Absent Geocachers

[+TerraViators]

I've always been curious about the cacher who was once very active, but when you check their profile, they haven't logged in over a year or longer. Did they just get bored? Did they have a bad accident and are in a coma, or worse, dead? Was geocaching something that filled a void in their lives, but now they have filled the void with something else? Have they been court-ordered to not use a computer? What happens?

Edited July 27, 2010 by TerraViators

[+thedeadpirate]

Some get banned. Some get bored. Sometimes medical problems make you either stop or change how you cache. Sometimes jobs leave people with less time.

 

There are lots of reasons people drop out.

[+Too Tall John]

Sometimes, people are running from the law, or the tax man or their ex, and when they find that simply changing their forum avatar doesn't throw them off, they change to another account.

[+thedeadpirate]

Sometimes, people are running from the law, or the tax man or their ex, and when they find that simply changing their forum avatar doesn't throw them off, they change to another account.

 

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

 

Other reasons for dropping out are death, as the OP noted, getting angry with someone on the forums and quitting altogether, divorce, having a run-in with another cacher that doesn't end nicely, having a negative run-in with a muggle, having a run-in with the law.

 

There really are a multitude of reasons to suddenly leave the game.

[+TerraViators]

Hmmm, all good reasons, I suppose. I guess I can't see myself ever stopping. Of course, I've only been caching 103 days.

[+Chokecherry]

We have very low cache saturation here in the immediate area. I could see me slowing down a lot once I run out of near by caches.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I've always been curious about the cacher who was once very active, but when you check their profile, they haven't logged in over a year or longer. Did they just get bored? Did they have a bad accident and are in a coma, or worse, dead? Was geocaching something that filled a void in their lives, but now they have filled the void with something else? Have they been court-ordered to not use a computer? What happens?

After a few years I found that the people who play this game are more important than the caches, so I rarely cache alone any more. I quit logging finds online because it was redundant once I started caching with other people whom I knew would log our finds, DNFs and Needs Maintenance logs.

 

Frankly I don't care if I never see another geocache as long as I can go caching with my geopals!

 

When I cache now I don't even keep a record of the caches we found. If we come to a cache that I have found it is just as much fun (if not more) to watch them hunt it.

 

I still cache regularly and sign the cache log but only log finds if I was alone (and not always then).

 

I know a number of folks who choose not to log their finds. Once we've enjoyed the experience of the hunt, the location and the find we're done with that cache. Next!

Edited July 27, 2010 by TheAlabamaRambler

[+ngrrfan]

I know of one cacher that has passed away yet his wife is still active. She doesn't log in, so no online logs for her, and they do have 1 active cache, but she has 2-3 of us that take care of the cache when needed and who cache with her on a weekly basis.

[+briansnat]

I think some people go into the sport full tilt and get burned out after a year or two, or get bored, or find another hobby to take up their time.

 

I can think of many once gung ho cachers in my area who rarely, if ever geocache. Some who amassed hundreds and even thousands of finds and had numerous hides, and who were active in the community, attending events and group hunts. Then all of a sudden, gone. Some haven't even logged onto the site in 3 or 4 years.

Edited July 27, 2010 by briansnat

[+BlueDeuce]

I think some people go into the sport full tilt and get burned out after a year or two, or get bored, or find another hobby to take up their time.

 

I can think of many once gung ho cachers in my area who rarely, if ever geocache. Some who amassed hundreds and even thousands of finds and had numerous hides, and who were active in the community, attending events and group hunts. Then all of a sudden, gone. Some haven't even logged onto the site in 3 or 4 years.

 

Exactly what I was going to say. I watch some new cachers get really into it, amassing thousands of finds placing scores of caches then at about two years they just fall of the map. The ones that find a few every week or so keep going well past the two year mark.

[+thedeadpirate]

Exactly what I was going to say. I watch some new cachers get really into it, amassing thousands of finds placing scores of caches then at about two years they just fall of the map. The ones that find a few every week or so keep going well past the two year mark.

That might just prove a point be a strong indicator that geocaching is more about the experience than the competitiveness.

[+DragonsWest]

Hi, DragonsWest, the poster-child for Geocachers who go astray and then return again one day.

 

I started back in 2003 and hid my first cache within a month.

 

After exhausting many of the finds in my area in short time I then turned to other pursuits, like mountain biking and road biking. After a serious crash in 2005 I was unable to cycle as much as I once had, as certain injuries took up to 2 years to mend. I then returned to Geocaching as an alternative. I could mix hiking, cycling and vacation trips into Geocaching and there were scads more caches to find than in 2003.

