Jump to content

How can you get so many?


Recommended Posts

I'm a relative newcomer to Geocaching - and I absolutely love the hobby.

Please, though, can anyone explain to me how some geocachers manage to bag so many caches in one day? I've seen references to 60 or more finds. Working on a 10 hour day, to get 60 it means finding a cache every 10 minutes - and that's without a refreshment break or allowing for extra travel time. I am genuinely puzzled - and, obviously, wanting to increase my own caches, I would like to know of any tips to manage so many in a day. Thanks.

Link to comment

I'm a relative newcomer to Geocaching - and I absolutely love the hobby.

Please, though, can anyone explain to me how some geocachers manage to bag so many caches in one day? I've seen references to 60 or more finds. Working on a 10 hour day, to get 60 it means finding a cache every 10 minutes - and that's without a refreshment break or allowing for extra travel time. I am genuinely puzzled - and, obviously, wanting to increase my own caches, I would like to know of any tips to manage so many in a day. Thanks.

Welcome AnnieLoups to GC. Geocaching is a fun and rewarding hobby. A word of caution, don't believe everything you read on GC, or anywhere for that matter.

Example: Recently my wife and I were following a line of caches in a remote area of Tucson. We found most of the ones we looked for, signed the logs and had a nice day in the country. About halfway through, I noticed that two cachers had logged the same caches we found with dates/times earlier in the day. Not one of the paper logs were signed/stamped by those two. There were no footprints in the dusty soil and several of the caches had not been disturbed for months. They also logged a find on a cache I am pretty sure has been awol for at least two years. No found logs, lots of DNFs and the area has been graded to make way for a new road. That cache is not there. Later I checked some other caches in the area on GC.com and found these same two had logged a "ton" of caches in the area. The next day we drove over and found three differed caches they had logged the day before. Not one paper log was signed/stamped by either of them. Both of these "cachers" had thousands of finds all over the country. Am I accusing them of fraudulently logging these caches? Not exactly. However, take what you see, with a grain of salt. Just like anything else you read/hear.

To answer your original question, if you want to pile up stats of finds, look for power trails and other lined up caches along roads, power lines etc. I don't find those much fun unless they are in a remote area, but to each his own.

We cache mostly in rural areas for the express reasons of enjoying the great outdoors in beautiful remote areas that we would never have known existed. WE combine our three favorite things, travel, GCing and hiking. GCers place caches in some very neat and beautiful places and we are grateful for that.

SE7

Link to comment
I am genuinely puzzled - and, obviously, wanting to increase my own caches, I would like to know of any tips to manage so many in a day.

What do you mean by obviously?

Everyone, or something in your post was supposed to express that you were interested in increasing find count?

We know many (we're one...) who have no desire to "compete" with others in what we still consider a hobby. :)

 

Similar to Soaring Eagle 7, we've seen how many of those high-number cachers came by them...

Link to comment

Most power trails make finding, i mean getting caches fairly easy. Many are designed just for numbers, so getting 60 can be easily done in a couple of hours. This is if you actually geocache, meaning that you sign every log and rehide the cache back the way you found it. There are some cheesy ways of getting even more caches in an even shorter period of time but i won't acknowledge them as i don't consider them actually geocaching. As Soaring Eagle stated, some people even resort to logging caches they didn't actually find. :rolleyes:

 

Our best day, with about 10 hours of actual geocaching was 101. We set our goal and worked to get it. These were on caches placed every .10 of a mile down county and forest roads. Some might call these power trails but they were set up a bit differently than most PTs. Different containers, different sizes, different cache types, and hidden differently from each other made these kinda easy but still interesting. :)

Link to comment

As you can tell, there are many opinions about the process of finding caches - whether low or high count days. There are definitely many strategies, some questionable, some taboo, some universally acceptable. Ultimately, do what you feel you like to do. The game isn't first about finding caches to increasing your count. Some like to play that way, others prefer the individual experiences and just getting outside, or the social aspect.

When it comes to high numbers, one person's count doesn't (fundamentally) affect anyone else's, so I wouldn't bother yourself with whether certain strategies are 'good' or 'bad'. It only gets problematic if someone's act of finding affects followup visitors or impacts the CO needlessly.

