Most interesting muggle experience

brown wren · Post by **brown wren** » 23 February 06 5:18 pm

Hello all
I recently put out a call for people to contact me for an article I am writing on geocaching. Thanks for all responses so far - I'll be in touch soon. I am wanting some insights into some muggle reactions to geocachers while going about their sport/hobby? Please note that any stories shared may be used in the article.
Thanks in anticipation.
Brown Wren

Papa Bear_Left · Post by **Papa Bear_Left** » 23 February 06 8:01 pm

I've lectured muggles on cabbage tree moth lifecycles, frog croak frequency distribution (using a voice/instrument tuner app on my Palm to demonstrate how I take the readings!) and subterreranean survey markers in my time, usually off the cuff and, so far, to apparently gullible audiences!

From a recent log, looking for a micro cache called "Workers Wall" in Midlands:

Hmm.. maybe late(ish) at night is _not_ the best time to attempt this one. As I was looking at the likely spot, a security guard came out to see what I was doing.
"I'm looking for Uncle Twiggy's name," I said, thinking quickly under pressure (referring to the workers' names on the bricks in the eponymous wall), "Robert Hartwig, or Bob Hartwig"
The poor guard then spent ten minutes helping me look for this non-existent bloke's brick, at one point unintentionally coming out with the classic "So, Bob's your uncle, then?"
We found a Rex Hartwig, so I claimed that this might've been his real name and I'd check it with Mum. Phew! Got away!
Without finding the (*%(*&^$ keyholder, though...

and one from 2004, at a cache that's on a little island in the Avon River in the centre of Christchurch:

Well, that was interesting...
I went in to have a look at the depth of the water, thinking that I could just grit my teeth and wade to the island, and was wandering along the bank with my little torch shining in the water.
Then this police car pulls up (there'd been several cruising around, but it's pretty close to HQ, so I didn't think much about it) and a torch is shining in my face and a stern voice is asking me what I'm doing.
"Just wandering" I reply, innocently.
"Why are you carrying a torch?"
"Too see with. It's dark!"
Here's where he started sounding stroppy, so I came clean and told him I was geocaching, sort of like a treasure hunt using a GPS. I was asked to turn out my pockets, so GPSr, torch, swap (luckily nothing too silly!), keys, PDA, etc. all went onto the grass. The lack of guns and crowbars, and my obvious amused willingness to help mollified him, and he told me that they were looking for someone right around here and I was just "in the wrong place at the wrong time." He also told me that there were a couple of police dogs working in the same area and could I approach this treasure from another direction? I assured him that I was happy to go completely away, given that dogs were no longer trained to go for the left arm, but for the groin nowadays!
So, this one can wait for another day (or night.)
I was expecting the cold, but not the heat!
-Papa Bear_Left

Post by **caughtatwork** » 23 February 06 11:23 pm

One of my more interesting experiences was a maintenance visit on one of my caches in Melbourne.

A maintenance was called for after a couple of people logged a DNF (did not find) and there is always the possibility that the cache has gone AWOL.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_de ... 454c9b6b42

From my log:

With two DNF logs, I checked the cache this afternoon and all is well.

Actually, while checking the cache I was sprung by an "in the know" muggle having coffee over the river

I had a lovely discussion with the River Boat captain and she pointed out that she had seen people ducking into that area for a while, but hadn't understood what was going on.

She eventually was "let in" to the secret today when the cache was found earlier (before my check) and she happened to be watching as well.

She has promised to "keep the secret", but if you are approached by the River Boat captain, don't be surprised if she knows what you're on about

We had a 30 minute chat and coffee on the pontoon in the middle of Yarra while I explained what geocaching was all about. She seemed to understand quite a bit about GPS receivers and navigation, but she didn't expect the box at the end of a geocache hint.

Our discussion was quite fortuitous for one cacher a few weeks later. I'll let the log tell that tale too:

Well I have to thank the boat lady for retrieving that one as I never would have taken the risk. As I don't wish have a close encounter of the damp kind with the Yarra river. For one I don't think my GPS and Camera would be very happy getting wet.
Turns out she was watching me walk by earlier. I knew where it had to be but accessing it was another problem.

Spruce Mooses · Post by **Spruce Mooses** » 24 February 06 12:09 am

The best one I've seen is where a muggle left a strange message in the Nemo's Hideaway cache on Sydney Harbour. Person must have been a total tripper. There is a picture of the page here -

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx ... 4cd668472b

Gunn Parker · Post by **Gunn Parker** » 24 February 06 1:04 am

My most interesting muggle encounter was at a cache where two of them were hard at work doing something in the bush about 5 mtrs from the final location, I waited for ages to get to the cache but they had more staying power than me

I did take some pics of a log book at a cache that some kids had found and I thought it very good and posted the pics on the cache page.

