the "geocaching spirit"?

[Guest mfratto]

In some recent threads there has been a lot of fluff and butter about commericalism and having commercial or urban caches -- many people, such as myself, don't mind commercial caches, or urban caches -- I think they could be as creative and cool as any cache.

 

But what I am more interested in is the frequent reference to the "spirit of geocaching" -- what exactly is THAT? And why isn't a commercial or urban cache in the "spirit"?

 

I find it a bit questionable to say that caching is not already commercial -- it is! -- think of everything you need to buy to do it (all those expense of caching threads) and the sales of hats and shirts, the use of computers, the trading forum -- this is all commericalism. Heck, even looking for stuff out in the woods rather than just looking at the woods is commercial. Garmin and Magellan are sure thankful for geocaching. To remember Seinfeld's famous line, "not that there is anything wrong with that!"

 

And I also seriously question the divisions of space into "nature" and "not nature" -- this space is "nature" and this space is "not." A mountain is nature, but a street is not? It's all part of the same planet, and it all needs the same care and attention -- and if you look, nature is everywhere, all around you, you can't escape it. Nature is actually sometimes at its most amazing in the most unexpected places, such as in the middle of a city street.

 

But even more curious is how this figures into the "spirit" of geocaching -- isn't, for instance, "cache in, trash out" as valid in a city block or park as it is in a state park or trail? Commercial or urban caches seem perfectly in the "spirit" to me....

 

Mauri

 

[This message has been edited by mfratto (edited 26 July 2001).]

 

[This message has been edited by mfratto (edited 26 July 2001).]

[Guest Moss Trooper]

Sorta like yer not an amature athlete if yer buy spikes. Eh!

 

OK so in UK an is late LIke 12:57am!!!

 

Moss

[Guest c.mathis]

quote:

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Originally posted by mfratto:

In some recent threads there has been a lot of fluff and butter about commericalism and having commercial or urban caches -- many people, such as myself, don't mind commercial caches, or urban caches -- I think they could be as creative and cool as any cache.

---

 

Boy, it's sure hard to have a conversation with you when you start a new thread about the same topic.

 

I'd like to reiterate that I'm not against ALL virtual caches. There are some good ones. If you would read the Kern Coffee cache you would see what I'm against and why Jeremy had it removed from the web site. I'm not against a cache that has a street address per se. It's the end result of finding the cache. If it's only so you can buy something - it's "commercial".

[Guest mfratto]

bout commercialism), since many people see commercialism as not in "the spirit" but it obviously is, and can be -- at least for some of us. I have also seen this similar kind of thing come up with people who see "nature" (as stereotypically conceived) as being in the "spirit" but "non-nature" (whatever that is -- cities, shops?) not being. I find that curious, if not downright objectionable.

 

So I wondered, and posted, what is meant by the "spirit of geocaching"? I think the spirit, in the most mundane use of the word, is simply to have fun and play fair -- I don't think I personally want to invest this activity with any more meaning than that. But others do seem to invest it with all kinds of meaning and values, hence, the arguments about what is or isn't in the "spirit" of geocaching.

 

Perhaps my post was confusing -- sorry about that. I hope this clarifies.

 

mauri

 

 

[This message has been edited by mfratto (edited 26 July 2001).]

[Guest bigkid]

I think the point is valid about what is the "geocaching spirit". I think the coolest part about the spirit is that it is currently unwritten, mostly unknown to most people, and only being formed by the people who like to play. It may change as the sport grows, and it appears to be guided by the vocal few and the ones who pipe in and agree.

 

It's been very interesting to see which ones get accepted and rejected. Some may appear like democracy at it's best and a witch hunt at its worst. The best part is that it is the user base that is making it up.

 

I like that the spirit is trying to balance all the complex and paradoxical issues, get people into nature vs. trampling nature, pure commercial vs. pure sublime fun, $0 cost caching vs. unlimited caching (copters, etc.), etc.

 

So if you want to be part of the spirit, pipe up and see which of your ideas catch wind (and which ones get shot down in RED HOT FLAMES) and be ok with trying again, eventually you'll get it (or get your *** banned and then perhaps you may want to work on your social skills just scoosh ;-)

 

I can see it know, the GeoCaching Travelling Spirit Cache/Stick, yeah team...

[Guest c.mathis]

quote:

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Originally posted by mfratto:

mathis, mathis, mathis...

 

if you would re-read my post, you would see that I mention the commercialism not to re-start the debate on commerical caches, but I am trying to start a discussion on the idea of the "spirit of geocaching" -- that is related to the other thread, since that is where I saw it come up a lot (as well as on another thread about commercialism), since many people see commercialism as not in "the spirit" but it obviously is, and can be -- at least for some of us.

---

 

Got it this time.

[Guest c.mathis]

quote:

---

Originally posted by bigkid:

I think the point is valid about what is the "geocaching spirit". I think the coolest part about the spirit is that it is currently unwritten, mostly unknown to most people, and only being formed by the people who like to play. It may change as the sport grows, and it appears to be guided by the vocal few and the ones who pipe in and agree.

---

 

How right you are.

[Guest celts]

Thank you, Jesus.

[Guest navdog]

Personally,

 

I am hoping that some capitalist minded person will start their own "commercial" website, slap a bunch of ad banners on it, charge the shops and stores some type of fee to be listed, and keep all the people who want to use their GPS units to drive down to the nearest strip mall and find the cache happy.

