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Spotting Fellow Geocachers


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Admittedly, I have only found 50 or so over my time (a few years), but I have only seen two groups of geocachers...One was Bracken's Bunch as we both were looking for "Golden Lions". The other got me thinking...

 

...we had been to find "Be Prepared" and after we had, we spotted a family looking suspicious. You know the thing, standing around in a bracken-covered wasteland, then diving into bushes. We watched for a little while, and after they had found it I went bounding up to them to say hello...only to find this was their first ever cache, and they probably thought you got accosted at every one! I went back today to the cache page to see who they were and what ever happened to them, whether I really had put them off for life. It turns out it was Pyoung1s!

 

Any one else spot other geocachers?

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On another tack how many times have you got somewhere and wondered how many muggles are not really muggles? ;)

 

We went to a cache on Tuesday, parked in the suggested car park (in the middle of nowhere) and was surprised to see four cars with several people milling around...in a carpark. One lad surreptitiosly stuffed something into his pocket as we walked past him - looked like a mobile phone - know what I mean? ;)

 

Anyway we went off to find the cache and an hour later returned back to the carpark with the shame of knowing I had to log my first DNF! :D

 

Hmm I thought I wonder if the people in the carpark are in the same boat and waiting for someone to emerge with a find? Anyway most of them had left but one guy was still there...picking blackberrys! :D

 

Guess it was just my suspicious mind - either that or the other scamps didn't log the DNF B)

 

The Hokesters...

 

[EDIT - trying to make some sense for a change]

Edited by The Hokesters
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Not counting "get togethers" where I have met quite a few, in a year of caching I have met very few cachers either at, or on the way to, caches...

 

The Monkhouse Family @ Bridal Reeth

Yorkstan @ Skipt 'un Scramble (last weekend)

Dallan72 @ Skipt 'un Scramble (last weekend)

 

I have been out caching with...

 

Seasider B)

Harrogate Hunters :D

AdrianJohn :D

 

and met Dogastus after a day's caching in Settle, for a welcome pint. ;)

 

I guess introducing friends to caching doesn't count... (!) namely, Sleepless42 and Yeoman. ;)

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It was around our 70th cache that we bumped into our first fellow cachers for a chat. We did see Subarite on a hunt once before this but didn't stop. Since then it has happened twice more, most recently with 1ceber9 where we were both looking for a missing cache!

 

I do share an office with AntarcticMan, does that count?!

 

John

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At 84 caches (a figure which excludes locationlesses which don't really count in this context), I've had two encounters with geocachers.

 

The first time was when I was failing to find Sleepy Hollow. I encountered the Fuzzy Badgers who were having exactly the same problem. It turned out that the given co-ordinates were wrong.

 

The co-ordinates were later corrected after a relatively new geocacher found the cache before he had obtained his first GPS! He did it from first principles and came up with quite good co-ords just using a map and compass. That's miltary training for you!

 

I was later to met him, Haggis Hunter, at the Rosslyn Arche cache. It's a small world!

 

 

Cheers, The Forester

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Bumped into Subarite just after setting my first cache. I followed him down the footpath about 200 metres behind, and although being new to it I could tell what he was up to. Amusing when he got close, then past, then turned around and back tracked and then around in circles. Other mortals would have thought him a bit crazy.

Spotted Simply Paul last weekend, who I had never met, from about 50 metres across Magdelen Bridge in Oxford. The view was from the rear and i just knew it was him. He was not even carrying his magic wand. :mad:

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Twice for me

 

First one was Inukshuk at Yarrow he was sat in the car with his Mrs having a brew while I sneaked past for the ftf. Met him on the way back. He then met up with John Stead and Seasider if I remember right (not easy with this pickled brain).

 

The last one was Chuddy who I bumped into on my way back from completing M1YEO's superb Fait Accompli (still say it's a nice stroll :mad: )

 

Met plenty of others at the meets.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

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Missed ozzyuk by about 2 minutes at Deer Stalking judging by the log book.

 

I'm sure we met some fellow cachers in France. Just as we were coming back to the car from a well hidden location are car drew up and asked us if we knew of an old chapel nearby.

