Crusing toward 100 finds, and loving it.

[+ClayJar]

I had originally posted this as a reply to another thread, but it didn't seem to fit, so I'm transplanting it... hope you don't mind too much.

 

 

Well, I'm still plodding along toward 100... someday I'll make it, and when I do, I'll think to myself, "What on *earth* have I been doing to take *this* long to get to 100 finds."

 

And you know what?

 

My answer to myself will go something like this:

 

I've climbed around the side of a mountain and seen the hills from an angle I never would have before.

I've come face to almost face with my first real, live rattlesnake.

I've seen a forest in Georgia that reminded me of the forests I saw years ago back in Washington.

I've hiked over a mountain and run back down a paved road in the heaviest sudden rainstorm I've seen outside Louisiana.

I've finally hiked at least one mountain on the Appalachain Trail.

I've discovered that I *hate* ticks almost, but not quite, as much as I love hiking.

I've seen Planet of the Apes recreated in real life at the site of an old former mill town, now reclaimed by the forest.

I've been to the beach to search for a needle in a haystack, and I've been back to actually find it.

I've discovered the nemesis that is the southern log-legged trail spider (which I'm sure has a more scientific name than that, but it can't be any more descriptive).

I've seen roads to nowhere that were once WWII army bases.

I've discovered that there are some places I just don't want to be.

I've learned that just because you can put a cache on a neat island in the Mississippi River doesn't mean it'll *ever* go down enough to check if it's still there.

I've learned that yellow jackets really, *really* hurt, especially when you're two and a half hours from home.

I've discovered that Louisiana's highest neighbors are very, very antisocial. (Of course, I didn't meet them personally.)

I've gotten to see the view from the top of a real lighthouse, and I know what Lake Pontchartrain does to a canoe when it's stormy.

I've had bacon with friends I've gotten to know well and yet had never met.

I've paddled through a forest and walked over a lake... in one cache.

I've walked down a path through a veritable forest of prickly pears.

I've gone out alone into the quite lively waters of the Tensaw Delta.

I've been surprised at seeing little teeny prickly pears on an island in Florida, within feet of the water.

I've actually met Jeremy (hey, for me, at least, it was cool).

You know, when I step back and I look at the "me" who bought a MAP 330 a year ago tomorrow and I compare that "me" to who I am now, I have to say that even while I've been thoroughly enjoying myself, I've been discovering more of who I am than I have in long time. Now I know what I enjoy doing, and I know that I am capable of a whole lot more than I ever really thought I could do. (And of course, I know that if it comes down to a movie with J. (mi ami) or a cache, the movie wins every time... unless she's also available another evening and it's a really good cache. )

 

So, basically, if it makes them happy, it's nice that people are getting lots of finds. For myself, though, I'm going to keep up my leisurely pace, and in the process, I'm going to keep my eyes open for more adventures, more challenges, more enlightenment, and more of what makes caching what it is to me.

 

(But I *will* cross 100 sooner or later... of that you can be sure... mostly. )

[+worldtraveler]

Though the specifics of our experiences have been different, I could certainly identify with yours as I was reading. Unless the Lord returns first to take me to that really nice cache in the sky, I'm confident that I'll also reach the century mark eventually; but like you, I'm not in a race with anyone to get there. I'm enjoying the journey.

 

Worldtraveler

[+EraSeek]

I'm with you Clayjar. It's the quality of the experience that does it for me. I had one where I raked my leg on barnacles trying to scramble around a point on the coast above a raging surf. Couldn't get to it. And one where I canoed to where I could have walked to, just to make it a bit more adventurous. Found it. I wouldn't trade either experience for anything.

 

[+Buck8Point]

Well Said...

At least you finally broke the 100 Post Barrier..

Buck8Point

 

Buck8Point

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

If I can't Fix it, It's Definately Broke.

[+El Diablo]

Thanks for the post Clayjar. it reminds the rest of us why we do this!

 

El Diablo

 

Everything you do in life...will impact someone,for better or for worse.

[+Salvelinus]

I posted the 1000 finds post more or less to get a response about "numbers" cachers.

