Jump to content

Do you feel Geocaching has changed over the years?


Recommended Posts

Geocaching used to about the thrill of the hunt and discovering new and exciting places.

 

It's devolved into a new game called "Smiley Hunt", where the goal is to accumulate smileys.

 

It's changed from "All you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure" to "All you need is a GPS and the

willingness to endure the mundane".

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment

Geocaching used to about the thrill of the hunt and discovering new and exciting places.

 

It's devolved into a new game called "Smiley Hunt", where the goal is to accumule smileys.

 

It's changed from "All you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure" to "All you need is a GPS and the

willingness to endure the mundane".

I am becoming cynical. Thus I agree with Brian.

 

It used to be about the place and the journey and the cool spot where the cache was and sometimes about the neat camo on the cache. At least I remember it being that way when we started.

 

Gradually, almost imperceptably, it has changed to being about the cache and the hide and how many.

 

Rarely do new folks mention the journey or the trip in their logs. And I am now as guilty as they are because our logs are not as full of detail as I would like them to be. But it is hard to be verbose about an altoids tin hidden on a power box next too a store.

 

When caching on my own, I try to look for clusters of caches in parks or open spaces where I can spend a few hours enjoying the area. When caching with Dean we will do a mix of both drive-up spew and park caches. Everyone caches their own way. I miss people putting thought into placement and location instead of focusing on the hide itself.

-J

Link to comment

There are a LOT more caches in the area, that is a good thing. When we started, there were less than 200 within 100 miles of our house. Now, there are over 2000 within 50 miles!

 

The bad thing is, probably 1/2 to 3/4 are micros!

 

I still prefer the longer hike in the woods ... although I will log an occasional micro. Yes, micros have there place, and we do log them occasionally, but they don't hold the memories that the ones in parks and along trails have for us.

 

Well, we have our game parameters.... and others have theirs.

Link to comment

Many more geocachers in the area, which obviously translates into more geocaches.

 

Unfortunately many of the newer hides lack the creativity, adventure and scenery of earlier ones. There are some newer ones in my area that "shine", but it's getting harder to find them thru the "clutter".

Link to comment

I like having more local caches to go after but that comes with a price. I have really noticed this on some of my recent Geocache trips.

 

It used to be all about the journey. Taking me to interesting little known areas. Sharing what I know with others while they shared the best of thier world with me. History, pretty sites, rare markers, hidden parks, old country roads, wildlife areas, small forested areas, little known facts about our world , simple backyard fields that held chilhood memories.

 

Now it seems to be leaning a bit more toward being about creating a "thrill" via difficult hides, odd camo, high muggle areas, dangerous situations.

 

Some of that is ok (really not for me but ok). I can ignore that which does not appeal. But it is a change. A BIG change.

Link to comment

Geocaching used to about the thrill of the hunt and discovering new and exciting places.

 

It's devolved into a new game called "Smiley Hunt", where the goal is to accumule smileys.

 

It's changed from "All you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure" to "All you need is a GPS and the

willingness to endure the mundane".

That's a little cynical. Aftrall, this game is what you, the individual, makes of it and can do with it. If going after the mundane floats your skirt, then by all means go after it! If going after the adventure tickles you between the two big toes, then by all means go after it!

 

The game has evolved to allow all walks of life play the game their way. Yes some of us may have a problem with what "their way" is, but that shouldn't deter you from having fun "your way".

 

Its all about attitude.

Link to comment

Geocaching used to about the thrill of the hunt and discovering new and exciting places.

 

It's devolved into a new game called "Smiley Hunt", where the goal is to accumule smileys.

 

It's changed from "All you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure" to "All you need is a GPS and the

willingness to endure the mundane".

 

Yet another "I agree with Briansnat," moment.

 

When Groundspeak coined the term "The Language of Location," they weren't talking about finding micros in parking lots. With the change from visiting new and exiting places to the new game called smiley hunt, geocaching lost part of it's integrity.

Game changes for worse.

  • No longer does a "found it" equate to actually finding a physical cache, and signing the logbook. Now anyone can log a find, by being in the "right" location.
  • Geocachers can log virtual caches from other countries without ever leaving the comfort of their home.
  • Cachers can log 100 attended logs on an event page, because they found "temporary caches," that were never approved on GC.com.
  • Great caches that require the least amount of effort, are immediately skipped and ignored, whereas a lamppost micro in a parking lot will get 100 "found it" logs versus the "hike to" cache that will get 3 "found it" logs.
  • Lame caches are quickly defended as being a gift to the sport.
  • Travel bugs and geocoins are rarely moved from geocache to geocache, but they are discovered by "icon hunters."
  • Any honest but negative logs directed at a poor cache placement turns you into an "evil cacher" or a "cache cop."
  • In a nutshell, Geocaching is losing it's morality and integrity.

