How Addicted Are You?

[+scrapcat]

Today, driving to work, I passed an accident at the street corner. The driver was okay but the stop sign was not. My very first thought was to check my GPS to ensure the sign didn't contain a cache - I would've stopped to rescue it!

 

Have you found yourself doing or thinking anything strange or funny because of our addiction?

[Troutonthebrain]

Basically every piece of plastic or wood in our house has, at some point, been looked at by one of the cachers in our family who wondered "what kind of cache could I turn that into?" We have also turned into the family recycling police. - "Hey Craig, how's it going? ARE YOU DONE WITH THOSE PRETZELS!!!!! COULD WE HAVE THE CONTAINER! .... um .... please?"

- Troutonthebrain

Edited June 21, 2012 by Troutonthebrain

[Troutonthebrain]

Oh, and don't even get me started on geocoin addictions!

- Troutonthebrain

[+scrapcat]

I have to admit I was at my brother's BBQ this weekend ogling his new evergreen bushes. He wouldn't agree to move them to the front yard!

[Troutonthebrain]

I have to admit I was at my brother's BBQ this weekend ogling his new evergreen bushes. He wouldn't agree to move them to the front yard!

Funny! Our neighbor wasn't fond of people looking through his either!

 

- Troutonthebrain

[niverson92]

yup every time i walk into a store i always find myself in the container isle or looking down in the hardware section for caching ideas.

 

i even make frequent stops at the dollar tree for swag.

[+magicalhelmet]

I think I am mostly addicted to looking at geocaching maps. I've always been fascinated by maps. I wish I had Google maps when I was a kid. Now I stare at the satellite images all day, looking for caches and ways to get to them. ^^

[+Lady Loki]

I think I am mostly addicted to looking at geocaching maps. I've always been fascinated by maps. I wish I had Google maps when I was a kid. Now I stare at the satellite images all day, looking for caches and ways to get to them. ^^

Yup, me too. And when I see an interesting place, I think, "I wonder if there's a cache there, or if I could place one there if there's not." Or we'll pass someplace I've seen on the map as having a cache and tell everyone in the car, "There's a cache there!" (They usually ignore me, except the 4 year old. He always asks if we can go find it. )

 

And I admit that I look at containers and go, "Hmm, I wonder if that'd be waterproof enough for this climate?"

 

ETA: Oh, and reading logs! I do that a lot.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Lady Loki

[+scrapcat]

I think I am mostly addicted to looking at geocaching maps. I've always been fascinated by maps. I wish I had Google maps when I was a kid. Now I stare at the satellite images all day, looking for caches and ways to get to them. ^^

 

And Google Earth! I bought my iPad because I saw a cache location on Google Earth!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I'm not addicted. I can quit any time I want.

 

Actually, I've gone through quite a few long spells in the last couple of years when I didn't do any caching at all.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Today, driving to work, I passed an accident at the street corner. The driver was okay but the stop sign was not. My very first thought was to check my GPS to ensure the sign didn't contain a cache - I would've stopped to rescue it!

 

Have you found yourself doing or thinking anything strange or funny because of our addiction?

 

See, my take on this is that IF you were desperately and truly addicted, you would have already found all the cache on your way to work, so you wouldn't have to look it up, yes?

[+Harry Dolphin]

Okay. I'm almost to the point where I stop looking for Locationless Caches. It's only been seven years...

Wait! Did they actually misspell 'Masachusetts' on the border with Connecticut?!?!?

Almost.

[+scrapcat]

Today, driving to work, I passed an accident at the street corner. The driver was okay but the stop sign was not. My very first thought was to check my GPS to ensure the sign didn't contain a cache - I would've stopped to rescue it!

 

Have you found yourself doing or thinking anything strange or funny because of our addiction?

 

See, my take on this is that IF you were desperately and truly addicted, you would have already found all the cache on your way to work, so you wouldn't have to look it up, yes?

 

Bazinga!

 

It could've been new that morning, yes? The driver could've been in a rush for FTF!

[+OZ2CPU]

we (or at least I) cache EVERY day,

it is sooo cool to try and see how long we can keep the steak go on,

some times it had been very close almost just minutes before 24hr

but I found it, and was happy.

we have been traveling, and actuallt got up VERY erly to get that one cache before the trip,

so we will be sure to get at least one pr day.

another think about our streak, when we pass time zones we loose or gain a few hrs of our day, same date,

so we always besure to get a little extra each zone, if close to day is over, just to be sure we dont feel like we lost it.

out steak is something we take very seriously, and that is the only way it keeps beeing fun to us,

I heard stories others cheat for a higher value on the site, however they must have lost the fun in the game compleetly..

