+Snoogans Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Okay, I'm off work for the next 10 days for the birth of my son. I work the midnight shift and I need to get back on a regular sleep schedule for this time off, so I'm staying up wayyyy past my bedtime to get back on track. I've only been up since 8:30 pm last night. I decided to go and do my nearest 4 unfound caches so I loaded up the coords, read the cache pages, got a pocket full of assorted smashed pennies, a few travel bugs, some extra batteries, a pen, and headed out. I got to the first cache coords and was totally skunked after 30+ minutes of searching later. It's one of those unseasonably warm and sticky, grey days and it just sucked the cachin' mojo right outta me. I wrestled with the idea of continuing on for all of 10 seconds and decided to just go home and watch all 3+ hours of Magnolia on one tv while I watch the Texans lose (muted) on the other. Anyone else scrub a cachin' outing for lack of Mojo? What's your story? Quote
+private bones Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 (edited) Yeah a bunch of redwood trees sent me home whimpering. Well actually my partner was whimpering and that made me whimper. The story is that it was a beautiful hike with a loop of tough caches in a valley packed full of redwoods. Pretty much you could just kiss your signal goodbye. Those who took the time to read the descriptions, read the logs, and bring hints seemed to fare a little better than those who went out blindly thinking it would be a normal day of caching. Oh yeah it was also Halloween and after 4 DNF's without any hints to help, my partner basically let loose with a few descriptive 4 letter words describing how he felt about redwoods. That prompted me to cut loose with a hypothesis about ghouls and goblins messing with caching mojo on Halloween. So we both called it a day. I must have been feeling pretty s----- about the whole deal because that night I went to Halloween party dressed up as a cow with a pie tin hanging off the tail....COW PIE Edited December 9, 2007 by private bones Quote
+Miragee Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 One day when I was in "town," I looked for one cache near the parking lot of a Costco store . . . I couldn't find it. So, I drove to another cache location which turned out to be in a pile of rubble on the side of a very busy street. I couldn't find that cache either . . . So . . . I took a long hike and hid four caches . . . Last week I had lost my caching Mojo, so instead of looking for treasures in cache containers, I went Thrift Store shopping . . . and I found some really cool things. Quote
+TrailGators Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 There are definitely days that I have mojo and days that I don't. I typically cache with a group so I can get away with a low mojo day. But the last time I lost my mojo when I was caching by myself, I had solved a puzzle cache and decided to drive to the north side of town to find it. The coords took me to the side of a forested road. My GPS is one of those old types with the non-Sirf chip so it didn't like the trees. Anyhow, I walked along the edge of the woods looking for obvious spots but came up empty. Then I noticed an area with a big cement "thing." I have no idea what the thing was but I have seen these things from time to time. Anyhow, I started looking around that thing and suddenly froze when I realized I was standing in the middle of Poison Oak! I can't believe that I didn't notice it. It was all over the place! So I high-tailed it home to wash it off because I am super-allergic to it. Anyhow, a few weeks later I went back. I had my mojo that day because I walked right up to a sign at the edge of the woods and spotted the container velcroed to the bottom of the 4x4 post. My first thought was that I couldn't believe that I didn't spot that the first time. Oh well! Somedays you have "it" and somedays you don't... Quote
+Renegade Knight Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 ...Anyone else scrub a cachin' outing for lack of Mojo? What's your story? Every now and then I get the gear, get out to the cache, and suddenly realize that I really don't want to be looking for this cache or any other. Then I go do something else. Clearly another mojo is working that day. Even looking for the cache would take away from the day. Quote