Just enjoy the game :) Eventually you'll find out ways that you can find caches faster, if you ever desire to do so.

 

Link to comment
Please, though, can anyone explain to me how some geocachers manage to bag so many caches in one day? I've seen references to 60 or more finds. Working on a 10 hour day, to get 60 it means finding a cache every 10 minutes - and that's without a refreshment break or allowing for extra travel time.
Actually, finding 60 in a day isn't even that hard. I found almost half that in a few hours once. We were just hiking quickly in a cache-dense area, and moving along promptly after finding each cache. We could have found them even more quickly if we had played three musketeers style, but some of us preferred playing huckle buckle beanstalk style, so we took time for everyone who wanted to, to be able to spot each cache on their own. Then the last person to spot the cache would retrieve it, sign the log for everyone, and replace it. After that, we were on our way again. Ten minutes per cache (including hiking time) sounds about right.

 

If you're interested in truly high numbers, there are numbers run trails that are set up with hundreds of identical containers along a remote highway. Here is what that looks like:

Link to comment

Yep, 900 is one day on the ET, and all 1700 in 3 days. But others have found more in a 24 hour period. That's non-stop all day 'roadside' drive caching. We went sunrise to sunset. Didn't plan our end point well enough with the 900 though - low on gas, big drive back to town, and big drive (away from town) to the next closest stretch of caches. :P

Link to comment

Thanks to all who have responded to my (slightly tongue in cheek) enquiry. As Soaring Eagle has said, I shall be adding some of these claims to my "grains of salt"! I, too, love finding caches in areas that I simply wouldn't have known about but for geocaching - it has opened up a new world. I thank all the COs who have spent time and effort in creating these puzzles for us and providing me with a new hobby in my old age.

 

Cerberus my reference to "... obviously, wanting to increase my own caches..." merely meant I would like to spend more time on the hobby - although I must admit I set myself small goals like can I get to the next milestone of 250.

 

Quality over quantity!

Link to comment

To "properly" log it (one person meaning searching, finding, opening, signing, closing and re-hiding the cache then moving on to the next one), hundreds in a day is technically impossible. So folks stretch those standards to involve multiple people, swapping log sheets between caches and leaving throwdowns. To me (and these are the keywords..."TO ME"), this is not geocaching. It isn't fun or even amusing. Many people have no problem with it, though. To each their own. I'd be proud to be able to grab more than a dozen or two in one day.

Link to comment

Obviously, 'cheating' or 'not actually finding' caches is one way to achieve high numbers. It's unfortunate that so many replies have emphasized the illegitimate counts.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that some cachers might have high counts for a single day because they simply don't adjust the date when they log their finds. For example, someone goes caching Sat-Sun (finding 40 each day) and then logs their finds on Monday. If they don't adjust the date of their logs, then they may end up with 80 finds on Monday. I think that using the actual find date is best practice (except CC's), to keep the cache's history accurate - although opinions may vary, especially for challenge caches and earth caches.

 

The OP mentioned 60+ finds in one day. Counts like that are entirely possible in one day. The biggest issue is finding an area with enough caches close together. My highest count day (72 finds) was on a power trail, although I did it via bicycle and actually signed every single logsheet. I spent a few hours on the trail and averaged about about 6 minutes for some (going uphill) and 3 minutes for others (coasting downhill). There was another day that I physically found 71 caches, but ~15 were challenge caches that I didn't qualify for and so they weren't all logged as 'found it'. This 71-cache day was on a cache dense bike trail, along with a handful of park-and-grabs on the drive home afterwards.

 

Legitimately finding 60+ in one day is not difficult if adequate caches are available.

Edited by noncentric
Link to comment

To "properly" log it (one person meaning searching, finding, opening, signing, closing and re-hiding the cache then moving on to the next one), hundreds in a day is technically impossible. So folks stretch those standards to involve multiple people, swapping log sheets between caches and leaving throwdowns. To me (and these are the keywords..."TO ME"), this is not geocaching. It isn't fun or even amusing. Many people have no problem with it, though. To each their own. I'd be proud to be able to grab more than a dozen or two in one day.

