Worst case of cold feet at a location?
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overslept_
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Worst case of cold feet at a location?
Today I went on an absolutely botched exploration trip to a spot that was about 4 hours away. I got there and the no trespassing signs spread along the perimeter and its location right next to a powerplant just had me entirely spooked. I parked for a bit did some desperate searching for information to ease my mind about the spot but I couldn't come up with anything saying people had been there past 2015. As I sit here at my house now I really quite regret not just stepping up and going in. Anyone else have some stories of how they got too spooked to go to a spot even after they got there?
new account to overslept. not good at forums. SEMO based.
Re: Worst case of cold feet at a location?
I've felt the same way beforeoverslept_ wrote: ↑Mon Apr 18, 2022 8:58 pmAs I sit here at my house now I really quite regret not just stepping up and going in. Anyone else have some stories of how they got too spooked to go to a spot even after they got there?
and would be willing to drive-out and retry that spot with you!!There really could have been someone in the trailers, there really could have been a hidden construction camera, and the risk was certainly high... but so would we have been, way up on top of the new I-70 bridge, had I not wussed-out at the fence!
^ Note Armour still looming back there...
Preservation over plunder.
Re: Worst case of cold feet at a location?
The two most important things I've learned over the years:
1. Test the waters
2. Have a plan B
Regret over missed exploring opportunities long ago fermented in me a distinct disregard for unverified risks. And I've realized that my willingness to do stupid things has only increased as time has gone on. I am willing to do the dumb shit but that's not to say I'm careless, because I'm not. Careless people eventually get themselves (and others) busted. I like to assess each situation and take calculated risks accordingly.
There was a really awesome/unique place in Kentucky a while back that was the whole reason for planning the trip to begin with. When we arrived onsite, we found cars on-site with current registration. Seemed like the people might be in one of the buildings. Out of options, we knocked/entered the building and were denied permission. It wasn't really possible to explore that one without being detected so after verifying all options and the risks, we had no choice but to bail.
But the one that stings the most is... Lynnewood Hall. It's blown up on the internet now so I guess it's safe to talk about publicly. We tried like hell to get in there. But in the end, the odds were stacked against us so we listened to our "cold feet" and bailed. If you want to read about that one, it's at the following blog post and if you want to skip ahead to that location it's the paragraph that starts with "The final day of our trip". UGH. It still pains me that we didn't get in there: https://sublunarphotography.blogspot.co ... works.html
This one was particularly intense, stupid and risky. But we were successful because of several months of regular, repeated reconnaissance and testing of the waters. The feeling of accomplishment after this one was a high like nothing else. The penalties would have probably been pretty steep. But so was the reward IMO. https://sublunarphotography.blogspot.co ... ant-3.html
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Testing the waters
This just means being stupid on camera/where you'd be most obvious. If you see a guard shack but can't tell if anyone's home, do what you can to coax them out, short of actually hopping the fence (or hop the fence but be prepared to run). If nobody comes out, then you know that nobody's watching, at least at that time/day. If someone does come out, then you just learned where they were stationed and what route to avoid should you plan a return trip. If it's especially fresh/risky, as in the case of the "Recently Abandoned Power Plant" sometimes I'll test the waters over a period of weeks/months. Same day/time each time. Consistency is key.
Plan B
Having a contingency plan can really save your ass. Find as much stuff as you can en-route or nearby. If your main objective fails, then at least the trip wasn't a complete waste because you had a Plan B and you might find something cool you never knew existed. Plan B saved our ass on the Kentucky trip. And if you're lucky, you'll be able to explore the main objective(s) AND the Plan B('s) and then you just won at exploring.
Having cold feet is smart sometimes and can be the correct decision. Other times, it can end up being something you always regret. In my own life, I prefer to regret the things I've done rather than the things I didn't do.
1. Test the waters
2. Have a plan B
Regret over missed exploring opportunities long ago fermented in me a distinct disregard for unverified risks. And I've realized that my willingness to do stupid things has only increased as time has gone on. I am willing to do the dumb shit but that's not to say I'm careless, because I'm not. Careless people eventually get themselves (and others) busted. I like to assess each situation and take calculated risks accordingly.
There was a really awesome/unique place in Kentucky a while back that was the whole reason for planning the trip to begin with. When we arrived onsite, we found cars on-site with current registration. Seemed like the people might be in one of the buildings. Out of options, we knocked/entered the building and were denied permission. It wasn't really possible to explore that one without being detected so after verifying all options and the risks, we had no choice but to bail.
But the one that stings the most is... Lynnewood Hall. It's blown up on the internet now so I guess it's safe to talk about publicly. We tried like hell to get in there. But in the end, the odds were stacked against us so we listened to our "cold feet" and bailed. If you want to read about that one, it's at the following blog post and if you want to skip ahead to that location it's the paragraph that starts with "The final day of our trip". UGH. It still pains me that we didn't get in there: https://sublunarphotography.blogspot.co ... works.html
This one was particularly intense, stupid and risky. But we were successful because of several months of regular, repeated reconnaissance and testing of the waters. The feeling of accomplishment after this one was a high like nothing else. The penalties would have probably been pretty steep. But so was the reward IMO. https://sublunarphotography.blogspot.co ... ant-3.html
-
Testing the waters
This just means being stupid on camera/where you'd be most obvious. If you see a guard shack but can't tell if anyone's home, do what you can to coax them out, short of actually hopping the fence (or hop the fence but be prepared to run). If nobody comes out, then you know that nobody's watching, at least at that time/day. If someone does come out, then you just learned where they were stationed and what route to avoid should you plan a return trip. If it's especially fresh/risky, as in the case of the "Recently Abandoned Power Plant" sometimes I'll test the waters over a period of weeks/months. Same day/time each time. Consistency is key.
Plan B
Having a contingency plan can really save your ass. Find as much stuff as you can en-route or nearby. If your main objective fails, then at least the trip wasn't a complete waste because you had a Plan B and you might find something cool you never knew existed. Plan B saved our ass on the Kentucky trip. And if you're lucky, you'll be able to explore the main objective(s) AND the Plan B('s) and then you just won at exploring.
Having cold feet is smart sometimes and can be the correct decision. Other times, it can end up being something you always regret. In my own life, I prefer to regret the things I've done rather than the things I didn't do.