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"The Treasure"


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I was fortunate enough to have my brother in law introduce me to geocaching last weekend. I went out and bought a gps because I was so excited about this new found hobby. My family and I were in Arkansas this weekend and decided to go geocaching. They were all excited then when we found the cache they were really dissapointed after a 2.5 mile walk and all they got was stuff you can find in their toybox already or things you can find at the dollar store. Is there a reason for this or are we expecting too much? I plan on spending a little cash and placing some useful items in the caches that I find. Please understand I'm not complaining. I love the adventure of the hunt. They just expected more than they got.

 

What do you think?

 

BullDogBob

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I'd have to say that what you found is pretty typical geo-treasure. Geocaching is a poor way to get rich, that is for sure, but you will find places you never knew existed, get exercise you might otherwise not have gotten, and spend time with your kids that's unlike any other. I'd have quit a looong time ago if it was just for the McToys.

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This is definitely more about managing expectations than anything else ...

 

Sure my kids have been disappointed that there was nothing they wanted to trade for, but that's been few and far between ... definitely need to make the journey and the hunt the fun part ... they are pretty much on board now.

 

We even did a couple of micros today and they had fun ... in one case they got to see their first Spring ... as in water just seeping out of the ground.

 

I think most folks start their first one or two thinking the "treasure" finding is the cool part ... the ones that continue on quickly find that the fun is the trip ...

 

Today (with a whopping 40ish finds) I'm more disappointed when I get to a cache and there is no 'view' or no 'reason' (history lesson, factoid, story) than the McTrinkets ... but that's just me.

 

Just as an example, I've been to Al Capone's grave, the memorial of a Circus Train wreck, the 'burial' site of the Manhattan Project and on some just cool hikes .... that's a lot more fun than a plastic Spongebob.

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Even as a 1-month-know-nothing-found-almost nothing-but-having-a-great-time-newbie, I have seen this type of disappointment stated fairly often from other new cachers on these forums. Would it be worth a line or two on the geocaching homepage just to kind of let folks know what to expect?

 

I wonder if the word "treasure" in the signature phrase "high tech treasure hunting." on the website might be a problem.

 

I don't know, maybe "high-tech hunting" or..."high-tech scavenger hunt" or something...

 

I mean, personally, I think it's fine the way it is, but It's just an idea!

 

The word "treasure" may mean different things to different folks-- some might expect a little something more than they will get!

 

of course, they'll find that out anyway when they get to their first cache... and many of us, even newbies, figure out pretty quick that the REAL treasure is in the hunt and the beautiful/interesting/historic location it takes us to, not what's in the box itself.

 

when a friend first told me about the sport/game/obsession, I immediately went to the website and started checking out the forums and the cache pages and figured out what it was going to be like pretty quickly.

 

maybe some don't do that, I don't know.

 

or am I just over-analyzing it? wouldn't be the first time.

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Geo-caching is about the adventure, not "the treasure".

 

Faile and I recently spent 3 days running threw Headllama's Cemetery Quest. We ended up in a race to the finish with Ajetpilot.

 

The adventure of it was that for the first 2 days, we all did the same caches on the same days. Finally on the third day we ran into Ajetpilot on the third cache of the day. Cached a few more together before we had to split up.

 

So we got to run around some creepy cemeteries (all the caches except the 2 were micros, so no loot), meet someone new, and get a bunch of firsties!

 

Cache for the adventure! Screw the treasure!

 

Signature? I don't need no stinkin signature!!!!

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I think that as long as you don't expect much you won't be disappointed. Ocassionally, you may be pleasantly surprised. Many cache owners stock their caches well and maintain them. Eventually you'll figure out who they are in your area.

 

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day" - Dave Barry

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I've found the junk and I've found the treasure. I have also spent alot of real quality time with my children since discovering geocaching. My son and I spent an afternoon caching and found snakes, skinks, geckos, alligators, wild pigs, and rabits. Oh yeah, we found a few caches too. Probably the best day we have ever spent together. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for.

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I think Hmarq hit the nail on the head. Folks can say it's about the hunt or that the treasure doesn't matter, but when the expectations are set in the minds of the little ones that they're going to go into the woods on a hunt for toys then it will indeed be about the treasure, no matter what we adults think.

 

Getting the kids to appreciate the other aspects of geocaching will depend on thier ages and how you present it to them. Take a 5 year old on a mile trek through 4 foot grasses, ensure that she has to walk through 6 inches mud while wearing sandles, let her rest in a mosquito breeding ground, and then offer her a cache containing a super ball and you won't have a happy geocacher.

