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Why Do You Geocache


Vader

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I have been Geocaching for about 4 years now. I consider my self a Caver as well. The other day on a caving discussion board a caver asked the question What's the thrill?( in reference to Why do you Geocache ) I tried my best to explain why I Geocache. Perhaps if a few of you have time you could do a better job at explaining "What the thill is"?

 

Here is the thread

 

http://nssmembersforum.proboards28.com/ind...49086978&page=1

 

Thanks :lol:

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I'll tell you what. I use to never really be able to go outside and enjoy fresh air that much because it got kind of boring doing the same thing. When I heard about Geocaching I learned it was something cool and it was probably 99% outside(or 100% :lol:) After you've done a few you don't want to stop.

 

The thrill is the hunt where you use your mind to think "where would be a good place for a cache" I think its thrilling to keep it going on and you are always somewhere different even if its in same park theres a lot more around.

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I geocache because it takes me to areas i would have never seen or been able to walk to. around here it gets me familiar with everything my area has to offer, views, trails etc... its even better on vacations because it takes you to spots and views you would of never have known about, and i love to find little containers in the woods :lol: . geocaching to me is all about the hikes thats why i try and stay away from city caches, i hate people.

 

...and like luckless says, its an excuse to go hiking!

Edited by ADK 46-R
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I've always loved to hike, I just needed an excuse to go hiking.

 

My god, were you people all glued to computers and televisions before GPS systems became legal?

 

I don't know what to say about people thinking they need an excuse to go hiking. As to why we cache, I bought the GPS for my sweetie to use as she bikes around the country, though I love it for touring on my motorcycle as well. I found the geocaching site while doing research on which GPS to buy, Magellan SporTrak Pro, love it, and thought it would be fun to try out. I totally dig going on treasure hunts but to be honest, I see a lot less of the area when I am caching than when I am just "hiking" around without an excuse.

 

Still, I have found some really cool areas thanks to cachers, areas I would more than likely never have found otherwise. That is the coolest part of caching for us, finding new areas to explore thanks to caching and not just for caching. We have been having fun trying to find NGS Benchmarks, that is a real hoot, some are buried under pavement, fence posts, you name it, big fun.

 

Nevertheless, if the system failed tomorrow I would still be hiking the day after.

 

:(

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I prefer to do one cache a day and spend the rest of the time exploring.

At one time I moved to the country thinking it would be so nice to be able to hike around the farming country whenever I felt like it. That's when I learned about farm dogs....big, very big.

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My reasons are a bit convoluted. I like tech toys, I grew up in the country so I have a fundamental appreciation/understanding of wandering around the woods looking for things. My boys are approaching their teen years and we live in a big city (Toronto). They play alot of sports, but spend most free time on the gameboy/xbox/tv/computer or playing street hockey/baseball/soccer. They aren't getting the same appreciation for the outdoors. This is a way to do that - I intend to spend most time looking for "outdoor" caches.

 

They have really taken to getting out & searching for treasure (a Hong Kong $10 bill & an Ontario lapel pin so far). My 12 year old is a natural - he's found both caches in seconds (we've only done 2 so far - just got my GPS Friday) & is eager to do it.

 

Toys, treasures, & trekking. Perfect. :(

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We geocache because its something we can do as a couple and see new places even if they are as close as a nearby city park.

 

We geocache because it involves thinking that isnt related to work or other sometimes stressful factors in our lives.

 

We geocache to get us out of the house and not in front of a computer or TV all weekend.

 

We geocache because its fun and relaxing.

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My answers will echo many of the ones above.

I needed an excuse to get back to hiking after 15 years of not doing it. I run my own businesses and work around 80 hours a week, until I started caching.

 

I quit doing web development work to free up some extra time on my other business and to give me some hiking time.

 

After making my first hides this weekend I can see an elevation to this whole thing. Placing the last cache, 30 cal. ammo box, in a natural setting with no extra cover and having it be undetectable to me or my wife gave me a rush I haven't had in years. I just can't stop thinking about how people will react when they get to ground zero and nothings there.

The waiting for the approval emails is like being a kid on Christmas eve. I need to get some more boxes :(

 

My wife said today "I can't believe how excited you get about this new hobby, you don't get excited about anything". She said that as we were leaving this house this morning to get a FTF on a cache not far from my evil one mentioned above.

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I like being shown things I'd never have found otherwise.

 

A pocket park tucked behind some buildings.

Pioneer wagon tracks in an anonymous office park.

A cave behind a waterfall used by train robbers.

A rock formation that looks like Abe Vigoda.

 

Plus, gadgets.

 

-ajb

Edited by madajb
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When I was young, my father, a teacher, took us to many interesting places during summer vacation. One of the highlights of any camping trip was when he'd set up a treasure hunt for us. (I learned to use a compass when I was about six years old.) The treasure was usually a candy bar or some such treat, but the real joy was in the search. When I ran into geocaching a year or so ago, the whole treasure hunt adventure came rushing back. My teenage daughters are hooked now, too, though we still do low-tech hunts once in awhile. Dad would have loved this sport!

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I started because I was curious, but I soon found that this sport combined my love for the outdoors with exploring new places and I was instantly hooked.

 

When I'm taken to a totally new spot only 10 miles from home, that's just awesome, I had caches show me a new area not even 7 miles from home that I never knew existed.

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I have been Geocaching for about 4 years now. I consider my self a Caver as well. The other day on a caving discussion board a caver asked the question What's the thrill?( in reference to Why do you Geocache ) I tried my best to explain why I Geocache. Perhaps if a few of you have time you could do a better job at explaining "What the thill is"?

