Couples Caching - We're Newbies

January 5, 2004

My wife and I are new to the sport. We just bought a new Magellan Meridian Color GPS via ebay. It should arrive in a couple of days, so we haven't started looking for caches yet.

I've been thinking this is something my wife and I can do together. We're young (40) and in pretty good shape. A walk in the woods looking for a cache sounds like fun to me. It combines my loves of techology, mystery, hunting, and nature.

My wife seems sceptical. She loves the walking and nature parts, though.

Are there any other couples out there who can relates experiences? I'd like some responses that I can show my wife to show her that this is a good couples sport.

Thanks!

3.1k · January 5, 2004

Like most couples I'm into the gear and my wife is into finding it first. She has her own gps but never looked at it during our hunts so now she leaves it behind.

She has gotten very good at deception. For example it usually is a race between us once we get down to the last 100 feet or so. Sometimes she'll yell out "I found it" only to slow down my searching. She's sneaky.

There are all sorts of caches to find. She has little interest in urban style caches but loves a little hike. Well one time we took a 4 day backpacking trip and found a cache along the way, but that's another story.

Want to keep your wife interested? See what she enjoys. Then gear your dual cache seeks to those. Also after finding a few ask her where she thinks a good hide would be. My wife loves hiding them.

January 5, 2004

We have different reasons for caching. I (Stu) like long walks and gadgets and numbers.

Sarah likes swaps, reading logs, and is happy to walk as long as there's something at the end of it.

We compromise by doing various sorts of caching - some days we march to several. Some days we'll sit with a cache for half an hour, looking at the views.

There's something for everyone, really.

Have fun...

Cheers,

Stu

January 5, 2004

Hello, and welcome to this sport\addiction! I first heard about Geocaching from some guys at work and I thought that it would be great for me and my dog to do together. Went by myself for the first one and when I told my wife how much fun I had with it she had to try for herself. She is now hooked herself and likes the walk through the woods to find the cache just as much as actually finding the cache. My only suggestion is to start on some easy ones first so that you both do not get frustrated right off the bat. Have fun!

Mastifflover

1.2k · January 5, 2004

I like the caching. She likes teh walking/exercise and teh spending time together. Works for the both of us.

January 5, 2004

I like the gadget and the hunting, she likes the walks together and the picnics.

Try what we do. Pack a bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers, some fruit, etc. Pick a cache with a nice view and enjoy the day together.

It's a great way to spend time together.

If you're going to a park and packing wine, make sure they allow it.

January 5, 2004

We do some caching together, but a lot of them is a solo mission by Matt. Julia likes micros, and doesn't mind hiking in the woods as long as it is on a clear trail. When it comes time to go offtrail or do any bushwhacking, she's not too into that.

38.2k · January 5, 2004

My wife and I hunt caches together some of the time. Geocaching is quality time together. We enjoy talking on the way to and from the cache and finding the cache is a cooperative effort. The only thing I don't like is when she finds the cache first and dances around singing "Ha-ha, I found it first, ha-ha" .

On nice days, we also do what Geospotter does. We select a cache that involve a good, long walk and pack a picnic lunch and a blanket. Sometimes we're even able to convince our daughter to come along.

Here are the three of us at a mountaintop cache not far from our home. Note the happy smiles .

Edited January 5, 2004 by briansnat

January 5, 2004

I started caching with a boyfriend who had a friend who had introduced him to caching. I was somewhat resistant at first. I love hiking and being outdoors, but for whatever reason (most likely because I didn't have my own GPS) I held back.

I got a GPS for my birthday that same year and I did one cache and I was completely hooked. Head over heels, like a bloodhound on a scent . . . I couldn't wait to find the next cache and the next and the next. An addiction to be sure. And, the best part was that it wasn't a competition to find caches it was just something fun to do together outside.

I met my current boyfriend at a Geocaching event (Selden Neck Canoe/Kayak Event). We plan out caching days, we hunt caches together and hide caches together. It's a great time. And . . . there's no competition. Just a good time out and about together enjoying nature and being with each other.

I'm nearing my 2 year GeoCaching anniversary and I have found nearly 300 caches and I am as gung-ho as ever.

Can we go now? Can we? Huh? Huh? Can we? Pleeeeeeeaaaaase! Let's go caching!

