erichmich62

I can see the appeal. Thanks for the responses.

The point was that maybe I could learn something or gain an interest. I looked online at aspects of geocaching and found the site identifying survey monuments and the searching for them. I could enjoy that.

To respond to a couple of comments; "wanabe elitist attempting to troll" Far from it. I just want to be enlightened. "why do you need a GPS to explore" I've used a map and compass for years, long before GPS and even before Loran, but I have one for a number of reasons including: Convenience of navigation when I am hiking, paddling, pedaling or driving; interest in seeing where I went after the fact; and also because many times for the areas that I explore the maps are inaccurate or lacking detail. From the comments in the assorted responses, I can now envision the appeal. I just go about my exploring a different way, and I enjoy reaching locations that hadn't been trampled on my dozens or hundreds of others. When I reach an area that I've navigated to I leave with a photograph or more often just with a pleasant memory of the efforts required to get to an interesting spot that few others had been to. P.S. Beyond my old maps and compasses, I've hung onto my old slide rules, coaster brake ballon tire bikes and other old technology.

Understood. Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers with my arrogant approach. I am more dismayed with the lessor use of map and compass, and the dieing skill among the masses. Both my older kids have a GPS for their cars and neither have seemed to have grasped any mapreading skills I've tried to teach them. They now solely use their GPS to find places. The travel and seeing places new is a desirable outcome of geocatching. I can envision the appeal.

I am sure that I will make more than a few angry, but what is the point of geocaching? Use of an electronic device to direct one to an object seems pointless. The use of a GPS to do this takes away from knowledge of maps, map symbols, use of features to route, compass use, etc. Sure, you can argue that you still need to select a path to get to your object, but what is the skill outside of that? If you want to argue that it gets you out of the house and moving around for the purpose of a treasure hunt, then fine, but I can't envision an explaination greater than that. I kind of lump this in with the same type who uses a GPS to take the same route to work every day that only involves one or two turns. Somebody enlighten me. Erich in MI P.S. I do have a GPS, and have had one for 15 years. I recently bought a new one for purposes of exploring.