+Geo Ho Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 In the real world I work as a Technical Support Manager for a nationwide company based in Stamford, CT. I was assisting a co-worker from California this afternoon. In the midst of utilizing my technological prowess and performing astounding feats of hi-tech repair we were discussing our plans for the weekend. I mentioned that I might drag my kid out hiking on Sunday and she asked me if I had “heard of this thing called Geo-something-or-other that you use a GPS for”. She had read about it in a recreational magazine. I pounced right on that! As I was trouble-shooting her PC via a remote control, I immediately redirected her web browser to the Geocaching Website. I showed her how to set up an account and profile, how to search for caches and instructed her in the basics of caching etiquette. I also showed her around the forums; specifically her regional forum and Getting Started. She already has a GPS and is so excited she’s going to take her kids out this weekend. Good idea . . . maybe I’ll do the same. She’s actually the second person I introduced to Geocaching. In the days not so long ago when I used to religiously play Yahoo! Gin every night. I was chatting with my partner about my hobbies and of course the subject of Geocaching came up. He promptly went out and bought a Garmin Legend the very next day. I ended up talking to him on the phone to show him how to set it up and input caches and such. He started caching that day. I don’t know how active he is now. Now that I’ve met Mopar, I don’t play cards online as much anymore . . . too busy doing other stuff. I told you my tale now please tell me yours . . . Oh . . . and . . . by the way . . . Happy caching and stuff! Quote Link to comment
+RichardMoore Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 (edited) In the real world... Excuse me, Geocaching is the real world. That stuff I do weekdays is just what pays the bills. I could find another job. But I couldn't find anything that would replace geocaching for me. So far I haven't brought anyone directly into the addiction/insanity/collective/cult, but I have discussed geocaching with a lot of folks and helped advise some newbies. RichardMoore Edited March 5, 2004 by RichardMoore Quote Link to comment
+Geo Ho Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 (edited) In the real world... Excuse me, Geocaching is the real world. That stuff I do weekdays is just what pays the bills. I could find another job. But I couldn't find anything that would replace geocaching for me. RichardMoore Thank you for the enlightening story of how you brought someone into the hive . . . Based on your off-topic commentary, it's obvious you have been fully and completely assimilated into the collective. Eeeeeexcellent!! Edited March 5, 2004 by Geo Ho Quote Link to comment
+Geo Ho Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 In the real world... Excuse me, Geocaching is the real world. That stuff I do weekdays is just what pays the bills. I could find another job. But I couldn't find anything that would replace geocaching for me. So far I haven't brought anyone directly into the addiction/insanity/collective/cult, but I have discussed geocaching with a lot of folks and helped advise some newbies. RichardMoore Ha! Gotcha . . . edited too late. Quote Link to comment
+RichardMoore Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 It was my mouse! It rebelled! It hit "add reply" instead of "preview post". As an aside, but still on topic, this weekend I will be helping out in an introductory geocaching program with the Cleveland Metroparks. Most of the participants are just curious, but usually we get a few new cachers from these programs. Quote Link to comment
+Geo Ho Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 It was my mouse! It rebelled! It hit "add reply" instead of "preview post". Uh huh! Likely story . . . hehehe Quote Link to comment
+Team GPSaxophone Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Hmmm...I'm sure we could get lots of new recruits if we took over their browsers... Quote Link to comment
+nscaler Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 My friend Jaxxom and I are having an event that is sort of a recruitment. It is called Muggle Madness. You have to bring a muggle with you. We are planning on having each particular type of cache represented (traditional, multi-, virtual...). I will be inviting the local press too. They could make a story out of it. April 3rd. Quote Link to comment
+wimseyguy Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 <SNIP> I pounced right on that! As I was trouble-shooting him via a remote control, <SNIP>instructed him in the basics of etiquette. I also showed him around <SNIP> he already has a GPS and is so easily excited <SNIP>. Now that I’ve met Mopar, I don’t play cards online as much anymore . . . too busy doing other stuff. I told you my tale now please tell me yours . . . Oh . . . and . . . by the way . . . Happy caching and stuff! So Geo-Ho how exactly does this remote control stuff work with you and Mopar? I have several staff here at the the NC Natural Sciences Museum interested; they just haven't come out out a hunt yet. Of course these are poeple who already take plenty of nature hikes looking for birds, salamanders and frogs already. Some use GPSr's for their research work to mark the locations of spottings. One educator "heard I was into that geocaching' stuff and had a bunch of questions. He is working on a geo-education project that is a bit like hunting virts. soon they will be part of us though............. Quote Link to comment
