We all play the game.... but for different reasons

December 2, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons. Some play to find large caches with lots of SWAG and for the kids and family. This is the game I enjoy most. There is nothing better than having a 9 or 10 year old kid discover the cache and see the glow in his/her face or the excitement when they open the lid.

Then there are the FTF fanatics who often snag a cache in minutes after publication.

The 'numbers' cachers will go to great lengths to add to their total numbers of found caches. They crave new caches in new states, new types, etc usually only leaving a canned statement TFTC or Nice Hide sent in my an automated logging program.

The trackable fanatics race to the caches to grab any trackable available just for the sport (and hopefully move them on).

There are undoubtedly numerous other cachers looking exclusively for geocoins, challenges, signature pieces, puzzles, etc.

Me.... I like to hide caches. I like to hide my caches so well that it may take a couple of trips for someone to find the cache (but they are there near GZ). I like to see the DNF's show up. I don't dig holes. I don't drill holes in poles or posts. I rely on the designing the perfect camo and seeking an unusual placement.

I feel if you find my special caches, then you win and I lose. But if I have you standing there scratching your head while you are with 5 feet of my cache then I win. I like beating the FTF and numbers cachers best of all.

As I said in the title .... we all play the game for different reasons. Some say the game has changed. I say the game has transitioned into whatever each of us wants it to be.

10.2k · December 2, 2012

Nice post! I would say I'm not a fan of you trying to "beat" people with your hides, and I don't think many people try to do that. But then that wouldn't be in the spirit of your post. :anicute:

1.5k · December 2, 2012

Yeah .. I like hiding caches as much as finding them. I like to mix it up with the caches I hide, some easy some quick, some a hike involved, and as for my harder ones, I'm not trying to "beat" the hunter as much as hoping to give a challenge that they will enjoy and remember after finding it.

December 2, 2012

We like tricky hides - especially when we finally figure them out! We will go back to a place over and over until we get it. So please, be clever! There are those of us out there who really appreciate it

Our hides are fairly easy finds but have varied terrain ratings so there is something for every cacher. Taking people to beautiful/interesting places is our goal.

7.5k · December 2, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons.

Actually, I doubt this is true. I think most people play the game because it's fun to find geocaches. The things you list are things some people pay more attention to, but not their reason for playing. And, in particularly, while some people like the FTF game and some people like finding travelers, I think it's a very small number that spend most of their caching time doing either.

Of course there are some exceptions, such as yourself. And that's really great. But there's still a mainstream geocaching culture that varies very little even though some of its members like hiking miles for a cache, some people like driving around town for them, and some people like picking up hundreds on a highway. Among other things, I think it's a very infrequent cacher that likes only one kind of caching.

I have to admit, I'm a little put off by your desire to make me come back multiple times for your hides. It's not that I have anything against difficult hides, it's just that if you think most people are not going to find it on their first trip, that suggests that the issue is more time and fatigue rather than cleverness. If a hide is just clever, then I'd expect you to hope I find it on my first visit, even though many won't. When you say you like DNFs, I'm wondering if you're hiding something in an ivy patch, and it's going to take multiple trips before the probabilities add up to the point where I'll stumble on the cache.

December 2, 2012

I see what you're saying about the hider pitting their wits against the finder, but there needn't be a winner and a loser. If you hide a challenging, clever, original hide and I come along and find it, in a way we both won. If you chuck out a hide with little thought and I drive by and spot it with little effort, then we both lost. Sounds like you're a winner

December 2, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons. Some play to find large caches with lots of SWAG and for the kids and family. This is the game I enjoy most. There is nothing better than having a 9 or 10 year old kid discover the cache and see the glow in his/her face or the excitement when they open the lid.

Then there are the FTF fanatics who often snag a cache in minutes after publication.

The 'numbers' cachers will go to great lengths to add to their total numbers of found caches. They crave new caches in new states, new types, etc usually only leaving a canned statement TFTC or Nice Hide sent in my an automated logging program.

The trackable fanatics race to the caches to grab any trackable available just for the sport (and hopefully move them on).

