Cache Specific Rules

[+Team Panda]

Howdy y'all...

 

I live in a very lake rich area and one of the things that really bugs me about many of the caches here, is that there are quite a few of them that are accessible only if you own or have access to a boat. (I don't.)

 

I like the idea of caches on islands (owned by Entergy, maintained by Army Corps of Engineers, and open to public) and I know of a great little island that's within swimming distance of the shore for an average swimmer.

 

What I'm wondering is this...

 

If I were to place a cache and state in the rules that Cachers must SWIM to the cache, and that this is a "No Boaters Allowed" cache, would you as a cacher feel any requirement at all to play by the "special rules" or would you just take the boat out there and let me go peddle my papers?

 

Edited to add...

Distance from shore to island is not more than 50 yards at closest point.

Edited August 5, 2004 by Team Panda

[+Thot]

I suspect people who won't honor your rules won't reply to your question. They figure they'll get ragged by others, so they'll take a boat but won't go public about it. Hmm . . . Does that make them closet boaters?

Edited August 5, 2004 by Thot

[+Spencersb]

I'd proabaly skip this one. I can swim, but it ain't pretty! Besides, my fanny pack of trade items would get all wet and it would be hard to swim holding a hiking stick! I'd have my head down, and my eTrex would be pointing the wrong direction and I'd miss the island...

And me in a speedo ...

 

Seriously, I probably wouldn't do it myself, but I support your right as the cache hider to place whatever restrictions you want (even things like, "There must be 12 travel bugs in the cache at all times. Don't take one, not even your own, if you can't leave two!)

 

You'll find out who the local athlete/cachers are (or maybe just who the liars are)!

Edited August 5, 2004 by Spencersb

[4x4van]

If there are no boats allowed on the lake, then I'd have no problem with that. If, however, boats are allowed on the lake, then I think that many will use one rather than swim, and there's no way for you to enforce your rule. At that point, how the cacher reached the location should be entirely up to them. How could you enforce it? What's your definition of a "boat"? Would a kayak or canoe disqualify their find? How about a blow-up raft?

 

I don't know, others may disagree, but I think that a cacher should be able to decide how to reach a cache. Otherwise, what's next? "Must hop on left foot the last 50 yards, or the find doesn't count"? "Must walk backwards"? "Must drive only domestic vehicles to reach cache"?

 

JMO

[+Team Panda]

Thanks for the replies, y'all.

 

I hadn't thought of that, Thot. (Thought Thot?) THOT! (sound of wife smacking me in the back of the head with a newspaper)

 

Sorry, I'm easily distracted sometimes.

 

ANYWAY...

 

I've seen people make "rules" for their caches, things like Travel Bug Hotels and personally, I'm rather ambivalent about the idea. After all, it's a GAME!

 

Any "rules" I'd make would be really nothing more than suggestions as I have no way of enforcing them, it would be more of a "Please?" than a "You must!"

[+Team Panda]

On the other hand, I asked people to PLEASE trade even or "up" on the cache I placed recently (My first!) and the FTF decided that a knotted rope "Dog toy" was a fair trade for a new Nalgene water bottle.

 

Ahem.

Gee.

Thanks.

[+The Leprechauns]

As verification they complied with the owner's wishes, finders could be asked to post a picture of themselves while swimming. For those caching alone, where this would be impractical, post a picture of yourself standing on the island while still wet.

 

There is a cache in my area, Treasure Island, where swimming to the cache is the only practical approach short of a wintertime ice crossing. Be sure to read the log from drossdross and its accompanying pictures that tell the story of a very frigid find for this cache.

[+Team Panda]

I see we cross posted, 4x4.

 

As I said, it would be more of a polite request that I would HOPE people would honor, rather than a demand.

 

After all, there are MANY boat only caches on the lake that people have no problem placing so that there is no way for me to possibly reach them and they see nothing wrong with making a cache that is effectively "Off Limits" to me.

 

As far as worries of boats creating a danger to swimmers, the geography of the place I have in mind pretty much rules that out. The island is very close to land and there is only a narrow channel that seperates it from the mainland. Boats occasionally troll through at a "no wake" speed but they don't go any faster than that.

[+Team DEMP]

I think if folks have a boat, they would use it. Like you, I don't have one. Don't know if I'd jump in a lake to get the cache though. If you're in an area that freezes I might consider going in the winter when I could walk to the cache.

 

Don't need rules but if anything other then walking to the cache is required, it should be noted. How the person gets the cache is really up to them. The difficulty should also appropriately reflect the challenge presented to the cacher.

 

As I was typing this, I recalled a cache I did recently, where (a long time ago) a cacher drove up to within 5 ft of the cache. He figured out a way to get his car close to it. I on the other hand, couldn't figure out how to get my car within 5 ft of the cache and walked 4 miles round trip to get it. I'd equate it to your cache. If someone can figure out a way to do it quicker/easier, more power to them.

[thorin]

I'd swim it. I don't mind throwing my gear in a water proof bag for the swim. Though I'm not sure how you'd prevent people from canoing or kyaking it.

 

Thorin

[+JohnnyVegas]

I wouldn't swim, I have a Kayak and a Canoe, Now I might scuba dive to one.

You can find used kayaks fairly cheep near the end of summer, ou might look into picking one up.