 

The cache is at the chapel, which is visible from miles away but not from close up as it is at the top of a wooded hill. We drove all the way around the hill before spotting a path up.

 

We pointed out the pathway and the passenger grabbed what looked like a GPS and sprinted off up the path leaving the driver to thank us and park up.

 

Have been watching the log ever since but nothing, perhaps they failed to find. Made the wife's day though, being chatted up by 2 young French guys!

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met Dan, Gaz & Nes ... but no Layla, Oldun, Thirtyfoot Screw ...

 

Hornet was funny cause I recoginsed him from his pictures, he saw the little sticker in my back window so it was just a matter of the introducing ourselves. he also gave me a BIG clue to his identity crisis which hadn't yet been made public! :mad:

 

and we were parked on a wide bend so the cars were coming past slowly and you had time to look at the drivers. As we got back into ours a Peugeot came past with Pid at the wheel, he was forced to go slow enough for both of us to have a good look and make sure it was him!

 

always good meeting others when you're out and about. :P

Edited by choccymandm
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We've met one or two only during the 100+ caches we've done (that excludes those who introduced us to the pastime).

 

Continuing the theme... wouldn't it be nice if more people would complete their profile on gc.com? On many occasions we've looked up the page of someone who has visited a cache before us.... or maybe someone who has done one of our caches... to be greeted by a blank page.

 

Do consider filling in some info about yourself; makes it much more interesting and it doesn't worry us if you're the King of Timbuktu or a dustman!

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We've met one or two only during the 100+ caches we've done (that excludes those who introduced us to the pastime).

 

Continuing the theme... wouldn't it be nice if more people would complete their profile on gc.com? On many occasions we've looked up the page of someone who has visited a cache before us.... or maybe someone who has done one of our caches... to be greeted by a blank page.

 

Do consider filling in some info about yourself; makes it much more interesting and it doesn't worry us if you're the King of Timbuktu or a dustman!

Seconded!

 

Some people are a bit nervous about revealing themselves but if you hide behind your caching handle there is no reason why you can't tell a little about yourself.

 

The Hokesters...

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If you want to increase your chances of meeting other cachers "in the field", try finding caches very soon after they've been released...

 

Quite a few of us go for First To Find, and so that means that there are more concentrations of cachers at those caches. (Hmm, a "Concentration" of cachers?)

 

I've met Hornet and Lost in Space, The House of Boo, CharlieBassett and Andybug&Ladybird that way... And seen a few others close to, but didn't actually meet up with...

 

Bob Aldridge

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We've met one or two only during the 100+ caches we've done (that excludes those who introduced us to the pastime).

 

Continuing the theme... wouldn't it be nice if more people would complete their profile on gc.com?  On many occasions we've looked up the page of someone who has visited a cache before us.... or maybe someone who has done one of our caches...  to be greeted by a blank page.

 

Do consider filling in some info about yourself; makes it much more interesting and it doesn't worry us if you're the King of Timbuktu or a dustman!

Seconded!

 

Some people are a bit nervous about revealing themselves but if you hide behind your caching handle there is no reason why you can't tell a little about yourself.

 

The Hokesters...

 

Ok have posted my picture.

 

I think you will find the cartoon was preferable. :lol:

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So thats what a mongoose looks like!!!

 

We fully reject the anonymity that you can immerse yourself in the caching world (although to each their own) and slapped ourselves firmly on the internet with the HofB website so people can stare at us as if we were peculiar monkeys in a zoo! Feeding times are varied from day to day!

 

House Of Boo

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Bagged our first eyeball eyeball yesterday at the fantastic Stamford Taurus Puzzle Cache (GCC5B7) - can't add link as GC.com still not working too well :blink:

 

When we arrived back at the starting car park after sucessfully completing the cache we spotted a couple who appeared to be furtivly entering numbers (coords) into a mobile phone (GPSr) in the carpark . "Definitely Cachers" said Jo and a quick email to the latest finder (after us) confirmed that we had spotted our first cachers 'Spindlewood' preparing to do the cache.

 

It sparked a brief discussion over why we hadn't said "Hi" which interests me in what other people think. Maybe its the thought of the suspected cachers looking at you and say "Geo-what????!?!?!?".

 

The Hokesters...

