We've lost our way

January 7, 2011

I am just now getting back into caching after being away from it for several years. Back when I started in '04, one of the characteristics of a good cache is that it got people to a place where they may not have been before -- good scenery, good trails, etc. Now in looking at cache locations in our area, it appears that we have a few cachers creating caches that are ones you can drive to, find the cache, and be back on the road in minutes. And they are creating multitudes of them. Most are logbook-only and are located in every shopping mall in the area.

What happened? Sure, I can ignore the caches they've created, and will, but why do we have to sort through this stuff?

3.4k · January 7, 2011

It became all about numbers -

Finds

and

Hides

There are still a lot of good hides out there, you should probably try filtering on Favorites or simply pan the map away from urban areas.

January 7, 2011

I am just now getting back into caching after being away from it for several years. Back when I started in '04, one of the characteristics of a good cache is that it got people to a place where they may not have been before -- good scenery, good trails, etc. Now in looking at cache locations in our area, it appears that we have a few cachers creating caches that are ones you can drive to, find the cache, and be back on the road in minutes. And they are creating multitudes of them. Most are logbook-only and are located in every shopping mall in the area.

What happened? Sure, I can ignore the caches they've created, and will, but why do we have to sort through this stuff?

Welcome back. Some like 'em some don't. I choose the ones I go to and sometimes I get the quickies, sometimes I go for puzzles, sometimes I go for hikes. I like variety.

January 7, 2011

One mans trash.... The log only micros are fun for travel days, some of the more involved ones are good for outings when out of town. Close to home I go for a variety of caches. I think its all about making geocaching a part of what you enjoy. If you like to hike, then go for those caches but lamp post hides are great for mall rats. That's why I like doing this, you can make it was you want it to be (within limits). There are a wealth of threads on micro proliferation that you might enjoy too.

4.2k · January 7, 2011

What happened? Sure, I can ignore the caches they've created, and will, but why do we have to sort through this stuff?

Geocaching became popular. Good news, now there are more caches than ever to find! Bad news, there's an increased chance that you might not like them!

January 7, 2011

MOST of the best caches I have found are newer caches. Some are even urban micros. Geocaching's a measly ten years old and it's tiring hearing about the good old days from people who don't even participate in all aspects of the game.

Hide a cache, and show us newbies how it's done.

January 7, 2011

I am just now getting back into caching after being away from it for several years. Back when I started in '04, one of the characteristics of a good cache is that it got people to a place where they may not have been before -- good scenery, good trails, etc. Now in looking at cache locations in our area, it appears that we have a few cachers creating caches that are ones you can drive to, find the cache, and be back on the road in minutes. And they are creating multitudes of them. Most are logbook-only and are located in every shopping mall in the area.

What happened? Sure, I can ignore the caches they've created, and will, but why do we have to sort through this stuff?

I can't help but notice the irony of your complaining about cache placements but you yourself have placed none at all. There are placements for all level of participants. Not everyone can do long or hard hikes. Nor does everyone want to. We have not lost our way - we've expanded to be inclusive not exclusive. Geocaching didn't start with a mandate. It started organically and it remains so. Like DragonsWest suggested, point your map in a better direction and enjoy the ones you prefer. Simple.

10.2k · January 7, 2011

What happened? Sure, I can ignore the caches they've created, and will, but why do we have to sort through this stuff?

Geocaching became popular. Good news, now there are more caches than ever to find! Bad news, there's an increased chance that you might not like them!

This is the answer above (I think). Now I'm not stalking you, really. But as part of what I'm going to suggest, I went to your last find in 2006. It appears to be a Subway Parking lot cache (Jared in the title gave it away :lol: ) so the current listings can't be that much of a shock.

So I went there to do a "nearby caches" search, and sorted by favorites, as voted by other Geocachers. This rather new system seems to work pretty good so far. When you are on a search page of 20 caches, click that little blue ribbon towards the top, and it will sort by favorite votes. I could go out to 400 caches, and I was still at ones with multiple (at least two) favorites votes. That'll keep you busy for a while.

EDIT: two cracks about not having hidden any caches, tough crowd.

Edited January 7, 2011 by Mr.Yuck

2k · January 7, 2011

lets be fair, unless you started many years ago, all the best places have caches already. Its only natural as the sport became more popular that folks would be forced to put caches in more urban and less scenic places.

Personally, am not a fan of strip mall parking lot spots (unless really ingenious) but its hardly surprising to me.

6.1k · January 7, 2011

What happened?

Initially geocaching was an mostly underground activity, where a box of semi-valuable items were located, and trades were on the honor system and noted in the logbook. The micro trend caused cachers to get into the habit of just signing the logbook and downplaying the trading. The number of interesting places on the planet has not increased either, but the hobby is growing anyway.

