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How does one rediscover their geocaching mojo?


Snoogans

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I didn’t quit caching. I think about it almost every day. I still make caches. But I don’t hide them.
 

I went to GeoWoodstock in Fort Worth looking for  my mojo. Apparently I didn’t find it. I did one cache on the way home and a few caches and an event in San Diego on a business trip months later... But that’s it. My love of the sport-hobby-activity  is not gone but my mojo has eluded me for years. I have some well loved caches and the logs on them often make my whole day. Still, the urge to find caches is not a thing for me and hasn’t been for quite awhile. 


Is there anyone out there that has lost and relocated their geocaching mojo? 
 

(sidebar: this reads like a viagra commercial. Is there a pill I can take to get my mojo back? Lol)

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Do you really need your "geocaching mojo" back?

 

Geocaching is just a hobby, a pastime. If you aren't enjoying it, then you're doing it wrong. If you enjoy hiding caches, then hide caches. If you enjoy finding caches, then find caches. If you don't enjoy something, then do something you do enjoy.

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24 minutes ago, Snoogans said:

I didn’t quit caching. I think about it almost every day. I still make caches. But I don’t hide them.
 

I went to GeoWoodstock in Fort Worth looking for  my mojo. Apparently I didn’t find it. I did one cache on the way home and a few caches and an event in San Diego on a business trip months later... But that’s it. My love of the sport-hobby-activity  is not gone but my mojo has eluded me for years. I have some well loved caches and the logs on them often make my whole day. Still, the urge to find caches is not a thing for me and hasn’t been for quite awhile. 


Is there anyone out there that has lost and relocated their geocaching mojo? 
 

(sidebar: this reads like a viagra commercial. Is there a pill I can take to get my mojo back? Lol)

 

 

I can relate.

I spend a lot of time hoping to figure out how to filter for caches I like. I spend about 10 minutes filtering and then going through descriptions, photo gallery and current logs and.... there goes the mojo. 

 

When I do go out I'm finding neglected caches. I often open the container to discover a cache that looks like it hasn't been maintained since it was dropped years ago. 

Like this one (it turned out to be at least the 2nd throwdown--the cache owner stopped playing 9 years ago):

 

106618798_2019-11-2813_14_31-Window.png.bd524059dcad15ac665682ef63188dc0.png

 

For me, geocaching was more engaging pre-2010.

 

Like you I still think about it everyday, I even occassionally think about what kind of a cache I would create and where I'd put it.

 

I still find the forums engaging and entertaining. :)

 

Edited by L0ne.R
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To me, this is a hobby, just like any other.  I've cached then went on fly-fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and hiking binges in-between.

We're all different, and for me, breaking it up got me kinda okay again.  Ailing now, or I'd probably be out today.    :)

For a couple years other interests took a back-seat to geocaching, and I suffered for it. 

Starting this Saturday (for two weeks), our game lands hides will be TD, and while down I might be taking a deer, then maybe helping others do the same.

 

 

Edited by cerberus1
Realized location-specific... ;)
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It feels like you want to enjoy geocaching again, but are struggling to. I don't think there's anything you can "do" to make yourself enjoy it. But you can focus on the things you do enjoy. No one has to do "everything" to just enjoy geocaching. There are people who love earthcaches, and only do them. Or people who love to go barefoot and only find the occasional geocache and always barefoot. ;)

Who knows. Find what you enjoy about the hobby and focus on that, don't overload with All The Things it has to offer (and all the baggage and angst that can come with it because everyone's different)

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40 minutes ago, Snoogans said:

my mojo has eluded me for years

 

What did you enjoy about caching?

I like a good walk to a viewpoint (or perhaps viewpoints) then another walk to finish with a coffee and transport home. I prefer a nice day rather than heavy rain so I can stop to look at something or watch the wildlife.  I love just being in the country. Sometimes I find a single cache and sometimes more.  I am currently not able to cache in my usual way. I have found 10 caches in the last few months thanks to local cachers who have helped me to get out.  I can't wait to get back to "normal". 

I am not suggesting that anyone should try my way but perhaps you could look at what attracted you to caching originally and what makes you happy now.

 

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Before initiating a search for your mojo, the first question you must ask yourself is, does your mojo want to be found. If your mojo left voluntarily, it might be a fruitless search to try and get it back if it has no intention of returning. 
 