 

On the other hand, if you first scout out a few good caches, get her interesting in the giving part of it (have her make her own signature items, etc.) and focus on the hunt (I createda little "log book" for my youngsters to record thier finds). There are all kinds of things you can do, but the point is that geocaching absolutely will be about the hunt if that is what you make of it ... but it doesn't HAVE to be just about the hunt.

 

Good luck!

 

-=-=-=-=-=-

GPS_Brian

=-=-=-=-=-=

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Here are my thoughts....

Like others have said, I heard about geocaching, came to the website and read about it. I knew what to expect before I went out on my first cache.

I very rarly take anything as I don't need the stuff. I do leave something (almost) everytime though. I buy stuff at the dollar store that people might actually be able to use.

I have been to many places that I NEVER would have thought to go before. It's amazing how many nice places there are alost in my back yard that I never knew about.

So my thought is that the treasure is the hike/views/history and/or knowledge, not the items in the cache.

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I try to take something as a souvenire from each cache. It could be a neat marble with swirls inside, or something like that.

 

However, I think that I am definitely a good "leaver" - I've noticed that my stuff has been snapped up by the next people to visit the caches.

 

Personally, I think it's depressing to find a cache with nothing "neat" in it. I don't care about valuable items - I care about clean, intact items.

 

Yesteray, I spent about $16 at dollar store, and I got some NICE swag. I got a lot of those party-favor toys that come in multipacks - like three squirt guns for a dollar. I also payed more for some things - I got yo-yos that light up for $2 apiece. Boxes of 8 crayons were 2 for $1. You can get five little matchbox cars for $1. Those are small, so you can leave a couple of them in one cache. I got little decks of cards ($5 for a dollar) and playdough (well, generic "play putty) for a dollar per "egg." I also got these little toy "let's play dress up" rings (9 for 1$) because they're little and cute and a nice thing to drop in "extra."

 

These are just things *I* think are cute. I'm sure many adults wouldn't enjoy them, but at least what I'm leaving is new, clean, and colorful.

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I would say that Geocaching has a few rewards:

1. My wife and 17 month old spend quality time together if we all go or just me and my wife, we get to have "no kids time" (those parents understand)

 

2. We see things that we would have otherwise never known they were there. Exploring, like when you were a kid.

 

3. You do find some caches that have really cool stuff in them.

 

4. Finding TRAVEL BUGS, which i LOVE!!!!!

 

Hang in there, it's a worthy sport.

 

God bless you and your family,

Team Bubba Cache

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quote:
Originally posted by katybird:

I try to take something as a souvenire from each cache. It could be a neat marble with swirls inside, or something like that.

 

However, I think that I am definitely a good "leaver" - I've noticed that my stuff has been snapped up by the next people to visit the caches.

 

Personally, I think it's depressing to find a cache with nothing "neat" in it. I don't care about valuable items - I care about clean, intact items.

 

Yesteray, I spent about $16 at dollar store, and I got some NICE swag. I got a lot of those party-favor toys that come in multipacks - like three squirt guns for a dollar. I also payed more for some things - I got yo-yos that light up for $2 apiece. Boxes of 8 crayons were 2 for $1. You can get five little matchbox cars for $1. Those are small, so you can leave a couple of them in one cache. I got little decks of cards ($5 for a dollar) and playdough (well, generic "play putty) for a dollar per "egg." I also got these little toy "let's play dress up" rings (9 for 1$) because they're little and cute and a nice thing to drop in "extra."

 

These are just things *I* think are cute. I'm sure many adults wouldn't enjoy them, but at least what I'm leaving is new, clean, and colorful.


 

New, clean, and colorful.....I like that

 

"There's so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy in the streets?"

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I learned about geocaching from a site that hmarq is associated with, now I'm hooked! My first attempt/first find/first finder contained nothing but a pen and logbook. I left some batteries and discovered a forest preserve that I had driven past many times but didn't realize there was a climbing wall and 2 rope bridge courses in there. I haven't taken anything from the caches I've found, but have left things and will keep doing it. I stocked up on items at a local tool sale and keep them in my Jeep. I like the fact that I'm getting out of the house instead of sitting around like I did a few months ago. I'm losing weight, and discovering things I didn't know existed within 20 miles of me. Thanks for telling Bassman, Hmarq!

 

Maps?!? I don't need no stinking maps! I got coordinates!

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i aggree for me it's about finding it not what's inside. I get to be outside looking around in alot of places i wouldn't normally spend time. my little brother and sister like the trading part. i'm still coming up with a signature item to leave. it's all about having a good time and getting out there in my opinion.