There are undoubtedly numerous other cachers looking exclusively for geocoins, challenges, signature pieces, puzzles, etc.

In my opinion you have forgotten the most largest most important group of cachers: Cachers who go caching regularly to find caches because they love caching. These cachers cache alone, cache with friends, do park and grabs, take long hikes, they power trail on bikes, they do a route down a highway picking up caches as they head to their destination, they pick up all the TB's they see and move them on, they get numbers because they cache a lot, they may get FTF if there has been no rush or it is close to home.

If they do a power trail they may resort to some logging program but otherwise they give credit for good caches.

In otherwords I dont think most geocachers fall into defined categories. Most just love caching.

December 2, 2012

I enjoy the hunt... i like a well designed cache that is clearly visible but you dont realise you are looking at it. I also do it for a bit of exercise so i dont mind hiking a few km for a cache either and i like a bit of rough terrain. I am not a climber tho so there are limitations to whats within my reach.

I want to try and place more caches too. try and make them clever.

5k · December 3, 2012

I think that when someone finds one my caches, we both win. I'm not out to beat anyone.

38.2k · December 3, 2012

I place my caches to be found. I'm not out to "beat" anybody. I just want to bring them to perhaps some place interesting that they might have never seen sans my cache being there.

1.1k · December 3, 2012

If it were not for hiders like the OP, we really wouldn't seek the majority of the caches in our area. We have to drive a bit to find nice natural surroundings, so the evil hides keep us coming back locally between road trips. If my DNF is a win for the hider and encourages another great HIPS, then I have a win (without him even knowing ).

6.8k · December 3, 2012

I think most people play the game because it's fun to find geocaches.

In my opinion you have forgotten the most largest most important group of cachers: Cachers who go caching regularly to find caches because they love caching.

If this is indeed nowadays the largest group, then that's exactly one of the things which has changed since I started geocaching 10 years ago. In my area the focus back then clearly was on going for a decent walk/hike and visiting beautiful locations and not about doing whatever just to find containers.

For me geocaching is just a means to be physically more active and to learn to know new places and new routes. I have no interest into evil hides, creative containers and that sort of thing. I'm certainly belonging to a minority nowadays.

Cezanne

December 3, 2012

I think most people play the game because it's fun to find geocaches.

In my opinion you have forgotten the most largest most important group of cachers: Cachers who go caching regularly to find caches because they love caching.

If this is indeed nowadays the largest group, then that's exactly one of the things which has changed since I started geocaching 10 years ago. In my area the focus back then clearly was on going for a decent walk/hike and visiting beautiful locations and not about doing whatever just to find containers.

For me geocaching is just a means to be physically more active and to learn to know new places and new routes. I have no interest into evil hides, creative containers and that sort of thing. I'm certainly belonging to a minority nowadays.

Cezanne

The object of geocaching is to go find a cache. We go caching for all the reasons and benefits you mention in both paragraphs. We enjoy all aspects of caching.

Some cachers say that geocaching is hiking with a purpose. I never quite agreed with that. People who simply hike would not have hiked the 11 kms we did this weekend in the cold along ice covered ATV trails and over swampy terrain and bushwacked through the alders we weent through.

We all geocache for different reasons but I dont know one cacher who has only a single motivation for caching, other than doing what it takes to find caches.

6.8k · December 3, 2012

The object of geocaching is to go find a cache.

I'm hesitating to agree. It probably also depends on how you define the term cache. Some cachers have containers in mind when talking about caches.

In that case, I definitely would object to what you wrote above as my personal point of view is regarded.

I prefer well done virtuals and Earthcaches by far to physical caches which are hidden in a way where all is about the search.

Actually, I'm happy too if I find a nice cache, but it makes me more happy if no or only a short search is required - I prefer hideouts that are obvious

and require no searching at all.

Currently I'm working on a terrific long distance hiking multi cache. The shortest route is about 170km, mine will be probably be longer than 250km. I've

already spent seven days on that cache (and a lot of traveling to the starting and ending points of my hikes) and I expect to need at least seven additional days. This cache will definitely be the highlight of my geocaching activities for 2012 and 2013. In the same time I could have found hundreds of caches that however will not bring me the same excitement and wonderful experience.

