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Have your priorities changed?


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I'm interested to hear if people have found their geocaching priorities changing over time.

Me? Started ten months ago and am on 830 something, so HAVE to go for 1000 in my first year. Best stretch 74, best day 51. Not interested in bettering either of those. 40 D/T combos, am using pocket queries for some challenging ones to try one day but no ambition to do 81. Will go for 366 days by 29/2/2016. Happy to collect countries, counties and regions when there but not going far out of my way. I really think that once I've done 1000 I'll slow down, partly of course because the map around home and work is filling up. I own 7 caches, some more inspired than others, and know where I'd put more (lovely quiet stretch of the Thames, would make a long but beautiful walk linking to other people's caches).

I've also noticed that my favourite points in the bank are up to five. Have I really only done mediocre caches recently? Maybe some of the initial thrill has gone.

Enough about me... how has your caching experience evolved?

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great questions....as just today I chose to leave a cache location without the find because it was mundane and another camoed match container. The write up was boring and did not take anytime or creativity. I sometimes wonder if I am a cache snob...I love a cute container, a challenging search, a creative description, puzzles and challenges. I love a unique or picturesque location. I am totally over pill bottles in bushes and tupperware in a rock pile and especially throw down replacements because the cacher couldn't find it and still wants a smiley. I remind myself from time to time this a game and there are many ways to play. I was thinking today, for myself, its about the quality of the quest and not the numbers. I will continue to cache and work on puzzles, challenges and interesting destinations but no need to go after every cache just because it is there.

 

I have placed over 40 caches...a mixture of fun containers, nice locations and challenges. I enjoy finding good locations and hiding the caches as much as I do finding them.

Edited by Summer Sky Dawg
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I was a little numbers-happy for the first 400, or so. Thought I could create a zone around me with only smiley faces. By 800 I was slowing down. Once I reached around a thousand finds I got burned out on the hobby and thought I'd never come back.

 

Now I take them a little at a time. I don't aim to have any area cleared, though I do want to have an attempt recorded on every cache near me that I can reasonably get to. I'm more concerned with having some kind of log, not necessarily a find, on all of the nearest caches. I try to save a few for the future. Having one to look forward to is better than a thousand that I've already done.

 

Placing signature stickers used to be top priority. Now, I only use them on good clean dry logs in the best caches.

 

Still looking for a good trade whenever available; that much hasn't changed at all.

 

Placing caches still makes me nervous. I still lose sleep for a few days after each placement. I wish I had more time and money to place caches in the best spots.

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Lately I've been working on upping my average D/T, so I rarely stop for a P&G these days. Haven't lifted a skirt in the entirety of 2013. :P So mostly I've been going for quality caches, especially those with nice hikes or clever puzzles or great camo.

 

It's definitely different than the way I was caching when I first started out, which was pretty much all about getting any cache anywhere.

 

That said, I've never been interested in streaks or large number days - I think the most I've found in one day is 14, and I think my longest streak is 16 days? Both of which happened by chance. :)

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Priorities haven't changed much. It's still just about having fun. I think overall little less obsessive than when I first started. When I'm spending time with family or friends, I'm not constantly thinking about which caches are nearby. We went on a camping trip recently and we were at the beach and my sister pulled out her GPS. A cache was only 50 meters away and I was like 'ok, we can get'. I wanted to get it, but if we hadn't, that would have been OK too.

 

Some minor changes, maybe. #I've found most of the caches close to home, so if I do go out, it can't be just to find 1 cache (unless I already happen to be there for something else). To make it worth the drive, I have to plan for a bunch of finds. #2 I don't feel as obsessed like I MUST find every cache. There are some lamo micro hides on the ignore list. Doesn't drive me crazy that I haven't found them yet. When I first started, I would spend literally hours if necessary to find a cache. Now, if I'm searching and it seems lame, I leave.

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I have been caching since 2011, my priorities are very different to when I started. I originally went for all and everything - almost obsessively. Now I rarely attempt FTF's and am more inclined to do sets and loops resulting in a great day out. I am not a strong puzzle cacher, but I do have a go :)

I also prefer caches that enhance my walk rather than be so clever that I cannot find them, this frustrating me.

