Dangerous/extreme Geocaches

[adampierson]

<snip>

 

However, if even 1 in 1000000 geocachers is killed, there will be an argument that geocaching is dangerous and should be made illegal. Once geocaching were made illegal, then geocachers who were caught would simply pay a fine and be on their way much like a speeder who is caught on the highway.

 

<snip>

 

I realize that this makes me sound paranoid and maybe I am. Time will tell.

Geocaching made ILLEGAL? You are overreacting. And just how would such a law be enforced?

 

I can just see a park/police officer now asking someone...

 

"I notice you have a portable GPS unit, you wouldn't happen to be geocaching, sir?"

 

Just idea of it sounds absurd.

 

As for the figure, 1 in a million geocachers dying from geocaching. I find this number, an acceptable risk. I would hazard to guess, that there more dangerous activities, than geocaching that are NOT illegal.

[+shunra]

Dumbing down caching anymore will be the end of the sport for sure. Every outdoor sport is at your own risk. People get killed every year rock climbing, sky diving, etc. etc.

 

Tube Torcher looks awesome. I wish there were some caches like that in my area. The other day, another local cacher and I were joking about flying out there to find it. Maybe we will someday...

You could try Where Vultures Dare at Mt. Erie, here in the Puget Sound area.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

Another non-problem to solve.

 

Just think about Mr. X out caching on the side of a mountain when all of a sudden he loses his footing and falls 782 feet to his death. Unless Mr. X has the cache in his hands how will anyone know that he was geocaching?

 

He died and can not tell someone what he was doing at that time.

 

Seems simple to me. Mr.X was hiking and made a fatal error so we now need to ban hiking and not geocaching.

 

John

[+Wadcutter]

Just think about Mr. X out caching on the side of a mountain when all of a sudden he loses his footing and falls 782 feet to his death. Unless Mr. X has the cache in his hands how will anyone know that he was geocaching?

I have the obvious solution then. We should petition the NPS to put handrails on all mountain trails and fence along the trails so no one can get off the path. At the start of each trail there should be a waiver form that everyone has to sign before being allowed on the trail. A doctor will be at the beginning to give everyone a complete physical so no one has a heart attack. Then everyone climbing on all trails will have an attorney assigned to them. Upon return everyone will again have to be examined by the doctor to ensure they have not received any scratches or blisters.

Or maybe we could all stay locked in our houses. The sun is awfully bright and someone could stare at it for long periods of time and go blind.

[+olbluesguy]

What if Mr X was nearing the cache and his gps said 50 feet to go ?

Just thru some very thick bushes that you can't see thru.

at 25 feet Mr X goes over the 782 foot cliff.

Now Mr.X didn't climb up the cliff,but came up the other side of the mountain on a gradual slope and across a flat stretch to get to the cache site.

Does the cache owner have any responsebility to notify cachers of the potential danger?

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

How do you know his GPSr said 25' to go? It went over the cliff with him while he was hiking.

 

No the cache owner does not have to tell him about the cliff. Mr.

X should look up from his GPSr now and then to see what is in store for him. If he doesn't he might miss some fantastic scenery.

 

Funny thing about being out in the back-country, you never know what's just around the bush. It may have been a Grizzly Bear that got him and dragged him over to the edge and dropped him (just tenderizing his supper).

 

John

[+robert]

How do you know his GPSr said 25' to go? It went over the cliff with him while he was hiking.

That's the Magellan slingshot/boomerang effect.

[+olbluesguy]

How do you know his GPSr said 25' to go? It went over the cliff with him while he was hiking.

I saw him go over..My vista said it was six feet from the edge on the other side of the bushes.

[+Wadcutter]

What if Mr X was nearing the cache and his gps said 50 feet to go ?

Just thru some very thick bushes that you can't see thru.

at 25 feet Mr X goes over the 782 foot cliff.

Now Mr.X didn't climb up the cliff,but came up the other side of the mountain on a gradual slope and across a flat stretch to get to the cache site.

Does the cache owner have any responsebility to notify cachers of the potential danger?

That is good for all mankind. Known as Darwinism. It's a cleansing the gene pool of those too stupid to survive and should not be allowed to reproduce. Natural selection. Survival of the fittist.