Edited January 7, 2011 by 4wheelin_fool

7.4k · January 7, 2011

Caching has grown in many different directions, but there are still lots of basic, old-school geocaches out there.

6.7k · January 7, 2011

Map a city center and you will get a bunch of micros. Map a suburb you will get a mix. Map a rural area and you will get mostly large containers.

Hint: Cache in the area that contains a large population of what you like to find.

It was thus when I started a few thousand finds ago in 2003 and so it remains. The game has changed very little.

1.2k · January 7, 2011

:mmraspberry: Because not everyone likes the same flavor of ice cream (caches)

The game has grown at some point people ran out of places to place regulars on trails and in woods with great views and scenery. Then at some point micros came along, and people enjoyed them and they were found lots and they grew.

Do I get bored with finding LPCs and GRCs? Yes. But as others have mentioned and you yourself point out when you're on the road and only have time for quick stop these can be nice.

I'm glad they've added the Favorites feature because I now can focus on quality caches that are still park and grabs.

I'm friends with a cacher who started back in 01. She got out of it for awhile, but now accepts the micros. But I think a large majority of cachers still enjoy finding an ammo box with treasure, they're just not the only type of cache out there.

4.2k · January 7, 2011

Map a city center and you will get a bunch of micros. Map a suburb you will get a mix. Map a rural area and you will get mostly large containers.

Hint: Cache in the area that contains a large population of what you like to find.

It was thus when I started a few thousand finds ago in 2003 and so it remains. The game has changed very little.

That's the answer right there. Pick the location first, then look for caches.

38.2k · January 7, 2011

lets be fair, unless you started many years ago, all the best places have caches already. Its only natural as the sport became more popular that folks would be forced to put caches in more urban and less scenic places.

Personally, am not a fan of strip mall parking lot spots (unless really ingenious) but its hardly surprising to me.

All of the good places are not taken. I live in one of the most densely cached states in the US and I'm constantly surprised by all of the great spots that my fellow cachers are still finding to place caches. Sure it takes a little more effort to find them and a lot of newer caches don't seem to want to make that effort.

We're starting to see a bit of that here too. For the most part we avoided the strip mall and big box store hides until recently. They are starting to creep in and almost without exception it's a novice who is placing them. Thankfully they are still in the minority.

I sympathize with the OP. In many areas the strip mall micros are the rule rather than the exception, making finding the interesting caches a real chore. I no longer cache when visiting certain areas. I know other local cachers who tell me the same thing.

Edited January 7, 2011 by briansnat

3.2k · January 7, 2011

I don't think that many individual cachers are lowering their standards, but a much larger percentage of new cachers are less interested in getting off the pavement.

January 7, 2011

I dabbled in the sport for a bit in the early 2000s, and at the time, I don't recall bumping into any micros OR urban hides- mainly because my general region is filled with green spaces and I think I focused on hiking areas. There were probably some micros around, I am sure, but I never encountered any. My life became hectic shortly after, and I didn't begin again until April of 2010. Boy, had the caching landscape changed! Not only did we lose the ability to hide caches in some of our wildest areas in our region, including our state parks, there were LPC and quick parking lot P&G everywhere. At first, I stamped my feet and grumbled, feeling indignation that the "spirit" of caching was gone. Soon, however, I realized that there is a time and place for everything, and as others have stated, sometimes it's nice to be able to grab a quick micro on the road or on my commute home, if I only have a few minutes to spare. I have even done a couple of power runs in the area, and found that, if in good company, it's kind of a blast and an opportunity to hang out with fellow cachers for a day. So, there's something for everyone, and I tailor my activities based on my needs for that day. Still prefer the hikes- especially longer ones- but can see a place and function for quick P&Gs. Also, I am working on a 100 day challenge, and there's no way I can reach my goal if I have to do a 3 mile hike every day! :lol:

1.1k · January 7, 2011

I still find some pretty nice caches. Around here wo do have a bunch of the BYOP waterproof match container types. But we also have some VERY clever caches who put out some neat hides. I think it has to do with how close the caching community is. We have an active group (i.e. sponsering events, picnics, FB pages) and that seems to keep the cache quality a bit higher as well.

14k · January 7, 2011

lets be fair, unless you started many years ago, all the best places have caches already. Its only natural as the sport became more popular that folks would be forced to put caches in more urban and less scenic places.

Personally, am not a fan of strip mall parking lot spots (unless really ingenious) but its hardly surprising to me.

All of the good places are not taken. I live in one of the most densely cached states in the US and I'm constantly surprised by all of the great spots that my fellow cachers are still finding to place caches. Sure it takes a little more effort to find them and a lot of newer caches don't seem to want to make that effort.

