What to do?

[+crazypig88]

I have been geocaching for almost a year now. I am not old enough to drive, so I cannot go whenever I want, but that's not the point for me. I seem to be losing interest in geocaching. I really try to avoid LPCs now, and go for bigger containers. I feel that the ones in the woods and the bigger containers are what I like, but there aren't many around, and my mother got Lyme disease from a tick, so she doesn't like me or herself going in the woods, so I can't go too far, and if I do go in, it's usually alone. I feel it would be great to cache with other people, but again, my mom doesn't "trust" other cachers per say. My friends don't really have an interest in it either. I can't set up a club at my school. I don't know what I can do to enjoy caching like I did for my first find in a Walmart parking lot.

 

 

(Sorry if my writing is a bit all over the place, I was very tired as I wrote this)

[+jellis]

I would suggest joining a geocaching group. You can try Facebook or Meetup groups you may find one nearby. Ask if anyone would take you and your mom out.

[+T.D.M.22]

This is not usually my position, but you are not your mom. So unless she is with you, it really doesn't matter what she wants. Because she got Lyme disease is a poor excuse. Lots of people die from vehicles, so does that mean you should avoid them? I say cache on.

 

Edit: all this assuming your old enough (however old that may be) 16? Go ahead and cache. 10? Tough it out and listen to her for a bit longer.

Edited May 14, 2015 by T.D.M.22

[+cerberus1]

You've found your niche in this odd hobby (woods instead of urban), but due to your age (early teens), you're kinda limited.

 

Not a big deal really, just cache when you can.

You may find you enjoy it more with that rare day out.

 

We had a young guy interested at one time. He'd bug us to go out most weekends.

- Then he discovered girls...

[+MartyBartfast]

Are there any caches in unusual places that your non caching friends might be interested in visiting, maybe tree climbs, abandoned buildings, in caves/tunnels? If you could get them to go with you for the adventure you could pick up the cache, and maybe a few on the way. Usual caveat about keeping safe and staying within your limits apply.

[+crazypig88]

This is not usually my position, but you are not your mom. So unless she is with you, it really doesn't matter what she wants. Because she got Lyme disease is a poor excuse. Lots of people die from vehicles, so does that mean you should avoid them? I say cache on.

 

Edit: all this assuming your old enough (however old that may be) 16? Go ahead and cache. 10? Tough it out and listen to her for a bit longer.

Well, she is the one that drives me, I just turned 14

[knowschad]

Got a bike?

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Have her take you to some local geocaching events. It's a great way for her to meet some people and see just how crazy we really are.

 

 

Ok, seriously, if she gets to know some of the locals it may go a long way in building up some trust.

[knowschad]

By the way, I want to say that I am very impressed by the write-up on one of your hides!

 

http://coord.info/GC5RVR0

 

Nice work!

[+narcissa]

Become an intolerably sullen goth. Wear full goth makeup, goth clothing, and listen to terrible goth music at very loud volumes.

 

After a week or so, your mother will realize that an intelligent, interesting kid who wants to be out in the world is a pretty nice thing to have.

[+TriciaG]

Heed your mother. She may be imperfect, but she's the only one you'll have.

 

In a couple years when you start driving, you can expand your hobby.

 

Maintaining your good relationship with your mom is much more important than finding more damp, moldy logs in the woods.

[+cerberus1]

Become an intolerably sullen goth. Wear full goth makeup, goth clothing, and listen to terrible goth music at very loud volumes.

 

After a week or so, your mother will realize that an intelligent, interesting kid who wants to be out in the world is a pretty nice thing to have.

+1

[+Adventure.AS]

I have been geocaching for almost a year now. I am not old enough to drive, so I cannot go whenever I want, but that's not the point for me. I seem to be losing interest in geocaching. I really try to avoid LPCs now, and go for bigger containers. I feel that the ones in the woods and the bigger containers are what I like, but there aren't many around, and my mother got Lyme disease from a tick, so she doesn't like me or herself going in the woods, so I can't go too far, and if I do go in, it's usually alone. I feel it would be great to cache with other people, but again, my mom doesn't "trust" other cachers per say. My friends don't really have an interest in it either. I can't set up a club at my school. I don't know what I can do to enjoy caching like I did for my first find in a Walmart parking lot.

 

 

(Sorry if my writing is a bit all over the place, I was very tired as I wrote this)

 

Are there any Puzzle caches near to where you live? You may find that solving them will be enjoyable to you. Who know, the final cache location may be nearby to where you live. Even if the final location turns out to be a LPC the skill involved in solving the puzzle may keep your interest up.

[+crazypig88]

I have been geocaching for almost a year now. I am not old enough to drive, so I cannot go whenever I want, but that's not the point for me. I seem to be losing interest in geocaching. I really try to avoid LPCs now, and go for bigger containers. I feel that the ones in the woods and the bigger containers are what I like, but there aren't many around, and my mother got Lyme disease from a tick, so she doesn't like me or herself going in the woods, so I can't go too far, and if I do go in, it's usually alone. I feel it would be great to cache with other people, but again, my mom doesn't "trust" other cachers per say. My friends don't really have an interest in it either. I can't set up a club at my school. I don't know what I can do to enjoy caching like I did for my first find in a Walmart parking lot.

 

 

(Sorry if my writing is a bit all over the place, I was very tired as I wrote this)

 

Are there any Puzzle caches near to where you live? You may find that solving them will be enjoyable to you. Who know, the final cache location may be nearby to where you live. Even if the final location turns out to be a LPC the skill involved in solving the puzzle may keep your interest up.

