The Joy of Geocaching - My Slice of the Pie

[+Cute&Cuddly]

It has been only four years since our knowledge of geocaching has turned Mrs.C&C and I into geofanatics. We’ve experienced the frustrations and the riotous joys that excite us and keep us begging for more. Fewer activities have affected us as much. Whole vacations have been planned for and around caching, purely for the joy of geocaching. We’ve experienced those uh-oh moments dangling in a tree. Those zany puzzles that finally release that euphoric ah-ha moment. Zero regrets.

What lights your excitement? Any thoughts surrounding the joys you find from geocaching?

[+The A-Team]

I think I get the most joy from the sense of discovery, which manifests itself in several forms:

• The hunt for - and hopefully finding of - the cache
  
• Exposure to countless different types of puzzle
  
• The discovery of interesting "I had no idea this existed" locations
  
• Learning about local history and nature
  

[+cerberus1]

My favorites are awesome locations (view, or unique feature) that few are aware of.

[+geodarts]

Location - scenic areas, roadside attractions, petroglyphs, ruins, abandoned places, megaliths, history - any place with a photo op.

Virtuals and earthcaches. Ammo cans in the woods.

Kayak caches. Hiking. The journey rather than the search. The journey rather than the find.

[+Auld Pharrrt]

For me its numerous things, most of which have been mentioned above.

 

But I'd add that as an older member of the community, living on his own now that my daughter has flown the nest, and after too many years in a sedentary job (trucker) and, who used to have an extremely active lifestyle when he was younger ... it's the opportunity to get up off his bum and do something.

 

I enjoy:-

The planning.

The hunt, including the exploration that often is part of the hunt.

The discovery.

The thought that some of my swag might bring a smile to a young person.

Meeting the occasional fellow cacher.

Putting out my own hides.

Watching people's responses to having found one of my hides ... (I'm currently planning another series, this time novel hides.)

Discussing the positive & negative aspects of the game.

Helping other people get into the game.

Trawling charity shops for swag and travelling companions for my TB's (indirectly helping those charities.)

The hours I have spent solving puzzles, especially during poor weather or during times when getting out caching wasn't possible.

More recently, helping other people get their own hides published and helping other people get MIA TB's back on the road by making basic copies for them.

 

Yeah, on the whole I'd say that Geocaching is, without doubt, something I wish I'd found out about a lot sooner than a few months ago!

 

Happy caching folks.

 

Oh, nearly forgot watching my TB's travelling the planet and looking through the photographs people post of their adventures.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Auld Pharrrt

[+wandillup wanderer]

I,m with you there Auld Pharrt some good points that you raise about caching.

In particular that age is no issue and the fact it gets you out and about are good enough reasons alone to embrace geocaching.

For me it's going to places that I wouldn't normally get to and the process of working out how that is achieved gives great satisfaction

[+Mudfrog]

My slice of the pie...

 

• For me, and number one on my list is,, being with Family and/or Friends. I've found a few caches on my own but it's certainly more fun with good people!
  

• Caches that bring us to scenic, maybe out of the way, and/or challenging to get to locations. Woodsie, away from the city caches are my favorites. I may not have the ability to do every one out there but caches that require special equipment always get my attention.
  

• Caches that are challenging to find. Creatively hidden, camouflaged, and/or hidden not in a typical manner. Note: This does not include needle in a haystack type hides...
  

• Cache containers that have some thought put into them,, creative, out of the ordinary.
  

• And of course, trying myself to hide caches with some of the traits listed above.
  

[+Cute&Cuddly]

My slice of the pie...

 

• For me, and number one on my list is,, being with Family and/or Friends. I've found a few caches on my own but it's certainly more fun with good people!
  

 

Great point. Caching throws the anchor over the side of the boat called life and slows it down, sometimes bringing it to a full stop. It allows me to spend unconvoluted time with my wife. We get to talk through the events of the week, and prepare ourselves for the next. It's a kind of escape from reality with my best friend.

[+Auld Pharrrt]

Since my original post on this thread, now that I have retired and am officially a pensioner, I have bought an old van, made a very basic conversion to make it convenient, comfortable and warm to sleep in and am about to set off with ma wee dug for a caching/fishing/camping trip where time has no meaning.

 

Yeah, I likes Geocaching