Got our first FTF, but I actually feel kinda bad

[+tweetiepy]

Last week a small series of new caches came out geared towards kids (large caches with swag - something that's quite rare around here). My son and I headed out and found one near our house but we got there second - it was quite thrilling anyways but someone mentioned getting notification - so I signed up. Saturday morning, the dog woke me up early so I had turned on the computer and got breakfast. The notification came sometimes shortly after.

 

I told my son to get dressed (never saw him get dressed so fast!) And off we headed with the dog. We got the FTF! Woohoo! Yeah our first!

 

We then dropped off the dog at home (he gets car sick) & headed off to find the remaining 2 caches from the series.

 

Then we headed home.

 

When we got home I had to figure out how to post pictures & attach it to the post. We had grabbed a travel bug as well so I had to read up how to do that as well.

 

A few hours later we decided to try a few more caches, so I checked the map for which area we were headed to and checked if anyone else had found the new cache.

 

The log mentioned a cacher who got the notification and checked the log and nothing was posted so he woke his son up to find it (it was nearby for him too). They got there to discover that they were the second. He said he really wanted a FTF for his son - and I felt bad for finding this one first.

 

It's a thrill to be the FTF - I admit - but I don't think I'd rush to be the FTF on each new cache, I'd feel too bad for not letting someone else get the thrill to finding a FTF the first time. I can't see myself getting all mushy inside knowing that I've denied someone else that very first FTF - someone who's doing this with their kids so they can be together or a newbie who's seen full log after full log and wonders what a fresh log looks like.

 

I'm not saying that I'll again never log a FTF but I don't think I'm addicted to the feeling. Now that I've found the first one, if I were to arrive at the same time as another cacher who's never found one, I'd let them have the FTF.

 

However, I think if the cache was really difficult to find, hard to solve or hadn't been found in a really long time, then the FTF would probably mean more to me than just being the fastest and closest to arrive at the cache - that would be a REAL FTF for me.

 

Am I crazy?

[+cerberus1]

Yep

[+murrayegger]

Sounds about right. Although I think I will refer to FTF as PAT from here on out. Félicitations

[+cerberus1]

"I first had to feed and bathe my dying Mother before I could go find this one.

It would have been really cool to grab this one FTF in her honor before she meets her maker this afternoon, but I see someone already found it..."

 

If the "for my son" bit did you in, figured you'd hang up over this one.

 

You were there first. Anybody could have been.

- And lame shame/blame games from someone who wasn't means nada.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

They got there to discover that they were the second. He said he really wanted a FTF for his son - and I felt bad for finding this one first.

Don't beat yourself up. The other cacher's son will get a deserved FTF someday. Here's our first of three FTFs below. Notice I want our son to earn his accomplishments (no matter how small):

We were sitting around at a park in Dublin waiting for OPE18s practice to end (noon) and took a look at the new hides. Saw this one and thought we could squeeze it in between the soccer pickup at noon and picking his sister up at 1:00. Never expected to get a FTF, but we did at 12:40. None of that Co-FTF stuff here...Beans made the grab. Cool hide, thanks!

[+BlueDeuce]

If your post was anything like your log I would no problem accepting second to find. I'm glad you and your son had fun.

[AZcachemeister]

Getting an FTF means someone else didn't.

There is no way to know if they would have been 'more deserving' or not.

 

If you are going to let that bother you, just forget the FTF race completely.

[+terrkan78]

You're absolutely not crazy! Getting that first FTF is a blast. I completely understand your wanting to spread that good feeling around by letting some other parent/child get the next one (although...depending on how old your son is, he may think you're crazy for letting someone else have the next one).

 

If it hadn't been you and your son, chances are it would have been someone else beating the other parent/child to the FTF. They may well have to endure quite a few STFs and TTFs before finally getting that elusive FTF - but it's the very elusiveness and difficulty that makes it so sweet when it finally happens (and you're standing there at 10 pm with mud all over your pajamas, a twisted ankle, your flashlight just died, and twigs are stuck in your hair, but you're feeling absolutely over-the-top happy cuz you're staring at an unsigned logsheet). Ok...maybe we're all crazy.

[+tweetiepy]

I asked my son if he would have left someone else (who'd never found one) get the next FTF if we arrived at the same time - he said he would (he's 12). He recognized the boy (he used to be at his school) and said that now that we had a FTF, he'd let someone new get it - however, he would have fought for that first FTF.

 

I don,t see myself going out in the middle of the night to get a FTF (I'd have to be online for that to happen)

 

I had emailed the CO to thank him for the hides - he said he was happy someone other than the Lucky Lizard got the FTF on that one (Lucky Lizard got the 3 other FTFs on the new caches). I mentioned feeling bad to him too, he mentioned that the other cacher's son had never gotten a FTF.