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Have my priorities changed? As the Incredible Ms. stated: I do this for fun. That is my priority.

Used to was (nine years ago) that I'd have to plan a long trek for a few caches. That was fun!

Now, It is more about the numbers. I don't object to the numbers. But I wish they'd be more fun... (Why would anyone bring me to a lamp post in a dead shopping mall?!?) But I am also still finding some great places! (Just at a lower rate.)

 

1245230b-17a1-49c7-bd5f-107c8890fbf9.jpg

 

Say Hi to Rosie the Riveter!

 

I'm having fun. I'm getting outside. I'm entertaining my friend. Works for me!

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My priorities certainly have changed. When I started, reaching 100 finds in my mind made me a "real geocacher" so I would go after anything. After reaching that golden goal and becoming (in my mind) "somebody" in the geocaching world (this was when 100 finds was an accomplishment, not an afternoon's work), I decided that the only number I was interested in was the the number of times I had fun. My epiphany came after finding a cache next to a dumpster in a parking lot behind an office park. I thought whiskey tango foxtrot am I doing here? I wouldn't be here if the cache wasn't here and this offers nothing to me but a +1. So I no longer go after caches only offer a +1.

Edited by briansnat
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If your priorities don't change, you won't keep caching very long. A key to enjoying caching over the long term is to find enjoyable goals and to discover new ways to find fun caches.

 

Over the years I have known a lot of cachers who cached at a furious pace, burned out, and disappeared. Most of those left who started when I did cache at a pretty moderate average rate. Of course, there is that one big exception!

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If your priorities don't change, you won't keep caching very long.

My priorities are exactly the same as when I started this hobby some 8 years or so ago.

1 ) Get off the couch.

2 ) Have fun.

 

What has changed slightly is what I think is fun. In my early days of caching, finding what would come to be known as park & grabs, (Tupperware tucked under a bush close to parking), was fun. My tastes have changed since then, and I've altered my caching style to keep myself pointed solidly toward my priorities.

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If your priorities don't change, you won't keep caching very long. A key to enjoying caching over the long term is to find enjoyable goals and to discover new ways to find fun caches.

 

I don't really think this is true. There are people who cache year in and year out, the same way.

 

I bow to your more extensive experience and knowledge.

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My priorities are exactly the same as when I started this hobby some 8 years or so ago.

1 ) Get off the couch.

2 ) Have fun.

 

Fully agree, these are also my priorities. What is "fun" changes though .. sometimes, I go for a power trail hike like Al's Trail (GC3BQPV), other times, I hike 20 miles for a single five star smiley (GC2VFRX), and other times again I have zero finds for a week or two, and instead spend the time on devising new hides, etc. It is a really fun hobby that gets me outdoors several times per week since 2006. I used to go for mtn bike rides in the evening after work, but I kinda always followed the same paths day after day. Geocaching brought me to new, absolutely insane locations that I would never have found otherwise... and it continues to do so (though admittedly filtering out the camoed-as-an-used-chewing-gum-tucked-under-a-dumpster-behind-the-walmart caches has become more of a chore over the years). Still, it's been a good ride, and I enjoy every day of it.

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Mine have. But then it's also the company I keep. I use to say I've done only one real power trail and really I have. But I have to admit I've done a couple more but not as many or as insane. The one in the Mojave I actually got out of the car took pictures of lizards and plants. The cachers I hang out with don't get bent out of shape when I want to read a plaque, take pictures or look at the views. This recent trip to the Block Party, we did some Wherigos, Multis, Virtuals and Puzzles. We hiked up to GCD for my milestone, went to the Ape Cave (no, not the APE cache) and went to the Bonnieville Dam to see the fish and Osprey. We also went to an event in Kennewick,WA where the attendees told us about the Coin Challenge they have. We ended up with three geocoins. So some may think I still cache the same but actually I don't.