Link to comment

Yes, it's changed enormously and so much for the better. There used to be so few hides out that you pretty much had to find 'em (driving a ways) or not. Now there's tons and tons of stuff. The evil micros, the mundane park and grabs, kayak caches, killer melt-your-brain puzzle caches, road bike multis, off road bike multis, adventure in the woods and swamps caches. Just a veritable feast.

 

And it keeps coming.

 

Plus, used to be if you asked about placing a geocache you got, "huh?". And now you get an answer. Okay, sometimes an annoyingly long permit process :D but at least it's not No - or (my favorite) "we don't allow no paintballing around here"*.

 

There are geocaching associations and websites out the wazoo too. Here in Florida there's an active NEFGA site, an active TAG site, an active SoFloCachers site and the FGA site. I can waste time on this forum plus 4 others. If I want to blither about geocaching, there's always somebody. Sweet :D

 

And Pocket Queries - the whole paperless thing, the great Google earth views, and caches along a route. Heck I started with an astrolabe and water clock...the technology and the site advances have been gooood.

 

*my absolute all time favorite wasn't geocaching related, but trail related - talking to the recreational coordinator for the nearby forest yielded this statement, "the forest is a tree farm, and the recreational users are in the way". Not surprisingly, they didn't want caches either. Times have changed. Now they require a permit for a cache, but they issue it instantly by phone or email.

Edited by Isonzo Karst
Link to comment

Geocaching used to about the thrill of the hunt and discovering new and exciting places.

 

It's devolved into a new game called "Smiley Hunt", where the goal is to accumule smileys.

 

It's changed from "All you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure" to "All you need is a GPS and the

willingness to endure the mundane".

 

Yet another "I agree with Briansnat," moment.

 

When Groundspeak coined the term "The Language of Location," they weren't talking about finding micros in parking lots. With the change from visiting new and exiting places to the new game called smiley hunt, geocaching lost part of it's integrity.

Game changes for worse.

  • No longer does a "found it" equate to actually finding a physical cache, and signing the logbook. Now anyone can log a find, by being in the "right" location.
  • Geocachers can log virtual caches from other countries without ever leaving the comfort of their home.
  • Cachers can log 100 attended logs on an event page, because they found "temporary caches," that were never approved on GC.com.
  • Great caches that require the least amount of effort, are immediately skipped and ignored, whereas a lamppost micro in a parking lot will get 100 "found it" logs versus the "hike to" cache that will get 3 "found it" logs.
  • Lame caches are quickly defended as being a gift to the sport.
  • Travel bugs and geocoins are rarely moved from geocache to geocache, but they are discovered by "icon hunters."
  • Any honest but negative logs directed at a poor cache placement turns you into an "evil cacher" or a "cache cop."
  • In a nutshell, Geocaching is losing it's morality and integrity.

I find myself agreeing with briansnat too. But unlike Kit Fox, I'm not sure it's all bad. The early adopters of geocaching were people who already had a GPS unit. These people tended to be more outdoorsy types who prefered a hike in the woods to a quick find at the mall. Geocaching was something extra to add to your hike or camping trip. There weren't enough caches to spend all your free time caching. As geocaching became more popular it began to attract people who prefer urban caches to long hikes. New kinds of micro containers and hiding styles developed to allow more caches to be hidden in urban environments. There were now enough caches to find caches whenever you had free time. Obesessed geocachers tried to find as many caches as they were able to find and some became competitive about the numbers. But no one says you can't continue to play the old way. You can easily just hunt caches when you are hiking in the woods and avoid all urban cache hides. Or if you must, you can limit the number of urban caches you find. Perhaps by reviewing the cache page and checking a map before you look you can even avoid most of the lame hides. It has always been true that each person can find what they like about geocaching. What seems to be different is that before no one felt threatened that someone liked something different. Now people find that people who play the game differently are causing Geocaching to lose it's morality and integrity :D .

Link to comment

 

When Groundspeak coined the term "The Language of Location," they weren't talking about finding micros in parking lots. With the change from visiting new and exiting places to the new game called smiley hunt, geocaching lost part of it's integrity.

Game changes for worse.

  • No longer does a "found it" equate to actually finding a physical cache, and signing the logbook. Now anyone can log a find, by being in the "right" location.
  • Geocachers can log virtual caches from other countries without ever leaving the comfort of their home.
  • Cachers can log 100 attended logs on an event page, because they found "temporary caches," that were never approved on GC.com.
  • Great caches that require the least amount of effort, are immediately skipped and ignored, whereas a lamppost micro in a parking lot will get 100 "found it" logs versus the "hike to" cache that will get 3 "found it" logs.
  • Lame caches are quickly defended as being a gift to the sport.
  • Travel bugs and geocoins are rarely moved from geocache to geocache, but they are discovered by "icon hunters."
  • Any honest but negative logs directed at a poor cache placement turns you into an "evil cacher" or a "cache cop."
  • In a nutshell, Geocaching is losing it's morality and integrity.

I have to agree with that.

