Competition, Friction or Good ole fashion caching

[deltadawn]

I see the ever popular subject of cache quality has risen to the fore on this site as well. Now I haven't been caching for very long, but I agree that there are some caches out there that are more enjoyable than others. I also want to stress that I have ENJOYED looking for them ALL! I think one of the best things about this game is the level of individuality that can be expressed through caches. I am very greatful for all the caches I have been able to find and I thank those that place some of those "lame" caches because these helped me when I was starting out. I think the lame caches are a great way to get started and used to operating a new piece of technology(GPSr), and get hooked on geocaching in general. I love puzzles and mysteries so I have a few ideas for some multi-caches that will take people some time to figure out and solve, but those caches aren't going to take people to any beautiful places or long hikes even, they are just problems that will need to be solved and hopefully people just like to be challenged. Enjoy the game for what it means to you and not anyone else. I too am looking forward to the year ahea and the adventures I will have while caching. You see, that's the beauty of this game, you can go "lame", you can go long, you can even go puzzling, but the most important thing is that you JUST GO!

[thenaturenurd]

I have enjoyed following this discussion. Lots of good points from everyone. I actually placed two caches today...my first two! One I choose as an regular size cache (ammo box) because the area could support it. It's off a trail in the park that I work for and has lots of good hiding spots. The other cache is more "exposed" and more historical in nature so I choose something smaller to place there simply because there was no room for a regular size cache.

If any of you are up in NW Arkansas hunting I hope you will enjoy these caches we have placed.

Craig

[nonnipoppy]

.......... I agree that there are some caches out there that are more enjoyable than others. I also want to stress that I have ENJOYED looking for them ALL! I think one of the best things about this game is the level of individuality that can be expressed through caches. I am very greatful for all the caches I have been able to find and I thank those that place some of those "lame" caches because these helped me when I was starting out. I think the lame caches are a great way to get started and used to operating a new piece of technology(GPSr), and get hooked on geocaching in general. I love puzzles and mysteries so I have a few ideas for some multi-caches that will take people some time to figure out and solve, but those caches aren't going to take people to any beautiful places or long hikes even, they are just problems that will need to be solved and hopefully people just like to be challenged. Enjoy the game for what it means to you and not anyone else. I too am looking forward to the year ahea and the adventures I will have while caching. You see, that's the beauty of this game, you can go "lame", you can go long, you can even go puzzling, but the most important thing is that you JUST GO!

Amen sister amen.

We have placed a few caches in Arkansas and I am sure that some cachers would consider some of them lame. But I do offer another perspective.

We own no land to place caches on. We work quite a few hours and are not able to spend lots of time out in the woods. Therefore we place urban, read some micro, caches in parks and public land. We have a choice either micro caches or no caches. We assume that the individual cacher has the ability to filter out most of those caches that do not interest them.

There is a fairly large number of cachers in our area that enjoy a difficult, challenging, unusual cache hide. This is not to exclude other types of caches. But look at some of the logs on "The Judge" to see what the people looking for the cache have said.

How many new cachers have found "Cherrywoods" (some could consider it lame) and really enjoyed it?

Some people seem to forget that ANY find is great when you first start. In fact our first two were actually DNFs. How lame is that. but it got us hooked.

Arkansas (and I am not a native) has a wondrously beautiful setting in which to cache. We have cached quite a bit in Colorado and still think "Glory Hole" in Arkansas is the prettiest scenery we have ever witnessed at a cache. Followed closely by "Hawksbill Crag".

By the grace of God, we do not all enjoy the same thing. We in Arkansas are blessed to live in a state that has gorgeous scenery and a diverse setting in which to cache. So you guys just keep putting out those lame caches and we will eventually get there to try our skills at finding them. Regardless if it is scenic or you are trying to test our finding skills, or whatever you put out we want to find it.

[Geezer_Veazey]

. We assume that the individual cacher has the ability to filter out most of those caches that do not interest them.

Gee!!! What a novel concept. I thought you were supposed to go online and rail at how lame the caches are.

For those who haven't figured me out, I often use satire and irony to elicit others to say what I would have said myself. Actually, I agree with you 100% and with what other posters have said about micro caches. Micros have their place and what may seem like lame caches have their place. It is a mystery to me why people hunt caches they know in advance they aren't going to like and then criticize them.

One man's lame is another man's dame.

Poppy, I love your new signature slogan although I don't always heed it.

[nonnipoppy]

Poppy, I love your new signature slogan although I don't always heed it.

