D-cachers

I find it interesting that no one responded to what WoodyK had to say about this... By his own account he has 18+ years as a deputy sheriff...and regardless of location, his perspective certainly seems to be general enough to apply to most communities. He took the time to write a lengthy explanation of his thoughts... One of the benefits of having a world-wide forum like this is that you can get "expert" advice free of charge... So...did anybody read what WoodyK had to say? I did...and he makes sense to me...

THANK YOU....THANK YOU...THANK YOU...for this thread... I have had a rough week...long days...ready for the weekend...needing a good chuckle...and then I stumbled onto this thread. I usually have very little interest when geocaching discussions get "too serious"...(I mean...this is a hobby...sport...supposed to be fun, right?!)...but for some reason this thread has grabbed my atttention... I've been sitting here for the last ten minutes reading these posts and have literally cackled out loud in laughter........from the COMMA class...to the Mean People Suck section...I'm having a blast... Unfortunately (or fortunately...for our entertainment value) people sometimes have a hard time putting their thoughts into easily understood words...and Lord knows, the responders to this thread have clearly zeroed in on that... Okay...Let me go get a drink and a snack and I'll be right back...heck...I might get the wife...

I agree with most here that this article is actually positive...it clearly ties together the family nature of what we love to do...from adults to kids...the writer clearly defines himself as being someone who doesn't really want anything to do with the outdoors...and finally, gives a free plug for GC.com.

Well...I've only been into Geocaching for a little over a month, but I have to comment on this one...I am amazed at what I have read...I just hope that those here who think this cache posting is wrong are in the great minority... This cache is for kids...troubled kids who need all the help they can get... I can see where posting it as a cache is necessary...so the kids see and experience the whole geocaching process...from preparation for the hunt...to discovery...to logging it on-line... I've paid my annual membership fee to support this site...and providing on-line support for those kids is a great thing...I'm proud to be a part of Geocaching.com...

Regarding how close the GPS gets you...when vectoring in to a cache, and you are at that last 50-100 feet and low and behold, the cache appears to be in an area with heavy/dense tree cover, do most of you also use a compass to make sure your heading stays lined up with the bearing displayed on the GPS as you move into the heavy cover? Let's face it...we all like to have that clear sky overhead because you can just "feel" the satellites leading you to the cache...but how many caches are sitting out in the middle of a peaceful field??...not many in Oklahoma I assure you...

Like Hikezilla, I too just upgraded today to Premium via PayPal and was pleasantly surprised to be up and running in less than a minute. I received the e-mail authorization in seconds... Its great when something works like its supposed to...certainly doesn't happen all the time does it?!

Well...I must share with the primaries in this discussion string that, unfortunately, I have just discovered that the conflicts, frustrations, anger, and occassional rants one finds in the pressures of everyday life have also made their way into what could be a positive, fellowship-filled hobby of geocaching...or letterboxing...take your pick. This is my first visit to this website...and it was done hoping to find enlightening information and to learn from those who have been out there...having "fun"...either by themselves, with a friend...or with their kids (like me). My wife, kids, and I stepped into the geocaching world this past weekend...and had a great time. I was able to forgot about most of life's troubles...didn't even think about the economy...or the soldiers dying in Iraq. Reading the discussion reminded me that yes, even with something as wholesome as geocaching, human nature can create negative out of positive. My most sincere advice is this...take the experience of caching or boxing for what it is...time to enjoy the outdoors...not relying on much more than a decent GPS, a little stamina...and fair eyesight. Enjoy the freedom...enjoy the time. Note that this advice is from someone who has only found 6 caches. I'm not a charter member...not close to being an expert...but I do know that the experience outdoors, working together with friends or family, searching for a site that is only known by the cache-owner and a couple satellites overhead...and then actually finding what you were looking for...gives you a few moments of accomplishment that is totally independent of any paycheck or employer-driven tasking. I'm not one who devotes hour after hour to reading and responding to bulletin boards. But...for some reason...I had to take a moment after a long day at work to share my thoughts here. As for negative histories between cachers and boxers...please...life is too short. Find the positive...and talk positively about improving the negative...the world will be a much better place...for cachers and boxers...