If you merely misplaced your mojo accidentally, it may be helpful to retrace your steps to the last known location of your mojo. If you enlist the help of friends and family, be sure to give them a thorough description of your mojo, so that they don’t accidentally pick up someone else’s mojo by mistake. 
 

Good luck with your search. For future  reference, it’s always a good idea to use a tracklog when caching. I’ve found it indispensable in retrieving my mojo when it accidentally falls out of my pack or pocket when I’m on the trail. 

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My mojo has shifted over time, changed shape you might say.  I don't chase the things I used to, and focus on other things instead.  I think that's normal, for life in general, not just caching.

 

I dunno, maybe try some part of the game that you haven't paid much attention to before.  This game has soooo many different dimensions, and I'm sure there are still new ways of looking at it.  Give yourself a goal that sounds interesting, and work on it.

 

Variety is the spice of life, right?

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Just looking at your statistics, it looks like about 85% of your finds have been in the less-than-or-equal-to 2 corner of the D/T grid, with nearly all those being traditionals and events. Without knowing your personal circumstances or even what's available in your region, there's a whole new world of caching once you get into the higher terrain and difficulty realms. With all the events you've attended and hosted, it looks like you have a strong local community so maybe try to arrange a group trip to some of the more physically challenging caches or some brainstorming sessions for puzzles. Are there any appealing challenge caches you could use to set yourself some medium term goals? There was a challenge I did that took me a year to qualify but along the way led me to some amazing caches I probably wouldn't have otherwise done.

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Sometimes it's unfortunately just time to move on to another hobby when it stops being fun. But first ask yourself what did you enjoy about caching in the first place? What are your favorite kinds of caches? Focus on finding the caches that answer that question and in doing so you might recapture your mojo.

 

I've mostly cached out my local area. There are caches still unfound by me, but most are in places I simply am not interested in going (park & grabs mostly). There are lots of non-local places I would like to cache, but my schedule and other factors limits how often I can take such trips. I've found on those trips I still enjoy caching and so I remain a geocacher, just a less frequent one.

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Wait a minute. I also make a lot of caches that I haven't placed (some may only “work” in one spot on Earth and I don't know of that spot, some I probably need to redesign for durability, lots of things). And I went to a MEGA and participated in almost none of the cache stuff – I didn't buy the kit that had the cards and codes (um, yeah, I waited too long to buy it). AND I don't hunt multiple caches a day anymore. I keep my owned caches pretty nice, that's about it.   I have not lost interest, and until now, I thought that the main reason I haven't hunted so many caches was that I've found the nearby caches, and that it takes more time and planning to go after even one cache.

 

But according to this thread those are signs that I've lost my mojo! How do I even know? Or is it know-jo?

 

Should I be getting mojo? Or am I in an even worse situation, not yet even at the point where I notice that my mojo is missing, where the next step would be to get it back?  I shall ponder this.

 

 

Edited by kunarion
I was late for the midnight train going anywhere.
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On ‎11‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 12:58 PM, Snoogans said:

I didn’t quit caching. I think about it almost every day. I still make caches. But I don’t hide them

 -snip -
Is there anyone out there that has lost and relocated their geocaching mojo?

 

The other 2/3rds was a FTF monster.  Meeting folks at night in the woods, all wearing PJs, is a weird thing.    :D 

Around 300 geocoins too,  (I guess) she was what this site would call an "active" cacher.

After '10 or so, beta testing for new people not bothering to read how to play, much less go by guidelines,  started to show.

Numerous "I thought I had to get the cache approved first..." on empty finds didn't help...

Finally, a cache placed 400 feet off (she still found it...) did her in, and she's no longer interested in the "finding" part of the hobby.

 - But she still looks at coins, reads logs on some caches, and still talks to caching friends, many on other phone games with her.

She's happy with that.  ;)

 

I wasn't happy about the hobby, while running the other 2/3rds around to every parking lot in every town passed.

"Grids", FTF, and stats became a chore.  May be why I don't care for promotions much.  "Have to" means it's no longer a hobby... 

Her kicking back a while liberated me.  I now only think about hides I want to do.  One to a couple a month.

 

You even say you didn't quit.  You make caches.   You found a part of the hobby that for now interests you.     :)

We have friends who haven't logged an online find since they started.  

We know some who don't cache at all, yet own many trackables.  That's the part of the hobby they're interested in.

