Should we teather a cache??

[+Clan Ferguson]

My brother after losing his first cache to a state road crew on an annual clean up. He wants to replace the cache but he wants to teather it (by chain or cable) to a nearby tree.

 

I say no because it would make it more visiable and might even make non-cachers weary of the box should they find it. Not to mention the damage it would cause to the tree.

 

He says it will keep it from being taken again. and teathering it to the tree is just as distructive as laying it on top of the grasses where it is hiding.

 

I ask what is the community's opinion.

 

Cache On!!

 

James

"Big Dog"

-Clan Ferguson

[+WaldenRun]

Doing such a thing could cause irreparable harm to the reputation of our hobby. -WR

 

"Why worry when you can obsess?"

[+Salvelinus]

I did find one cache that was tethered. It used a plastic coated cable and a padlock to secure. It was attached to a large (dead) downed tree and was not noticed until I picked up the cache. I couldn't see where it was causing any damage to anything and its been there about a year. I guess like everything else, if done irresponsibly there could be problems. But the one I found seemed to work fine.

 

Personally, it seems like too much of a hassle for a relatively minor monetary loss.

 

Smoochnme

 

"Only when the last tree is cut,

and the last stream is polluted,

and the last fish is caught,

will we realize that you can't eat the money"

[T3am Bandito]

Well it seems a bit over board but if you feel it necessary... i think its your perogitive to chain that puppy down. As far as damage to a tree (living), the stress excerted by a farmer using a living tree as a fencepost and really cranking down wire barbed or otherwise has been shown to not be that detrimental to a tree's health. Even after years and the tree has grown around it and the wire is attached to the tree.. it really shoudnt damage the trees vascular system enough to retard growth. Most of the water / nutrient transport takes place about midway thru the tree.

 

it seems a bit tacky though to those concerned about aethetics. wont it blow the cache's cover? although im sure you could camo it well.

 

 

. . . . . ..T 3 a |/| B a || d i T 0.. . . .

[T3am Bandito]

Well it seems a bit over board but if you feel it necessary... i think its your perogitive to chain that puppy down. As far as damage to a tree (living), the stress excerted by a farmer using a living tree as a fencepost and really cranking down wire barbed or otherwise has been shown to not be that detrimental to a tree's health. Even after years and the tree has grown around it and the wire is attached to the tree.. it really shoudnt damage the trees vascular system enough to retard growth. Most of the water / nutrient transport takes place about midway thru the tree.

 

it seems a bit tacky though to those concerned about aethetics. wont it blow the cache's cover? although im sure you could camo it well.

 

 

. . . . . ..T 3 a |/| B a || d i T 0.. . . .

[+seneca]

How visible a cache is obviously a choice of the person who places it (and the difficulty rating they give it). However, common sense dictates that it will do our sport no good if cachers damage trees (or appear to be jeopardizing the health of a tree). The argument, that most of us use the wood of killed trees, doesn't really apply. I eat beef, but I don't think we should be nailing caches to live cows! (a dead one maybe...)

 

You may not agree with what I say, but I will defend, to your death, my right to say it!

[+Web-ling]

Of the 35 caches I've placed, I have one that is loosely tethered to a tree. Not because I'm worried about someone taking it, but because it's in a flood plain. It isn’t going to hurt the tree at all, and it will help keep my cache from floating away during a flood.

 

There usually is no reason to tether a cache. However, as long as it's done in a way that will not hurt the tree or attract attention to the cache, I've got no problems with it when it's necessary. It's like anything else when caching. Be responsible. Don't damage anything. Leave the place at least as nice as you found it. Don't do something stupid. THINK!

 

[+El Diablo]

I think the simplist answer to your problem might be to hide the cache were it wouldn't be accidently found.

 

As far as harming the tree....I doubt it. Let me go out on a limb here (no pun intended) trees are very durable. Unless you nailed it in place with a large spike I doubt you would hurt it.

 

Now to the root of it (no pun intended). The general rule of this sport is not to disturb nature in any harmful way. There are a many different ways to hide a cache and protect it from an accidental find without disturbing mother nature. Just a thought. Happy Geocaching!

 

El Diablo

[+El Diablo]

I think the simplist answer to your problem might be to hide the cache were it wouldn't be accidently found.

 

As far as harming the tree....I doubt it. Let me go out on a limb here (no pun intended) trees are very durable. Unless you nailed it in place with a large spike I doubt you would hurt it.

 

Now to the root of it (no pun intended). The general rule of this sport is not to disturb nature in any harmful way. There are a many different ways to hide a cache and protect it from an accidental find without disturbing mother nature. Just a thought. Happy Geocaching!

 

El Diablo

[+Prime Suspect]

This cache is the only one I can recall finding that was chained (although this one was padlocked under a bridge). The chain is there because the cache site is very close to a creek bank, and would have floated away in a heavy rain.

 

When I find a cache, I usually move away from the immediate area (at least 50 feet or so, if not more). If another cacher comes along, I haven't spoiled the hunt. And if it's a non-cacher (what's a better word? civilian? mundane?) spots me, if they come back later and check out where I was standing, they won't find anything. Tethering a cache makes it difficult to do this.

 

[+Ltljon]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Web-ling:

Of the 35 caches I've placed, I have one that is loosely tethered to a tree. Not because I'm worried about someone taking it, but because it's in a flood plain. It isn’t going to hurt the tree at all, and it will help keep my cache from floating away during a flood.

 

---

 

Did the same for one of mine located in an area subject to flooding. I used an old lightweight dog chain thats wrapped loosely to the tree & both ends are connected with only the hasp so unhooking it to walk away would be no problem at all.

[+clatmandu]

Untrue, most transport takes place in the cambial layer, which is just under the bark layer. You remove a strip of bark around a tree, you kill it. A cable placed tightly around a tree will usually do the same over a period of years as the tree grows. Sometimes it will grow around it, depending on the species of tree.

[+Alan2]

I've seen "urban" trees here in NY that were planted next to chain link fences that totally grew through the fence so that a major section of the fence was inside and part of the tree.

 

Regarding tethering, what do you save, the container? A bandit's going take everything inside anyway.

 

ALan

[+VentureForth]

I came across a cache where all the contents were there, but the ammo can was missing.

 

I do object to tethering anything, though. a) If it's on a fence you didn't put up, someone owns it (city, county, state, fed gov, etc). If it's on a living thing like a tree, it could be harmful.

 

Remember, our goal here is to be as invasive-free as we can.

 

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Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!