KEN 
not all people who find a cache are GEOCACHERS Caches are found for many reasons who's to say that someone didn't notice a cacher looking for a cache and instead of asking what they were looking for or doing did find the cache themselves? 

You must agree that to a non cacher when they see someone wonder around like cachers sometimes do it will draw attention. think about what you wrote in your log about say the end of the road cache, had you not talked to the fishermen, and not found the cache they could have just as well found it and taken it, but as it turned out they helped... or even with MA274 cache you were there looking a time prior who noticed you?? did you notice everyone looking at you while you were searching???? or with the caches on South Mountain how many logs say HAD TO WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO WALK BY or such? what if a new cacher was to find the cache and not take the care to be stealth??? but then again if someone was to be stealth wouldn't that draw attention? as the news with all those alerts say look for suspicious activity......


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: ken@highpointer.com 
  To: listserv@azgeocaching.com 
  Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 4:50 PM
  Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Obscenity written in log sheet of Mat274 cache on ASU campus


  Geocachers, 

  I was at Mat274 geocache on the ASU campus today, and I found it along with Casey and Sarah of AZCelts.  However, I was appalled when I opened the log sheet and saw that the previous finder had written an obscenity in the place for his name.  He wrote, "F*** this cache" instead of his name.  This is particularly disconcerting because the first person who recovered the cache was Casey's 12-year old daughter, Sarah.

  What could we do about geocachers who do something like this?  My idea (admittedly controversial, and something discussed before) is that all caches in public places like this should be "Members Only".  I expect that the kind of person who would write an obscenity in the log sheet would be less likely to pay the nominal annual fee (less than a tank of gas) to become a Premium Member.

  Protecting caches by making them "Members Only" will also reduce the risk of lost travel bugs.   Apparently the travel bug that RandMan put in the cache was taken, but has not been logged yet.  Many travel bugs become lost because they are taken by a geocacher who fails to log them properly and does not put the travel bug in another cache.   If a travel bug is placed in a "Members Only" cache, then it is more likely that the travel bug will be recovered by someone who will log the travel bug properly, and will put the travel bug promptly in another cache.

  Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)