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Too old for treasure hunting ?


Davon2

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Hi all ,

I am new to this and wondered what age and typical type of person does this .

I started on my 48th birthday and wondered if its strange for a middle aged man to go "treasure hunting" alone . Think my wife might come along if weather ok but my children are too old to be seen out with their father poking about in the trees etc.

Think this will be great out with my caravan and dog .

 

Great to join you all

 

Davon

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A "middle-aged" man and his dog hiking through a provincial park won't look suspicious, but a man and his dog lurking around a suburban playground might. It all depends on your location. However, there are several ways around this: props and costume pieces such as a clipboard, safety vest, camera, hard hat, etc will help you fit in for suburban hides.

 

As for your kids being too old to be seen with you - you may be underestimating them :lol: My teens are 16 and 18 years old. They come along (sometimes begrudgingly) and they always have a good time. I recommend a bribe to hit the local TIm Hortons or Dairy Queen afterward.

 

Welcome and enjoy!

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If you view this as seeking a tupperware container in the woods then perhaps yes we are too old to treasure hunt. If however you view it as a chance to see great views, historical locations, and unknown places then I pray we never are too old to seek treasure.

 

-A 49 year old treasure hunter-

Yes your right its not the find i suppose but the journey to get there . Kind of just adding something special to walking . i really am getting into it . Ive only found 2 but want to find another , then another , then another !!

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I'll soon be 63, Davon2, and today I found my 500th cache after starting a year and a half ago. I can't tell you what a great feeling that is for me. Most of my caching is done alone but I'll hook up with a buddy once in awhile and my outing becomes even more fun. There hasn't been a single cache I regret finding but some were outstanding and, in time, you'll find those, too. My wife has zero interest in geocaching and my son thinks I'm a geek. There's only one thing I would like to have done differently, though....I would like to have started 10 years earlier. The great parks and trails I've seen and the many interesting fellow cachers I've met have added so much to this great pastime. Follow your heart, buddy, and enjoy!

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Age is only a number! I was older than you when I started...and the best part of getting older is that I really don't give a toss what strangers think any more. I like coming up with answers which will shoo them along, although I do tell the truth also...

Welcome aboard, Davon - you may want to hook up with some fellow geocachers at a local event. They can be fun.

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Started at the end of 2003 and all four members of the family participated in the first day's finds. Today my Son, who is now 22, and I headed out during the Super Bowl to hunt a few caches since the weather was great here in the Seattle area. I am 33 years older than my son. We searched for five caches and found four. One of the four was up a fallen tree and over a sand bank. We could see it. We chose not to shimmy out to get it. Found it but logged a DNF. I hope to keep finding geocache treasures as long as I am able.

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I don't think it's a matter of age.

If you have fun, just do it.

You don't have to do any T5 if you don't feel fit for it, but if you do, even better.

 

Most important: enjoy!

 

I guess I'll have about 60 or more years to find a lot of caches ;)

Edited by Otis.Gore
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If you view this as seeking a tupperware container in the woods then perhaps yes we are too old to treasure hunt. If however you view it as a chance to see great views, historical locations, and unknown places then I pray we never are too old to seek treasure.

 

-A 49 year old treasure hunter-

 

For myself, and many others I know, it is about finding the box. A well done cache nicely hidden is what I am looking for.

 

My favorite cache hunt will take me somewhere where there is a chance to see great views,historical locations, and unknown places. However, the well done tupperware is my main goal.

 

That being said, I turn 64 in a week, and have no thoughts of giving this up anytime soon.

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Honestly, 48 years old is not too old to be caching. In fact on several informal surveys I've seen on caching, the 40s seem to be the most common age for those who responded to the survey. In my province the people who have found the most caches are pretty much all retired.

I never thought about but most of the regular cachers here are 40 to 50 years old or are retired.

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If I recall correctly a survey a year or so ago said the average age of a geocacher was around 39. That means there are a lot older than 39.

I'm 53 and I've cached with 80 year olds and 20 year olds but most are around my age give or take a few years.

