That moment when...

[hilzarie]

That moment when you turn around from searching the bushes and the security guard asks you if you need help.

 

Now I feel like a real geocacher. I had no idea he was there. The area was muggle-free and he was completely silent.

 

What moments have you had?

[+larryc43230]

I was in a rural cemetery looking for a cache in some bushes when a woman materialized right behind me and asked me why I was hanging around her husband's grave. I was really startled, and it took me a minute to regain my composure.

 

As it turned out, her husband was buried in the closest grave to me, maybe 15 feet away. I simply explained that I was geocaching and explained what that meant. She said her husband was probably watching and chuckling. She then talked about her husband, and we had a really nice chat. She also promised not to tell anyone about the geocache.

 

--Larry

[Keystone]

Since this thread is a fun general discussion rather than a request for help with a site feature, I'm moving this from the "How do I...?" forum to the Geocaching Topics forum.

 

Last summer I was searching for a rest stop cache on the Ohio turnpike. Ground zero was way in the back, past where the employees park. I went to ground zero, scanned for muggles walking to or from their cars, and started searching. When I turned around, I was staring directly in the face of a muggle worker who was taking her smoke break in her car. She was ten feet from me and her eyes were wide as saucers. I took the DNF.

[+Roman!]

I found a cache at a park in a sketchy part of town, as I was leaving GZ I noticed 2 police officers walking towards the cache so I turned around and walked back to them and by the time I got there they had the cache in hand. I got a dirty look then a laugh, they were staking out the park and noticed a few cachers before me finding it and knew what it was but they never could find it. when I came they watched carefully and easily found it so they knew what I was doing but decided to have some fun.

[etarace]

I went to a cache in a questionable part of town, at a stop-and-rob style store. The cache is located somewhere on or near a public phone.

I was looking all over, and began moving any parts I could. A man came along asking me if I was trying to figure out how to take it off?

I looked at him as if he were crazy, since he clearly was and asked "Do you really think I look like I go around stealing public phones?"

I look like a homeschooler whose mom runs a 4-H group.

Then I felt mean, and I told him "I'm looking for a container that is hidden somewhere on this phone."

But then he was already muttering and shuffling away from me.

 

My mom's 4-H group was the best though. I have so many blue ribbons.

[+J Grouchy]

Just last week, I solved a puzzle and drove to an office park where the cache was hidden. I drove all the way to the back where it bordered a wooded area and there was an SUV parked facing the little hill going up into the woods. I didn't think anything of it and trekked into the wooded area wearing my office clothes - dress shirt, slacks, nice shoes. I hunted around for several minutes getting eaten up by mosquitoes and gave up. On my way out I was coming down the little hill right towards the SUV and realized there was a woman sitting in the driver's seat eating her lunch and staring at me. To her, I imagine there was nothing even remotely innocent about some strange guy in such attire going into a wooded spot behind an office park. To anyone not in the know, there are only a handful of reasons why that would happen and all of them are shady.

[+Ben0w]

I went for a FTF just before midnight to an unmanned geothermal pump installation. The cache was outside the fence and easily found. I went back and on the road to the installation a car flew in with relatively high speed. The road's gate was closed, so I had left my car at the beginning of that road - and thought "Well, somehow this geocacher managed to open the gate...but too late, the FTF already is mine!". I decided to wait for him at the gate. Some minutes later he came, fiddled around with the gate and I - in pitch black night - slowly walked over to him. He stared at me, I opened my mouth to say something along "Hi, I'm the FTF" when I suddenly spotted the words "SECURITY" on his jacket. I just said "Hello!". He stared at me pretty surprised. Then his obvious military training kicked in: he gave me a brief situation report! Just missed the salute. "All well!", he reported, just something about a "semi opened window that triggered the alarm".

 

He then asked if I was an employee of the geothermal company, maybe assuming beeing controlled himself. I honestly answered "No, I'm just waiting for someone, have a good night" and turned to my car, fully aware I didn't do something illegal. No idea what HE tells in some security forum about that incident.

[+Johnnyhotcakes]

I was looking one night for a cache hidden in a guard rail that was close to a lake located behind a large shopping mall. I was feeling all over the guardrail when a security guard came up and surprised me just as I was on my hands and knees looking underneath the lowest part of the guardrail fence. He asked if he could help me in looking for what ever it was that I was looking for. I told him I was geocaching and he told me to please continue and chuckled as he left.

[+Irishflea]

I absolutely loved reading these stories and for those of you who made the find, I hope you shared the story in your find log.

