that don't belong to them. You hear about people stealing caches thanks to large numbers and confirmation bias, but it seems to me that even if they were non-cachers and they saw you replace it, it's most likely still safe.

 

I would have walked over and asked if they were cachers and if they said yes hand it to them saying where it was hidden. Have actually done that a couple of times. If they said no would explain what I was doing and the re hidden the cache. I have also rolled up on my bike on people looking for or signing the log. Just ask.

 

You may have surmised that I am not much into this muggle stealth thing.

 

Here, here. If I'm too stealthy, I'll never meet other cachers! And explaining the game isn't so hard. Plus it might get some new people into it!

[+dprovan]

I just ask them if they're geocachers. If they are, I ask them whether they just want to sign or would they rather turn away while I rehide it so they can find it for themselves. Most people just want to sign it. One thing I would never do is what Walts Hunting suggests: hand the other geocachers the cache and walk away. If they want to sign, I let them sign, but I stay there to put it back because I'm the one that knows how it was hidden.

 

If it turns out that they aren't geocachers after all, I explain geocaching to them. Since they were watching me, I don't want them to be suspicious about what I was doing. That also makes it simpler for me to put it back even though they're still watching. Remember that, unlike Harry Potter's muggles that can never be wizards, our muggles can become geocachers just by being let in on the game.

[+NanCycle]

One thing I would never do is what Walts Hunting suggests: hand the other geocachers the cache and walk away. If they want to sign, I let them sign, but I stay there to put it back because I'm the one that knows how it was hidden.

 

Sure, stick around and chat for a few minutes; when they're finished offer to put it back; maybe ask them if they want to see where/how it was hidden, especially if it is clever or unusual.

[+Chrysalides]

Always a good time to bring up this oldie : http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=274425&view=findpost&p=4715231

 

Good point about not just handing the cache over and leaving.

[+thepugmiester]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. Looks like we handled things the right way on this occasion and I'm sure there will be many more adventures to come.

[+NeverSummer]

DO NOT TAKE THE CACHE, to return later when no others are about. I have a couple DNFs I feel may have been just that. Can't find it, come back days later only to find it right where I looked before. How rude.

 

If you know they are cachers, you can ask them if they want to walk away while you put it back. If you do not want to put it back while they are there, tell them, but don't wander off with the cache to leave them searching 15 min.s or more for something you have.

 

Edited to say if you must take the cache to insure it's safety, please mention in your online log you did so. And that you replaced it, so others will know it isn't gone and they can try again right away.

 

I second this. Please don't take the cache! People have a tendency not to take things that don't belong to them. You hear about people stealing caches thanks to large numbers and confirmation bias, but it seems to me that even if they were non-cachers and they saw you replace it, it's most likely still safe.

 

I would have walked over and asked if they were cachers and if they said yes hand it to them saying where it was hidden. Have actually done that a couple of times. If they said no would explain what I was doing and the re hidden the cache. I have also rolled up on my bike on people looking for or signing the log. Just ask.

 

You may have surmised that I am not much into this muggle stealth thing.

 

Here, here. If I'm too stealthy, I'll never meet other cachers! And explaining the game isn't so hard. Plus it might get some new people into it!

If you can't get a cache back into its place because of muggles there is no reason you can't take a stroll and replace when the coast is clear. A DNF might happen for someone on your heels to find it, but the integrity of a cache hide trumps a desire for the next cacher to not DNF.

 

What would have helped uxorious would have been if the cacher who may have taken the cache with them to protect a cache until the coast was clear would have said something about that situation in their log. Something like, "I had to walk away with the cache briefly until the coast was clear. Came back X minutes later and replaced as found."

 

That is important context for a hide; it lets other seekers know if muggles can be a concern there, and that a possible way to get around that is to take a short stroll and return to rehide.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

If you can't get a cache back into its place because of muggles there is no reason you can't take a stroll and replace when the coast is clear. A DNF might happen for someone on your heels to find it, but the integrity of a cache hide trumps a desire for the next cacher to not DNF.

 

What would have helped uxorious would have been if the cacher who may have taken the cache with them to protect a cache until the coast was clear would have said something about that situation in their log. Something like, "I had to walk away with the cache briefly until the coast was clear. Came back X minutes later and replaced as found."

 

That is important context for a hide; it lets other seekers know if muggles can be a concern there, and that a possible way to get around that is to take a short stroll and return to rehide.

 

Hehehehe... that's what I meant. Either I need more specificity or less succinctness in my replies. I seem to forget that others here often read too much into shorter statements.

 

Simply out-waiting curious onlookers isn't always possible. Walk away for a few minutes -- make them think you left -- and return to replace it. I did not imply one should take it home or anything like that. 10-15-20 minutes.... perhaps a DNF could've happened in that time-frame, but if so, not often. IMO cache integrity is more important than a single (or even a double) DNF.

[+tango501]

Really good point about just handing over the cache to be returned by somebody who didnt make the find.

That usually means cache will not be returned to where CO originally hid it. Whoever made the original

find should be the one to return as found.

 

On a side note, go to alot of your local caching events and get to know your locals. You will start

recognizing them on the trail.

 

Have fun, be safe and happy hunting