The other 2/3rds thought it a big deal when we hit thirty-one in one day.

She realized though that with varied terrain (and the drive...), we wouldn't do that often.

She got to sleep in the truck on the way back... :D

Link to comment

To "properly" log it (one person meaning searching, finding, opening, signing, closing and re-hiding the cache then moving on to the next one), hundreds in a day is technically impossible. So folks stretch those standards to involve multiple people, swapping log sheets between caches and leaving throwdowns. To me (and these are the keywords..."TO ME"), this is not geocaching. It isn't fun or even amusing. Many people have no problem with it, though. To each their own. I'd be proud to be able to grab more than a dozen or two in one day.

The other 2/3rds thought it a big deal when we hit thirty-one in one day.

She realized though that with varied terrain (and the drive...), we wouldn't do that often.

She got to sleep in the truck on the way back... :D

 

In a week or so, I will have a day to myself...so I'm actually planning to do a nearby "geo-art" of about 40 caches. If I get even half that I'll have blown away my current record of 14 in a day.

Link to comment

Briefly looking at a few of your finds... it appears that you are hunting interesting caches, many with lots of favorite points. To me this is much better than piling up numbers. You are doing it right! (IMHO)

 

Thanks for that! And I'm enjoying the challenges.

Link to comment

Our best day was 202. It was a power trail with match stick containers at every other power pole. They weren't hard to find. It got to be where it wasn't that much fun and got really tiring. We did it because it was there and see how many we could get on the trail in 1 day.

You don't have to cheat to get high numbers in a day. You don't have to 'forget to change the date' as another suggested. You don't have to group hunt and all log finds for each others finds.

There are power trails all over the country. Some more interesting than others. With power trails high daily find count is really pretty simple process.

Link to comment

Our record is 139 in one day. It was geo-art and after solving all the mysteries we had a 60Km bike ride along quiet roads logging an average of about 15 caches/hour (9hours 19 minutes in total). While very different from what we normally do it was an interesting day but our next caching day we just did two multi's.

I'm sure we won't break our record anymore. It's easy to find 50+ in a day if you choose the the right area and do some planning.

Link to comment

Obviously, 'cheating' or 'not actually finding' caches is one way to achieve high numbers. It's unfortunate that so many replies have emphasized the illegitimate counts.

This is why these topics tend to get heated :) FUndamentally, the only "legitimate" find is one where your name is in the logbook. Objectively legitimate. Officially legitimate. HOW one gets to that point is entirely subjective. Geocaching is different to different people. It gets heated when you presume that your way is the "right" (or "legitimate") way. All I'm saying is, be conscious of how you describe the act of geocaching, because it's really easy to use words and terms that come off condescending. Describing the experiencial benefit of the full experience is better than down-talking to people who do it differently (and may thus be missing out on that experience, though to them they are getting a different experience which they enjoy)

I LOVE slow days with wonderful locations and just merely enjoying nature. My Iceland trip was only a handful of caches but loads of absolutely amazing locations. But I've also had fantastic days with friends seeking out oodles of easier, quicker finds; or targeting specific caches to complete goals and challenges. I don't like quick-finding longer caches, or skimping out on a deeper experience the CO may have intended finders to have. I get annoyed at big group caching days, but know there's nothing I can do about them, and as long as they enjoy their day and don't ruin it for others, then whatev.

Geocaching is ALL of these things. Enjoy it. Don't talk people down because they enjoy something different. (insomuch as what everyone enjoys doesn't actually directly negatively affect others, of course! That's why there are guidelines)

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that some cachers might have high counts for a single day because they simply don't adjust the date when they log their finds. For example, someone goes caching Sat-Sun (finding 40 each day) and then logs their finds on Monday. If they don't adjust the date of their logs, then they may end up with 80 finds on Monday. I think that using the actual find date is best practice (except CC's), to keep the cache's history accurate - although opinions may vary, especially for challenge caches and earth caches.
Yeah that can happen. And in some of those cases it's a mistake... just another reason not to be overly distraught or competitive with other peoples' find counts. Maybe they just don't care :) It's not then their fault if someone else gets frustrated and angry at their (incorrect) statistics. Just let it be :) Or if they fix it, great!

