Psychology Of Geocaching

January 3, 2004

I have this theory that there are certain people, like me, who are natural finders. I love finding stuff like lost fishing lures on the side of the stream, or shed antlers, or arrowheads, a real four-leaf clover growing wild, or even a penny on the street- "pennies from heaven." This is why I like geocaching so much, and I think other geocachers are of a similar mindset.

Now we come to the category of non-finders. These people just don't get geocaching. My son is a non-finder. He wouldn't do a jigsaw puzzle to save himself. He won't so much as bend over to pick up a penny. And he doesn't like geocaching.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

1.1k · January 3, 2004

I don't believe I am a 'finder' as you describe it. Ani is a finder and I am more of a seeker. Getting there is the fun for me. Finding is just that thing I have to do before the pay off.

1.6k · January 3, 2004

You know I was actually thinking about making my own topic about geocacher psychology the other day but I decided not to. Anyway, it has been my experience, (which isn't much) that the average cacher tries to find the most remote trail in a park and then follow it as far as possible within reason. After that, they'll look for a nice animal trail leading a hundred or so feet into the brush and then look for a good hiding spot around there. It just seems that's how it works out. I mean, I only have one find, but my other three attempts were seriously hampered by snow, and I believe I would have found them were it not for the snow.

But when it comes to your psychology of geocaching, I'd have to say every single person on these forums is a "finder..."

8.4k · January 3, 2004

I posted this thread. It didn't get much of a response. You might be able to use it though.

Sn gans

4.5k · January 3, 2004

Yes, you gotta be nuts!

January 3, 2004

I think I'm a finder because I'm always finding coins and every once in a while I'll stumble on a rock with a geocache attached to it

2.7k · January 3, 2004

The cache came before the finder and I get more fun out of planting them far back in the hills for the die hard cacher. Finding them is only secondary to me.

January 3, 2004

I just started this fun hobby and I think the reasons are many (for me anyway).

1. I like 'the hunt' aspect of it. I like the thrill of the chase. It's not so much getting/trading goodies. It's the sense of accomplishment I get, knowing that I FOUND IT!

2. I like seeing new things and places. I have lived in Colorado since 1996 and some of the caches I have come across were in areas I didn't even know existed...areas right by my own house!

3. I like seeing what people leave and seeing the log books.

4. I go caching alone so it's kind of nice to hit the road and have some time to myself. My husband is in the Air Force and is leaving for Korea on Monday. I thought caching would be a great hobby for me to start while he is away. It will keep me occupied so I don't get bummed out that he is gone and makes the time go by faster.

January 3, 2004

I'm not a finder......Just ask my wife!

Hon, where's my socks/keys/wallet/GPS/ect/ect......

"you can go out and find tupperware all day but you always lose your keys!"

Actually, I HATE searching for things, except for geocaches!

8.4k · January 3, 2004

I'm not a finder......Just ask my wife!

Hon, where's my socks/keys/wallet/GPS/ect/ect......

"you can go out and find tupperware all day but you always lose your keys!"

Actually, I HATE searching for things, except for geocaches!

Duuuuuuuuuude! There are women on this board too, ya know? You're giving away valuable "guy" secrets.

I made the mistake of mentioning the "I can't find it" ruse in front of my sister-in-law and it put my brother in the dog house for about a month. She still doesn't fall for it. My brother can't wait until I get married to pay me back.

Back on topic:

I'm both a hider and a finder. I get equal satisfaction. I'm mostly a pro-cache-tinator though.

Sn gans

January 3, 2004

I don't believe it is so much a finder/non-finder trait that separates geocachers from geo-muggles. In my experience, an aptitude for being a problem solver is more applicable here. Whether you are hunting or hiding caches, both involve enjoying solving problems and being good at it. Geocaching involves reasoning, creative thinking, information processing, decision making and judgment - all descriptors of problem solving. Each geocache that we do involves solving a new problem, some much harder than others but problems none the less.

1.3k · January 3, 2004

Interesting topic. I think you almost have to be able to put yourself in the place of the hider to find some caches. When I'm having trouble finding a cache and I know I'm close, I start to think "What would the hider have done?" I take into consideration everything I know about the person(s) who hid the cache. What kind of shape are they in? How tall are they? What were their other caches like? Are they bold enough to place a cache in an area with this much traffic? Would they climb this tree? How inventive have their past hides been? Then scanning the cache page for subtle clues helps to broaden my imaginary checklist of things to look for. Each time I find a new type of hide, it goes on the mental list. Here in New Orleans, we're fortunate to have some inventive hiders to keep us guessing.

