Reflections On A Cacheversary

9.1k · June 2, 2004

Today marks the second anniversary of the day when I stumbled across this site while searching for someplace to take my daughter to "hunt for real treasure," as she had requested after studying pirates in school, and after asking me to hide a box of her old happy meal toys in the backyard for her to find. (Little Lep was born to be a geocacher - she re-invented it without ever hearing of geocaching!) We used the "warmer/colder" game to find the hidden box. When I found geocaching.com, I told her that a GPS was just an electronic version of warmer/colder. We found our first cache without a GPS the following weekend, and started finding them with a GPS the weekend after that.

Two years have now passed, and we've managed to find 670 geocaches along the way. A few months ago, I set a goal of finding 730 caches by today, because that would put us on a pace of one cache per day, every day, for two years. That had a nice ring to it.

We didn't quite make it to our goal. And you know what? I don't care. It was just a goal. By later in the summer, I expect to be well above a pace of one cache per day. And next winter, I'll fall behind again.

There are lots of folks who have found more caches, including many who started in the game after we did. I don't care. They had fun and we had fun.

There are other folks who haven't found quite as many, including some who started in the game before we did. I don't care. They had fun their way, whether it was on 20 hunts or 200.

We could have hit 730 or more by now, if only we had gone on a few more "high number runs" to get as many caches in one day as possible. Sometimes when I'm out caching by myself, I will try to find as many as possible, and that can be fun for me. That's cool, too. I will likely do that again in the future. But when I'm out caching with my daughter, Little Leprechaun has vetoed that. She said she would rather find three good caches than 15 ordinary ones. When we find a few so-so caches in a row, she gets bored and says "time to quit!" Lately she has preferred to find caches hidden along bike trails with long rides to and from the cache. She had more fun that way.

Sometimes I think that my ten year old kid has a lot more sense than her dad and a lot of other grownups. It's all about the fun - not the numbers.

Our new goal is to maximize the fun factor, whether it's finding one cache in a day or 50.

5.3k · June 2, 2004

Where did that kid get all her smarts??

4.8k · June 2, 2004

Happy cacheversary! I hope you have many more and that the fun continues on!

June 2, 2004

Where did that kid get all her smarts??

From being moderated a few too many times????

7.2k · June 2, 2004

Happy cacheversary! I hope you have many more and that the fun continues on!

What she said.

6.5k · June 2, 2004

Sometimes I think that my ten year old kid has a lot more sense than her dad and a lot of other grownups. It's all about the fun - not the numbers.

Our new goal is to maximize the fun factor, whether it's finding one cache in a day or 50.

And fortunately the fun factor cannot be quantified.

Congrats on marking your cacheversary with such an excellent observation.

I'm two months shy of mine, and I hope we have a similar attitude two more years down the cachepike.

Fun comes in almost as many flavors as the best gelato shop in Rome has!

2.8k · June 2, 2004

I agree with your observations. As someone that caches some times with 2 kids, sometimes with 1 kid, sometimes with the wife and kids, and sometimes all alone, my mood as well as how fun it will be for the kids is typically the deciding factor in what we go for.

It's definitely about having fun with them and when I'm alone, it's about being challenged, physically or mentally.

Lets hope another 2 years from now, we both still think the same way about this terrific hobby.

David

June 2, 2004

Congratulations Leprechauns! I love your attitude toward this activity! I was hoping to get 52 by my first anniversary, but the death of a sibling and the marriage of a son got in the way. No big deal....I'm still working on number 50. My last attempt was a DNF; but, as Arnold said, "I'll be back!" Fortunately, it is the closest cache I haven't found, only 14 miles away. I try to get my husband and two kids (15 and 9) interested; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Our anniversary is this weekend; don't want no fancy dinner, I want to go caching!

1.6k · June 2, 2004

Congratulations! I'm just on a measely 96 caches after almost two years caching and proud of it!

...Sort of

MarcB

3.9k · June 3, 2004

I think I have 69 finds and 10 hides after 3 years of caching. As Lep said, I've probably gotten as much fun out of it as most people.

I've also found other ways to be involve and enjoy caching where numbers aren't involved.

