Geocaching: just a stupid game?

[+mamid]

golf is a wonderful walk in the park ruined by that stupid little white ball... *laugh*

[+egami]

I am not sure which is worse...off the cuff comments about geocaching from people that haven't actually tried it or calling people stupid and telling you to ditch friends just because they have a differing opinion.

 

Keep your friends, be respectful and lead by example. Don't lower yourself to a level you don't need to stoop to. Friends, if they truly are that, are too precious to waste over a differing of opinion. Sometimes people say dumb things...if they're truly your friends they aren't going to ditch you for being a geocacher.

 

My friends and I tease each other about stuff like this all the time...people interact differently. You know them best. Use your best judgement and make the right decision.

[targetvarmints]

My wife and I use the big treasure hunt analogy too. We also quickly add how since we started geocaching we are hiking more. We explain how we have always enjoyed visiting old cemeteries, but some how over the years never seem to find the time to do that any more. Now that we are geocaching we find ourselves in old cemeteries on a regular basis. There is a lot of history in these cemeteries

 

I also like to mention how geocaching reminds me of the mountain climbing I did a little of when I lived in Colorado. When you conquer the summit you find the log and sign it (you can't keep it). When you are geocaching and find the cache you sign the log because you conquered the cache. It is a small victory and to find it you had a great time hiking around and spending time with someone you love! Most of our friends seem intrigued with what we are doing, but probably none of them will go out and by a GPSr and get into it until they go with us sometime. Most of them will never get involved even if they do come along with us, but that’s okay. They have different interests. We enjoy going to church twice every Sunday, but we have friends that don’t go to church at all. We all still like each other and probably enjoy one another’s company more because we have different interests. We will continue to enjoy geocaching with or without them. We will make new friends as well.

[+Fuzzywhip]

When I first started I thought everyone would want to hear about geocaching. I quickly found that the majority of people are not interested beyond asking, ‘what is it?’.

 

Now when asked I usually just hand them the Geo-University brochure.

 

Even the people I know who do cache don’t want to talk about geocaching as much as I do, which is why I hang out here in the forums.

 

Amen! I completely agree!

 

I discovered geocaching by accident, and have built my skill and experience by actually hunting for caches and reading the forums.

 

When I describe the sport to muggles, I keep it short and rather non-specific. Most muggles don't either understand or care.

 

PS: Sometimes, I wish that there is less publicity about geocaching, as I do not want this sport to be ruined by a massive influx of "me-too" type players (Anyone old enough to remember "CB" from the '70s will remember the destruction of CB Radio by all the latecomers).

 

Let's just hope geocaching will continue in the polite and cooperative way!

[+Bad_CRC]

I agree it's a stupid game... walk a mile through thorns and nettles to find a box of worthless wet junk under a log? Why would someone do that?

 

And certainly most who practice it are nerds. It's far from being a cool thing to do.

 

that said, I'm absolutely addicted. I think it's fun, and I'm happy to be associated with it, I never shut up about it when talking to everyone I know.... and most of them tease me about it, because, hey, it sounds pretty darn pointless. so what?

 

Never really cared what people thought about me or the things I do, I'm not going to start now. Geocaching may be a pointless nerdy game, but I enjoy it and I have no plans of stopping. I choose my activities based upon the enjoyment they provide to me, not on what others may think.

[Mainexile]

That is, unless they play football, in which case you may want to avoid getting tackled.

Football's for sissies. Go Rugby!

 

Man..that is true! Rugby is a real man's sport! I know this is a geocaching forum but I'll tell ya those guys are tough!

[+mamid]

Rugby is football without the padding. *laugh* Football is for sissies. The real men play Rugby.

 

stupid game - that's what my 4 yo was sorta saying today. Until I found part 1 of the cache today. It was hilarious because I found where the cache was and went straight to it. Then, all of a sudden, with cache in hand, it was no longer a stupid game. I had 3 little vultures circling the cache like a dying animal.

 

Wait.. that's not the right image I wanted to convey.

 

Anyway, DS got his treasure, DD got hers and I convinced D2 that babies don't need treasure just yet.

 

Stupid game? my a**.

[+wordnerd]

I don't seem to get an "interested" reaction when I try to explain it either. Just yesterday, I was going out out to lunch with a guy from work and it was my turn to drive. He saw the shoebox that I keep my cache swag in and said "What's this?" I said "It's a cache box." He said "You keep cash in a box?" I showed him my Garmin and tried to explain the game and showed him the loot in the box. He just smiled and said "I don't understand what all you just said." **sigh. It's best just to enjoy it and not explain.

[+ncfinn]

In the Good Old Days caches used to all be big and so full of good stuff it was hard to choose just one item to take. Now that more caches are in parking lots under lamp skirts it is harder to convince others that the "sport" is exciting.