+elmuyloco5 Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 (edited) Okay, I'm off work for the next 10 days for the birth of my son. I work the midnight shift and I need to get back on a regular sleep schedule for this time off, so I'm staying up wayyyy past my bedtime to get back on track. I've only been up since 8:30 pm last night. I decided to go and do my nearest 4 unfound caches so I loaded up the coords, read the cache pages, got a pocket full of assorted smashed pennies, a few travel bugs, some extra batteries, a pen, and headed out. I got to the first cache coords and was totally skunked after 30+ minutes of searching later. It's one of those unseasonably warm and sticky, grey days and it just sucked the cachin' mojo right outta me. I wrestled with the idea of continuing on for all of 10 seconds and decided to just go home and watch all 3+ hours of Magnolia on one tv while I watch the Texans lose (muted) on the other. Anyone else scrub a cachin' outing for lack of Mojo? What's your story? I'm guessing from the way you've talked about your son, it is your first child(please disregard comments if not). I can tell you as a mom of three that your views on caching won't be the only thing to change. Having kids will change you in ways that you have never thought possible (some good, and some, while not bad....you will miss parts of you that have to change). I'm not saying you can't cache with a kid, but your priorities and ideas on what and what is not fun will change vastly.....as will the time you have to spend on them. You'll gain more of yourself back as your child gets older, but when they are babies you will make sacrifices you never thought you would (and happily, I might add). Congrats to you and your wife! Get ready for the ride of your life! Edited December 10, 2007 by elmuyloco5 Quote
+BlueDeuce Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 (edited) ... Edited December 9, 2007 by BlueDeuce Quote
+tabulator32 Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 I did three consecutive DNF's one day and my wife called wanting to know how much longer I was going to be. We didn't have anything planned (she was watching TV and napping) but she just wanted me to hurry up and get home. [Geez!] At that point, I called it a day. THEN, I have days like yesterday and today where I got seven out of seven yesterday and five out of five today! 12 out of 12 in about six hours total; search time. Most of that was on foot from cache to cache. (I know that isn't anything tremendous for the number counters but it makes ME happy!) [] Quote
+joranda Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 Bad MoJo days comes in the form of too many DNFs in a row. It can really take the wind out of your sails! Quote
+robert Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 I do this for fun, so if there's ever a time I'm out there and not having fun, I'll pack up and go home. No sense in ruining a great hobby by continuing on when what attracted you to it in the first place isn't there that day! Quote
+Robespierre Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 No such thing as a bad day, unless I'm cachin' alone - which I do pretty often. Then I'm more easily discouraged. Quote
+Canadavey Posted December 9, 2007 Posted December 9, 2007 I've never lost it yet... However, my wife seems to have quite the grasp on it right now. Too busy doing other things in life. Oh well, once the holidays are over and I'm back from Florida, I'll be back to hiking & caching full tilt. Quote
+Blaidd-Drwg Posted December 10, 2007 Posted December 10, 2007 I don't seem to be able to keep my mojo up as long as I use to . If caching with friends, I don't have any trouble, but if I'm by myself I only seem to be happy for no more than 10 caches in a day. If I'm doing caches that take a long time to get to, such as a multi-mile caches, then I'm usually loosing it after about 6 hours. Of course all this talk of loosing one's mojo, could be brought on by a day of caching. Unfortunately, I'm housebound due to the ongoing icestorm in the Oklahoma area. Quote
+Snoogans Posted December 10, 2007 Author Posted December 10, 2007 Bad MoJo days comes in the form of too many DNFs in a row. It can really take the wind out of your sails! I thought it was just the day and the fact that I would normally have been sleeping at that time... Upon reflection, I think I would have certainly continued on if the hunt had been successful. Most certainly if I wasn't alone. Quote
+Snoogans Posted December 10, 2007 Author Posted December 10, 2007 I don't seem to be able to keep my mojo up as long as I use to . Must sit on hands.... Opening too obvious to exploit.... Quote
+sbell111 Posted December 10, 2007 Posted December 10, 2007 Back in October, I had the intention to cache all morning and then go to the Lackey event in Nashville. Unfortunately, my mind was not in the game and I DNFd one cache after another. I ended up blowing off the rest of the caches and the event. Here's the event log. Quote
