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Why?

crtrue

By crtrue
in General geocaching topics

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crtrue

crtrue

Posted
Posted

Your hobby is something other people think is neat, if not a bit unusual. You spend days and plot trips around hitting small tupperware. Your life may not revolve around it, but the moment a new cache pops up in your area, you're out there at 7am wandering around the woods.

 

So here is my ultimate question:

 

Why?

 

What makes you play this game?

 

(This is not an attempt to call out the game --I know my reasons and am one of the above described, so don't take this post the wrong way)

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matcat

+matcat

Posted
Posted

Human nature! We are curious, and adventurous creatures whom seek to discover something new and undiscovered. It is our nature. weather it's inventing a cool new thing that revolutionizes the world for the next 10,000 years, or finding a plastic Tupperware container in the middle of woods, human nature drives you to want to discover it.

 

Thats my take on it anyway :rolleyes:

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Thrak

+Thrak

Posted
Posted

I wasted 3.5 years of my life sucked into online gaming. It was a MMORP called Dark Age of Camelot. I played for anywhere from 1.5 - 14 hours per day with an average of probably 4 - 6 hours daily. When I discovered Geocaching I stopped gaming and went outside. It's been GREAT for me. I found my first cache August 8, 2005 and never gamed again. I wish this had been around when my kids were little - they would have loved treasure hunting.

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martinell

+martinell

Posted
Posted

It is a great opportunity to explore your own neighborhood and see areas that you did not know existed. It is a great family experience with chance and opportunity around every corner.

 

It enables us to get out and walk around instead of mindlessly sitting and watching endless hours of tv where people hunt for houses or kill each other.

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Retcon

+Retcon

Posted
Posted

It's the only way I'll exercise :rolleyes: I can't sit on a stationary bike for more than 10 minutes (Though I can ride my bike to work for 40 minutes. I can't wait until it's warm enough). I can't walk around the block (Wwll, I can. But I don't like to. It's boring and you see the same stuff every time).

 

But I can hike around a lake or through a park or up a hill to find a cache. It's fun and I don't realize how much work it is *becuase* it's fun. When I get home I feel tired and happy and accomplished. And my gut's smaller than it was this time last year.

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WN1E

+WN1E

Posted
Posted

Love hiking and exploring through the woods. Have visited many places that I have driven by many times, but never thought of exploring.

 

Also would never go for a walk longer than a mile or so, but have often taken 6 or 7 mile hikes while doing a cache series.

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SGT red jeep

+SGT red jeep

Posted
Posted

To take the road least traveled.

The thrill of the hunt. Of finding something the average everyday unsuspecting joe doesn't even know exists. Of hiking a little known or used trail to discover a breathtaking view or maybe a little piece of history almost erased by time. Of spending time with my wife and daughters, good, high-quality time.

B)

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chuckwagon101

+chuckwagon101

Posted
Posted

Your hobby is something other people think is neat, if not a bit unusual. You spend days and plot trips around hitting small tupperware. Your life may not revolve around it, but the moment a new cache pops up in your area, you're out there at 7am wandering around the woods.

 

So here is my ultimate question:

 

Why?

 

What makes you play this game?

 

(This is not an attempt to call out the game --I know my reasons and am one of the above described, so don't take this post the wrong way)

 

McToys, Man!!! What else?????? :PB)

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Possum48

+Possum48

Posted
Posted

It gets me out into nature, forcing me to get some exercise doing something that is challenging. It also takes me to place where I have never been or haven't been to for many years.

 

I enjoy the challenge of the hunt for an ammo box, a tupperware container or even a film cannister at times.

 

Most important is that it provides some quality time away from the hustle and bustle of our every changing world with my wonderful bride of 35+ years, away from phone, tv, computer, house work, etc where we can have a good talk about what is happening in our lives.

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Juicepig

+Juicepig

Posted
Posted

I am a lamppost inspector. Figured I could get points for it too..

 

But seriously, Competitiveness with friends, exercise, great places, great stories - something to do! everyone needs a hobby, and this is a relatively cheap one - One that makes you think, one that makes you run, one that makes your heart beat with anticipation. My wife doesn't like geocaching, but she likes that I have something to do that keeps me out of trouble.. for the most part..

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Totem Clan

+Totem Clan

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've always enjoyed the hunt. Be it hide and seek as kid, to tracking and photographing animals as a teenager, to me days as a Army Ranger. I love hunting for things. Also like so many others have said, I love to explore. I have to know what's around the next corner, or over the ridge. In caching I can do both.

