[Az-Geocaching] Food for Thought

[PATRICK FINLEY]

Scott.......I couldn't have said it any better. I've gotten to the point where if the cache is on playground equipment, next to the front door of a restaurant, or at a busy intersection, I'm not going to try and be stealthy, or won't even try for the cache at all. There's plenty of places to hide a cache, that are secure, yet still require some discretion. I'm interested to see what other cachers have to say about this.......

----- Original Message -----
From: Roping The Wind
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 1:43 PM
To: listserv at azgeocaching.com
Subject: Re: [Az-Geocaching] Food for Thought

Ok, this discussion is actually getting just a tad bit sidetracked from what  
I intended. I am not necessarily saying that caches shouldnt be placed in  
urban areas. What I am getting at is this:

I have noticed ALOT of caches in my local area (east valley primarily) that  
got archived before I had a chance to get to it. Sometimes they lasted a few  
days, sometimes a couple weeks or maybe a month at most. In the description  
of many of these caches, the cache owner put in... "please be discrete and  
use stealth as there are alot of people around"... or something to that  
extent. Then, the cache shows up missing a week after it was placed. I mean,  
a cacher can only use so much 'stealth'. I mean, you cant be invisible!!!  
Sometimes, just your presence in a given location is enough to make people  
look over at you and wonder what you are doing. (like security and police or  
nearby business owners, etc). For instance, scrutinizing a utility/electric  
box, etc. Invariably, someone is likely to give away the cache location  
simply by being there and searching for the cache. Or... maybe one cacher  
doesnt give the location away.. but a number of cachers visiting the same  
area in a short period of time (like when the cache has just become active  
and everyone is rushing to it for a first find) gives the location away.

Then, the cache owner leaves a note saying something like "I am archiving  
this cache as it has come up missing"....

Well, DUH!!!!  :)

Generally speaking, caches placed nowadays dont have a life expectancy that  
the older caches do (many of which are still active, over 3 years now).  
Although there are many exceptions to that statement. The reason, I beleive,  
is because there are alot more caches placed in urban areas these days  
(where high concentrations of people are). Seems like cache owners are  
trying to intentionally place caches in areas where there are a high  
concentration of people with the intent of adding a bit more challenge to  
the find. Then, the owner complains that a cacher wasnt stealthy enough and  
gave the location away or wonders why it came up missing in such a short  
time!!!

Very recently, another cacher pointed out to me that many of the South  
Mountain caches are still active. He named off a bunch of really old south  
mountain area caches that I found well over 2 years ago... they are still  
there. South Mountain is a very busy park and there are many people in it at  
any given time of the day. Yet, many of these caches stand the test of time.

In closing.... (aka... Jerry Springers final thoughts)...

Yes, a cacher needs to use some degree of stealth and be a bit discrete so  
as not to give the cache location away. Even in a wilderness type setting,  
you never know when someone might be hiking by. Being discrete is part of  
the game of geoching.. to help preserve the cache for many future cachers to  
find. But, lets use some common sense here. If you stick your cache under a  
piece of playground equiptment in a normally crowded city park... and then  
state "please be discrete"..... you  aren't being realistic!!!

Scott
Team RTW


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