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My Lament


3jaze

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Me thinks we go too far. What ever happened to the mystery and challenge of seeking an unknown cache. Isn’t that what got you into geocaching in the first place – the mystery and the unknown? Yes there are other reasons - getting exercise, spending time with friends and family, spending time alone to rejuvenate your ‘self’, appreciating nature, finding new and interesting locations, and a host of others. But ultimately it is probably successfully solving that mystery and finding that unknown that you derive your pleasure from. The tougher the mystery or the tougher the unknown - the greater the pleasure and satisfaction.

 

It seems to me we have lost sight of this. The ‘organizers’, as organizers often do, are organizing the mystery and unknown out of geocaching. I’ll be the first to admit that there needs to be some information published on cache pages about location, terrain, difficulty, and type of cache. We seem to have embraced the technological side of geocaching and most of the ‘new’ features on the website are driven by this. However, we seem to be getting away from the human aspect of geocaching. Too much information on the cache page is taking away that mystery and unknown.

 

This is an awesome leisure activity we participate in. Please, let’s not organize the mystery and unknown out of geocaching.

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What you speak of is why some people geocache blind. No hints, no clues, no cache page, just the coords.

 

This game is flexable enough for you to do that. Or read reams upon reams of information on how to hold your GPS for maximum reception while doing the hula dance or the drunken bee walk to find ground zero.

 

People enjoy different aspects of the game. Some people may quit caching entirely but I'll bet they keep collecting geocoins.

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You don't have to use all the info presented. Many people just load the coords into a gps and go for it.

 

And no one said you HAVE to provide all the info. You can submit a cache with basically just the coordinates.

 

The new "tools" can be used IF you want to...nobody is forcing them on you.

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Due to pocket queries, I very rarely read the cache pages anymore until I'm at the parking lot for the cache. An exception are the "destination caches" that require a decent hike and where good outdoors safety justifies a reading of the cache page and some map study. But for 90% of the caches, I can choose how much info. I want to have.

 

Right now my PDA is broken, so I have experimented with a method that's new for me but has been recommended by others:

 

1. Edit the .ini file for GPX Spinner so that the cache name will include the information you are interested in. The waypoint symbol will tell you if it's a multicache or a traditional, and whether the cache has a travel bug. The cache name can include the difficulty and terrain ratings. I strip out the redundant "GC" from the waypoint name so that other information can be crammed into the name field. Other variations are possible.

 

2. Run your GPX file through Spinner, and load the resulting Spinner.gpx file onto your GPS.

 

3. Look ONLY at your GPS except if you're stumped. If I know the coordinates, the ratings, the cache name and the cache type just from looking at the GPS, I can find a good percentage of the caches I search for, and can accept DNF's on the ones where I need to go back and study the cache page and prior logs.

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Due to pocket queries, I very rarely read the cache pages anymore until I'm at the parking lot for the cache.  An exception are the "destination caches" that require a decent hike and where good outdoors safety justifies a reading of the cache page and some map study.  But for 90% of the caches, I can choose how much info. I want to have.

 

Right now my PDA is broken, so I have experimented with a method that's new for me but has been recommended by others:

 

1.  Edit the .ini file for GPX Spinner so that the cache name will include the information you are interested in.  The waypoint symbol will tell you if it's a multicache or a traditional, and whether the cache has a travel bug.  The cache name can include the difficulty and terrain ratings.  I strip out the redundant "GC" from the waypoint name so that other information can be crammed into the name field.  Other variations are possible. 

 

2.  Run your GPX file through Spinner, and load the resulting Spinner.gpx file onto your GPS.

 

3.  Look ONLY at your GPS except if you're stumped.  If I know the coordinates, the ratings, the cache name and the cache type just from looking at the GPS, I can find a good percentage of the caches I search for, and can accept DNF's on the ones where I need to go back and study the cache page and prior logs.

Wow! That's a great idea. :)

Actually, it's sucha good idea, I've been using it for the last 2yrs. Works for me. If and when I get stumped, then I can fall back on the PDA for the cache description, the logs, and finally, the hint (in that order).

That's the way I like to do it, and it works for me. Your mileage may vary.

Edited by Mopar
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This is an awesome leisure activity we participate in. Please, let’s not organize the mystery and unknown out of geocaching.

Groundspeak cannot "organize" me into how cool or how lame I make a cache. The sense of 'mystery and unknown' is up to me - and anyone - who is the cache creator.

 

For instance, I am planning a road trip multi cache starting in about 2 months.

 

All the other cachers will know is that "required equipment" is a full cooler or picnic basket full of goodies, a full tank of gas, and at least 10 spare hours. After that... the cacher has no clue where he/she is going, other than going west for 2 hours, hitting one stop after another until the awesomeness and the point of the whole oddessy is fully revealed. :)

 

The answer is not to blame Groundspeak... the answer is to challenge cachers to create caches that have real creativity. Can YOU beat the currently most-praised cache in your local area? Hey, can I, even? (we got some real cache geniuses in my city! :) Don't know if I can, but I am going to try for it. :P

 

It's not really up to Groundspeak. It's up to us. Create caches that offer adventure, or offer an "Okaaaaaaaay. TNLN, I guess" reaction... which do we do? That's our individual choice as geocachers.

Edited by Sparrowhawk
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It's the darndest thing, caching from 5 AM till 3 AM, ran out of paperwork & just had coordinates . . . had no cache owner, type of cache, hints - nothing! With NO data on any of the caches, we went hunting in the dark.