 

The OP mentioned 60+ finds in one day. Counts like that are entirely possible in one day. The biggest issue is finding an area with enough caches close together. My highest count day (72 finds) was on a power trail, although I did it via bicycle and actually signed every single logsheet. I spent a few hours on the trail and averaged about about 6 minutes for some (going uphill) and 3 minutes for others (coasting downhill). There was another day that I physically found 71 caches, but ~15 were challenge caches that I didn't qualify for and so they weren't all logged as 'found it'. This 71-cache day was on a cache dense bike trail, along with a handful of park-and-grabs on the drive home afterwards.

 

Legitimately finding 60+ in one day is not difficult if adequate caches are available.

I actually placed a challenge cache 5 years ago (long pre-moratorium) knowing the drama surrounding high count days and competitive records.I'd say the average finds per day from its finders (minimum is 100) is somewhere around 140-150.

Edited by thebruce0
Link to comment

I did a 16 mike hike with two friends along the Erie canal and got 70 caches. We left cars at either end and just started walking. It took about 10 hours and it was a thoroughly enjoyable walk.

 

Yep, in an area with numerous powertrails (come to southwest Ontario) 100 caches in a day, personally finding and touching each, is really not that difficult at all, if you're physically up for either the hike or the bike.

Another reason why 'reasonable' challenge requirements are quite regionally subjective :)

 

Link to comment
Yep, in an area with numerous powertrails (come to southwest Ontario) 100 caches in a day, personally finding and touching each, is really not that difficult at all, if you're physically up for either the hike or the bike.
Even before the current numbers run trails (with identical caches every 528ft/161m along a rural highway), people did one day number runs that totaled in the low hundreds. I know people who found more than 100 puzzle caches in a day, and stopped early enough to enjoy dinner with the CO of many of those puzzle caches.

 

And all this was before the evolution of speed techniques like swapping containers, or splitting the team up into groups that would separately find different subsets of that day's caches. Back then, the big debate was whether it was okay to sign the outside of the cache containers, rather than opening them, signing the logs, and replacing the logs. :unsure:

Link to comment

Only times I got more than 60 in a day was as part of a small group on long, flat, paved bike path with most caches on it being easy preforms.

 

To "properly" log it (one person meaning searching, finding, opening, signing, closing and re-hiding the cache then moving on to the next one),

 

Do you only caching by yourself?

Link to comment

Yep, 900 is one day on the ET, and all 1700 in 3 days. But others have found more in a 24 hour period. That's non-stop all day 'roadside' drive caching. We went sunrise to sunset. Didn't plan our end point well enough with the 900 though - low on gas, big drive back to town, and big drive (away from town) to the next closest stretch of caches. :P

 

I recently came across a profile from someone that had over 22 thousand finds in a month. That's an average of over 700 finds a day, every day for 30 days. All of the finds were in Nevada or California. In two days they had more finds than I have had in 10 years.

Link to comment

And all this was before the evolution of speed techniques like swapping containers, or splitting the team up into groups that would separately find different subsets of that day's caches. Back then, the big debate was whether it was okay to sign the outside of the cache containers, rather than opening them, signing the logs, and replacing the logs. :unsure:

Oh man. I've still seen that occasionally today. Or signing container lids (though that's not so much for speed).

 

Yep, 900 is one day on the ET, and all 1700 in 3 days. But others have found more in a 24 hour period. That's non-stop all day 'roadside' drive caching. We went sunrise to sunset. Didn't plan our end point well enough with the 900 though - low on gas, big drive back to town, and big drive (away from town) to the next closest stretch of caches. :P

 

I recently came across a profile from someone that had over 22 thousand finds in a month. That's an average of over 700 finds a day, every day for 30 days. All of the finds were in Nevada or California. In two days they had more finds than I have had in 10 years.

