"Have an Encounter with the Long Arm of the Law"

The heading of this entry is a reference to a potential requirement from a geocaching challenge cache called "I Challenge You To Play... CACHEBUSTERS!" which I have now at last qualified for by having an encounter with the police. I must reassure you that this is not required to claim the cache, but it is one possible route you can take across the "Blockbusters"-like board. Well, I needed to do that or go without caching for 30 days, and that's just unreasonable!

But any geocaching encounter with the police is going to be an interesting one, if not scary or bizarre. Recently I was looking for my latest cache-nemesis. We've all had them, right? The cache that you just keep DNFing. What adds insult to injury in this case is that it's not even difficult and everyone else seems to be posting "Easy find" type logs which makes me feel even more incompetent!

I went back for the umpeenth time to look for this little blighter and spent many minutes looking for a magnetic cache on top of a railway bridge where everything seems to be made of iron. The hint really isn't much to go on in this location. Frustrated with myself and getting impatient, I was surprised to look up and find a male and female police officer coming towards me; they'd parked their van on the kerb nearby.

I'm afraid to say that the first fleeting thought that ran through my head was "Ooh, I qualify for that challenge cache!" quickly followed by "Oh, no, they think I'm placing a bomb here!" I was behaving weirdly at a major railway bridge next to an international airport. I must look so dodgy! Still, I cleared thoughts of panic from my mind as I knew I was innocent - if incompetent - and waited to hear what they had to say.

"Are you OK? We stopped because you looked sad and were leaning over a railway bridge." A wave of relief washed over me. Oh, they think I'm suicidal! That makes sense. Well this cache is annoying, but it's not that annoying! I have never been one to make up an excuse when muggled, although I've heard my share of great ones (see below!) I'd much rather say I'm doing an online treasure hunt and let them walk away from me feeling relieved but disinterested. Police though generally know about geocaching from all the times it gets bad press (areas cleared when they think they've found a bomb, and actually it's just a badly placed cache).

I asked them if they'd heard of geocaching, and sure enough they had. They asked what the hint was and then made some suggestions, although they weren't all very good ones (try the statue down the road, for example). I know the coords might be out a bit, but they're not that bad! I kinda wished they'd stayed to help me look but they did actually have real work to be getting on with. Convinced that I was not about to end my life or anyone else's they bid me well and drove on. A good experience with the long arm of the law. Phew!

Some of the excuses I've heard cachers make for their questionable behaviour:

• I work for the slug-protection society
• I'm looking for a glove (the muggle then stopped to help look for it! Ha, busted!)
• I'm looking for my dog (whilst feeling up a metal bridge over a river!)

My excuse could be my interest in fungi, but telling the plain truth is normally the best way to go. You might even get another pair of eyes helping you look!