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Taishindojim

mickledore

By mickledore
in United Kingdom and Ireland

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mickledore

mickledore

Posted
Posted

Went for a weekend in The Lakes, hoping to bag a number of caches. Visited S'late in the Day GCHG1M. Opened the log book and found a full page of derision written on 26 October. That I can live with.

What I cannot accept is the wanton despoilation of the cache site. These visitors gouged their calling card "Monkey Ben and Capn Dangerous 26/10/04" on the rock covering the cache. They must have used a six inch nail or similar (possibly the end of a walking pole), because they have written in letters 9 inches high, and approx 1/8th of an inch wide and deep. This "handiwork" will take decades, or even centuries, to disappear, if indeed it ever does.

This seems to be the exact opposite of Cache In, Trash Out. They have wilfully spoiled part of the National Park. I wonder what opinion the National Park Authority have of such goings on, and would they want to allow geocaching to continue if they knew about it. There is a photo against my log entry for those who are interested - I can't seem top work out how to include it in here.

Their log entry is under Taishandjim, and they include photos of Capn Ben, so there can be little doubt who is responsible.

Is there anyway to report this to "higher authority"? Is it the sort of thing that we deplore, or am I being too sensitive?

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Team Ullium

+Team Ullium

Posted
Posted

It is very difficult to control this type of behaviour....vandalism is a boil on the face of modern society....and like a boil any attempt to eradicate it by violent means just sends it underground to wreck even more damage <_<

 

Just recently my wife and I have been walking through a couple of cemetries close to our home and were appalled at the level of vandalism inflicted on the grave stones!! It just leaves one speachless...and wondering what kind of parental and social background these kids have been raised in??

 

I assume that some representative of geocaching.com will be having words with these misquided young people ??

 

I wonder if a small rechargeable battery operated drill and a grinder stone might not at least remove the worst of this damage....or even some of the modern stone fillers smeared into the groves??

 

Ullium.

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mickledore

mickledore

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The problem with the rock is that it is well covered with moss, lichens and other growths. Because of the harsh environment that they live in they only grow very, very slowly, and are very small. The present depth of cover, grown over millennia is probably not as high as the gouge is deep. I fear that any remedial action would only worsen the damage.

Stringing the perpetrators from the top of Blackpool Tower, by piano wire wrapped around their crinkly bits comes to mind as a mild form of chastisement!

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Geoki

+Geoki

Posted
Posted

There is a way that this rock with the 'engraving' can be helped. If there is a kinder cacher that can take a pot of natural yoghurt and cover the damage it can help to age it and encourage stuff to grow. I know it's a lot to ask of someone but that's the nature of the beast. As someone else said there are always bad apples in any group. Fortunately they due seem to be in the minority here. <_<

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Eckington

+Eckington

Posted
Posted

I have am making enquiries about the incident and about a possible response to it. I am in touch with Lactodorum on a daily basis, even though he is in sunny California, playing golf and caching <_< , and between us I am sure we can, at the very least, try to ensure that the team are aware of the high feeling their action has aroused. More than that I am not yet sure what we can do, or ask gc.com to do. I am finding that out.

 

Thankyou, Mickledore, for bringing the incident to our notice.

 

As, and when, I have more infomation I will pass it on.

 

Cheers and Cache Well,

 

Eckington

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Team Ullium

+Team Ullium

Posted
Posted
I have to say I'm smiling ( a wee bit) .......recently visited a cache in Arran (Kings caves ) full of engravings on the wall ........ now just maybe the prehistoric graffiti artists may have been classed as vandals ( If they knew what a vandal was then )

I understand what you are getting at FFB <_<

 

However I think you bagged the 'Boathouse' on the eastern shore of Loch Ness...where many had left messages of wishing to return and messages of those who have returned every year...some very touching and if I remember correctly most were tastefully done inside the structure out of sight from the outside!

 

Now that is one thing....what we have here is just wanton damage just for the sake of it and adds nothing to the inherent beauty of the nearby enviroment!

 

Ullium.

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JackiePenn

JackiePenn

Posted
Posted

Okay A shameful act indeed... but...

 

what a witch hunt we have here - lets burn them brigade.

 

forgive me but who made you lot judge and jury ?

 

What is stopping someone going out to a cache and reading who the last person was to visit and then trashing the site, then leaving the laster loggers name as evidence written in 4 foot high letter across nearest wall?

 

Innocent to proven guilty and all that.

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Haggis Hunter

+Haggis Hunter

Posted
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Okay A shameful act indeed... but...

 

what a witch hunt we have here - lets burn them brigade.

 

forgive me but who made you lot judge and jury ?

 

What is stopping someone going out to a cache and reading who the last person was to visit and then trashing the site, then leaving the laster loggers name as evidence written in 4 foot high letter across nearest wall?

 

Innocent to proven guilty and all that.

I think their Gallery is enough proof it was them.

 

It's a waste of time deleting their membership as they can just make up another one and start all over again, but be even more nasty.

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Eckington

+Eckington

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I asked the team about the grafitti....

 

" .... People were taking carloads of slate home , and we

just put our names on one !...."