 

All I gotta say is... Unreal :oBelievable. Only there. Still unreal. Ninjalike. ph34r.gif

 

Link to comment

I have heard tell of a team that goes out to a park or cache-rich area and spreads out, each member with a stamp with all the names on it. So you have separate people on separate trails finding caches and stamping everyone's name on each cache they find. Then they all return to the car and move on. Everyone's name gets on every cache, but each individual was only present at 1/4 or so of the cache finds.

Link to comment
Please, though, can anyone explain to me how some geocachers manage to bag so many caches in one day? I've seen references to 60 or more finds. Working on a 10 hour day, to get 60 it means finding a cache every 10 minutes - and that's without a refreshment break or allowing for extra travel time.
Actually, finding 60 in a day isn't even that hard. I found almost half that in a few hours once. We were just hiking quickly in a cache-dense area, and moving along promptly after finding each cache. We could have found them even more quickly if we had played three musketeers style, but some of us preferred playing huckle buckle beanstalk style, so we took time for everyone who wanted to, to be able to spot each cache on their own. Then the last person to spot the cache would retrieve it, sign the log for everyone, and replace it. After that, we were on our way again. Ten minutes per cache (including hiking time) sounds about right.

 

If you're interested in truly high numbers, there are numbers run trails that are set up with hundreds of identical containers along a remote highway. Here is what that looks like:

 

Yay "buckle buckle" "hinkey dinkey" styles!

Link to comment

Yep, 900 is one day on the ET, and all 1700 in 3 days. But others have found more in a 24 hour period. That's non-stop all day 'roadside' drive caching. We went sunrise to sunset. Didn't plan our end point well enough with the 900 though - low on gas, big drive back to town, and big drive (away from town) to the next closest stretch of caches. :P

 

I recently came across a profile from someone that had over 22 thousand finds in a month. That's an average of over 700 finds a day, every day for 30 days. All of the finds were in Nevada or California. In two days they had more finds than I have had in 10 years.

 

I looked at a profile a while back with over 8000 in a day. I sent mail to the cacher asking how that was done. Haven't heard back. Don't really expect a reply. Script writers unite!

 

I can understand daily finds of over 100-200 on PT laden areas, but find it hard to believe 1000 or more in a day. I've never looked at ET so maybe 1000 is possible, but 2000? Nah...

 

My personal record is 120 something on a KY PT, 51 on a bike trail and about 30 huckle buckling it with a buddy.

 

My advice to the OP is to plan ahead - PQs, iPhone app... navigator and plan your route.

Link to comment

I have heard tell of a team that goes out to a park or cache-rich area and spreads out, each member with a stamp with all the names on it. So you have separate people on separate trails finding caches and stamping everyone's name on each cache they find. Then they all return to the car and move on. Everyone's name gets on every cache, but each individual was only present at 1/4 or so of the cache finds.

 

That's just wrong... but that's only my humble opinion...

Link to comment
I have heard tell of a team that goes out to a park or cache-rich area and spreads out, each member with a stamp with all the names on it. So you have separate people on separate trails finding caches and stamping everyone's name on each cache they find. Then they all return to the car and move on. Everyone's name gets on every cache, but each individual was only present at 1/4 or so of the cache finds.
That's just wrong... but that's only my humble opinion...
Armchair logging by any other name would smell as... Maybe I should stop here.
Link to comment

It gets heated when you presume that your way is the "right" (or "legitimate") way.

And yet we have this long post where you do precisely that :rolleyes:

...o...k...?

 

I have heard tell of a team that goes out to a park or cache-rich area and spreads out, each member with a stamp with all the names on it. So you have separate people on separate trails finding caches and stamping everyone's name on each cache they find. Then they all return to the car and move on. Everyone's name gets on every cache, but each individual was only present at 1/4 or so of the cache finds.

 

That's just wrong... but that's only my humble opinion...

Yep we have a group or two in our region who regularly use that "strategy". I gave up caring whether every individual "found" (ie, saw, or touched, or signed) my caches long ago. The only annoying thing about it now as a CO is dealing with 30-40+ find logs of which most are just copy/paste summaries of their caching day.Whatev.Many people who may know the group is coming (they don't advertise nearly as much as they used to since the group got too big to handle) will sometimes disable and remove their cache(s) in the area, sometimes to protect the nature from mass trampling and geotrail forging, sometimes just out of personal vendetta :P IMO, it's telling when that starts to happen, because now the strategy is affecting others, or nature.

