Newcomers

[+El Diablo]

I've asked the oldtimers their thoughts on Geocaching. Now I would like to hear what the new members think. Overall what is your thoughts about this sport/game/hobby? What has it done for you, or how has it changed you, if at all?

 

Once again if you feel more comfortable answering me by email, feel free to do so.

 

El Diablo

[+Lafrog]

Although I have only 5 finds since coming on , I have read all the history and researched the sport well.There's not a day that goes by that I don't check my cache page and these forums for updates. I placed my first cache at Thanksgiving time, and tried to make it really worth the hike . According to the few finds before snowfall, I think I did alright. I've used even more clever demise in the next one that I plan to hide this spring. (It's ready to go). I truely believe that it's all in the hunt, therefore I'll build unusual caches for my followers to find. You will surely see my find count go up come spring, as most hides in this area are hard to find after snowfall. Don't have a lot of time to hunt with the job, but I'll make time I'm sure . This game does that to you.

Cache On Lafrog

[+JMBella]

I guess I'm a new comer as I've been only caching for 6 or 7 months so here goes. I feel goofy as hell saying this but geocaching kinda has changes my life. At least certain aspects of it. The most dramatic change is the fact that I'm more conscience of the important of preserving land. I grew up working for my families development company. We put up those mini-mansion sub-divisions. I used to see property about to be bout by the county or state for preservation and I'd say "dadgum a perfect parcel of land in danger of being preserved!" Now I get excited when I see land being preserved and I can't wait to go hide a cache on it. Geocaching has also gotten me out of the office, away from TV, gotten me to exercise and I've seen places in my own back yard that I never knew existed.

[+ironman114]

Ive been doing this for a month. It gets me away from the tv and now I'm parked in front of the computer. this sport has given me a reason to go back to some places I've been before and now I can lead some people to places maybe they haven't been. There is a place near here where they filmed an old film "Ring Of Fire". In it they blew up a train and passenger cars on a trestle over a river. The 60 ton engine still lays in the river 40 years later! Most people around here don't know it is even there. So I will place a cache near so they can see the site and if adventurous climb down to the passenger cars.

 

geocaching is about adventure and sharing.

[Clown Knife]

I've been a geocacher since October of 2002. I've visited parks and places I would probably never have visited were it not for hunting caches hidden there. Hunting urban microcaches has enlightened me in the way I see and look at things now. I used to hate urban microcaches (too difficult to find), now I love the challenge! I do not like the forums much. I find too many of the following:

Too sensitive: "Waaaaa....you stepped on my pee pee!"

Too silly: "My pee pee is bigger than your pee pee!"

Too stoopid: "What's a pee pee? Do I need one? Where do I get one" What do I do with a pee pee?"

Geocaching is a reason to get out of the house and visit a place I've never seen before. I don't do virtual or puzzle caches. No time for those. I like wilderness caches the best. I like hiking and enjoying mother nature's wonders.

[+Halden]

I have been caching a month or two. I have 4 finds and one hide. Caching had made me more aware of many of the regions around me that may have otherwise never come to my attention. I have gained and will gain much more orienteering skills. It has made me more active and will give me and my son (only 5 months right now) something to do together.

[+sept1c_tank]

I still consider myself new at this. I was obsessed from minute 1.

Hiking on the Knobstone trail in hilly southern Indiana one day last spring,

I engaged in casual conversation with another hiker, a stranger.

When he was trying to explain geocaching, I was acting like a kid at Christmas.

 

I've always spent a lot of time outdoors, so geocaching has not affected that part of my life,

except now, it may be harder for me to get out because geocaching has introduced me to computers.

A year ago I didn't know how to send an email.

I spend an incredible amount of time in front of the computer these days.

(Of course, I hate the forums and rarely go there.)

 

But I'm not really geeky, like many cachers seem to be. Or at least I wasn't.

 

Maybe I just don't get out enough, but it seems to me that I've made lots of new friends (cyber friends and real people) in the 9 months while I've been caching.

 

I do love this game.

 

[SBPhishy]

Sept1c tank, thats cool that there is a record of that! I'm a very new cacher, a member here since November 30, 2003. I am proud to say that i already have 37 finds. I started doing this right before my winter vacation here at college, and its been a blast. I have gone by myself a lot, when i cant drag my girlfriend with me. It has definately made an impact on my life in that i have found all of these amazing places around where i live that i didnt know existed. It's definitely gotten me out of the house much more and has made me start hiking again. Overall its been a blast! Yay Geocaching!

[+Bloencustoms]

Well, I will have been using this site for a year in January, so I'm not really a newcomer, and not really an old timer either. But, It feels more appropriate to reply to this thread.

