WHY is Geocaching so addictive?

[+ryme-intrinseca]

I've had such a lovely day today. Firstly, we found an interesting cache at Winspit, Dorset. Then we met Minxyy, Red Squirrel, Kaz, Dorsetgal and Geodog who were all caching in Swanage, and arrived at the same cache at the same time (photo will be uploaded shortly - lovely to meet you all!).

 

After that, I found some Victorian books which had been hidden away in an attic, then I walked along the beach at Studland and found some money. (Bear with me, there is a point to this!)

 

I can safely say I'm addicted to Geocaching. If I could drive, I would be out all day every day finding caches. As it is, I have to drag hubbie with me, as he's the one with the car. But why is it so addictive? It's not as if the 'treasure' we find is valuable.

 

So this got me thinking - from the huge pile of old books I found, some of which are valuable first editions, the one that interested me most was an exercise book with school essays inside, written by kids 100 years ago, and probably not worth a penny.

 

On the beach, mum and I found a old penny, a sixpence, a halfpenny from 1934, two shillings and about £1.50 in modern money. My favourite find was the halfpenny, although it is now worthless. We were on the beach for a couple of hours, but finding the coins was just as addictive as Geocaching.

 

So what makes it so addictive? This is a genuine query - I really don't know. What do you all think?

Edited March 31, 2007 by ryme-intrinseca

[+Team Sieni]

I think it's having the feeling of connectedness to people you don't know; being a member of a secret society; knowing something other people don't.

 

Just think, every day people walk past this spot without realising that there is an amazing treasure hidden here. The fact that it's a lock'n'lock box full of rubbishy trinkets is neither here nor there. It's the fact that other people don't know that matters.

 

I think in a way it's very childish. We SHOULD have grown out of this. But we haven't, thank goodness.

[Edgemaster]

I think it's having the feeling of connectedness to people you don't know; being a member of a secret society; knowing something other people don't.

 

Just think, every day people walk past this spot without realising that there is an amazing treasure hidden here. The fact that it's a lock'n'lock box full of rubbishy trinkets is neither here nor there. It's the fact that other people don't know that matters.

 

I think in a way it's very childish. We SHOULD have grown out of this. But we haven't, thank goodness.

Yes that's exactly part of it!

 

Other reasons? I dont know, it can't be about the numbers, can it?

[+ryme-intrinseca]

If this works, there should now be an image of our earlier 'meeting' showing!

 

Team Sieni - I agree, that is definitely a compelling reason. Two of my favourite caches have been nanos that have been in full view of everyone. The most daring was a magnetic cache stuck at eye level, three inches to the side of a plaque that people stop to read! But it has never been muggled because it's made to look like one of the rivets that covered the item it was attached to.

 

I love the fact that hundreds of muggles see it but don't realise what it is.

 

PS. I'm never going to grow up, you're talking to a 29 year old who collects Enid Blyton books and loves Playmobil!

Edited March 31, 2007 by ryme-intrinseca

[+Dorsetgal & GeoDog]

The fact that it's a lock'n'lock box full of rubbishy trinkets is neither here nor there. It's the fact that other people don't know that matters.

 

Bbbbbbbut, it won't be a box full of rubbishy trinkets if you do a Gary & Jane cache! They set such well thought out and maintained caches they truly deserve a geocache setting Oscar! We'd just done their Swyre Head cache before we headed into Swanage where we bumped into ryme-intrinseca and Minxxy. Kaz (crouched at the front, is wearing a snazzy pair of sunglasses she swapped in the previous cache

[+ryme-intrinseca]

I agree, we've found some lovely items in Gary & Jane's caches, and their Swyre Head cache is huuuge! Trouble is, I never have anything nice enough to swop, so I usually either end up leaving some cash or walking away without swopping anything, cursing myself for not bringing something with me!

[+Woodchurch One]

Just the opportunity to be out in the open air and witness the seasons changing and the circle of life does it for me.

If that sounds a bit on the hippy side then so much the better

[+ryme-intrinseca]

Just the opportunity to be out in the open air and witness the seasons changing and the circle of life does it for me.

If that sounds a bit on the hippy side then so much the better

 

Yep, another good reason. Geocaching has taken us to so many places we would never otherwise have found, I know I've said it before but this is my favourite location ever.

 

Also, I love photography, and these two hobbies go very well together.

[+t.a.folk]

 

On the beach, mum and I found a old penny, a sixpence, a halfpenny from 1934, two shillings and about £1.50 in modern money. My favourite find was the halfpenny, although it is now worthless. We were on the beach for a couple of hours, but finding the coins was just as addictive as Geocaching.

 

I recently found a farthing on a path .seeing that wren on a coin that took me back to childhood .

And yesterday in the veg garden I uncovered a little plastic fish that was from one of my childrens toys from about 25years ago garden . Ah

 

So what makes it so addictive? This is a genuine query - I really don't know. What do you all think?

 

"Man " likes hunting .

[+Simply Paul]

So what makes it so addictive? This is a genuine query - I really don't know. What do you all think?

Geocaching contains 1.8% caffeine.

[+drsolly]

It's exercise for the mind as well as for the body. It's the thrill of the chase, the excitement of the capture. It's the peculiar and the beautiful along the route, the strange and the weird. It's the triumph of the tough find and the tragedy of the DNF. It's the competitiveness of the FTF and the cooperativeness of other cachers. It's the pain of the feet and the bliss of the post-cache sit-down, it's the coating of mud and the drenching of rain, and the sun coming out from behind the clouds and making up for its previous behaviour.

 

It's just a game, you know.

[+ryme-intrinseca]

So what makes it so addictive? This is a genuine query - I really don't know. What do you all think?

Geocaching contains 1.8% caffeine.

 

Ohhh, I'm addicted to Diet Coke too, for the same reason.

 

Drsolly - that's very poetic!

[+Sensei TSKC]

I think it's having the feeling of connectedness to people you don't know; being a member of a secret society; knowing something other people don't.

Sounds like the freemasons to me.

 

[+Dobunnis]

The great thing about geocaching is that it is games within games. There are any number of ways to play: chasing numbers, puzzles, finding TBs, following the progress of your own TBs, the secrecy, great locations and knowing that locals have exposed areas they know, travelling across the country, meeting people and making great friends, long walks, FTF chasing, challenging locations, the fun of the unusual, setting caches, the well hidden and the cheek of those in plane view, etc.

 

You can play it anyway you want and it is the breadth of the game that keeps it interesting and involves so many for so long. There are not many other pastimes that can compete in the same way,

 

Helen

[+minxyy]

cos it just is right! we've just done number 22 in about one month since joining up! and love the social, the clues, the chase and the finds such treasure lol great to catch up with rhyme-intrinseca dorsetgal and geodog this weekend! Looking forward to many more happy days out minxyy "princessannie" "lectroboy" and "bugboy"

[+HazelS]

I've gotten over the addictiveness of caching, I'm now receiving regular treatment for that... It's the addictiveness of eventing that's the problem for me now... so many events, so few weekends left to do up my house!