+bbqbob2 Posted December 10, 2007 Posted December 10, 2007 Okay, I'm off work for the next 10 days for the birth of my son. I work the midnight shift and I need to get back on a regular sleep schedule for this time off, so I'm staying up wayyyy past my bedtime to get back on track. I've only been up since 8:30 pm last night. I decided to go and do my nearest 4 unfound caches so I loaded up the coords, read the cache pages, got a pocket full of assorted smashed pennies, a few travel bugs, some extra batteries, a pen, and headed out. I got to the first cache coords and was totally skunked after 30+ minutes of searching later. It's one of those unseasonably warm and sticky, grey days and it just sucked the cachin' mojo right outta me. I wrestled with the idea of continuing on for all of 10 seconds and decided to just go home and watch all 3+ hours of Magnolia on one tv while I watch the Texans lose (muted) on the other. Anyone else scrub a cachin' outing for lack of Mojo? What's your story? Dude, the Texans won yesterday! Doesn't happen but 6 or 7 times a year, so it's a little special. I'm a real newbie, but I get discouraged when the caches are loaded with muggles and it seems like people are camping on the sites. May have to move a bit farther off the beaten path. A find does make it all worthwhile. Quote
+mtn-man Posted December 10, 2007 Posted December 10, 2007 I was in Minneapolis about ten days ago. Highs were in the teens and lows were in the mid to low single digits. I ended up going to REI to buy rain gear for Seattle and got out after dark. There was a hockey gear store next door to REI and I went in there and started sending pictures of stuff to my wife seeing if she wanted something (jerseys, jackets, etc.). Somehow browsing through inexpensive hockey goodies was more attractive than looking for caches at night at 11 degrees. Quote
+9Key Posted December 10, 2007 Posted December 10, 2007 I have a rule that DNFs in a row mean the end of the day. Its happened more often that I'd like to admit. Quote
+wandering4cache Posted December 10, 2007 Posted December 10, 2007 When you are having trouble just finding your way to the parking spot, its time to go home. Just sayin'........... Quote
+Snoogans Posted December 10, 2007 Author Posted December 10, 2007 Dude, the Texans won yesterday! Doesn't happen but 6 or 7 times a year, so it's a little special. Yeah, I posted the foregone conclusion BEFORE the game came on. Ummmm, I don't believe we've ever won 7 in a season, so this one was a surprise. We have 6 wins and 3 more games. I give 'em a 20% of gettin' that 7th win. Sorry for the OT remark. Back to the wilted mojo. Quote
+rlridgeway Posted December 11, 2007 Posted December 11, 2007 Since I am approaching 50, losing my geacaching mojo is the least my lost mojo problems. Quote
knowschad Posted December 11, 2007 Posted December 11, 2007 Okay, I'm off work for the next 10 days for the birth of my son. DUDE!!! Snoogans!! Dude! You MUST mean grand-son, right? Maybe great-grandson? You're not. You didn't. You son-of-a-gun!!! YOUR son? Wow. Snoogans. dude. whew! ok, i'm impressed. Quote
knowschad Posted December 11, 2007 Posted December 11, 2007 I do this for fun, so if there's ever a time I'm out there and not having fun, I'll pack up and go home. No sense in ruining a great hobby by continuing on when what attracted you to it in the first place isn't there that day! Man, I have to ask... how much fun can it be if you're not getting all frustrated and stuff? Isnt' that what makes it fun? If I packed it up and went home while I was still having fun, I'd probably have one find per trip. "Yup, OK. Found it. Had fun. Let's go... wife is waiting." Quote
+fairyhoney Posted December 11, 2007 Posted December 11, 2007 I get to the point of wanting to go on to the next one and then just as I'm leaving, there it is Quote
+robert Posted December 11, 2007 Posted December 11, 2007 I do this for fun, so if there's ever a time I'm out there and not having fun, I'll pack up and go home. No sense in ruining a great hobby by continuing on when what attracted you to it in the first place isn't there that day! Man, I have to ask... how much fun can it be if you're not getting all frustrated and stuff? Isnt' that what makes it fun? If I packed it up and went home while I was still having fun, I'd probably have one find per trip. "Yup, OK. Found it. Had fun. Let's go... wife is waiting." You answered your own question. If getting frustrated is part of the fun, then you're still having fun, aren't you? I'm not saying you stop having fun on a challenging cache the moment the challenge presents itself. But there's a point at which the fun isn't really there (sometimes), so call it quits there. It might be on a challenging cache you've spent 8 hours looking for, while for some it might be trying to keep up with a fictional pace you feel makes you a "real geocacher" and ends up burning you out instead. Everyone is different. Quote