[Major Catastrophe]

I was reading in the newsletter today about two dangerous/extreme geocaches, TMA-1 in California and Tube Torcher in North Carolina. I'm not sure these are good for geocaching.

While I can understand the thrill and challenge of these caches for people that are properly prepared for them, in the United States, governments, both state and federal, have a tendency to make laws to protect the absolute dumbest members of the population from themselves.

The first time some ill-prepared person gets killed trying to go for for a geocache, the politicians will hear only one word, "geocache". There will immediately be bills before the legislature to make ALL geocaching illegal. I don't think we want political intervention.

After looking at TMA-1 and Tube Torcher, I don't really have any problem with TMA-1; it appears to be on public property. Not sure about Tube Torcher, but that's an issue for the owner and anyone who chooses to seek it, isn't it?

 

I've had about enough of government "protecting" me from myself, haven't you too? I suppose the time will come when some fool falls in a river and drowns, or does a swan dive into a talus slope while caching. I think the scientific term for that is "Darwinian selection..."

 

I've reached an age where there are some caches I just won't bother trying. I leave them to people who choose to try them. The key word is "choice." Why should we voluntarily deny ourselves the pleasure of challenging hunts just because some elected idiot hasn't tried to do it yet?

 

Sorry for the rant.... my wife says I sound more Libertarian every day...

[CoyoteRed]

my wife says I sound more Libertarian every day...

You say that as if it's a bad thing!

[+shawhh]

haven't we thrashed all of this out before? anyhoo, my two cents worth again. there is risk in every activity. the choice to accept or reject any activity is based on the perceived ability to manage the risk. danger is perceived when one is outside of one's comfort zone. personally, i believe the risk of driving to the cache is much greater than the risk of searching for the cache. look objectively at the risks, and if it seems beyond your ability, don't try it. if you choose to proceed then accept responsibility for your actions. -harry

[+Confucius' Cat]

<snip>

in the United States, governments, both state and federal, have a tendency to make laws to protect the absolute dumbest members of the population from themselves.</snip>

Not true.

 

I have never heard of a proposed law to outlaw congressmen.

[+SBPhishy]

If we classify geocaching as an "extreme sport" I can see all the fun we will have

 

We will roll up to the local skate park in our jeeps, with our ultra light trekking poles, and camelbaks... "Yo dawg. You wanna go cachin'?"

 

Geocaching should be in the X-Games.

Edited April 10, 2004 by SBPhishy

[+fly46]

Just a thought, but if we limited anything because it had the potential to be unsafe, we'd all live our lives in the middle of empty fields without shelter, weapons, or technology.

 

Hmm... Didn't all those cultures die out?

 

Seriously, though..

After you do enough 1/1-2/2s you graduate to bigger stuff.. So then you do 3s, then you go a bit higher... After long enough, you need something that's a challenge.

 

If there's nothing to ever raise the bar, who's going to play the game?

[+DustyJacket]

I wish we had some extreme cachers around KC.

I used to have a pocket query for "tough nuts" as I called them, but I kept having to lower the criteria to get any results.

 

So far, the most challenging are the micros hidden in a rock field or deciphering oriental coins. (Bah!) I want some all-day caches. Some that are real workouts.

 

I want caches where the trip to the coordinates is the toughest part. I have had enough of micros hidden under 10 inches of leaves or whatever.

[+bons]

I wish we had some extreme cachers around KC.

Take 335 to Sitting on a Spider

[+PandyBat]

If people want some more extreme caches, go hide some yourself. It might inspire others to do the same. I see alot of seasoned geocachers running out to do the 1/1 caches anyway just to be the FTF. Save the 1/1 caches and the FTF's for the handicapped people that like and can do them since they seem to bore you so much.

 

As far as "thinning out the herd" .......You do not own this sport, it's free for anyone to do and if it wasn't for the "hand-wringers, brownnosers, lame-o micro-hiders, pantywastes, and geomommys", you might not have as many caches to look for as you do now.

 

Besides hiding a cache can be just as fun as finding one.

[indianalee]

(Besides hiding a cache can be just as fun as finding one.)

 

YES... How true this statement is! Coming up with the well known

"TubeTorcher" , was like doing a cache that lasted 9 MONTHS!!!