Congrats Lep to you and your family on your anniversary! Also I would like to say thanks for other ways your involved.

El Diablo

2.2k · June 3, 2004

i have been caching since last oct. and i should get my 100th sometime next week. it's been a heck of a ride so far.

1.1k · June 3, 2004

Congratulations on your 2 year anniversary. I think we need more people with your type of attitude in the game. I see you and your family enjoy it just as much as me and my son do too. It's definately all about what you said and more, but the numbers make it fun too. I see my 6 year old son's eagerness to cache increase anytime we have some sort of goal or get close to a milestone.

3.8k · June 3, 2004

nice job, lep and li'l lep.

you approach the game as i do and as everyone should... a way to have fun and as a diversion to everyday life.

hope to see you again soon!

2k · June 3, 2004

3k · June 3, 2004

Little Lep is one heck of a kid! I hope to meet her someday. Hey there's a goal for you! Come caching up in this neck of the woods, I have several caches that Little Lep would love! I passed my cachiversary April 24 and didn't manage to hit some round number or anything, but this last month I took a trip and am approaching 300 finds and I now have 16 states cached. That feels kind of cool. If only I didn't have to skip Maryland.

2.7k · June 3, 2004

Congratulations, its the fun that really counts. Hope you two can come to CO some time and I'll give you a grand cache tour.

9.1k · June 4, 2004

I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and especially those who posted in support of my proposition that it's about having FUN.

I do not start a lot of forum topics. On the rare occasions when I do, they tend to be about positive topics. It never ceases to amaze me that a positive, thought-provoking thread will get 10 replies and 100 views before slipping off the front page, but dramatic threads that promote negativity and controversy get four pages of replies and 3000 views before being locked down.

June 4, 2004

Our new goal is to maximize the fun factor, whether it's finding one cache in a day or 50.

I'm pretty new here, but I have to say that so far you have maximized the fun factor for my family on our caching treks. All of the caches that we've visited to date have been good hides and pretty fun to find. However, when I see Leprechauns caches (which plague my closest to home search page...) I know that I'm in for a good time and a challenging hunt. We thank you for what you put back into the hobby that you and Little Lep enjoy. Maybe by our 2nd Cacheversary we'll have tracked down all of the Elves... but I doubt it.

24.7k · June 4, 2004

I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and especially those who posted in support of my proposition that it's about having FUN.

I do not start a lot of forum topics. On the rare occasions when I do, they tend to be about positive topics. It never ceases to amaze me that a positive, thought-provoking thread will get 10 replies and 100 views before slipping off the front page, but dramatic threads that promote negativity and controversy get four pages of replies and 3000 views before being locked down.

That's because it's not as much fun to post "Me too" on the postive threads but is sure is a real treat to vent in a good forum melee.

I've learned to walk away when I'm not having fun. DNF's don't bother me as much as they used too, and I have fun on "Cache days" where we go from dawn to dust and find as many as possible and cache days where we plan out a day and do a few in a really scenic location and take all day to do it.

The only thing that is less fun that has crept in over time is I really hate micro's in the woods. Not so much for the DNF as for the mass destruction you witness when you arrive at the site.

5.3k · June 4, 2004

It never ceases to amaze me that a positive, thought-provoking thread will get 10 replies and 100 views before slipping off the front page, but dramatic threads that promote negativity and controversy get four pages of replies and 3000 views before being locked down.

I would reply to this, but Jerry Springer is about to start...

6.4k · June 4, 2004

Jerry Spring is over, I can reply.

I held off when this was posted because even though Lep and I live hundreds of miles apart, many of my favorite caches over the years have been done in his company. I already knew how he felt, and those are some of the very reasons I always look forward to caching with him. Can't wait to meet Lil Lep one day, she sounds wiser then many adults I know.

Congrats on your personal milestones Dave, you guys earned them!

3k · June 5, 2004

Here's to bumping happy threads back to the top! Geocaching is fun!

June 8, 2004

From a ole boy from the south, its good people like you that have made an outstanding contribution to the sport, working with parks and have gone out of your way to help folks locally, and worldwide in the forums.

