Urban geocaching is an enjoyable enterprise
any time of the year, but especially so in the 4th season when our
favorite hiking trails are snowed over, or the weather is such that
we don’t want to venture far from our warm and dry automobiles.
Caches placed in the city are also exceptionally suitable for
children, whose limited attention span can be extended with a quick
stop for some manner of treat in a nearby shop. Urban geocaches
also tend to be more accessible to those restricted to wheelchairs
or someone who has other more temporary infirmities. Most enticing,
though, is the excitement of the high cache density that helps one
gain valuable geocaching experience points in a very short span of
time.
When hunting a geocache in a municipal setting, one should be
careful not to attract undue attention from non-players. Likewise,
one should be aware of one’s surroundings and not be so overly
focused so that they are in danger from automobile traffic or
street hooligans. Many of these caches are of the unknown or
mystery variety. Finders of these types should exercise discretion
in their online logging to avoid spoiling the fun for the next
finder. Such logs are likely to be deleted with extreme prejudice
by the cache hider. Fair warning.
The following are some geocache hiding hints for the urban
environment:
First, select a location. Like all geocaches, the location
is of utmost importance. In wilderness caches, this usually
involves a view of some sort, like a peak, waterfall, or likely
animal mating spot. In the urban environment, the placement may
well have some of these same features, but might also be a location
that is considered noteworthy in some other manner, like this
cache. One should avoid placing a cache merely to place a
cache. In other words, don’t place a geocache in a spot
simply because you can; try to find a location that is remarkable
for some reason. Common sense is very important in this type of
environment as well. Do not place a geocache in the street or
anywhere else a car versus pedestrian confrontation may
occur. It is, of course, assumed that one is fully-versed in
the most current guidelines for hiding geocaches as
well.
2. The Container. Conventional wisdom says that it is
necessary for most urban geocaches to be micro-sized or smaller.
This paradigm is pure nonsense. Most urban geocaches are diminutive
only because the hider has used little (if any) imagination or
ingenuity. The cityscape is rife with potential camouflage ideas if
one looks carefully enough. I prefer not to simply cite examples,
but will instead suggest that the potential hider of a geocache in
the urban environment employ some ‘outside the box’ thinking or
possibly even borrow ideas from other urban geocaches the hider has
enjoyed in the past. Many inner-city geocaches will require some
method of securing the container and often a locking mechanism of
some sort is used. To enable the finder to open it, a key can be
released as a travel bug or the numbers to a combination lock can
be hidden within the body of the text. At any rate, the hider
should test his or her geocache for functionality and practicality
with understanding of the container’s idiosyncrasies.
Coordinates. Getting accurate coordinates is sometimes as
difficult in the city as it is in the deep forest. It is
nonetheless imperative that the hider of an inner-city geocache get
the most accurate coordinates possible. Go back as many times as
you need to, even four or 5 times if necessary, and use the best
set.
Hints. Hints fall into two distinct categories: the hints
contained in the body of the cache information and the hints that
are encrypted in the designated section below them. The tips we
find in the text may be mildly obscure or outright ambiguous. There
are, in fact, many clues to this cache contained herein. The
similarities between the urban geocache and other types part
company in the area of the encrypted hints. The wilderness hide
usually contains clues and sometimes even photographs that reveal
the precise location of the cache to prevent the necessitation of
repeating what is likely to be an arduous trek. The seeker of these
high-terrain difficulty caches will likely visit the cache location
only once, regardless of their success or failure at discovering
the container. In the metropolitan geocache, however, the huntsman
may be motivated to visit the cache location as many times as
necessary.
Lastly, we must be sure that the caches we hide are
memorable to the finder and worth their time and expense. Gasoline,
parking, and food are just 3 of the expenses a finder must bear.
Remember, every time you hide a geocache, you build on your
reputation, so you need to decide what kind of character you want
to have in the community. When you hide a cache, what do people
think? “Wow, another cache, it must be a good one!” or, “Wow,
another cache, he must have terrific
breath!”
It was
a good idea to look here for additional clues, but everything you
need is in regular type on the page. Sorry!
NOTE: Everything you need to locate and log this cache is
here.
Under no circumstances do you need to
disturb ANY of the businesses in the area, regardless of who they
are. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT knock on ANY doors, ring any
bells, buzz any buzzers, or toot any toot-toodlers before, during,
or after your search.