What attracts a person to geocaching?
It seems to be a certain personality type. I'll go there and say that it seems to appeal to the geeky or nerdy crowd. Not all "geeks" or "nerds" are going to like geocaching, though. My one occasional partner is proof of this. He thinks it's one of the stupidest ideas on the planet but comes along because it's an excuse to spend time with me.
The idea of geocaching appealed to me on a level of solving a puzzle. I'm given a set of coordinates and have to get to the location and find the container. The greatest victories I've had have come from the finds that were more difficult and took some time to find. They often require thinking a little outside the box.
There's also the numbers factor. The competitor in me enjoys seeing the numbers go up. There was a great deal of satisfaction on claiming my 700th geocache recently. To get there, you do have to find a fair number of "easy" caches. These are the ones hidden in lightposts, guardrails, etc. I enjoy saying "I found 15 caches today" but I also enjoy saying "I found a level 5 difficulty today."
Finally, for me, it's the exercise. I ran track in high school, but that's out of the picture now due to knee and neck issues. More than the caches where I get in the car and drive from place to place, I enjoy the caches where I get to hike along trails. I can make a considerable number of finds on rail trails, which seem to be a popular place for hiding geocaches. There's also a lot to be said about going into local parks or land-management areas where a number of caches have been places.
Over the weekend I found 38 caches in Connecticut and Rhode Island. A bunch were in one park. It was a 4 mile hike, plus all of the bush-wacking and back-tracking I had to do. The cache farthest from the parking area was also at an elevation that overlooked a water supply and much of the surrounding area. It was a good workout, especially in 90°+ heat. I came away with scratches all over my legs (it's up to the individual to decide whether the hazard of thorns triumphs the heat or not), oversprayed with DEET, and quite tired. As I sat in the Rite-Aid parking lot while my friend who doesn't understand my attraction to this hobby at all cleaned up my legs with alcohol and Neosporin, I also felt a sense of triumph. I had set my goals for the weekend much higher, but this was still something to be proud of.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
What is Geocaching and Why? Why? Why?
A little over two years ago I was introduced to Geocaching due to the repeated tweets of a friend of mine who is quite the active participant in the hobby. There were a few of us among his circle of friends that found ourselves intrigued. One by one we learned what it was all about and started participating ourselves. Basically, it's a sort of treasure hunt using a GPS device and posted coordinates on the Geocaching website.
While I was in Florida bringing my oldest daughter back to college, one in the group that had already begun caching took me out and showed me the ropes. As I look back now at those first few caches, I'm struck by how many of them are archived. More importantly, though, she gave me a well-rounded overview of the different cache types to get started. I saw magnetic nanos stuck on sign-posts, film canisters in light-poles, toy chests loaded with goodies for the kids, and small caches with room for a few things. I learned the ins and outs of travelbugs and the general rules - if you take something, leave something.
Armed with this knowledge, I started looking back home in the White Mountains for caches. What I didn't know was what a mecca my area is for geocaching. There are quite a number of local caches off all shapes, sizes, types, and difficulties. My kids enjoyed it at first, then their attention waned a bit. I've found other people to go caching with, but don't mind heading out on my own, either.
I still feel the best way to start Geocaching is to go out with an experienced Geocacher. You can also read up on it at the Geocaching website or watch a series of videos:
http://www.geocaching.com/videos/#cat=cat:newbies&vid=-4VFeYZTTYs
If you're like me, you'll get hooked. Nearly two years after I found my first cache, I just passed the 700 mark :-)
While I was in Florida bringing my oldest daughter back to college, one in the group that had already begun caching took me out and showed me the ropes. As I look back now at those first few caches, I'm struck by how many of them are archived. More importantly, though, she gave me a well-rounded overview of the different cache types to get started. I saw magnetic nanos stuck on sign-posts, film canisters in light-poles, toy chests loaded with goodies for the kids, and small caches with room for a few things. I learned the ins and outs of travelbugs and the general rules - if you take something, leave something.
Armed with this knowledge, I started looking back home in the White Mountains for caches. What I didn't know was what a mecca my area is for geocaching. There are quite a number of local caches off all shapes, sizes, types, and difficulties. My kids enjoyed it at first, then their attention waned a bit. I've found other people to go caching with, but don't mind heading out on my own, either.
I still feel the best way to start Geocaching is to go out with an experienced Geocacher. You can also read up on it at the Geocaching website or watch a series of videos:
http://www.geocaching.com/videos/#cat=cat:newbies&vid=-4VFeYZTTYs
If you're like me, you'll get hooked. Nearly two years after I found my first cache, I just passed the 700 mark :-)
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