 

Link to comment

It gets heated when you presume that your way is the "right" (or "legitimate") way.

And yet we have this long post where you do precisely that :rolleyes:

...o...k...?

 

I have heard tell of a team that goes out to a park or cache-rich area and spreads out, each member with a stamp with all the names on it. So you have separate people on separate trails finding caches and stamping everyone's name on each cache they find. Then they all return to the car and move on. Everyone's name gets on every cache, but each individual was only present at 1/4 or so of the cache finds.

 

That's just wrong... but that's only my humble opinion...

Yep we have a group or two in our region who regularly use that "strategy". I gave up caring whether every individual "found" (ie, saw, or touched, or signed) my caches long ago. The only annoying thing about it now as a CO is dealing with 30-40+ find logs of which most are just copy/paste summaries of their caching day.Whatev.Many people who may know the group is coming (they don't advertise nearly as much as they used to since the group got too big to handle) will sometimes disable and remove their cache(s) in the area, sometimes to protect the nature from mass trampling and geotrail forging, sometimes just out of personal vendetta :P IMO, it's telling when that starts to happen, because now the strategy is affecting others, or nature.

 

 

As I see it, the game of geocaching is based on trust. When a reviewer looks at a new listing or we go out to find a cache we trust that the CO, when they checked the box that indicates that they read and understand the guidelines. What someone logs one of the caches we've hidden with a found it we trust that they did, in fact, find the cache. Personally, I find it a bit troubling to be playing a game where members are untrustworthy, and not caring about it is akin to condoning it.

Link to comment

It gets heated when you presume that your way is the "right" (or "legitimate") way.

And yet we have this long post where you do precisely that :rolleyes:

...o...k...?

 

I have heard tell of a team that goes out to a park or cache-rich area and spreads out, each member with a stamp with all the names on it. So you have separate people on separate trails finding caches and stamping everyone's name on each cache they find. Then they all return to the car and move on. Everyone's name gets on every cache, but each individual was only present at 1/4 or so of the cache finds.

 

That's just wrong... but that's only my humble opinion...

Yep we have a group or two in our region who regularly use that "strategy". I gave up caring whether every individual "found" (ie, saw, or touched, or signed) my caches long ago. The only annoying thing about it now as a CO is dealing with 30-40+ find logs of which most are just copy/paste summaries of their caching day.Whatev.Many people who may know the group is coming (they don't advertise nearly as much as they used to since the group got too big to handle) will sometimes disable and remove their cache(s) in the area, sometimes to protect the nature from mass trampling and geotrail forging, sometimes just out of personal vendetta :P IMO, it's telling when that starts to happen, because now the strategy is affecting others, or nature.

 

 

As I see it, the game of geocaching is based on trust. When a reviewer looks at a new listing or we go out to find a cache we trust that the CO, when they checked the box that indicates that they read and understand the guidelines. What someone logs one of the caches we've hidden with a found it we trust that they did, in fact, find the cache. Personally, I find it a bit troubling to be playing a game where members are untrustworthy, and not caring about it is akin to condoning it.

Agreed! I've never liked the "Why does it matter what others do, how others play if it doesn't affect you" statements. It's akin to saying something like, "That theft was across town so it's i'm ok with it since it didn't happen to me".

 

Yea i know, not quite the same since this is just a hobby. Still, hobbies do require certain things from its participants. Honesty, integrity, and a show of respect towards others are just some of the things that help hobbies/games/sports stay healthy.

Link to comment

I recently came across a profile from someone that had over 22 thousand finds in a month. That's an average of over 700 finds a day, every day for 30 days. All of the finds were in Nevada or California. In two days they had more finds than I have had in 10 years.

 

An average 30-day month has 30 * 24 * 60 = 43,200 minutes. Finding 22K caches in that time is finding a cache every 2 minutes, 24 hours a day, with no time for eating, sleeping, or anything else. For 30 days.

 

What floors me is not the absurdity of it, but the fact that some people think this is something to be honored and/or emulated.