 

Edit to remove unnecessary quote

Edited by Totem Clan
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Hotlanta

+Hotlanta

Posted
Posted

Geocaching started out as a curiosity and something neat to do with the kid. Quickly turned in to excitement, a learning tool, and a reason to explore. Now it’s an obsession; stickers on back window of jeep, 5 different hiking sticks, new boots, day packs, early mornings and late evenings in the woods, one trip to the hospital, and an opportunity to meet some really great people at caching events. Now when I get home from work I’m not grabbing a cold one and turning on the TV to be a couch potato, I’ve got a cold one and turned on the computer to see if a new cache has popped up in my area or if someone has found one of my hides. Ok, not all has changed I still have a cold one when I get home.

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Ziggy Crew

+Ziggy Crew

Posted
Posted (edited)

Geocaching started out as a curiosity and something neat to do with the kid. Quickly turned in to excitement, a learning tool, and a reason to explore. Now it’s an obsession; stickers on back window of jeep, 5 different hiking sticks, new boots, day packs, early mornings and late evenings in the woods, one trip to the hospital, and an opportunity to meet some really great people at caching events. Now when I get home from work I’m not grabbing a cold one and turning on the TV to be a couch potato, I’ve got a cold one and turned on the computer to see if a new cache has popped up in my area or if someone has found one of my hides. Ok, not all has changed I still have a cold one when I get home.

 

Ditto!

 

I turned my 87 Montero into a TB. Talk about caching with all my co-workers that I converted and so on...

 

5e17b473-47ba-4022-af3b-d2108dc4b64b.jpg

:ph34r::lol::o:P:P:D:D:D:D:DB)B):PB):PB):PB):ph34r:69012998-6397-4c88-b156-b3f3b780e94d.jpg

 

Its all about the thrill of the find.

Edited by Ziggy Crew
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wandererrob

+wandererrob

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've been into outdoors stuff for many years. Then one day a friend was talking about geocaching, and how he'd recently placed a couple. After talking with him about it, it sounded like a fun way to add somethig new to my hikes.

 

Then it became a fun way to add something new to all of my trips.

 

Then at times it became a good excuse to do the above.

 

Now it's a mix of all the above plus, the big reason, it's a great way to find interesting places when you're away from home. My girlfriend and I found a lot of great places while in Hawaii because of caches placed by locals, stuff we'd never have even known about. Same thing when I was in Utah last fall. Same thing no matter where I go. To me, that's what geocaching is really about. Sharing cool places with your fellow geocachers.

Edited by wandererrob
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Celtic_cacher

+Celtic_cacher

Posted
Posted

Why? There are several reasons. I have always enjoyed the outdoors, yet in the past several years have found myself increasingly unable to get out and go hiking like I use to. Geocaching provides a welcome reason to do just that.

I am also a bit of a gypsy. My grandmother passed on her wanderlust to me. I enjoy finding new places, seeing new things, and going down roads I've never seen. A question was asked on a different topic of how far people had gone for a cache. I haven't been far for JUST a cache yet, but geocaching gives me the permission to go out and take long road trips just because I want to.

 

I guess it provides a welcome distraction for the daily hustle and bustle of life. I wish I'd found it years ago, but now that I am hopelessly addicted I'm enjoying every minute of it.

 

-CJ

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wimseyguy

+wimseyguy

Posted
Posted

Because the Catholic bear crossed the road? :wub:

 

Because it beats the hockeystix out of walking down the right side of the fairway looking for a sliced drive? :wub:

 

Because I've been taken to lots of cool places and met lots of cool people. :huh:

 

I a little bit crazy.

 

Just ask anyone. ;)

i agree with Ambrosia.

You'd have to be a little bit crazy to agree with her. :)

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KBI

+KBI

Posted
Posted
What makes you play this game?

My psychiatrist prescribed a Premium Membership for me as part of a desensitization treatment for my fear of small camouflaged weatherproof storage containers.

 

Of course I still do a LOT of screaming and crying in the woods, but ... with the copay, my Garmin only cost me ten bucks!

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wildfireman

+wildfireman

Posted
Posted

Its the thrill of the hunt for me and my little girl, it gives us quality time to spend together. Also, its not as costly as other sports and you still get your exercise. I think I have learned more history geocaching than I ever did in school. It also takes you to places that otherwise you would never discover.