+Imajika Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Well, some friends introduced me to caching back in December. I started telling people at work about it and how much fun I was having. From that conversation, I recruited four new cachers and Team Yatta was born. Three of my caching friends actually don't have a GPS but they go with me almost weekly to cache. We use my GPS to find the cache and take turns holding it and leading the way. My other friend went with me to two caches and then went out and bought a basic yellow Etrex. I told another friend of mine about it and she is going to suggest caching to her husband for his Boy Scouts and Explorers meetings. Her hubby wants to go caching with me soon so he can get the basics and then show his scouting/explorer kids. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 (edited) I have a long time friend, an old fraternity buddy from college. We enjoy many of the same things. We like the same type of music (and believe me, there aren't a lot who share my taste in music), share the same political views and enjoy skiing, backpacking, canoeing, hiking and the outdoors. We even followed similar career paths. When I first heard about this sport, I sent a link to this website to him believing that he'd think it was a great idea. That was met with indifference. Then I recruited him to go out on a cache hide with me. He enjoyed the hike but didn't seem to think much of geocaching...but it was only a hide. Then I took him out on a few hunts over a couple of years. One was a really nice hike in Vermont (a DNF) and another in Vermont this winter. A wonderful hike to a waterfall we probably wouldn't have visited but for geocaching. He had a great hike, but still no interest in geocaching. But THEN, I took him out on a hide last week. The spot I chose was an area of historic importance and scenic beauty. The hike was a difficult one, part of which was a straight up bushwack over some fairly rugged ground. Along the way, we discovered some ancient iron mines and posed for photos. As we walked, I talked about the comraderie of this sport. About the friends I've met through geocaching, about the interesting places it has brought me and my family and about how nearly 100 geocachers turned out for Geo Ho's outdoor picnic in 15 degree weather a few weeks ago. Then as he sat down to eat his lunch, I walked off to place the cache. The hike down was an interesting one. We slid on our backsides much of the way, made our way over slag heaps and encounterd a large and dense band of thorn bushes that we unwisely decided to go through. We emerged from the hike muddy scratched and bloody and had a blast! But as far as geocaching...no interest in taking up the sport whatsoever. Go figure. Edited March 6, 2004 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+bob393 Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 I try to recrute anyone standing in front of me. any time, any place. Quote Link to comment
Lesbaru Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 At my job (physical therapy) one always wants some non-partisan "safe" topics to converse about with patients. We all have our favorites. Mine are dogs and geocaching. Just about everyone has something (good or bad) to say about dogs, and so far I haven't found anyone who already caches. Most folks think the caching sounds like fun, and a few have asked me to write down the website info. Since we only see people for a month or two, I don't know how many followed through and started caching! Quote Link to comment
+2qwerqE Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 Today, I had to take my car into the shop for a new starter. The guys at the shop were fast, friendly and fun. They took me back and dropped me off at worked, and offered to pick me up and bring me back at the end of the day. When I went to get my car after work, the guy who rang up the transaction (ouch!) asked about my weekend plans. I said, oh, I'll likely go hiking tomorrow, and he said really, he's taking the kids to one of my favorite state parks(Turkey Run in Indiana). So, of course I had to share. He was instantly interested and said he has a GPS that he got free for buying a new set of Firestone tires (anyone heard of that promotion? That was the first I'd heard of it.) Anyway, he said he hadn't found much use for the gadget yet, and said he'd check out caching. Resistance is futile, sayeth the frog... Quote Link to comment
+Fritz_Monroe Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 So far I've introduced 4 people to geocaching. One is the person that I cache with the most now. We work together, so can grab a quick lunch time cache. We attend the same classes for work, and grab a cache going to, coming from and occasionally at lunch. Two others we took caching and they immediately went out and bought a Magellan Meridian Platnum and a Meridian Color. Neither has been out since. One will probably use his because he does a lot of hiking. The other will put the GPS in the closet and forget about it. The fourth I've never taken caching, but he heard me and Spunki_Red talking about it and asked what the heck we were talking about. This was right before he took a trip to Europe. He borrowed his father's GPSr and found a couple TB hotels. Took 3 TBs on their mission to Europe and brought 2 back safely. The other couldn't complete the mission, so he put it in a cache over there. He will stick with it. He probably won't be a huge numbers person, but will hit a couple here and there. Not bad for 3 months, huh? F_M Quote Link to comment
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