I have tried solving multiple puzzles, but I can't seem to get the hang of it

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I have been geocaching for almost a year now. I am not old enough to drive, so I cannot go whenever I want, but that's not the point for me. I seem to be losing interest in geocaching. I really try to avoid LPCs now, and go for bigger containers. I feel that the ones in the woods and the bigger containers are what I like, but there aren't many around, and my mother got Lyme disease from a tick, so she doesn't like me or herself going in the woods, so I can't go too far, and if I do go in, it's usually alone. I feel it would be great to cache with other people, but again, my mom doesn't "trust" other cachers per say. My friends don't really have an interest in it either. I can't set up a club at my school. I don't know what I can do to enjoy caching like I did for my first find in a Walmart parking lot.

 

 

(Sorry if my writing is a bit all over the place, I was very tired as I wrote this)

 

Are there any Puzzle caches near to where you live? You may find that solving them will be enjoyable to you. Who know, the final cache location may be nearby to where you live. Even if the final location turns out to be a LPC the skill involved in solving the puzzle may keep your interest up.

I have tried solving multiple puzzles, but I can't seem to get the hang of it

 

One of the more enjoyable ways to solve puzzle caches is to find someone else that has not yet solved it and collaborate to come with the solution. There are also a few puzzle caches series created specifically to help people learn how so solve puzzle caches. Here's a public bookmark for one of them: Puzzles 101

 

The best way to learn how to solve puzzle caches is to solve a lot of puzzle caches. Every time (almost) you solve one you might discover a new way of creating a puzzle to derive a set of coordinates.

[knowschad]

NewYorkPaddleCacher brings up a good point: you say that none of your friends are interested in Geocaching. But are any of them interested in solving puzzles or cyphers?

[mac367]

To comment on your original point that you seem to be losing interest in caching...I would say you are a perfectly normal kid, actually age isn't even the big factor. Lot's of folks start on a new activity or hobby with lots of enthusiasm but after a while the initial "Wow" factor starts to wear off. That's fairly normal. Just look at all the fitness commercials and gym memberships that get sold every year as an example! My son cached with me all the time for about 2 years, but then he lost interest. You have already figured out the types of caches you prefer to go after, your a premium member and you have several hides...I think you're doing just fine. I have been caching about 6 years but only have 400 some finds. I still enjoy the same kinds of caches you do and avoid LPCs like the plague, but I haven't recorded a find since October. I loaded up about 7 in my Etrex last weekend that are in one of the local parks but I haven't had time to head in that direction to look for them yet. Maybe you can negotiate with your mom for some quality caching time. Say 1 or 2 Saturday afternoons a month that she drives you to some caching sites, in exchange you take care of the laundry or do the dishes or some other extra help...be creative with what would make your mom stop and think..."He sure is going out of his way to earn some time doing something he likes, I should support that."

[+Path Pacer]

Why not try taking your mom to an event cache? She can meet some of the local cachers and maybe form a better opinion of them. Approach other attendees with kids; parents are attracted to each other like magnets. Maybe you can bring up the problem of having no one to cache with then.

[knowschad]

Why not try taking your mom to an event cache? She can meet some of the local cachers and maybe form a better opinion of them. Approach other attendees with kids; parents are attracted to each other like magnets. Maybe you can bring up the problem of having no one to cache with then.

 

Nice idea, but it looks like he's been to four events already.

[+WarNinjas]

I agree if you can get your mom to know some local cachers I am sure she would be OK with you going on a day caching with them. Just today there was a hiking trip some of us have planned and one cacher can't go. He asked if he could drop his kid of to go hiking with the group because he couldn't make it! They all said it should be fine.

[+fuzziebear3]

Talk to your mom about Lyme disease. Discuss how it affects her. She only wants the best for you, and for you not to get it too. Determine the risks, and how to reduce them. Make a plan with her for how you can go caching / in the woods, and still be safe. For example, always use bug spray, make sure to do a tick check when you are done, etc.

[+Rie29]

I have been geocaching for almost a year now. I am not old enough to drive, so I cannot go whenever I want, but that's not the point for me. I seem to be losing interest in geocaching. I really try to avoid LPCs now, and go for bigger containers. I feel that the ones in the woods and the bigger containers are what I like, but there aren't many around, and my mother got Lyme disease from a tick, so she doesn't like me or herself going in the woods, so I can't go too far, and if I do go in, it's usually alone. I feel it would be great to cache with other people, but again, my mom doesn't "trust" other cachers per say. My friends don't really have an interest in it either. I can't set up a club at my school. I don't know what I can do to enjoy caching like I did for my first find in a Walmart parking lot.

 

 

(Sorry if my writing is a bit all over the place, I was very tired as I wrote this)

 

Hey! I know this post is kind of old, but I just wanted to say I'm in a very similar situation as you. I have been geocaching for a year, cannot drive, and feel like I've almost done most of the ones I can do with my limitations of not being able to drive and being bad at puzzles, etc. My parents are not crazy about me going into the woods either (poison ivy, coyotes, giant hogweed, ticks, ETC!!) so I don't tend to do as much caching in the woods, or really anything over terrain 3. I wouldn't say I'm losing interest yet per se, but I am getting frustrated about not being able to drive to caches and having to beg my parents. Almost everything in biking distance is found. So, what I have been doing is just focusing on what I can do. I have been hiding more caches, (I worked for a while on making a puzzle cache, that was fun to make and see others solve.) I went to events, tried to get out to FTFs, just whatever I can get. Wherever I go somewhere, I see if there is a cache nearby. Anyways, I hope that helped and just know you aren't the only one with this problem!