 

However I would never do any of the items on your list. Even if every other cacher in the world were to lose their morality and integrity, I never will. So to me the sport is still something good. Cache to the standard to you know is right and hope that others will learn from you.

Link to comment

Yes, it's changed enormously and so much for the better. There used to be so few hides out that you pretty much had to find 'em (driving a ways) or not. Now there's tons and tons of stuff. The evil micros, the mundane park and grabs, kayak caches, killer melt-your-brain puzzle caches, road bike multis, off road bike multis, adventure in the woods and swamps caches. Just a veritable feast.

 

And it keeps coming.

 

Plus, used to be if you asked about placing a geocache you got, "huh?". And now you get an answer. Okay, sometimes an annoyingly long permit process :anicute: but at least it's not No - or (my favorite) "we don't allow no paintballing around here"*.

 

There are geocaching associations and websites out the wazoo too. Here in Florida there's an active NEFGA site, an active TAG site, an active SoFloCachers site and the FGA site. I can waste time on this forum plus 4 others. If I want to blither about geocaching, there's always somebody. Sweet :D

 

And Pocket Queries - the whole paperless thing, the great Google earth views, and caches along a route. Heck I started with an astrolabe and water clock...the technology and the site advances have been gooood.

 

*my absolute all time favorite wasn't geocaching related, but trail related - talking to the recreational coordinator for the nearby forest yielded this statement, "the forest is a tree farm, and the recreational users are in the way". Not surprisingly, they didn't want caches either. Times have changed. Now they require a permit for a cache, but they issue it instantly by phone or email.

Amen and Amen. Enough with the negativity and on to the positive. I do not care about the number count but it is fantastic that after work instead of taking my kids home where the TV gets turned on right away we can go out on some treasure hunts before supper. And so what if they are a little mundane. My eight year old gets to act all sneaky untill he finds it and then yells "Found It" It gives us a very inexpensive way to share family time that is exciting for all.

Link to comment

A difficult question...

My time here has been brief, just over 2 years, so I missed out on a lot of stuff the oldtimers discuss. I can only guess at what things were like pre-Riffster. From what I have seen, there has been a whole lot of improvements as caching has grown. There have also been some declines as caching has grown. What has improved vs. what has declined is strictly subjective, and since I wasn't there, I'll keep my opinions to myself. Overall, I'd give GC an A+ for positive growth.

Link to comment

I agree with briansnat and most of what others have said in agreeing with him. I realize there are many ways to sort through and only do the caches I want to do. But it was kind of nice when I didn't have to. On the other hand, now when you find a "must-do", it's that much more exciting.

Edited by Dinoprophet
Link to comment

Looking back on my early geocaching roadtrips, I realize that I have always sorted the 'good' from the 'bad'. The only difference now is that back then I did the sorting manually because there were only a few dozen caches to choose from along a few hundred mile journey. It was relatively simple to go through each one and decide which ones would be targeted.

 

Now there are hundreds or thousands to choose from along similar routes. This has made it a requirement to use other alternatives, such as PQs and GSAK, to sort out the 'bad' (or in the 'good').

Link to comment

This is a piece I wrote some months ago for the Georgia Geocachers Association newsletter. The context is Georgia caches and cachers, but it would likely apply universally:

 

Is The Golden Age of Geocaching Over?

 

Some of the old timers like me might remember the good old days, when geocaches were few and far between. Well maybe they weren’t all that good, since we had to drive across the state to find a new cache. That was back in 2001 or 2002. I can remember a couple of occasions when I drove from home in Suwanee down to Macon or up to the North Georgia mountains to look for a single cache. On at least two of those trips I ran into fellow geocacher Bent Twigs at the same cache. At the time we were competing to be the first geocacher in Georgia to have a hundred finds. Bent Twigs won, and I swore I’d beat him to a thousand. Those were the good old days. Or were they?

 

Now, five or six years later we have many more caches to look for, without having to drive a hundred miles to find a new one. Some of the new caches may not be the most memorable in the world, but then again they might be as close as the nearest Wal-Mart or Kroger parking lot. If we’re “Premium Members” we can do “Pocket Queries” and download a list of just the kind of caches that appeal to us. If we’re going on a trip we can download a list of all the caches within .5 miles of our route, or use someone else’s “Bookmark List” of favorite caches. Wow, we’ve never had it so good!

 

But there’s something missing that we had in the early days: the excitement of seeing a new cache published 100 miles away and planning a road trip to find that new cache. Is there any way to regain that excitement? Well, as I sit here reminiscing on New Year’s Eve I think I’ve found a way to do just that.

 

It’s the “Georgia DeLorme Challenge”, or cache GCZ8XQ. Thanks to AB4N, who published the cache, and Thorny1, who’s done a super job of supporting it with custom maps for the players, there’s a reason to drive 100 miles to find a cache again! In fact just today I braved terrible weather to drive nearly 300 miles round trip to find a couple of caches on the elusive “page 24A” around West Point Lake on the Georgia/Alabama border. And not lame skirt lifters, but memorable multis and a cache of LZ33’s that required miles and miles of driving on muddy dirt roads. It was great!

