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Is it the Spot or is it the Hunt?


georgeandmary

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There seems to be two basic attractions to geoching. Some people like shareing intersting places, a nice spot to visit. Others enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Of course, there is always a combination of both involoved. It's nice to have a good hunt in a nice spot, but what attracts you the MOST.

 

Personally, I'm a hunter type. I love a nice spot, but being a mountainbiker and hiker I've seen hundreds of beautiful spots. Geocaching has introduced me to quite a few NEW spots, but overall the thrill of the hunt is what attracts me the most.

 

I left off the wishy washy option of both because I want you to think about it and pick.

 

george

 

Remember: Half the people you meet are below average.

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First I'm addicted to geocaching. Then I'm addicted to finding a cache. Followed by that, I'm addicted to hiding a cache. Now it seems I'm addicted to these darn forum questions. I recall reading the mathematical calculations somebody posted (posts, logs, finds I believe). Now I see how it goes. Anyhew, I am partial to leaving exceptional goodies in the cache, and watching for days who got MY stuff. My avid geocache brother enlightened me on if I like my stuff to be gotten, then do the travel bug thing. Yessss. Thats right, my next post will be an addiction to bugs. Is there some kind of rehab or something????

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I definitely enjoy the journey to the spot more than I do scanning the underbrush for glint of something manmade. Yes there is a certain thrill when you find the cache, and I have gone back to the same place 3 times in order to find the cache, but I the spot is the thing. The cache is basically an excuse to go to a specific location that someone else thought worthy. I am dissappointed when the cache location is mediocre.

 

____________________________

To be worn out is to be renewed.

- Lao-tzu

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I don't expect every cache to have a view of the city or be next to a little visited waterfall, but I am a little disappointed when I have to walk next to a lot of trash or end up under a highway surrounded by broken bottles. Those caches are few, but I'd have rather sent my time looking for other caches.

 

cool_shades.gif ---I will stand out, I am a raven in the snow.

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i like the thrill of the spot and the beauty of the hunt, myself.

 

The thing about the thrill of the hunt is that there are really three thrills:

 

1) Figuring out where to go -- available only in multicaches and some puzzle caches

 

2) Figuring out how to get there -- which consist of both the research and the act of getting to where the gps reads 'distance 0'

 

3) Finding the object of the quest

 

Because so many geocaches are tree tuperware #3 doesn't thrill me much anymore.

 

#2 is where most of my time geocaching is spent, so I'd better find it thrilling, or i've got the wrong hobby.

 

I haven't found enough caches that require much #1 activity. Straightahead multicaches are just ordinary caches with lots of waypoint, so they fall under #2 with a twist.

 

So, in all, the "perfect" geocache requires that I solve a puzzle to find the destination which turns out to require a long hike in a park I've never been to before. At the end of the hike there's a cleverly hidden cache container with a log book to sign, or a unique virtual.

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I think that both are equally important. I love caches that have a great hunt, and takes you to a cool place.

 

If you are talking via communicatior to Captain Picard, remember this, for it is the single most important thing you can learn... Never give him a straight answer, make sure he has to come on down to the planet and see for himself.

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I've done a lot of mountain biking in the last 7 years and I think I'm jaded on the beautiful spot. Those huge views of mountain ranges that go on forever are lovely and all those other adjectives you care to add, but it's kind of like... been there, done that.

 

As a mountain biker I've been deeper into the woods than most people can hike in two days. Given that, I get to places that many people rarely see.

 

george

 

Remember: Half the people you meet are below average.

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For me it's the hunt. Don't get me wrong, it's cool to be lead to a spot that you have never been before, but that adrenaline rush of finding a cache, and the excitment of posting it is pretty cool. I grew up in Yosemite valley as a kid, and I think I am like you george, a little jaded on beutiful sites.....I've seen to many.

 

KURTULEAS

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I've always liked going out in the wild, hunting, fishing, canoeing, kayaking and the like. However, I've never really taken much to hiking. Now, I love it, but don't think I'd do it without some end objective in mind. Knowing there's a target ahead keeps me walking forward. Also, I have noticed that once I've found the cache or admit that I'm skunked, I've never kept walking...I always head back to the car.

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

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I'd be just as happy to complete a multistage mathematical puzzle cache that led me to a spot in the park next to my house as I would going on a long hike and ending up at a cache by a remote waterfall or scenic overlook.

 

----------------------------------------------------------

Until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore,

You will not know the terror of being forever lost at sea.

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But then I thought about our last cache outing. We went to a state park with 3 caches. One cache we knew was in very bad shape from previous logs, wet with ruined trade items and a useless log book. It was also pouring down rain. We hunted all 3 caches, including the ruined one. Just for the record, we did take a new log book and a couple of trade items in a ziplock baggie. While the park was nice, it's nothing spectacular. The fact that we (two teams with a total of 4 kids) would tromp through the weeds and briars in the pouring rain looking for tupperware could only mean one thing. It must be the hunt! It did finally stop raining and the last cache hunt was with sunshine. We also had a cookout while we all dried out.

 

We are heading out on vacation soon and have picked out caches that sound like they are in scenic areas. We also picked out a few that don't sound too exciting but will be close to areas that we will be. The thought of being that close and not going for it ... yep, gotta be the hunt! icon_biggrin.gif

 

GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

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But then I thought about our last cache outing. We went to a state park with 3 caches. One cache we knew was in very bad shape from previous logs, wet with ruined trade items and a useless log book. It was also pouring down rain. We hunted all 3 caches, including the ruined one. Just for the record, we did take a new log book and a couple of trade items in a ziplock baggie. While the park was nice, it's nothing spectacular. The fact that we (two teams with a total of 4 kids) would tromp through the weeds and briars in the pouring rain looking for tupperware could only mean one thing. It must be the hunt! It did finally stop raining and the last cache hunt was with sunshine. We also had a cookout while we all dried out.

 

We are heading out on vacation soon and have picked out caches that sound like they are in scenic areas. We also picked out a few that don't sound too exciting but will be close to areas that we will be. The thought of being that close and not going for it ... yep, gotta be the hunt! icon_biggrin.gif

 

GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

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I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in my perception of the game. I'm not saying that it's the only view or best view, it's just a shared view.

 

My local cache area is filled with cachers that like to stump each other. The spots may not be the prettiest, but they hides are usually unique and clever. The hunters are being fed.

 

george

 

Remember: Half the people you meet are below average.

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