 

I think I remember that survey but didn't participate.

 

Perhaps one way to answer the OPs question would be to find out who's the oldest known geocacher. Any ideas?

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Four years ago I went out caching with a caching buddy and her 76 year old father decided to come along just for the walk. We found the cache, but needed his help getting it out of its hiding spot. He was completely hooked! She gave him a GPS for Father's Day that year. He will turn 80 this year and is still hooked. He can't wait for our spring geocaching weekend - I'm sure he'll beat us to most, if not all, of the caches we search for. You're never too old for this adventure!

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If I recall correctly a survey a year or so ago said the average age of a geocacher was around 39. That means there are a lot older than 39.

I'm 53 and I've cached with 80 year olds and 20 year olds but most are around my age give or take a few years.

 

I think I remember that survey but didn't participate.

 

Perhaps one way to answer the OPs question would be to find out who's the oldest known geocacher. Any ideas?

 

As far as the oldest person who ever geocached, I bet it's pretty old. As far as the oldest regular cacher I know one who I believe is in her 80's and has a couple thousand finds, including a significant portion of long hikes and high terrain caches. I can only wish that if I make it to that age I'd still be in her shape.

Edited by briansnat
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Paddlecaching , I kayak allot (sea and rivers) and just realised when i saw your name how great it would be if some caches where only accessible by boat !!

 

I made that connection when I first started. It seemed like a marriage of paddling and geocaching would be obvious, thus my choice of handle. There are actually quite a few caches that are only accessible by boat. Florida and Connecticut seem to be real hot spots for paddle caches, but there are many on inland lakes and rivers as well. In my area there is a woman with a recreational kayak that placed a series of 8-10 caches on three different rivers that are essentially accessible by boat. I've even read of more than one geocacher that bought a kayak just so that they could find some of the paddle caches in their area.

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I've got grand-kids that insist they are too old for stuff. Poppycock!

 

Git 'er done!

 

:laughing::laughing::laughing: Yeah, I know! I'm still in my twenties and even I am occasionally overheard saying stuff to my friends like: "No, go ahead. I'll wait here, I'm too old for this sh**!" :D

I guess I should stop smoking... :ph34r:

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Allow yourself to be a kid at heart and feel the joys of discovery and exploration, and your age will make not the slightest bit of difference. :D

 

My guess is you are a young person. We are in our eightys with over 5,000 finds. Of course age makes a difference. You just do what you can do. Dick & Arlene

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Allow yourself to be a kid at heart and feel the joys of discovery and exploration, and your age will make not the slightest bit of difference. :D

 

My guess is you are a young person. We are in our eightys with over 5,000 finds. Of course age makes a difference. You just do what you can do. Dick & Arlene

Don't let this old geezer routine fool you for a second. After a bit of hiking and climbing I find the cache, open the log book and what do I see? W7WT. Dick and Arlene really don't do guardrail and LPC's. I will thank my lucky stars if I'm still out hiking around in the woods finding tupperware when I'm Dick's age. And if you stop and think about it for a minute, Dick started in his 70's! To old, I don't think so. I found my first in 2002, my second in 2007 after I retired. Best thing in the world to stay active and keep the mind working.

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Allow yourself to be a kid at heart and feel the joys of discovery and exploration, and your age will make not the slightest bit of difference. :D

 

My guess is you are a young person. We are in our eightys with over 5,000 finds. Of course age makes a difference. You just do what you can do. Dick & Arlene

Don't let this old geezer routine fool you for a second. After a bit of hiking and climbing I find the cache, open the log book and what do I see? W7WT. Dick and Arlene really don't do guardrail and LPC's. I will thank my lucky stars if I'm still out hiking around in the woods finding tupperware when I'm Dick's age. And if you stop and think about it for a minute, Dick started in his 70's! To old, I don't think so. I found my first in 2002, my second in 2007 after I retired. Best thing in the world to stay active and keep the mind working.

Don't believe a word that Jim says. If it wasn't for guard rail and LPC's finds, there would be very few finds at all.

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