 

we did solve all 81 DT combinations,

next goal is to do it 2 times :-)

and to handle all local cache challenges,

some are exeamly hard to compleete, this sunday we plan to handle a few of the harder and more fun ones.

 

Addicted, ya, clearly,

but the more we play, the more fun we get, and we do it together as a family as much as we can,

we even plan travel and vacations to great cache locations or to get a new contry or a new state in the log,

the good thing is also, we get to see alot new places.

this year we get atleast 3 new contries, and 2 new us states

[+ras_oscar]

I'm not addicted. I can stop anytime I want. In fact I haven't found a single cache this morning.

[+ras_oscar]

Geocaching steaks go great with geocaching peppers and geocaching onions on the geocaching barbeque.

[+Gustav129]

I would'nt say I'm addicted, but other people think I am. I got to work and there was two plastic cup things taped together and it had "Cash?" written on it. A couple muggles are mocking me, but they were bummed when I said "I think I'll try to make an actual cache out of it".

[+Beaver_Connection]

Hi, I'm Beaver_Connection and I'm a cache-aholic! I'm so addicted that I'm pulling my hair out to try and keep my 1/day streak alive while I'm trapped on a flight that crosses the International Date Line. The thought of not flying has crossed my mind, but this is business trip for my new job. Any ideas on how to legitimately log a cache on a day when you can't get out and physically cache? Help a fellow addict out here.

 

-Beaver_Connection

[+jellis]

I had passed being addicted to being obsessed. But now I don't know where I am. My best year was last year and now I seem to slow down for many reasons.

Surgery

Car issues

Being the phone-a-friend and saying " I did so many that day I can't remember that one"

Now I have to look at my profile to remember when was the last cache I found.

But it's still in my blood. I have another hobby (not caching related) but I use the caches on the map to help me pinpoint where I was that day I took a picture or spotted something.

Still use my GPS to navigate me

Still have containers I can place

Puzzles to solve when bored.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Hi, I'm Beaver_Connection and I'm a cache-aholic! I'm so addicted that I'm pulling my hair out to try and keep my 1/day streak alive while I'm trapped on a flight that crosses the International Date Line. The thought of not flying has crossed my mind, but this is business trip for my new job. Any ideas on how to legitimately log a cache on a day when you can't get out and physically cache? Help a fellow addict out here.

 

-Beaver_Connection

 

Maybe you can get someone to join your 'team'? You could change your caching name to reflect such as 'Team Beaver'.

[+Lady Loki]

I got a new one. I was playing Fallout 3 yesterday and saw a guard rail, and mentioned to LokiBit, "Ok, I'm really bad. I saw that and just wondered if there was a cache in it..."

 

(It's new to me, anyway.)

[+scrapcat]

I got a new one. I was playing Fallout 3 yesterday and saw a guard rail, and mentioned to LokiBit, "Ok, I'm really bad. I saw that and just wondered if there was a cache in it..."

 

(It's new to me, anyway.)

 

Geocaching, to me, is a method to overcome ones fears.. such as sticking your hand blithely into unknown, filthy places.. like guardrails!

[+Lady Loki]

I got a new one. I was playing Fallout 3 yesterday and saw a guard rail, and mentioned to LokiBit, "Ok, I'm really bad. I saw that and just wondered if there was a cache in it..."

 

(It's new to me, anyway.)

 

Geocaching, to me, is a method to overcome ones fears.. such as sticking your hand blithely into unknown, filthy places.. like guardrails!

Especially in Fallout 3, which is a post-apocalyptic/"after the A-bombs fell everywhere" video game with such lovely things as giant cockroaches, scorpions, and "feral Ghouls" (people so far gone from radiation sickness that they essentially act like fast zombies).

[+WRASTRO]

Hi, I'm Beaver_Connection and I'm a cache-aholic! I'm so addicted that I'm pulling my hair out to try and keep my 1/day streak alive while I'm trapped on a flight that crosses the International Date Line. The thought of not flying has crossed my mind, but this is business trip for my new job. Any ideas on how to legitimately log a cache on a day when you can't get out and physically cache? Help a fellow addict out here.

 

-Beaver_Connection

 

Maybe you can get someone to join your 'team'? You could change your caching name to reflect such as 'Team Beaver'.

Or Justin ...

[+Student Camper]

I'm not addicted, no, I'm not.

I lost my job, I couldn't make the payments on the car, lost that, the wife divorced me and took the house and kids, spend most of my time out in the woods and haven't had a shower in weeks.

spend the rest of the time panhandling on a street corner for cash to re-power the GPSr.

No, I am not addicted.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Student Camper

[+blackhorse221]

I'll resurrect a two week old topic.