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Kiwi Nomad

+Kiwi Nomad

Posted
Posted

My parents are the sort who would just go for a walk on a quite afternoon. Going for a stroll just doesn't interest me. I can walk to the shops to buy something or go to the library, but to do any sort of exercise just for the sake of keeping fit has never interested me.

Yes if a friend asked me to come along I would and enjoy it.

So now finding a cache is the reason why so that I can justify the effort needed to get two sons and a husband ready to go and enjoy a walk in the park or forest or where ever.

Plus the boys love going treasure hunting.

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chuck_a23

chuck_a23

Posted
Posted (edited)

++Good Gawd man---its the tupperware! I just love the smell of tupperware!

 

++you see, my new compass doesn't point north, and I simply must follow it. savvy?

 

++Gollum! where have you been? SneEakin'

 

++there are no mountains in FL, so I need something else as a "goal" and finding the beach is too easy.

 

++ new GPS, $300. new mountain bike, $43. finding toys in a jug in the woods, priceleess

 

uuu...adding a note: this is capn-jack, the geocacher formerly known as chuck_a23

Edited by chuck_a23
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Fuzzywhip

+Fuzzywhip

Posted
Posted

I wasted 3.5 years of my life sucked into online gaming. It was a MMORP called Dark Age of Camelot. I played for anywhere from 1.5 - 14 hours per day with an average of probably 4 - 6 hours daily. When I discovered Geocaching I stopped gaming and went outside. It's been GREAT for me. I found my first cache August 8, 2005 and never gamed again. I wish this had been around when my kids were little - they would have loved treasure hunting.

 

Whoa! Sounds just like me!

 

Every weekend, I would usually surf the net for hours at a time (when I had free time).

 

Now that geocaching has become an obsession, I spend a lot of time during the week on the net (researching caches, and understanding satellite technology and geometrics).

 

Yes, a RASH (Recreation - Addiction - Sport - Hobby).

 

I love the use of technology and the thrill of finding something that most people don't even know exists (both the cache and geocaching).

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kg6dfh

+kg6dfh

Posted
Posted

I am involved with SAR. I teach navigation to my team. I use to hide water bottles in an area, mark the location, and have the team map, plot a route, and find the "victim." Now, I have a lot of other people hiding things, so I don't have to get there 2 hours before my team to hide Mr. and Mrs. Aquafina.

 

Also, since in SAR you are looking for the little things that are out of place. On wilderness caches, I can usually find them w/o GPS, because I will track others that have been to the cache. It is a great and ongoing lesson. When you train your eyes, and continue to train them to find the item that is "out of place", then it becomes a lesson and a sport.

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JennM

+JennM

Posted
Posted

My reasons are similar to others' here. A friend/client told me about geocaching and I'm hooked now. I'd heard of it a few years ago but didn't know what it was, and didn't care to find out - now I wish I'd started back then.

 

I own my own business and I work about 70 hours a week. Exercise? Who has time for exercise? If you put me in a park and told me to walk 2-3 miles I'd roll my eyes and tell you to get stuffed. But put a GPSr in my hands and a set of co-ordinates to find and I'm off like a herd of turtles!

 

I don't have much free time, and this enables me to take a few hours on a Sunday morning with my kids and we're out there bushwhacking or lifting lamp skirts (usually the former - I don't like urban micros much). We all enjoy it, it's fun to see where travel bugs have been and where they are going, it's fun to see where our travel bugs are, it's fun to collect smilies and even log DNF when we're scratching our heads over the one that got away.

 

I've told a bunch of people about the game and I think a few are into it now.

 

I'd really love to attend an event, but unfortunately except for Sunday mornings early, I can't get away to attend an event - but at some point I hope to be able to add that dimension to this crazy hobby.

 

I have met quite a few cachers, and all have been really nice folks - a side-benefit to an activity that is good for me, and for my family.

 

I hope to go back to Mexico on vacation next winter (I missed this year) and there's a cache right near the place where my parents stay for the winter :anicute: Planning to grab that one!

 

I also may be going to Canada to visit my childhood home this summer and I've already scoped out a few near the old homestead!

 

Jenn

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mikebunny

mikebunny

Posted
Posted

:D:D:)

 

We geocache because it is fun to do and we can do it together! We especially like finding Travel Bugs or Geo coins and then finding another cache to put them in!

 

We like to Cache In and Trash Out if it isn't tooooo yucckky - - one of the last ones we were in had human excrement near the cache!! Oh brother!

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