Edited by jellis
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As others have noted, the priority is to have fun, and if something begins to not be fun, you have to change it up a bit. I have noticed that the easiest way to make this game not fun, at least for me, it to decide that you "HAVE" to find a cache.

 

So, what's fun? Fun is hiking in the mountains, either solo or with a group. Fun is an occasional 20-30 urban cache run with others. It's never fun alone, so I will no longer do that. Fun is driving down a lonely road that has a cache every couple of miles. Even if the caches are drive ups, the drive and the scenery makes up for it and I consider it time well spent. Fun is Event Caches.

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Mine have changed only slightly since my first find February 2013. I began wanting to go for the numbers only. I'm enjoying discovering new places more and learning how to place quality caches. I like seeing all the unique caches and want to place some memorable hides of my own. Fortunately each caching experience can be whatever you want it to be.. so long as you follow the"rules". [:D]

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My priorities certainly have changed. When I started, reaching 100 finds in my mind made me a "real geocacher" so I would go after anything. After reaching that golden goal and becoming (in my mind) "somebody" in the geocaching world (this was when 100 finds was an accomplishment, not an afternoon's work), I decided that the only number I was interested in was the the number of times I had fun. My epiphany came after finding a cache next to a dumpster in a parking lot behind an office park. I thought whiskey tango foxtrot am I doing here? I wouldn't be here if the cache wasn't here and this offers nothing to me but a +1. So I no longer go after caches only offer a +1.

I really do think you are the Superman to my Clark Kent. No one will ever see us at the same event cache, will they.

 

These are my thoughts and experiences exactly (except my numbers are still much lower due to other external forces at play).

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I'm another where the main focus is having fun and getting exercise.

 

I don't feel my overall priorities have changed. On any given day, I'll go for different things... but always with priority of a good walk. Sometimes that is one or 2 long multi-stage caches; sometimes it is a series of 20-30 caches on a circular walk.

 

I try to avoid specific goals, though some challenge caches have changed that. I was never bothered about filling in the dates on my 366 day grid until a local cacher started publishing a cache a month based on filling in that month in your grid. Now I'm trying to fill it in. I'd love to fill in my D/T grid one day; I currently have 66. I've not made a specific effort to try and fill in the missing ones, but I keep an eye out for D/T combos I don't have. One day I'll feel like filling some in and will specifically seek out caches to fill it. I don't like climbing trees and many of the high T caches here involve that.

 

I tend to only do "park and grab" caches either when I need a cache that day (e.g. for 366 day challenge) and have limited time, or on my way to/from walking based caches. I.e. I feel if I've done or are going to do a good walk, that it is OK to also pick up some easy ones as well. But if I just go out and do park and grabs I get this empty feeling of "why am I doing this".

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Interesting stuff, good reading!

 

I'm still tottering towards 1000 in a year and "collected" an English and a French county / département last week. I've always loved maps and am enjoying slowly colouring them in.

 

Used some of those fave points on some new caches by a CO called JJEF - always home-made and ingenious, worth the detour.

 

15 new caches out within 3 miles of home will make for a walk on some paths I don't know and help the numbers.

 

Should've mentioned, 4-yr-old Oxford Stone Junior loves "looking for treasure" - quite often finding them while I have my nose on my GPS - and is on about 320. So keeping him active and observant, getting exercise as redsox mark says, is all part of the picture. I cache a lot at lunchtime, often a brisk walk of a mile, and have lost a trouser size since Christmas! As a family, come rain or shine we love a Sunday lunch in a pub followed by a walk so I can see that once the pesky thousand mark has gone it'll be much more of a weekend hobby and tick off any new local ones.

Edited by Oxford Stone
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my priorities for geocaching... that is a good question... I would say they would be quite simple as some have mentioned already...

 


  1.  
  2. Get outside more
  3. Get off the computer more
  4. Explore and discover my area
  5. Fun time to spend with my kids
  6. Get kids outside more
  7. Use as an excuse to go somewhere new

 

These would be my priorities and not likely to change over any amount of time. What would change however would be how many caches I find, what type of caches I find, my current view of the FTF side game, etc.