 

I'm a homicide detective, and was recently working a case late into the night. While on the case, my phone buzzed alerting me to a new cache a couple miles away. I was itching to get at it, but work has to come first. Finally wrapped up the case at about 4am and did a two mile detour to swing by the new cache. Still managed to log a FTF after a 22 hour work day!

[+BlackRose67]

Have you found yourself doing or thinking anything strange or funny because of our addiction?

A bit if background info. I live in an area of Canada that is bilingual (English and French).

 

Here is my log entry from when I found this cache the other day:

 

"Earlier this year when I had just resumed caching, I drove by this location and saw the sign and thought to myself "Of course it's hidden!", not realizing at the time that there actually was a cache at this spot

Nice container."

 

[+GrateBear]

I'll resurrect a two week old topic.

 

I'm a homicide detective, and was recently working a case late into the night. While on the case, my phone buzzed alerting me to a new cache a couple miles away. I was itching to get at it, but work has to come first. Finally wrapped up the case at about 4am and did a two mile detour to swing by the new cache. Still managed to log a FTF after a 22 hour work day!

Great way to relieve a bit of the stress, I would think. In my area, though, it never would have lasted that long. A new one came up today, and it was logged within 15 minutes.

 

Anyway, I often think about quitting, but after 5 or 6 days, I realize that is an absurd thought. Right now my inspiration is to find caches that will complete some type of goal, like the Delorme Challenge, Jasmer, etc. And that's the reason I spent $12,000 on a Jeep last year, to get to those tough ones

[Bolivar Bill]

I'm not addicted, no, I'm not.

I lost my job, I couldn't make the payments on the car, lost that, the wife divorced me and took the house and kids, spend most of my time out in the woods and haven't had a shower in weeks.

spend the rest of the time panhandling on a street corner for cash to re-power the GPSr.

No, I am not addicted.

 

Will work for batteries!

 

(will work for cache?)

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

I'm in a geocaching forum...nuff said

[+BCandMsKitty]

I'm in a geocaching forum...nuff said

 

At 4:20AM!!!!!

[+OZ2CPU]

>Any ideas on how to legitimately log a cache on a day when you can't get out and physically cache? Help a fellow addict out here.

 

listen Beaver !!!

no planes fly for over 24 hrs !!

take one cache on your way to the air port before you fly,

and one when you land.

it is always the local time and date WHERE you stand that counts..

you can offcourse not pretend to be on "home" time, when you are at another location..

we travel also alot, and also from US <-> Europe a few times pr year

so far this did not prevent us from finding and logging at least one pr day,

but it was close a few times..

[+redsox_mark]

>Any ideas on how to legitimately log a cache on a day when you can't get out and physically cache? Help a fellow addict out here.

 

listen Beaver !!!

no planes fly for over 24 hrs !!

take one cache on your way to the air port before you fly,

and one when you land.

it is always the local time and date WHERE you stand that counts..

you can offcourse not pretend to be on "home" time, when you are at another location..

we travel also alot, and also from US <-> Europe a few times pr year

so far this did not prevent us from finding and logging at least one pr day,

but it was close a few times..

 

It can be an issue on long flights with the time difference. Most of the flights from the UK to Australia leave (for example) on a Monday night and don't arrive until Wednesday morning local time.

 

If you fly via Singapore there is a cache at the airport in the terminal.

 

I'm addicted but I'm not a streak person, so missing a day doesn't bother me. But a week without a cache I get anxious. I also love to find them in new places.

[+OZ2CPU]

beaver is only 57 days on his streak, so no big deal :-)

mine is 299 days, not at all alot compared to what others got,

but I am very proud of my streak,

I worked very hard and honost for it.

 

I will not be happy if I "loose" before my goal of 366 days

at first out goal was 222 days, since a challenge cache demanded this figure,

we started before winter, so now the goal of 366 seems easy,

I think I go for 400 if I still find it funny.

I need to solve alot of harder puzzles or drive guite alot for the next cache now,

i know I did not play tactical in the beginning, like I found too many caches in my own area

[+TheNature Boy]

Not addicted....yet. Hoping it doesn't get to that point because for me it wouldn't be fun any more. It could get to that point and I do understand how it has for others :-)

[+NYPaddleCacher]

>Any ideas on how to legitimately log a cache on a day when you can't get out and physically cache? Help a fellow addict out here.

 

listen Beaver !!!

no planes fly for over 24 hrs !!

take one cache on your way to the air port before you fly,

and one when you land.

it is always the local time and date WHERE you stand that counts..

you can offcourse not pretend to be on "home" time, when you are at another location..

we travel also alot, and also from US <-> Europe a few times pr year

so far this did not prevent us from finding and logging at least one pr day,

but it was close a few times..