Thanks Geezer. It is actually there more for me than anything else. I have successfully avoided commenting on this thread for some time but tonight after gettin 16 GC.com approved caches ready for the event I just could not keep my mouth shut.

I appreciate the cost, in time, effort, and expense that a cache hider expends to place ANY cache. If the cache I just found is not my favorite then the next one just might be. Who knows? We just have to go and see.
Yes I like some caches better than others but then I like some foods better than others. That is life.....poppy

[Clark~Griswold]

There is a fairly large number of cachers in our area that enjoy a difficult, challenging, unusual cache hide.

You can sure count The Griswolds in that group. I'm sure we wouldn't have gotten into this game as much as we have if we hadn't discovered Clarksville early in our caching careers.

[Gaddiel]

For those who haven't figured me out, I often use satire and irony to elicit others to say what I would have said myself.

It took me a while GV, but I figured that out myself. Trouble is, I learned the hard way that sometimes satire and irony don't translate very well to online posts, especially when there are those present that don't know me very well...

One man's lame is another man's dame.

That's the thing about geocaching. There are all types from which to choose. I don't know about the rest of you, but I can pretty well tell by the cache description whether I'm gonna like the cache or not (then again, there have been VERY few caches that I didn't like....) Hmmm...

I'm not defending lame caches at all. ("Quality trumps quantity every time", right Geezer?) I've seen lame and superior versions of both full-sized caches and micros. I believe there is a place for micros, just as there is a place for 55-gallon drums. As hiders, we have a responsibility to try to do the best with what we have to work with.

[BACKPACKNJACK]

This is my favorite kind of thread so now that I'm back from the woods (for awhile) and have caught up a little I'll jump back in.

Some time ago “As Best I recall” Gaddiel’s thread asked why you selected your ID and to this, I replied that I picked mine because ya’ll had taken all the good ones.
I think a lot of the best caching places, as far as scenery or history goes, have been taken so the rest of us, the late bloomers, are just stuck.....making do with what we have left.

I haven’t released the caches I have placed yet but I tried to place them in places that had no caches, places that had something to offer the visitor, places that are safe, with permission from as high up as I could get (not easy some times), and I tried to fill them with things people would like.

Later I will add some sneaky ones where the find is the reward and some that will take more effort or have great views but for now I’m just working on placing them in areas of the state no one else will.

It is easy to hunt. It is much harder to hide.

I have tried to log something good about every cache I have found because from the beginning I could see hiding was the hard part.

[demonicangel]

You can sure count The Griswolds in that group. I'm sure we wouldn't have gotten into this game as much as we have if we hadn't discovered Clarksville early in our caching careers.

Same holds true for DemonicAngel. Clarksville is one of the very first places we ever cached in and we encountered some micro's there that greatly tested our puzzle solving abilities. That is what got us hooked on the micros. Also near our start we hunted on the beautiful Mount Magazine and that got us hooked on the georgous locations we encountered while caching. So, that is why we love both types.

Now on to the subject of numbers.

I agree with a number of other posters in that we are not in competition with anyone but ourselves. In fact a number of our friends were together for New Years and spouting off our New Years resolutions. Mine was to find 500 caches during the year 2005. I'm well on my way to getting that too, by the way.

But I have also encountered a problem. A close friend of ours who we got into caching (no, not Beerhog, he got us into it) has gotten into the number thing. For him, he is in a competition with everyone else. In fact he goes so far as to call and brag when he passes someone else. Anyways what he has started doing now is they will go to a town with a lot of caches and he will go in one direction while his wife goes in another, both hitting caches so they can claim more finds when the day is over. Now I could let this bother me, or I could let it roll off me. I choose to let it roll off me cause the fact remains that he is only cheating himself, and trying to drag me into his little game. If I let it work, then it is my own fault. Angel and I find the pleasure of the hunt in spending time together and time with the kids.[/quote]

[MrsGeoark]

Competition? With Whom? Obviously, our number of finds does not equal the length of time we have been caching since we are the longest cachers here--February 2001--we found our very first one almost in our backyard. Conclusion: is that only with ourselves do we play the competion game.

We are not particular in the kinds of caches we hunt, our time defines the types of caches we look for at any one time. Yesterday, of our 7 planned ones, all were micros, but we ended with 9 with one being a regular cache with lots more than just a log. We always have more than those planned loaded in the GPS units and the PDA. A demand for us to do some maintainence on one of our caches by adding the 4th log book was defined by one of the finds yesterday.

History, view, beauty, fresh air, doing something together, unusualness and meeting others trumps the relative term lame.

mrsGeoark