Geocaching has done quite a bit to change my life. I knew nothing about computers untill I started caching. In the past year I bought two computers, and have learned enought to find my way around them without asking too many questions. These forums, and the people in ClayJar's chatroom have been a great help. I pretty much owe any computer knowledge I have to geocaching, without which I'd have considerably less interest or use for a computer anyway.

 

More importantly, I have enjoyed taking some of my friends caching, and met a few local cachers who have become good friends. We hang out all the time now, even if there are no caches to be found.

 

I also realized that after posting as much as I have, I could have written a novel in the past year if only I could limit myself to one cohesive subject.

 

My impressions of the sport changed quite a bit after I found a few caches. I used to get a feeling of "secret knowledge" for lack of a better trem. It was cool to find a box hidden in the woods somewhere that only a select few knew of it's existance. When I found my first cache, I was thrilled that there actually was something there. I couldn't believe that I had found something that small by following a set of coordinates in my GPS. And I was exited to have a use for the thing at last. Up until then, it was little more than an expensive novelty that collected dust on a shelf.

Now, I don't get the same feeling of wonder and mystery that I did finding the first few. I suppose It's because I've become accustomed to the process of finding them. It's no longer surprising to find a cache, it's more like "Ah-ha! There it is!" I think the old exitement does come back a little when I find the occasional cache that has been placed far out in the woods, after a long walk and hasn't been visited in a long time. When you have to clear off a little leaf litter that settles on the container, and it begins to look like it almost belongs there, the old excitement starts to creep back in.

 

Anyway, those are my impressions.

[The King Kachers]

To quote Chevy Chase from the 1981 movie "Modern Problems"

 

I LIKE IT!!!

 

It has changed me a little too. I now take more time with my family that I wouldn't have normally otherwise.

[+astheravenflies]

It hasn't been an epiphany or changed my life dramatically. I've always been interested and active in the outdoors, natural history, and human history. Geocaching has enhanced my enjoyment of these interests and activities. I have not yet exhausted all the potential and possibilities this sport has to offer. At some point, I'll get a PDA and go paperless as an example of new directions for me. I have yet to hide any caches. But I will. Geocaching has some limited creative outlet for me insofar as posting some nice photos or writing more than the brief log. There's a nice social aspect to this activity. I started participating more actively in the forums recently. I have met a few fellow cachers on the local level and look forward to meeting more. Geocaching gets me out with the kids for a nice family time. Geocaching has mainly been one more outlet for an active and curious mind. I have miles to go.

[+Sloopy]

I've been geocaching about a month and a half, and I've already found a number of new places I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I've only lived in this area for about a year, so geocaching has helped me to learn my way around the city a little more.

[+wray_clan]

Not really a newbie, but.....

 

My thoughts? I think that geocaching is a flourishing game, as it reaches into communities quite literally throughout the inhabited world. On the bottom of the Groundspeak forums page, I have never seen the same person as the newest member. There will probably be at LEAST five or six logs posted the minute that I post this post, and, most likely, a few caches will be found. Its Christmastime, and probably a few hundred, if not a few thousand, will unwrap a GPS Thursday morning. My point, its growing at an incredible rate, and with good reason, too.

[+4agers]

About 6 months ago we moved to Cleveland from Northern Illinois. I happened across an article on Geocaching while reading a copy of PocketPC Magazine and thought this might be a good way to get to know the area. Now I'm telling people who grew up here about all the neat nearby places.

 

It has also really turned out to be a great family activity. A family that caches together... Most weekends we hit some kind of cache or do something related to caching. Right now the whole family is working on our new signature items. It is also interesting that my daughters class is following the progress of her travel bug and discusses the places it goes from time to time.

 

North East Ohio has a pretty active Geocaching group and we have met several of them at the local events. I only have very positive comments about all the local cachers and can say they are a real positive lot.

[+2Wheel'in]

Not new to GPS'ing, but fairly new to the forums. We find geocaching a great excuse to get more time outdoors. Previously I only used the GPSr for hiking, and mountain biking. Geocaching has become a family activity...which is great. It's the general concensus of opinion in this household--that's it's absolutely the most fun you can have while stooped over, crashing through briars, in mud up to your ankles.

[+Fritz_Monroe]

Well, I signed up in November and got my GPSr December 10. The first hunt was December 13 and was a find. I'm now at 12 and am loving it. My biggest hunt was with a member of the MD Geocaching Society and I'm hooked. Just tonight, I got off work, picked up Lady Fritz and the munchkins and tried for a FTF. Missed it but got it second. I forsee a lot of family time doing this, espescially once winter is over. (Yes, I reallize it's only the 1st full day of winter)

 

I have lived in the Baltimore area all my life and have been in 4 parks I've never visited, all within the past 2 weeks. One of these parks was right around the corner from where I grew up. I'm sure I'll be making much better use of the state and county parks. I'll keep in better shape, and spend some quality time with Fritz Jr and Baby Fritzette.