 

Here is the thread

 

http://nssmembersforum.proboards28.com/ind...49086978&page=1

 

Thanks :drama:

 

For me it's a combo of things. I've always loved being outdoors and sometimes will just have to go for a drive away from the cities. Geocaching gives me 100s of random destinations to check out, introduces me to new areas and things I may not have realized were there, and can be great exercise at times. I can also do it either solo (if it's something easy and safe for a solo adventure) or with friends, day or night. I love the hunt as well and it's a great distraction from work and the stresses of every day life.

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Several reasons for why I started and continue geocaching:

 

1. The challenge of trying to figure out where the hider put the container

2. I love playing with gadgets!

3. If I wasn't geocaching, I would just be sitting playing games on the internet.

4. I get to see things that I would never have discovered otherwise

5. Its fun!

6. I have yet to meet another geocacher that I didn't like, and thats amazing

7. Would you rather go to a gym, look at walls, lift weights/walk on treadmills, or go out in nature, get some fresh air, hike a few miles, and get a better workout?

8. Its a good excuse for exercise

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My reasons, in no particular order:

 

1. Getting outside and taking a hike

2. Thrill of the hunt / Creative thinking - especially trying to get into the hider's head "if I was going to hide a cache around here, where would i put it?"

3. Finding something most people walk right by. There's a superiority factor when you know about something and know that others are oblivious.

4. It takes my mind off my job for a little while, but uses and develops skills that just might keep my skinny butt alive!

5. Gadgets and Maps

6. Time by myself, unless I choose to go caching with a partner. Most folks think caching is a little weird, but then, they think I'M a little weird, so...

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I love it for the people!

 

I cached alone at first, and enjoyed the hunt, there IS a thrill to finding something well-hidden or some interesting place.

 

I enjoyed the whole caching experience, but it wasn't until I joined a small group (six of us met for a picnic) that grew into a 1000+ member statewide association, hosted and attended lots of events and campouts, started doing group cache runs, made a lot of friends who shared the same interests and enjoyments I do, that I really fell in love with geocaching.

 

Once you've seen a couple thousand caches and it's still fun to hunt them you know you're hooked, but I would stay in this game just for the people.

 

I regularly hunt with groups of cachers, and the fun and experiences we've shared can't be over-valued, it's been priceless!

 

I have cached in, off the top of my head, 20 states now, and attended events in perhaps 12, and have made friends everywhere I went that I would not have met but for this game.

 

Further, I have been a part of many groups, my church, Boy Scouts, fraternity, professional associations, Masonic Lodge among others, and have never met such a crowd as geocaching seems to attract. With very few exceptions I have liked every cacher I have met, I suppose something about the game draws people of a certain mindset.

 

I still cache alone, occassionally, but it's with my friends that this game gets interesting!

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I do it for the thrill of traveling the open sea, the recklessness of the pirate lifestyle, the treasure maps and the risks associated with obtaining them, the bar maidens, ship-to-ship duels with the unsuspecting trade frigates, and most importantly, the gold doubloons! Shiver me GPSr, matey!!

Edited by Frammel Pie
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Let's see...is it the thrill of the hunt?........No, that's not it.

 

Is it the beautiful scenery?.........No, that's not it.

 

Is it the chance to clean the environment of trash?.......No, that's not it.

 

Is the comraderie of friends and fellow cachers?.........No, that's not it.

 

Is it the chance to have bragging rights for smilies and difficult finds? ......No, that's not it.

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....what could it be?

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IT'S THE FREEKING SWAG! I LOVE THOSE MCTOYS! I GOTTA HAVE THOSE PLASTIC SPIDER RINGS LEFT

OVER FROM HALLOWEEN!

 

:D:laughing::D

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location, location, location.

 

I've found parks I never knew existed, industrial relics in the middle of the woods, historical sites, tunnels, all things I would never have found if it weren't for caching.

 

I also get a kick out of watching where the travel bugs I've had my hands on wind up going. Incredible how fast they can move sometimes.

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Somebody asked me that same question the other day and it is hard to explain. It's fun. You feel like you belong to some secret society. It's challenging to find cleverly hidden caches. It takes me to areas of my community I didn't know existed. I've discovered so may great parks and trails. I also have a theory that most geocachers are collectors of some kind. I'm a collector and I get the same kick out of finding caches as I do collectibles.

 

billandryanb

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Geocaching is something that we can still do as a family and enjoy! we even take the princess, the "Fatdog" herself when we aren't going to be near cliffs or anything that would result in a trip to the vet.

Caching is something that we love to do when we travel, and most of the time, unless it is a lame micro, we find really cool things and places off of the beaten path that most visitors to the area would never know about or experince.

also too, since many people still have no idea what it is, it is something that is almost like our "secret" pastime, something shared by only us.

cache on! :huh:

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The thrill is in the looks of my family and friends when I tell them where and how I got all those cactus-thorn scars in my head, shoulders and arms. Not to mention the various abrasions on my knees and elbows from scrambling over loose rocks and shale. Oh, and the wrenched back from stepping on loose boulders. I love it, and look forward to the next one.

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Okay, I looked at each response log to this OP and NO one has said the truth . . . it IS about the numbers, that is IT!!! :santa:

 

The prestige, the best parking spot, the recognition, the ego trip . . . it is all there with the NUMBERS.

 

If quality really was more important, it would be given many MORE smilies, right???

Edited by GRANPA ALEX
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GC'ing makes me find parks and interesting places I may not have ever seen or gone to find.

 

Why crawling up a rock to brave poison oak and snakes for the thrill of finding an ammo box in the middle of nowhere with a random bit of flotsam in it is so much fun, I'm not sure. But it is.

 

When we plan to get out and hunt, we look for interesting caches in new places. Fly Swap Lie Swap up near Whidbey Island is the perfect example.

 

GCing is a great blend of techie toys and getting dirty for a good reason.

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