Ancient sites: Gateway to another world?

close
more_vert
moss M
moss Aug 20, 2006 07:44:20
Replying to CianMcLiam

We had a brief spate of it in our area, and there were signs put up around the footpaths, but I never found the caches so could'nt remove them. Its a sort of combination of treasurehunting/orienteering/ and "I've been here" that used to get chalked up in public places... I expect it will have its day, I reckon they should just use compasses and not GPS, that would make it harder and stop the practice...

M Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead Aug 20, 2006 08:34:00
Replying to moss

I recently discovered a geocachers site on the internet...being curious I spent some time looking around it and trying to decipher where in my area these things were hidden.

I came away with several trains of thought.

1) Is it not good that it gets people, especially the young, away from the TV and computer and out into the countryside?

2) It is littering the countryside and also encourageing groups of people to go off rights of way into fields and woodland where it is only a matter of time before some landowner gets upset and throws a wobbley so stopping those of us who wander off course occasionally from doing so.

3) The positioning of some of these caches were just plain dangerous! The planter actually says this in his instruction! How long before someone is hurt and who will take the blame?

I had other thoughts but you don't need to know them now...

Geocaching looks to be letterboxing for the 21st century..but at least letterboxing is done with a compass. But both "hobbies" can bring small scale destruction of the countryside, if you have ever walked around dartmoor looking for letterboxes you will know how many are hidden in cracks in rocks hidden behind handfulls of moss freshly "picked".

Perhaps instead of just destroying the cache we should leave a card stating why we have done it and suggest that in the future they hide them in thier back gardens...and see how they like having thier weekend BBQs spoilt by strange familys turning up digging up the flower bed?

Mr H

T The Eternal
The Eternal Aug 20, 2006 21:37:33
Replying to moss

Moss,

moss wrote:
I reckon they should just use compasses and not GPS, that would make it harder and stop the practice...
I know it sounds daft, but navigating by map and compass (as long as you know how to) is generally more accurate than GPS. In a white-out on top of Ben Nevis a GPS accuracy of within 25 feet could result in rapid precipitation through a cornice and down 2,000 feet of the north face. Orienteers and experienced mountaineers would choose a map and compass every time.
Regards,
TE.