Your wit and down to earth comments in forum posts have kept me entertained for the last two years and plain just like your style. I can’t wait to see you next month. …………… JOE

9.1k · June 8, 2004

Wow, Joe, that was unexpected! Usually you just sneak into the forums to tell someone to quit complaining and start paying, and then you slip out again. I'm glad I paid up.

I appreciated your post. Thank you for helping to put together Geo-Woodstock II, and I look forward to meeting you there.

June 9, 2004

I am getting skeered now your avatar has turned into a Ninja Hamster WOW that’s Tooooooooooo Cool. BTW the good folks around here that do contribute to the site are usually the ones doing what you are doing by making it a better sport for all, and I do not know of a single slacker that has done what you have with the parks in your area.

Wouldn‘t this be different if my warn meter went up in a happy thread for saying the “SLACKER“ word ………… JOE

1.2k · June 9, 2004

I've learned to walk away when I'm not having fun. DNF's don't bother me as much as they used too, and I have fun on "Cache days" where we go from dawn to dust [...]

That'a a nice one!

The only thing that is less fun that has crept in over time is I really hate micro's in the woods. Not so much for the DNF as for the mass destruction you witness when you arrive at the site.

Annoys me too, although it isn't only micros that cause destruction.

FWIW

June 10, 2004

hey i agree with little lep.. i have this problem in that i really enjoy the advnture of it. i much prefer the great walks and low numbers to the zillion in shopping centers, though they present their own problems ( one i had to return to three times..then it was muggled, i redid it for the hider cuz i know her).. gimme a zilion singing cicadas over to busy caches. the girl has her head on straight.. i hope you all find 10,000... not in the next year of course

take care

peace

stop and smell the roses

June 10, 2004

I can't wait for my two year celebration, it happens on September 7th!

Edited June 10, 2004 by Radman Version 3.0

June 10, 2004

Congrats Lep. Its pretty cool to know that someone I don't even know can have almost the exact same thoughts and feelings on something that I do. Others have started long after me, and now have 5 or 6 times the number of finds that I do, and I've passed up some who started before me. We all have fun playing this game how we want to, and enjoy it all the more because of that.

June 11, 2004

Congratulations and thanks for the inspiration.

My four year old is starting to get into caching more and more but there is still some struggle if we have to walk too far... I sure hope that I can lead by example and teach her to love the outdoors with a passion as it sounds that you have done with Lil Lep.

And it's wonderful that she has also taught you along the way to slow down and enjoy it. Through the eyes of a child.

:blink:

June 11, 2004

Thanks for the observation, Leprechaun. We like caching to go to all the places we never would've even known existed, or we "never had time to go to", or would've just plain missed out on if it hadn't been for geocaching.

It's also a great time to get out and DO something with our dog, who incidentally has figured out what caching is, and gets VERY excited whenever he sees the GPSr come out!

The day it becomes "all about the numbers" is the day we quit geocaching.

9.1k · June 11, 2004

Thank you for the additional kind words and observations. Here's one from me that was prompted by SunshineSnuz's post:

Yes it is indeed a challenge keeping the kids from tiring out. When Little Lep started caching, she was barely 8 and had not had a lot of physical exertion in her daily routine. Three caches was a full day for us. I also go caching with another family sometimes, and they have a boy who is close in age to your daughter. It can be most challenging to keep him pointed in the right direction, and to avoid crabby outbursts.

After doing hundreds of cache hunts with kid(s), here's what I've learned:

1. When it quits being fun for the kid, STOP. It is pointless to continue. They will just complain and be fussy so that the adult won't have any fun, either. Save your powercaching for an adults-only trip.

2. When you are doing a truly terrific geocache, amazingly the kid does not get tired out as easily. Pick a beautiful fall day, and a cache located down the trail along a babbling brook, and before you know it, the kid has walked a mile without complaining once. Different kids have different limits, of course, but they tend to forget about them under good conditions. Scouting out a cache in advance, by visiting the park or writing to someone else whose log entry mentions kids, can help guarantee a positive experience.