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quote:
Originally posted by Woodbutcher68:

I learned about geocaching from a site that hmarq is associated with, now I'm hooked! ....Thanks for telling Bassman, Hmarq!

 

Maps?!? I don't need no stinking maps! I got coordinates!


 

You're welcome!

 

And I stumbled upon this by doing a google search for canoe outfitters for the fox dells area ... and I'm hooked too.

 

I think I can personally count about 8 folks so far on my tree ... that's pretty remarkable for 2 months.

 

I too have lost weight and am working out again, this is a lot more fun and a good reason for being in shape than just being a gym rat ... but those are all adult reasons; it's fun making it fun with treasure for the kids too icon_smile.gif

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I took my roommate out for a couple of caches today for her first excursion. She definitely went for the useful items - a tiny screwdriver set, a pack of bug repellent wipes. I, on the other hand, think in terms of what I've already collected - I like to look at my items grouped on their shelf. I tend to pick small, iconic things like a marble, a rubber ball, a wooden alphabet block.

 

Today I removed two dirty golfballs from a cache as well as took bugwipes for my friend, and a plastic glow-in-the-dark witch for myself. I simply wanted to "clean out" and edit the cache. Who wants to find dirty golf balls? I like the idea of finding, as I said before, clean, new, colorful things. Dirty, used things are depressing.

 

Since I took so much, I left a lot: 2 little-girl let's-play-dress-up plastic rings, 2 "hotwheels" cars, one of those little puzzles where you move the tiles around to get the picture, a squirt gun, and my signature item (just started it today): one of those little puzzles where you move it around to get a BB to go around the maze to the center (they're good because they're a colorful disk of plastic and you can write on the back of them with a permanant marker.)

 

At the earlier cache, we found truly useful items - a miniature flashlite keychain (brand new, still in package) and a tiny screwdriver set. I left a magnifying glass (a real one, not just a little plastic one), silly putty, a hotwheel, and my signiture puzzle. I don't know if that counts as trading "up" but at least I put more items in than I took out, and they were all new.

 

Now, I've read the threads on this topic, and from what I can see, adults are more likely to go for the fun of the hunt, while kids actually want STUFF. So, my stuff tends to be somewhat kid-oriented. Still, my roommate has shown me that somebody WILL appreciate little items of useful hardware and such.

 

Oooh! I had to edit this to add:

My roommate, who prefers to sit on the sofa, decided she'd prefer to participate in the future by giving me all sorts of fun stuff. She's one of those pack-rat people who never, ever threw anything away as a child. She has boxes and boxes of little trinkets. She gave me rubber frogs and snakes, mirrored disco ball review mirror hangers, goofy little action figures, Magic 8-Ball keychains, funny jewelry, and more silly stuff than you can imagine.

 

[This message was edited by katybird on July 09, 2003 at 02:48 PM.]

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quote:
Originally posted by katybird:...

Boxes of 8 crayons were 2 for $1.


You might want to toss the crayons in a ziplock before putting them in a cache. That way, if (when?) they melt, they won't get all over anything and no one will have to relive your 'gumball' experience.
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quote:
Originally posted by sbell111:

quote:
Originally posted by katybird:...

Boxes of 8 crayons were 2 for $1.


You might want to toss the crayons in a ziplock before putting them in a cache. That way, if (when?) they melt, they won't get all over anything and no one will have to relive your 'gumball' experience.

 

That's a good idea! I already tend to put things that could get soggy (beanie babies, decks of cards) in baggies. I think crayons would be good in baggies for your reason, and because it would keep the cardboard dry... as well as just keep the crayons clean, neat, and appealing.

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Just my two cents here. Treasure means different things to different people. Just a couple of days ago my husband found a Superman sticker in a cache and was ecstatic, since he's a big Superman buff, and even has a Super S tattooed on his arm. I found a little rubber frog in a cache about a week ago, and since I love frogs, I was thrilled about that. I think for us it's the possibility of not knowing what you might find that makes it exciting. Not to mention the fun parks we've been to, and the exercise we're getting.

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quote:

 

I wonder if the word "treasure" in the signature phrase "high tech treasure hunting." on the website might be a problem.

 


Well, as the old adage says, one man's trash may be another's treasure. But, we're all about the hunt, not the booty in the ammocan. We've found a few useful items, but typically it's McToys...and, with both of us being adults with no kids yet, it is definitely the thrill of the chase

 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.---Matthew 13:44

 

Matt & Julia

 

To view our online geocaching diary/blog, click here

 

[This message was edited by mrmnjewel on July 21, 2003 at 09:48 PM.]

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