6 Month Ban

[+Happy Humphrey]

The thread is about cache density, not quality. Lathama was complaining that there are too many caches in the UK, not that there are too many lame ones.

 

I've been trying to get someone to explain what is meant by "too many" because I honestly don't understand, but the best we have so far is the Spokes suggestion that it's less exciting to have a large choice (I'm still not sure why). Lathama suggests that the caches "take up room", but that doesn't seem to make much sense without further explanation.

 

HH

[markandlynn]

The thread is about cache density, not quality. Lathama was complaining that there are too many caches in the UK, not that there are too many lame ones.

I agree i was trying to answer the thread drift question

 

I've been trying to get someone to explain what is meant by "too many" because I honestly don't understand,

 

To me thats allready defined by Groundspeak as no closer than 0.1 miles.

 

Personally i would not like to see power trails or wal mart / parking lot micros develop as a trend in this country, however as hiding places run out in various areas these may be the only places available for cachers to hide caches, but thats a separate discussion.

 

Most of these are different to the OP who perhaps asked or made the wrong statement a listing ban would never be workable or enforceable. Perhaps this thread has run its course ?????

[+Happy Humphrey]

i was trying to answer the thread drift question

I know, but I was trying to steer it back to the "what is too many caches" question as I have never seen it answered, although "cache saturation" has been mentioned many times without further explanation.

 

To me thats allready defined by Groundspeak as no closer than 0.1 miles.

I get your point there, but that guideline is simply to avoid cache confusion (not cache saturation) so doesn't help with my query.

 

I suppose I'd better give up now!

 

HH

[+The Spokes]

Happy Humphry How to explain

Human nature values the rare.

Diamonds are valued highly because they are not found easily. They were found in everyone’s back garden then they would be worthless.

Bananas were a highly sort after commodity during the war. Now there everyday fruit and taken for granted.

A sparrow in the tree barley gets a look but a barn owl gives us a buzz should we spy one in the wild.

I need not go on but I think you get my drift.

Finding a cache used to give us a buzz like seeing an Owl or a Badger because it was rare.

Does that explain things in a better way?

Of course cache saturation is going to occur for different cachers at different points.

[+The Golem]

Whenever you join a new forum the older members always harp back to how the site used to be so much better in the old days... Before all the multitudes of new members joined the club, society or whatever, it was just a small, exclusive group that no-one knew about, and the old members reveled in their exclusivity.

Now I can only imagine what it must have been like when there were only 4! caches in the whole of the UK but sadly time marches on and things change.

Since discovering the hobby in September I have driven down tiny 'B' roads that I would never have even noticed, and visited places of which I had no knowledge, and I am all the happier for it!

If you were there at the beginning all credit to you, but I think this explosion in the growth of caching is just the tip of the iceberg...

Edited January 4, 2006 by The Golem

[+The Spokes]

We were not in at the start but knew about it early on it was about a year before we had time to do our first Cache and registered we thought it was great.

Some of the early cachers you never hear of now and I fully expect in 3 years time there will be a lot of drop outs from the enthusiastic newcomers that are around now.

Enjoy it and I am sure it gives you a buzz as much as it did with me.

I would be interesting to see if your view has changed in 3 or 4 years time.

Perhaps you will be responding to a post by a recent member on these very same lines.

In fact I will make a note of it in my diary to ask you if you’re still around and we are. We may even have found 100 by then.

[+Happy Humphrey]

Spokes,

 

I see your point now, very well put!

 

I still don't think it makes sense entirely though...it depends how you define your "area": make it small enough and there will still be very few new caches placed. I regard the whole world as my "area" so there have always been loads of new caches appearing all the time.

 

I suppose that, as I've usually been faced with having to select from hundreds of caches, I've got used to it. The excitement comes from seeking out interesting and unusual ones, hidden amongst the worthy but more ordinary caches. I suggest you just need to take a slight change in approach and the buzz will return!

 

HH

Edited January 5, 2006 by Happy Humphrey

[+Eckington]

Finding a cache used to give us a buzz like seeing an Owl or a Badger because it was rare.

Does that explain things in a better way?

I think that is elegantly put, however (and isn't there always a however ) my caching alter ego has been around a while, not since the beginning I admit, and he is almost upto 500.

 

Don't get out a lot now, especially in the winter, but found a couple this week.

 

They were both within 3 miles or so of home, one was a micro in a small copse and it gave me a buzz because 3 times during the hunt I had actually put my hand on it and not realised

 

The other because it was completely in the open in the cache owner's drive and to walk up the drive, open the cache and sign the log before replacing it and walking out, with half the neighbours watching was quite a perverse vicarious giggle

 

So, even if, at times for you, the buzz goes because of the volume of caches in an an area, it is also possible the buzz is still there after quite a time, and in quite mundane circumstances.

 

My 2pworth

[+John Stead]

I have held off replying to this topic as at first I thought that the date was wrong and that it had been started on April 1st!

I think now though that I do understand what our young friend was getting at - it is less of a challenge if there are too many caches?

However as one who has been around for a while (now nearing 5 years since I registered) and showing as one of the longest active cachers on GCUK's table (some of the ones above me on the list are errors including the one who has been caching >3900 days), I feel that yes the Geocaching world is very different from the time when one did well to find more than one cache on a trip BUT it is no less interesting. It still takes one to places one might not have ever visited, it still offers challenges and it is still fun. In addition one can now actually meet other cachers, sometimes actually in the field and more often at events.

Now I really must get out as two new caches have been placed within 10 miles of home!!

[+kewfriend]

It still takes one to places one might not have ever visited, it still offers challenges and it is still fun. In addition one can now actually meet other cachers, sometimes actually in the field and more often at events.

 

ABSOLUTELY .... and the early caches had just as much dross as the later caches. Indeed these days its more of a challenge to set an interesting cache when so many 'obvious' locations are taken.

 

I concur with the views that Micros are a 'last resort' solution to a cache setter. I have one micro, several small caches, a couple of normal ones and one large one, and most are close to home ( I'm inherently lazy).

 

I like lots of caches in an area: gives both us a chance to be discerning in which we do, and I have no problems in ignoring caches that simply dont interest us.

[+Matrix]

 

STOP PLACING CACHES

 

WE NEED A 6 MONTH BAN

So the last 2 months of planning my first cache placement should be thrown away because YOU think there are too many , now thats what I call a friendly attitude