 

When the DeLorme Challenge cache was first published there were three pages in the atlas that had no caches at all. Thanks go to Owl1959 & Hannah who made the mother of all road trips to place caches in those remote locations. Thanks also go to those who will assist in maintaining those new caches. I’m happy to state that I enjoyed the long drives to find those caches and knock those three pages off the list. There are also six pages with between only one and three caches on the whole page. I haven’t completed all of those pages, but look forward to the fun. I can’t be FTF by finding caches on all 63 pages, as Owl1959 & Hannah have already accomplished that, but I look forward to completing the challenge. Or maybe it’ll be anticlimactic, and I’ll have to find a new challenge…. The “All Georgia Counties Challenge” perhaps?

 

Anyway, the gist of this story is that the Golden Age of Geocaching , or the Good Old Days of Geocaching, are by no means over. You just need to find a way to keep it interesting, like I have. Go for it!

 

~erik~

Link to comment

This is a piece I wrote some months ago for the Georgia Geocachers Association newsletter. The context is Georgia caches and cachers, but it would likely apply universally:

 

Is The Golden Age of Geocaching Over?

 

<snipped for brevity>

 

Anyway, the gist of this story is that the Golden Age of Geocaching , or the Good Old Days of Geocaching, are by no means over. You just need to find a way to keep it interesting, like I have. Go for it!

 

~erik~

Thanks. That says it all.

Link to comment

I'm extremely new to this, so it's impossible for me to comment on the sport changing over the years. Instead I would like to comment on the sport itself from a newbie point of view as it exists today.

 

1. I enjoy all the caches I find. Even the "lame" ones. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a cache and dash to feed my addiction and sometimes I want a long hike for some simple "me" time. I don't know of a time when micros didn't exist... or at least minimally existed. I only know of the recent months where they have always been. Most of my early "training" caches were micros and helped me sharpen my skills when seeking out well hidden regular caches.

 

2. My kids love this stuff. My son is 4 and my daughter is 2. My daughter at 2 years old calls an ammo can a treasure box and anytime we drive by woods she wants to go hide one. I love the look on their face when we discover something and the gigantic smiles when they get to take a bobble of some sort home with them.

 

With some micros I'll park right next to it, open the sliding door to the minivan, and leave them buckled in the car (for safety reasons) while I hunt. When I find it... they hoot, hollar, cheer, and clap and that always makes me smile.

 

3. Early on in my first hundred finds I found it hard to not get swept up in the counts. When other people I know are zooming along and I'm not I wanted to push to catch up. After the first 100 I decided to slow down and enjoy things a bit. Now I'm passed 200, I don't care at all what other people do. I'll get them when I can, however I can, on my own time, at my own pace.

 

4. As the sport stands now, I love it and enjoy it daily. As the sport evolves my point of view may change but right now I enjoy everything. The rules, the cache types, the counts, the hides, and most importantly the people I meet and talk too over these forums.

 

I guess the thing is I just enjoy this hobby. From the technology to the outdoors to the family time, it speaks to all the different parts of my character that make me who I am.

 

Has the sport changed? Yes, it's easy to read the forums and track the history. Has it changed for the better? I can't say as I don't know any worse. I can say without a doubt that I greatly enjoy where it is now and I eagerly look forward to where it is heading... where ever that may be.

 

Moonie

Link to comment

I agree with briansat as well.

Having just had the numbers cachers in the UK take exception to the same sentiment shows how its changed here as well a few years ago being called a numbers cacher in the forums was actually deemed an insult now its deemd as high praise.

 

My response to this was the standard filters thread.

 

Personally we try to do the caches we like and now place caches that we would enjoy.

 

The introduction of ignore lists is also a good indication of how its changed.

 

The important thing we realised was that you dont have to find every cache that is close to home.

Having an unfound cache within a few miles of your home is not a crime its a sign you know what you like and are willing to go for it.

 

Probably timne for another cache ratings thread isn't it :anicute::D

Link to comment

Great caches that require the least amount of effort, are immediately skipped and ignored, whereas a lamppost micro in a parking lot will get 100 "found it" logs versus the "hike to" cache that will get 3 "found it" logs.

 

Great point, I have noticed this a lot myself.

Link to comment

I found it far more exciting/challenging when there were less caches and less cachers. Each new cache that popped up caused a bunch of excitement and planning and anticipation. They were few and far between.

 

Now I can literally pass tons of caches just on my way to the post office. For me, that has really lost the magic of the early days.

There are just too many out there. Can you tell I'm not about numbers?? I never will be.

Link to comment
Now I can literally pass tons of caches just on my way to the post office. For me, that has really lost the magic of the early days.

 

Same here. I pass some caches every day that just don't interest me. There is one in a Walmart and one in a Home Depot lot within a few miles of my house. For all I know I've parked right next to them during my many visits there. Not interested.