My point is this . . . get her out there . . . she'll love it . . . you'll love it . . . and you'll both be doing something fun and healthy together.

How cool is that?!

Happy caching and STUFF!

January 5, 2004

My wife enjoys caching with me and it's a great time to unwind and spend time together.

January 5, 2004

Thanks for all the info so far. It is appreciated.

January 5, 2004

SO far I've gotten my husband out for some of it, and he is thrilled. We haven't done any just by ourselves...our kids go too. We have a blast, and you guys are right there are so many appealing aspects.

January 5, 2004

I'd echo all the statements above, although I would point out that December/January is not the best time of year to start this hobby as its raining all the time which makes the romantic picnics less attractive :-)

Having said that my wife has really enjoyed the (dry) caches we've found together (but doesn't like me shooting off to do one by myself leaving her at home. In my defense I had to do it - it was new years day and the opportunity for a First To Find too :-)

January 5, 2004

I'd echo all the statements above, although I would point out that December/January is not the best time of year to start this hobby as its raining all the time which makes the romantic picnics less attractive :-)
Having said that my wife has really enjoyed the (dry) caches we've found together (but doesn't like me shooting off to do one by myself leaving her at home. In my defense I had to do it - it was new years day and the opportunity for a First To Find too :-)

MY kids actually got a kick out of being allowed to get muddy...

heck, if the relationship survives geo-caching under less than ideal conditions....consider it practice for the other "bumpy roads".

January 5, 2004

look to the left at the avatar

they get along on caches.

learn to share the GPSr or get another.. we have a few..lol

my wife and i have a great time together, and tell her you WILL find new and exciting places to walk and enjoy nature. you will find that some geocache hiders will get you to some spectacular places that you would a ) never find, or b ) would take you years to find.

we have a few favorite hiders already. they pick cool spots!!

robbie, meredith, heather and zakk... the leahys!

2k · January 5, 2004

It took a while for my wife to really enjoy geocaching. Initially she went along just for the walk. But we find it blends well with almost all of our othere hobbies, outdoor photography, travel, hiking, camping, well you get the idea. As othere have pointed out it is a great family activity, we are empty nesters but my sister's family has been addicted since we took them on thier first cache hunt. We spend more time as an extended family too, heck even Mom (73) gets into the act.

January 5, 2004

What's been fun about caching as a couple is discovering hidden talents. I like puzzle caches, and always assumed I'd be the one doing the solving. And so it usually is. But a couple of puzzles have really caught Amy's imagination and she's been the one to solve them (when I couldn't). She's also got an excellent sense of likely hiding spots--even when they're a ways away from the GPS-indicated location.

Furthermore, she's discovering her own interest in local history and done some reading on the subject. So she passes on stories about battles fought, miners made good or perished, white hats, black hats, etc.

I don't know whether she's discovered anything new and interesting about me through Geocaching, but I got a possible inkling once. We did an urban micro located on the edge of a city park. The difficulty of 4.5 seemed high for the setting, which turned out to be a steel-frame pedestrian bridge. The cache was a magnetic box stuck to a cross beam about 12 feet over a dry wash. I looked at it for awhile and decided to try this: Picking a spot where the bridge was a bit lower, I jumped up and grabbed a beam, then swung my legs over another beam closer to the cache. Supporting myself with my legs, I swung again and grabbed the final beam adjacent to the cache, then snagged the cache itself. Anyhow, when I was back on the ground after these gymnastics, she asked, "Did you know you could do that?" I felt like I'd won a prize for her at the State Fair.

Amy's also become a GC evangelist--she took a GPSr with her on a trip back east to visit relatives. All she meant to do was show them this new hobby we'd found. She took them on a cache hunt and everyone had so much fun that now they're hooked.

A pastime that lets you discover new, interesting, and admirable qualities in someone you've know for 20 years is a great thing.

Edited January 5, 2004 by Mule Ears

January 6, 2004

My wife and I geocache as much as we possibly can. She was a bit resistant until she tried her first cache or two, but quickly became at least as fanatical as I am.

There's been a lot of good advice in this thread. Mine would be to just get out and do it. Try a number of different types of hides and see what appeals to the two of you. Good luck, and welcome to the addiction.

