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So how much does your CACHE COUNT motivate you?


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WHen I first started caching the personal cache count was what drove me. (Even though I didn't realize it). I would shoot for goals. Logging my first fifty. My first 100. and so on.

 

But somewhere around the 200th cache my cache count became less meaningful. I realized I was going out each weekend and pushing to log more and MORE caches in a single outing. (16 in one day is my personal best). Anyway it dawned on me I was driving hundreds of miles and darting to caches simply to sign my name in a log book and then race back to the van and go find the next cache.

 

I've slowed down since then. I now take time to see the beauty and actually experience the new locations I've been lured to. Lately I've taken to stopping to have lunch at some place new. Check out local parks, shops or points of interest, etc. I'm not logging 20 caches in a weekend anymore. More like 3 to 5.

 

I'm finding I'm actually having much more fun now. I'm also finding trading cache items isn't too important either. I still do it but it's not what drives me.

 

Is this the natural evolution of a geocacher?

 

How bout some of you other old timers? (200+ finds). Are you finding your attiudes about caching and the hunt have changed?

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

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I realize I don't qualify as a 200+ old-timer, but my "count" doesn't motivate me at all.

 

When I can get out caching, I'll find one or two and enjoy the hunt. Those 10-cache or 20-cache daytrips are not for me. All that rush-rush-rush and not enjoying the walk goes against what I am caching for.

 

Lately it is getting harder to get away from chores to go caching. But I try to get out once a week.

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case... icon_biggrin.gif

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I have always been a slow but steady cacher who tries to average a cache a week. Before Geocaching I loved to get out and hike, but would only find (or make) the time for this once or twice a month. Finding a cache for me is a real outing - I'll often make a day of it, usually including a picnic. Seeing my cache count falling below my one a week goal always spurs me on to get out and look for another. (I also include my "not founds" in my cache count and usually find those days just as enjoyable)

 

I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.

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I guess I'm an "old timer" having been at this for a year and a half, but I don't have 200+ finds yet, probably because count isn't too important to me.

 

When I reached milestones like 50, or 100, I felt a degree of accomplishment, but they weren't all consuming goals (I think I sat at 99 finds for a few weeks).

 

Like Seneca, geocaching does motivate me to get outdoors more. I used to have myself convinced I needed 3-4 hours for a decent hike, so if I didn't have that much time, I wouldn't bother. Because of geocaching, I'm likely to head out on a hike to grab a cache even if I only have 30 mins, or an hour to spare.

 

 

"Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"

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i agree with brian and seneca...(edit... gee, with dusty and jolly too actually)

i'm also hampered by very few local caches, so i try to do one a weekend with a picnic and friends... if i want to find something after work - i'll go for a benchmark.

 

___________________________________

 

who's got the pig? icon_smile.gif

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Not a whole lot...I went out in a torrential rain to find numbers 97, 98,and 99 yesterday. I could have hunted a couple of more in the same area to hit the magic 100 count, but finding the caches was secondary to sloshing around in the rain, listening to the sounds of the forest, breathing the moist air -- the cache hunt was only an excuse to get out and wander by myself. I've been doing this since March a year ago, and I have found caching to be a sideline to going to interesting places that have always been there but were unnoticed. I've cached by plane, train, car and boat, gone into swamps and on mountaintops, in the dry heat of summer drought, the chill of winter snows, and in the mists of early morning fogs. The cache was only a destination point, not a notch to be added to my geocaching list. I will find satisfaction in attaining my 100th cache soon, but not if it is an easy side-of-the-road type.

 

The most I have ever done in a day was 9 caches, all in the same park. Even then, I could have done fewer and been more satisfied. I don't have any envy for the numbers people; in fact, I kind of pity them -- life is too fast as it is, and any chance I can get to slow it down by wandering quietly instead of rushing from point to point is so much more desirable. But if that's what satisfies them, then it's all good. As the Appalachian Trail mantra goes, "You've got to walk your own walk.."

 

"All of us are standing in the mud, but some of us are looking at the stars." Oscar Wilde

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It only motivates me when I'm within 10 of a "landmark." I learned during my first month or so of geocaching that after "X" hours or caches in a day, caching became more like work than recreation. I limit myself to no more than 5 caches per any one day, and no more than 5 hours caching.