 

I looked at the caches you have found and was impressed that most of them were real (go out and find it!) caches. My style exactly. What makes it more impressive is that your from a cache starved area.

 

I'm on a similar pace as you, and can still remember every hunt. Its still a hobby not a compulsion! and that's what makes it fun.

 

Your 100 trumps their 1000 by a mile. Remember to have a little personal celebration when you get #100.

 

Regards,

Smoochnme

 

"He who hesitates is lost"

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

I was happy when I recently hit 100. I've done a few locationless but it still took me over a year to do it. We have lots of caches in the area but there are many other things to do in life.

 

I enjoy a mix of cache types. Drive up caches to long hike caches. We've done a bunch in a day and today we just did one. Actually the low count days are usually the most fun. Zero stress.

 

Congrats on approaching 100.

 

Never Squat With Yer Spurs On

[+Hawk-eye]

I recently hit 100 with "mi amigo" Triffid ... the great thing about it was I also hit it with El Diablo, Huggy_D1, Cachehunter1, JoeyBob, and David & Diana! If you go to the geocaching page on my web page ... you can see photos of the event. We made a group party out of it. Eight hours of the most fun I've had in a long time followed by a big meal at a local resturant! Triffid and I will probably remember the 100th Cache much longer than any other because of all these special people going to the effort of doing this with us and for us.

 

I was unemployed at the time as well ... it has meant a lot to me. An amazing "support group" in my local area. Complete strangers a little over a year ago.

 

I really haven't had much of a numbers race going ... until Triffid and I started getting around 80 caches ... and kept running into each other trying to be the first finder! Someone made a post about "geo-hogs" ... and that's what we started calling our early morning/late evening adventures! That's also when we got the idea to try to ID a special cache to find together as number 100. Little did we know that such a group effort would be put together for us by the famous El Diablo and his evil horde. A one of a kind multiple stage cache starting both in Va and NC ... amazing. It's now a public cache ... although more humane in it's present form ... that brings back good memories each time someone logs it.

 

Anyway ... thanks Clayjar for making me think about it again! Good luck on your 100th cache ... I hope your circle of friends are as amazing as this new group I would never have met ... if it hadn't been for Jeremy's web site.

 

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

Co-founder of the "NC/VA GEO-HOG ASSOCIATION"

... when you absolutely have to find it first!

[PioneerGal]

Clayjar: It's easy to see that you are more interested in the experience of caching than the numbers. I think that is a good example of how to participate in the sport and keep the rest of your life in focus. Personally, my finds are low, but I enjoy going on the hikes and hunts with my family (gnbrotz & Arkman) more than the actual finding of the cache.

 

I like geocaching. It's fun and a good tie in to camping and getting away from work/society. I can't imagine dedicating enough time to it to log 100 finds in a year, let alone 1000. I would love to be able to hop in the car and go cache for a weekend every month, but it just isn't possible for me. Too much going on in life...that isn't meant as a whine, just a fact.

 

Good topic. Good luck getting to 100. I'll be watching!

 

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

Thanks, CJ. That really brought a lot home to me.

 

I/we tend to be cache-hogs, over-zealous about new hidden caches and enjoy being first, but I'm not too worried about our found numbers (we're hovering right around 70).

 

Like you, I have neat memories about almost every cache. My favorites all have something to do with my kids or good friends, though.

 

Like the first time Muffin Man (8) and I went alone to find a cache, and on the way there it began to pour down rain. We finished it anyway, in the rain, in the dark and we went out and celebrated together afterward with a hot fudge sundae;

 

Or the time that Steak and I got an overnight sitter, kidnapped my best friend Dave and went out for just a few caches before dark, and ended up logging twelve caches and staying out until 6 a.m. because we were having too much fun and enjoying each others' company too much to quit;

 

But the coolest of all was the trip we planned around visiting the Contact Cache in Hillsboro, Oregon. We didn't score big on caches up and down the Oregon coast, but meeting and spending time with Contact's creator, fractal, and actually visiting the cache site has been the highlight of all of my months of caching.

 

I'd like to thank everyone who places caches for giving me something fun and family-oriented to obsess over!

