Muggles

[-cheeto-]

Of course if you avoid the urban parks with playgrounds, you have the urban woods with the creepy guys following you around…. I digress…

Before I was “in the know” and if I was at the park with my daughters and saw some guy walking around looking for something I would not necessarily assume child molester but that’s just me. Most playgrounds have parents around… If there are parents around it might make it easier for you to hunt that cache if you just introduce yourself first. If there are kids playing and no parents are around and you are a solo male geocacher, you may want to skip that cache. If it’s a micro hidden on a playground you won’t miss much…

I too like to go caching with the family when there are caches like this to find. Not only because it provides “cover” but also because my kids like to go play at the park 🙂 And they find the caches like this rather than the adults.

Just my thoughts on that particular subject.

[CacheARRRS]

These are all good points… I don’t always pull out the made up story line, as most of the time I just hit playgrounds with my kids in tow, or do them a 5 in the morning when the kids are all still in bed….(or else they SHOULD be!)

But once in a while, you are standing at the edge of a park near the sign, with NO REASON to be there other than the bush right next to you, when a car pulls in the driveway 20 feet across the street from you, and hits you with the LOOK.

Now this is no ordinary look. This is the look of the President of the home-owners association, Parks Department civilian task force, local newspaper citizen patrol on speed dial, does not want ANYONE to have fun in HER park kind of look….

THEN, you need to roll with the bike lock story, or else she would be on the phone tree calling in an emergency meeting of the parks committee community prevention patrol, and get every cache banned from every park in the tri-county area….

I DO NOT nor will I ever suggest, making up stories when law enforcement or parks officials are involved……but sneaking one by the soccer moms, or the construction worker who pulls up to eat his lunch when you are at a guard rail cache, is all part of the fun of the game!

Sometimes I will explain the game and try to get them on board, but sometimes you can just “tell” about people. I guess it is all in how well you can read someones personality.

[Ry and Ny]

@gotta run wrote:

Geocaches are (supposed to be) placed with permission.

“Supposed to be” is the key phrase here. We can all talk about how “legitimate” our presence is, but deep in our primitive alligator brain, we all know that cache placement is more Barney Frank’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” than it is the shining pillar of integrity we pretend it is.

I personally know of a cache in Oshkosh that is on private land that does not have landowner’s permission although the landowner is not going to object even if they were to find out by investigating the strange guy out there holding what looks like a walkie talkie digging around a bush.

I also know that the Oshkosh Parks & Rec director is unaware of the vast majority of caches that exist under his purview. After speaking with him, we have sort of a verbal general permission for any caches in city parks until it’s determined that the activity causes a problem, but he’s not known for his great communication with other department heads. I’m pretty sure that many of the local LEOs aren’t aware that our purpose is “legitimate” and, frankly, in most cases up until a month ago, was technically NOT legitmate. I’m also pretty sure that Oshkosh isn’t anywhere close to being unique in this situation.

My point is not to say that the status quo is 100% wrong, but just as CacheARRRS said, there is a time to whip out the bike lock story, particularly since our presence isn’t as “legitimate” as we all knowingly pretend it is.

[Team Bear Bear]

[ArcherDragoon]

You got it!!!

High muggle/urban areas I take a clipboard with me to look “official”. Also helps I don’t wear camo…so I at least look like I am doing something official.

Tree Inspector for the Parks Department…say that and people just roll their eyes at why their local government would pay for that position and move on…usually mumble about how their tax money is a waste…

😉

[greyhounder]

Being female, I don’t get too many questions, but there have been one or two. I am always up front with what I am doing. I ask the landowner if he or she is aware that there is a geocache on their property. When I get a confused look, or a “what is geocaching?” I assume they are not aware and give a quick 101 course. I offer to bring them along to find the cache, as long as they are okay with me being on the property. If not (and I have never been told it’s not allowed) I would ask if it was okay for me to remove the container. The majority of my questioners have been aware of the geocache, so I’ve not had to really use my spiel. Only once was I questioned and the person was not aware, but it was not his property (it was at the end of a dead end and he was confused as to why people kept visiting it.) Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the cache either. However, I think someone was able to help him out, as he came to greet just about everyone who went to the cache.

Bec

[EnergySaver]

The clipboard has an amazing effect … I agree with that. If you have a clipboard you automatically have better reason to be there than anyone else, it seems.

Twice while planning event hides at a local state park, I decided it would be handy to have a clipboard. I’ve never had so many questions asked of me … none to do with geocaching or clipboards … I felt I was on the park’s payroll.

Also, having a dog along helps. You can hang out in the bushes as much as you want, if you have a dog.

The lesson … tell your kids to stay away from strangers with dogs and clipboards.

[LightningBugs Mum]

@Team Bear Bear wrote:

For urban caches, I usually bring a clipboard along. I can be inspecting everything from playground equipment to bricks (a la Gizfinder’s flash mob event in Appleton last fall). I can also be an arborist looking for bugs that are harming the tree’s.

Yep, I’ve done the clipboard thing too.

Now if an adult actually comes up to me and asks me flat out what I’m doing, I will tell the truth. Most people find it mildly interesting. But if a kid asks, then I lie.

[Ry and Ny]

I usually find that the PDA functions much the same as a clipboard for that sort of purpose. Cachemate looks just businesslike enough to make it look like you’re doing something official to the casual glance.

[labrat_wr]

So, who else makes their GPSr into a temporary cell phone??

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[Timberline Echoes]

They make great pretend cameras too…

TE

[CacheARRRS]

yes….and yes:)

[Author]

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