before I begin

[beno988]

After a year's worth of a Geocaching break I am slowly getting back into things and gained a swell idea for a geocache a few weeks back whilst waiting to catch my bus for school in the pouring rain. The stop is surrounded by a small grove of oak trees one of which leans out toward the stop marker in a way that almost seems surreal. With this plus the rain I couldn't help but be reminded of a familiar movie where the main characters find themselves in a similar situation waiting at a bus stop in the pouring rain to deliver an umbrella to their dad returning from a university. Thus while waiting I couldn't help but wonder if the king of that tiny forest would stand beside me waiting for his bus as well, I would have offered him an umbrella but I didn't have one on me.

 

But anyways I'm getting sidetracked, a few days later I had an idea to hide a Geocache in the grove of oak trees themed to the movie to see if anyone feels the same way I did if they come by the bus stop. I read over the hiding guidelines but I do still have some questions, therefore I will go over each guideline I am unsure of and list any confusions:

 

1) Getting permission

 

    according to the guidelines you are to get permission from a landowner or land manager to "hide you geocache at that location". But the area I plan to hide my cache in does not appear to be public land in the sense that it is owned by any land manager (I tried searching for them and couldn't find anything.) nor does the oak grove appear to be private property although I can't be sure. To some of you I may sound clueless but I am still fairly new to this I tried searching for the land owner, land manager, and land agency, for the location. But I couldn't find anything. If I have to be a bit more crafty with my searches or if there is a land ownership book I can refer to let me know. I live in the Aptos hills of the Santa Cruz County.

 

 2) Not Harming plant or animal life

 

One out of the two locations involves hiding the cache behind a fallen branch with brambles in close proximaty and the possibility of poinson oak. You'll have to reach behind the branch but as long as your careful I don't think any plant life should be harmed althought I can't be to sure which is why I ask. If I end up hiding it here you should probably wear long jeans. 

The second location is in the crook of the tree mentioned in the discribtion leaning toward the stp marker. This may be the location I go with as it seems much safer and less risky, but I still want your thoughts on the other location as well  

 

3) Container

 

 I mentioned earlier that my geocache would be themed to a certain movie, and after looking online through several boxes to match my theme I found this one which seems to be pretty small, (yet big enough to hold a small memo pad or a few sheets of paper, and possibly some small bits of swag ). It also appears to be the cheapest price, allowing me to fairly easily order another one if I need to replace it: https://www.amazon.com/Studio-Ghibli-Neighbor-Totoro-Locking/dp/B019DZUN22 It seems to be fairly sturdy and would probably withstand a few drops of water (although given both my locations it probably won't get that wet if it rains) but if it doesn't go along with the requirements let me know. I also plan to label it inside with my own creative take on the finders instructions that it's a geocache while incorporating in a bit of my own instructions along with some info about the theme as well.

 

4)Commercial Content

 

  As I have revealed through the link to the container my geocache is indeed themed to the movie My Neighbor Totoro according to the guidelines the Geocache page cannot contain the names of any commercial product and while the movie My Neighbor Totoro is copyrighted, I'm not affiliated with Studio Ghibli or any other organizations involved and I don't intend to use this geocache for advertising purposes I was just reminded of the movie one day while at this bus stop and thought this would be a cool idea for a geocache to see if others felt the same way and to meet other geocaches that have already seen the movie a million times like I have growing up and have gained a soft spot for it. After a bet of studying I'm fairly certain it won't violate this guideline, but if I'm wrong let me know, after all this will be my first hide and I don't want to make any mistakes. The name of the geocache will be something around the lines of one of these three:

 

• Rain Tumbles Down
• Waiting For Daddy's Bus
• Your Friendly Next Tree Neighbor 

 

 

 

 

 

If you could answer these questions that would be great, there are not many Geocaches in the area and all of the ones that are are in the traditional style like this one I plan to hide so hidden way-point and cache proximity interference isn't an issue. I have devised two locations by which to hide the cache, both of which are easy to access, do not require burial or damage any known property, and have the potential to last it a few years out of a muggles line of sight. It is also hidden near where I live so I can easily check on it every day to replace the logbook or container and change its location if need be, heck with the amount of times I frequent the location I might even run into one of you! It's likely I won't hide this Geocache for a while as I have a few other things to sort out first, but when I get around to it I want to make sure I do it right. Thanks!

 

-beno988

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2018 by beno988

[+Touchstone]

32 minutes ago, beno988 said:

1) Getting permission

 

Geocaching kind of runs on the assumption of "adequate permission" .  Things like parks, and open spaces, it's always a good idea to check to see if they have an existing Policy regarding Geoaching on their lands.  Something like a road right of way, which it sounds like what you describe, it's generally assumed the right to pass has been adequately addressed by the State or local government.  That's not to say that things don't work out as planned.  If a nearby homeowner finds out about the cache and doesn't like it (or removes it), it could put your cache placement at risk of being Archived.

 

37 minutes ago, beno988 said:

2) Not Harming plant or animal life

 

Seems kind of self evident to me, but if you need further clarification, I'd recommend doing an internet search for Leave No Trace, which has specific guidance for geocaching, and I might point out, Groundspeak is a corporate sponsor of the organization.

 

40 minutes ago, beno988 said:

3) Container

 

Your choice of container looks fine, although, like you mentioned, I don't think it will hold up to well to the elements.  It may require more frequent replacement than some containers, just be warned.  Labeling the outside of the container is critical.  The main purpose of that portion of the Guidelines is to address potential issues with "muggles" accidentally finding the cache and thinking it's some sort of explosive device and getting Law Enforcement involved.  It's probably worth mentioning that even properly labeled containers have been *detonated* by Bomb Squads, so no guarantees.