 

I have always loved hiking, so that is what drew me to geocaching. When I started caching, the majority of caches entailed a 1 mile (or longer) hike, and the cache was usually hidden at/near an interesting location. Caches fitting that description now seem to be the exception ... I find it ironic that the "game" of geocaching has mutated from being an "outdoor in nature activity" to largely an "avoid being outdoors" activity. (Shorter and shorter hikes; a reliance upon gimmicks or puzzles instead of quality locations. That's not a knock on gimmicks or puzzles when they are part of a "quality" cache. A cache hidden 50 feet behind the neighborhood supermarket probably isn't a "quality cache," no matter how challenging the puzzle that leads one there.)

 

The novelty of trading trinkets wore out very quickly for me, so since perhaps my second month caching I've usually traded only ''Where's George'' dollars (and travel bugs.) I have noticed that the quality of cache contents really isn't any better or worse than when I started.

 

[This message was edited by BassoonPilot on June 08, 2003 at 06:37 AM.]

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I agree with BassonPilot - when we get close to a landmark, the count is interesting. We are probably on a 'meta landmark' of a sort now - we noticed a few weeks ago that we were on a cache-a-day pace to get 500 by our 1st anniversary (easy to remember - it's the July 4th holiday). So, we have set that as a goal.

 

"Reaching the goal" is an interesting human addiction. My wife and I placed a scale-model series of 9 caches representing the solar system from 1 mile (Sun->Merucry) to 100 miles of radius (Sun->Pluto) of Northern California. The idea was motivated by the desire to place caches relatively near the hometowns of cachers who placed caches we liked, and we thought a solar system was a neat idea, because going between the caches (inner planets on top of one another, outer planets faaaar apart) gave a real personal experience of scale.

 

What happened really surprised us: we had many people who took entire days or week-ends to find this goal - typically over 350 miles of driving, given the locations of the 'planets' in their 'orbits'.

 

When Stacey and Jerry placed a series of 16 caches around light rail stops in the south bay, we experienced the same 'have to find all of them' addiction.

 

We wonder if this 'collect a complete set' mentality is wired into humans somehow.

 

But as to "does our attitude change over time" - my wife and I have talked about this a lot - yes, we both feel a bit overloaded right now, and when we hit that 500, we'll probably reduce to a 'touring style' of "Oh - we always wanted to visit this area - so print 4 cache pages, and visit them" - with the caching as a part of the fun day, vs. the goal of the fun day.

 

-J

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The total caches found doesn't make that much difference to me but the value of points for the cache does. In my area a local geocacher has found a way to give a point value to caches in Montana and parts of Idaho and Washington. It is pretty cool the way he has figured out a way to rate caches by how many people have found them over a period of time, the difficulty of terrain and difficulty finding them. For example a cache that has been out there for a year and only one person has ever found it is rated at the top for points. I now look for caches that score higher on his chart that shows all of the geocachers in our area. It adds another dimension to the game. Before I would do a lot of caches that were way too easy just to up my cache count but now I look at the points given. Wish I could tell you more about how he works this points thing but it is great.

sidewinde

 

LOST AND FOUND DEPT.

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Yes and no. When other's that I'm interested in keeping up with go out and get busy then I get the urge to go out and get busy.

 

But some of those old urges are creeping back in. Things like fishing and so there is a growing need to balance this in with everything else.

 

=====================

Wherever you go there you are.

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We still use cache count to motivate ourselves to get off our butts and actually do some hiking. We did our first hundred in six months, and we'll have no trouble getting our second hundred by the end of June. It's not that we're very competitive -- there are local teams that rack up numbers a lot faster than we do, and we'll never catch them. The numbers are only for our own satisfaction. All of our 8-11 cache days have been due mostly to luck -- finding a whole bunch of urban micros not far from one another on a couple of weekends. That was fun, in its own way, but we also don't rush the hikes when we go for more difficult caches. The ideal, for us, is to find a set of caches in the same park, so we can stroll around at length and also find some boxes of mctoys, but that's not always feasible icon_smile.gif.