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We are retired and lead a caching life. A lot of what we do revolves around geocaching. It has been that way for a few years now, so our priorities are the same. So what does it mean to have your life revolve around caching?

 

When we travel the 800 miles to visit our daughter, we bring our bikes and do some caching on the bike trails on the way. This time the trip took 8 days. In 2010 in took 3 weeks. In two days we are leaving Ottawa to go to Florida. It will take us 8 days to get there. We have all the routes planned along the interstates and the nearby towns. We plan on hitting two states that we haven't done before.

 

We watch the weather in spring and fall and put our bikes on the car and spend 3 or 4 days caching on PEI or in Nova Scotia.

 

If we plan on visiting an area, we solve a lot of the puzzles and often concentrate on finding the puzzles. We have 150 solved puzzles to find in Ottawa, a ton on PEI, and a bunch in Houston, TX for our trip there this winter.

 

For the past 7 winters we have hosted an event that draws over 100 people who snowshoe across a frozen bay to an island to get some geocaches and then return for a pot luck supper.

 

Here are some of the positive aspects of caching which keep us busy, active and mentally fit. I posted some of this before so I apologize if you read it last year:

 

*Making new friends

*Events

*Travel

*Spending the day caching with friends

*Caching adventures

*Hiking & Biking

*Discovering back roads and new places

*Solving puzzles

*Learning and using new software and hardware.

*Reading interesting logs

*Corresponding with cachers about puzzles, etc

*Moving TB’s and coins

*Reading forums and other caching sites

*Writing in forums

*Learning and sharing techniques for hides, camo etc.

*Enjoying & Marvelling at some of the wonderful intrigung caches.

*ETC ETC.

 

*We use numbers as an incentive to go out and challenge ourselves, not to compete or brag. This spring we ended our streak at 472 days. We now have at least 5 finds on everyday of the calendar and we are now aiming for 10.

 

*We love hiding caches(nearly 600). We have many series hidden and have created 150 math logic puzzle caches

 

*Geocaching is not a competitive sport. We use our stats to compete against ourself and to try and better our previous personal records. We do not use them to compete against others. I dont know anyone who tries to compete against others.

 

*We look at the numbers on our stats page often to give ourselves challenges. I know many do the same. It makes caching more interesting.

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This has been one of the most enjoyable threads I've read. When I started in 2005, I didn't have any priorities. I was just amazed that all these treasures were hidden in public, waiting to be discovered. I lived in a cache-rich area with both swamp walks and LPM, before paperless, so each one seemed more special.

I quickly developed an aversion to parking lot shrub hunts, but didn't give up easily. How do you know it's a shrub hunt until you are at GZ? Maybe I don't do enough homework. I can't believe someone would drive up to a LPM at Wally's and refuse to sign the log! Anyways, I'm not picky about quality. I've done power trails and liked them. I've done tough ones and liked them.

Quantity isn't so important to me either. Once I hit 300 I felt like a "real" cacher. I've passed on some that looked like an uncomfortable search area (homeless camp, nosey neighbors, etc.). Recently I've passed on some Earth Caches that required numerous steps/measurements or the CO seemed picky and threatened to delete logs for fill-in-the-blank.

I developed a few goals along the way - which have been posted on my profile for years - some changed to "Accomplishments" :) We are traveling in an RV now and I'm enjoying adding states and Cache Across Americas to my list.

The first couple years I begged my Significant Other to come with me. He's the indoorsy type. Not a priority any more. Now I prefer caching solo and look forward to my caching excursions/do anything I want days. When I take him along, he starts to whine after the fifth/sixth cache and I have to take him home.

Thanx for the thread!

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Glad to have created an interesting an so far conflict-free thread (better not mention my love of c:geo or my cache that's 252' from another...)

Yes, I'm still looking forward to doing 1000 in my first year (3 a day until 25 Oct and I'm there; did 2 at lunch, might do a half-mile walk on the way home for two more as tomorrow will be a washout).

