A question to the caching couples / teams with one user ID

[+billandlore]

My wife and I cache as a team when we can but my schedule is more conducive to caching than hers. I'm off work around 1pm everyday and try to grab a few if I don't have other plans. So I do most of the hunting.but I always have her support and thats what makes us a team.And we never split up just to boost our numbers.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

Our story is kind of an evolution.

 

Our intro to caching was through "Li"'s brother when we visited him in Aug 2005 in North Carolina. The two caches we found that day are the only ones that she and I did together sans the kids.

 

The original name we used was really a word play on my first and last name since it seemed that I would probably do most of the caching. But it turned out that 95+% of the time it is the 4 of us who go together and enjoy a nice weekend day with nature. The only time we are not caching as a family is if I find a quickie find I can do either on my lunch break at work or (in the DST months when there's more daylight) on my way up or down to work. If the latter is closer to home than work (my commute's about 25 miles each way) I usually eventually bring the rest of the crew back to see it.

 

So when everyone was warned about the "username change" lockdown last May, we changed our geocaching handle to be the first 2 letters of each of our first names (plus that of our pet since it made for a catch name, though he's never been caching), reflecting all this.

 

We tend to each try looking in a different spot for the cache, my 5 year old son has seen enough of these that even he has an idea of where a cache might be; though when "ground zero" looks a little tough for the little kids to be at, first I'll look for awhile (and usually find it), then my wife will take a turn.

 

It really doesn't matter how you do it, or if you log as a team vs. separately, etc. it's what works best for you. The important thing is to enjoy!

Edited February 18, 2007 by HaLiJuSaPa

[+The VanDucks]

We - husband and wife - cache and log using just our one name - The VanDucks - which is plural, of course. We have never geocached separately, because this is a hobby we enjoy doing together; the male half of the team runs the electronics, and the female half does the paper work, finds most of the caches unless they're high off the ground, and writes the log entries. It's interesting that we usually don't like the same types of activities, but geocaching has so many different aspects that we can each enjoy different things about it.

 

Our three kids are grown and out of the house. If they're with us when we geocache, I usually note in the log that we found the cache with other people. One of our daughters and her boyfriend are active geocachers and they also cache using a plural name, as we do.

 

We aren't very interested in getting a high number count of finds. What we enjoy most is going to a place we've never seen before and having adventures, some scary, most funny. We laugh about the mistakes we've made, our comical attempts at being inconspicuous while searching in a public place, and the sudden "aha!" moment when we understand how the cache owner was thinking when the cache was placed.

[+spikedturtle]

My wife and I our a team, we have looked for each cache together. I do most of the logging online, and picking what caches to go look for, but my wife figured out how to go paperless so she is in charge of that.

[+phstars]

We use one user ID. When we find them together, we write "Team pHstars" and when I'm by myself, it's just pHstars. But it doesn't really matter. I like to write the team because it acknowledges that we found it together.

[+"we two want to play too"]

Hubby and I have talked several times about the idea of team caching. He wondered how it was done specifically and, could he have his brother snag a cache for us and then log the find as part of our team? The answer of course is, ummm, NO. Sort of a given if you ask me since he wants Mark to snag it FOR US.

 

Even though our name is "we two..." our finds are done by anywhere from one to six people, depending on the kids. We have never considered classifying the cache finds according to the number of people with us.

We now live towards the bottom of the state but, we still have friends, family, and a house on the North end. Because we travel rather frequently (and usually solo) between the two, it's not at all uncommon for the traveling spouse to plan a trip that's chock full of caches to do on the way. Together and separately we have found alot of lame caches and ALOT of awesome ones. If one of us finds a really good one we really want to take the other person back and share.

 

Our current cache count is just over 700 finds. Of those, maybe 2/3rds were actually found by just the two of us. Not that I'm really into the numbers, but caching is something we got into together at the same time. To make it more interesting, we have a couple of specific goals we want to achieve. If it can be done as a pair, great. If not then just one of us will go. Either way we did it. That's the upside to being a team.

 

Now on the flip side, there are several cachers in our area that go out together regularly. They don't have a team name and each logs the find in separately. Almost always they will post in their logs who they were out with that day. I like seeing the cooperation and the fun people are having together.

 

I guess it comes down to this...I could make my sister in Colorado a team member and jack up my State/Find count, but should I? Of course not. Most of the time you know when you are getting to close to the little grey line that keeps us honest. And if you have to ask, then the answer is most likely no.

[+Arse&Hemi]

We almost always cache together. The only time we cache separately, is if there is a new posted cache, and one of us doesn't want to get up at 4am to go get the First to Find .