I do believe it takes a certain kind of person to enjoy geocaching. Most of the friends that I have taken with me on hunts thought it was "pretty cool", but were not suddenly taken with the desire to find more. I really enjoy those video games where you move around a virtual world, interacting with the environment to solve puzzles which allow you to move further along in the game. Geocaching is like a real live video game. You still press buttons, and solve puzzles to move to the next stage, only the graphics are incomparable.

January 3, 2004

Personally, I love the satisfaction of the find. I'm not necessarily fond of long (4+ mile) hikes to get to a cache, but I love the idea of finding particularly well-hidden caches. I love unique hides, and the fulfillment of "out-smarting" the hider.

1.3k · January 4, 2004

Jigsaw puzzles bore me and I won't bend over to pick up a penny either. That doesn't seem to stop me from having a good time geocaching.

3.1k · January 4, 2004

See my post in Snoogan's thread for my background. I definitely have an inclination to this sort of thing, but I'm closer to what Johnnie Stalker described. I enjoy the quest more than the actual finding.

January 4, 2004

I wouldn't really label us "finders" so much as "explorers" because that's a more accurate discription of what we do with this sport. We are literally out there exploring the terrain trying to solve clues and find the cache. :huh:

January 4, 2004

Personally, I love the satisfaction of the find. I'm not necessarily fond of long (4+ mile) hikes to get to a cache, but I love the idea of finding particularly well-hidden caches. I love unique hides, and the fulfillment of "out-smarting" the hider.

Whereas I'm the exact opposite.

"4 (hopefully scenic) miles to the cache?" = "Let's Go!!"

"There's a film cannister around here, somewhere" = "Who Cares?"

January 4, 2004

I tend to be one of those who find more satisfaction in "seeking" than in "finding". When I find a cache, I'm not much concerned with what's inside or what I should leave. I sometimes feel a certain sense of disappointment when I actually find the cache in a short period of time. For me, Geocaching is more about "the hunt" than about "the find". I think, even if Geocaching didn't involve exchanging trinkets between caches, I'd still hunt for them just to sign the logs and say "I made it here".

January 4, 2004

The gadgets are fun, too. I think it's a combination of seeking, finding, hiding, hiking, and playing with gadgets. -- Sage

3.8k · January 4, 2004

Here is another cacher's account of my first find, and my introduction to geocaching.

I am definitely a finder. I ride a bike everywhere (almost) I go and I find money and other cool stuff all the time.

I also walk a lot and find things in both urban and wilderness areas.

And I enjoy being stealthy. Since I was a kid I enjoyed following complete strangers (for no reason) and remaining unnoticed. [i-am-not-a-stalker!]

I love to track animals, and watch birds.

All this requires skill, patience and specific knowledge applied to the given situation. Doesn't that sound a lot like geocaching? :huh:

Nice thread.

24.7k · January 4, 2004

Some people wouldn't know fun if it came up and bit them in the butt. These are the curmudgeoney people who are old before their time. The ones who look and act like they never had a childhood. The ones who if they had a child would utterly baffle you because it's clear they could have no concept of intimacy let alone contact and so children should not exist.

These people are the ones I don't even try to introduce to geocaching.

Then there are the ones who are the living embodiment of class and style. Everything has a place in the universe. Normally beneath them. As they look at you, you can see the wheels spinning. Do they need to be nice because you can do them a favor? Or can they just snub you now and save time? Their fake toothy smiles glare in the sun highlighting their empty eyes.

I don't show them geocaching either.

That's not to say there are not great people out there. Just thought I'd point out a couple of types that won't benifit from the world of geocaching.

January 4, 2004

Ha Ha !

I would tell you what I think and how I am, but instead you must first go to location

N 33 41.212'

W 117 37.581'

and find a brightly colored altoids can well hidden under a...

(Just kidding)

But I have to say, I understand a little of your psychology don't I ?

:huh: I almost started entering the waypoint on mine too.

Seriously... for me, it is a matter of being alone. Getting to the absolute

most isolated places.

I often tell people that had I been stranded in the south pacific for 50 years

I would be most happy. They always say that I wouldn't really like it once I was

there but it always seems to me that I seek out lonely and desolate places that

are largely ignored by people. So you go figure.