A sign of my changed priorities will be Sunday's plan. A nearby village pub has a great write-up in the local press so Mrs Oxford Stone wants to go there; the village "church micro" is a multi http://coord.info/GC4EF5H so we'll be trawling the gravestones, hopefully fun; a few miles away there's a 3/3 multi http://coord.info/GC2XR9M where the first bit is in a shin-deep pond (under a stepping stone?) so we'll go with wellies and towels; then there's a puzzle http://coord.info/GC1YD5M that fills in a D/T combo for me (T2.5D3.5, my 41st so past 50%) which involves a mile and a half walk (it's a multi now I've solved the puzzle) that in turn intertwines with another multi http://coord.info/GCH1Z6 and some trads, so we could be looking for three things at once there! There's a Millennium sundial to take in (and get multi numbers from too). We'll be within a couple of miles of some ten-in-a-mile, base-of-post film pots, and you know what? might never do them, even though they're only 10 miles from home. Will drive straight past some other trads that can just wait.

Looking forward to a lovely day!

(As you can imagine, I get really baffled by the "ignore mysteries and multis" school of thought you occasionally see on here...)

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My priorities have completely changed! I started in 2006 and was totally fascinated with any kind of caches. I think in 2007 I found over 700, I haven't come close since then. LOL. It got to the point where I was really tired of caching in my city as I'd pretty much seen it all multiple times and didn't really have the funding to travel very far, not to mention a group of really obnoxious people took over the local event scene. So I had a long needed hiatus. I changed jobs in June and have racked up 28 new states but not that many overall caches, it's made it fun again. B)

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My priorities have changed since I first started from quantity to quality, that's why I have become a casual cacher. Mostly the ammo cans and caches big enough for trade items are gone, the virtuals have gone and that pretty much leaves micros. I can remember when we would go on a trip, do a PQ along the route and have no shortage of larger caches or virtuals.

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I still consider myself to be rather new at this great game. I started caching in 2010, but took about a year and a half off because I had some other things going on. I got back into it this year and have 205 smileys now. My priorities when I first started were really just to explore and see what the point of the game was. I consider myself to be an explorer. I LOVE driving and hiking. If I see a cool road or a neat trail, I'm gonnna check it out. This game for me is about that. Getting out on the road and going places I've never been before. I don't care if the cache is a nano or an ammo can. To me, it is all about the thrill of the hunt and where the next cache will take me, and what my experience will be. I love finding caches that have not been found for long periods of time, and of course the fun and creative hides. Just like everyone else I always enjoy caches big enough to trade some cool swag out. I know some get frustrated with all the small caches, but there are so few in my area, I get excited about any cache I can find...I am sure as I play the game longer, like so many here have, my priorities will change too. But I do so love just climbing in the car or my truck and hitting the road just to see what's out there. I love the rush or "high" of locating a cache and I am so glad my Aunt got me into this hobby. I am mildly obsessed, lol, and I love it. I am excited to travel to Colorado next week, and I am going to move some travel bugs along from Texas to Colorado. Get them some miles under them. I cannot wait to see all the beautiful caches that I know await me in Colorado. I even got my mom excited about looking for some there, though she has never geocached before in her life. She says it sounds very interesting. I cannot wait to see the amazing places that Geocaching will take me. So far I have seen some pretty amazing stuff, and I have started a photo album/scrap book at my house of my adventures, because I love it so much. I hope I never get tired of it!!

 

Happy Hunting to all!!!

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Update on me: 981, 27 days to my anniversary. 2 new D/Ts, but another combo's disappeared elsewhere, so 41 of those. Climbed a tree for a cache about 17' up yesterday. Today my knee is reminding me I'm not 20 any more. Sought out and at the 2nd attempt found a notoriously hard local cache on Friday. A few quizzes and multis bookmarked, also some easy ones to get me past 1000 and then I can ease off! It coincides nicely with the clocks changing in Europe - shorter days, less likely to go on long walks. Not to mention with the nearest cache to work that I'd want to tackle, being about 5 miles away and a singleton.

