Keep the Spot Secret!
- Don’t publicly share addresses or coordinates. Avoid geo-tagging your photos or posting identifiable features.
- Use codenames for sites (e.g. "Virgin Destroyer Drain", "Deer Skull Mine", "Solar School"). This adds a layer of fun and protection. If you find a new spot in our community, you get to name it whatever you want!
- Be selective with who you bring. It only takes one person to lead to a spot getting ruined. Vet your friends carefully.
- Avoid moving or altering objects unless necessary for safety or access, always return them to their original position.
- Avoid taking souvenirs, especially one off objects or artifacts. (There can be exceptions to this; like if the object is in imminent risk of destruction).
- Avoid tagging or leaving marks when/where not appropriate. We don't want to encourage further vandalism, or tip off people that someone has been there.
- If safe to do so, remove trash left by others. Some people have a bad habit of leaving behind beer cans, cigarette/weed butts, and other personal trash. If the spot looks pretty clean, we should do our best to try and make sure we aren't contributing to a spot becoming a dump.
- If it can't be secured back the way you found it, its probably not a good idea. Sometimes its best to wait until the conditions are more ideal to crack a spot!
- Do not force entry. There are plenty of ways to bypass security measures. Cutting locks and prying things open are crappy short-term solutions. Read about Overt, Covert, and Surreptitious here.
- Never break windows. It makes a mess and can cause major injury. Its also a shitty thing to do, so just don't.
This more applies to brand new and unfamiliar spots, use your best judgement.
- Don't stomp the yard. If you've been in marching band, you're probably familiar with rolling your steps. This technique will help you walk extremely stealthy
- Avoid heavy foot traffic. Bring people in small groups unless there is minimal chance of being spotted.
- Don't linger at entrances/exits. We don't want to attract attention to the spot.
- Crop out or blur identifying markers.
- Delay sharing photos for periods of time to avoid alerting others that a spot is open/doable.
- Keep fresh, pristine and cherished spots off of public social media pages.
- A spot might be too fragile, recently discovered, and/or not ready for increased traffic. Give spots time to breath! A spot visited everyday is more at risk than a spot visited once a month.