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Right now my find count is a big motivating factor for me. For a long time I've wanted to hit 100 before my 1 yr caching anniversary. Right now I'm sitting at 98. I have a feeling though that after I hit 100 I'm probably not going to be putting in big days to find caches. Mainly because, like you said, there is a lot more to enjoy out there, and I know that I'm missing out on some cool stuff out there. Plus at this point there really aren't a lot of caches nearby (for example a couple days ago, I traveled 330 miles round trip and grabbed just 7 caches) so I'll probably be moer likely to just wait until a new one close-by pops up. I have a feeling that I'm going to get much more interested in hiding them then finding them anyhow.

 

Mr. 0

 

"Remember that nature and the elements are neither your friend or your enemy - they are actually disinterested."

 

Department of the Army Field Manual FM 21-76 "Survival" Oct. 1970

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I'm right along the same lines as DustyJacket. When I first started this, I wanted to make sure it is something that stays as a recreational pastime/hobby that I can enjoy as a byline along with other interests. It helps there is only one car in the family right now, so my initial hunts were close to home and I learned to line up my hunts with errands if time allowed.

 

Soon though, I will have my ~new~ 2nd car up and running (a `94 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo I bought for deep woods camping) and that may change my perspective a little, but I will still probably limit my hunts to 2 maybe 3 a week.

 

Cheers!

TL

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After 1000 I got back on the bike. I'm still finding them but it's become a choice of going for a cache or riding 40 miles on the bike. With work and kids eathing all other time, I've been jumping on the bike.

 

But it's summer time, and school's out. I have one week before I start teaching summer school and I'd like to find a 100 or more this week.

 

george

 

Wanna go for a ride?

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As for the count.

 

Right now, the numbers are the driving force.

 

Mostly for the benchmark numbers but we where "slapped" with a challenge a while back so getting to the top of the list for the state was our main goal. And staying there for a while is a little bit of work. And as I am not working right now, I have lots of time to get out and about.

 

But as the caches are getting scattered around

- a few here, a few there - we wait until there are several in an area and plan a trip for that location. If we get 10/25 in a day, fine. If we get one or two, fine. I like hiking but all the real good cache hikes around here are in the snow still. I do not do snow. (Unless it is for Deer or Elk hunting!!)

 

But we also head out for drives and hikes where we only get one or two in 16 hours and 300 miles of touring around unseen country.

 

Finding a flock of caches in a day does not have to be all rush-rush-rush. I will take a week and plot out a bunch of caches, read the cache page and logs, plan a tour route and head out. There is nothing wrong with plotting out 40-50 caches. You do not have to hit them all and you can change direction at any time.

 

I try to always pack a set of fishing gear and I have even planned a cache hunt and eneded up fishing all day and not found a single cache. I have planned cache hunts and ended up walking the beach, picking up agates and not finding any caches.

 

Now as for trading items. Big deal. I like the hunt but I am also in it for the hide. Can I find caches that others are having troubles with? I like grabbing out peoples magnets and sig items. And I have been dropping Silver Lake arrowhead chunks as trade items in all caches where I can. We also pack other trade items to restock thin caches.

 

And placing caches is okay but so few people want to hunt big cache hunts. I placed several caches lately. One big one took me three days and about 7 miles of hiking to put out. 5 finds in just about one month. Three drive bys, 7 + finds each in three days.

 

Rambling. Gotta Go.

 

logscaler.

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It was a race that I've long since lost. Now I pick and choose which ones I go on and enjoy the journey more than the destination, which is why I'm so strongly in favor of good hints to allow finding the tough ones.

 

Steve Bukosky N9BGH

Waukesha Wisconsin

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ITS ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS.

 

The only problem is that I haven't been caching in what seems like 2 months (maybe less, not sure) I've been caching since September 2002 and have 237 finds. I would like to see that number much higher right now but I've been way to busy with work and other things. I like to keep my first 4 cache pages clear which I have had and kept up with for a while but since my hiatus thats gone to heck. A goal of mine is now to get 2000 posts since I got my old post count back.

 

Thanks Elias and whoever else made that happen.