Since starting this post I've organised an Event - takes place on Thursday evening - and bought a TB tag. I'm now in search of a wooden / metal A to attach to it. I live in a place called Abingdon-on-Thames which is pretty near the beginning of the gazetteer. I'd like it to go to a cache / street / town / county / state / country beginning with B next - and so on.

So the days of haring after film pots on roadsigns, which were fun, are nearly over (might do 3 tonight). The days of creating more caches of my own, to a high standard, and driving for a family walk based around one puzzle or multi, are ahead.

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I've been caching eighteen months.

 

I want to burn ALL the ivy... :anibad:

 

My priorities, or targets, whatever you want to call them, do change as time goes by. I wanted to get to 500 by the end of this year and have just managed that. Because of physical limitations it's very doubtful that any 5/5s will come my way but I'd like to manage at least one 5* difficulty puzzle with lesser terrain (got one solved but the cache disappeared and it was archived, curses!).

 

At the moment I'd like to get at least 50% of the D/T combinations and fill in some of the empty dates on my calendar as I had a long slump last autumn/winter for health problems. Maybe a few FTFs.

 

I find that things suggest themselves: find all the caches by a particular C.O. or in a particular area; just stuff to keep things interesting.

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There was a time when i went for every cache that came out. I think most of this was because caches were placed fewer and farther between back then. They tended to also be more than just park and grabs. These days it's a different story because of multitude that are hidden. Being that i don't cache for smiley count, most are downright boring for me so i don't go for them. I like challenge, either physically or mentally and/or a cache that brings me to a nice location.

 

There's a cache that was placed .6 miles from my house earlier this year. I drive by it almost every other day but i won't even turn into the parking lot to get it because i know what it is. It's in a parking lot, there's no challenge, and there's no fun. It's just another smiley. On the otherhand, i had a great time last Saturday when i loaded up the kayak and drove 92 miles one way to try for one cache on an island. B)

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If your priorities don't change, you won't keep caching very long. A key to enjoying caching over the long term is to find enjoyable goals and to discover new ways to find fun caches.

 

Over the years I have known a lot of cachers who cached at a furious pace, burned out, and disappeared. Most of those left who started when I did cache at a pretty moderate average rate. Of course, there is that one big exception!

 

I'm sorry to say, but I do not see the link between changing priorities and the average rate at which one caches.

 

I'm into geocaching for about half a year shorter than you and even though you have more finds than I do have (more than twice as much) I consider my average rate as pretty high. My average rate which increased over the last years has not been caused by changed priorities, but by the fact that caches around here have a tendency to become shorter. In earlier years it was easier to select a single cache and being busy with it for a full weekend day or at least a half day.

 

My preferences and priorities have not changed in an essential way. As geocaching is a means for me to be physically more active what has changed is however the number of caches that I visit, but which do not match my preferences well. Given the choice "stay on the sofa or visit a cache by bicycle that is boring" I prefer to select the latter option.

 

Hiking caches in not too difficult terrain that keep me busy for at least two hours have been my favourite since I staarted geocaching and this has not changed over the last 11 years.

 

Cezanne

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There have been no changes for us at all, I load caches to the units and take them as they come. We don't do puzzles but will do multi's if they're local. We almost never look for " high stealth required " caches no matter where they are.

When we started about 58% of our finds were regular and 14% micro....those figures are now reversed. We've never been into swag and enjoy micro's about as well as regulars even in the woods.

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Nice topic, Thanks. :D

Mine have not changed at all. From the beginning to now. Mostly still just interested in finding new interesting places to visit & log including an event now & again .

Along the way we developed an interest in types of containers & GPS nav. made good on the ground that came & went. Both of those upped my numbers for a while.

Also had more time in ’08-11, then now.

Finding that now it’s is harder to find interesting, locations as opposed to a micro in an disinteresting place has caused me to find good locations to go elsewhere more often, with a drop in numbers also. Still enjoying every interesting location &/or cache & wishing we had more time to play.