I have got to agree with Brian here. All one needs to do is looked at Google maps or the new beta-maps and search for caches near small towns or cities. You'll typically find that there may be quite a few caches within the city limits, often very close to a road, but there is a lot of open space outside the city available for placements if one takes the time to travel out of town a few miles (and walk a bit).

38.2k · January 7, 2011

lets be fair, unless you started many years ago, all the best places have caches already. Its only natural as the sport became more popular that folks would be forced to put caches in more urban and less scenic places.

Personally, am not a fan of strip mall parking lot spots (unless really ingenious) but its hardly surprising to me.

All of the good places are not taken. I live in one of the most densely cached states in the US and I'm constantly surprised by all of the great spots that my fellow cachers are still finding to place caches. Sure it takes a little more effort to find them and a lot of newer caches don't seem to want to make that effort.

I have got to agree with Brian here. All one needs to do is looked at Google maps or the new beta-maps and search for caches near small towns or cities. You'll typically find that there may be quite a few caches within the city limits, often very close to a road, but there is a lot of open space outside the city available for placements if one takes the time to travel out of town a few miles (and walk a bit).

A few weeks ago looked at the new hiking caches placed by SeekeroftheWay. She is a fairly new cacher and put several caches in a state park near her home. The entire state park (a good sized one) had only 1 cache before she put her's there. Within a few miles of the park there are hundreds of caches, some just outside of it.

In 10 years very few people thought to use this large swath of public land for caches. This new cacher comes along and thinks a little outside the box and found plenty of room for her caches.

2k · January 7, 2011

Well, I cannot speak for the rest of the world and the country, but in the Seattle area....unless you want to go deep into the mountains, all the parks, all the main hiking trails, all the roadside vistas (well the ones with pullouts), all have had a geocache there. To find an undiscovered hiking trail of note is a very hard thing to do and very rare.

So when I say all the good hiking places are gone, I am referring to the areas I know. If you are in a city where your parks within 30 minutes drive are not taken, more power to you.

January 7, 2011

Being one that dabble in Geocaching back in 04-06, I have come back to find a lot more caches available. Take that with having kids of differant ages (me being one of those kids <grin>), let me make a newbie type of observation:

1. I love the challenge of the urban /city micros, it lets me play "spy" and is a challenge. (and give me an excuse to actually leave the office for a bit)

2. I leave the caches in the parks and woods alone until I have my 6 & 9 yr old with me. They can actually look and find them. large caches have those treasures that the lil ones love. And with numerous caches in one park or area, then it is actually an event vs. a drive and stop.

3. The scattered ones are good with my teenagers, as they "play the game" and still have time to txt message thier friends between caches.

So while there are about 3000 caches in the general Austin Tx Area, there is something for everyone. What has been amazing is that even in urban areas, I find places that I never saw before.

When I got a new GPS for xmas, I was mostly interested in using it for my motorbike, but then started geocaching again, and it has made me a happy old fart. Where else can I wander in the woods, space truck around the city (esp. during lunch), combine history with a game, and do it all in a network of some darn nice folks.

Things change, but finding happiness in finding a treasure, whether a micro or ammo can, will hopefully never fade away.

TFTCs all over the place.

January 7, 2011

For me it's about the "treasure hunt," the thrill of finding "buried" treasure. Finding a cleverly hidden cache is most satisfying, but I don't worry if it's "buried" under a lamp post skirt. Having placed a couple of puzzle caches myself, I know how hard it is to find a good hiding spot in an area saturated with caches, so I prefer to cut my fellow cacher/hiders some slack.

I think it's silly to fret about how caching is "going downhill" just because there are more urban parking lot hides. It's not, it's getting better and more diversified. For me, it's not about the number of caches I've found (you have only to check my count to see that!), it's about getting outdoors and doing something interesting. Some people like wilderness hikes to find caches. I don't particularly, but I'm happy those folks have the opportunity. I happen to like urban caches, and especially puzzles. Those of you who prefer wilderness hides could at least allow me my fun without carping about how caching is changing.

Yes, it's changing, and for the better, say I!

20.7k · January 7, 2011

lets be fair, unless you started many years ago, all the best places have caches already. Its only natural as the sport became more popular that folks would be forced to put caches in more urban and less scenic places.

Personally, am not a fan of strip mall parking lot spots (unless really ingenious) but its hardly surprising to me.

All of the good places are not taken. I live in one of the most densely cached states in the US and I'm constantly surprised by all of the great spots that my fellow cachers are still finding to place caches. Sure it takes a little more effort to find them and a lot of newer caches don't seem to want to make that effort.