3. The opposite is also true. When you take a sophisticated consumer of geocaches like Little Lep to three park and grabs in a row, she is disappointed and starts saying "I'm tired." That is from 400 foot walks. Reminding her of the 5-mile hike to find good caches in a place of great natural beauty called Hell's Hollow doesn't do any good. Little Lep alludes to this phenomenon in a short article that she hopes to have published in Today's Cacher.

4. Sometimes, bribery works.

3.8k · June 11, 2004

Hey Lep! Way to go on the havin' fun thing. That's pretty much my philosophy as you can tell from my sig line. From the photos I've seen, Little Lep is a real jewel. Why, I've heard that Jeremy and Hydee have employed her in an advisory position to determine what consists of the "wow" in virtuals! :blink: :huh:

9.1k · June 11, 2004

Huh? If she is truly "employed," then I will definitely be having a chat with Little Lep this evening about her allowance...

4.8k · June 12, 2004

I couldn't agree more with your observations Lep. Jr. T will hike for miles for an ammo can filled with McToys, but a string of drive by micros leaves him exhausted.

We recently came back from the GBES Rally in Nevada, and I was a bit concerned about Jr. T's stamina for eight hours of driving and having all the caches in the rally being nothing but Virts :blink: It turned out that he enjoyed schmoozing with other cachers along the route and getting to explore some of the beautiful country around Fallon. That little monkey of mine is always full of surprises :huh:

Looking forward to reading Little Leps article

June 12, 2004

What a great bunch of kids it sounds like there are out there!

Today we finally have nice weather, even though I knew I had a deadline I have to meet so would be forced to go into work this afternoon I wanted to get my little one out. So I asked her if she wanted to go, I got a very excited "Yes, please!" Printed up three cache pages and out the door we went.

Knew the first one was going to be a micro but since it included trade items felt it was safe. We looked around a bit but when it didn't come to me in just a couple minutes I was ready to move on.Oh no, Lil Miss wouldn't think of it! She was determined to find it, under bushes and poking into holes she went. Finally found the very well camo'd micro and did our trades. I didn't think she would 'get it' but she got such a kick out of it being an item that we left in plain site for all to see.

Second one was just off a paved path only about .16 from where we parked the car but probably took us 15 minutes to walk that. The wildflowers are out like crazy right now with big wild Sunflowers swaying in the wind like exotic dancers, the indian paintbrush and blanket scattering the fields. We must have stopped every couple of feet or so to explore a different flower, bug, bird, you name it. No complaints just a nice stroll to the cache.

Once at the turnoff she boldy stomped through the telltale path of downed grass all the way to the cache and spotted it right away. She went after it before I could get to it and preceded to plop down to look at all the goodies.

Now, on the way back to the car it was a different story. I guess the adrenalin rush was over o something but she decided that it was it for the day , no more, she was tired. (I am one of those parents blessed with a four-year old that will still take naps ) At that point we were no more than .14 away from the last cache of the day but... It's just not about the numbers!

We had a great day, I was not going to ruin that memory by pushing for the next cache. I look forward to having my daughter grow up with this hobby like Lil Lep and others and seeing her stamina grow but for now I'll be happy with taking it nice and slow (and my numbers will probably always reflect that). :huh:

9.1k · June 7, 2005

MAJOR BUMP:

Another year has passed, and I'm pleased to announce that I met my goal of HAVING FUN during my third year of geocaching. I found out that one of the best ways to have fun is to spend time with other geocachers. What began as a solitary hobby and something to do on weekends with my daughter has turned into a whole social network. I've cached with a dozen of the people who posted in this thread, and they're from all over the country!

Oh, and along the way, I sorta doubled my find count in the last year. Big whoop.

Little Leprechaun now logs under her own account, and is closing in on 300 finds in her own right. She's still having fun, too.

My goal for my fourth year of geocaching is to keep having fun and meeting other geocachers.

June 7, 2005

Hey Lep,

Part of my fun was meeting you at GW3. Keep up the good work!

Fishingfools

Team CHB

3.5k · June 7, 2005

Congratulations, Lep, but you're wrong.

It is about the numbers.