Sounds (to me) that maybe you just found something that interests you in a hobby you still enjoy.   How is that a bad thing ?  

 

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I felt the same way a few years ago.  I had made my goal to find 1000 caches in one year (which some people do all the time), and did it.  But, the next couple of years I felt burned out and while still cached, was not that into it.  But now, I've set new goals and am back to really enjoying the hobby.  Latest goal is to start filling in the Birthday Cache calendar.  

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Hey Snoogans, Long time no see! How's that little Snooglet doing these days? 

 

I have the same "lack of mojo" symptoms as you. Still have a few owned caches that I like keeping up with because they've been out so long. Otherwise, i don't really mess with hiding anything new because I know there aren't many cachers that want to find the type caches I like to hide these days. The same goes for finding, no one puts out caches I'm really interested in going after. I have no doubt I'd get the mojo back if there were more like This One:D

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I have the good fortune that my mojo is reset every couple years when I move and get a brand new home location to explore.  That helps keep things fresh for me.  It may, however, be a tad too late for you to join the military.  Little road trips can be fun, though.

 

Just setting a specific goal or two can be motivation, whether or not there is a specific challenge cache attached thereto.  I always try to have a few goals for the year.  Whether I meet them or not, it gives me something to shoot for.

 

On cache ownership, there are a few types you've never hidden.  Take a stab at a multi, or letterbox, or even a Wherigo or earthcache, maybe.

Edited by hzoi
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12 hours ago, hzoi said:

Little road trips can be fun, though.

Or big road trips!  We spent (during two trips) 5 1/2 months on the road last year.  In the 4.5 years we've had the trailer we've done 5 cross country trips and a year and a third on the road.  We've hit every state in the lower 48 (at least twice), half of the Canadian territories/providences and are planning an Alaska tour - but we're still trying to figure out how to get the trailer to Hawaii...

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About 3 years ago my oldest dog had to quit going, he could no longer take even short hikes. (I had to put him down a year ago. He was 15 years old.) My younger dog, (now 15 years old) has got to the point where she wouldn't be able to go even if I was able to.

  

That took a lot of my mojo away, as caching with my dogs was my favorite.

 

Then two years ago I got severe RA, and couldn't cache at all for a year. After being treated, I'm doing better, but just can't seem to get out and cache. I really would like to get back into it but doubt if I will ever get all my mojo back. 

 

However, I still have hope and have kept my Premium Membership up all this time. ;-) 

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First off- Dude, it was great seeing you at GW in Texas!

 

Although I haven't lost it to the extent you have my friend, here are several things I've done when I go through some rough spots:

 

Remembering what excited me originally about this thing we do. For me it was the sense of adventure and secretive nature of it.

Think about what I like now and concentrating on doing that. Spending time with friends I've made and being able to get my mind off of 'real life' stuff for at least a little while works for me.

Find a new facet that intrigues you. Challenges did that for me quite nicely.

Plan goals and aim for them. My current one is a pretty long term one- find the oldest active and/or never archived cache in each state. I'm currently at 35 so I still have some cool adventures awaiting me.

 

A couple of  final thoughts: Don't let your lack of mojo snowball and feed on itself. Things evolve, I'm sure you'll get it back.

 

Hope to see you again IRL and let your madness run with mine one more time... :)

Edited by Corp Of Discovery
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On ‎11‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 2:33 PM, Touchstone said:

Before initiating a search for your mojo, the first question you must ask yourself is, does your mojo want to be found. If your mojo left voluntarily, it might be a fruitless search to try and get it back if it has no intention of returning. 
 

If you merely misplaced your mojo accidentally, it may be helpful to retrace your steps to the last known location of your mojo. If you enlist the help of friends and family, be sure to give them a thorough description of your mojo, so that they don’t accidentally pick up someone else’s mojo by mistake. 
 

Good luck with your search. For future  reference, it’s always a good idea to use a tracklog when caching. I’ve found it indispensable in retrieving my mojo when it accidentally falls out of my pack or pocket when I’m on the trail. 

Dear Snoogs, I suggest you take care that you do not search so hard for your mojo that you simply accept a throw down mojo. For this would almost certainly be your undoing. Losing and finding your mojo is a highly personal endeavor and you can easily fall prey to accepting a false mojo in hopes it will be what you seek. Your geocaching mojo will have changed over the years, rather it will have grown and evolved. The spirit of your mojo, was and always will be, having fun and making our game fun for others. You have it within you to look back and find the mojo that will take you forward. Seek well.