 

If this is in fact the case, and the slate they adorned was not taken, then I feel there was no intent to permanently deface a landscape feature and, though regretable, the best course of action might be, as someone above has suggested, allowing nature to take its own course to obliterate the inscription, perhaps with a little help.......

 

This has not been a witch hunt, merely an attempt to find out how it came about, not to blame, but to explain, and I am grateful to the team in question for answering my post for doing so promptly and clearing things up a little.

 

Eckington

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mickledore

mickledore

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perhaps you'd like to say 'yob' in person ?

 

This is the full content of a mail I have just received. Do I detect a threat here?

 

As for taking car loads of slate home - well at the quarries at the top of the pass you can fill your car boot for £10. All waste material of course, but people do buy it.

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Flyfishermanbob

+Flyfishermanbob

Posted
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Ah ha ! What is art and what is rubbish?

 

Hmmm such a difficult decision ……….. a pile of bricks may be the basis of a semi in suburbia or a priceless work of art in the Tate Modern.

 

So lets be generous , we all want to leave a mark …. Either FTF or 200 finds or just ….”I’ve been here” a profound and descriptive log ………

 

So whilst I wouldn’t condone despoiling the landscape, I have to be honest and admit I did it 40 years ago on the barks of trees …….. (and they are still growing )

:D

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Team Ullium

+Team Ullium

Posted
Posted
Ah ha ! What is art and what is rubbish?

 

Hmmm such a difficult decision ……….. a pile of bricks may be the basis of a semi in suburbia or a priceless work of art in the Tate Modern.

 

So lets be generous , we all want to leave a mark …. Either FTF or 200 finds or just ….”I’ve been here” a profound and descriptive log ………

 

So whilst I wouldn’t condone despoiling the landscape, I have to be honest and admit I did it 40 years ago on the barks of trees …….. (and they are still growing )

:D

Once again I can see what you mean and kinda agree... :lol:

 

Though when you and I were kids carving our initials on tree trunks we represented no one but ourselves...and although we maybe didn't appreciate what long term damage we might have been inflicting on the tree...deep down we knew we shouldn't be doing this and fully realised that if an adult caught us in the act we would likely get a belt around the ears for our efforts :lol:

 

The unfortunate thing about this childish prank is that it might reflect on geocaching in general :lol:

 

Mark you whether from guilt or self preservation I think their incriminating photos are being withdrawn ... so perhaps they have learned their lesson ... let's hope so eh :lol:

 

Ullium.

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Team Ullium

+Team Ullium

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So the moral here is.....

 

Don`t get caught.. :lol: or at least don`t put up photos that can incriminate yourself...:D

 

"Lysdexia RoolZ Kayo"

I thought the 'moral' of the story here was not to get too carried away with ourselves and attempt to keep a sense of proportion, even if it is exceedingly difficult at times :lol:

 

Ullium.

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M3ZPY

+M3ZPY

Posted
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:D After reading this tale it strikes me that the kids have no concept of the countryside around them - what with using any implement to make their mark!

 

Just thank god the parents did not say "here kids look after this bright coloured spraycan and these permanent marker pens while we walk ahead".

 

Hence the old chinese proverb which says "Never let a lion look after a chop".

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greenarrow

greenarrow

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WELL WELL WELL WHAT HAVE WE HERE !

It seems 'newbie' 'Dumbledore' has found a vehicle for his rantings.

YES ! , I put our names on a rock..... there were other names on the rock and on other rocks . Those names had faded and so will ours , long before 'mucky-do's' petulant missives have been edged in to the distant archives of this forum and his mum gets him his first long trousers.

There were no derisive comments in the log ; we said the scenery was stark but beautiful and that it was cold . My young son drew a cartoon robot in the log because he has a travel bug of that ilk .

May I also draw to your attention the fact that , (Pickledore- you'd better not read this bit) ,at the top of the hill , about 400 yards , there is a quarry where they regularly blow apart thousands of tons of rock . There is also a car park for about 200 cars and a gift shop and visitors centre where you can take home a tasteful house sign with 'Dunroamin' carved in to it , they also say , and I quote , " or take home as much slate as you can get in your car".....

I'll tell you what , I'll go back next year and if any trace of the heinous crime remains , I will take some coarse graded sand paper and remove it . I'LL EVEN LEAVE SOME BEHIND FOR 'MICKELDORE' IN CASE HE GETS TAKEN SHORT !

ALSO..... To the dear old confused fellow who mentioned the throwing 'KNIFES' at Elmswell ( we spell that K-N-I-V-E-S nowadays ) they were photoshopped in to the picture but I suppose at your time of life it might take longer to explain than you've got left !

LASTLY , To those brave little fellows that offered to put me under my 'engraved' stone, it's all very well hiding behind your keyboards , but just think , you might meet up with me at your next cache ... make sure you bring someone to drive you home . Executed for writing on a stone ? I thought we got all the Nazis.

P.S. ..... I hear the local people are more worried about when 'mickledore' is coming to clear up all the toys he threw out of his pram when saw those 'nasty' sctratches on the 'wuvverly' rock.

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