We're starting to see a bit of that here too. For the most part we avoided the strip mall and big box store hides until recently. They are starting to creep in and almost without exception it's a novice who is placing them. Thankfully they are still in the minority.

I sympathize with the OP. In many areas the strip mall micros are the rule rather than the exception, making finding the interesting caches a real chore. I no longer cache when visiting certain areas. I know other local cachers who tell me the same thing.

I agree with BS.

There are plenty of perfectly good places available to place caches. That's actually one of the reasons why 'uninspired' caches don't bother me.

If a cacher doesn't want to find these caches (pretty much any subset of caches can be 'these', by the way) all he has to do is look for the good ones. If a cacher wants to hide a cache and doesn't want it to be one of these (regardless of what your personal definition of 'lame' is), don't do it. Hide a cache that you would like to find.

Come to think of it, that's the other reason why 'uninspired' caches don't bother me, since I seriously doubt that very many caches are hidden by owners who would not enjoy finding that cache.

January 7, 2011

Now in looking at cache locations in our area, it appears that we have a few cachers creating caches that are ones you can drive to, find the cache, and be back on the road in minutes. And they are creating multitudes of them. Most are logbook-only and are located in every shopping mall in the area.

Well, seeing how the US economy is based on US citizens buying Chinese goods with Chinese credit, it makes sense to put caches next to places that encourage the economy.

January 7, 2011

There are many different kind of caches, just do the ones you like and skip the rest. Don't forget, you might like taking hikes into the woods, others like urban caches. I just see it as a greater variation in caches.

Also I encourage you to place caches you like, so you share your favorite kind of caches with others.

Regards, Moose61

1.8k · January 7, 2011

I don't think that many individual cachers are lowering their standards, but a much larger percentage of new cachers are less interested in getting off the pavement.

Exactly so, Traveling the Sierra's I have noticed the longer the hike .. the fewer cache visits. However, I don't believe there is a statistical relationship to length of time in the activity and the " need ' to stay near the pavement.

A trend I think I am seeing is: Ammo box hides seem to be muggled / ripped of with increasing regularity. ( may be regional ).

Edited January 7, 2011 by humboldt flier

5.6k · January 7, 2011

Well, I cannot speak for the rest of the world and the country, but in the Seattle area....unless you want to go deep into the mountains, all the parks, all the main hiking trails, all the roadside vistas (well the ones with pullouts), all have had a geocache there. To find an undiscovered hiking trail of note is a very hard thing to do and very rare.

So when I say all the good hiking places are gone, I am referring to the areas I know. If you are in a city where your parks within 30 minutes drive are not taken, more power to you.

As another Seattle area resident, I say you haven't looked very hard. I've been mapping trails in the Puget Sound region for NW Trails for the past couple of years, and I'm always finding "new" trails. Often after they are published in the next NW Trails version caches start showing up. Why not before? The trail has been there for years. I have to admit, occasionally I've kept a trail a secret until I've placed a cache along it...

5.3k · January 8, 2011

...in the Seattle area... To find an undiscovered hiking trail of note is a very hard thing to do and very rare.

Often after they are published in the next NW Trails version caches start showing up. Why not before? The trail has been there for years. I have to admit, occasionally I've kept a trail a secret until I've placed a cache along it...

Gotta agree with Jester. I live in the SF Bay Area, which has thousands and thousands of caches, but there are still big areas of local parks that have very few caches.

One good tool for finding new trails is Everytrail. You can search for GPS tracks near you to see where people have gone. You may well find a trail you didn't even know existed.

As for the more general change in geocaching; yes, it has changed. A lot. Some of it not for the better. It has required me to change my attitude toward the sport. I am no longer trying to actively make geocaching what I think it should be; I am now content to try to protect the parts I like. And I now view geocaches as a huge river flowing by, from which I can choose to sip selectively, instead of trying to get them all.

It's life. As an activity goes more mainstream, the kinds of people who engage in it become more like society as a whole. Nothing wrong with that.

18.9k · January 8, 2011

I don't think that many individual cachers are lowering their standards, but a much larger percentage of new cachers are less interested in getting off the pavement.

agreed

January 14, 2011

Thanks for all of the comments. Geocaching has changed, and some of us old farts would like it to be the way it was. I have learned some about sorting for the type you want, that people that complain might ought to be placing caches, and that some people clearly like quick finds -- and I thank each of you for your input. When you look at the number of finds in our profile, we are still newcomers. And nobody is holding a gun to our heads saying "Go cache -- and like it!" In a strange way I do feel better about this. Thanks!

Edited January 14, 2011 by Team Aspenoro

We've lost our way

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