Roseanna
11 year old

Andrew

Cached · Post by **Cached** » 24 February 06 8:27 am

Robtas has a really nice story.

Some children found a port sorrel cache (think it was "Any port in a storm") and had gone away and found a vegemite jar, put in it sand, rocks, shells and seaweed and swapped it into the cache. They wrote in the log something like "Found your cache. Looks like fun. Took toy, left a little bit of port sorrell".

Was I think a real sign that there are some good kids out there - and that not all kids trash our caches!

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 24 February 06 11:56 am

China Gold by Barry and Beryl down on the Coorong is strategically placed behind a bush in a luckily waterproof bag. Half the logs when I found it were from muggles who had ducked behind the bush for a leak!

bigmickb · Post by **bigmickb** » 24 February 06 1:58 pm

There's at least several dozen muggles all along the eastern seaboard that have been astounded at the types of places I've managed to 'lose my car keys'. I once had a muggle offer the use of his beagle as a sniffer dog to help find said keys. He lifted the dog over the fence, but the dog didn't even move from where it was put down. It just sat there looking back at its owner.

Rabbitto · Post by **Rabbitto** » 24 February 06 4:18 pm

bigmickb wrote:I once had a muggle offer the use of his beagle as a sniffer dog to help find said keys.

Did the guy have a jumper with a zig zag pattern by any chance?

Damo. · Post by **Damo.** » 24 February 06 7:08 pm

Spruce Mooses wrote:The best one I've seen is where a muggle left a strange message in the Nemo's Hideaway cache on Sydney Harbour. There is a picture of the page here -

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx ... 4cd668472b

Read the following log for her reply.

Spruce Mooses wrote:Person must have been a total tripper.

You have no idea!

Spruce Mooses · Post by **Spruce Mooses** » 26 February 06 8:16 pm

hehehe just did, she had me fooled! 
Lets just hope you weren't the tripper muggle we ran into whilst caching near Trentham. As we approached the cache, we saw another couple of people rummaging around in the bushes. Turns out they were looking for treasure of the magical mystery mushroom type.

Team Tiges · Post by **Team Tiges** » 26 February 06 8:48 pm

Cached wrote:Robtas has a really nice story.
 
*snip*

Funny you should mention it, but I had my most interesting muggle experience (here's the log) at one of Robs caches. It went like this:

Team Tiges log of LIONS OR PENGUINS wrote: I found the cache easy enough. It contained all the normal stuff, plus an empty scotch-and-cola can, a cigarette and a cigarette butt. I signed the log, and after reading through the other entries, came across an entry from the lung and liver killing muggle, who'd swapped out a shotglass for his tobacco and alcahol based gifts. The log mentioned that this game sounded fun, and he'd be checking the website out soon, but first, was off to try our his new shottie... 
I left nothing (didn't take my swaps to work...oops), but took out the litter our muggle friend had left. 
On the way out of the cache I walked up the bank from the beach, to be greeted at the top by one of the boys in blue. Who politely asked me to explain what I was doing down there in the bushes. I started to explain, and as I did, his stern policeman face changed to a very perplexed and confused one. As I spoke he looked me up and down, obviously it was dawning on him that this person, still dressed in work clothes, was probably not the criminal he was looking for. As it turns out someone had graffiti'd the toilets nearby, and some nice local kids had informed Mr. Plod. So after explaining to the policeman what I was up to, the two kids who were with the cop stopped to ask me "are you part of that game, with the box in the bushes?". Turns out they were the lung and liver killing muggles (getting started on it pretty young too) who'd signed the log. So I spent another 10 minutes explaining to these guys how Geocaching worked. They seemed interested. That said, I'd still be re-hiding this one Rob. I know kids, and as soon as their less-responsible mates find out, it'll be gone. 
I went back to the car, and as I was putting the GPS away the constable I spoke to before returned to his car, so I had another go at explaining caching to him. I think he'd had time to process what I said earlier, and seemed quite interested. Don't think he'll be taking it up though!

bigmickb · Post by **bigmickb** » 27 February 06 4:35 pm

Rabbitto wrote:Did the guy have a jumper with a zig zag pattern by any chance?

No, however I recall the dog owner did have an almost finished can of JB and cola. By the look of them both, I suspect the dog may have consumed just as much of it as the owner!

unbreakables · Post by **unbreakables** » 28 February 06 10:56 am

There is a cache in town called 'Kepple Corner'. out front of a particular business that is like walking past a fish bowl, and they know a bit about 'the game' so chances are you will get caught ( trying not to give too much away here) if you have done it you will know exactly what i am talking about..
very hard to talk your way out when they know exactley what you are up to.