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Post by ladybugkids on Nov 1, 2008 8:42:15 GMT -9
I'm seeking cachers' opinions about "stealth required" caches. I feel like "stealth required" hides ARE appropriate in public locations where it's expected members of the general public may be loitering. Examples of this kind of location are visitor centers, scenic viewpoints, large parking lots, and public sidewalks. I also believe "stealth required" hides ARE NOT appropriate on private property without the property owner's explicit permission (stated on the cache page), outside of businesses where employees may be concerned about what a cacher may be doing, or places where skulking around could get law enforcement called. I differentiate between a skirt lifter hide along the periphery of a large mall parking lot or along the Potter's Marsh boardwalk (which I feel okay about) compared to a hide placed close to the entrance of a smaller business and the employee's personal vehicles. Is there a difference, or have I just run up against my personal limits of where I'll publically cache? Your thoughts?
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Post by Forum Admin on Nov 1, 2008 10:06:14 GMT -9
I'm seeking cachers' opinions about "stealth required" caches. I feel like "stealth required" hides ARE appropriate in public locations where it's expected members of the general public may be loitering. Examples of this kind of location are visitor centers, scenic viewpoints, large parking lots, and public sidewalks. I also believe "stealth required" hides ARE NOT appropriate on private property without the property owner's explicit permission (stated on the cache page), outside of businesses where employees may be concerned about what a cacher may be doing, or places where skulking around could get law enforcement called. I differentiate between a skirt lifter hide along the periphery of a large mall parking lot (which I feel okay about) compared to a hide placed close to the entrance of a smaller business and the employee's personal vehicles. Is there a difference, or have I just run up against my personal limits of where I'll publically cache? Your thoughts? Agree whole-heartedly!
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Post by saidbystacy on Nov 2, 2008 1:10:44 GMT -9
I would have to agree with your discernment between what's appropriate and what's not appropriate. If there is anything on or very near a private business/building, it's only kosher that you get permission before placing the cache and stating it on the page so that there is no question that one is welcome there. Or at least the police aren't called People are very touchy about their person and their property, be it real estate or a car. It's a safety concern on the cacher's end. The game is supposed to be fun, not get you arrested or worse. I recall an incident here in Alaska when I was in high school. A kid and his buddies were tearing through town on a scavenger hunt and they were trying to take one of the giant balloons on top of a building near 9th Ave? Anyways, the kid was shot and he died in the back of a truck. I would rather not see something similar happen to a cacher.
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Post by NorthWes on Nov 3, 2008 14:41:26 GMT -9
Outside of obviously needing to meet the geocaching.com guidelines for placing a cache, there's been volumes and volumes written in the national geocaching forums on this topic. It's tough to place a hide in close proximity to businesses in such a way that the cacher doesn't get mistaken for a person of bad intent (or just a loitering wierdo...). I've found that my tolerance level for 'cache hunting' vs being perceived as a loiterer of possible bad intent (admittedly a self-perception issue) keeps me from looking for many otherwise benign urban geocaches.
It's a matter of preference on the part of the cache hunter. As a cache hunter and a cache placer, I try myself to strive for a uniqueness that makes the cache hunt at the very least an enjoyable add-on to walking the family dog(s) - as my own 'benchmark standard' for caching. I like places that have merit all their own in some large or small way... and so I try to model that in my cache placements. It might be as simple as a little known portion of Anchorage's urban trail sytem, or a fabulously unknown gem of a state game refuge. Additionally, I try to think of the cache hunter looking for my hide - making sure I don't miss remarking on a safety issue in the area. And, no matter how much someone's cache placement doesn't really excite me, I try to remind myself that they've taken the time and effort to place something for me to chase, so it's worthy of some inherent respect if for no other reason. However, I'm not the least bit reticent about filing a truthful 'needs archived' log on a cache that's inherently unsafe or placed contrary to geocaching.com guidelines, for the safety of individuals and to ensure 'bad choices' in placements don't run afoul of land manager rules or the law (utility power boxes are a great example here - not safe to teach folks to poke around them, the utility box owner doesn't want 'em messed with, and finally, it's not legal to mess with them).
The point of this sort of discussion is to help individuals getting ready to place a cache to consider all the possible ramifications of where they've chosen to accomplish an approvable hide - NOT to sound like the cache police. Thus far I don't see where any poster has crossed over that line - and I think the OP has rasied an excellent discussion point that's worth talking about (without rancor). I've archived several of my own cache hides because in hindsight I've realized the location wasn't up to snuff (be it from muggles or from making cache hunters uncomfortable due to nearby manmade intrusions), so I know its not a perfect science in coming up with a cache hide folks will positively rave about. When you get a good placement though, folks' positive remarks in their logs make all the work of the cache hide worth it...
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Post by NorthWes on Nov 4, 2008 15:44:40 GMT -9
Well - put my money where my mouth is and archived another 'urban' cache today... Straw Pork Bison. A nice little park, but too too many folks are home during the day peering out their back windows into the naked little cache zone (as I discovered the hard way during a maintenance visit at lunch today). The site has consumed 3 of my bisons, and made people in the neighborhood suspicious of visitors to 'their' own little park. In fact, I seem to remember this is one hide that had Ladybug Kids trying to figure out how to explain his actions to a passing Mom muggle and her flock of child muggles... a good example of a great idea (the hide) in a poor spot (under the watchful eyes of at least a dozen homes) with almost no cover. Oh well - it wasn't a good place to walk dogs, either!
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Post by ladybugkids on Jan 9, 2009 7:16:09 GMT -9
Bump...thought I'd bring this back to the top of the "30 most recent" to give others a chance to respond.
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