Do you cache for "the stats" or for "the love of it".

[+CapeDoc]

A fairly hot debate is brewing in the South African forums (much of it in Afrikaans, a local South African language) which seems to have polarised cachers into 2 camps. Those who cache to improve their stats (and thereby care a great deal about how others log their caches and generate their stats) and those who cache simply because its fun finding caches and new places (and thereby do not care what others do regarding logs).

In the bird watching world there are "Twichers" (for the stats) and "Birders" (for the love).

 

If you are "for the stats" what behavior annoys you? Do others "cheat"?

If you are "for the love" do you care what others do?

 

Are there any geocaching nicknames for those "for the stats" and "those for the love"?

 

I suspect there are are large group who have a foot in both camps.

Edited June 19, 2008 by CapeDoc

[+Snoogans]

Seen that train wreck a hundred times.

 

I think a forum search would have gotten you the info you are looking for...

 

In the bird watching world there are "Twichers" (for the stats) and "Birders" (for the love).

 

I consider myself a "Trekkie" and I find "Trekkers" on a scale from amusing and fun to disturbing and sad.

 

 

[+35mm]

I am in it for the hunt.

 

What annoys me is people who bitch about people who do not want to play the game like they do.

[+Kiwi Nomad]

I am in both camps.

Love the numbers but then again I just love numbers.

I'm the sort of person that if I lived somewhere where Waymarking was big you would find me trying to fill each square.

As it is I would love to find one of each type of cache still available to a newbie like me and one in each square on the terrian difficulty grid.

Both very long term goals.

Part of me wants to find every cache, but the longer I have been doing this the more willing I am to ignore caches that don't have the fun factor I am looking for or have taken me to a lovely place but I just can't find.

It is more than just the numbers. Next summer (we are in the middle of winter down here) I plan on taking the family out on longer walks (with caches) as that is something that both I and 5 year jnrKN have enjoyed doing over the last 6 months. Something I may never have found out if it weren't for geocaching.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I am in both camps.

Love the numbers but then again I just love numbers.

 

 

Same here.

 

I keep track of numbers, or more accurately milestones or challenges. I know what my stats are and for the most part don't really care about the stats of anyone else. It's entirely possible to be in it for the stats without being in a competition with other cachers. I just got to 450 caches found and #450 was a four star difficulty cache that had 13 DNFs before it was found. I really like finding difficult or really interesting caches, espectially when it's falls on a numeric miliestone, and take greater pleasure in finding these that just accumulating numbers. I realize that I will never find as many caches as Team Alamo or that'll probably achieve the numbers of a couple of nearby cachers that started about the same time as I did, but have over twice as many finds, although I'm a little envious that they have the opportunity to cache more than I.

 

So, it's entirely possible to care about some personal stats (for example, finding all of the caches within 10 miles, or finding caches in many different states or counties) without caring about what other cachers are doing.

[+Flatouts]

For us it's about the "journey" and the people we meet along the way.

 

As far as "the stats" or "the numbers" thingy, I (Mrs Ftatout) could care less about "mine" or "yours". To me that's "child's play" of which I grew up and out of a long time ago. Just because "yours" are higher than "mine" or vise versa, doesn't make either one of "us" better than the "other". It just simply means that "fate" has lent it's self more time along "one's journey" than the "other one's". So be it...cache on.

[+derangedlunatech]

I am in it for the hunt.

 

What annoys me is people who bitch about people who do not want to play the game like they do.

 

I pretty much feel the same way.

 

Things that annoy me:

• Caches where it seems like the COs decision to place the cache seems to be "Hmmm - there's no other cache within .1 mile, I better put one here!"
  
• Pointless micros (where there was ample room to put a larger cache to allow trading)
  
• Cachers who seem to think that everyone not playing, placing, or logging the way that they want it done are "doing it wrong"
  
• Not finding a cache that I know I am staring right at
  

However, just because I am annoyed by some of these things doesn't mean that my way or my preferences are the only way the game should be played. I just make sure to edit my PQs, do drive-bys to see if I think a spot is worth my time (I'm in an urban area), then read the descriptions and logs before I decide if I'm going to bother getting out of the car or move on to another spot.