 

45 minutes ago, beno988 said:

4)Commercial Content

 

Sounds like your grasp of "Commercial" is pretty good, other than I'd point out that your *intentions* are irrelevant.  More specifically to your example, movies, books, sports teams, and a few other examples, are generally lumped into "pop culture", and are generally OK (I can't even tell how many Harry Potter and Hobbit based Listings are out there...maybe in the thousands).  The following Help Center article has some additional guidance:

 

https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=22&pgid=475

 

Best of luck!

[+Furrhan]

1.) If you can't find an obvious owner then chances are the land is either owned by whichever county/local council area it's located in or it's owned by the state. I'm not exactly sure how it works in the US which is where you seem to be located. Most likely though this means that you should be able to place the cache there but you can always call the county offices or sheriff's department or whatever to double check. The land ownership rule is more applicable to private property, national parks/state monuments/reserves, things like that. But double checking never hurts! Your local reviewer might even know who to ask if you send them a PM!

 

2.) This guideline means you can't drill or cut into any trees or bushes to place a cache, nor can you disturb animal nests or place caches in such a way that they're likely to ensnare or entrap animals. Putting the cache behind a fallen branch or log or in the crook of a tree will be absolutely fine as long as you double check to make sure no one is living there! Regarding the poison oak, I'd definitely mention that in the cache description so that people can come prepared! Ideally I'd try to avoid putting it in the middle of a bunch of it just out of courtesy to the people trying to find the cache though, but we all know that sometimes weeds like that grow around caches so in the end it's all part of the game.

 

3.) The container seems okay to me! Just remember to wrap the log in a ziploc bag to protect it in case of leakage!

 

4.) Theming is fine and you can definitely mention that your cache is a tribute to whichever pop culture reference takes your fancy! Just make sure not to extol the virtues of your chosen reference and make sure you're not encouraging, even indirectly, people to spend money, and you should be fine! Again, PM your reviewer with any doubts and chances are they'll be more than willing to help edit your listing so it's appropriate!

 

Good luck with it, have fun, and remember to stay safe!

[+NanCycle]

Just a comment on the crooks of trees -- heavy rains,  strong winds  and squirrels can cause caches to be dislodged.  (Voice of experience here )

[+NYPaddleCacher]

3 hours ago, NanCycle said:

Just a comment on the crooks of trees -- heavy rains,  strong winds  and squirrels can cause caches to be dislodged.  (Voice of experience here )

 

And in places which have a cold winter, water in crooks of trees can freeze and fully encompass the container in ice.  

[+noncentric]

Good advice you've received so far.

 

The only thing I'd add is that you may want to look into waterproof paper.  Rite-in-Rain is one brand that makes this paper, but there are other brands as well.  If your cache gets just a little moisture, then a logbook of waterproof paper might be fine without being placed into a plastic bag. I've often found that plastic bags don't stay intact very long, as the repeated opening and closing of the bag compromises the seal/structure.

[+Max and 99]

12 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

And in places which have a cold winter, water in crooks of trees can freeze and fully encompass the container in ice.  

I discovered that last year! We never could get the container out. Not only did it slip in further than we thought possible, but when it became frozen solid, it could not be retrieved, and several of us tried.

 

22 minutes ago, noncentric said:

I've often found that plastic bags don't stay intact very long, as the repeated opening and closing of the bag compromises the seal/structure.

Unfortunately, my husband has THE hardest time opening log bags. Unless it has a zipper closure, he'll probably accidentally tear it. 

[+TeamRabbitRun]

Beno988 - Just a note - As soon as I started reading your first post about "waiting for daddy's bus in the rain with an umbrella" I knew exactly what your movie was.

 

That scene in "Totoro" is on my list of all-time favorites.

[beno988]

Thank you for the helpful advice, I have a pretty good idea now of what to do if I ever end up hiding the cache, I eventually will probably have to move out to LA as I plan to be a screenwriter, so it may be a good idea to not hide any caches where I currently live as I won’t be able to maintain them forever. But maybe someday I’ll submit a film or two to the geocaching film fest. We’ll see what happens... 

 

I should probably clarify that by “crook” I meant the middle of the Y in the tree, in case any of you didn’t know

[+kunarion]

10 minutes ago, beno988 said:

Thank you for the helpful advice, I have a pretty good idea now of what to do if I ever end up hiding the cache, I eventually will probably have to move out to LA as I plan to be a screenwriter, so it may be a good idea to not hide any caches where I currently live as I won’t be able to maintain them forever. But maybe someday I’ll submit a film or two to the geocaching film fest. We’ll see what happens... 

 

I should probably clarify that by “crook” I meant the middle of the Y in the tree, in case any of you didn’t know

 

I have a cache at the end of a natural tunnel of trees and shrubbery.  That's the kind of place to have a Totoro cache (unless maybe at a rural bust stop).  I might even consider re-theming mine at some point.  Today it's only a "rabbit hole".

Edited December 20, 2018 by kunarion

[+Max and 99]

So that's what Totoro is. I watched the bus scene. Now I'll have to watch the movie. 

7 minutes ago, beno988 said:

Thank you for the helpful advice, I have a pretty good idea now of what to do if I ever end up hiding the cache, I eventually will probably have to move out to LA as I plan to be a screenwriter, so it may be a good idea to not hide any caches where I currently live as I won’t be able to maintain them forever. But maybe someday I’ll submit a film or two to the geocaching film fest. We’ll see what happens... 

 

 

 

Good luck to you, beno988!