January 6, 2004

My girlfriend Faile and I have been caching since this summer. At first I think she thought it was an odd idea, but after our first find (which we did without the GPS by the way) she was more hooked than I was!

We both enjoy the hunts where you have to get out and walk/hike a good distance to get to the hiding area. It definitely gives you, as a couple, plenty of time to talk and/or listen to her talk. (Gonna get in trouble for that if she reads this)

Definitely start out with some easy ones. Faile and I cleared out most of the caches in our area to get a feel for the sport. This was good for her since she's new to the area and it helped her get a feel for where things were and it was good for me because I discovered several parks I knew nothing about!

This is a great couples activity. Just make sure you find out what her position is about all this before you try and sneek off to be FTF on your own! I tried to do that once and Faile was ready to kick my butt just for the idea of going caching on my own!!! :lol:

January 6, 2004

My wife and I are new to the sport. We just bought a new Magellan Meridian Color GPS via ebay. It should arrive in a couple of days, so we haven't started looking for caches yet.

I've been thinking this is something my wife and I can do together. We're young (40) and in pretty good shape. A walk in the woods looking for a cache sounds like fun to me. It combines my loves of techology, mystery, hunting, and nature.

My wife seems sceptical. She loves the walking and nature parts, though.

Are there any other couples out there who can relates experiences? I'd like some responses that I can show my wife to show her that this is a good couples sport.

Thanks!

First of all, welcome to the sport-you'll have a blast! MarinerBC and I have been caching since May of 2002, and have never looked back. At first, we would go together, but when I got my own GPS, and gained more sense of how things worked ( I love new toys! ), I would go on my own. We have gone to event caches, social gatherings, and have met lots of great people. It IS a great way to combine getting outdoors, and technology. I sometimes look at caching as a great hike with rewards at the end! The reward could be the view, the cache, the trip, or a combination! BTW, we're about the same age as you, and know people of all ages, families, couples, singles, older folks-it's great for everyone! Good luck-you'll have fun!

Me

MBC

Our most recent event cache

January 6, 2004

My wife and I also both enjoy geocaching but for very different reasons. I enjoy playing with the GPSr and she enjoys trading the items and scrapbooking our outings. Works great for us and it's very cool that we can both participate in the same activity.

She especially enjoys the occasional times she finds one before me!

1.1k · January 6, 2004

Even if she doesn't like it, guilt trip her into going. If she still doesn't like it, bribe her to go with you. If she still doesn't like it and makes your life miserable because of it, keep going. Eventually you'll find a great place to stash the body.

January 6, 2004

I'm 54 years old and when I told my Wife Catherine about Geocaching She thought it would be a great idea that I had a hobby to occupy my spare time. What I thought would be a solitary sport has become something we enjoy together. We both have our own GPSrs and Family Radios, so when we don't agree on which way to go we separate, She's usually right (

).

January 7, 2004

My husband were intruduced to caching by our son two days after Chrtistmas. Our first trip included 8 family members. It was great. next time we went by ourselves and had a wonderful time. Are now looking at buying a newer GPS and doing it weekly. Wonderful way to spend time outdoors and enjopying it together.

2k · January 7, 2004

I'm 54 years old and when I told my Wife Catherine about Geocaching She thought it would be a great idea that I had a hobby to occupy my spare time. What I thought would be a solitary sport has become something we enjoy together. We both have our own GPSrs and Family Radios, so when we don't agree on which way to go we separate, She's usually right ( ).

We have one GPS, I carry it, always. She is always right. and usually beats me to the cache without the GPS.

January 7, 2004

I'm 54 years old and when I told my Wife Catherine about Geocaching She thought it would be a great idea that I had a hobby to occupy my spare time. What I thought would be a solitary sport has become something we enjoy together. We both have our own GPSrs and Family Radios, so when we don't agree on which way to go we separate, She's usually right ( ).

We have one GPS, I carry it, always. She is always right. and usually beats me to the cache without the GPS.

LOL my girlfriend Faile does that to me all the time too!!!

January 7, 2004

My girlfriend and I have also been caching since just about the end of the Summer, we haven't been to too many, and only placed one, but every time we've gone out, it's been extremely fun for the both of us.

I do most of the techy stuff, looking for newly placed caches in our area, posting the "Found It" on the cache pages etc. and she helps me find them, and also surfs the site and reads the forums etc.

