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Thread: GeoTrails & GeoTrash

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  1. #1
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    Default GeoTrails & GeoTrash

    NativeMainer brought to light an interesting comment in another thread and suggested it be it's own thread....the quote is: If you look past the tirade, FD does make a couple of points, such as the creation of geotrails and geotrash (which should be another topic)....in which the discussion was about a blogger destroying caches and thereby saving the entire world from ourselves. Well, good idea NativeMainer. GeoTrails and GeoTrash. Got any stories? Got any pet peeves? Got any solutions? Got an opinion.....whoa....just answered my own question on that one . Here's mine:

    Recently, a cache was placed in the Bangor-Brewer area that had a higher difficulty rating. And after the oohing and oh-ing went on and on, I went myself and of course didn't find it. It's not unusual for me to not DNF a cache initially....after all....I'm not done looking for it yet. Upon returning a week later to look again, I was amazed and saddened to see the effect that cachers had on the area. GZ is, essentially, the terminus of a parking lot. And, GZ had been really trampled and torn up, vegetation destroyed, tree limbs removed and a fence nearly knocked over. Certainly a property owner considering cache permission that would have seen this would most likely decline. Now, we've all seen geotrails but this went way too far. I've mentioned before and will proffer my opinion yet again: We as cachers and cache placers must be responsible cachers. Often being responsible means angering others; if you can't figure out what responsible is, find a mentor. OR....maybe you shouldn't be caching.
    Last edited by pm28570; 10-13-2010 at 01:16 PM. Reason: grammar correction
    Everyone has the right to be an idiot at times. Just don't abuse the privilege.

  2. #2
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    I do think some people get overly upset over geo-trails. I'm not convinced that geo-trails are any more harmful than animal trails. And, perhaps the trails benefit some of the woodland creatures by providing access paths or opening the area up a bit for food sources.

    Still, it is best we do our best to minimize any traces, and destruction of a cache area is always unfortunate. There are many times we come across cache locations that we are 99% sure were unreasonably damaged by our fellow cachers.

    Turning over logs in the middle of the woods - probably not so bad in my book, other then leaving evidence we were there. Tearing apart landowner's property like his rock wall or fence - not s good. Just remember, sometimes the landowner considers the log on his property as dead as his rock wall or his fence.
    DNFTT! DNFTT! DNFTT!

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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by brdad View Post
    I do think some people get overly upset over geo-trails. I'm not convinced that geo-trails are any more harmful than animal trails.
    Thinking of another thread that talks about caches with deliberately incorrect coordinates to "make the find harder"...

    Some of the worst geotrails we've seen lately were where the coordinates were off quite a bit, and a number of cachers had been searching near "ground zero", i.e., rocks turned over, stumps torn apart, ground well tromped on, etc.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by WhereRWe? View Post
    Thinking of another thread that talks about caches with deliberately incorrect coordinates to "make the find harder"...

    Some of the worst geotrails we've seen lately were where the coordinates were off quite a bit, and a number of cachers had been searching near "ground zero", i.e., rocks turned over, stumps torn apart, ground well tromped on, etc.
    Makes sense, the longer cachers have to search, the more places they get and the more desperate they become. Regarding my animal part of the comment, however, I have seen areas torn up by turkeys, bears, and other critters, too. Funny how we say that is "just natural", as if humans are not part of nature. We do, however, have the power of reason and knowledge to know what's going on a bit more than animals do.
    DNFTT! DNFTT! DNFTT!

    "The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realize it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it..."

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by brdad View Post
    We do, however, have the power of reason and knowledge to know what's going on a bit more than animals do.
    Sheesh! You really think so?

  6. #6
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    Default Well, you know....

    Quote Originally Posted by WhereRWe? View Post
    Thinking of another thread that talks about caches with deliberately incorrect coordinates to "make the find harder"...

    Some of the worst geotrails we've seen lately were where the coordinates were off quite a bit, and a number of cachers had been searching near "ground zero", i.e., rocks turned over, stumps torn apart, ground well tromped on, etc.
    This is a little bit of a pet peeve of mine. Placer wants a "difficult to find" or mischievous cache but doesn't have enough creativity to fashion one. So, next best thing.....inaccurate coords. Yeah....ok. "You sure fooled me".

    When I see this written, I'm reminded of a comment Gob-bler made a while back.....and I may be para-phrasing....."People place caches to be found". I think that sums it up.
    Everyone has the right to be an idiot at times. Just don't abuse the privilege.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by WhereRWe? View Post
    Thinking of another thread that talks about caches with deliberately incorrect coordinates to "make the find harder"...

    Some of the worst geotrails we've seen lately were where the coordinates were off quite a bit, and a number of cachers had been searching near "ground zero", i.e., rocks turned over, stumps torn apart, ground well tromped on, etc.

    I have a "hide in plain sight" cache Hidden on one side of the middle of a bridge that is on a country dirt road.
    I deliberately took the coords in the center of the bridge, so whichever side you are on, your GPSr points to the other side. Did I say it's a 4 difficulty?
    No geo-trail there or damage to the bridge either........Is this wrong?

    I was surprised when , a couple of months ago, I wrote that I had a cache where I put incorrect coords! I expected more flac or questions. Serious Tool made a comment and then nothing...... till now.
    I feel better now!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mapachi View Post
    I have a "hide in plain sight" cache Hidden on one side of the middle of a bridge that is on a country dirt road.
    I deliberately took the coords in the center of the bridge, so whichever side you are on, your GPSr points to the other side. Did I say it's a 4 difficulty?
    No geo-trail there or damage to the bridge either........Is this wrong?

    I was surprised when , a couple of months ago, I wrote that I had a cache where I put incorrect coords! I expected more flac or questions. Serious Tool made a comment and then nothing...... till now.
    I feel better now!
    You're just a rebel, aren't you?
    Everyone has the right to be an idiot at times. Just don't abuse the privilege.

  9. #9
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    Default Tread Lightly

    I have only a handful of caches hidden in rock walls and I made them easy and give a very specific hint on each so that rock walls don't get ripped apart. Personally, rock wall caches without hints or with a bunch of rocks that have to removed to find the cache are a bad idea and an invitation to have the wall damaged or destroyed.

    Geo-trails are the reason the ATC doesn't allow caches on the AT. The Stud Mill Road caches are a lot easier to find now that a pile of cachers have gone after them, but that's in the wilderness and the impact is minimal. Any new trail system will actually be improved as it "ages" and the foot traffic better defines the route.

    Caches in trash? Sheesh. There was one in Lewiston hidden in a discarded tire by a bunch of students!!!! Not one to be shy and bearing in the mind thatthe container was ruined I was one of many that suggested archiving and tat eventually gave that one the hook.

    Great thread, Paul and another reminder to play nice on other folks land!
    Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.

  10. #10
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    I know of one hider that buried a cache, listed hints that made no sense, then posted that he did not want the area torn up.

    If you leave bad coordinates purposely or not, the area will get trampled and things will get disturbed. No matter how careful a person is.

    If you make a cache really hard to find, again the area will get disturbed. There just is no way around it that I can see.

    Now I know that some people are a lot more careful than others, but if the coordinates are off, the hints don't work, the hide is really hard, or buried, things will get disturbed.

    I, for one find that on the hard to find ones, I'll come out of the area with much more trash than on a quick find.

    There is no reason to unnecessarily tear up vegetation, break branches and the such, but when you find a cache in a log, under a log, under or in a rock, drilled into the end of a branch, disguised to look like the end of a branch. Then the hard ones without good hints will get the area disturbed.
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