 

migo_sig_logo.jpg

______________________________________________________________________________________

Caching without a clue....

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By the end of the week UMC?

 

To add more to my other statements.

 

We are also choosing which caches we want to hunt. Time to hunt, miles to drive to the first one and miles between caches but mostly...

 

By name and towns.

 

Some locations have real interesting ideas and methods. Some of the places have the same ol same ol hides. After a while this game gets real boring when you have seen pretty much all methods of hides in a couple hundred mile's.

 

But that is another thread.

 

logscaler.

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I'm not really motivated at all about the numbers (gee, look at my numbers icon_wink.gif

To me it's much more interesting to pick and choose a cache with a hard difficulty and hard terrain, and then go after it.

I'm just not big on the "walk on this trail and then look to the right" ones anymore... I'd rather go after the harder caches in interesting areas and not find them than walk down a paved trail and find a cache 2 feet off the trail...

 

But that's just me, and I'm probably missing some pretty neat places where easy caches are hidden by being that picky.

 

That and summer is skydiving time, which takes precedence over geocaching icon_smile.gif

 

sean

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There are cachers in this state who are ALL about the numbers, and there are some that aren't.

 

It's important to me when I'm looking at hitting another century mark. For the longest time, I sat around 50ish finds, because I had a crappy GPS and just didn't do it. Suddenly I became very interested again, and it's been downhill ever since. [icon_smile.gif]

 

I'm now sitting at 327 finds, and for the past week, I've been averaging at least 3/day after work, just to get my 'fix' after being sick for 3 weeks and not even leaving the house except for doctor appointments. Friendly competitions between people to take their spot in the state rankings sometimes plays into my caching, but just to add another challenge to the game/sport. There's one cacher in particular I would like to pass up in rank, just to do it out of pure fun. But I'm not going to go out and kill myself caching in order to do it. If I happen to catch him, so be it. If not, meh.

 

Brian

Team A.I.

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I like this thread, I'd be less than honest if I said the numbers just didn't matter, but they don't matter that much. I do like the challenge of being first to find, the harder the cache the better for that. I particularly like being the first to find, after others have tried and not found it.

 

I also look for adventurous or challenging (for me anyway) caches, and don't rush too much to get through them. The most caches I've done in one day is 4, and that's spending a large chunk of the day on them (longer hike caches). That's plenty for one day, for me.

 

_________________________________________________________

If trees could scream, would we still cut them down?

Well, maybe if they screamed all the time, for no reason.

Click here for my Geocaching pictures and Here (newest)

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My numbers do motivate me, I admit. After 1.5 years I sit at 576 finds and do not plan on slowing down. I have 5 30+ days under my belt with a PR of 46 in 16 hours.

 

I have however, recently slowed down my per day rate (10 or so) and just increased the frequency of when I go out. I slowed down to enjoy the hunts more, but I still move fast on the way _back_ to the car. icon_smile.gif

 

-Doc

 

-Doc Ott

A day without thermonuclear fusion is like a day without sunshine.

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quote:
Originally posted by Jolly B Good:

How bout some of you other old timers? (200+ finds). Are you finding your attiudes about caching and the hunt have changed?

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Good morning Jolly.

 

What is an old timer? 200 caches? An unfair number, there isn't 200 caches within reasonable driving distance from El Paso. At the moment, we are at about 75 in 100 miles.

 

So please do not confuse someone who may not have a high cache-count as someone who lacks experience. In 20 years of military experience, and 9 years in the mountains here, I probably have more time outdoors and on the trails than 90% of the cachers. (not to brag, just my career/lifestyle)

 

So, what is an old timer? If it is 200+ caches, I may never get there. They can put that on my tombstone. icon_biggrin.gif

 

Cache count doesn't drive me at all. Here is what I do. I pace myself. When I first started caching, there was less than 25 caches in 100 miles. I didn't want to use them all up in a few weeks, so I only did one as a treat now and then. Averaging less than one a month.

 

I am a volunteer for Texas Parks and Wildlife. I hike hundreds of miles doing back-country trail patrol. I enjoy exploring the park. And with 37 square miles of desert mountain range to explore, there is plenty enough.