 

Definately a good thing for me to start. And to think I stumbled onto this when looking for digital camera information.

 

F_M

[+woodsters]

Started back in early June. Not even sure how many i've found. Think it's around 75. The hobby has given me an enjoyable past time. I enjoy going out after the caches. I did enjoy the forums more in the beginning and up till the last month or so. Like others, I look at places while driving and say, "that would be a good place to hide one". I've also become more aware of places to hike, as well as places that don't want you to cache either. With winter and especially the snow hitting here, I haven't gone after a cache in a while. May change in a couple days as we bought a GPS for my son for christmas. shhhhh! it's a surprise. So I imagine we will probably go out after at least one cache here on thursday if not more. If we were still down south, we would continue on caching as the weather wouldn't have such an effect on it. I will also say that I had noticed a slight change in weight when we were caching each weekend. So I guess it does have physical effects as well.

[+mozartman]

I've been Geocaching since July... it has helped me find beautiful places in my own backyard... I have had fun finding caches others have placed and even more fun placing my own and sharing favorite spots with others... I have been inspired by the creativity and resourcefulness of others... and I've met some pretty nice people... ... it's made me laugh! It's got me off my butt and into the world... all good stuff.

 

mozartman

[+pstar]

Finally, I have a hobby! My wife has been nagging me for years to go out and do something I enjoy. Golf - too much time and money; Fishing - ok, but generally not very satisfying around here; Wood-working - Still working on the shop; Geocaching - perfect! I can slip out for an hour or two at a time and come back happy. It's a great time to reflect as you walk through the woods. Sometimes the family goes with me. Good excersize, meet nice people. You can do it anytime day or night, practically anywhere, especially when visiting the in-laws. "Uh, be right back, I'm going for a loaf of bread." (And, I always come back muddy without the bread- doh!)

 

Looking forward to caching in NYC next week while on biz trip.

 

Ahhh, geocaching...

[+Kitch]

makes me glad that i don't smoke....

I alrdy in have an hard enough time climbing those hills....

[+GRRRR8!]

I shopped for a GPS to use on hikes with my son's scout troop. Discovered geocaching.com thru a "review" on one of the vendor's websites. It's a great added bonus! Now I can get them off the couch where they keep their nose in an electronic display, and into the great outdoors... um... with their nose in an electronic display!

 

Sounds like a grrrr8 group of folks in the GC circle, as well!

 

Steve

[+Stripes17]

I've been geocaching for a little over a month now and we're almost reaching 40 finds. Had our first First to Find last weekend.

 

Not that this has been an epiphany or anything, but my teenage son has joined me on every find so far and he is just as "into it" as I am.

 

So aside from the physical and mental exercise of caching, I am enjoying some incredible "bonding" time with my son.

 

And we all know that's priceless as they get older.

 

Don R.

[+Johnnie Stalkers]

Some of you newbies are ahead of us. Such slackers we are.

[+El Diablo]

My impressions of the sport changed quite a bit after I found a few caches. I used to get a feeling of "secret knowledge" for lack of a better trem. It was cool to find a box hidden in the woods somewhere that only a select few knew of it's existance. When I found my first cache, I was thrilled that there actually was something there. I couldn't believe that I had found something that small by following a set of coordinates in my GPS. And I was exited to have a use for the thing at last. Up until then, it was little more than an expensive novelty that collected dust on a shelf.

Now, I don't get the same feeling of wonder and mystery that I did finding the first few. I suppose It's because I've become accustomed to the process of finding them. It's no longer surprising to find a cache, it's more like "Ah-ha! There it is!" I think the old exitement does come back a little when I find the occasional cache that has been placed far out in the woods, after a long walk and hasn't been visited in a long time. When you have to clear off a little leaf litter that settles on the container, and it begins to look like it almost belongs there, the old excitement starts to creep back in.

 

Anyway, those are my impressions.

I think that would best describe my first cache experience as well as most cachers.

 

El Diablo

[+AslCacher]

I saw a program on tv about Geocaching and thought this would be fun and not cost much to get started in. I told myself all I need is a GPS and that would only cost around $150. That was 2 months ago and I am really loving it now. I am thinking about caching all the time. If I am going somewhere I automatically look up all the nearby caches. I'm I a little overboard or what? That $150 GPS was really $250 and is now even more because I decided I might need some more stuff. What stuff could you need for this besides a GPS? Trek pole, back pack with a water supply, more software with better maps, new boots, it just never ends. I love it though and I can't wait until the summer when my wife and I can spend time out in nature enjoying God's creation while looking for little film canisters. Who would of thought I would like searching for ammo boxes in the woods with a bunch of stuff in them that people did not want. I love it.