 

It can be an issue on long flights with the time difference. Most of the flights from the UK to Australia leave (for example) on a Monday night and don't arrive until Wednesday morning local time.

 

If you fly via Singapore there is a cache at the airport in the terminal.

 

I'm addicted but I'm not a streak person, so missing a day doesn't bother me. But a week without a cache I get anxious. I also love to find them in new places.

 

I haven't been on a plane for 24 hours straight but I've been "in the system" for that long. A few years ago I flew from Syracuse to Washington DC (about 2 hours), had an a 1.5 hours layover, then got on an 18 hour flight to Johannesburg, SA. On the way back the Johannesburg to DC flight stopped in Dakar, Senegal for an hour but we couldn't get off the plane. A couple of weeks ago I got into a taxi to the airport at about 5:30PM in Dar es Salaam on a Saturday, got to Zurich about 6:30AM, had a 3 hours layover, then got on a ~9 hour flight to JFK, took the subway to the city, walked a couple of blocks to a Campups2Campus bus for a 4.5 hours ride back to Ithaca and go back home about 8:00pm on Sunday. With the 7 hour time difference I was traveling pretty much non-stop for 33 hours.

 

I've been working out a itinerary for a trip to Kuching, Malaysia in September that will definitely involve a layover at Singapore airport. I'd like to schedule in a couple of extra days of "free" time at the beginning or end of the trip so that I can see more of Singapore.

[+OZ2CPU]

>Hoping it doesn't get to that point because for me it wouldn't be fun any more.

 

well I think it is the other way arround,

the more people do it, the more fun they think it is..

that way they just want more and more all the time,

and for some it may get a bit out of controll :-)

but hey, it is not a drug or a problem,

you can geocache 16 hrs a day if you like,

if your familiy and job and friends thinks it is ok or not, just ask them ?

[+Ben0w]

I'm a homicide detective,

Like this.

 

I'm a medic in EMS. Last week working a medical call I had to wait a bit on the radio for dispatch organizing a target hospital while my partners were with the patient in the house. So I used the time and opened my smartphone to check for caches near that location - didn't find one near enough for a quick look, though. Think that counts.

[+CdAGeoGeeks]

Addictions are overrated. I've managed to get several new players into the game by introducing them to it at work, Scouts and other activities. Some of those guys are really addicted; needing to cache every day and such. I just feel like their dealer now.

 

Who needs a cache fix?

[+geodarts]

There were times when I have been fairly compulsive, at least according to my wife -- I always pointed to friends who were on whole other levels. But perhaps it is how these things were defined. I never left the house at any hour of the night just to get to a cache first but I did get up early to drive an hour away before work to get a locationless cache.

 

I have enough smileys to last for awhile and my interest in finding containers is waning. Without really trying, I completed my d/t grid, cached on every day of the year (different years), found my 100th letterbox hybrid, and found over 100 challenge caches. So now I keep some caches on my pq just to remind myself that I do not have to find a container just because someone decided to leave a nano on private property, on a landscaping trellis in front of a business in the middle of a busy mall. Life is too short for that type of thing. But, there is still a certain compulsion that comes out in various ways.

 

I spent three days around the ET Highway and did not do any of the repetitive caches by that name, but we drove considerably out of our way to do some virtuals and earthcaches in the region -- it would have been sad to have gone through life and never found a trilobite fossil so that turned out to be a good choice. The last time we were in the area, I spent all day getting to a remote location for a virtual -- I suppose it helped that the spot was a "bucket list" type of experience, but would I have gone there if there had not been a cache? I had an unexpected day off last month, and there were some virtuals and earthcaches only 100 miles away that looked particularly interesting.. . . so again my wife thought I was being a bit compulsive but it turned out to be time and money well spent.

 

I will not spend hours trying to solve a puzzle or search endlessly just to find a container, but I recently spent hours working with various graphic apps to get just the right image for a log.

 

I have no more interest in finding a cache just to find a cache, but I will find a cache just because there is something in the name that spurs my stream of consciousness and would make a good log.

 

Some friends and I ventured down into the bottom of a canyon to find some caches in an area where there are no trails -- I ended up pulling a stick out of the corner of my eye, slipping into the lake, and climbing back up the the top of the ridge over, under, and through brush, fallen trees, more brush, and more fallen trees that blocked every conceivable way back up. It was my second time into that area and I swore I would never go back. But the next time someone left a container down there, I found myself hiking it again. I swore I never would go back there just to get a container. I mean it this time. I really do.

Edited July 6, 2012 by geodarts