+nittany dave Posted December 12, 2007 Posted December 12, 2007 ...Anyone else scrub a cachin' outing for lack of Mojo? What's your story? Every now and then I get the gear, get out to the cache, and suddenly realize that I really don't want to be looking for this cache or any other. Then I go do something else. Clearly another mojo is working that day. Even looking for the cache would take away from the day. That sums it up for me too. It's happened several times over the last few years. One time it was because I had a fender bender and just decided to go home and drink a few beers. Other times it's just been a case of not really being in the mood to cache when I thought I was. I have a headache dear! Sometimes when I plan a day of caching, I'll start with the one that is furthest away from home. That way if I start to lose the mojo I at least have a nice drive to enjoy and I might see something else that will be fun or I might get the mojo back and start caching again. Quote
+briansnat Posted December 12, 2007 Posted December 12, 2007 I have lost my mojo. I just buy some more at the store and I'm good to go. Quote
+Mule Ears Posted December 12, 2007 Posted December 12, 2007 A DNF on a low-difficulty-rating cache will sometimes kick the struts out from under a carefully constructed plan. I'm not a particularly good cache hunter, but an above-average hiker and navigator, so I usually seek caches that are hard to get to but easy to find. One recent cache comes to mind: It was located on a tiny island in a lake, and rated 1/1 'once you get there.' So, assuming you could swim or boat out to the island, it was supposed to be a very, very easy find. I paddled my kayak out to the island and spent over an hour searching, guided by the description and a hint that was touted as total spoiler. Finally gave up and paddled away, totally skunked. The loss of motivation--I can't even find a 1/1 today!--and time tore a big hole in my day's caching plans. I later learned that the description and hint were inaccurate. I know it's the party line to contend that a DNF is just as much fun as a find, but that wasn't my experience here. I'd much rather have spent that hour practicing my paddling or snapping photos around the lake than minutely inspecting every rock and cactus on that little island. It was a micro, by the way (poking hornet's nest). Quote
+Renegade Knight Posted December 12, 2007 Posted December 12, 2007 (edited) ...I know it's the party line to contend that a DNF is just as much fun as a find, but that wasn't my experience here. I'd much rather have spent that hour practicing my paddling or snapping photos around the lake than minutely inspecting every rock and cactus on that little island. It was a micro, by the way (poking hornet's nest). Most folks should admit that they have more fun finding a cache than not. Otherwise nobody would ever actually find the things. After all why spoil a DNF party by acutually finding a cache? Of course a lot of folks are not connected to their reality so much as their ideal. Edited December 12, 2007 by Renegade Knight Quote
+Snoogans Posted December 13, 2007 Author Posted December 13, 2007 (edited) Okay, I'm off work for the next 10 days for the birth of my son. DUDE!!! Snoogans!! Dude! You MUST mean grand-son, right? Maybe great-grandson? You're not. You didn't. You son-of-a-gun!!! YOUR son? Wow. Snoogans. dude. whew! ok, i'm impressed. I hafta say that I'm impressed too. Born: Connor aka The Snooglet December 12, 2007 9:14AM CST 8lbs 15ounces 20 inches Momma and baby are doin' fine. Edited December 13, 2007 by Snoogans Quote
+Blaidd-Drwg Posted December 13, 2007 Posted December 13, 2007 Talk about keeping your Mojo up. Congrats Snoogans. Now back to the topic at hand Quote
+tabulator32 Posted December 13, 2007 Posted December 13, 2007 Congratulations, Dude! A future geocacher to be trained by one of the best! Quote
+Bunganator Posted January 2, 2008 Posted January 2, 2008 A few months ago, 4 new caches came out three miles north of my college. I hopped on my bike and headed out. When I was 2 miles from school it started downpouring and I was soaked. I figured I would be wet anyways, so I kept going. Three DNF's, one ignore, and 2 hours later, I sat in my dorm wallowing in the failure. Quote
+Bunganator Posted January 2, 2008 Posted January 2, 2008 A few months ago, 4 new caches came out three miles north of my college. I hopped on my bike and headed out. When I was 2 miles from school it started downpouring and I was soaked. I figured I would be wet anyways, so I kept going. Three DNF's, one ignore, and 2 hours later, I sat in my dorm wallowing in the failure. Quote
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