We go caching for all the reasons and benefits you mention in both paragraphs. We enjoy all aspects of caching.

That's perfectly ok, but not true for me. I enjoy only a small segment of geocaching. I happen to visit caches from other segments as well when there are no others available, but I do not enjoy it.

Some cachers say that geocaching is hiking with a purpose. I never quite agreed with that.

I think that for some geocachers geocaching indeed means hiking with a purpose. For the majority it will be something different. So "hiking with a purpose" is definitely not a good way to describe geocaching in general. I do not think, however, that there exists a description that fits to everyone and that includes your attempt "the objective of geocaching is to find geocaches".

Cezanne

1.1k · December 3, 2012

I place my caches to be found. I'm not out to "beat" anybody. I just want to bring them to perhaps some place interesting that they might have never seen sans my cache being there.

I totally agree. I really enjoy reading logs from cachers who've found one of my hides and now and then I'll be rewarded with a photo of a happy family with my cache. I often act immediately on posted DNF's to make sure the container is still there. As others have also stated, I prefer caching along a good trail or exploring an urban park with the hopes of finding the cache.

December 3, 2012

I understand and respect your goal of hidding the ultimate camouflaged container. I also enjoy a lot hiding caches, and I mostly look for the seekers to have a remembering experience while looking for my caches. I have a bunch of them wich are crap, but I also have others where the seekers can enjoy some sort of epic adventure while looking for it.

I know a couple of geocachers wich ultimate goal is to have a hide where the seekers hold the container in their hand and can't figure out that it's the container, such is the level of camouflage.

7.5k · December 3, 2012

If this is indeed nowadays the largest group, then that's exactly one of the things which has changed since I started geocaching 10 years ago. In my area the focus back then clearly was on going for a decent walk/hike and visiting beautiful locations and not about doing whatever just to find containers.

It is by far the largest group, and things have, indeed, changed. I thought you'd noticed that.

I have no problem finding decent walks to look for caches every day, although most of them are suburban. There are still a lot of caches in beautiful locations, but it's true that's no longer a defining feature of many caches.

And you can call it "just to find containers" if you want, just as you can say "just to put a ball in a little hole" to describe golf, or "just to put a ball through a hoop" to describe basketball, or even "just to see a beautiful place" to describe hiking.

6.8k · December 3, 2012

If this is indeed nowadays the largest group, then that's exactly one of the things which has changed since I started geocaching 10 years ago. In my area the focus back then clearly was on going for a decent walk/hike and visiting beautiful locations and not about doing whatever just to find containers.

It is by far the largest group, and things have, indeed, changed. I thought you'd noticed that.

You are right - I believe that things have changed considerably.

I was referring to the fact that some claim that things have not changed (only expanded) and that those who are of different opinion remember the past incorrectly.

And you can call it "just to find containers" if you want, just as you can say "just to put a ball in a little hole" to describe golf, or "just to put a ball through a hoop" to describe basketball, or even "just to see a beautiful place" to describe hiking.

While for golf and basketball what you mention is definitely part of the game for everyone who plays it, this is not necessarily true for the geocaching example. I've always thought of visiting virtuals and Earthcaches as geocaching. Moreover, I guess we need to distinguish between "find containers" and "search containers". Many old-timers I know (including myself) do not like to search for containers - they prefer if after having made the journey to GZ, the hideout is obvious. Many new cachers seem to enjoy the search process, however, which makes a fundamental difference.

Cezanne

Edited December 3, 2012 by cezanne

22k · December 3, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons.

Wow, my first thought was what a sucker post of derisive claptrap.

8.4k · December 3, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons.

Wow, my first thought was what a sucker post of derisive claptrap.

Dang BD, ya in a mood today or what? :anibad: :laughing:

8.4k · December 3, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons. Some play to find large caches with lots of SWAG and for the kids and family. This is the game I enjoy most. There is nothing better than having a 9 or 10 year old kid discover the cache and see the glow in his/her face or the excitement when they open the lid.

Then there are the FTF fanatics who often snag a cache in minutes after publication.