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I'm beginning to lose count :blink:

 

Locally (central Scotland) I've ran into three (at the last one we nearly butted our heads together as we were so intent on looking at our GPSr's :blink: ).

 

And at the 1st Scottish Bash up at Fort William I met up with about six or seven English cachers preparing to do Waterfall & Ruin in the car park at the beginning of the walk.

 

Also during the same weekend I ran into the same European cacher twice while engaged in approaching different caches! :huh:

(I haven't a clue which country he hailed from...sounded like central European!?).

 

Ullium.

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I thought I had met a fellow cacher yesterday.

 

I had some travel bugs to drop off, but no time due to pressing DIY duties. So I just visited a local cache. So I had not evidence on me... no GPSr... no PDA...No maps. Just a TB in my pocket.

 

When I arrived there was a group of people clearly meeting up to start a bit of maintenance in the nature reserve, they had saws, shovels etc.

 

As I approached one of them said 'Are you looking for us?'

 

'No, just coincidence'

 

'Are you a geocacher??' How he had quickly come to that conclusion I have no idea... must be a fellow cacher... and there are two caches hidden in this patch... but the suspision in his voice didn't sound like he was too keen to see me.

 

'err yes... is that a problem'.

 

'No, not at all' he said, showing me his badge, he was the warden of the reserve. 'I met one a few months back and he showed me the cache.'

 

He then proceded to give a good explanation of caching to the rest of the group. Most of them had read about it in Trail magazine or some other similar publication. They couldn't see the point as they were under the illusion that GPS units were so accurate that it would lead you right to the box. So I explaned that even in the best conditions a circle with a 30 foot radius can be quite a challenge. In this woodland at this time of year more like a 100 foot radius.

 

They all seemed quite positive and reasurred that we were generally outdoorsy, nature loving, anti-litter types, hated the damage done to the woodlands by paintballers etc. In fact a couple were going to track down the website and look into it further.

 

The warden was quite happy and makes sure that the cache is always stocked with 'join the wildlife trust' leaflets.

 

But, he has still met more cachers than I have!

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Inukshuk at Yarrow he was sat in the car with his Mrs having a brew while I sneaked past for the ftf. Met him on the way back. He then met up with John Stead and Seasider if I remember right

No Tony - it was Famlea that I bumped into at Yarrow, you were some way ahead of me as were the others you mentioned.

As for other encounters, my first was one in the Midlands which had better not be named where a couple with a dog and I circled an area trying to look interested in birds or something till in the end we admitted to each other that we were caching. We then hunted the cache together - what was odd was that I posted a photo of the successful find with the couple and their dog and was asked politely to remove it in case they were recognised!

 

Then there was Seasider finding one of his early caches - I had set it up but not actually placed the box when he mentioned as an aside in an email that he was coming for it. Fortunately it was less than a mile from home so I dashed out and placed it then stepped back a distance to see him find it. It was a bit different when he found his 1000th - but that another story and its already been told.

 

Inevitably most of the other encounters have been before or after event when there has been a concentration of cachers in an area.

Edited by John Stead
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Losing count now! Met the Tupperware Party at Haggis Hunt in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh one evening. This is a multicache, and I spotted the suspicious behaviour of the couple from a cliff overlooking the site. After they had gone and were headed to the final locatio, I nipped down and found the micro. I was surprised that they were not at the final location when I got there, but was given a fright when they crept up behind me as I held the container.

 

I recently got another fright when I bumped (almost literally) into Ullium, as he has already mentioned.

 

Met DeputyDawg at Peden's Stone too.

 

The GPS, printouts or curious behaviour usually give the game away.

 

However, I have once accosted someone and asked them if they were looking for a cache, and to my embarrassment, they didn't know what I was talking about! I went to visit one of my caches the other day for a maintenance visit, and spotted a chap sitting on the nearby bench reading some printed A4 sheets. I was just about to accost him as well, when I saw that they were nothing to do with geocaching and quickly shut my mouth!

 

Edit 24/8/04: I also have to add an encounter today with Marmal, in the wilds of the Borders. Just as well I came along, as he had forgotten to look at the map in the car park (how many times have I done that!) and didn't know where to go!