 

Caching seems to me to be like reading a book. There are all sorts of different books out there, written at all different levels, and on all different topics. A little effort on the reader's part to select a book can significantly increase their chances of enjoying what they read - sure, they might miss a gem, and they might read a crappy (by their standards) book every now and then - but it's far better than just walking into the library, grabbing a random book off a random shelf, then complaining because they didn't enjoy it...

 

As far as numbers - I care about the numbers only in that it lets me know how I am progressing. I'm more interested in my found/dnf ratio than just the number of finds alone - because that sort of indicates whether or not I'm improving my skills or not. So I guess I kinda care about the numbers, in my own way. I care about mine (as described). I respect yours. But my numbers and yours is (to me) like the old saying goes - comparing apples and oranges. They have nothing to do with each other.

Edited June 19, 2008 by derangedlunatech

[Dinoprophet]

For the love. I care that my find count is accurate (by my standards, which means I don't log things that don't involve finding something, like most events) but I usually don't know exactly what that number is at any given time.

 

That said, I can't deny a certain thrill that I'm closing in on a number that's evenly divisible by 100 in base 10 (I prefer hexadecimal milestones -- I'm currently at 123).

Edited June 19, 2008 by Dinoprophet

[+Voodoo7]

I fall into the both catagory. Certainly the thrill of the hunt is the driving force. Finding something new, not know what you're going to see or find, that is huge. But, I can not deny that I like the numbers. There you can look and measure your progress. Being able to see how many and different types of caches, TB's and coins is somewhat rewarding. "Look, I've found all of these." That adds to the allure IMO.

[+SimbaJamey]

I'm new....but I'm into it because it's one of the most fun things I've done in a long time. It got me back into the woods and I've REALLY missed that the past few years. It also gets me out walking a lot more than I had been in quite some time.

So...it works my body and my brain and usually has a fun reward waiting for me at the end (the smile on my face, not so much the smile on the map).

 

I'm pretty sure I'll never turn into someone who cares about the numbers as such.

The different type combos is interesting though, I'm sure I'll eventually look at that chart and see if I can fill it in just for fun, but that'll probably be a year or two before I even look at how many I've got. Plus...there's a mystery cache about a mile from where I live that has a logging requirement of having logged one find of every type so in a couple of years I'll see how close I am to being able to get that one. (nobody has logged it yet, I think the closest cacher only needs 5 more combos)

 

And (don't take this the wrong way) I've never been one to care about what other people do or say, nor what they think about me or the things I do.

In the cool cache containers thread there's a recent post from an original cacher (his first cache placement was 2 months after Daves) where he talked about leaving the game because of what it's turned into (being about the numbers). I think that's a major bummer. Too bad he couldn't just ignore other people and keep on having fun playing.

 

 

[+infiniteMPG]

I'm definitely in it for the fun and the numbers are milestones, but by no means very important. I am sitting at 695 finds right now and pausing while I determine what I want 700 to be. But historically I could be at 2,000 or so if I put effort into cranking the numbers. And if all I cared about were numbers I could of knocked out the 60 or so bus stop caches nearby, but they don't grab my attention. Having over 250 well maintained unique hides I think I have found as much pleasure placing hides and reading people's fun and adventures in their logs as I do in searching and logging finds myself.

 

What ticks me off is people who think they need to stand in judgement of someone else's hides. The "Why did you put a micro out in this preserve when it could of been an ammo can?" people who don't have and don't realize what it takes to haul and maintain a full sized cache 12 miles out in a brutal hiking preserve. Like someone hiking 12 miles needs to trade swag to feel good about snagging a find???? I balance my hides for where there are, try to make the places and techniques unique, some just to bring people somewhere, some to challenge their skills, and some to challenge their geosenses. IMHO if you don't like finding certain caches then don't seek them. Duh! Just like the local bus stop series, I'm not hunting them but I'm not knocking them as some people do like them. Geocaching has all types or people and it takes all types of hides to please everyone.