The 'numbers' cachers will go to great lengths to add to their total numbers of found caches. They crave new caches in new states, new types, etc usually only leaving a canned statement TFTC or Nice Hide sent in my an automated logging program.

The trackable fanatics race to the caches to grab any trackable available just for the sport (and hopefully move them on).

There are undoubtedly numerous other cachers looking exclusively for geocoins, challenges, signature pieces, puzzles, etc.

Me.... I like to hide caches. I like to hide my caches so well that it may take a couple of trips for someone to find the cache (but they are there near GZ). I like to see the DNF's show up. I don't dig holes. I don't drill holes in poles or posts. I rely on the designing the perfect camo and seeking an unusual placement.

I feel if you find my special caches, then you win and I lose. But if I have you standing there scratching your head while you are with 5 feet of my cache then I win. I like beating the FTF and numbers cachers best of all.

As I said in the title .... we all play the game for different reasons. Some say the game has changed. I say the game has transitioned into whatever each of us wants it to be.

It's not what you say so much as how you say it.... I see why BD's post was a bit harsh.

This is a good conversation when it comes around.

Here is what I have had to say in the past:

"Everyone plays their own game. There is no sense in trying to police another's mindset as long as it falls within the general parameters of the game." Me (quoting myself from the poll that I posted on 10/23/03.)

I'm kinda curious how everyone else plays THEIR game here.....

So many threads get posted by one cacher shaking their finger at other cachers for the way they play "The Game." In many cases these finger wagglers just haven't taken the time to try to see how someone who plays the game a bit differently can find it fun.

This is not a thread to debate what's right or wrong, so let's not have any of that. Commenting on other’s posts is OK, but tryyyy not to judge. Just post how you play YOUR game. This might prove interesting if it can stay civil.

I'm going to try to cover as many issues as possible, but don't feel obligated to do the same if you want to participate. Just hit the points that are important to YOU.

At least try to cover: are you more of a hider/finder, how you go about hiding caches & hunting caches, DNFs, travel bugs, swag, and most importantly your favorite aspect of geocaching.

Snoogans' Game:

I'm more of a hider than a finder. A great log on one of my caches can really make my day and I try to place caches that will generate good logs.

Priority #1 for my hides: Most of my hidden caches must be above par in at least some aspect, or for me, what's the point? You don't see too many TNLNTFTC finds on my caches. All it takes is a little thought in hiding and folks will want to talk about it.

Conversely, a cache is a cache to me. I don't feel others need to uphold my personal set of standards in their hides for me to enjoy them. In many cases I don't really enjoy them, but I try to always remember to say thanks. I know that it's MY responsibility to have fun. It's NOT the hider's responsibility to show me a great time, in the safest of conditions, with adequate parking and restrooms, while being kid friendly, clever, giving just the perfect hint, and whatever else it takes to float my boat on that particular day.

I don’t absolutely require people to stick to the theme on my theme caches, but it is nice when they do. If someone cheats on my puzzle caches, I don’t care. I just don’t have control issues about small stuff and frankly, cheating to get coords on a puzzle is a part of the game whether people want to admit it or not. Whether it’s by email, under the table, or just hooking up with someone who has already done the work, if you go to the cache and sign the log it’s still a find.

When I post an event, I get a hide stat, but I also post a find on my own hosted events. It's hard work hosting an event and I feel that I deserve the find as well.

Attending events is my absolute favorite part of geocaching. When I discovered geocaching, it felt like I had found “My People.” I have attended a total of 47 geocaching events (3 non-official GC.com events) in 5 states. (Texas, California, New Mexico, Florida, and Colorado.)

I drove over 2,000 total miles just to attend GeoWoodstock III and it's not uncommon for me to make a 300, or 600, mile roundtrip to attend an event on any given weekend. I like talking about geocaching, so I guess that’s why I spend so much time in the forums between events.

Hunting caches is usually an opportunistic venture for me. I tend to WANT to hunt caches when I am traveling. I take the ones at home for granted. The nearest unfound cache to my house is less than 2 miles away. There are several caches within an easy walk from my job. One is just a couple hundred yards away.... I haven't bothered to find any of them.