Tomorrow I am going to get up early and bike out 12 miles into the hills to be

all alone. Yes I will find some caches, but I suppose that is my excuse for going.

What I really want is to get away.

From what ? I don't know.

Am I weird ? Probably.

Are you ?

January 4, 2004

Oh man, I think I'm in love with crzycrzy!

Renegade Knight, you made some good points. You described two types of non-cachers to a T. How would you describe different types of cachers? Benchmarkers?

Sept1c Tank, check out Awarness Games. I think you'd like it.

Edited January 4, 2004 by Huntnlady

January 4, 2004

I agree with both crzycrzy and sept1c tank. I am new to geocaching, but it is another excuse to go out somewhere remote by myself. Same as hiking, cycling, jogging, off-roading.

The fewer people I see while on these adventures, the better I feel. I'm not unsociable either. It's just that humans are one of the few potentially dangerous animals on the trail. Now I know why early adventurers moved when they found out that someone built a house 20 miles away. LOL

Baytown Bert

24.7k · January 7, 2004

Some more types. These are what the "Other" cachers are. Naturally any one of us is the cream of the crop.

The lurker. Whether paranoid or afraid to speak out, a sizable portion of geocachers cache by stealth. They have no online account, nobody see’s them and yet they are there. In spite of their ability to move unseen in the geocaching world they do leave one telltale trace of their passing. Their signature is in the log book. Often they leave behind some of the best handwritten logs you will find.

The Jaded Defender of the Crown:

Their battle flag is “Love it or leave it” and they love the site. So much they have become jaded due to realizing that there are those who don’t love everything about their chosen site. They snap from hearing “there should be an off topic forum” one too many times and they become crazed that someone would have the audacity to suggest an improvement. Those who do are evil rebels who should be vanquished at all costs. It doesn’t matter if the site later adopts a rebel idea, they will love that too but only after it’s adopted by the site. Rebels are everything wrong with geocaching and in routing the rebel element there are no holds barred for the ends justify the means.

Jaberwookeis. (mutilated spelling on purpose_

There are some who like the forums. They like on topics, and off. They like post numbers, fluff, and hard debates. They like everything so much they will discuss it anytime anywhere any place in any thread they happen to be in. Oblivious to their derailment of a good topic or even a good drift from the original topic. They get in trouble from the fact that even if you are 99.99999% good, if you post enough you will hit that 0.00001%

Curmudgeon

A common forum variant. They no longer have the patience for newbies and this is seen when they bark out “This topic has been discussed countless times before so do a freaking search before you ask a question!”

The Lobbyist:

“There should be an off topic forum.”

And so on. Like a stuck record.

The silent majority:

Everybody thinks they back their side of the debate. They aren’t. They just want to find some caches and have a good time. This hobby is their stress relief, and what they do when they want to get away from the crap at work. They attend cache events with others of their ilk. The closest they will ever be to your side is when they talk about you at a cache event “I can’t believe they take this so seriously, say want to go night caching after the BBQ is over?”

The enthusiastic newbie.

“Wow I just found this site and I’m hooked already! I can’t wait to get my GPS and get started.” They are so enthusiastically infectious that even Curmudgeons say nice things to them.

The Jaded Newbie

The same newbie as above after they hide their first cache that’s not approved and they realized that it’s the fate of all caches to turn into a broken McToy depot. This stage is normally temporary. Unless it’s fatal.

The Cache Snob

“Anybody who would place a cache should place it so that it’s worth my time to find it.”

The Skunkmaster

“It’s my goal to places caches that earn frownies.”

The Puzzler

“The cache is easy, but getting those coordinates will cause you mental anguish and I will feed on that anguish like a vampire.”

The Evil Puzzler.

First it’s the solving, then it’s the hunt, but always, it’s the pain that I enjoy inflicting.

The Cache Slut.

They find them all, but only if they are easy.

The Purist.

“I will only hunt that which is on the uncommon path and I reject any and all park and bags”

The Slob

The coordinates are always off, the container is always used gladware, the contents if any are already broken McToys from other caches, the log book is always home made from scrap paper and stapled crooked. What they lack in quality they make up for in quantity. They are enthusiastic to a fault and good people once you meet them in person. You will feel bad for every profanity you ever used while hunting one of their caches. Even so you will think twice when a new one pops up.

The Groupie.

Identified because they only log with someone else and only when the someone else says they should log. “I was here with…”

The Junkie

Their fix is that FTF and they will go to any length to get it.

The Bald Faced Liar.