Link to comment
Agreed! I've never liked the "Why does it matter what others do, how others play if it doesn't affect you" statements. It's akin to saying something like, "That theft was across town so it's i'm ok with it since it didn't happen to me".

Oh I certainly also detest that as an excuse. But only insofar as when the actions being excused DO affect others. And yeah, that includes condoning behaviours that... well, affect others.I don't care if someone desires a high find count. I do care if they log false finds, or their logs imply a false condition or status. That does affect others. But their desire for high counts is different from that, because you can desire quick finds for lots of finds in a short period, and still log 100% real finds (at the degree we're referring to).

I do not like when people defend bad behaviour with "Everyone plays their own way" as an excuse. Nope, sorry, there is a limit. And the limit is when behaviours either ruin the intended/positive experience for others, deceive others, or provide a harmful impression to non-geocachers, companies, organizations, especially parks and conservation areas, that can hinder its acceptance and adoption in the future. I, personally, think that's a reasonable line to draw -- and, in practice, as encouraging GOOD behaviour, moreso than slamming bad behaviour (again to a degree, since some things need to be forcefully corrected).Even competition itself is not a bad thing. But it can easily become a bad thing if it spills over into mistreating others (or nature/property) for your own 'gain'.

 

But when it comes merely to desiring lots of finds rather than fewer and higher quality? Can't say there's any reason to, on that point alone, criticize someone who likes more, since "quality", really, is pretty subjective. If the experience is good individually all around, then it's good just to let people play their own way (ie, don't let'em get you down, Mrs Brown)

Edited by thebruce0
Link to comment

True True,, Desiring to find as many caches as a person can is fine when they do it in a way that doesn't cause problems for others. Only thing with numbers people is that some are in such a hurry that they halfheartedly geocache. There are times when they don't close or rehide caches back the way they found them. Or sometimes, they tear up areas in an effort to find a cache as quickly as possible. For the most part, the caches they're finding aren't the ones i want to go after so,,, here i'm saying it, People doing these things really doesn't affect me. :P

Link to comment
What floors me is not the absurdity of it, but the fact that some people think this is something to be honored and/or emulated.

+1

We've been to a few big events and a couple megas.

Before asking anything else, we were asked about our find count by most we met.

A few friends of ours had that happen to them too.

- We've seen one who actually has a following that rock star's would be happy to obtain.

They don't seem to mind that even they have seen how that person came by many. :D

Weird...

Link to comment

I think the first thing most anyone thinks about when hearing "So how many finds do you have?" as a get-to-know-you is likely for gauging how long someone's been caching, or how much they've adopted the pastime into their lives, before making some kind of judgement about how they cache. But, you could also infer something very different between someone who asks that in an introductory greeting than someone who asks "So what are some of your favourite caches you've found?" :)

Link to comment

True True,, Desiring to find as many caches as a person can is fine when they do it in a way that doesn't cause problems for others. Only thing with numbers people is that some are in such a hurry that they halfheartedly geocache. There are times when they don't close or rehide caches back the way they found them. Or sometimes, they tear up areas in an effort to find a cache as quickly as possible. For the most part, the caches they're finding aren't the ones i want to go after so,,, here i'm saying it, People doing these things really doesn't affect me. :P

 

I note the smiley but even if someone doesn't go out to Nevada, hit a few power trails and had a few thousands finds to their find count, the numbers mentality has had an impact on the game in general. I saw a quote the other day:

 

I don't care what floats your boat, as long as it doesn't sink mine.

 

 

 

Link to comment

I think the first thing most anyone thinks about when hearing "So how many finds do you have?" as a get-to-know-you is likely for gauging how long someone's been caching, or how much they've adopted the pastime into their lives,...

Count me as not most anyone I guess. :)

When a newbie can do a couple hundred finds their first week on a pt, numbers don't gauge squat.

- So when someone is rude enough to ask about our numbers before our names, I take it as said.

 

Most times I simply say, "I don't know", and we've actually had some walk away. :D

To date, no one has ever asked how long we've been caching, or what kind of hide styles we prefer to find/place.