Bret

18.9k · June 7, 2005

Congrats on year 3!!

I've been at this for 3.5 and find myself traveling more and more for the excitment of a find and the pleasure of meeting semi-like mided people.

9.1k · June 7, 2005

Bret, you are such a Numbers Ho. I cannot believe someone would travel so far just to pad their profile page with a Project APE icon.

Update: I've had the pleasure of meeting/caching with FOURTEEN people who have posted to this thread. They hail from Illinois, Nebraska, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Tennessee, Washington and Florida. How cool is THAT?

June 7, 2005

Hey Lep,

I'm celebrating my 2 year 309th day anniversay today.

You call this activity fun? WTF is wrong with you. Fun?? Getting scratched up while bushwhacking, slipping on rocks and crushing a knee, sliding down a hill that's too steep to maintain footing on and getting stung by hornets is fun? Not to metion the amount of money spent on gas and having to deal with Stunod on a regular basis... geez you are one messed up dude!

If it wasn't for the smiley I get next to my log and the huge number of finds that give me self worth, I would quit right now and leave this god-for-saken activity behind for ever. It's people like you that really tick me off.

BTW... glad you're still enjoying it and I can't wait to meet you at GeoBash.

9.4k · June 7, 2005

Congrats Lep. You have been a blessing to the community.

(composing smarmy message for my 5 year anniversary on July 15)

2.5k · June 7, 2005

LEP! Our Two Year Cacheaversary is the same weekend!

I didn't meet my goal, either, but you know what? I had a darn fun time finding every cache I've found - and even looking for the ones I haven't found.

1.8k · June 7, 2005

Fun? Heck, yes! I've not cached with my own kids, I've cached with others' and enjoyed it (including carrying a tired out 4 yr old from a caching site). I also like caching and meeting other cachers.

Big ol' congrats, Lep and Little Lep! May the signals always be with you! (and accurate to +/- 5 feet)

6.5k · June 7, 2005

Sometimes I think that my ten year old kid has a lot more sense than her dad and a lot of other grownups. It's all about the fun - not the numbers.

Our new goal is to maximize the fun factor, whether it's finding one cache in a day or 50.

And fortunately the fun factor cannot be quantified.

Congrats on marking your cacheversary with such an excellent observation.

I'm two months shy of my third, and I hope we have a similar attitude three more years down the cachepike.

Fun comes in almost as many flavors as the best gelato shop in Rome has!

Thanks for the big bump on such an important topic. In fact it might be the most important topic in the forums.

It also reminded me of one of my best forum lines. Since I had just returned from my Italian trip the gelato was fresh on my mind. I just might have to change my sig line now.

And although we haven't cached on the trails together yet, we have cached at an event together, and that might even be more valuable time together.

1.3k · June 7, 2005

I count myself as one of the lucky ones who has had a chance to cache with you and your smarter counterpart. As one who feels it's not about the numbers I will have to concede to one number that is important. The number of new friends I've made thanks to geocaching. That number grows almost as fast as my find count.

Here's to another year filled with FUN!!!!!

June 7, 2005

Well we're coming up on our 1 month anniversary tomorrow and we have 14 finds. We never thought about setting a goal though. I think for now we'll just say our goal is to have fun whenever we go.

June 7, 2005

Happy Caceversary Lep & Lil' Lep! I send you virtual cases of pop tarts to keep you going on the trails!!

June 7, 2005

I've met up with The Lep twice thus far. One was a bad time and the other was just plain weird. Between taking a group of truely international (Texas, Arkansas, Boston, Ohio, and Switzerland) Database Geeks up a hilltop to find a micro to getting my car searched by the police, it has been an honor. Our talks have been helpful. He's talked me off some cliffs more than once. Actually one was an actual cliff... in the dark... shortly after a hurricane washed out the trail to this cache that should have been an easy find in th dark...

I think I ran across this site in April of 2002, but didn't find someone with a GPS until July 1, so I'm a straggler. But without this guy stirring up trouble and watching our backs, this sport would be something else entirely. Thanks, man!

Sounds like a eulogy, doesn't it?

Reflections On A Cacheversary

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