 

Believe it or not, it was more fun and we had more success (RLDILL & I). Some were ammo cans, some were micros in trees, some were plastic containers in creative hiding places. It was wonderful and it has happened more than once to us.

 

Being a little experienced was a help as we can spot some targets, but it was FUN!

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It's the darndest thing, caching from 5 AM till 3 AM, ran out of paperwork & just had coordinates . . . had no cache owner, type of cache, hints - nothing! With NO data on any of the caches, we went hunting in the dark.

 

Believe it or not, it was more fun and we had more success (RLDILL & I). Some were ammo cans, some were micros in trees, some were plastic containers in creative hiding places. It was wonderful and it has happened more than once to us.

 

Being a little experienced was a help as we can spot some targets, but it was FUN!

Doesn’t it stink though when the cache turns out to be a virtual? :)
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Doesn’t it stink though when the cache turns out to be a virtual? :)

Not nearly as much as getting a ticket because w/out the data you didn't see the disclaimer that said "NO NIGHT CACHING - PARK CLOSES AT 6PM" or "Don't park on the east side of the road - the parking lot is private and you will be towed" or "There's poison ivy on the way to the cache, please use caution, especially if allergic".

 

Some people don't mind the risk, some people do. The option to read the page or not is up to you. I like having important information spelled out for me.

 

southdeltan

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I like knowing the information in advance, for the exact reasons SD mentioned. By the time I approach the cache, I've long since forgotten any of the details...but if there's anything I absolutely need to know (4X4 required? don't forget to bring extra socks for after you wade through that river? don't enter from the east or you'll be busted for trespassing?), it's good to make sure I can stay cognizant of that information.

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Me thinks we go too far.  What ever happened to the mystery and challenge of seeking an unknown cache. Isn’t that what got you into geocaching in the first place – the mystery and the unknown? Yes there are other reasons - getting exercise, spending time with friends and family, spending time alone to rejuvenate your ‘self’, appreciating nature, finding new and interesting locations, and a host of others. But ultimately it is probably successfully solving that mystery and finding that unknown that you derive your pleasure from. The tougher the mystery or the tougher the unknown - the greater the pleasure and satisfaction.

 

It seems to me we have lost sight of this. The ‘organizers’, as organizers often do, are organizing the mystery and unknown out of geocaching. I’ll be the first to admit that there needs to be some information published on cache pages about location, terrain, difficulty, and type of cache. We seem to have embraced the technological side of geocaching and most of the ‘new’ features on the website are driven by this. However, we seem to be getting away from the human aspect of geocaching. Too much information on the cache page is taking away that mystery and unknown.

 

This is an awesome leisure activity we participate in. Please, let’s not organize the mystery and unknown out of geocaching.

I understand what you mean, and I think its all about stability. People don't like instability, and the unknown is instability. People will try to stabilize everything, given the chance. For example, everytime i take someone new on a geo hike, they ask how far is it, are we there yet, etc.? ...Cuz they don't know where they are going and they're trying to get a grip on something that can't be determined.

 

Geocaching has certainly evolved quickly. The original cache had coords, and was an ammo can in the woods. I don't know if it had hints or not. But over time, that box in the woods evolved into cache type, hints, spoilers, the selector, then cache attributes, and now i read alot about people wanting the actual distance walked, to the cache, instead of the crow flies. The more info you provide, the less unknown and element of surprise is available in the adventure. Some cache pages are as plain as can be, and have only coordinates, and then there are some that spoon feed you more info than necessary.

 

There are caches and cache hiders out there that regardless of how many hints, attributes, or selectors are on the cache page, it doesn't make the hunt any easier, and there are some caches that are totally spelled out. Ya just got to sort it out and go for what ya want.

Edited by Polgara
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What you speak of is why some people geocache blind. No hints, no clues, no cache page, just the coords.

 

This game is flexable enough for you to do that. Or read reams upon reams of information on how to hold your GPS for maximum reception while doing the hula dance or the drunken bee walk to find ground zero.

 

People enjoy different aspects of the game. Some people may quit caching entirely but I'll bet they keep collecting geocoins.

I didn't read past RKs post but this is exactly how I cache 80% of the time. I download theWPs into the gps and sometimes I'll skim over the page and thats it. If one new cache pops up in my area I'm more likely to read more about it, but if I'm going out for a long day of caching I just take the coord and I won't read anything.

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Unfortunately this "coordinates only" method only works with simple, traditional caches. With multis, virtuals or mystery caches it doesn't because a puzzle may be involved or some other specific info is needed.

 

But I don't find that cache pages in general contain too much information.

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The great thing about this sport is that you can do it any way you want. If you want all the info on the cache page, you can use it. If you just want the coords, you can do that too. I do it both ways depending on the situation.

 

Sure I've been burned by having only the coords an not knowing what I was looking for. I've found virtuals and had no idea what kind of verification info was required, or even if I was looking at the correct object. I've had a few minutes to find a cache only to discover I had found the first stage of a multi, but that's all part of the game if I'm playing that way.

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I've had a few minutes to find a cache only to discover I had found the first stage of a multi, but that's all part of the game if I'm playing that way.

and in the end it's still a good time. a little frustrating when that happens but life moves on, the sun rises in the morning, and the coffee is still brewin'.

 

<_<

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