And I did away with the who gets to hold the gps argument by buying two gpsr's when we started. :rolleyes:

Have Fun!

Ohgr

1.3k · January 7, 2004

Note: If you only have one GPS, take turns. It's often seems to be a lot more exciting for the person with the GPS. On the other hand, the person with the GPS is often too busy looking at the darn thing to realize that they just tripped over the cache. But hogging the GPS like the TV remote just doesn't work.

January 7, 2004

Depending on the terrain around Nebraska, you may find that 95% of the time is the 'walking in the woods' part. It depends a lot on who hides the cache too.

If you're wife doesn't like the hunt, choose hikes in scenic places so she can sit and enjoy the view for the few minutes that it takes you to locate the treasure.

When you find a cache after a long hike, be sure to check out the log book. You may find interesting stories.

My wife is afraid of getting Lyme Disease (again), so she won't cache with me.

1.2k · January 8, 2004

Well here is a first for me. My wife has always jokingly mocked my caching but has come along for the walk/hike on occasion. Today I get an email at work from her telling me that it maybe a good idea to do a couple of caches when we are in Lake Placid next weekend. This is the first tie she has suggested we do some caches. Luckily I already had some lined up and sent her the links.

January 8, 2004

Note: If you only have one GPS, take turns. It's often seems to be a lot more exciting for the person with the GPS. On the other hand, the person with the GPS is often too busy looking at the darn thing to realize that they just tripped over the cache. But hogging the GPS like the TV remote just doesn't work.

Better yet, buy your partner their own unit.

Peggy's gotten more than few laughs as I'm wandering around randomly, following my GPSr while hers takes her straight to the container...

January 9, 2004

1. Take turns with the GPS. Each gets to look around a bit.

2. When finding traditional types, we like to find it - move away from it and declare, "I've seen it!" Drives the other person nuts knowing it's RIGHT THERE!

3. Check signature line in case of disputes!

January 10, 2004

:tongue: I am so green I'm Irish. But let me warn you: You CAN have too much of a good thing. The biggest mistake I ever made was telling Miss Madonna about caching. (The second biggest mistake was telling Miss Madonna about Cabela's, but that's another story.)

She likes rides. I don't. We both like to walk. She's always after me to get out and get the stink blowed off. A Geocaching marriage made in heaven, Right?

Wrong! We go on our first real cache together. New GPS. 87.6 hours of key beeps and the coordinates are finally in. Lots of help from Miss Madonna. "Gee, Honey, does that calculator use batteries? She drives to the area. I manfully try to explain just how we will proceed to our assigned goal. She says, "Let me see that whatchamacallit while you're putting on your boots." and she is out the door. She hesitantly enters the woods like Bambi on her first foray. I finish tieing my boots and exit the ve-hi-cle.

That's when all hell breaks loose. Thunderous cheering. The Goodyear Blimp's overhead. The love of my life joyously leaves the woods leading the combined marching bands of Ohio State University and The University of Michigan. (We were in Wolverine territory.) There is a smile on her face that would stop an orthodontic convention in its tracks. And strut. She was in full strut. Overdirve strut. Way past the red line strut. Professor Herald Hill would a been proud. I knew the worst. She'd found it first.

Pain and suffering and agony on me. Just then John Madden's bus drove up with seventeen sattalite (No I can't spell after such an ego brusing!) trucks. They set up while Miss Madonna lead the combined bands on three victory laps around the parking lot. Madden was finally ready. I'm elbowed to the back of the crowd and barely hear him as he thrust the mike in her face and beams "Just how did you accomplish this awesome feat, little lady?" She smacks her fist and says "Preparation, John, preparation. I was psyched when I entered the woods. Truly pumped! Then I made full use of my equipment. I just followed this pointy thingy right to the cache! It was like discovering a parrallel universe. It simply changed my life!"

It changed my life, too, but not for the better. The ride home was as fun as removing my own spleen. I was already taking lots of gas. I hate the song Nonee Nonee NON-eee, except when I'm singing it! The back door never looked so good. Since then she and the dog sleep with the GPS. I sleep on the basement floor. Who the hell wants to go geocaching? Life just ain't fair!

You'll regret doing it together.

BB

no more.

Couples Caching - We're Newbies

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation