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Why would anyone Geocache? Seems pretty pointless doesn't it?


Planojoe

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Mods, feel free to move this if it is in the wrong forum.....

 

I've seen similar threads, but I'd love to know why people spend their time on such a pointless game of signing hidden pieces of paper.... Here's my 2 cents, and it obviously won't apply to everyone:

 

I found GC because of the Apple app store. I paid 10 bucks for the app. The VERY FIRST night, within 30 minutes of loading the app, me and my 4 kids were out finding caches. We've been at least 10 times in the last two months now.

 

Each and every one of those nights out with the kids would've looked more like this, prior to our finding geocaching....

 

(5) movie tickets (even at a dollar theatre) 5 bucks

(1) large popcorn 4 bucks

(5) drinks 15 bucks

 

Total cost for a CHEAP night out with the kids: 24 bucks

Amount of QUALITY time spent talking with them and getting to really be a part of their lives (as opposed to glueing our eyes and ears to a screen)....... ZIPPO

Total time with the family - 2.5 hours

 

Night out caching - FREE (may 2-4 bucks in gas)

Avg time spent: 4-6 hours

QUALITY time talking, laughing and really being together: 4-6 hours

 

Cost of iPhone app - after the FIRST night out? NEGATIVE 14 Bucks

After 10 nights out with the kids...... NEGATIVE 230 Bucks

The 40-60 hours of QUALITY time spend..... Priceless.

 

Now this equation only works for my family, and doesn't always apply. However, even the times I've gone by myself, entertained myself, had some good alone time and spent NOTHING...... Contrast nicely to wasting my life in front of the TV or walking through the mall watching money as it seems to fall out of my pockets. The way I figure it, I'm getting paid to do it!

 

I already owned the iPhone and already pay for the service, so the total cash outlay is 10 BUCKS!!

 

Think I'm a fan of the iPhone app?? Geocaching?? I've never, in 40 years, found something that is good for the family, will entertain myself and mutiple kids for hours at the cost of.....free. (Which includes gestation period since I'm only 39).

 

That's my opinion, and it's worth exactly what it cost you. What's your reason for being involved with such a silly, nerdy hobby???

Edited by Planojoe
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i was born to it.

 

it gives me something to do between skiing and racing bicycles.

 

and it mimics the movements of hunting and foraging, which have mood-elevating properties.

 

and it is an act of faith. it makes a very lovely framework on which to hang a peregrination.

Edited by flask
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Discovery! I've lived right here in Costa Mesa for the last 8 years and I learned more about it and the surrounding county in the 5 months I've been geocaching than I did in the entire 7-1/2 years leading up to it.

 

That's not why I started, but it's one of the main reasons I remain as enthusiastic about geocaching as I've ever been.

 

Pete

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To gain more knowledge of the area where I live and work. Now, when someone mentions a place, I can think about it a little and say "oh, yeah, there's that geocache there"...

 

<_<

 

Why do I geocache? Because it is fun.

 

Why is it fun? That's a rather long answer, and almost definitely of no interest to the majority of readers, so I'll skip it here.

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Our Geocaching was out of control untill we tried VIAGRA.....Just Kidding!!!!!! <_<

That commerical was just on....who writes this stuff...? :anibad:

 

Anyway......

 

Planojoe you nailed it,from a entertainment $/per hour standpoint its fantastic value,good exercise

and quality time well spent,add to that the tech side and all the off shoots of that,it exercises the

ole grey matter as well.Its a great hobby that can be just as interesting on a rainy day learning something,

or out exploring and hunting on a sunny day.Works for me,indoors or out.

 

Edited:Because I quoted the wrong product after watching another commerical.Apologies to the CIALIS

guy who lost his socks,wallet and had a flat tire all in the same morning.I sincerely hope your day got

better. :lol:

Edited by spektrum2
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Geocaching surely IS pointless. There is no logical reason for it to exist unless you believe in the mimicry of hunting and foraging that humans have within them as a survival instinct.

 

Surely, beyond that the hobby of geocaching IS pointless but less pointless than...

 

Rock collecting

Stamp collecting

Bird watching

Train sets

Doll collecting

Cocal Cola memorabilia

Watching TV

Sports watching

Sport fishing (as opposed to the need for food)

Gambling

Sight Seeing

Beach combing

Sailing

Coin collecting

Board games

...and the list goes on.

 

Geocaching plays the same role in many lives as any other hobby. It keeps us from losing our mind and going on a killing spree (or is that just me?).

 

So, why ask why?

Edited by bittsen
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I find it's a self-fulfilling prophecy sorta fing - the more I cache, the more I want to cache.

 

I started in this back in 2003, but took a lengthy hiatus at about 30 finds. I had something else taking up my time - road biking, which didn't afford much spare time for caching. Besides, the last time I looked there were only about 20 caches within miles of where I lived and I'd found most of them. Others required more planning and travel.

 

Well, I crashed hard on my road bike and it took a couple years to fully heal the torn muscles in my back (here's some info folks: bones knit fast, torn muscle does not!) I got back into biking briefly, but just wasn't up to the risk of crashing again. Then I started getting lazy and putting on some weight. Didn't like that much and decided geocaching was a good idea as it got me out and about, so I should look into it again.

 

I 2007 I borrowed a GPSr from a friend and tried it out again. Liked it, so I figured I needed to buy another GPSr (my old Etrex Vists flaked out on me) Somewhere in 2008 I became a bit more active and this year I've picked up some real momentum. It's fun. It takes me places. It gives me something to do when I'm traveling. It also keeps me fit.

 

Now, within a few miles of where I live are about 200 caches (a few of them mine <_< ) and I'm genuinely having fun with it. It is a cheap hobby, as many can be visited by biking or hiking and short drives are all that's needed to the parks with them.

 

California, along the central coast at least, is flush with state and county parks. Great places to go and walk about. So there's much more left to see.

 

There's also fellow geocachers around who I can go hiking or biking with, more active anyway than it was in 2003.

Edited by DragonsWest
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Yes, quality time with my 15 y/o daughter.

She loves the hunt and gives an exited "yessss"! when we make the find.

Just bought her 2 more T.B. tags for T.B.s she wants to send out.

Made her day....her responce.....a big hug and "thank you daddy"!

PRICELESS !!!!!!!!!!

<_<

 

You, sir, have a rare and wonderful teenager there. I work in a school district and it seems once they hit 12 and have a mobile phone, you're just the one who pays the bill. Well done raising that one!

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I cache cuz as everyone knows, every little boy wants to be a pirate and hunt for treasure. Well It took me 40 years of being a "wanna-be" pirate till I found geocaching , so now I can go "hunting" for treasures like a real pirate and not look crazy..... ok well I still look crazy ,but all my freinds don't think of me as a freak anymore ..... ok ok they still do but now Im a crazy freak with a GPSr and a purpose. Ya and the purpose it to trudge thru the brush and brambles, creeks and streams to sign a little piece of paper.

I love this sport.... or hobby .. or recreation ... or activity.. or ????

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... I'd love to know why people spend their time on such a pointless game of signing hidden pieces of paper.... Here's my 2 cents, and it obviously won't apply to everyone:

Great reasons, and many more in the replies. Ask the kids what they like about it, combine their reasons with yours and send it to me as an article for our free magazine The Online Geocacher. I will combine your article with some of the replies and it will be a great inspiration for families to get together to cache!

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The iPhone app was really the reason I got into geocaching too. I'd heard of it before and it sounded interesting, but was never motivated enough to make the initial investment in gps. I found the geocaching app and thought "hey, it's only 10$, I'll give it a shot", and it's been a lot of fun. I do it mostly for the outdoors aspect..I'd rather hike a few miles and find one cache than find 5 micros that are 10 feet from the car. I've since picked up a Garmin 60cx, but that's only because the iPhone can be unreliable in the woods. It has worked for probably 85% of my attempts, but I don't want to hike a mountain and not get the cache because my gps couldn't get signal. The iPhone isn't the end-all-be-all geocache tool, but it's awesome for getting people into geocaching, and for the convenience of access to the site on the fly.

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Oh come on...... We all know it's a great way to meet women!! :signalviolin::sad:

Need I say more?

 

I approve this message. :D

 

I'm only getting started and I find it's not so much the geocache itself that holds value but where it takes you. I'm finding new places to explore and see the world that never in a million years would have occurred to me had it not been for geocaching.

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Oh come on...... We all know it's a great way to meet women!! :signalviolin::D

Need I say more?

 

I approve this message. :D

 

I'm only getting started and I find it's not so much the geocache itself that holds value but where it takes you. I'm finding new places to explore and see the world that never in a million years would have occurred to me had it not been for geocaching.

:D Besides my first comment, you are right. I've been shown more things by the people that I cache with. Places that I knew existed but never took the time to explore. By the same token, I've shown them places that they never have seen, so it's been mutually "educational" and exciting for us. Guess that's why most of our caches involve hiking in the suburban areas, saving the urban ones for when the weather isn't the greatest. We rack up at least 4 miles each time out, and like today only 3 caches.

 

And yes, my caching partners are women. :sad:

Edited by ngrrfan
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more or less pointless than golf? :sad:

 

GOLF???? OMG!! At least we explore new places all the time instead of walk around in little circles.

We get out and see the world, instead of sticking to carefully cultured greenery.

 

Well this game is pretty pointless though really.

last weekend my geo-BF said I'd have a thousand cache finds by this time next year (I just hit 500 this weekend), and I replied,

 

"Yeah, unless we take up something with meaning, like feeding the homeless."

 

Someone in another thread eariler this year was trying to make the game seem less juvenile to friends by not calling muggles muggles. They wanted it to seem more sophisticated.

 

Come on, this is hunting tupperware.

 

Dumb game pointless.

We could be using the time and gas money to save the world, but no, we're out hunting boxes with military satelites.

 

But I did a night cache for the first time last weekend. Very fun. I'm going to go out and get some more. :signalviolin:

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I geocache because... I find it to be fun - both urban and out in the middle of nowhere. I can do it alone or with a bunch of people and have fun either way.

 

As someone else pointed out several posts back:

 

Stamp collecting

Coin collecting

...

 

Why do any of those things? How are they any less nerdy?

 

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get the wife or kids interested. On those rare occasions when we travel, they all get this pained look when I say "ooo, there is a cache there, I want to go get it"... to the point that I just bite my tongue and pass it by. :signalviolin:

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more or less pointless than golf? :signalviolin:

 

GOLF???? OMG!! At least we explore new places all the time instead of walk around in little circles.

We get out and see the world, instead of sticking to carefully cultured greenery.

 

 

Well to be fair, we DO walk around in little circles... then slightly bigger... and bigger... until we find the cache. But those circles are done all over the place instead of on the same golf park.

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Unfortunately, I have not been able to get the wife or kids interested. On those rare occasions when we travel, they all get this pained look when I say "ooo, there is a cache there, I want to go get it"... to the point that I just bite my tongue and pass it by. :signalviolin:

 

oh that is so sad.

 

My boyfriend used to be with someone like that. He'd been caching for 7 years when I met him and only had a little over 100 finds. The most he was ever "allowed" was one cache on a trip.

 

It's a good way for us to spend time together. We enjoy a good walk in the woods or a reason to get the boat out (boat caches).

 

He's now up to 600 caches. about 100 in his first seven years, and then the other five hundred in the following seven months.

 

Gets us out. Keeps us out of trouble.

 

It also gives us common ground. When we have an argument and aren't speaking, generally the first words we have are something like, "Did you see that there is a new cache down at the park?"

Bridges the gap. Then we're fine again.

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...and it mimics the movements of hunting and foraging, which have mood-elevating properties.

 

and it is an act of faith. it makes a very lovely framework on which to hang a peregrination.

 

Thank you for putting to words what I have been feeling but not quite able to put my finger on. And thanks for giving me a new word (peregrination) and a trip to the dictionary.

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Yes, quality time with my 15 y/o daughter.

She loves the hunt and gives an exited "yessss"! when we make the find.

Just bought her 2 more T.B. tags for T.B.s she wants to send out.

Made her day....her responce.....a big hug and "thank you daddy"!

PRICELESS !!!!!!!!!!

:sad:

Truly the "Holy Grail" of all caches.

You go DAD! :signalviolin:

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Hurray for Planojoe! I love your explanation of geocaching! Our only regret is that the hobby came along after our three kids were grown and gone from home; however, we have gotten our daughter and her husband hooked on it, and our grandchildren (from our other daughter ) also love to go caching with us when we visit them.

 

Nothing is more important than that time spent with your family enjoying life together!

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and it mimics the movements of hunting and foraging, which have mood-elevating properties.

 

 

I have tried to put those thoughts into words but was never able to do it in so few words when describing the feelings I get when I go out looking for caches.

 

To add on, its fairly inexpensive yet as time consuming as yo u allow it to be, can involve the family on an outing or helps with that just need some "me time". It gets us to places that we probably wouldnt have stumbled on, some great scenary and exercise.

 

It can be planned or just spur of the moment taking targets of opportunity. Sooo many times when out running errands with my beautiful wife I will turn on the gps before we move on and if its something close we will "Bonny and Clyde" it. She is the gettaway driver while I go run for the cache. Something really "caliente" about that. :):(

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Mods, feel free to move this if it is in the wrong forum.....

 

I've seen similar threads, but I'd love to know why people spend their time on such a pointless game of signing hidden pieces of paper.... Here's my 2 cents, and it obviously won't apply to everyone:

 

I found GC because of the Apple app store. I paid 10 bucks for the app. The VERY FIRST night, within 30 minutes of loading the app, me and my 4 kids were out finding caches. We've been at least 10 times in the last two months now.

 

Each and every one of those nights out with the kids would've looked more like this, prior to our finding geocaching....

 

(5) movie tickets (even at a dollar theatre) 5 bucks

(1) large popcorn 4 bucks

(5) drinks 15 bucks

 

Total cost for a CHEAP night out with the kids: 24 bucks

Amount of QUALITY time spent talking with them and getting to really be a part of their lives (as opposed to glueing our eyes and ears to a screen)....... ZIPPO

Total time with the family - 2.5 hours

 

Night out caching - FREE (may 2-4 bucks in gas)

Avg time spent: 4-6 hours

QUALITY time talking, laughing and really being together: 4-6 hours

 

Cost of iPhone app - after the FIRST night out? NEGATIVE 14 Bucks

After 10 nights out with the kids...... NEGATIVE 230 Bucks

The 40-60 hours of QUALITY time spend..... Priceless.

 

Now this equation only works for my family, and doesn't always apply. However, even the times I've gone by myself, entertained myself, had some good alone time and spent NOTHING...... Contrast nicely to wasting my life in front of the TV or walking through the mall watching money as it seems to fall out of my pockets. The way I figure it, I'm getting paid to do it!

 

I already owned the iPhone and already pay for the service, so the total cash outlay is 10 BUCKS!!

 

Think I'm a fan of the iPhone app?? Geocaching?? I've never, in 40 years, found something that is good for the family, will entertain myself and mutiple kids for hours at the cost of.....free. (Which includes gestation period since I'm only 39).

 

That's my opinion, and it's worth exactly what it cost you. What's your reason for being involved with such a silly, nerdy hobby???

dollar theatre? $4 large popcorn?????? this actually exists somewhere?

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:unsure: Besides my first comment, you are right. I've been shown more things by the people that I cache with. Places that I knew existed but never took the time to explore. By the same token, I've shown them places that they never have seen, so it's been mutually "educational" and exciting for us. Guess that's why most of our caches involve hiking in the suburban areas, saving the urban ones for when the weather isn't the greatest. We rack up at least 4 miles each time out, and like today only 3 caches.

 

And yes, my caching partners are women. :D

 

It's interesting that the first official cache I found took me to an area of the city that was actually quiet and had a magnificent view. Never thought I could experience that in a city as big as NYC.

 

Now if only I could find a cacher of the female persuasion to share in my enthusiasm... :(

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I travel...a LOT! All over the place (worldwide). Before I found geocaching, I'd sit in my hotel room. I may go out for an hour or two, to look around, but that would be it. Now, I look forward to finding time during the trip to look for geocaches. I'm almost never in my room, unless it's dark and I'm going to bed. I forces me to exercise, it forces me to explore new places, it forces me to find new friends, thank God I found this hobby! :(

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Now if only I could find a cacher of the female persuasion to share in my enthusiasm... :(

 

I feel your pain... but if I have a choice, can I have two of them?

 

Greedy! :unsure::D

 

I have to admit though, geocaching does get me out there to meet people, since I'm typically a techno-hermit who likes to hide under the bed while watching Psych or Burn Notice on the USA network. Just never been much of a people person. They have cooties!

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