No matter who logged before their adventure was better, took longer had more uphill climbs and involved more pain, injury, and blood than any log before.

The Charlie Brown Cacher.

The bald faced liar has nothing on the Charlie Brown cacher. They really do find the poison oak, the bee’s nest, the sharp stick that pokes them, and pretty much get hurt on every cache they ever go looking for. But like Lucy holding the football they can’t resist.

The Legend:

Some cachers are destined for greatness. From whence they came nobody knows but for some reason everybody knows who they are even if they fade away from caching forever. If this isn’t a sport then why are there legends who inspire us?

The Natural.

The ones who make it look easy. “We found the cache after a short search and had a picnic the area was so beautiful” the 37 skunks before and the 47 to follow mean nothing to this cacher. The normal rules don’t apply. They will find it, find it easily, and have entirely too much fun while doing it. It’s not natural.

The Poor Sport:

“This cache sucked, I got my feet wet while hiking in from the wrong side, you should archive this cache because it should of never been placed”

The Inept.

No matter what they do it’s wrong when it comes to placing a cache. When you hunt on of their caches you know something will be wrong. The exciting part is to figure out what.

The Jerk:

“Any moron could find this cache so I rated it a one and stuck it in side a pipe 200’ in, round the bend where another pipe connects. If it’s raining don’t go there. I shouldn’t have to tell you that but some cachers are too stupid to figure it out. Don’t cry to me if you can’t find it cause I’m not going to hold your hand and a hint”

The Poor Sport, Jerk of an Inept Cache Snob.

Some people have all the bad luck. This isn’t their hobby. They play anyway.

The Self Righteous Example.

“I have worked hard, and I have done a lot, and I have placed many a cache, and I belong to my local group, and I work with landowners, and I pull abandoned caches, and I always sign the log book, and I always maintain my cache, and I am the end all be all of what a cacher should be.” They are easy to find. They will tell you.

Cryptos

That’s short for Cryptosporidium. They infect everything they touch. They put the log book back, wet. They leave the cache out. They bushwhack in and out never noticing the trail. They trade down and preach up not noticing what they have done. They report a cache as abandoned when one of their brothers visited it before causing much mayhem. They are not evil at heart, they are just clueless and think they have it right even they inadvertently derail caches as some derail threads.

Cache Diva:

She’s just hot. Her type doesn’t matter, nobody can get past that she’s an attractive women who caches. A calendar with her photo gracing the pages would sell and keep the site running for a year. Nobody would admit they bought the calendar though. Drooling is not cool.

The Universal Cacher:

The one that every group recognizes as their own. They really don’t belong to any group as they are ‘the group’ that all splinter groups think they really belong too.

The Caching Mogol.

They have the PDA, They have the Laptop, They have a Street Pilot III, and the new top of the line Garmin 60 already on order. They have a wireless net connection, cell phone and a high tech battery charger that conditions batteries. Their Geo Rig is new, clean, and mud free. They have gortex boots that breathe and never wear cotton while caching. Their khaki’s match their socks and their shirt is crisp and clean. Their hat and walking stick are top notch and high tech. They have a first rate first aid kit. They have a leatherman, flashlight (Inova LED of course) and all the other junk that most of us just drool over. They have a camelback pack full of fancy brick a brack. They are living proof that it’s not about the numbers it’s how you play the game. They play it with all the best gear.

Some of these types lurk in us all. We just won't admit to some of them.

4.8k · January 7, 2004

Whoa RN, you are on a thinking spree today! :rolleyes:

I guess I'm a "finder" in the sense that I like puzzles, will search the yard for a four leaf clover etc. I also know that is part of why I like caching. But I also tend to like it just because it gets me outside to new places. Often I like the drive and walk to the cache more than I like finding the cache itself.

1.1k · January 7, 2004

Whoa RN, you are on a thinking spree today!

I guess I'm a "finder" in the sense that I like puzzles, will search the yard for a four leaf clover etc. I also know that is part of why I like caching. But I also tend to like it just because it gets me outside to new places. Often I like the drive and walk to the cache more than I like finding the cache itself.

The Cache Diva speaks. :rolleyes:

1.2k · January 7, 2004

Who knew we were so diverse.

1.6k · January 7, 2004

Sublimation: The act of burying ones true urge by doing something related that is more socially acceptable. Or why many of us geocache.