 

As for me, I was at the very end of a cul-da-sac in a shady part of town, looking for a cache. The area had been used as an official dump site and so the cache could have been located in any number of containers. I was so into trying to find the cache that I almost literally jumped out of my skin when a voice behind me said, "Did you find it yet?" As my feet finally touched back down again, I spun at breakneck speed to discover a sheriff had pulled in behind my car, gotten out, lit up a cigarette, and walked the 50 some feet to my location all without me having a clue. We both laughed at my jumpiness and I explained my business. He said, "I know. I found it recently. You're warm." Turns out he and his girlfriend are geocachers. When he is on the job and bored, he geocaches. I suddenly want to be a sheriff. Oh, I find the find, by the way.

[+jellis]

Another cacher and I were searching for a FTF in a patch of Bamboo along side a path that leaves a residential area. We were deep into the search when someone yells out asking why we were in their bamboo. Turns out it was on the neighbor's property. We reported the cache and it was quickly archived.

[team tisri]

Just last week, I solved a puzzle and drove to an office park where the cache was hidden. I drove all the way to the back where it bordered a wooded area and there was an SUV parked facing the little hill going up into the woods. I didn't think anything of it and trekked into the wooded area wearing my office clothes - dress shirt, slacks, nice shoes. I hunted around for several minutes getting eaten up by mosquitoes and gave up. On my way out I was coming down the little hill right towards the SUV and realized there was a woman sitting in the driver's seat eating her lunch and staring at me. To her, I imagine there was nothing even remotely innocent about some strange guy in such attire going into a wooded spot behind an office park. To anyone not in the know, there are only a handful of reasons why that would happen and all of them are shady.

 

That reminds me of a time I went hunting a cache in the trees near a strip mall with a friend, shortly after dark. We disappeared into the woods with a light, found the cache and then emerged. But because of the assorted movements we'd had to make to get round/over/under trees and branches we were a bit dishevelled. I did wonder what anyone would make of the sight of two guys emerging from the woods in the dark, adjusting/straightening their clothes.

 

Another time closer to home there was nobody about so I was rummaging around looking for a cache in the woods. Having concluded it wasn't where I was searching I turned and saw someone stood there just staring at me. A wide range of thoughts followed as my recognition shifted from it being a random person wondering why this guy was rummaging in the woods, to realising it was not only another cacher but someone I'd had a friendly rivalry with for a while over local FTFs. It turned out he hadn't found it either, and even joining forces we couldn't find it.

[+redsox_mark]

A couple of moments that come to mind:

 

1) This one is similar to the OP. I was looking for a cache and the GPS was taking me to a point on a river where a tourist boat was docked. The captain of that boat was around and I was trying not to make eye contact with him. I searched for a long time with no luck. Finally I made eye contact with him and he smiled and pointed me... in the direction of the cache. I found it.

 

2) A new cache was published. I had a chance for FTF. It was easy to access so I was expecting I might see other cachers. A car stops at GZ... I think cachers... but no, tourists. I wait for them to move on. A second car stops... he has a map... must be a cacher. No, he just wants directions. I give him directions. Then I find the cache! Then a third car stops while I am signing the log. This time the guy gets out with a smartphone in his hand, and whilst looking at the phone he walks directly to GZ. OK, he MUST be a cacher. So we have a conversation:

 

Me: You a just a minute late, I just found it.

Man: OK.

Me: Do you want to sign it, or should I put it back for you to find it?

Man: (strange look...) What are you talking about?

Me: (shows him the cache) So, you're not looking for this then?

Man: No.

 

Turns out he was there to take a photo on his smartphone.

[+MartyBartfast]

I had one on Oxford Street, London. From the cache description it was obviously in a telephone box, and as I got to the GZ I saw there were two side by side; I went into the nearest, and while pretending to be on the phone I had a good look round with no joy. I thought it would be a bit suspicious to go straight into the other phone box so I thought I'd go down the road to grab another cache and look in the second phonebox on the way back but as I was walking away from the two phone boxes an assistant rushed out of the ajacent shop and grabbed my arm saying "no it's in the other one, look it's up there" pointing at the magnetic micro stuck inside the second phonebox - he wasn't a cacher but they just enjoyed watching random people searching the phoneboxes every day!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I had one on Oxford Street, London. From the cache description it was obviously in a telephone box, and as I got to the GZ I saw there were two side by side; I went into the nearest, and while pretending to be on the phone I had a good look round with no joy. I thought it would be a bit suspicious to go straight into the other phone box so I thought I'd go down the road to grab another cache and look in the second phonebox on the way back but as I was walking away from the two phone boxes an assistant rushed out of the ajacent shop and grabbed my arm saying "no it's in the other one, look it's up there" pointing at the magnetic micro stuck inside the second phonebox - he wasn't a cacher but they just enjoyed watching random people searching the phoneboxes every day!

 

That gives me an idea for what could be an interesting multi. A long time ago I played with some software that is basically used for producing an automated phone tree. Suppose you went to the location where the two phones were located and dialed a number. That number would automate a response by calling the other phone. When you went to the other phone box and answered the phone you'd hear a recording with a coordinates for the final stage.

 

 

 

[+NYPaddleCacher]

That reminds me of a time I went hunting a cache in the trees near a strip mall with a friend, shortly after dark. We disappeared into the woods with a light, found the cache and then emerged. But because of the assorted movements we'd had to make to get round/over/under trees and branches we were a bit dishevelled. I did wonder what anyone would make of the sight of two guys emerging from the woods in the dark, adjusting/straightening their clothes.

 

Sounds like a similar incident I had. I was at a conference in Rome and had brought along a few trackables from home and was looking for a cache large enough to drop them. There was one about a mile from the meeting location. The cache listing mentioned in a couple of places *not* to climb over a wire fence near the cache as previous finders had cause a fair amount of damage. On our lunch break I took off toward the cache, wearing my "meeting clothes" and had my laptop backpack with me as there wasn't a place to store it where the meetings were being held. I got to the park, and remembering the warning about climbing over the fence I approached GZ from below. That required about a 150' scramble up a steep hill covered in brush and very slippery leaves. In a couple of places I had to grab onto branches to pull myself up. When I finally reached GZ, I had dirt stains on my pants, leaves in my hair, and was sweating from the steep climb. I found the cache, dropped in the TBs, and prepared to descend back down the hill. As soon as I stood, I heard someone just up the hill call out to me, in Italian. I said I didn't speak Italian and he responded in English, "there's a spot over here where the fence is knocked down where you can climb over to the path". At that point I forgot about the warning on the web page and made my way over to the fence and emerged from the bushes. I can only imagine what the guy was thinking, but I thanked him and he went on his way. I sat for a bit on a bench then followed the wide, paved path that meandered back toward the park entrance.

 

 

[+JPreto]

I think this log is self explanatory....

 

http://coord.info/GLDDV9PZ

[+GeoBain]

I think this log is self explanatory....

 

http://coord.info/GLDDV9PZ

 

Man, that log just made my day.

 

"This is the first time someone points a gun at me so I almost #^$%^ my pants."

 

Glad they didn't use them, but the way you put it just made me laugh. Thanks for a good start to my day.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I think this log is self explanatory....

 

http://coord.info/GLDDV9PZ

 

Man, that log just made my day.

 

"This is the first time someone points a gun at me so I almost #^$%^ my pants."

 

That kinda puts the title of the thread into perspective too.

 

 

[+AliJam]

I was searching for a cache not too far out of town in a nice rural area one of the caches is deep in the tree line so after thrashing about in there for 20 minutes or so having found the cache I made my way out. A lone female walker got a shock seeing a bedraggled man suddenly appear from the trees muttering to himself. She took one look at me and sped up. Thought do I shout after her explaining what I was up to or just let her go.

 

I let her go and walked in the opposite direction even though that wasn't the way I wanted to go. Ah well.

[team tisri]

That reminds me of a time I went hunting a cache in the trees near a strip mall with a friend, shortly after dark. We disappeared into the woods with a light, found the cache and then emerged. But because of the assorted movements we'd had to make to get round/over/under trees and branches we were a bit dishevelled. I did wonder what anyone would make of the sight of two guys emerging from the woods in the dark, adjusting/straightening their clothes.

 

Sounds like a similar incident I had. I was at a conference in Rome and had brought along a few trackables from home and was looking for a cache large enough to drop them. There was one about a mile from the meeting location. The cache listing mentioned in a couple of places *not* to climb over a wire fence near the cache as previous finders had cause a fair amount of damage. On our lunch break I took off toward the cache, wearing my "meeting clothes" and had my laptop backpack with me as there wasn't a place to store it where the meetings were being held. I got to the park, and remembering the warning about climbing over the fence I approached GZ from below. That required about a 150' scramble up a steep hill covered in brush and very slippery leaves. In a couple of places I had to grab onto branches to pull myself up. When I finally reached GZ, I had dirt stains on my pants, leaves in my hair, and was sweating from the steep climb. I found the cache, dropped in the TBs, and prepared to descend back down the hill. As soon as I stood, I heard someone just up the hill call out to me, in Italian. I said I didn't speak Italian and he responded in English, "there's a spot over here where the fence is knocked down where you can climb over to the path". At that point I forgot about the warning on the web page and made my way over to the fence and emerged from the bushes. I can only imagine what the guy was thinking, but I thanked him and he went on his way. I sat for a bit on a bench then followed the wide, paved path that meandered back toward the park entrance.