 

I go caching when I can't think of a place I want to explore, or when a planned hike takes me near a cache. That keeps geocaching special.

 

I have gotten ten new cachers started in the area. Most of them ham operators who have listened to me on the air while I was hiking or caching. I have returned to a few caches several times, helping the beginners get a good start. NO, I did not log the re-visits. icon_biggrin.gif A few of them have also become park volunteers too. Great fun!

 

So if I am not an old timer, let me know. I will edit out the parts of this post that I do not qualify for. icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif

 

Mike. Desert_Warrior (aka KD9KC).

El Paso, Texas.

 

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom.

 

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS!

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when i read "oldtimer" in his post, I took it to mean "someone who's been geocaching a while" or "someone who's been on the forums a while". For some reason, I missed the 200+ part.

 

With a whopping three years since this hobby started, I suggest the following breakdown, based on when you started:

 

ELDER - May 2000 to October 2000 (first six months)

OLDTIMER - November 2000 to September 11, 2001 (next year)

BOOMER - Sep 11, 2001 to April 2003 (year three)

WEBBY - May 2003 to now (in the post webby nomination haze)

 

Yes, of course I'm joking, but it'll still be fun to watch people take this too seriously.

 

<timpaula>

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I have been geocaching a little over a month now and I have found that the count has never really been important. The thing that drives me most in order is

 

1. Nobody has found it yet

2. Very High terrian difficulty rating

3. Good items in the cache

 

I have also found myself placing caches in harder to reach spots. Some People say that cache contents is not that important to them, but I love looking at all the stuff in the cache. Usually I will trade an item but sometimes I will take nothing but I always leave an item no matter what. I have never TNLN and I plan on never doing that, but I have no problem at all with people doing it. I always like to leave something behind.

 

The last few caches I have been doing seem to take around 3-7 hours each so usually I will just do 1 or maybe 2 caches in a day now.

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Not the count per se, but there is this perverse compulsion to find every cache within some bizzare 'radius' of home.

 

I only started geocaching this year, but now I run out to find anything that pops up nearby! Easy or hard, gimmick or hike. Some caches have been enjoyble, others a task, others a disappointment.

 

That said, the caches I've ENJOYED most are the nice hikes through the woods or some other physical challenge (tree climbs, remote locations, etc...). The hides seems almost secondary - it's just another influence that gets me outside.

 

The numbers are secondary - I actually was going to stop logging online as I approached 200 finds (since I saw such a focus on the numbers), but realized it would be a disservice to the people who'd spent the time and effort hiding these caches.

 

Someone had once suggested being able to 'hide' find counts, I think that would be a nice option. Hey, that's why Baskin Robins has so many different flavors, different things appeal to different people!

 

Finding them's fun - but I'm finding I'm really enjoying reading logs from people who've enjoyed finding caches I've hidden!

 

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There is no such thing as "fun for the whole family." -Jerry Seinfeld

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quote:
Originally posted by HartClimbs:

Not the count per se, but there is this perverse compulsion to find every cache within some bizzare 'radius' of home.


Same here. I used to do multicache runs in an effort to "clear" a certain area. I did slow down a lot after I hit 100, though, and my area still isn't clear of even all the old ones, much less the ones that have appeared in the past few months.

 

Flat_MiGeo_B88.gif

Well the mountain was so beautiful that this guy built a mall and a pizza shack

Yeah he built an ugly city because he wanted the mountain to love him back -- Dar Williams

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What I like about this sport (and this thread) is it's all about personal motivation (at least for me). The only person I'm competing against is the part of me that wants to sit on the couch, eat pop-tarts and watch SpongeBob all day long.

 

Numbers motivate me a bit. I really wanted to hit 100 caches by the end of last year, but weather kept that from happening. I reset the goal to hit 100 on my 1 year anniversary of starting to cache and made it. I think that was a much better goal anyway, because my daughter and I were able to do it together. Very satisfying. My personal goal now is to hit 200 on my year and a half anniversary (whenever that is). It looks like I might be able to do that....maybe.

