10-year Reflections

[+fizzymagic]

Today is my 10-year caching anniversary, and I've been reflecting a little on my experience.

 

Geocaching has been a wonderful activity for me. It has changed a lot over the years, and I've had to change my expectations in order to stay interested, but that is only natural. For me, sticking with a single hobby for 10 years is a little unusual.

 

I've seen some incredible things and gone to some incredible places that I would never have without geocaching. I have done some incredible (and occasionally incredibly stupid) things that I would never have done without geocaching. I have learned a lot about GPS, navigation, geodesy, satellites, ciphers, and a million other things.

 

But most important, I have met some truly outstanding human beings through caching. On average, geocachers are friendly, generous, interesting, and intelligent people, and I'd like to thank you all for enriching my life.

 

A few of my early caching highlights:

 

Dragon Head Cache was my first find, using an old Magellan 210 my wife gave me as a birthday present.

 

Just a few weeks later, I was in the Atlanta area and, without knowing it was special, I found River Bearer, an APE cache.

 

My first truly awesome camo cache find was Stumped? and I was so excited! It opened my eyes to a new way of caching.

 

My first puzzle find was Black Box, shortly followed by You Are the GPS and from then on I was hooked on puzzles. That summer I did a bunch of virtuals on the Mall in DC and learned a lot of things I would never have known otherwise.

 

I hid my first cache, Ker-Splash, in May 2002 after I had been caching a couple of months. The original container is still there.

 

In December 2002 I was on a cruise to St. Maarten and my friend and I took a taxi out to get Orient Yourself to Orient Beach. What an adventure! The taxi driver took us home to meet her grandson, she was so intrigued by what we were doing.

 

I did my first night cache, Wait Until Dark, in June of 2003. By then we had GPX files and were starting to get more sophisticated about paperless caching.

 

Those are just a few early caches that really impressed me. I could go on and on about all the great places I have been and all the wonderful people I have met.

 

Mainly, I want to thank Groundspeak and all the great geocachers out there for a wonderful 10 years! You people rock!

[+StarBrand]

I'm just past my 10 years as well.

 

Congratulations!!!

 

Its been an honor reading your posts and learning from your experience and knowledge.

[+DragonsWest]

I'll turn 9 in a couple months. I did have a long haitus before returning to it after such an early start. Gotta say it, those who give so much to the game get so much back in return. Thanks for all you've given the game, Fizzy!

[+Totem Clan]

Congratulations to both of you.

[+wimseyguy]

Congrats and thanks for a great post. My 10 year is coming up in August; been thinking of holding an old timey pot luck in a park event to celebrate it.

[+W7WT]

Congrats to your 10 years and helpful devices you have provided the geocaching community.

Edited March 17, 2012 by W7WT

[+Glenn]

Thanks for sharing fizzymagic. For my 10 year GC anniversary I put together this avatar.

It was very difficult selecting only four photos to represent 10 years.

 

 

The yellow photo was taken in the Kingdom of Bahrain at Fort Bahrain.

The green photo was taken at a CITO even in the Hawaiian Islands.

The blue photo features a bridge over the Rio Puerco.

The red photo was taken in Southern California. Nothing but DNFs that day because the State caught on fire, again.

[+fizzymagic]

Thanks for sharing fizzymagic. For my 10 year GC anniversary I put together this avatar.

It was very difficult selecting only four photos to represent 10 years.

 

 

I love that idea! I think I will put together an avatar like it tonight. Thanks for sharing that!

[+niraD]

Mainly, I want to thank Groundspeak and all the great geocachers out there for a wonderful 10 years! You people rock!

I for one am certainly glad you stayed interested. Thank you again for all you've contributed to the GBA and to geocaching in general!

[+nikcap]

Mainly, I want to thank Groundspeak and all the great geocachers out there for a wonderful 10 years! You people rock!

I for one am certainly glad you stayed interested. Thank you again for all you've contributed to the GBA and to geocaching in general!

 

+1

 

And thank you fizzymagic for all you've added to the game. Like you, I found many of the same caches in the NoVA area that influenced my approach to the game. Having the opportunity to cache with you and talk caching with you many years ago influenced my approach to caching ever since.

 

Thank you!

[+jellis]

WTG Fizzy

Don't forget to have an extreme challenge named after you, which I am still about 17 away from completing the Original version.

 

I've only been doing this 6 years

First cache was a cache about 500ft from my home,

Solved a puzzle (STF) that puzzlers contacted me to find out how I did it.

Visited many beautiful sites

Cached in Bahamas and Canada

Only done one Power Trail

Finished the Jasmer

Completed 81 D/T grid

Cached with great cachers

and hope to keep going and enjoying.

Edited March 16, 2012 by jellis

[+Isonzo Karst]

Congratulations, and, I'll echo Starbrand, it's been a pleasure to share these forums with you.

[vagabond]

Congrats on the tenth year anniversary hope to see you around in another 10 years :D

Edited March 17, 2012 by vagabond

[+WRASTRO]

Congrats on 10 years! We are in year #9 and while we haven't done some of the cool things you have with technology we HAVE enjoyed all of our time in the game. The 19th is our premium membership renewal. Keep up the good work!

[+Glenn]

Thanks for sharing fizzymagic. For my 10 year GC anniversary I put together this avatar.

It was very difficult selecting only four photos to represent 10 years.

 

 

I love that idea! I think I will put together an avatar like it tonight. Thanks for sharing that!

 

I can't wait to see it. Post it here and let us know a little about each photo you selected when you get it done!

[+captnemo]

Congrats on ten years, mine is coming soon and I have a few things planned. Ithink I will use the date I found my first cache rather then when I signed up a few days before.

 

See you around the forums.

[+popokiiti]

Happy Anniversary! I think we're at 5 years now....I didn't get a computer until later the year we started and had to catch up on logging. I think we started in January 2007....crazy time, Dad died the year before, and Mum had had a stroke the same year, so geocaching saved my sanity and gave me something else to think about.

[jholly]

Congrats to Fizzy and all the 10 year veterans. It will soon be 10 years since I found my first cache. Some how it doesn't seem all that long ago.

[+Scubasonic]

Signed up in 2003 so the 10 year would be coming up fairly soon, but I didn't get my first cache till 2008 so I will start from there, so I guess I have a long way to go for my 10 year.

 

Scubasonic

[+clan_Barron]

Congrats fizzymagic on 10 years! As a long time user user of FizzyCalc, FindStats and AnalyzeTrack I'm glad you took up caching

[+Ambrosia]

Happy Anniversary, Fizzy.

 

I'm coming up on my ten years next month, as well. If I wrote a post about it, it would be very similar to what you wrote. Thanks for making me smile.

[+yorelken]

Well done.

[+briansnat]

Congrats on 10 years. I hit the 10 mark not too long ago and I can say that my experiences with geocaching are very similar to yours.

[+Touchstone]

Congrats! Loved the stroll down memory lane. Thanks for the great read.