 

However, where I live, I'm lucky to be among some superb cache hiders and the caches that I mentioned above are the exception rather than the rule. The ammo box in the woods is still king around here. I'm constantly amazed at the awesome places my fellow geocachers here find to hide caches.

 

It's when I travel to other areas that I'm routinely disappointed. It's very hard to separate the caches from the traches when I'm traveling for business or pleasure.

Link to comment
When Groundspeak coined the term "The Language of Location," they weren't talking about finding micros in parking lots.

I love Geocaching. It takes me to great locations.

 

Sometimes that great location is a high spot with a nice view; a cool park or waterfall I didn’t know existed; a place of local, scientific or historical interest; or simply a quiet and pretty place in the woods at the end of a fun hike. Those caches are very enjoyable.

 

Sometimes all it takes for a location to be great is that the location is away from my TV or outside of my hotel room. Those caches are very enjoyable for me as well.

 

Sometimes the great location is the place my mind takes me during that awesome feeling of accomplishment I get from solving a clever and challenging cache puzzle – no matter where I happen to be sitting or standing when the cartoon light bulb finally comes on over my head.

 

Sometimes the great location is right here in front of my computer as I enjoy the anticipation of planning another cache outing – or later, as I have fun writing the logs and remembering what I enjoyed about my finds (or even my no-finds) that day. I enjoy everything about hunting a cache.

 

Sometimes the great location is the one I physically inspect, or imagine in my mind, as I work on ideas for my next hide. I’ve got lots of coords saved in my Garmin as locations where there is no cache ... yet. I’ve got lots of ideas, too. I enjoy everything about hiding a cache.

 

And sometimes the great location is wherever the cache hunt takes me – even if the location looks ugly or smells funny – because it means I’m Geocaching. I’m using a cool gadget to enjoy navigating to a spot where some other player has clandestinely placed something. Something of which the local muggles are totally oblivious. Whenever I'm caching I am, by definition, in on a secret; and being IN on such a way, way cool secret like that is a location that is sometimes just too cool for words – regardless how big the cache is, or where it is hidden.

Link to comment
When Groundspeak coined the term "The Language of Location," they weren't talking about finding micros in parking lots.
I love Geocaching. It takes me to great locations.

 

Sometimes that great location is a high spot with a nice view; a cool park or waterfall I didn’t know existed; a place of local, scientific or historical interest; or simply a quiet and pretty place in the woods at the end of a fun hike. Those caches are very enjoyable.

 

Sometimes all it takes for a location to be great is that the location is away from my TV or outside of my hotel room. Those caches are very enjoyable for me as well.

 

Sometimes the great location is the place my mind takes me during that awesome feeling of accomplishment I get from solving a clever and challenging cache puzzle – no matter where I happen to be sitting or standing when the cartoon light bulb finally comes on over my head.

 

Sometimes the great location is right here in front of my computer as I enjoy the anticipation of planning another cache outing – or later, as I have fun writing the logs and remembering what I enjoyed about my finds (or even my no-finds) that day. I enjoy everything about hunting a cache.

 

Sometimes the great location is the one I physically inspect, or imagine in my mind, as I work on ideas for my next hide. I’ve got lots of coords saved in my Garmin as locations where there is no cache ... yet. I’ve got lots of ideas, too. I enjoy everything about hiding a cache.

 

And sometimes the great location is wherever the cache hunt takes me – even if the location looks ugly or smells funny – because it means I’m Geocaching. I’m using a cool gadget to enjoy navigating to a spot where some other player has clandestinely placed something. Something of which the local muggles are totally oblivious. Whenever I'm caching I am, by definition, in on a secret; and being IN on such a way, way cool secret like that is a location that is sometimes just too cool for words – regardless how big the cache is, or where it is hidden.

Well put.

 

I'm reminded of a quick trip I made with my wife to Charleston, WV in early 2005 for a wedding. I hadn't previously found any caches in West Virginia and I had almost no time to look for one. Much to my pleasure, one of our many CR's was nice enough to hide a micro quite near our hotel. It fit the bill nicely.

 

If I haven't said it before, thanks for that cache, KBI, I enjoyed it.

Link to comment

Geocaching used to about the thrill of the hunt and discovering new and exciting places.

 

It's devolved into a new game called "Smiley Hunt", where the goal is to accumule smileys.

 

It's changed from "All you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure" to "All you need is a GPS and the

willingness to endure the mundane".

 

Too funny. Will that be the new slogan?

 

I guess in my area caching hasn't changed much in the last couple of years. Oh wait, yes it has. We actually have caching in this area now, whereas before we didn't. :anicute::D:):)

 

What a great experience and thank you to everybody who has made this possible!!!!! :):D:)

 

(I provided some smileys for the "Smiley Hunt".