[+boda]

In the Good Old Days caches used to all be big and so full of good stuff it was hard to choose just one item to take. Now that more caches are in parking lots under lamp skirts it is harder to convince others that the "sport" is exciting.

I find that the people I talk to understand signing a log to get credit for finding a cache - no matter where it the cache is located. They don't understand trading swag at all unless kids are involved.

[+C&C+COMPANY]

I don't tell people about it anymore.......I say I'm scouting out places to hide bodies

[bomb280]

Everybody I have told about it fall into 2 categories:

 

1. They think it is stupid - these are almost always people who are lazy and care nothing about the outdoors. They include people who do nothing but play XBOX and watch DVD's or sit on the internet all day. They in no way want anything to do with sports (unless it is watching) or anything that doesn't require them to answer the question "Do you want fries with your extra large supersized meal deal".

 

2. They think it is pretty cool - these people are usually outdoor type people who would prefer a little fresh air once in a while. These people generally like playing sports (maybe this is where people get caught up too much in the numbers of geocaching) and seeing new things in nature. Not all will become geocachers, but they don't make fun of you and call you stupid.

 

Either way, I go on with my business an don't let anyone bother me. I get along with both types. I just don't say anything to the type 1 people about geocaching because nothing will pry them away from their couch. Oh yeah, adults who think it would be cool to trash caches are probably too stupid to figure out how to use this website and a GPSr, so I wouldn't worry about them. I would expect that kind of behavior out of teenagers.

[+PinkAndBlue]

It is funny that some of the people who call geocaching silly think nothing of spending an afternoon watching cars drive around in circles on TV or trying to hit a little ball into a little hole.

 

Hey now, I golf and Geocache!

 

As for the topic at hand, about 75% of the people I explain it to think it's pretty cool and want to try it out. The other 25% raise their eyebrows, think it sounds lame or geeky, or say they don't have time to run around in the woods. They do make time for 3 hours of television a night, however...

 

I usually highlight the secrecy of the game to get people interested. The fact that caches are all over the world, in our backyards even, and that no one knows the game is being played right under their noses seems to draw them in.

 

The only one I'm really working on is my girlfriend who always seems to come along on DNFs or has chance encounters with giant snakes. Otherwise, I think with a few more positive experiences she'll be in.

Edited May 15, 2007 by PinkAndBlue

[+egami]

The only one I'm really working on is my girlfriend who always seems to come along on DNFs or has chance encounters with giant snakes. Otherwise, I think with a few more positive experiences she'll be in.

 

Ok, here is what you do...you don't bother her anymore with geocaching. Do it only on your own time now and then. Don't mention it to her much and just be non-chalant about it. Then, when things heat up and you decide she's the one, take her caching. Not just anywhere though...take her to a special cache you've placed with a ring in it and propose to her. She'll be hooked.

[+PinkAndBlue]

The only one I'm really working on is my girlfriend who always seems to come along on DNFs or has chance encounters with giant snakes. Otherwise, I think with a few more positive experiences she'll be in.

 

Ok, here is what you do...you don't bother her anymore with geocaching. Do it only on your own time now and then. Don't mention it to her much and just be non-chalant about it. Then, when things heat up and you decide she's the one, take her caching. Not just anywhere though...take her to a special cache you've placed with a ring in it and propose to her. She'll be hooked.

 

Hahaha, well, we have been dating for 8 years so I'm pretty sure she's the one.

 

Awesome idea though! I will definitely consider that, if only to get her caching.

Edited May 15, 2007 by PinkAndBlue

[+egami]

The only one I'm really working on is my girlfriend who always seems to come along on DNFs or has chance encounters with giant snakes. Otherwise, I think with a few more positive experiences she'll be in.

 

Ok, here is what you do...you don't bother her anymore with geocaching. Do it only on your own time now and then. Don't mention it to her much and just be non-chalant about it. Then, when things heat up and you decide she's the one, take her caching. Not just anywhere though...take her to a special cache you've placed with a ring in it and propose to her. She'll be hooked.

 

Hahaha, well, we have been dating for 8 years so I'm pretty sure she's the one.

 

Awesome idea though! I will definitely consider that, if only to get her caching.

 

Best wishes and best of luck...when the time comes. You've been dating 8 years...let's see, my wife and I have been married for 7 and we dated for about 8 weeks.

[+LivesWithMonkeys]

If it gets people off of their behinds and doing something active, then who cares if its stupid. Its no more stupid than smaching into people trying to get a pigskin past a big H, bouncing an orange ball and tossing it thru a hoop, kickin a ball up and down a field trying to get it past a goal, or any of the other so called sports. Hey, you know what, if your friends want to go out and hike and find caches just to vandalize them, fine. For me, its the journey, not the destination.