 

More than just numbers, though, my motivation seems to come from caches on my nearest list. Whenever a new cache pops up, it's like a gnat flying in my ear--I've got to attack it and get it off that list! Unfortunately, since we've been moving lately I've not been able to clean the list off properly. Although my brother-in-law and I polished one off yesterday (took nothing but 2 ticks and a nasty gash on my right ankle).

 

Bret

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again." Mt. 13:44

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The count doesn't really motivate me as I do it for the adventure, fun and uniqueness. I like that it's kinda a secret that most of the world doesn't realize is there.

 

Also for me it keeps it from becoming passé to just go on a hunt when I really feel like it. It keeps some flavor in the hunting and finding whether it's a micro or an ammobox stuffed with toys. Every time I find a cache it's really cool and amazing, but if I was on a tear and finding 5 or 10 of them a day I think it would lose it's luster.

 

Another cool thing about becoming a Geocacher is that I look at the world differently now. Always looking for potential cache hiding places, I notice the smallest details of the environment around me all the time. The world is a pretty incredible place when you take the time and effort to reallylook at it!

-Dan

 

Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down."

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Aaaahh, you see? Learn something new everyday. I actually hadn't considered the differences in cache density for different areas. I guess I'm spoiled. There are literally hundreds of caches within 50 miles of my doorstep.

 

When I drove to Winnipeg recently I was suprised at how sparse caches were between chicago and my destination. I didn't have a LOT of options as far as caches to hit on the way there and back.

 

Yes, I would revise my definition of 'old timer' considerably after reading the commments here.

 

To be honest having such a glut of caches lcoally may be part of the problem. I have noticed that caches in other areas with lower density are often more creative and lead the finder to more interesting locales. Too many of the caches here really aren't that interesting. (I'd even put a few of my own in that category).

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

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When I first started caching, it was definitely about the numbers. Then I started Geodashing as something to do if it was near a cache.

 

Now, with 487 UNFOUND caches within 100 miles of my front door, and 137 WITHIN 20 MILES, I find that my thinking has changed also.

 

Sure, I know I'm really close to 200 found, and when I find 200, I'll do a short little dance in the forest with a rousing "Yipee!"

 

But I now find that I geodash, and when there's a cache nearby or on the way, I grab it. That way I'm always traveling to new and interesting places. If it were just about the numbers, I'd never had to drive farther than 23.5 miles to DOUBLE my cache finds. How much fun is that?

 

Markwell

Chicago Geocaching

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quote:
Originally posted by Jolly B Good:

Aaaahh, you see? Learn something new everyday.

 

To be honest having such a glut of caches lcoally may be part of the problem.

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

 

Then PLEASE... move some of them to El Paso. I WISH we had a glut, I would surely hunt much more.

 

Mike. Desert_Warrior (aka KD9KC).

El Paso, Texas.

 

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom.

 

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS!

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Ahh I knew if I avoided replying to this thread right away I would see some like minded cachers out there. icon_biggrin.gif

quote:
Originally posted by HartClimbs:

Not the count per se, but there is this perverse compulsion to find every cache within some bizzare 'radius' of home.

 

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

and replied to by Dinoprophet:

 

Same here. I used to do multicache runs in an effort to "clear" a certain area. I did slow down a lot after I hit 100, though, and my area still isn't clear of even all the old ones, much less the ones that have appeared in the past few months


The 'clearing' mentality is probably a bigger motivation than the actual numbers. I drove 2.5 hours in the rain to get the five caches in a nearby county last Saturday.

Although first finds are nice, there are a few cachers around here who are more committed icon_rolleyes.gif to that than I am. The round number finds will always be special too, and I will try to pick memorable caches for them, not just the next new one in town.

 

These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes;

Nothing remains quite the same.

Through all of the islands and all of the highlands,

If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane

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There are fewer than 200 caches in my state. Many of those have been archived. I cache in spurts. If I can plan a trip to bag several in one day I will go. It takes quite a bit of driving anymore. The numbers are part of my motivation. Finding new places in the outdoors is my main motivation.

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icon_smile.gifNo way, Sure we find the cache, but we really enjoy spending the time hiking and enjoying the area. Geocaching has taken us to places we have not been to before or didn't know were there so we enjoy the trip and spend time seeing whats all there. Besides there aren't that many cahces in this area so we have to driver farther and farther to each one.
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Like solohiker I cache in spurts, actually I do many things in spurts.