Link to comment

What about Terracaching? (As in, for those of you who see a downward trend, what is your opinion.) It seems most of the negative things I've read so far seem to be non-existent in that site. (I mean, seriously, the closet terracache to my location is 60 miles away.) Other than being a little snooty they don't seem half that bad.

 

But for my own opinion on geocaching, being as I'm utterly new and not even born compared to most people, I don't see much of a problem. All the caches I've done so far have been nice enough for me to enjoy, some more memorable than others but all good enough to get me out to see some sunlight. Which I appreciate, I'm always looking for a good excuse to see a sky above my head rather than a ceiling. Maybe when I start running into these so called bad caches my opinion might skew a bit but so far, micro caches seem fun as hell when your miles deep in a concrete jungle. Not only that, it's awesome to find parks that you otherwise would've never knew existed in your urban abode. Plus places you've never had an excuse to stop by and visit. (Those are some of my favorites. =D)

Edited by DrunkCat
Link to comment

Wether or not geocaching has changed since I started is not in question as it most certainly has. How and in what ways could take all day to answer, so I'll try to be brief.

 

It has in my opinion changed for the better and for the worse. On the one hand, the number of caches has VASTLY increased. I had to drive around a bit to find my first caches. Now there are hundreds within the same area.

 

On the up side, more caches have led to more geocaching and new hide styles. More locations to see.

 

On the down side, there are so many caches now that creativity in the hides has deminished. Perhaps out of laziness, for lack of a better term right now, perhaps simply the excitement of placing a cache, any cache. Also, through the sheer numbers of caches out there, once interesting and devious hide techniques have become commonplace and even lame by some standards.

 

I think the overall trend has been toward the positive though. More caches, more geocachers, new places to see and those continued smiles that emerge from the "clutter" as somebody finally found a new way to hide a cache or that hidden gem of a location that somehow nobody else placed had claimed yet.

 

And the tools available have made it better too. Long gone are my days of printing out a stack of paper and treking them with me. Now with PQs, caches along routes, paperless caching and so many others it makes caching more tailored to what you want.

 

I still enjoy caching, and play the game in my own way. As everybody should. There's something out there for everybody. One person's lame cache is another person's godsend. One person's excess effort for the find, is another person's trip worth making.

 

I only wish I had more time to cache more. Which reminds me, I've got a couple of bugs that are long overdue to be moved along. :anicute: I need to leave the bugs be for a while I think. I'm no longer able to move them along efficiently.

Link to comment

Geocaching used to about the thrill of the hunt and discovering new and exciting places.

 

It's devolved into a new game called "Smiley Hunt", where the goal is to accumulate smileys.

 

It's changed from "All you need is a GPS and a thirst for adventure" to "All you need is a GPS and the

willingness to endure the mundane".

Another offshoot of "Smiley Hunt" is how impersonal it makes geocaching. It used to be that you could click on a person's profile and actually learn a little something about them - hobbies, etc. Recently, I've seen noobs with less than a month of caching under their belt with their "its not about the numbers" stats filling up the page and nothing else. I'd rather learn that someone likes Kurt Vonnegut's stories, for example, rather than how many FTFs they have, counties they've cached in, states they've cached in, % of difficulty, etc. I'd actually prefer to see a blank profile page rather than scrolling through a page of stats.

 

I am not saying that keeping stats isn't fun - or berating folks for having that information on their profile page - but I think showing a page and a half of stats and nothing else just reinforces the "numbers" aspect of the game and micro-spew. It has had a deleterious effect on the game in terms of cache placements, quantity over quality, etc.

 

Maybe it's just a "chick thing" - but I like learning about people when I email them or read their posts. The community may have grown, but it's hard to relate to profiles of pure numbers. I'd rather learn about the people behind them.

 

~ Mother Hen

Link to comment

It has certainly changed over the years. More caches, less options (locationless, virtual, traveling, mandatory log, etc.) Some of it is good, some is bad. Certainly the swag factor has diminished. Since there is so much broken McCrap in geocaches these days, I've gotten to not even bothering doing anything but signing the log. I mean there is a LOT of opportunity to trade up, but I know the chain would be broken, so what is the use? I'm not going to treat each geocache like a charity case. I don't have that kind of money, so... I sign the log.

 

To sum up, it has changed, not necessarly for the worse or better, but it has changed.

Link to comment

Well, one thing I don't think anyone could argue about is the benefit of the evolution of CITO from geocaching.

Granted, some hikers and outdoorspeople have been carrying out trash for years before there was such thing as geocaching, but I do like how it's been promoted.

 

It's just so easy to bring along a couple plastic grocery bags and pick up the cans and junk you find along the way. (Of course, know what meth byproducts look like and don't pick those up.)

 

I get a kick out of looking around for more trash to toss in the bag; then I'm finding much more "treasure" than just the cache at the end.

 

CITO looks good in the press too!