[+NevaP]

So what's new about all this anyway?

 

For 53 years of my life I have been a birder, an activity that often involves rising at dawn to sit in a swamp, tramping for hours in rain or sub-zero temperatures and traveling to remote areas in hopes of seeing a bird I haven't ever seen before, or seeing birds I've seen a gazillion times before or just watching very common birds do whatever they do. People who don't do this think I'm nuts. But when I'm with other birders we have a great time talking about, and doing our obsession.

 

For 26 years of my life I've been a serious needleworker, which involves many hours of sitting with a powerful lamp, a magnifier, a frame holder, a multitude of gadgets and threads, doing tiny intricate stitches producing beautiful items which then clutter up my house. It also involves taking many classes and traveling to seminars and workshops to learn and practice new stitching techniques. People who don't do this think I'm nuts. But when I'm with other needleworkers we have a great time talking about and doing our work.

 

For 4 and a half years of my life I have been a geocacher which as you all know involves learning new technology and acquiring gadgets, tramping through all sorts of places, peering under park benches and lifting lamppost bases , traveling as much as possible to up my stats, all to sign logbooks and/or collect cheap trinkets. People who don't do this think I'm nuts. But when I'm with other cachers we have a great time talking about our finds and looking for new ones.

 

Now I'm sure you can all think of hundreds of other activities which you may or may not do or which your friends, enemies and relatives may or may not do, which can be described in a similar manner.

 

The point I'm making is that the world would be a dull place if we all did exactly the same thing.

Enjoy what you do. Don't worry about what other people do or don't do and don't worry about what they think about what you do.

[+PinkAndBlue]

For 53 years of my life I have been a birder, an activity that often involves rising at dawn to sit in a swamp, tramping for hours in rain or sub-zero temperatures and traveling to remote areas in hopes of seeing a bird I haven't ever seen before, or seeing birds I've seen a gazillion times before or just watching very common birds do whatever they do. People who don't do this think I'm nuts. But when I'm with other birders we have a great time talking about, and doing our obsession.

 

I think you're nuts.

Edited May 15, 2007 by PinkAndBlue

[+Renegade Knight]

For 53 years of my life I have been a birder, an activity that often involves rising at dawn to sit in a swamp, tramping for hours in rain or sub-zero temperatures and traveling to remote areas in hopes of seeing a bird I haven't ever seen before, or seeing birds I've seen a gazillion times before or just watching very common birds do whatever they do. People who don't do this think I'm nuts. But when I'm with other birders we have a great time talking about, and doing our obsession.

 

I think you're nuts.

They are nuts, but I bet they would wade in a swap with you to get that cache...then help you pull off the leaches, and ticks.

[+PinkAndBlue]

For 53 years of my life I have been a birder, an activity that often involves rising at dawn to sit in a swamp, tramping for hours in rain or sub-zero temperatures and traveling to remote areas in hopes of seeing a bird I haven't ever seen before, or seeing birds I've seen a gazillion times before or just watching very common birds do whatever they do. People who don't do this think I'm nuts. But when I'm with other birders we have a great time talking about, and doing our obsession.

 

I think you're nuts.

They are nuts, but I bet they would wade in a swap with you to get that cache...then help you pull off the leaches, and ticks.

 

Haha, most likely, and for that I'd be grateful.

[crawil]

Me: So far I've been able to "convert" a friend's family into cachers. They are just waiting for their GPSr.

 

I have taken a coworker along on a hunt, but he isn't biting. I do have three people at work and a very good personal friend that I will regale with my cache-hunting tales each Monday morning but they are not excited about heading out themselves.

 

I did try and get the personal friend out in the field once and he commented that he enjoys listening to our stories but doesn't really want to do the actual activity. I guess they at least tolerate my addiction.

 

My wife: We have a cache in a greenbelt about a mile from home that she walks past on her morning routine. There are about 5 or 6 other women that walk the same route - each morning there is a slightly different group. She has shown the cache to each of them and explained the "sport". Some get it and some don't. Will any of them become cachers? Probably not, but they understand my wife a little bit better and have become closer friends because of it.

[+PinkAndBlue]

The only one I'm really working on is my girlfriend who always seems to come along on DNFs or has chance encounters with giant snakes. Otherwise, I think with a few more positive experiences she'll be in.

 

Ok, here is what you do...you don't bother her anymore with geocaching. Do it only on your own time now and then. Don't mention it to her much and just be non-chalant about it. Then, when things heat up and you decide she's the one, take her caching. Not just anywhere though...take her to a special cache you've placed with a ring in it and propose to her. She'll be hooked.

 

Hahaha, well, we have been dating for 8 years so I'm pretty sure she's the one.

