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Lame Cache Theory


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There is a cache, that had a good view, just like the other 15 caches in the general vicinity. The spot sucked and is plunder bait. There was nothing special about the container, other than it didn’t quite seal right. The hike was through cheat grass which gets in your socks and shoelaces and is a real pain in the butt to get out. This cache stands out and I will remember it as a cut above most of the 500 or so I’ve found. Yes there are lame caches out there. But far and away what you get out of a cache experience is what you bring to it. Everything negative I said above is true from an anal retentive analytical standpoint, and yet this is what I saw as I went after this cache.

 

The cache itself was placed by a pre-school age child on an outing with this father. The son wanted to place a cache. He chose the toys that went into the cache himself. Each one exactly what he wanted to share with the world. When they went out to place it he hiked through the cheat grass which would be twice the nuisance for him as for me and which became part of his gift in that cache. While hiking and being guided by his muse he looked for the perfect spot. Soon he finally found exactly what he was looking for. Not just any spot, but his spot, the one that called to him. I can picture the certainty with which he knew this, and I can feel the power that he felt in knowing this decision was his and his alone. A moment of triumph in a world we know will soon enough crash reality down about his young shoulders. But that future world holds no power over him now. This is his moment. Every rock used to hide the cache was chosen specially for the job and had a place that fit perfectly in his mind. When he walked away it was a job well done.

 

And so it was.

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After 163 finds, I've yet to find one single cache that I found, where I didn't secretly inside my mind say "YES!".

 

The day I start complaining about a find is the day I will quit the hobby.

 

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When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

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Nice story, and so true icon_biggrin.gif

 

My four year old helps me put together all my caches and most of the placements. He's one of the main reasons I got into , and stay with the sport.

 

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. The rest go geocaching.

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Well said, RK. I have gone out of my way to place caches of all types, from the giant book cache in my front yard (so placed because the original, placed behind a library, was stolen) to a park and grab, woods, marshes, and so on.

 

The only time I am disappointed is when a cache is placed in a "dangerous" area (there are several near me placed in areas with used hypo needles and other hazardous trash), or when the cache isn't maintained by the owner and is full of junk (literally).

 

Locations vary, and I like 'em all!

Jessica

 

Are you on the trail that leads to my cache?

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I know the cache that RK is talking about. It's a pretty generic cache container in a pretty generic spot (although the terrain around is beautiful). It's also one of my favorite caches, because I am the father who took my three-year-old boy to make and build a geocache.

 

After we placed the cache, he and his 5-year old sister played on the rocks and admired the lichen on the basalt rocks for almost an hour. We picked up trash (CITO) and wondered aloud to each other who had left their washing machine in the middle of the desert...

 

There is joy in childhood -- in the hiding, the seeking, and the playing. You don't always have to analyze; it's acceptable merely to enjoy

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I opened this forum, read the first paragraph, and came within a second of closing down what I thought was going to be another one of those "bitching" discussion threats. I am so glad I didn't!! Thank you RK and the rest of you who added your thoughts. You've added warmth my heart and a smile to my face. What a great way to end the day. I'm going to sign off now so there's no chance this feeling will be diminished. Good night all!

Edited by Natureboy44
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Yup. That's the one. "Nino's....." He's a cute little monkey. Of course I'm biased since I'm his uncle.

 

Since Christmas is coming up, I thought I'd share a great geocaching gift idea. My brother (Skinguy) gave my 7 year-old son (Brooklyn) a cache kit for his birthday. The kit included a tupperware container, log book, pencil, sharpener and 10-12$ for him to pick what he wanted to buy for his cache. This kit has been placed for a few months and is called "Brooklyn's Booty". He was incredibly excited to have his own cache. He still enjoys going with me to do cache maintenance.

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I have cached with my brothers a couple times and we are on a constant search for the "Perfect spot" but some of my best finds of my few have been with my kids. Thus our first micro was placed by my 5 & 8 year olds with some assistance. Based on the logs so far it has been appreciated. My son is into the whole cache thing and is now drawing more pictures of treasure maps than anything else. ;) Looks like another GPSR at his birthday.

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Yup. That's the one. "Nino's....." He's a cute little monkey. Of course I'm biased since I'm his uncle.

 

Since Christmas is coming up, I thought I'd share a great geocaching gift idea. My brother (Skinguy) gave my 7 year-old son (Brooklyn) a cache kit for his birthday. The kit included a tupperware container, log book, pencil, sharpener and 10-12$ for him to pick what he wanted to buy for his cache. This kit has been placed for a few months and is called "Brooklyn's Booty". He was incredibly excited to have his own cache. He still enjoys going with me to do cache maintenance.

Excellent idea! My little 4 y/o nephew (he turns 5 on Christmas day) went with me and my brother on one hunt when we logged, I think, 4 finds. He loved it! We let him choose a prize from each cache, and he also chose which piece of swag we left. He was very thoughtful as he made his decisions, wanting the next person that "finds the treasure" to have as much fun as he did. I think I'll get him his own "treasure" box to hide for his birthday/Christmas present! Thanks for the idea! ;)

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