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On 11/28/2019 at 6:35 PM, barefootjeff said:

Just looking at your statistics, it looks like about 85% of your finds have been in the less-than-or-equal-to 2 corner of the D/T grid, with nearly all those being traditionals and events. Without knowing your personal circumstances or even what's available in your region, there's a whole new world of caching once you get into the higher terrain and difficulty realms. With all the events you've attended and hosted, it looks like you have a strong local community so maybe try to arrange a group trip to some of the more physically challenging caches or some brainstorming sessions for puzzles. Are there any appealing challenge caches you could use to set yourself some medium term goals? There was a challenge I did that took me a year to qualify but along the way led me to some amazing caches I probably wouldn't have otherwise done.

Very good point!

 

I have been into this "sport" for some time, both geo & terra, and the shift "up the grid," particularly the T level, can add a whole new level of spice to the interest pot - Make the climb!

 

BTY, taking a break, or slow-down, does help and I can speak from experience. My annual find counts have decreased significantly because my selectivity has increased!

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The Return of Geo-Mojo Ceremony

 

Needed:

4 GPSr's - it's best if they are different and of different ages (i.e.. Garmin 12, Gamin Rino 110, Garmin Nuvi, Garmin 64)
an unactivated TB
an unactivated geocoin
a TB & geocoin (with as much mileage as possible)
various TOTT's that you have used before

 

Travel to spot with open views in all directions (particularly N, E, & W)

 

As the setting sun touches the western horizon start the Ceremony.  Lay the oldest GPSr on the south, the next to West, then East and finally the newest to the North.  To the NW place the unactivated geocoin, to the NE the unactivated TB, to the SE the activated geocoin and to the SW the TB.  Place the TOTT's in an arc from East to West in front of you.  You must complete this matrix before the sun sinks below the horizon.

 

As the last rays of the setting sun bath you, sit cross legged in the middle of this matrix, facing North.  Every hour chant the list of all the types of geocaches, either in order of popularity or you're order of interest.  During the rest of the hour open yourself to the Great Signal in the sky (Signal the Frog is it's prophet) as you watch the heavens turn about the North Star.  Keep this vigil throughout the night.

 

If done properly you will feel your geo-mojo return and warm your spirit as the raising sun warms your body.  Once the sun is above the horizon, gather you tools and paraphernalia and go forth, warmed in spirit and ready to face the hunt for the next cache.

 

WARNING:  This can be a very rigorous undertaking, it is not for the faint of heart.  Of course, if you travel north near the Artic Circle at the right time of year, you can get it done in an hour or two as the sun just dips below the horizon.

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On 12/12/2019 at 11:20 PM, Corp Of Discovery said:

First off- Dude, it was great seeing you at GW in Texas!

 

Although I haven't lost it to the extent you have my friend, here are several things I've done when I go through some rough spots:

 

Remembering what excited me originally about this thing we do. For me it was the sense of adventure and secretive nature of it.

Think about what I like now and concentrating on doing that. Spending time with friends I've made and being able to get my mind off of 'real life' stuff for at least a little while works for me.

Find a new facet that intrigues you. Challenges did that for me quite nicely.

Plan goals and aim for them. My current one is a pretty long term one- find the oldest active and/or never archived cache in each state. I'm currently at 35 so I still have some cool adventures awaiting me.

 

A couple of  final thoughts: Don't let your lack of mojo snowball and feed on itself. Things evolve, I'm sure you'll get it back.

 

Hope to see you again IRL and let your madness run with mine one more time... :)

This was helpful. Thanks Paul.

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What I find depressing about geocaching and potentially lowers my interest in it, is that locally to me far too many new caches are continuously being published. Once my interest was perked by attempting to find all the caches locally and in towns I travel through (I liked to be able to say I have cleaned out such and such a town, and next time I would choose a different route to travel), but unless I were to make it a full time occupation and spend hours every day finding caches, I haven't a hope finding them all. That makes it more likely I will spend less time on the game. Lots of caches of lesser quality (at least from some; not all), that often tend to be archived rather then repaired when there's a problem. Likely not disposed of either. This makes looking at a town a few years later where I had found several caches and finding very few yellow faces now, or even none, disappointing. The Chatham Islands is an example. Not the easiest or cheapest place to visit and I found every cache there. Now when I look I see only one or two yellow faces on my map and lots of new caches. It hardly appears I was ever there.