[+TotemLake]

I am in it for my entertainment, the adventures, experiences, lessons learned, and friendships. These gain me memories which are far more important to me than the actual find. In the end, when the actual box is gone, that is all I hope to ever have gained that lasts the longest.

[+Knight2000]

We do it for the fun. Racing to caches is not fun for us. It is the journey that is fun for us. We do like the numbers aspect but not in the way that most do. I just like stats. I dont care what they are, i just like detailed records.

 

It drives me crazy when we see cachers race past a beautiful area to get the next cache. I dont see the point in that.

 

IMO there is no difference between someone who does 100 caches or 10,000. You both put your pants on the same way.

[+sbell111]

nevermind

Edited June 19, 2008 by sbell111

[+parker313]

I am in both camps.

Love the numbers but then again I just love numbers.

 

 

Same here.

 

I keep track of numbers, or more accurately milestones or challenges. I know what my stats are and for the most part don't really care about the stats of anyone else. It's entirely possible to be in it for the stats without being in a competition with other cachers.

This is me, too.

 

I am an "end result" kind of person. While I may enjoy a hike to a cache spot, the finding of the cache itself IS my goal. Sure, I'll have fun even if I get a DNF, but my goal is to find the cache and I have MORE FUN if I can do that. I'm like this in all other areas of my life - a great failing, I am sure

 

While I am a "numbers" person, I am not a bulk numbers cacher, mainly b/c my caching companions can be a bit reluctant. I am a numbers person in that I love looking at and charting MY numbers.

 

I just hit 300 caches yesterday. For MANY cachers, that's just a drop in the bucket, but it's taken me just shy of 2yrs to get here and I was pretty excited

[+uktim]

A fairly hot debate is brewing in the South African forums (much of it in Afrikaans, a local South African language) which seems to have polarised cachers into 2 camps. Those who cache to improve their stats (and thereby care a great deal about how others log their caches and generate their stats) and those who cache simply because its fun finding caches and new places (and thereby do not care what others do regarding logs).

In the bird watching world there are "Twichers" (for the stats) and "Birders" (for the love).

 

If you are "for the stats" what behavior annoys you? Do others "cheat"?

If you are "for the love" do you care what others do?

 

Are there any geocaching nicknames for those "for the stats" and "those for the love"?

 

I suspect there are are large group who have a foot in both camps.

 

I cache for pleasure and my own personal stats or marks on a map to be honest. What really ticks me off are those that get judgmental and start talking of rules and other people cheating. I can only assume that these folks see caching as some sort of competitive sport where you have to look better than your fellow cacher

[+StarBrand]

I think that particular choice of stats vs hunt(fun) is way oversimplified.

 

I cache to discover new places and have fun in the discovery. I cache to spend quality family time. I cache to break up a trip and stop to see the small things. But I do not cache alone on an island. Everything I do has some effect on others. Therefore, certain rules of ediquette and a certain amount of the stats are important.

 

I need the stats to keep track of what caches I have visited and where I want to go. I need to see DNFs and find logs and maintenance logs to take proper care of my own hides. I look at other's start dates, number of finds, number of hides and more to place "weight" (value) on thier statements within those logs. It is necessary.

 

Can other cachers cheat? Certainly. Does that "cheating" have an effect on me and my geocaching? Certainly. It skews perceptions and the reality of hides. It can rob a cache of trades, waste my time checking hides, waste my time and efforts in searching. I depend on others and how much integrity they have. We all do.

 

I don't worry about bombs in caches or feces or urine because I count heavily on the fact that the vast majority of Geocachers would not do that to me. However, I can not be as certain when it comes to "bogus" find logs and frivolous maintenance requests.

 

Everything we do in life has at least a minimum amount of "rules", "guidelines" and expectations. Those interactions define how all human activity is perceived and received by the public as a whole. Geocaching is no exception.

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

I'm in it so I can come to the forums and see knight2000's avatar... which has been around a little more frequently of late. (Thanks for that, man.)

 

Snoog's photo from The Borg Cube is a close second.

 

I definitely play 'for the love of (some) of it'. I have met many incredible people, have been coordinated to and discovered so many incredible places. It fills an empty 'get out and go' spot from time to time these days... and isn't near the focus of all-my-free-time as it was lo those many years ago.

 

My stats aren't even on my radar (neither are yours, or yours, or even yours).

 

I don't even care if "you" cheat. At the end of the day I only have to live with myself and be comfortable with what I've done.

 

 

 

michelle

[+nikcap]

The adventure.

 

I really enjoy solving puzzles, finding and exploring new places, being led through a mystery to the next stage and finding the unknown. I really appreciate the creativity of some cache hiders and that often keeps me going.

 

While I'm not motivated by "the numbers" (the whole system is fiat based and completely arbitrary) I have an appreciation of the small goals and accomplishments that come along with the milestones. I always smile when I see or hear about a cacher making it to their first 100 finds, or when veteran player "finally" hits 500 finds. But otherwise, I'm not really impressed by the stats, it's the adventure that goes along with those numbers that really attract me to the hobby/game and what I like to talk about at events.

 

Oh, and I come here for CurmudgeonlyGal's avatar.

Edited June 19, 2008 by ekitt10

[+briansnat]

A quick look at my stats will tell you that I'm not in this for numbers.

 

As far as the practices of others, I only really care about them to the extent that they affect me, or have the potential to affect me and the way I enjoy the game.

 

Otherwise I find some practices silly, odd and sometimes sad, but they really don't bother me as long as it's no skin off my toes.

[+stites1]

"Twichers"? Is that some sort of South Africa type word?

[+PrincessBTigress]

I enjoy hunting and finding most. I am kind of interested in my own numbers in that I like seeing how much I have accomplished since I started. I watch the numbers of my friends simply to see how well they are progressing, or if it's been a while since they last got to go out.

 

There are far too many variables to have a numbers competition. Joining at different times, more money or time to cache, different cache densities, etc.

 

Usually I can only give you are general area of what my numbers are (I've found somewhere in the area of 40, I think I'm in the area of 50, etc). But I try to pay a bit more attention to my milestones, 50, 100, my first find of x type of cache, etc.

 

I also don't like a micro placed in an area that could hold something larger. Just cuz micros are easy to carry in your pack doesn't mean thats all you can place. If you really want to put something there you'll do the extra work.

I don't like that my town has sooo many micros that there is no room for someone to place a cache of substance.

I'll hunt micros once in a while but mainly if they are easily obtained between larger caches, I enjoy the "treasure hunt" not just "I was here 08". I was never one for "tagging" bathroom walls and such so tagging a paper in a bottle is not as interesting to me as it would be for one who did tag as a kid. Like I said I will still hunt some micros but they are not as much fun and I'll skip over them more often than not.

[+J-Way]

I'll add another to the "both" column. I care about *my* numbers, but I stopped caring about how my numbers compare to others a long time ago. Except for the cheaters... about 99% of other people cheat

 

 

But I'd have stopped caching within 3 months of starting (and I almost did) except the "the love of it".

[+Team GeoBlast]

I am in it for the hunt.

 

What annoys me is people who bitch about people who do not want to play the game like they do.

 

I pretty much feel the same way.

 

Things that annoy me:

• Caches where it seems like the COs decision to place the cache seems to be "Hmmm - there's no other cache within .1 mile, I better put one here!"
  
• Pointless micros (where there was ample room to put a larger cache to allow trading)
  
• Cachers who seem to think that everyone not playing, placing, or logging the way that they want it done are "doing it wrong"
  
• Not finding a cache that I know I am staring right at
  

However, just because I am annoyed by some of these things doesn't mean that my way or my preferences are the only way the game should be played. I just make sure to edit my PQs, do drive-bys to see if I think a spot is worth my time (I'm in an urban area), then read the descriptions and logs before I decide if I'm going to bother getting out of the car or move on to another spot.

 

Caching seems to me to be like reading a book. There are all sorts of different books out there, written at all different levels, and on all different topics. A little effort on the reader's part to select a book can significantly increase their chances of enjoying what they read - sure, they might miss a gem, and they might read a crappy (by their standards) book every now and then - but it's far better than just walking into the library, grabbing a random book off a random shelf, then complaining because they didn't enjoy it...

 

As far as numbers - I care about the numbers only in that it lets me know how I am progressing. I'm more interested in my found/dnf ratio than just the number of finds alone - because that sort of indicates whether or not I'm improving my skills or not. So I guess I kinda care about the numbers, in my own way. I care about mine (as described). I respect yours. But my numbers and yours is (to me) like the old saying goes - comparing apples and oranges. They have nothing to do with each other.

 

This has been said before by many and unless this small but very significant change is made, I will probably keep saying as long as I play this game. Geocaching. com could very easily make this game far more attractive for all sides of the numbers and stats debate by simply providing an option for a player to make their find count private.

 

I pretty clearly understand most of the reasoning for changes in guidelines, modifications in the website, use of ads, and so forth. This, at least for me, is the giant pink elephant in the middle of the room. I cannot understand how they keep missing it.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

[+Team GeoBlast]

But I do not cache alone on an island.

 

You would if you were me.

[+infiniteMPG]

IMO there is no difference between someone who does 100 caches or 10,000. You both put your pants on the same way.

As long as they're "stretchy pants", right?

 

We have caches in beautiful areas and when you chat with someone about it you realize they didn't even notice what was around them. I mean even any guard rail hides we have are located like where a beautiful stretch of river winds beside the road or something, but some people don't see the scenery that's past the steel. We did a guardrail PAG in NC near Whiteside Mountain and the view took our breath away. But I bet there were some people that snagged it and shouted "Hurry up and get back in the car, the next one's only 2 miles away!!". Sad....

Edited June 19, 2008 by infiniteMPG

[+Team GeoBlast]

I could care less about avatars, icons, coins, my stats, your stats. I only geocache so I can hang out in these forums and not look suspicious whilst I wait for CurmudgeonlyGal to go all curmudgeonly on somebody.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

[+tozainamboku]

"Twichers"? Is that some sort of South Africa type word?

I typed it into Google. According to Wikipedia it is a British bird watching term for birders who will travel great distances for "the observation of a previously located rare bird" In America this is often called chasing. It sounds like twitchers are more like icon chasers or perhaps FTFers.

 

Birding is even more of an honor system than geocaching. You don't sign the bird you saw and only little expectation that you will be able to photograph a bird to prove you saw it. So twichers could have a similar experience to briansnat's friends. Someone might claim sighting a rare bird and get some twitcher to travel hundreds of kilometers to look for a bird that is not there. Not very fun considering the price of gas.

[+derangedlunatech]

You don't sign the bird you saw

 

That should be an ALR

[+stipman]

Geocaching for me is just a destination for a walk, a hike, a drive. The only numbers I'm concerned about are the ones that make up the coordinates.

 

Oh.. and loved the post by Team GeoBlast!!!

[+flask]

it's a spiritual experience for me.

 

it is a leap of faith to simply go where the hider sends you. i always appreciate it if the hider takes me somewhere pretty or interesting, of if they give me a clever hide or some historical information. i care that each cache is a unique experience, and i prefer each log i read to be one in which the writer takes the time to write even a few words.

 

i've earned every find i've logged, but i don't give a wet slap if you hire a team of dedicated "hiders" to precede you everywhere you go and place caches every 528 feet along your path. of course, if you play like that, i won't care to meet you on the trail or anywhere else on the premise that you lack integrity, but if you play with a lack of integrity, the bottom line is that it affects my game not one bit.

 

i don't care if you play "cleared my radius", or "FTF attention whore" or "i'll place a micro every .2 mile and everyone will love me for giving them so many smilies" or "PULL! mark the coordinates, that's a micro" or "i'll fly to JAX and find one cache every six seconds" or "everybody see how many caches i've found!"

 

none of these things really changes my game.

 

i'm likely to abandon searching altogether if something catches my attention:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...a2-f9e5998909fa

Edited June 19, 2008 by flask

[+uktim]

I think that particular choice of stats vs hunt(fun) is way oversimplified.

 

I cache to discover new places and have fun in the discovery. I cache to spend quality family time. I cache to break up a trip and stop to see the small things. But I do not cache alone on an island. Everything I do has some effect on others. Therefore, certain rules of ediquette and a certain amount of the stats are important.

 

I need the stats to keep track of what caches I have visited and where I want to go. I need to see DNFs and find logs and maintenance logs to take proper care of my own hides. I look at other's start dates, number of finds, number of hides and more to place "weight" (value) on thier statements within those logs. It is necessary.

 

Can other cachers cheat? Certainly. Does that "cheating" have an effect on me and my geocaching? Certainly. It skews perceptions and the reality of hides. It can rob a cache of trades, waste my time checking hides, waste my time and efforts in searching. I depend on others and how much integrity they have. We all do.

 

I don't worry about bombs in caches or feces or urine because I count heavily on the fact that the vast majority of Geocachers would not do that to me. However, I can not be as certain when it comes to "bogus" find logs and frivolous maintenance requests.

 

Everything we do in life has at least a minimum amount of "rules", "guidelines" and expectations. Those interactions define how all human activity is perceived and received by the public as a whole. Geocaching is no exception.

 

I think that theres are things that are common courtesy, such as not removing caches or placing foul undesirable items in them. We should all be capable of grasping the common courtesy things without excessive rules, if someone is going to do such things they do them with or without rules. The "cheating" matters such as bogus logs are undesirable but personally I'm not really to bothered about them because I'm not in this game to compete. When it comes down to complaints about cache owners logging their own cache or allegations that their buddies were given advance notice to allow them to get FTF I start to lose patience with the petty mindedness of the folks doing the complaining.

[+crosschk]

I straddle the fence on this on

 

I am in it for the numbers, but only mine. I dont care really who has 5000 caches. Its big number and good for them, but not going to make me hunt any more than I already do.

 

I also enjoy the quite I get out of it sometimes. no one around, the air is cool, the surroundings are nice to look at, and the freaking annoying nano thats here someplace and I just cant see it !@@#$%^&, there goes the peace and quite.

 

and like most Hobbies, I'm in it for the accesories, the sig Items I get made, make my self, the geocoins I buy (wishing I could afford to make htem)

 

The half hour or so I spend studing the map before going out to lunch and getting my 3 or 4 hits. I love it all.

 

I get annoyed, lik emany on here, at the people who feel its thier way or the highway. Its a game with little rules. You get out what you put in :0

[+Renegade Knight]

...If you are "for the love"...

 

We all cache for the love of it or we would be doing something else instead.

Becaues of that the entire local debate is flawed.

What people love about this activity varies.

 

What really annoys me is anyone who thinks they can dismiss anothers fun because it's not their own.

There is a lot of room for freedom in how you have fun in this activity before you hit a reasonable bound of courtesy towards others.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Renegade Knight

[Ferreter5]

If you are "for the love" do you care what others do?

I am, and I don't.

[+Prime Suspect]

I've found caches that were so unimaginative, without a single second of thought put into them, that I didn't even bother to log them on line. Since most (but not all) of these are micros (and you know the ones I'm talking about) I've just stopped hunting micros. That a shame, because there are some good, clever ones in interesting areas. But the others have pretty much poisoned the well for me. It just became too disheartening to take the time and effort to get to a cache location, only to find that it's another one of those.

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

I could care less about avatars, icons, coins, my stats, your stats. I only geocache so I can hang out in these forums and not look suspicious whilst I wait for CurmudgeonlyGal to go all curmudgeonly on somebody.

 

This from the cacher who does not like my avatar!

 

Sadly... pretty slim pickin's lately. It's almost as if all the nut-jobs post on the same day of the same week of the same month and then... nothing!

 

*grumble*

 

 

michelle

Edited June 20, 2008 by CurmudgeonlyGal

[+wimseyguy]

Add me to the "both" camp of this oversimplified exercise.

I'm really in it just to have fun and adventures, but I enjoy adventures of all kinds and if I am not having fun, it is time to stop and go do something else.

I view my caching time as mental health time, away from the responsibilities of work and home. My very smart wife says that a big part of the attraction is being able to act like little kids playing in the woods all over again.

 

A perfect example of how I can play both ways would be the last two days of my recent trip to CA to attend Geowoodstock 6.

Sunday we drove all over the San Jose area and found 100 caches, mostly in parking lots and small neighborhood parks. 5-6 of those were memorable, but what made the day really fun was the camaraderie we shared in the van and the laughs we had together.

 

Monday we visited Henry Cowell State Park for a hike in the woods and a visit to Big Ben, a giant redwood tree with a nearby cache. we then turned right and headed for the coast and cached our way up CA highway #1 stopping at 20+ turnoffs and park area that had caches with spectacular ocean vistas. Since we had a red-eye flight that night, we passed up on some of the ones that required crawling through the tunnels to the east side of the highway and more difficult terrain challenges, and focused on the scenery.

 

I care about my numbers in that they are a measurement of how many caches I have had fun seeking and the places those searches have led me. I don't give a flying fig about anyone else's numbers, nor do I care what you may think of mine. But thanks for asking.

 

And I can enjoy the occasional forum pic/avatar without ever going outside. They are just the bonuses for playing in this sandbox.

[+dew cache]

I am in it for the love of the hunt/find but I watch my numbers. I could care less how many numbers anyone else has they do not effect me in one way or another. If someone else get 1000000 finds good for them if someone else only has 10 finds and they are happy good for them.

 

The only reason I care about my numbers is so that I can obtain my goals not any one elses goals. If I was in it for just the numbers I would go for more P&G and LPC. One of my goals is to average 2 in terrain and difficulty and you can not get to many 1/1 to keep your average up. That is how I use my numbers some day I may hit 1000 finds when I do I will be happy. But if someone else gets to 1000 in 6 months great for them but I don't care it does not make me better or worse than them.

 

The great thing about this hobby/sport is it is what YOU make of it for YOURSELF and not what someone else make it out to be for you.

[+Annie & PB]

I'm with the folks who say it's an artificial divide - "love" or "numbers".

 

The point is that for the "numbers" people, that IS the "love"!!!!! Some people are just like that, they enjoy numbers, statistics, graphs, goal setting, comparisons --- all that kind of thing. It gives them a buzz. (That's how come we have accountants and statisticians..... and other kinds of essential people like that!!! LOL)

 

And some people aren't like that. (That's how come we have artists, writers...... and other kinds of essential people like that!)

 

And some people like/are good at a bit of both. So what.

 

Between me and PB we kind of cover the field.

 

One of us is quite numbers orientated - in a straight out 'how many have we found' and 'are we catching up with so-and-so' kind of way, and likes longer hikes with big scenery - mountains, waterfalls dramatic vistas - and also loves tricky camos - both finding and making them, and will keep hunting and hunting to not be 'outdone' by a clever hider.

 

The other of us is not directly numbers orientated - more interested in things like terrain/difficulty combinations and how many of each type of cache etc, and likes pretty much any kind of cache because they can find small beauty in almost any spot, whether it be a single flower or shell or a little plant, and also likes historic and otherwise socially intersting caches like cemetaries, monuments etc, but is more willing to walk away from a cache that is taking awhile to find.

 

We both like the technological side of it as far as the gadgets and the computer stuff. We're both not really into swaps, or coins - though we happily move them on for others, and one of us kind of like travel bugs, as they are often unique and personal - and cute, but the other doesn't so much.

 

We cache for fun - to improve our numbers, to improve our health (mental & physical), to improve our relationship (often it's the only quality time we get alone together), to improve our knowledge of our country, and of history, and art, and science, and maths and........ whatever other devious thing the cache owner sees fit to introduce us to!