 

I've found about 1,400 caches in the past year, hid about 50 more and have attended events and hosted one CITO and have another on the book for late September.

 

So, not all who wander off are lost forever.

[+YooperSnowman]

We have very low cache saturation here in the immediate area. I could see me slowing down a lot once I run out of near by caches.

Same here. I will hit 200 next time I'm out caching, but I live in a small town and can no longer go out after dinner and grab a few near-by caches. I now have to plan extended day trips or over-night outings to get to un-found caches. So I am slowing down as well.

 

I disappeared from the caching scene for about a year when my sons lost my gps. I didn't get a new one for over a year ($$$ were tight). I didn't have a smart phone at the time either. But I hope to be around in the future.

[+9Key]

Pigeon Cacher (noun): A cacher that flies in with a flurry, doo doo's out a bunch of caches, then flies off, never to be seen again.

[+Teach2Learn]

I think work/family obligations, health issues, and the redundancy (especially for the numbers-only micro cachers) add to the attrition rate.

 

As a teacher, I tend to slow down during certain periods of the school year. I also hardly cached at all in 2009 having been diagnosed with Lyme Disease as it left me so drained much of the time. With rounds of antibiotics, the symptoms lessened and I've been caching frequently this summer.

[+scuba dude]

LOL, absent geocacher here! First time back in since I got home from Iraq over a year ago. Life gets in the way. I had exhausted all my local caches, then fuel costs and time involved prevented me from making long trips cache hunting. Multiple jobs putting a kid through college made sure I had more than enough to keep me busy in town.

 

I am about to make a long road trip and logged in to start routing a few caches along the way and at my destination.

[Andronicus]

I think work/family obligations, health issues, and the redundancy (especially for the numbers-only micro cachers) add to the attrition rate.

 

As a teacher, I tend to slow down during certain periods of the school year. I also hardly cached at all in 2009 having been diagnosed with Lyme Disease as it left me so drained much of the time. With rounds of antibiotics, the symptoms lessened and I've been caching frequently this summer.

Lyme Desease...That sucks! I hope that I can stear clear of that, but getting outdoors is definatly worth the risk.

[+DragonsWest]

We have very low cache saturation here in the immediate area. I could see me slowing down a lot once I run out of near by caches.

Same here. I will hit 200 next time I'm out caching, but I live in a small town and can no longer go out after dinner and grab a few near-by caches. I now have to plan extended day trips or over-night outings to get to un-found caches. So I am slowing down as well.

 

I disappeared from the caching scene for about a year when my sons lost my gps. I didn't get a new one for over a year ($$$ were tight). I didn't have a smart phone at the time either. But I hope to be around in the future.

 

There's always Google Maps caching, which a local (to Santa Cruz, CA) managed while his GPS was non-functional.

 

I see there's a couple Virtuals in the Keweenaw peninusula. Hmm. Maybe I should plan a Summer 2010 back to my old stomping grounds in Eagle River.

[+ArcherDragoon]

Work has gotten in the way of caching...I miss going on caching weekends...

[sabrefan7]

I've always been curious about the cacher who was once very active, but when you check their profile, they haven't logged in over a year or longer. Did they just get bored? Did they have a bad accident and are in a coma, or worse, dead? Was geocaching something that filled a void in their lives, but now they have filled the void with something else? Have they been court-ordered to not use a computer? What happens?

What about archived caches by inactive players? Have you gone to look for them?

[+Shop99er]

Up until the beginning of this year, we were out nearly every weekend. However, we bought a new place in January, and nearly every weekend has been spent on the major re-model we're doing.

 

With some luck, we can get back into caching this fall---ish.

[+lachupa]

People burn out of all sorts of things really. I spent decades in martial arts. The people who last are the slow and steady types who are at one progressing at their own rate. It was always the ones who dove in head first letting it completely absorb their life who didn't last.

 

There is some other post floating around about those 100+ cache a day runs. I think a couple of those would kill your interest.

 

or

 

It could just be flipping 100 degrees with 80% humidity and they're hiding out indoors until fall.

[+Chokecherry]

We have very low cache saturation here in the immediate area. I could see me slowing down a lot once I run out of near by caches.

Same here. I will hit 200 next time I'm out caching, but I live in a small town and can no longer go out after dinner and grab a few near-by caches. I now have to plan extended day trips or over-night outings to get to un-found caches. So I am slowing down as well.

 

I disappeared from the caching scene for about a year when my sons lost my gps. I didn't get a new one for over a year ($$$ were tight). I didn't have a smart phone at the time either. But I hope to be around in the future.

