+AandS Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 (edited) Does anyone have any good retorts to the question "What are you doing?" when you have been caught writing in a little notebook, with a lunchbox full of little toys and trinkets? This nearly happened to me. I panicked, and hurridly walked off before the question could be asked. Of course, I waited for the coast to be clear, before returning the cache, and luckily I was discovered about 50 yards from the cache location. What do you say? Do you reveal what you are really doing, or do you have an armoury of imaginitive stories/white lies up your sleeve? Any thoughts? S Edited December 10, 2003 by AandS Quote Link to comment
+dogastus Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Well I always have my camera with me, so a good excuse for 'hanging around' is just because I'm trying to find a good view to capture. I know this doesn't work if you get caught with an ammo can opened up with all it's contents on the ground, maybe then you could say "tut tut, people just throw their stuff anywhere". Quote Link to comment
+Cushag Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I haven't done that many caches but so far whilst searching I have pretended to be studying fungi on trees, looking for a good place to take a photo and have put GPS to ear to pretend I am on the phone. I think if I was caught with a lunch box cache I would quickly put the lid on and pretend to be munching away on my lunch but what excuse could you use if it was an ammo box?!!! Quote Link to comment
+stu_and_sarah Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 (edited) We usually carry the cache some way from its hiding place to do the logs, especially if we're likely to be seen. That way, even if someone asks us directly, we can answer their questions, and they still won't be much wiser as to its position. Whenever we've been asked, either on the walk or at the location, we've just said "on a treasure hunt". It's words people understand, its innocent - we all did it at kids' parties, right? - and truthful. If we need to hang around in an area because there are people directly by the cache, then yes, I'll whip the camera out and start studying flowers, moss and fungi. I get some quite nice photos of it, to be honest Cheers, Stu Edited December 10, 2003 by stu_and_sarah Quote Link to comment
Deego Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 If I am searching I always have my dog with me so make out I am looking for his stick/ball. I also move the cache when filling in the log book so if i am spotted it is away from the location of the hide. but have never been asked what I am doing. But you get some strange looks . I Have started doing some locationless caches and taking a picture with the GPS in the shot can get some strange looks. "Why is he taking a picture of his phone" Quote Link to comment
+AandS Posted December 10, 2003 Author Share Posted December 10, 2003 The incident which made me post, was I was surprised by someone peering over a wall (they wern't there a moment ago! ) ). I don't have a dog , but the camera idea sounds like a good one, or maybe I should take the line of the Big'un: "When you are caught on Woolie's roof at 12 o'clock at night in the nuddy, just exclaim: 'What!!??' " Any more ideas?? S Quote Link to comment
+Team S-J Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 When I'm with the kids I just say they chucked a tennis ball and we're looking for it. As for signing the log book I find a place to sit as though resting and taking in the view. What happens if someone finds a tennis ball I haven't thought about! Quote Link to comment
+Lizzzzeeeee Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 When I'm with the kids I just say they chucked a tennis ball Team S-J's idea of blaming the kids works for me every time, plus if you've got kids people normally give you a wide berth. Someone did once ask if the GPSr my 7 year old was carrying was his mobile phone - as if I'd buy him one of those, GPSrs are free to operate and much more educational! Quote Link to comment
+Pharisee Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I can't say that I remember ever being asked what I'm doing but I'm a great believer in 'hiding in plain sight'. If you're standing/sitting/kneeling in the middle of a wood, camo'd up to the eyballs (wearing a funny hat) and writing in a notebook, most people just asume that what you're doing is more important that what they're doing. Generally, they won't bother you. At the most, it's just a cheery ''Good Morning" then back to writing the log. If you scurry about trying to hide stuff when you've been 'clocked' that will just make people suspicious. Just ignore 'em... act like you own that place and they'll probably believe you do. Quote Link to comment
+Lost in Space Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Trust me, it is far worse when someone comes along when you are writing your log AND Dad is "Marking his territory" Quote Link to comment
crr003 Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I haven't done that many caches but so far whilst searching I have pretended to be studying fungi on trees....... Well, that would certainly make me give you a wide berth - someone staring at tree bark. Do you talk to yourself too? That would add to the overall effect. Personally I just mutter to myself - works so far. Plus the stare. Just kidding- struck me as amusing. Quote Link to comment
+Sparky-Watts Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I shoot them and turn their skulls into cache containers! Quote Link to comment