 

Annie

[+joranda]

I'm on both sides of the fence. I love caching but the numbers are great too.

[+Trucker Lee]

I got into caching as a way to encourage me to get out of the truck and get some excercise. I enjoy the hunt and the find, I am not really into the swag and trade out only if I have something. I do enjoy occasionally moving a TB around, and watching mine. To me, the watching my find numbers grow is just bonus fun.

 

As to how others percieve the game and play it........

 

I have far too much to worry about without getting anal over their fun.

[+Team GeoBlast]

I could care less about avatars, icons, coins, my stats, your stats. I only geocache so I can hang out in these forums and not look suspicious whilst I wait for CurmudgeonlyGal to go all curmudgeonly on somebody.

 

This from the cacher who does not like my avatar!

 

Sadly... pretty slim pickin's lately. It's almost as if all the nut-jobs post on the same day of the same week of the same month and then... nothing!

 

*grumble*

 

 

michelle

 

Yeah.. then your avatar did a 180 after that like comment if I recall. That proved beyond a shadow of a doubt (and there was doubt) that you are not a Flat Stanley.

[+The Pathman]

We do it because it's fun and gets us out of the house. The numbers are not important at all to us so if there were no smilies we would still go caching.

 

If you want to do it for the numbers than more power to you but We hope that you enjoy it also

[+BlueDeuce]

I'm in it for the bacon, the fun and the numbers.

 

I don't agree with putting the numbers first.

 

Although some people do.

 

Edit: in case some non-bacon eater doesn't get what I mean, I'm not for getting numbers any way possible and it's okay because there was this one time where we.......and then...but after that.........so that's why.

Edited June 20, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[+Lacomo]

I fall into the both categories, I love to get outdoors and see places I haven't seen before. The stats: well I just like to keep track of my numbers. As far as getting annoyed I don't get annoyed much. I'm in it for fun, and if I got annoyed then that wouldn't be fun would it?

[+J Loran]

I agree with Wimseyguy that it's not the quantity or quality of the cache, but the shared experience in finding it.

 

I rarely see my husband (he travels) and when we did get together, it was mostly "here, honey, have a beer and complain about your job." NOW, (since we hunt together and separately; thank you inexpensive Garmins) our talks usually lead off with "Did you find any?" The most frequently used words in our lexicon are now: cache, DNF, muggle, FTF, micro, nano and TFTC!!!

 

I can't claim to not care about numbers, BUT, we get as much joy being together and signing the log on a Home Depot LPC as we do discovering a natural preserve with 6 caches to log. - not quite as many "cool!"moments but- We're together, rediscovering our love for each other and our main competition is comparing quad muscles. I could kill you with these thighs

 

My only (minor) beef is when a team splits and the new-name cacher goes back to log previous finds using the date of the split rather than the date of actual find. It puts a false smilie on some caches that should be maintained or archived.

 

Other than that.... your game, your rules (even when they're wrong )

[+BlueDeuce]

I'm in it for the bacon, the fun and the numbers.

 

[+Jollylolly]

It's all about the caching, eksê. Whether you cache for numbers, or hikes, or TB's... or whatever, just enjoy it, and let others enjoy it for what they get out of it.

 

I'm telling everyone, so here goes. Today I got my 200th find, I also did 100 in 1 month, and in so doing, got my name up for 2 milestones in a month on our local British Columbia Geocaching Association webpage http://www.bcgeocaching.com/ (100 and 200) . If I'm guilty of something, who cares, I had fun, and am now satisfied.

 

Lekkerbly!

Edited June 20, 2008 by Jollylolly

[Clan Riffster]

For us it's about the "journey" and the people we meet along the way.

Yup! I think the thing I enjoy the most is going to odd little out of the way places that I never knew existed. In a close second is the hunt itself, seeing how creative folks can get hiding stuff. I also thoroughly enjoy interacting with my fellow cachers, going to every event I can. Numbers? (yawn) I do try to have fun with milestones, but that's as far as I go. They just aren't that important to me.