 

~K

Link to comment

It certainly has changed like Briansat has already stated. I was #10 at one time for the most caches found in a day at 26. This took 14 hours and we had to drive 250 miles. They were all real (full size) caches, but lets stop and look at this for a moment. Maybe these changes are not all bad. Gas was a whole lot cheaper then. If we had to drive 250 miles in a 4X4 that gets 10 mpg today for 26 caches, could we afford it. I think that with rising costs all these mundane caches may just be necessary in order for us to continue to afford to go caching.

Link to comment

I only started in January, and it feels like all of the interesting caches were placed years ago. There are a few active, interesting caches in the area, but it feels repetative for me.

 

One of my first caches was the Croc Hunter cache, a two mile walk down Bird Island, NC, and a climb over sand dunes. That was my inspiration. Almost all of the caches around here are about the difficulty of the hide, not so much the location. Puzzle caches and "woods behind the parking lot" caches reign, although there are, of course, exceptions.

 

This is probably a result of natural areas just getting their respective caches, but that's not all. I recently spent two weeks decrypting a cache in the middle of a wooded park, finding a gigantic ammo can hidden in a place I had never seen, lugging with me all sorts of cool things...

 

...Broken Christmas ornaments, sunblock, and McToys. I left a copy of the original M*A*S*H book, took a tiny deck of cards (the only thing really notable), and didn't cache for about a month afterward.

 

So, has Geocaching changed over the years? Perhaps, although I can't say for sure. What I would have liked to see is more emphasis on big locations and caches that require trips -- not sure how many people would agree with me, but I would gladly travel up to a hundred miles to check out a new cache if it was almost guaranteed to be challenging, interesting, and fun.

 

So if I were going to change anything, I would make it so hard to get a new cache approved, that only the most stubborn or devoted cacher would get something up and running. I'm probably wrong in thinking this, but I would gladly submit to a stringent review process if I knew I were joining an elite collection of sites.

Link to comment

What I have found is the slow degradation of the quality of hides. Like a copy of a copy of a copy.

 

When I began (mid-2003), regular sized caches were the norm. Microcaches existed, but only in small numbers.

 

As time passed, more people began hiding more micros, urban micros became common. The nanocache was born.

 

More time passed, more people began caching, saw all the micros, and began placng micros is huge numbers, thinking that was the norm and expected. Nanos became prevalant, and new cachers concidered anything bigger than a film cannister (AOL tin, medicine bottle, altoids tin) to be "small" and "regular". It became "all about the numbers".

 

Now we are where we are, awash in a sea of micros hidden under every LPS, Wal-Mart parking lot, guardrail, and newspaper box. High-numbers cachers are praised, and high-numbers hiders are revered.

 

I havebeenthisclose to commiting geocide so many times I have lost count, but keep finding reasons not to. Just today, I found 14 caches by a relattivly new cacher, and 10 were at least true small-sized or larger, and took me on a 80 mile round trip out in the country to some nice places...guess I will stick around a little longer.

Link to comment

What I have found is the slow degradation of the quality of hides. Like a copy of a copy of a copy.

 

When I began (mid-2003), regular sized caches were the norm. Microcaches existed, but only in small numbers.

 

As time passed, more people began hiding more micros, urban micros became common. The nanocache was born.

 

More time passed, more people began caching, saw all the micros, and began placng micros is huge numbers, thinking that was the norm and expected. Nanos became prevalant, and new cachers concidered anything bigger than a film cannister (AOL tin, medicine bottle, altoids tin) to be "small" and "regular". It became "all about the numbers".

 

Now we are where we are, awash in a sea of micros hidden under every LPS, Wal-Mart parking lot, guardrail, and newspaper box. High-numbers cachers are praised, and high-numbers hiders are revered.

 

I havebeenthisclose to commiting geocide so many times I have lost count, but keep finding reasons not to. Just today, I found 14 caches by a relattivly new cacher, and 10 were at least true small-sized or larger, and took me on a 80 mile round trip out in the country to some nice places...guess I will stick around a little longer.

 

I agree with you. People that have been caching for at least 4 years have seen the changes take place. It's no longer the thrill of the hunt. It's more like an easter egg hunt. I remember that finding 100 caches was a cause for celebration. Now you can hit that many in a day with little effort.

 

Not only has the overall cache quality degraded tremendously, so has the caching experience. I'm very happy to see cachng grow, I just don't believe it grew the right way. Hopefully it will work it's way back to a shadow of what it used to be, but I doubt it.

 

We will never be able to explain to the newer cachers exactly what we mean. It's like trying to explain being in love to someone that has never experienced it. They think they understand, but they never will until they also experience the same thing. And as with being in love, the experience will vary from person to person.

 

El Diablo

Link to comment

*sigh*....double post.

 

Although I will use this post to add that I've emailed another user(Who's name is above me but I won't mention) to ask permission to recreate one of his travel bugs because I thought it was a great idea,very original,and something that everyone could enjoy.....but apparently we "Newbies" don't rate a response.