 

My son and I are thrilled if we can actually find the caches where the GPS brings us. Every cache found is a victory for us - even a STF is great with us.

[+Geominionsヅ]

The Great thing about Geocaching is that there will always be new caches published with new chances to be 'FTF'

[+wmpastor]

Yep

[+dprovan]

The log mentioned a cacher who got the notification and checked the log and nothing was posted so he woke his son up to find it (it was nearby for him too). They got there to discover that they were the second. He said he really wanted a FTF for his son - and I felt bad for finding this one first.

Don't feel bad. It could have just as easily been an obnoxious FTF hog if it hadn't been you. And you're assuming they didn't enjoy the attempt even though they didn't get FTF this time. One hopes they had fun, anyway, 'cuz it's a little sad if getting the FTF was the only reason they were out hunting the cache.

[+simpjkee]

I'll be totally honest here....I don't care too much about getting FTF's so the satisfaction for me comes from denying the other cachers a FTF.

 

I wouldn't feel bad about denying the guy and his son the FTF. If it was easy to get FTF's, they wouldn't be as cool when you get one. The excitement comes from beating the other cachers. How would you feel if you won something only to find out that your competitor threw the competition.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The Great thing about Geocaching is that there will always be new caches published with new chances to be 'FTF'

 

I don't know that *you* mean by "always" but where I live there have been only 2 new caches published within 15 miles since the beginning of the year.

[+tweetiepy]

The Great thing about Geocaching is that there will always be new caches published with new chances to be 'FTF'

 

I don't know that *you* mean by "always" but where I live there have been only 2 new caches published within 15 miles since the beginning of the year.

 

Yeah this seems to be the case too around here we're right at the border of a major highway, and there is basically nothing north of us in terms of caches (for a long, long distance anyway) - Everything is mostly south of us but still pretty sparse. I haven't seen anything new since before Christmas and it might have been a long while before anything new came out before that - most caches seem to have been placed at least two years ago.

[+Geominionsヅ]

The Great thing about Geocaching is that there will always be new caches published with new chances to be 'FTF'

 

I don't know that *you* mean by "always" but where I live there have been only 2 new caches published within 15 miles since the beginning of the year.

 

Maybe YOU should place some.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

The Great thing about Geocaching is that there will always be new caches published with new chances to be 'FTF'

 

I don't know that *you* mean by "always" but where I live there have been only 2 new caches published within 15 miles since the beginning of the year.

 

Maybe YOU should place some.

 

If I felt that I had a sufficient amount of time to properly maintain more caches than I now own, I would.

[GOF and Bacall]

Getting an FTF because someone held back would be a hollow victory. It would be like winning a car race because the other guy decide to take his time.

[+geodarts]

Just a matter of time, circumstances, and geography. I would not feel bad because I signed a blank log first, and I would not feel bad if I were second. I would only feel bad if I gloated about it, but that has more to do about my feelings about gloating than about who got there first. There is no victory or defeat or even any particular need to use the three initials. If you enjoyed finding that particular cache, and if signing a blank log makes it more memorable, then relax and be glad you had a good time with your son.

Edited March 12, 2013 by geodarts

[+ShaunEM]

You know what really gets my son down?

 

When we go find a small to find out its actually a film canister, bison, or a pill case. Now THAT is depressing for a 5 year old.

 

Shaun

[+geodarts]

You know what really gets my son down?

 

When we go find a small to find out its actually a film canister, bison, or a pill case. Now THAT is depressing for a 5 year old.

 

Shaun

 

Or when the cache is depleted because the first person took the best trade items without leaving anything in return.

[+tweetiepy]

I found a film canister and it had tiny "swagette" items - I almost lost them in the snow - they caught me by surprise.

 

My 12 year old still likes those - he especially likes the nanos that we find (3 so far) and is amazed by the tiny size

[+fbingha]

You know what really gets my son down?

 

When we go find a small to find out its actually a film canister, bison, or a pill case. Now THAT is depressing for a 5 year old.

 

Shaun

 

Or when the cache is depleted because the first person took the best trade items without leaving anything in return.

 

Or when the best trade items started out as plastic jewels.

[+cerberus1]

I found a film canister and it had tiny "swagette" items - I almost lost them in the snow - they caught me by surprise.

 

My 12 year old still likes those - he especially likes the nanos that we find (3 so far) and is amazed by the tiny size

We used to grab those little flat wood figures you can buy by the hundreds at Michael's or AC Moore and pins from Crayola, just for micros.

Finally stopped when I realized I was kinda saying that pill bottles and film cans were okay by leaving a trinket in 'em.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Why feel bad? There are new caches being published all the time.

 

It's not the end of the world if a kid rushes out with his parent and misses a FTF. It makes for a teachable moment about making the best of any situation you find yourself in.

[+OZ2CPU]

Only when you try, and fail, you learn what it takes extra next time..