 

To get around this potential lowering of interest, I now tend to collect groups of caches, as that's more possible, such as SideTracked caches here in Australia (no where near as many as in the UK), the Mary MacKillop series which is mostly in Australia, but has a few in NZ, and I believe one in each of Ireland and Scotland. I have also found a number of challenge caches and of those I don't qualify for, I have something to work towards. I do find other caches too, especially as I travel, although I do prefer roads without power trails as I get more joy from finding the only caches in a blink and you'll miss it town, or the single cache in 50kms. However, when Planning my route and which caches I will find, I do tend to favour caches that will complete already found Challenge caches for me, plus those series I mentioned. Example; I logged a 5D/5T (spilt blood doing this) so called Jasmin cache, and I am working towards finding all the caches I need to log a find of it. I suspect though I won't find them all in Australia. I might have to take a long plane flight.

 

Maybe to get your "mojo back" you, like me, should find series that interest you and concentrate on them. That might give you more satisfaction and accomplishment, and bring back interest for you.

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7 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

What I find depressing about geocaching and potentially lowers my interest in it, is that locally to me far too many new caches are continuously being published. Once my interest was perked by attempting to find all the caches locally and in towns I travel through (I liked to be able to say I have cleaned out such and such a town, and next time I would choose a different route to travel), but unless I were to make it a full time occupation and spend hours every day finding caches, I haven't a hope finding them all. That makes it more likely I will spend less time on the game. Lots of caches of lesser quality (at least from some; not all), that often tend to be archived rather then repaired when there's a problem. Likely not disposed of either. This makes looking at a town a few years later where I had found several caches and finding very few yellow faces now, or even none, disappointing. The Chatham Islands is an example. Not the easiest or cheapest place to visit and I found every cache there. Now when I look I see only one or two yellow faces on my map and lots of new caches. It hardly appears I was ever there.

 

It's quite the opposite here. What I find a bit depressing about geocaching is that, locally, hardly any new caches are being published now, and those that are published get few finds. While we get a good variety of cache styles and they're mostly of good quality, both new hides and finds on those hides are rare treats now. These are all the new caches published around here this year, with their publication month and number of finds:

 

2022Caches.jpg.e8280c053b3e232115b30036dd715ddd.jpg

 

Caching for me has changed a lot since I started in 2013. Back then there were lots of local caches to find, along with well over a hundred new ones appearing each year, but now nearly all my caching involves day trips away to Sydney, Newcastle or even further afield. This year, group outings have accounted for almost half my 104 finds, so that's become a big part of the enjoyment I get from the game.

 

Cache ownership has become an increasingly large proportion of my caching time, both in checking on my existing hides and in planning and executing new ones. My multi published in January has left something of a bitter taste, though, as a lot of work went into putting it all together with what I thought was a good theme in pretty awesome location but, apart from the two Sydney cachers vying for FTF the day after publication, it's only had one other find since then and that was in March. My only other hide this year is the traditional near Patonga that was published a week and a half ago, but that's a redeployment of a novelty container from one I had to archive recently so I'm not overly fussed about whether it gets much interest. Better it be out there in its cave with water views than sitting on the shelf at home.

 

I have another cache in the planning phase, this being along a section of the Great North Walk near a vantage point with awesome river views, but it's inside a national park and the ranger isn't too happy with the proximity to those "unofficial" views and the fifty metre vertical drop below them, even though my proposed cache location is well away from any edges. I'm meeting with her at GZ on Saturday to see if we can reach a compromise, but if I do put a cache along there I want it to be somewhere interesting and not just at some random spot along the track for the sake of a smiley.

 

So while I haven't lost my caching mojo, it's on a fairly low simmer now.

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When I first started caching I would get my kids up early Saturday morning, take them to breakfast and go caching for the day. It was dad's day out with the boys. Then they discovered cars and girls, and I went alone. Set a goal of 1.,000 caches in a year and filling up my caching calendar. I achieved both goals but a the expense of getting burned out. Caching had become a self imposed chore. I actually let my premium membership lapse for several years. I have begun picking it up recently, but at a much slower pace. One of the issues is I can no longer go out ang "grab a couple caches" on the weekend. Most of my local caches have been fished out.  Going to get caches is once again a planning chore, since I need to drive a couple hours to find a populated hunting area.

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