 

Before I had my premium membership I did a quick refresh of the "caches nearest me" page and saw a new one appear. It was just before 1am but I really wanted the FTF and since it was just a couple of miles from home I got in the car and went for it. I found the cache, it was behind a bush attached to the underside of some railings (this was also back in the day when film pots under railings didn't bother me). I signed the log, and on returning to my car a dog walker passed and gave me a rather funny look.

 

It was only when I got back to my car and could see my face in the rear view mirror that I realised that during my passage beside the bush I'd picked up a remarkable number of leaves and seeds all over my hair.

[+Chrysalides]

McDonald's parking lot. Lamp post cache. Yeah, I know, but it was there, easy find. Pouring rain. I got out with my umbrella, got the cache out, signed it, put it back. Looked up, and there's this lady sitting in her car, right in front of the lamp post, staring at me with her burger in her hand. Oops. Big smile, wave, back to my car.

[+Chrysalides]

I was looking for a cache and the GPS was taking me to a point on a river where a tourist boat was docked. The captain of that boat was around and I was trying not to make eye contact with him. I searched for a long time with no luck. Finally I made eye contact with him and he smiled and pointed me... in the direction of the cache. I found it.

Some scouts hid a cache where they meet. I was wandering around trying to figure out where to look. Suddenly this gruff voice demanded "What are you doing?" I turned around, and explained I was geocaching. He gave a "I'm just messing with you" big smile and pointed me towards the cache. That's why I never lie when someone ask me what I'm doing.

[+Ambrosia]

That reminds me of a time I went hunting a cache in the trees near a strip mall with a friend, shortly after dark. We disappeared into the woods with a light, found the cache and then emerged. But because of the assorted movements we'd had to make to get round/over/under trees and branches we were a bit dishevelled. I did wonder what anyone would make of the sight of two guys emerging from the woods in the dark, adjusting/straightening their clothes.

 

Sounds like a similar incident I had. I was at a conference in Rome and had brought along a few trackables from home and was looking for a cache large enough to drop them. There was one about a mile from the meeting location. The cache listing mentioned in a couple of places *not* to climb over a wire fence near the cache as previous finders had cause a fair amount of damage. On our lunch break I took off toward the cache, wearing my "meeting clothes" and had my laptop backpack with me as there wasn't a place to store it where the meetings were being held. I got to the park, and remembering the warning about climbing over the fence I approached GZ from below. That required about a 150' scramble up a steep hill covered in brush and very slippery leaves. In a couple of places I had to grab onto branches to pull myself up. When I finally reached GZ, I had dirt stains on my pants, leaves in my hair, and was sweating from the steep climb. I found the cache, dropped in the TBs, and prepared to descend back down the hill. As soon as I stood, I heard someone just up the hill call out to me, in Italian. I said I didn't speak Italian and he responded in English, "there's a spot over here where the fence is knocked down where you can climb over to the path". At that point I forgot about the warning on the web page and made my way over to the fence and emerged from the bushes. I can only imagine what the guy was thinking, but I thanked him and he went on his way. I sat for a bit on a bench then followed the wide, paved path that meandered back toward the park entrance.

 

Before I had my premium membership I did a quick refresh of the "caches nearest me" page and saw a new one appear. It was just before 1am but I really wanted the FTF and since it was just a couple of miles from home I got in the car and went for it. I found the cache, it was behind a bush attached to the underside of some railings (this was also back in the day when film pots under railings didn't bother me). I signed the log, and on returning to my car a dog walker passed and gave me a rather funny look.

 

It was only when I got back to my car and could see my face in the rear view mirror that I realised that during my passage beside the bush I'd picked up a remarkable number of leaves and seeds all over my hair.

 

That reminds me of a recent dnf of mine:

 

I thought I'd try for this while I was out and about, at around 8:30pm. I'm amazed at how many people were coming home around that time, and/or wandering around their property. Lots of college people as well, walking by me.

 

Even though I felt exposed, I was feeling pretty ok about the whole thing, until I got up under the bushes with my flash light. I molested the item in the hint, and didn't find anything. After a few minutes, I felt really self conscious and decided to quit.

 

...