 

Awesome idea though! I will definitely consider that, if only to get her caching.

 

Best wishes and best of luck...when the time comes. You've been dating 8 years...let's see, my wife and I have been married for 7 and we dated for about 8 weeks.

 

We've had a breakthrough! My girlfriend was talking to a woman at work today, and as it turns out, she owns the property that the "snake cache" was placed on. Totally random coincidence. They're not even cachers, but they allowed their land to be used and do routine maintenance on the cache for the owner. I think this one has been turned into a definite positive! They talked about it for awhile and I don't think she sees it as one of my crazy geeky hobbies anymore. Haha, they even knew the snake we ran into. There are apparently 3 big ones in the location and they've named them all, know their personalities etc... Weird.

 

Anyway, I think this has gotten her into it a bit more. I need the next one to be perfect and I think she's hooked. Who else has tailored caching experiences to maximize the potential for the others to enjoy it and want more? I'm not forcing her, she's just the type who needs to be eased into it and have some initial positive reinforcement to want to dedicate her time to it.

Edited May 16, 2007 by PinkAndBlue

[+perrycoscooter]

It seems to me that this is no different than fishing, hunting, playing sports, or any number of things people do for fun.I like to do all these things, and geocaching is no different. I just plain like to do it. I have family I cache with, friends I cache with, and sometimes do it along, as a peaceful outing.

 

Sometimes i think that people who think they cant afford(I say think they cant, because you can spend alot, or very little)put it down because they cant do, or people who dont know how to relax and enjoy nature, or and you have some that think if your not making money, your wasting your time.

 

I say thanks for the game/sport, and have fun caching

Edited May 17, 2007 by perrycoscooter

[+outdoorsaddix]

Yea I have the same problem with my friends, im 17 and most of my friend have only one thing to say about it, that its simply "gay" I personaly dont see how it possibly coule be but whatever.

[+R.O.B]

Stupid game...? Maybe.

 

But it's OUR stupid game.

[+CrkrJim]

I just started geocaching yesterday so this doesn't fall under the category of sage advice.

 

You could call it a stupid game......I call it an excuse!

 

I took my wife and teenage son with me to the park today. My excuse was "let's try this geocaching thing out".

 

Here's what really happened;

 

1) Had a nice hike in the park (large park).

2) Had a chance to talk and joke with each other away from house chores, tv's etc.

3) Saw a cool snake, birds, turtle, rabbit.

4) Took some pictures (snake, flowers)

5) Met a stranger on the path and talked for a minute.

 

oh yeah, we found a couple of caches too!

 

I don't need much excuse to get outside anyway, this excuse is almost like a mission.

 

Just havin' fun.

 

Jim

[vtmtnman]

Yea I have the same problem with my friends, im 17 and most of my friend have only one thing to say about it, that its simply "gay" I personaly dont see how it possibly coule be but whatever.

 

I wouldn't expect most any other response from a group of 16-25 yo non caching males.

[+CENTEX92]

I just started geocaching yesterday so this doesn't fall under the category of sage advice.

 

You could call it a stupid game......I call it an excuse!

 

I took my wife and teenage son with me to the park today. My excuse was "let's try this geocaching thing out".

 

Here's what really happened;

 

1) Had a nice hike in the park (large park).

2) Had a chance to talk and joke with each other away from house chores, tv's etc.

3) Saw a cool snake, birds, turtle, rabbit.

4) Took some pictures (snake, flowers)

5) Met a stranger on the path and talked for a minute.

 

oh yeah, we found a couple of caches too!

 

I don't need much excuse to get outside anyway, this excuse is almost like a mission.

 

Just havin' fun.

 

Jim

This is how my wife and I see geocaching,Its just an "excuse" to get away from all the everyday stress and do something together.

We hike,Talk, Joke and just Be Us for a day.

Not so stupid.

Pretty smart.

Edited May 20, 2007 by CENTEX92

[+Night Stalker]

You know, I kinda remember telling Renegade Knight that this was kinda silly when I first started....

Of course that was 1300 finds ago. Guess I must have changed my mind somewhere along the way.

 

[GPS-Hermit]

Any game can be made to sound stupid. I can't beleive they call it Foot-BALL - what Ball!, this Pigskin inflated thing is not even ROUND! The tuff guys wear pads so they won't get hurt and then they pat each other on the butt and beat each other on the head when they are Happy. See it is easy. Any body can do it. First you have to WANT too. There is the problem.

 

We live in American and can do what ever we want and God Bless our soldiers for helping to keep it that way! I really mean that.

[+Ble68]

That is, unless they play football, in which case you may want to avoid getting tackled.

Football's for sissies. Go Rugby!

 

Field hockey rules!!