+RichAromas Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 This is all good advice, EXCEPT when you are questioned by the county Sheriff's Department, as happened to me on a cache hunt in California I was out with my 6-year-old son looking for "Little and Red" which turned out to be along a major street. Well, the sheriff was doing speed enforcement up the street. Something about our activities must have looked suspicious, so up he drove. I didn't particularly want to teach my son to lie to the police , so when we were asked what we were doing, I didn't feel I had any choice but to be completely truthful. It turned out the officer knew something about geocaching, and had (according to him, at least) heard there was a cache in the area. I showed him our GPSr and gave him the website address. He seemed genuinely interested in caching as a hobby, and let my son inside his patrol car to look around for a bit. Obviously if I had seen the patrol car in the first place, I'd have opted to do a different cache, but under the circumstances I don't think I really had a choice other than to be straight-up about the whole thing. Quote Link to comment
crr003 Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 <snip>Obviously if I had seen the patrol car in the first place, I'd have opted to do a different cache, but under the circumstances I don't think I really had a choice other than to be straight-up about the whole thing. Why? Is geocaching illegal? Quote Link to comment
+RichAromas Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Certainly not illegal! I would have looked for another cache had I seen ANY geomuggle actively watching the area. Quote Link to comment
+ironman114 Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 I was on my way to a cache that was about a three mile hike in. I ran into a hunter first and just did some friendly talk. He warned me that there was about 30 schoolkids ahead but he didn't know where they were going and he was leaving the area. Half an our later we ran into the kids on their way out. Good now I could take out my gps.Then wham around the corner comes a couple and spots us. My gpsr is too bulky to hide, and he ask is that a garmin? He knew what we had, so I gave him a story about using my DeLome Topo Quads to get the coordinates for the waterfalls this trail led to, then follow to see how accurate my map was. We beat them to the creek and just pretended to find the spot my gps said I should be at.When I had determined where the cache was hidden I just got some food and water out and snacked till they left then reaped my reward and a FTF! Quote Link to comment
+2LuknF8 Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 I have been questioned on a couple of occasions and my response each time was a little different depending upon the person. Anything from mapping the locations of certain plants/trails/points of interest to looking for a lost item have been some of my responses. Once in Arizona while searching for a cache, a lady asked our group what we were doing. She seemd genuinely interested and so I explained to her about geocaching. She was enthralled with the idea and even lent a hand looking. There have been at least two other occasions where the truth has turned muggles into cachers. But for the majority of times this has happend, I would think up a reasonable story. It is a good game to while the time on a long hike having others come up with a good story. Quote Link to comment
+AandS Posted December 11, 2003 Author Share Posted December 11, 2003 Some great ideas and stories have been posted here , I think I might draw up a list of answers to the question "what are you doing?". A friend of mine suggested I say that I should say that I am just checking an area for possible UFO landing sites (which makes me an alien, gee thanks). S Quote Link to comment
Cholo Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Some great ideas and stories have been posted here There are some more ideas in the "Examining Cache Contents" thread of Feb. 22, 2003. Do a search, it's in the UK forum. Of course, I'm partial to my reply there. Quote Link to comment
+choccymandm Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 i once told someone i worked for the electrcity board and was checking the exact positions of the pilons ... "but the nearest one is about 1/4 of a mile away" said the couple who asked "there you go" i replied "thats why we have to check them" as i strolled off giggling to myself Quote Link to comment
+Mr & Mrs Hedgehog Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 i once told someone i worked for the electrcity board and was checking the exact positions of the pilons ... Trouble is with that is you might meet someone who goes Electricity Pylon Number Spotting Quote Link to comment
+choccymandm Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 (edited) Trouble is with that is you might meet someone who goes Electricity Pylon Number Spotting i knew the leccy board used gps to locate poles and pylons etc but i NEVER knew there was a group devoted to logging them <...checks out the website.....> i like the "pylon of the month" section ... is there anything in this world that we don't log as seeing? Edited December 11, 2003 by choccymandm Quote Link to comment
+paul.blitz Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 i once told someone i worked for the electrcity board and was checking the exact positions of the pilons ... Trouble is with that is you might meet someone who goes Electricity Pylon Number Spotting Wow! I thought things like Train Spotting got 11/10 on the "sadness factor rating", but THAT must rate a 12!!!! Paul Quote Link to comment