Link to comment

I know that it happens, because I've heard it here in the forums ( :D ), but I've never once had anyone at an event ask me how many caches I've found. The closest I've had to being asked is by people who don't cache or are very new to it (just in daily life). And even then, it's been more indirect like, "you must have found a lot of caches" or some such. If I ever mention how many I've found (I don't know how many, 2,500 or so?), they get real big eyed and awed. They I have to tell them that for someone caching for 15 years, that's a piddly amount. :laughing:

 

Maybe it's a regional thing? :unsure: Maybe, for whatever reason, I have the face of someone that nobody wants to ask that question of? :blink::P

Link to comment

True True,, Desiring to find as many caches as a person can is fine when they do it in a way that doesn't cause problems for others. Only thing with numbers people is that some are in such a hurry that they halfheartedly geocache. There are times when they don't close or rehide caches back the way they found them. Or sometimes, they tear up areas in an effort to find a cache as quickly as possible. For the most part, the caches they're finding aren't the ones i want to go after so,,, here i'm saying it, People doing these things really doesn't affect me. :P

 

I note the smiley but even if someone doesn't go out to Nevada, hit a few power trails and had a few thousands finds to their find count, the numbers mentality has had an impact on the game in general. I saw a quote the other day:

 

I don't care what floats your boat, as long as it doesn't sink mine.

 

Your rights end where mine begin. Different quote, same idea.

 

I can honestly say I don't think I've ever been asked, by another geocacher, how many finds I have.

 

About 8 months ago I was asked by a new cacher if I'd help them hide their first cache. At the time they had 112 finds. The way they went about the process along with the questions they asked told me right away that they got it.

 

As far as I'm concerned a find count has nothing to do with the quality of cacher.

Link to comment

- So when someone is rude enough to ask about our numbers before our names, I take it as said.

Most times I simply say, "I don't know", and we've actually had some walk away. :D

I wouldn't say "rude" (at least not to their face, especially if they're new or naive), but that is a great and friendly way to respond at least.

 

At megas and larger events, when small-talking with other cachers, I see that question quite often asked. But I guess everyone has different experiences.Maybe I'm thinking more along the lines of non-cachers. "So how many have you found?" If I just leave it at somewhere over 10,000, they just gasp. But it's a good starting point for drawing attention to the best experiences and the fun of the find, the exploration, the nature, the people. It's not "about the numbers", as it seems like so many who assume people who have find counts only care about first and foremost. But the assumption mainly from non-cachers is numbers equates to experience (not always true); that or fanaticism, which I find tends to depend on whether they actually think geocaching is cool or effectively a waste of time (ie an obsession), heh.

 

But ultimately, numbers themselves, and really the desire for "more finds" is not inextricably linked to taboo or questionably unethical geocaching behaviour. Especially when people with very few finds, even if they focus on "quality" or "quantity", can still be a big PITA to other cachers. All I'm saying is, don't be judgin' by the numbers ;)

 

As far as I'm concerned a find count has nothing to do with the quality of cacher.

Exactly, it goes both ways, high numbers or low numbers.

Edited by thebruce0
Link to comment

I think the first thing most anyone thinks about when hearing "So how many finds do you have?" as a get-to-know-you is likely for gauging how long someone's been caching, or how much they've adopted the pastime into their lives,...

Count me as not most anyone I guess. :)

When a newbie can do a couple hundred finds their first week on a pt, numbers don't gauge squat.

- So when someone is rude enough to ask about our numbers before our names, I take it as said.

 

Most times I simply say, "I don't know", and we've actually had some walk away. :D

To date, no one has ever asked how long we've been caching, or what kind of hide styles we prefer to find/place.

Have had many people come up and ask how many i had found but i never thought about it as being rude. It was rare that i could ever give them a specific number and that was fine by me.

 

I know we're getting farther off topic but ,,, Something i never really cared for used to happen routinely at our local monthly event. Whenever we had new people attend, our organizer always wanted us to introduce ourselves. I liked that part but she also wanted us to state how many caches we had found. I always told a little about myself/family and how long we had been caching but it never failed, her or someone else would always ask for the count. There again, it was a ball park figure since i never kept up with the exact number.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...