 

I can’t say it’s too terribly important to me. I’ve been at it since Aug 2001 and still haven’t broken 100. I sometimes only go out once a month! At times I feel guilty about my find/hide ratio being so high. But even though I know of at least three great spots for caches, I won’t hide there until I can come up with something original in terms of making the finding of it challenging and unique. So what’s more important? The “time in geocaching” (TIG), number of finds (NOF), or the find/hide ratio (F/HR)?

 

 

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to pop their miserable skulls if they should wander in uninvited. icon_wink.gif

 

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are PROJECTILE VOMITING, PLAYING FIELD LEVELERS ! icon_wink.gif

 

http://fp1.centurytel.net/Criminal_Page/

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I compete with a good friend of mine to some degree. However as far as my count meaning anything in the greater communal sense, I couldn't care less. I'm not competetive against people I don't know well enough to grind them about it. icon_wink.gif

 

I was thinking of going for a local record, but upon further investigation I don't think I have a chance in hell. That combined with not caring any about stats in the first place made it easy to toss that idea out the window.

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I'm one of those individuals who wasn't logging my finds in on the website until someone pointed out that it's rude not to give the cache hider the fun of knowing how their cache is doing. I mostly cache when I'm bored, or just out playing with my GPS units for the sake of playing with them. While I was doing my comparisons of the eTrex and sportrak, I hit over a hundred caches, just so I could be sure I had a good comparison. Now, most of the caches I seek are waterfalls, mountain tops, mountain lakes, desert oasis, or other fun summer hiking goals rather than places listed on the web site. I pretty much only hit geocaches that don't take me out of the way I'm already going. This weekend for instance, I found 3 waterfalls, and a couple of Arches, and some rock art down in the Escalante area. I only managed to sneak in one geocache however, which in one of those "must visit" areas for those venturing into that part of the country.

 

The numbers don't really seem to add to the fun, but they definately don't take anything away either.

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well. it does and it doesn't. the week i was pulling up to 100, it was the ONLY motivator. when i approach 250 i bet it will be the same.

 

what really gets me is the mental saturation, which comes at variable intervals. i have to find things until i've had enough and then i can go home. i've gotten so that if i go too many days without finding anything, i start to have the dreams again....

 

you know, the one where you find yourself naked at a busy trail junction in the middle of nowhere and everyone you've ever met is trying to find a box before you, and you keep losing your trade items and the location keeps changing and suddenly you're somewhere else and there's a storm coming?

 

it doesn't matter if you get to camp at one or at six. dinner is still at six.

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TeamSandrich couldn't give a flip about body counts icon_smile.gif We cache for fun, we enjoy the experience, who cares about the totals? We do know some cachers that are on a mission to get to the 1,000th find, and wish them well. But don't expect us to be racing along at much faster than a snail's pace...

 

migo_sig_logo.jpg

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Mine doesn't motivate me at all. I've only just begun and don't even have 20 yet, but I figure if I get to where the numbers put some kind of pressure on me, I'll just give up enjoying it and not bother.

 

I've never been a hiker or outdoorsy type. My biggest thrill from caching has been an appreciation of being outdoors and the beauty of the world around us, a world I have spent plenty of time zooming on by.

 

Susan

 

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. --Galadriel, "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship Of the Ring"

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Numbers used to motivate me. We used to go out and grab as many as we can. Personal bests are 16 in a day, 30 in a weekend. If we were in a high density area, we'd have numbers far higher than we have. As it is, we've found about a third of all of the caches in a 150 mile radius.

 

However, there became a time when with all of the running around, I felt I was missing sights that could have been seen if we just took the time to walk around. We've slowed way down.

 

Our first cache was 8/25/02. By the end of the year, we had over 170. Now, our count is only to 212. It wasn't just because of us wanting to slow down, but life tends to happen whether you want it to or not. Other personal projects sometimes take priority.

 

So, in the beginning, we were fiends. Now, it's a much more relaxed pace.

 

CR

 

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