When I choose to hunt a cache, at home, it's because the word of mouth on it is such that a great hunt is almost assured.

I like virtual and locationless caches.

I like a regular cache as much as the next guy, but I’m not repulsed by micros.

I think puzzle caches are cool. I don’t possess the skills or equipment (I.E. Sextant, sighting compass) to do many of the ones in my area, but maybe one day I’ll take a stab at them. Heck, it might be fun to team up with someone to tackle them. I certainly don't resent a cache being posted that I can't find.

FTF is not my drug of choice although it IS quite good when I get one. I'd rather look at the logs and see if a cache is worth my time most days that I choose to hunt.

Sometimes I'm a lazy logger. I have well over 100 caches found (possibly as many as 200) that I still haven't bothered to log. I’ve got about 15 caches from 2004 and most of the caches I’ve hit since May left to log… BTW- I have a half dozen caches hidden that I haven’t bothered to post either.

I post ALL of my DNFs immediately. I feel that it is important to let the owner and other potential hunters know my experience of a DNF.

I could care less what’s in a cache, but I usually make a trade if there’s anything at all there. Signature items are what I look for and all I really care about other than travel bugs. I especially like ANYTHING that is hand made.

I very rarely do more than sign my name in a log book and unless the weather is great and the bugs absent, I very rarely take the time to read one. I’d rather cover it all online. In my online logs I almost never post what I trade. I have a habit of cramming a cache that I enjoyed full of decent stuff and I just don’t feel like listing it all. If all I say is thanks, then you can bet it wasn’t a stellar experience, but I at least appreciate a hider’s effort and don’t waste my time pondering their motivation for placing a cache.

I think travel bugs are just plain cool as my TB stats will show. I try to log and move TBs as quickly as possible, but I’m no TB saint. I’ve lost, misplaced, forgotten, and held bugs too long. Eh, it happens.

I advocate counting coup on TBs even though I rarely do it. To me, Travel Bugs are a game within the game. In MY tb game, a travel bug is a game piece. Just like caches, I want to find as many as I can. I must at least touch a travel bug to get credit for it unless it’s a virtual bug. I get around, so I like to move bugs to rack up mileage and that’s the only reason that I hardly ever count coup.

I have 113 travel bug tags of my own. About half of those are activated and of those only about a dozen or so have been released. I don’t have unrealistic expectations about my TBs. I accept responsibility that I released an item into the world and whatever happens to it is just fine by me regardless if whether it stays on mission or not.

Other geocaching sites- I participate at least in some way on many other geocaching/geocaching related sites. A geocache is a geocache is a geocache to me and I really don’t understand the political nature of why some people refuse to consider using alternative cache listing sites. There’s more than one lane on the geocaching highway.

I'm sure I've missed something. It took about 3 hours to write this.....

SO, how do you play YOUR game???

Time to trot this old horse out again since the "game" has changed a lot in the last 5 years.....

My game has changed a little too:

Priority #1 for my hides: Most of my hidden caches must be above par in at least some aspect, or for me, what's the point? You don't see too many TNLNTFTC finds on my caches. All it takes is a little thought in hiding and folks will want to talk about it.

Now that I sometimes hide and find caches with my 4.5yo Snooglet, I find that sometimes the most mundane hides and locations can be great fun or a real challenge seen through his eyes.

Attending events is my absolute favorite part of geocaching. When I discovered geocaching, it felt like I had found “My People.” I have attended a total of 47 geocaching events (3 non-official GC.com events) in 5 states. (Texas, California, New Mexico, Florida, and Colorado.)

Make that 209 events in 10 states.

I drove over 2,000 total miles just to attend GeoWoodstock III and it's not uncommon for me to make a 300, or 600, mile roundtrip to attend an event on any given weekend. I like talking about geocaching, so I guess that’s why I spend so much time in the forums between events.

I drove 8,666 mile roundtrip to attend GW8. That's my longest cachin run to date. I got almost 200 caches and attended 10 events.

When I wrote the OP gas was a great deal cheaper. I don't go a long way outta my way to attend local (Texas & Houston) events anymore unless it's convenient or something really special.