+Mr & Mrs Hedgehog Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Wow! I thought things like Train Spotting got 11/10 on the "sadness factor rating", but THAT must rate a 12!!!! Paul Do you mind there is nothing wrong with train/plane/eddie stobart/any other form of spotting... I do the lot ..... but don't do the electric pylon thing.... even I have my standards But now you know about it - I bet you'll never pass another pylon without thinking about the spotters... Quote Link to comment
dodgydaved Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 It did sort of happen to me..........here! Quote Link to comment
+John Stead Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 One of my more interesting moments Geocaching was when I had just wedged my Vista in the letter slot of a Victorian postbox with the lanyard dangling to take its picture for the Victorian Letter Box locationless and a lady from the adjoining shop shot out thinking I was about to blow it up. The only answer was the truth! But collecting pylon numbers - I though I was bad enough logging trigpoints and photographing Victorian letter boxes. Quote Link to comment
Ben Pid Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 (edited) Various answers from various cachers when asked the question.... What are you doing here in the bush in then??? Hornet: "I was just in the area people watching with binoculars" LIS: "I was just looking for my pension book, it seems to have gone missing" Dan: "I was looking at stars through my telescope" Pharisee: "I was hiding from the Luftwaffe..." "But its 2003 Sir" "Oh time does pass quickly when your having fun!" MCL: "I am in the area surveying the landscape for my new modern housing development, this is my GPS device to pinpoint where I shall lay the first brick to within 0.0001 of the square Mile on the OS Grid" The Cat: "I was on a long drive and need a pee so thought I would stop here and grab some fresh air...thats why I am in this bush" SimonG "Its my favourtie thing this...walking around in the countryside looking for my facia to my Car sterio" Tim andJune " We were having a picnic down in these woods today, you were always sure of a big surprize" Chris and Maria " The dog ran off...so we are walking dogless" HEHE Edited December 12, 2003 by Ben Pid Quote Link to comment
+Gargoyle Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 I was caught hiding one of my caches by a guy and his two or three kids... I wasn't even paying attention as they walked up the trail towards me... then they were right ontop of me... At this point I already hid the box. I was just taking my readings to average on paper (using my etrex at the time). He thought I was a hunter and started telling me about an 8 or 10 point buck that he had seen in the area. I decided to explain what I was doing and about geocaching. HE seemed interested and said it was like hightech treasure hunting. Then we exchanged our goodbyes and he continued down the trail with the kids... I DIDN'T show him the cache or where I hid it. Quote Link to comment
+Lost in Space Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Various answers from various cachers when asked the question.... What are you doing here in the bush in then??? Hornet: "I was just in the area people watching with binoculars" LIS: "I was just looking for my pension book, it seems to have gone missing" Dan: "I was looking at stars through my telescope" Pharisee: "I was hiding from the Luftwaffe..." "But its 2003 Sir" "Oh time does pass quickly when your having fun!" MCL: "I am in the area surveying the landscape for my new modern housing development, this is my GPS device to pinpoint where I shall lay the first brick to within 0.0001 of the square Mile on the OS Grid" The Cat: "I was on a long drive and need a pee so thought I would stop here and grab some fresh air...thats why I am in this bush" SimonG "Its my favourtie thing this...walking around in the countryside looking for my facia to my Car sterio" Tim andJune " We were having a picnic down in these woods today, you were always sure of a big surprize" Chris and Maria " The dog ran off...so we are walking dogless" HEHE Dan: I saw a horse in a field about 200 yds away, and I am hiding in case it finds me........ Quote Link to comment
MCL Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 DAN & PID: We're just waiting for the sun to go down on us... Actually I have to say that post from Ben was one of the funniest things I have read in a long time.... Quote Link to comment
+klaus23 Posted December 28, 2003 Share Posted December 28, 2003 I was in New York last month, standing at the South East corner of Central Park after emerging from the Subway. I turned on the GPS and waited, and waited, and waited more than 15 minutes for a lock (high buildings and a 3500 mile trip contributing factors). During this time I was accosted by two of New York's finest who duly enquired as to what I was at. (The bright yellow Garmin being a dead giveaway for potential terrorist activity). I explained that it was my first time in NY and that I was using the GPS to mark the Subway station so I could find my way back should I get lost. As I did not look too suspicious and spoke with an Irish accent (the Cops were called Murphy and O'Donnell) I was soon on my way. Now, had I tried to explain Geocaching I would probably still be there... Cop#1: "So, is there money involved?" Klaus23: "Let's start again..." Same point as above really- your answer will vary according to the person who asked. Quote Link to comment
SaxonX Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 "When you are caught on Woolie's roof at 12 o'clock at night in the nuddy, just exclaim: 'What!!??' " It happened to you too? Quote Link to comment
+AandS Posted January 1, 2004 Author Share Posted January 1, 2004 Not recently, it's been quite a while since I was a student . Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.