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Geocaching Crackdown?

thejuggler writes "Some cities and counties are banning or considering banning geocaching in their parks. "It's good, clean, wholesome fun - just do it someplace else," said Brian Adams, chief of resource protection for the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, which has banned geocaching. The geocaching.com website claims there are over 600 caches within 100 miles of the twincities."

20 of 464 comments (clear)

  1. Geocaching is a too dangerous in the city by typical+geek · · Score: 2, Funny

    I really think most cities should band geocaching within their city limits all together, just to protect themselves against terrorist acts.

    While the dweebish geocachers might think it's all good clean fun, a way to show off their disposable income with a high tech gewgaw and exchange some swag for other swag, terrorists are finding web pages full of GPS coordinates in the midst of populated cities.

    Do we really want to see a poor man's cruise missile strike Central Park, loaded with Anthrax or Sarin? How many Americans are going to have to die because some insane Muslim hooked up a GPS to to the autopilot of a Beechcraft and loaded it with Iraqi made chemical and biologican Weapons of Mass Destruction?

    Now, you know and I know that anything that gets those flabby, pasty white geeks away from their computers for a few hours is a good thing, but they should find an outdoor hobby that doesn't compromise the security of American's cities.

  2. Uhh by MongooseCN · · Score: 2, Funny

    "It's good, clean, wholesome fun - just do it someplace else,"

    Later on..

    "We like geocachers, we really do. We just wish they'd all goto Hell and die."

  3. welcome to the great outdoors by ksheff · · Score: 1, Funny

    now go back home. Humans aren't wanted here, especially geeks with their little electronic gadgets.

    --
    the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
  4. geocaching? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doesn't this have to do with *saving* the parks? If someone slashdots a park (say, trampling nature areas), wouldn't it be nice to have a cache?

  5. Obvious solution by kinnell · · Score: 5, Funny

    The cities should just list all their public litter bins as geocaches. That way, the geocachers can have their fun, there is nothing left lying around spoiling beauty spots, and if they're lucky, they won't have to empty their bins so often.

    --
    If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
    1. Re:Obvious solution by John+Whitley · · Score: 2, Funny

      if they're lucky, they won't have to empty their bins so often.

      Hmm.. this sounds like distributed.net's concept of a landfill. 8-)

  6. The solution is simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Don't geocache anything that isn't biodegradable. Only geocache things that can be returned to the earth when you are done. Remember kids...

    1. Filterless ciggerettes
    2. Pot
    3. more pot
    4. even more pot
    5. potato chips for the pot heads ...if it's green it's keen!

  7. Re:They do have a point, I suppose by Azghoul · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, we need a government agency to tell us what we can leave in a cache.

    Aye carumba!

    The parks certainly have a point, but I suspect eduction of your average geocacher would be much more useful. I mean, there's no agency regulating what people can leave behind when they go on a hiking trip, is there? It's common sense and common courtesy more than anything else.

    I suspect that geocaching.com might do a better job of educating people as to what's appropriate for a cache (ie, balloons = bad for the most part).

  8. BRIAN ADAMS ??? by rigau · · Score: 4, Funny

    Didn't you guys see his name? It is obvious why he is against geocaching. As a child he left the city to escape the constant taunts and comparisons to the other Brian Adams. However someone found out his dark secret and left a copy of the Robin Hood movie soundtrack in the geocache inside of his park ranger office. Needless to say he was traumatized by the event.

  9. Re:Contact: Brian Adams @ 715-483-3284 x 629 by Flarg! · · Score: 1, Funny

    No thanks. I had enough Brian Adams in the 80's.

    --

    I may be wrong, but I'm never uncertain.

  10. Geocaching? by nherc · · Score: 2, Funny

    I am the only one who had no idea what geocaching was? At first I was think maybe a web proxy server (a la what AOL does), but I couldn't figure out why someone would stick a server in a public park. HA!

    --
    'He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it, an idiot.' - Douglas Adams
  11. Re:What about the trails? by SomeoneGotMyNick · · Score: 4, Funny

    This means that if enough people goto this same cache, a path will be worn in the woods

    On that train of thought, I would suppose the real problem would eventually be the SUV owners with built in GPS systems wearing tire tracks to the cache spot and inadvertantly running over hikers along the way.

    Then again, at least they would be using the SUV as an off-road vehicle for once.

  12. Re:Contact: Brian Adams @ 715-483-3284 x 629 by boogy+nightmare · · Score: 4, Funny

    he was an ex geocacher, back in the summer of 69.

    groan.. OMG

    --
    Kingdom of Loathing (www.kingdomofloathing.com) Addicted is me
  13. Re:likeness to litter by ColdGrits · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's OK then.

    Because as we know, all ammo caches are clearly marked "Ammo" on all sides, and nobody would ever think to hide a bomb in an ammo container with the word "geocache" written all over it!

    --
    People should not be afraid of their governments - Governments should be afraid of their people.
  14. Some booby traps already by Mandi+Walls · · Score: 2, Funny
    Some people put chick tracts in the caches. Nothing like having an afternoon's hike ruined by "YOU'RE GOING TO HELL" messages when you open the cache.

    It's your hell. You go there. I'm going to have an ice cream.

    Yay.

  15. Dork sports by dangermurphy · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think ESPN is missing a critical market. Dorks and dork sports. ESPN 3's line-up could be: Geocashing, RC Car Racing, Chess, D&D, Simpsons The Quiz Show, etc...

  16. Park Ranger and Software developers by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    Software Developer "This would be a great job if it wasn't for the user"

    Park Ranger "This would be a great job if it wasn't for the visitors"

    Software Developer "Look at all those bugs"
    Park Ranger "Look at all those bugs"

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  17. Re:Please Remove Article by untaken_name · · Score: 2, Funny

    There is a price of entry for geocaching that weeds out most of the casual types that would abuse the sport. Specifically, you have to shell out several hundred bucks for a good GPS receiver. Rowdy high school punks aren't likely to go trash caches on a whim just because they read about it on-line if the price to play is $200.

    perhaps for geocaching, yes...but I don't have to participate in your sport to get the locations of the caches. In fact, I think I'll start locating geocaches with good old non-battery powered tech, and leaving notes to that effect.

    This cache found by someone using a friggin' lodestone on a string and a pencil. Glad you spent >=$200 to accomplish the same task. Pansies.

    That looks like a good one. (although I wouldn't really go quite as far back for my tech as the lodestone, just a normal compass, a known starting point, and paper and pencil :)

  18. awesome! by spazoid12 · · Score: 2, Funny

    This geocaching idea is great. Never again will I have to hike out my own trash!

    Of course, this ruins the old trick of sneaking a bowling ball into a friend's backpack that he'll be forced to hike out with...

  19. Re:So, what else is litter? by raju1kabir · · Score: 2, Funny
    Mine is not a "definition," rather a point being made. The Caches that are left are, for all intents and putposes, junk in a box. It's not a building, like the Washington Monument, but just a collection of "stuff." So, if I carefully wrap some horse dung, place it in a container, and put it on the roadside that's not litter? Somehow because I plced it there purposefully it mystically transforms into something else? Give me a break.

    Look, I think Geocaching is the dorkiest thing since Boba Fett Underoos and I'd sooner have sex with a walrus than ever take part in it.

    Nevertheless, it's very clear that it's nothing but harmless fun for those who enjoy it, and conscientiously executed at that. There are people out there leaving campfires burning and tossing litter into streams, and you're worrying about THIS? Get some perspective, please.

    --
    "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS