+SeaTrout Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 A newbie(I am also new) logged a find on one of my caches today and said that they were looking so hard for my cache(in a public park) that they drew attention and then told strangers walking by what they were looking for.The strangers actually found it for them.I try to be as covert as possible while hunting,and will stop and leave before compromising a cache.How many of you have pretended that your gps is a cell phone to ease suspicion. I believe that those park walkers will share it with others and get in it regularly. Seatrou We are in it 'for the hunt'. We are much more interested in finding the cache container than its contents. Quote Link to comment
magellan315 Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 Generally I try to be discrete as possible. I avoid telling anyone what I am doing, most people assume that I am carrying a cell phone. Keep in mind that not everyone will be happy that "their" park is being used for something they don't feel is appropriate. Keep in mind that Geocaching is not formally recogonzie by many parks and some places have even banned it. For saftey reasons or even national security(don't ask). Geocaching is still very much a stealth sport. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 Not necessarily a bad thing. I've heard of observers joining in a hunt and enjoying themselves so much, they became geocachers themselves.I think in a case like this, people have to use their judgement. If it's a group of teens drinking beer, you may not want to let them in on what you are doing, but if it's an adult couple, or a family, it may not be such a bad thing. "It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" - Abraham Lincoln [This message was edited by BrianSnat on January 05, 2003 at 05:34 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+georgeandmary Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 I recently ran into a father and his two sons. They were looking for bugs and hiking on a trail as I approached the zero point. They asked what I was doing and told them. They helped me look for a while and after I found the cache I showed them the insides, the log book, and took a picture of them with the cache camera. It just depends on the cache and the muggles. george Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more. Quote Link to comment
+Freelens&Mosie Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 The same people also found my micro this morning and mentioned how they really tried to be stealthy. I think they probably used good judgement. Hopefully the people involved will be descrete also. Just check on it occasionally, if it turns up missing archive it and place another somewhere close. I need another one to find anyway. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. Quote Link to comment
+Team StitchesOnQuilts Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 I understand your concern. It would not be a good feeling to have them log their visit, then a visit or two later, someone reports the cache missing. On the other hand, I think they did the best they could under the circumstances. As George says, it depends on the muggles. They might turn out to be terrific cachers. After all, we were all GeoMuggles at one time. We learned about it somewhere, often from another cacher. It is probably going to be just fine. We do tend to pretend our GPS is a cell phone, but there are times when someone decides to be friendly, and it's hard to keep up the charade. Shannah Quote Link to comment
+SeaTrout Posted January 5, 2003 Author Share Posted January 5, 2003 I agree with what most of you are saying. I guess I just try hard to be covert and not disturb the cache area any more than required.I see photos of cachers climbing fences and trampling everything in sight. I see it as more of a 'dead drop' scenerio where I do not what any trace that I was there except footprints and a signed log book. Seatrout We are in it 'for the hunt'. We are much more interested in finding the cache container than its contents. Quote Link to comment
+MountainMudbug Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 Several times we've done the GPS-is-a-cellphone routine, tried it as a camera a few times, too. Seems to be the easiest thing. Once, though, I HAD to explain what I was doing. We were out benchmark hunting on a narrow road right near a dam and I had to jump out of the car and slide down a hill to get to the marker. Apparently a cop saw me do that and thought I was escaping from the car or something! I hadn't seen him, I was too busy reading the marker description and watching the GPS to notice him, until he called out "HELLO!" and scared the &^*$! out of me. He asked if I was OK and I yelled back I was fine and said what I was doing. Then he left, and I continued the hunt (I didn't find the marker, nearly stepped in the mother of all holes, and had to walk back meet the car which wasn't there cause he got stuck in traffic on the other side of the dam). This is a good time to remind everyone - Keep your heads up! Don't forget to watch where you're walking. If I had stepped 2 inches to the right I'd have broken my leg. ______________________________________________________________________ Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination. - Roy M. Goodman Quote Link to comment
+droosa Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 quote: I believe that thosepark walkers will share it with others and get in it regularly. If the cache were mine and I could move it within the same area I would. My experience with non-geocachers has not been positive. Quote Link to comment
+ErSamin Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Here are some thoughts on "covering" your geocaching activity: Bring along a bag and pick up trash while you look. People will just think you are wierd and leave you alone. Dress and look "official" (clipboard, maybe a badge or something). People will just think you are doing your job and leave you alone. "Could be worse...could be raining" Quote Link to comment
+Smitherington Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I am planning a cache at a rest area. That is an ideal place to carry a 'trash out' bag. There is lots of windblown trash to pick up. They will just think you are a eco-nut. Quote Link to comment
+MaxEntropy Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 quote:Originally posted by ErSamin:Here are some thoughts on "covering" your geocaching activity: Bring along a bag and pick up trash while you look. People will just think you are wierd and leave you alone. Dress and look "official" (clipboard, maybe a badge or something). People will just think you are doing your job and leave you alone. Wear a hard hat. Nobody wears those things unless they have to. If you wear a white one, you won't have to lean against a shovel to look authentic. I've walked through buildings and construction sites with mine (at work naturally) and I'm rarely stopped. You can get one at a hardware store for less than ten bucks. Mickey Max Entropy More than just a name, a lifestyle. Quote Link to comment
+Darkmoon Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Lab coats and a clip board and you tell people you are checking the air quality or the water contents of the local streams! At least that is what someone thought that we were doing one day ! I agree with the trash bags, they will leave you alone when you are picking up trash and what is better is if they join you and help clean up more trash! Darkmoon MMMMMMMMM makes me think about getting a hard hat to go with my lab coat! No, I am not lost...I am where I am suppose to be...At least I think so? Quote Link to comment
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