Edited by vtmtnman
Link to comment

I've only been at this game for a little under a year,and don't have many finds yet (Due to work related location),but I wish I had known about this game when I first got my first GPS back in july of 2000.The moment my buddy introduced me to geocaching,I was sucked into the madness.What fun!

 

I've touched on this somewhat in another thread that I had started,but there WILL come a point when it's all been done.As it is now I've been trying to come up with original ideas for caches,travel bugs,and anything else caching realted,only to find someone has beaten me to the punch.I think that's probably 50% of the "problem" the old timers see.One thing that is better than the old days is we all have many types of caches to choose from.Whatever you feel like caching for that day is at your disposal.Micros,nanos,multi's,puzzles...you name it.That in itself can be a double edged sword.More variety,but more chances to point out "That's not a REAL geocache!"

 

To each his own.You could cross out geocaching and insert any trade/hobby/whatever and the older/earlier days of it still won't compare to today.That's just the way it is.

Link to comment

Years ago I cached tofind places in my backyard that I never knew about, Those days are gone. Now the only times I do are to:

- take my kids out because the enjoy finding treasure in the woods.

- to use geocacheing as a way to get kids I teach to get intresed in the out doors. Mostly I plac tep caches for the days with the plan of well were gona cache but on the way I'm goning to teach them about the trees, wild edibals, natural history ect..

 

I just use it as a tool to get kids intrested in nature again.

 

As for me I don't cache anymore but as a "old timer" I loved how it started out but hate how it is now. Numbers are worthless its about what you saw on the way. Now if you asked "new timers" what they saw it would be mostly a lamp post, a gard rail, some parking lots. When I started it was I saw a amzeing water fall, a bear or a great sunset.

 

Dave

Link to comment

It is causing me some wonderment that some of the old timers here haven't learned how to keep geocaching exiting for them. I wonder if maybe they are getting a little lazy in their old age. LOL

 

Here is what I mean, and these quotes are made up compilations so they do not point to any particular cacher.

 

Then

"In the old days I got to hike 30 miles after a 100 mile drive to find an ammo can in a great location. I spent all day to find one cache and I loved it."

 

Today

"I have so many caches around that I pass them all by and complain that there aren't any good caches. I really don't want to spend 20 minutes looking for the ones that I might enjoy. Geocaching is getting to be full of lazy people that won't place a great cache that takes me all day to find. Guess I'll just cry about the quality of caches"

 

Do you see the change. We older cachers used to be willing to spend all day to find a great cache. Now we won't spend 15 minutes to look through the caches near us to find the ones that interest us. And they are still being placed, I know because I have found some of them recently.

 

I for one think the game is much better. Of course I play it the way that is fun for me. Here is my secret.

 

* No longer does a "found it" equate to actually finding a physical cache, and signing the logbook. Now anyone can log a find, by being in the "right" location.

* Geocachers can log virtual caches from other countries without ever leaving the comfort of their home.

* Cachers can log 100 attended logs on an event page, because they found "temporary caches," that were never approved on GC.com.

* Great caches that require the least amount of effort, are immediately skipped and ignored, whereas a lamppost micro in a parking lot will get 100 "found it" logs versus the "hike to" cache that will get 3 "found it" logs.

* Lame caches are quickly defended as being a gift to the sport.

* Travel bugs and geocoins are rarely moved from geocache to geocache, but they are discovered by "icon hunters."

* Any honest but negative logs directed at a poor cache placement turns you into an "evil cacher" or a "cache cop."

* In a nutshell, Geocaching is losing it's morality and integrity.

[\quote]

 

Never done any of this as is doesn't make any sense FOR ME.

 

I look at the most recent gallery pictures on a regular basis when I am stuck in a hotel room, airport lobby, boring work meeting etc and look for locations that look like I might enjoy them. This lets me geocache even when I can't if only vicairously. I then bookmark the caches I think I might enjoy in case I am ever in that part of the country.

 

I look at profiles of cachers that I think enjoy the same kind of caches I do. I have a bookmark list of them that I look at and see if they have added any new caches to their favorites list or if they make a particularly interesting log. (Some of the above cachers are in my list) Then I can visit caches they liked.

 

I use lots of the "numbers" stuff on my profile. But I use it in a way that is fun for me. I don't really care how many caches I have found (and although the number is above 2000 the rate of two caches a day means that I get out an try to enjoy a couple caches every day) but I really like seeing the maps I have showing all the places I have been filling up.

 

I also have bookmark list of "goal" caches that I search. For instance I have a bookmark list of all the first caches in each state. I am trying to visit each one of them that is still active. I will never be able to find some of them as they are already archived but it is fun to see the first one. And to be honest with you a few of them weren't any better than some of the "drive by and throw out a cache" that we have today.

 

So when I am in a new area working I search for the above caches first. Then I search for the ones nearby that might interest me. And when all else fails I can go down to the nearest Walmart lamp post cache because sometimes in the middle of a 14 hour day, ten minutes stretching my legs outside can be nice no matter what I am searching for, even a Walmart parking lot.

Link to comment
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...