[+Baad Daata]

I find this topic entertaining, like most of them. I usually cache alone but I do hunt with other cachers about 10-15% of the time and I know several couples that find caches as they are able regardless of who is able to go on that particular adventure. She might go while he is working. He might pick some up on his trip to Germany. One of the kids might go with another adult caching friend when neither of the parents are able to go. I enjoyed caching a lot more before I found out anyone was keeping track of numbers. We had a cacher come through Southern Utah several months ago that logged 72 cache finds in a 24-hour period (I know that that is no record but just an example), including at least four caches that required 3-4 hour round trip hikes and several shorter ones. It was simply physically impossible. I say, "who cares"? I think if a member of a team finds a cache they should count it if it feels good to them. I have found a lot of caches and I think the numbers thing is way over-rated.

 

I know that I may have over-reacted to a simple topic but I hear people yapping about it frequently. The fewer rules that become necessary in this game the better.

[+Tweedledum & Tweedledee]

We almost always cache together, hints the name. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however, mainly when it comes to FTF's. Occasionally when she's working on the weekends, I'll go and grab a few finds that I know that she hasn't really wanted to do. We have never geocached at the same time and apart and never would to increase finds. Racking up the numbers is fun but not the point of geocaching. So of our over 1000 finds, less than 20 or so have been found by only one of us and we don't log those any differently.

[+Brayden's Brigade]

Our "team" consists of me, my husband and our 2 year old son (Brayden). We started geocaching as a family fun activity. There have been a few times when our son was not present on a geocaching outing, outdoor winter events, all day outings etc., but even that is rare. My husband and I do not go cache hunting separately. We don't see any fun in that. It wouldn't dawn on me to go without him and visa versa.

[+Critter Creek]

When we first started we just set up an account with one name "Critter Creek" worked out just fine because we never go without one another. But the first event we went to, everyone was wearing name tages with thier names. Of coarse we were both Critter Creek. We had our 7 yr. old nephew with us. He was asked what his caching name was, and with a stern look he just commented "CODY"! Well we come home and created individual accounts for each family member just for that reason. That way we would have our own identity at the events. Not for caching. I did take the boys out one day on some that I knew where the general area of the cache was. Let them find them and they took the credit for the find. Not Critter Creek as a whole.

[+Team Snorkasaurus]

Team Snorkasaurus usually consists of just the two of us; however, there are numerous "extended" members of the team. I am the primary cacher in the family and have participated in every find. The spouse enjoys geocaching alot and has participated in approximately 60% of our finds. The remaining team members join us when they are able, but I am clearly the common denominator in all our geo-adventures. I greatly enjoy physically challenging caches, but usually end up doing these solo or with non-Snorkasaurus geocachers.

 

We have never done any "divide and conquer" type caching, but I don't see anything particularly wrong with it either.

 

We were introduced to Geocaching by the awesome Team Shpadoinkle and I believe they have a similar arrangement/philosophy as far as their team find counts are concerned.

 

[+Team RAGAR]

Our team has two serious cachers, that would be me and my dog Gus. My wife is good for about one or two caches and then she is done. My daughter Catie who is 1 1/2 has been with me the more than any other human team member. other team members have been my Dad, both my Brothers, my Mom, my friend Eric. There is a lot of "I" in Team RAGAR.

 

It didn't start out that way but it has sort of ended up that way. This trend I hope will end when Catie is old enough to enjoy finding caches in the woods and trading swag. Until then she is my padawin learner so to speak.

[+entrio]

We have a team of 3 plus a dog. Usually, my son and I cache together. But this week I've been caching in Texas and the guys haven't done any. We don't do it this way to divide and conquer, it's just that having 3 accounts would be too hard to keep track of. Oh! And Mom and son cache a LOT more than Dad.

[+Team Tigger International]

We are a TEAM , we started this sport together , and will remain together . We each do cache individually .

We do not live together ( at least not yet) .

 

He caches alone sometimes , I cache alone sometimes . We cache together at other times . Caches have been placed by both of us under our "TEAM " account.

We have never seen a problem with this at all .

 

Star

 

A team is made up of two or more people working interdependently toward a common goal and a shared reward.

www.mccombs.utexas.edu/faculty/Linda.Bailey/glossary.htm

[+caver53]

We are a couple with one ID. Usually we go caching together. Sometimes one of us goes caching alone when the other is unavailable. We have occasionally both cached simultaneously in different places if one of us is travelling, but we've never tried to divide just to drive up numbers. What would be the point? It's not about the numbers, it's about having a good time. I really don't understand why people care how many cache finds somebody else racks up. I don't see geocaching as a competitive sport. It's a hobby, and the fun is in the hunt - not the stats.