We like to be outdoors, but we don't want to do something that 100 of our closest friends and neighbors are also doing. We like to hike, but we also want to know where we are going. We like to hunt, but we are in a society that makes it difficult, expensive, and socially awkward to hunt animals.

So we do a sport that gets us direction, (in a different way from the 100's of people out walking the same trail that the other 100's just finished walking). We hunt caches as this is more nerdy, but less socially unacceptable than hunting.

Can you imagine what kind of cr*p I would take as a pediatrician if I went out squirrel hunting every weekend I had off? Now people just think I have a goofy hobby, if I went hunting as often as I geocache, I would be lucky to be employed.

We set up caches to sublimate our urges to be clever and receive peer-recognition for our cleverness, and also because many of us (like me) have a twist in us that makes us go for evil little hidden caches or putting a cache on an island in the middle of the Pueget Sound that can only be accessed by boats at high tide.

Sublimation--Its a good thing.

January 7, 2004

I'm the kinda guy that thinks its fun 2 "know something the rest of the world doesn't know".

I'm not sure why I do it...don't think I ever will.

January 8, 2004

I have this theory that there are certain people, like me, who are natural finders. I love finding stuff like lost fishing lures on the side of the stream, or shed antlers, or arrowheads, a real four-leaf clover growing wild, or even a penny on the street- "pennies from heaven." This is why I like geocaching so much, and I think other geocachers are of a similar mindset.

Now we come to the category of non-finders. These people just don't get geocaching. My son is a non-finder. He wouldn't do a jigsaw puzzle to save himself. He won't so much as bend over to pick up a penny. And he doesn't like geocaching.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

I think this is true - there are natural finders. I've cached with my friend BCR, and watched him find golfballs, and other stuff while I find nothing and manage (barely) not to trip over the vines and not fall face first into the dirt. (Oh wait - I don't always manage this!) It's amazing to watch someone like this.

I don't think non-finders are incompatible with geocaching. I'm a non-finder. I enjoy the problem solving aspect of geocaching, as well as exploring. I tend to overfocus on the problem. If I'm not looking for it, I'm not going to see it, be it a stray golfball, or an 18" copperhead. (Yeah, I've missed one of those I should have seen before :rolleyes: )

I'm not sure that solving jigsaw puzzles has much relevance here - I love geocaching but I don't enjoy jigsaw puzzles.

January 8, 2004

BeDoggy wrote:

Hon, where's my socks/keys/wallet/GPS/ect/ect......

"you can go out and find tupperware all day but you always lose your keys!"

Actually, I HATE searching for things, except for geocaches!

Be careful or you'll be finding all your missing items in tupperware all around the house!

January 8, 2004

I don't believe it is so much a finder/non-finder trait that separates geocachers from geo-muggles. In my experience, an aptitude for being a problem solver is more applicable here. Whether you are hunting or hiding caches, both involve enjoying solving problems and being good at it. Geocaching involves reasoning, creative thinking, information processing, decision making and judgment - all descriptors of problem solving. Each geocache that we do involves solving a new problem, some much harder than others but problems none the less.

I agree exactly.

I've worked most my life in troubleshooting (read problem solving) jobs. Fortunately I love troubleshooting, unfortunately I haven't had a job in a year, so just like the fix I get from seeing a system or piece of equipment work after finding and fixing the problem, finding a cache after almost giving up (no big deal I'll try later, no dammit, it's here, I'll find it) is a good fix too.

January 8, 2004

I nominate Regenade Knight for post of the month award. Never have I enjoyed reading a post as much as I enjoyed reading yours. My personal favorite 'type' is the Cache Slut.

Bravo.

January 8, 2004

I'm definately a seeker, and part of the "silent majority". I like seeking the cache, but don't like the McToys inside (though maybe my son arriving in April will...).

I read a lot of posts on the forums, but rarely am I tempted to write anything - sometimes I'll even get half the way through a reply then delete it.

I like going to places and getting off the beaten track - Dry River cache for example - I've been walking in NH for over 4 years, but haven't explored this exact area - I've been elsewhere on a more popular trail system, the same for the caches near Fort Myers beach that I've done - it's all about getting out and having an excuse to do so.

I have some viewpoints that I could express in the forums (these and elsewhere), but not see any real need to (ok just quickly here then - how the call that gc should open its database of caches to other websites shows a lack of understanding of business, operating costs, and the need (and right) for Groundspeak to earn money, oh, and those McToys...)

That's it -

Edited January 8, 2004 by akerin

Psychology Of Geocaching

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