Stealth or no stealth?

[Gusty Winds]

I am sorry that I need to write this under the guise of a sock puppet, it might be interpreted as hipocritical… [Most know who I am.. tb]

I have to say that I am proud of the attitudes expressed here. Every one of the responses shows a great understanding of perceptions of our activity. I believe that honest and friendly response will show us in the best light.

[And then I hid my remarks on page 2.]

[marc_54140]

I am the one who was taking the photo. The other two are well known (not disreputable) cachers.

[sandlanders]

Did all of you put those shopping carts back to the cart “corrals”?

[gotta run]

@JimandLinda wrote:

If I’m in a cemetery, I’m doing geneology or getting ideas for a family members headstone(why else would I be taking pictures in a cemetery!)

We believe cemetery hides shouldn’t require stealth, in general. Skulking around a cemetery is cause for trouble. We try to make all our cemetery hides obvious for a relatively experienced geocacher, realizing that perhaps we do not always succeed.

Cemeteries are fortunately the one spot where “plausible deniability” is useful. It’s quite reasonable to be doing research while holding various pieces of paper and/or electronic devices and cameras. It raises less concern than explaining geocaching and is understandable by anyone asking you about it.

@marc_54140 wrote:

I am the one who was taking the photo. The other two are well known (not disreputable) cachers.

So are there disreputable cachers you tour with?

On the Left Side of the Road...

[Crockett3663]

The very first time we went out caching, my son and I encountered another young boy about my son’s age, right when we were near ground zero. He asked what we were doing, and not wanting to look suspicious or sound like a jerk, I was up front with him, even letting him see where the cache was hidden.

About a week or so after our find, I went back to the cache page to see if there had been any more finds of that particular cache. No too surprisingly, there were a couple of DNFs, and one person speculated that the cache might have been muggled. This hide was not in a particularly high traffic area, so I’m going to assume that our little muggle probably went back to the cache at some point and cleaned it out, especially since it was full of just the kinds of little toy items that kids love to find in caches.

Since that time, I’ve been more careful when encountering a muggle. Depending on the individual, I’ll either clue them in to what we’re doing, or else I’ll try not to bring attention to us. If I encounter kids that are not accompanied by parents, then I am much more secretive. I certainly don’t want a replay of what I believe happened to that first cache.

[RSplash40]

Stealth is unfortunately not exactly in my repertoire, ask frizz about crashing through the brush… so I generally talk to people if they are close by and give me the eye.

I watched a absolutely marvelous performance by sagasu one day in Appleton, middle of the 1st warm weekend of the spring, cache a good 20 feet up in a tree, smack dab in the middle of spot where several walking paths crossed.

Woman walks by just as he’s about to climb, he starts making it look like he’s birdin or something, and ends up talking to her for like 10 mins, where she lived, how long in town, if he was single I think he could’ve gotten her number! Just brilliant.

The best, get them off our back quick and clean has to go to Robin of TBB, searching for one of their hides, they swung by as I was looking and it had been dnf’d a few days earlier. Some guy across the street starts yelling out his window (of course, no shirt on, thanks buddy) what y’all doin? Robin shouts back, “Looking for a toy” (splash3 and 4 were with), he waved, end of discussion. Clean, quick and perfect execution.

[K0rpl]

Now Marc standing in a tree is Priceless!!!!

We just had a discussion while caching this weekend about Dendraphiliacs…….. this is too funny…..

The other part that made me laugh, is the fact that Marc is standing behind a handicap Sign!!! Mental Handicap????!!!!!!

[-cheeto-]

rsplash said:

I watched a absolutely marvelous performance by sagasu one day in Appleton

-cheeto- said…

When I was a rookie, I was taught by one of the best there is when it comes to interacting with others while geocaching.

I was waiting for someone else to name my mentor. Great story rsplash!

[ExecLink]

Stealthy can be fun!
We pulled up to a cache in a park and determined it was a key magnet under a park bench since it was the only object within 150′. As we approach a group sad down for a what looked like a long lunch.
Well we pulled out the Frisbee and after a few well placed ‘bad throws’ that just happened to land right under the bench, we were able to get, sign and replace the cache that was 2″ under them. The kids still laugh when they think about that one.

Normally we go about looking like we are just playing and try to blend in. Sometimes we will bring others into the game if, like others have said, do they look like the type that would respect the game.

We had a streak when we first started that we were the last to find a few caches before they went missing. We were not sure why, but after that we took care to re-hide very well, and to come back later if it did not look safe.

– Michael

[Timberline Echoes]

We use a mix, it really depends on the muggle.

We have snuck out a magnetic one under a bench while talking to the people sitting on the bench feeding ducks. They were elderly and would have no clue what we were doing… I just kept photographing the ducks while Mr. TE signed the log.

We have also invited them in on the search in other situtions. One of those case by case things.
TE

[gotta run]

True and recent story…

See a cache pop up in the inbox at about 10pm. It’s only about 7 miles away (that’s very close by our standards) and we have a pretty good idea where it is, so I (Mr. gotta run) decide to take a quick drive to score the FTF.

Well, basically having been just about ready for bed, I have lounge pants and a tshirt on (which actually seem to count as appropriate public attire by today’s standards, but that’s another topic). So I slop on some old shoes, don the nearest coat which happens to be a barn-chore coat, don a ratty looking winter hat, and head out. You get the picture, it’s quite an ensemble.

Get to GZ in the middle of nowhere, reach for the flashlight in my geobackpack…which is still back in the garage. Hmm. Well, I’ll just angle the car toward the obvious and only bush in the area here and use the headlights. Great idea!

Start searching when around the corner comes a big 4×4 truck driven by two of the local…gentlemen…who are somewhat curious as to what I am doing in said bush. I decide honesty is definitely the best policy here, and by now I have found the geocache, which I present to them, explain geocaching, and drop the name of the cache owner who is also a local…

All the while hoping I don’t suddenly start hearing a banjo soundtrack… 😯

Anyhoo, fortunately they decided I was just a harmless idiot….

On the Left Side of the Road...

[Cachelovskys]

@gotta run wrote:

It’s only about 7 miles away (that’s very close by our standards)

Isn’t there a seperate forum for people like you? You might be addicted to geocaching if…

😀

[Cachelovskys]

We take the “no stealth” method in most cases. If we are going for the “stealth” we always use the method of looking over each other’s shoulder, never look over your own. I have no problem breaking out our “speech” that we give to non-cachers who inquire what we are doing. Or if we feel like someone is REALLY watching us, we walk over and initiate the coversation with them. It could be a great time to introduce them to caching or promote the WI-Geocaching Association. Maybe something like, “You should join, we have a great new logo.”

[-cheeto-]

You should join, we have a great new logo

I had to laugh…

[Astro_D]

I hate using stealth. I don’t think being or acting stealthy (which could easily be read “suspicious” by non-cachers) while looking for a cache is the right approach to gaining more wide spread acceptance and support for geocaching either.

.

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