----------

Lori aka: RedwoodRed

KF6VFI

"I don't get lost, I investigate alternative destinations."

GeoGadgets Team Website

Comics, Video Games and Movie Fansite

 

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is." - Yoda, Jedi Master from Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

[iryshe]

... and well, I think that was pretty cool

 

If my alter ego visits caches, does that count toward my meager total?

 

(Don't use the numbers on this account, by the way. This is my admin account )

 

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

[+Allen_L]

CJ you expressed so well the things I like about geocaching. I also like the fact that it appears one of your experiences that you listed happened at one of my caches you visited. I will not mention which one, that way no one (especially me) will know if it is really true or not.

[+Markwell]

Kinda reminds me of another thread...

 

Congrats on keeping things in perspective, my folliclly enriched friend.

 

Markwell

[+ClayJar]

• I've paddled with rbdupuy six miles to a lighthouse in the *middle* of Mobile Bay... in a canoe... with a dingy... and back!

[+seneca]

Clayjar, I like your style.

 

I have been caching for 25 weeks and have found 25 caches. That pace works perfectly for me and my current lifestyle. I have lived in the same area for all my life and in the last few months have seen fabulous sights and been to really great places I had never been to before, although less than an hour away. I try to set my sights on one cache per weekend and really make an outing of it. It is particularly great when members of my family come with me. I am sometimes tempted to increase the pace, but I am actually afraid that if I do so, I will run out of nearby caches - which would be a real dissappointment because I am hoping this activity lasts for years!

 

You may not agree with what I say, but I will defend, to your death, my right to say it!(it's a Joke, OK!)

[+MartyFouts]

Very well said sir.

[GeoStars]

and have 8 finds (9 hunts). Not exactly breakneck speed but we have enjoyed each and every one and have introduced several people to the sport. At least two are getting their own GPS units.

 

We look for caches with decent hikes and in interesting areas. The one no-find we had, we ran out of time for and went back a couple weeks later and found. Enjoyed both outings.

 

For us, geocaching is a family thing which means we wait until all of can go and limit the number of caches in one outing to what our littlest adventurer can handle. As long as the sport remains active, I'm sure we'll reach 100, eventually...

 

Congrats on nearing the century mark!

 

GeoMedic - team leader of GeoStars

[Eric O'Connor]

I'm picturing a "barking spider" but in Technicolor.

 

 

Brilliant post ClayJar.

 

That's the kind of post I'd see when I first wandered into these forums last August. People talking about the experience of getting back to nature for the first time in years.

 

I'm at about 40 finds myself, and have introduced several people to the hobby.

It's always a treat to see someones eyes light up the first time they spot a cache. I'm still not out of caches within the ten mile permiter I mentally drew for myself back-when I started on this hobby.

 

My time as I take her, she is sweet.

 

Since I'm here, I'm not sure if these have been talked about yet.

 

http://www.bookcrossing.com/ - Hide-and-seek books

 

How in the heck you're supposed to find one of these books without sheer-dumb-luck is beyond me.

 

http://www.peoplecards.net - Baseball style cards featuring regular folk.

 

I thought the cards would make excellent cache bait.

If any of you were featured in their first run, I'll go buy a pack and see if you're innit.

 

--

"Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to

dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity."

- Gustave Flaubert

[+Ozarktroutbum]

Nice bit of prose! Only you forgot to mention that all your non-cacheing friends think you've lost your mind. A year ago it would have been hard for me to imagine that a box of trinkets would get my sedentary rump out on those trails that I've been passing by at 60 mph on my way to the Super 8 or Holiday Inn.

 

No Matter Where You Go... There You Are...

[+ClayJar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ozarktroutbum:

Nice bit of prose! Only you forgot to mention that all your non-cacheing friends think you've lost your mind.

---

Hehe... as most of the "old-timers" around here have figured out, I've always been eccentric. (About the only thing that changed in the eyes of my non-caching friends was that I now go on even more insanely long hikes and paddles than I used to... hehe.)

 

Actually, considering I've gotten at least several of my friends into caching, next thing I know they'll think I'm normal!