 

I'm going to hit 100 soon here and have exhausted most of the caches in the immediate area. I try to head out somewhere on the weekend and pick up one or two but I want the most bang for my buck if I'm going to travel to them so I try to plan day caching trips.

 

I'll probably go dormant searching for caches in the winter until spring. We don't have a ton of those parking lot caches here. Even placed off a parking lot can be hard to get to in the winter here if not completely buried by snow banks. And I just don't plain old don't do the -20 to -50 temps and snow. Rather stay in. Than freeze outside.

[+briansnat]

We have very low cache saturation here in the immediate area. I could see me slowing down a lot once I run out of near by caches.

Same here. I will hit 200 next time I'm out caching, but I live in a small town and can no longer go out after dinner and grab a few near-by caches. I now have to plan extended day trips or over-night outings to get to un-found caches. So I am slowing down as well.

 

I disappeared from the caching scene for about a year when my sons lost my gps. I didn't get a new one for over a year ($$$ were tight). I didn't have a smart phone at the time either. But I hope to be around in the future.

 

I'm going to hit 100 soon here and have exhausted most of the caches in the immediate area. I try to head out somewhere on the weekend and pick up one or two but I want the most bang for my buck if I'm going to travel to them so I try to plan day caching trips.

 

I'll probably go dormant searching for caches in the winter until spring. We don't have a ton of those parking lot caches here. Even placed off a parking lot can be hard to get to in the winter here if not completely buried by snow banks. And I just don't plain old don't do the -20 to -50 temps and snow. Rather stay in. Than freeze outside.

 

I bet that you will find yourself geocaching in the winter. It's the best time of the year to geocache. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If you are a real geocacher you will be out there and find yourself liking it.

[+coralteach]

LOL, absent geocacher here! First time back in since I got home from Iraq over a year ago. Life gets in the way. I had exhausted all my local caches, then fuel costs and time involved prevented me from making long trips cache hunting. Multiple jobs putting a kid through college made sure I had more than enough to keep me busy in town.

 

I am about to make a long road trip and logged in to start routing a few caches along the way and at my destination.

Glad you made it home to go caching, and thanks for your service. (I'm assuming you're in the military).

[+Chokecherry]

We have very low cache saturation here in the immediate area. I could see me slowing down a lot once I run out of near by caches.

Same here. I will hit 200 next time I'm out caching, but I live in a small town and can no longer go out after dinner and grab a few near-by caches. I now have to plan extended day trips or over-night outings to get to un-found caches. So I am slowing down as well.

 

I disappeared from the caching scene for about a year when my sons lost my gps. I didn't get a new one for over a year ($$$ were tight). I didn't have a smart phone at the time either. But I hope to be around in the future.

 

I'm going to hit 100 soon here and have exhausted most of the caches in the immediate area. I try to head out somewhere on the weekend and pick up one or two but I want the most bang for my buck if I'm going to travel to them so I try to plan day caching trips.

 

I'll probably go dormant searching for caches in the winter until spring. We don't have a ton of those parking lot caches here. Even placed off a parking lot can be hard to get to in the winter here if not completely buried by snow banks. And I just don't plain old don't do the -20 to -50 temps and snow. Rather stay in. Than freeze outside.

 

I bet that you will find yourself geocaching in the winter. It's the best time of the year to geocache. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If you are a real geocacher you will be out there and find yourself liking it.

 

I'm so not a winter fan. Not at all. I'll possibly cache during the very first and very last snows (did the last snow this year) but not doing the unbelievable feet of snow and it's so cold every fluid in your car turns to sludge part of winter. I don't do snow shoeing and at this point with the caches I have left in the area it would involve some serious snow shoeing to get the the caches and a good shovel to get at them.

[+YooperSnowman]

I see there's a couple Virtuals in the Keweenaw peninusula. Hmm. Maybe I should plan a Summer 2010 back to my old stomping grounds in Eagle River.

 

Hey Dragons. If you ever get back to the Keweenaw, let me know. There are some great caches here.

[+Packanack]

There was one guy who said he wouldn't come back until virtuals came back We are still waiting.

 

The reasons are the usual, moved, married, divorced, kids started playing sports, job, health, burned out and bored. There is no one reason why someone stops caching and many people drop in and out depending on the demands in their lives at any given time. I like to go slow and integrate caching into other things, vacation, biking, paddling hiking--it has yet to get old for me and I foresee a long association. But I keep caching ancillary to those other things. Like, I will say I am going on a bike ride and will look for caches as we ride. Or we are hiking and hope to do some caches. Rather than say we are going caching.

 

Oh, yeah then there are things like kayak fishing, motorcycling etc etc.

Edited July 28, 2010 by Packanack