Cachin' event groups have become localized and in some areas a bit Balkinized and I think that is greatly due to gas prices.

There are several caches within an easy walk from my job. One is just a couple hundred yards away.... I haven't bothered to find any of them.

Okay, I finally went and found those. One of them is so good that it got a favorite point from me.

Funny thing though. A friend and fellow geocacher actually hid a cache on our property (at work) and I did not become aware of it until 7 months later when one of my officers called the cops after seeing a guy stash something under a light pole base cover. It turned into one of the most interesting finds I ever had. Of course the cache is archived now.

When I choose to hunt a cache, at home, it's because the word of mouth on it is such that a great hunt is almost assured.

Still true, but I'll take any convenient cache just to get a fix sometimes. I'm not too picky at those times.

I like virtual and locationless caches.

Still do, but ya gotta use an alternate listing service to hide and find LCs and to hide Virts. Funny how virts were so derided back in the day, but most new cachers go outta their way to get them and many wish we could still list them.

SO, how do you play YOUR game???

Well?

Edited December 3, 2012 by Snoogans

8.4k · December 3, 2012

Here's the old dead thread just for reference on my post. I figured the OP might appreciate the read.

22k · December 3, 2012

Here's the old dead thread just for reference on my post. I figured the OP might appreciate the read.

Swag, kids, FTF, numbers, trackables, short logs, geocoins, challenges, signature pieces, puzzles, are all within the game.

Not within the game usually involves lying about what you did.

December 3, 2012

Swag, kids, FTF, numbers, trackables, short logs, geocoins, challenges, signature pieces, puzzles, are all within the game.

Not within the game usually involves lying about what you did.

I agree entirely about the first part.

As far as the second part I dont ever lie but I might not say everything in my log. For example we found a night cache in daylight and we said:

Two night caches in the same area and we only needed one of them to keep our streak going. This one seemed easier so we went for it.

MA showed PA how to find the fire tacks and he found the cache. Hope the other one will be this easy.

PAul

22k · December 3, 2012

Swag, kids, FTF, numbers, trackables, short logs, geocoins, challenges, signature pieces, puzzles, are all within the game.

Not within the game usually involves lying about what you did.

I agree entirely about the first part.

As far as the second part I dont ever lie but I might not say everything in my log. For example we found a night cache in daylight and we said:

Two night caches in the same area and we only needed one of them to keep our streak going. This one seemed easier so we went for it.

MA showed PA how to find the fire tacks and he found the cache. Hope the other one will be this easy.

PAul

and I've used my kids to look under benches so I don't attract attention. Still not making up a new game.

December 3, 2012

Swag, kids, FTF, numbers, trackables, short logs, geocoins, challenges, signature pieces, puzzles, are all within the game.

Not within the game usually involves lying about what you did.

I agree entirely about the first part.

As far as the second part I dont ever lie but I might not say everything in my log. For example we found a night cache in daylight and we said:

Two night caches in the same area and we only needed one of them to keep our streak going. This one seemed easier so we went for it.

MA showed PA how to find the fire tacks and he found the cache. Hope the other one will be this easy.

PAul

and I've used my kids to look under benches so I don't attract attention. Still not making up a new game.

We used grandkids for that kind of hunt, but now they are getting older and they make us do that kind of hunting

22k · December 3, 2012

We used grandkids for that kind of hunt, but now they are getting older and they make us do that kind of hunting

Probably why you are looking for fire tacks on your own. Darn kids today.

December 4, 2012

We used grandkids for that kind of hunt, but now they are getting older and they make us do that kind of hunting

Probably why you are looking for fire tacks on your own. Darn kids today.

Yep I agree. They wanna do the fun stuff like hiking for an hour to get a cache, but ask them to lift a noisy skirt on a lamp post, they would rather stay in the car.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Ma & Pa

9.3k · December 4, 2012

I place my caches to be found. I'm not out to "beat" anybody. I just want to bring them to perhaps some place interesting that they might have never seen sans my cache being there.

That pretty much sums up my cache hiding preferences. A quality container, an interesting write up, a fun experience getting to ground zero and a scenic spot once at ground zero. "Beating" cachers has never crossed my mind.