 

Then the original "spirit" of this website will remain and we will all be happy.

[Guest brokenwing]

This whole thing about commercial caches, urban vs. traditional, and the spirit of geocaching has been very interesting to say the least. I have been reluctant to post, but finally decided to weigh in here. I disagree that the ?spirit? of geocaching is unknown. I think it is so simple some folks may have forgotten. I think the ?spirit? is simply to have fun.

 

The funny thing to me is that I think everyone knows this deep down. In fact, I think if you read the posts carefully, this will become obvious. Everyone, regardless of their position on these issues, seems to be saying, "beware, if we allow, (or don't allow) such as such, geocaching will become less fun." The only real problem here is that we all have different ideas of what makes this ?fun?.

 

So how do we resolve this? I don?t think we could, or even should. One of the great things about geocaching right now is that we are all pretty much free to play the way we like. The only result of trying to pin down how things ?should? be done is to alienate folks from the game. I think we would all agree, that?s not in the ?spirit? of geocaching.

 

Thanks for listening...

brokenwing

[Guest c.mathis]

="Verdana, Arial">quote:

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What is Geocaching?

 

Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.

 

The word Geocaching broken out is GEO for geography, and CACHING for the process of hiding a cache. A cache in computer terms is information usually stored in memory to make it faster to retrieve, but the term is also used in hiking/camping as a hiding place for concealing and preserving provisions.[/qoute]

 

Excepts from the Guidelines on geocaching.com state...

 

If it is only a couple hundred feet from the highway, there's a strong chance someone may plunder it. Try to find a place that will take a bit of time to get to, preferably on foot.

 

If it is too visible, or too close to busy roads, trails, etc. there's a good chance someone may stumble upon it.

 

Ultimately you'll want to place a cache in a place that is unique in some way. The big reward for geocachers, other than finding the cache itself, is the location. A prime camping spot, great viewpoint, unusual location, etc. are all good places to hide a cache.

 

Preparing Your Cache

 

First, you need a container. Anything water resistant, snow resistant, etc (depending on your climate), will do, but geocachers have had good success with plastic buckets, tupperware (or rubbermaid) containers, ammo boxes, or unused sewer pipes (really!). You'll also want to invest in some zip-loc baggies to put the items into in case your container leaks.

 

Next, you'll need a logbook and a pen. A small spiral notebook does the trick. Make sure to put a pen in the cache as well!

 

Once you place the cache, it is your responsibility to maintain the cache and the area around it. You'll need to return as often as you can to ensure that your cache is not impacting the area, and ensure that the cache is in good repair.

---

 

When you read these guidelines, in full, you will notice that nowhere does it mention a "virtual cache". In the beginning, there was no such thing for most of us. That's why when some of us talk about the "spirit" of geocaching, we're talking about how it got started. A box, hidden in the outdoors, with objects to traded inside.

 

When some us got started, we assumed that the reason for using the GPS was because you could NOT find the cache any other way. Certainly not with a street address because the caches were remote. What would be the point if we could just describe how to get to it?

 

If people want to start listing restaurants because they have good coffee, I guess that's the "spirit" for those people. List your favorite Starbucks and let others enjoy your adventure.

 

[This message has been edited by c.mathis (edited 26 July 2001).]

[Guest mfratto]

Brokenwing, great post! I agree.

 

navdog, the "original" spirit? what is that? and why shouldn't it change as more people play (for instance, the "orginal" spirit might be characterized as "male" you know, the rugged guy in his hiking boots conquering the even more rugged terrain with his gps and finding the treasure blah blah blah -- I completely BAH that spirit!

 

mauri

[Guest navdog]

mauri,

 

The original "sprit" of geocaching.com didnt mention placing a cache in a store, and I dont beleive the original caches reflected that. I'm an open minded person and feel that this sport will evolve, and that eveyone will be able to enjoy it in some way. I would just like to see the commercial aspect be somehow kept separate. That is why this forum is here.

 

And geocaching is certainly a family thing, not a " manly " endeavour!!!

[Guest hgmonaro]

commercial 'virtual' caches (like the coffee shop one) are the 1st nail in the geocaching coffin... IMHO!

[Guest Khao Mun Gai]

quote:

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Originally posted by c.mathis:

When some us got started, we assumed that the reason for using the GPS was because you could NOT find the cache any other way...

---

 

Thw whole concept is only a year old. Looking back on "the good old days... way back when..." for something that is brand new and evolving seems short-sighted.

[Guest mcb]

nd in a year or so I bet it will change even more. It been fun, if a little frustrating, to watch the way this idea has evolved since May 2, 2000. The bare bones spirit of Geocaching from the beginning has been ?take something, leave something and sign the logbook?. I think this is as close as your going to get to the ?spirit of Geocaching?. But does it really matter? Variety is the spice of life. Put as much or as little of that spice in you geocaching as you want.

 

mcb

[Guest NightTide]

To me its is as close to being a tressure hunter as I will ever get. I would be lying if I said it was all about the hunt. I like that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was simple take something leave something Where I live people come to see the ocean and its beauty, then they buy land build huge houses and block the views and post their land no trespassing. I am trying to show that it is the very people who love something that are the first to corupt it.