Edited by Firth of Forth
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Shortly after starting this persuit, Lynn and I placed our very first cache close to where we live. It had only been live for less than 24 hours and I decided to wander down and re-check the coordinates. I was half way through this exercise (it's a multi cache) when I spotted a chap sitting on a bench reading something that looked suspiciously like our first clue. The GPSr went in the pocket and I started to retrace my steps to our house. At that point, I recognised the dog as being Heidi, Budak_Melayu's dog. I was able to put Budak at ease and let him know that I wasn't a muggle after all.

Because we live so close to this cache we have had several encounters including Aarks and Kelsborough Wayfinders. As we often sit out in front of the cottage of an evening, we're alwyas on the look out for folks with those yellow mobile phones :lol:

First day of the alchemy series Lynn met Wigglesworth and Aisledog who we also met at another one of the alchemy series.

 

Martin & Lynn

Edited by Mady
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Have been caching 5 months and have never met anyone else "on the trail". Know Chas of the Kelsborrow Wayfinders as he introduced me to the sport. Also met Pharisee in a pub when I returned the remains of one of his caches that had been run over by a forestry tractor. Like most people I tend to hide the GPS when I see someone and try not to be too obvious. Having seen some cache logs I'm sure I must have "seen" some others but we must all be very good masters of disguise!! :lol::o:(

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Hi,

We have just returned from Holiday in Jersey.

Whilst there we could not resist the lure of Jersey Number one Cache.

This is a generally quiet cache in an cache desert and had not been visited for about 6 weeks or so.

However after we had found it we were climbing back up and passed a couple on their way down.

Once they had passed the Mud Magnet said that he wondered if they were cachers as the man had a GPS.

" Don't be silly " says I. "It was probably just a phone" but he was adamant. As neither Charlotte or I had spotted it we thought no more of it.

The climb back is a fairly steep one so we sat down for a rest.

One half of the couple we had passed walks back up past up looking over towards the area of the cache.

Two minutes later she walks past the other way.

We climb to the top and are enjoying a hard earned cup of tea when the couple come back up and sit at the next bench.

I non too subtly pass Charlotte the cache sheet as bait...

They spot it and....

Yes.

It turns out that they are 't Haasje ( Apparently Dutch for Hare) a lovely couple from Eindhoven.

We had a nice chat before they pedalled off for further adventures.

 

Oh and we have also bumped into Team Kash at the Southampton bug hotel.

Other than that it would seem that other cachers avoid any contact with us :(

SL

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We have met a few other teams while out caching and twice we were holding the cache when the other team arrived so we had done the hard work for them. Two of these were first to finds as well. Deva Duo, who we know anyway, turned up in their car just as we started a search but we managed to find it, log it and re-hide it while they were parking (although we had to ask them to hide their eyes). :(

 

PatnPete - Uplifting Day Out

Deva Duo - Well Dressed

g&m - Iron Bridge

 

As Mady said, he also spotted us while we were doing one of his caches and we wondered why we were being watched so suspiciously. Thankfully he came over before we started doing the old "tieing the shoelace" routine.

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... wouldn't it be nice if more people would complete their profile on gc.com?  On many occasions we've looked up the page of someone who has visited a cache before us.... or maybe someone who has done one of our caches...  to be greeted by a blank page.

 

Noted and duly smacked myself on the wrists. Profile at gc.com now filled in.

 

On topic, although I've only mananged a handful of local caches to date, I just missed kbootb as mentioned above at Deer Stalking and arrived 20 mins after paragliderboy at Epping Forest Ramble - must have walked past each other on the lakeside path going to / from the carpark.

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I "passed" two Australians at the top of Ben Nevis. They were coming from the direction of the cache, but I saw no signs of them being cachers so I sid nothing. When I got to the cache, I saw their name in the log book and knew that it was them... they'd signed after the "early party" on Ben Nevis had signed.

 

I wish they'd introduced themselves, or said "Hi, you look like a GEOCACHER with that GPS in your hand, head down, iPaq at the ready" :(

 

I've bumped into various cachers in various places, probably 6 or so in total (this doesn't include events days, but I'll include meeting Ullium, as it was the day before the Scottish event).

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