 

I went to Walmart afterwards, covered in dead shrubbery. I'm sure I looked a sight.

 

I was walking through Walmart picking dead leaves and branches off of myself. I kept finding more. It made me giggle.

[+Roman!]

Somewhere in the middle of Oregon, 3 am, offramp cache.

 

I park in a dirt pullout a few feet from GZ, easy find, bison tube hanging from the end of a fence, i can see it from the car. Get out, sign the log, get back in my car, put it in reverse and I see flashing lights, 4 police cars behind me.

After a brief discussion and one of the policemen checking out the cache we were politely sent on our way.

[+BCandMsKitty]

Somewhere in the middle of Oregon, 3 am, offramp cache.

 

I park in a dirt pullout a few feet from GZ, easy find, bison tube hanging from the end of a fence, i can see it from the car. Get out, sign the log, get back in my car, put it in reverse and I see flashing lights, 4 police cars behind me.

After a brief discussion and one of the policemen checking out the cache we were politely sent on our way.

 

Sounds like the Police in Oregon don't have enough to occupy them.

[+Chrysalides]

Somewhere in the middle of Oregon, 3 am, offramp cache.

 

I park in a dirt pullout a few feet from GZ, easy find, bison tube hanging from the end of a fence, i can see it from the car. Get out, sign the log, get back in my car, put it in reverse and I see flashing lights, 4 police cars behind me.

After a brief discussion and one of the policemen checking out the cache we were politely sent on our way.

 

Sounds like the Police in Oregon don't have enough to occupy them.

You think that's bad? One day I tried to leave the house, only to find my driveway and the road blocked by 3 patrol cars and a van. Wow, maybe one of my neighbors is an axe murderer or something. Nope. There were 3 dogs running loose and animal control needed extra help. The worst part? One of the dogs, a German Shepherd, got away.

 

I had a great excuse to stay home from work that day. I did have to send a photo because no one believed me.

[+Gill & Tony]

An extract from my log for GC2AYVY City Hall Plaza - Calgary Parks 100

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I searched fruitlessly for about 5 minutes, getting more and more frustrated as I felt I should be able to find it. Then I stopped searching and started looking. Could that be the cache? A quick check around, nobody in sight and I was able to get the cache and sign the log. Another brilliant cache!

 

I had another glance around and started replacing the cache when I heard "May I ask what you are doing, sir?" It was a security guard from City Hall and I had been on CCTV all the time I was searching! Apparently GZ is under 24/7 surveillance and the area beyond the fence is a secure, card-entry only area.

 

I persuaded the guard to let me replace the cache after he had made sure it was harmless, but I had to accompany him to the City Hall security department for further questioning.

 

I have e-mailed the CO regarding the situation and, hopefully, security will allow the cache to remain.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I think I jumped a foot when I heard that voice

[+SageTracey]

I was on a day of cycle-caching and had just returned a cache to a guard rail on a bridge when I realised I was being watched by two policemen in a car from a little distance away. I must have looked really suspicious because they drove down to me and asked what I was up to! I even had to show them to cache and GPSr to prove that everything was innocent.

 

Needless to say I was most relieved NOT to be seen by police at another find a couple of weeks later where the contents of the cache included a small plastic bag containing a white powder substance!

[+The A-Team]

Needless to say I was most relieved NOT to be seen by police at another find a couple of weeks later where the contents of the cache included a small plastic bag containing a white powder substance!

Let's hope it was just desiccant!

 

I wonder, can a CO be charged with possession if a controlled substance is left in their cache? After all, we always say around here that the container is the CO's property.

[+Pinkpiggy7]

1.... Searching at night around under a bridge just opposite a railway station. busily searching, when I look up and see 3 police over on the railway platform, say to partner we have company, what do we tell them. Before we have a chance one of them calls out "Have you found it". apparently they have sprung a few Geo's searching, but none had found it while they there. So we make it a mission to find it, and educate them in what a cache looks like. They said in future they wont help anyone but will enjoy watching

 

2.....Turn down this road to go hunt for a cache and realised we have driven past, do notice that about a kilometre down the road there are flashing lights from a police car, but ignore them as we are on a mission. Do a U turn, and go to cache location, Geo son and I jump out and start hunting, 2 minutes later we have a police car pull up behind us, asking why I did a U turn. It turns out they were doing random alchol breath tests down the road, and assumed that I did the U turn to avoid been picked up. So there we are Geo son searching for a cache and me doing the random breath test, I blew zero so no hassles. the police officer did explain that earlier in the night they had someone do the same U turn, and he was well over the limit when they eventually caught up with him