December 4, 2012

I place my caches to be found. I'm not out to "beat" anybody. I just want to bring them to perhaps some place interesting that they might have never seen sans my cache being there.

That pretty much sums up my cache hiding preferences. A quality container, an interesting write up, a fun experience getting to ground zero and a scenic spot once at ground zero. "Beating" cachers has never crossed my mind.

Beating cachers has never crossed our minds either. In addition to what you said, we like to create series of caches to bring cachers outdoors to discover trails, visit a bit of wilderness, get some exercise, etc. We also create puzzles to challenge cachers, not beat them.

December 5, 2012

I guess I might be making a lot of poor assumptions here as a newbie, but here goes - I got into geocaching firstly because I just like hunting and searching for stuff in general. But after a few caches, I decided that I was actually enjoying the sociological aspect more. Looking at a cache and seeing how people attempted to both conceal and locate it, learning what sort of geotrail a person leaves in the woods etc. Then when I look inside into the container, I get a bit of a glimpse into human nature and can sort of guess if people traded up or down, and try and mentally correlate it with the difficulty, age, type etc of the cache.

I'm not concerned with numbers and take a leisurely time examining a cache once I'm done signing the log, and see it as a snapshot of the general mood and resourcefulness of the cachers who were there before me. Since I don't plan on rapidly accumulating a vast number of finds, I will never run out of items to trade up and see it as an opportunity to make the next person happy.

A friend said once that geocaching is basically a hidden, parallel world alongside this current one, and I think I will always prefer doing it alone and at night - don't worry I do take all the usual safety precautions and people know I am gone and when I am expected back. The solitude is pleasant and the stealth aspect of the game allows me the fantasy of being a hunter and stalker in the night who leaves behind something to delight kids in the sun.

December 6, 2012

I think I have at least five main reasons 1) Visiting new interesting places. Many of them became known to me thanks to geocaching. 2) Hiding my own caches in some original way, e.g. using cutiing in a forest as a giant chessboard. 3) Involving new people into geocaching. It's so nice when someone says: "It was your cache which I found first and I fell in love with the game". 4) Learning smth new about how to hide/find geocaches. 5) Finding new friends. Some of good guys (and girls of course ) that I've made acquaintance with in last decade were from the local geocaching community.

7.9k · December 7, 2012

Different reasons for caching?

Absolutely!

But, how the game is played should fundamentally remain the same.

Find/locate cache container.

Open cache container, and sign log located therein.

Trade swag. (optional)

Replace container as found.

Report (log) results of cache hunt online, and describe results of cache hunt. (optional, but highly encouraged).

December 7, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons.

Wow, my first thought was what a sucker post of derisive claptrap.

What the heck! What was your second thought???

December 7, 2012

My reasons for geocaching have changed over time.

When I first started out and before my son was born, there were two reasons I enjoyed geocaching. First was the hunt and finding something in the cache. So I tended to avoid the micros. The only time I would go for a Micro was if the difficulty was high or if the micro was near a regular size cache.

The second thing I enjoyed and I would consider the best reason, was discovering new places. I had no idea what was in my back yard. I still continue to find new and cool places because of geocaching. It's forced me outdoors and to exercise. In a way it has improved my health.

After my son was born, I took a 3 year break from geocaching. Busy life seemed to take over for a while. Now that my son is 4, we recently started geocaching again. He loves it. His favorite part is finding the "treasures" as he calls it. So once again, I stick with the larger caches and in areas that are concentrated. So mainly large parks and nature centers. This seems to keep his interest the best.

Now that I'm "treasure" hunting with my son, I noticed a huge gaping hole in large cache sizes available. The trend seems to be favoring micros now. So I started my own Kids Treasure Series caches which will consist of large ammo container size caches and up, filled to the brim with toys.

I'm sure once he gets older, he will develop his own taste for the game and once again my reasons for geocaching will change.

22k · December 8, 2012

We all play the game... but most of us play it for different reasons.

Wow, my first thought was what a sucker post of derisive claptrap.

What the heck! What was your second thought???

mmmm...bacon.

We all play the game.... but for different reasons

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