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To be honest, I really either don't remember what my priorities were when I started (2009) or never bothered trying to establish any. I was pretty "gung-ho" the first year and then didn't play for almost two years. This year I've been focusing on losing weight and getting into better shape. Just walking around the block started to get boring so I decided to combine it with geocaching.

 

I think for now, this is just about having fun. I recently introduced my wife to geocaching and while I don't see her opening an account on gc.com, it is something she will enjoy tagging along with me.

 

J

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I got #1000 last Sunday and (honest, promise) total number is not important at present. The friend who introduced me to GC last October, when he was on 500, is resigned to me overtaking him but I'm not going all out for it.

A week ago the event I organised was attended by about 30 cachers aged 6 - 66 (ish); anecdotes, puzzle hints, recommendations, TBs and contact details swapped. On the Saturday one of my new acquaintances and I met up to tackle a cache under a bridge where being alone just didn't feel too clever. Another of the attendees has since put out 3 caches - 2 up trees, 1 of which I got yesterday and then put a cache up a tree myself (FTFd in the dark by the local FTF freak...). This Sunday I'm getting up early to go on a 6-mile, 20-cache hilly trail with another cacher I only know online. Turns out we both drive Smarts so it will be a classy gig! Meeting in the village where you can find the windmill used in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Next Tuesday I'm meeting tree-cache man to do a night cache (no, I'm not scared of the dark, I just don't have a decent torch. Or even a flashlight).

So now I'm not counting numbers, calendar-filling is high up the agenda and those isolated multis or trads suddenly become more appealing.

As my 1000th cache was a boring film pot behind a gate post, someone had the excellent suggestion of doing a good cache on my anniversary (27th) and we're only about 25 miles from England's oldest surviving cache so that's planned.

Map filling too. Going to Lisbon on 31/10 and just realised Gatwick Airport is in a county I've not done yet so there will be a cache and dash before checking in! Lisbon looks great - for caching and just everything - can't wait.

Oh and just found the function on project-gc.com where you can see a map (choose radius and centre) of caches with D/T combos you need! Overjoyed with that and will go in search of a T3.5D2.5 on Saturday.

 

To sum up: making more friends, doing some more challenging caches, putting something back in. Still having a whole load of fun.

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Certainly my priorities have changed. After all, the game has changed hugely.

 

When I started, my 20 nearest home would have taken me about 15 miles from home. Most would have been good sized caches, ammo cans and no film cannisters. All in places that were worth visiting for one reason or another.

 

Now my 20 nearest home take me just 0.9 miles away. Half are film cannisters, 2 are ammo cans (and I suspect that 10% is an over-representation of ammo cans) and the rest are small. Mostly the locations are unexceptional.

 

The cache that was at the bottom of my page 1, now appears on page 95. So in the space that used to occupy 20 caches, there are now 1900. The majority will be pointless micros. You bet my priorities have changed.

 

I wonder what all those film cannisters would look like in a pile?

 

PP.

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I'm closing in on 2000 after almost five years of this -- I think I'll aim to make #2000 on my 5th cachiversary, now that I think of it -- but the only goal I have, such as it's a measurable one, is to hit as many counties/states/countries as I can. I measure my progress by the footprint of my finds on a Google Earth plot of the .gpx file. I'll never do the E.T. Trail, but am planning a trip to hit all the counties in NV in one weekend. That is, to me, a fun way to do this.

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Since my OP I've upped my record stretch to 100 (I'll leave it this time. No, really) - and sailed past 1000 in my first year and 1095 (365 x 3) for 2013.

 

I now own 11 caches. I think. One Thames-side one may now be floating down the Thames! "Thames Path - Floodproof" is I hope living up to its name as it's 18 feet up a tree (whose base is probably underwater right now)

 

So experiencing the pleasure of putting out challenging / interesting caches is taking over from numbers at all costs. Two new puzzles are foxing people and a third marks the world's oldest continually-used (Association!) football ground.

 

See also my thread re which stats to go for. I've only very slowly adding to the D/T grid; calendar up to 344, next gap 18 Jan. I'm trying to get my trads % below 90 - the extra time taken on a multi or a puzzle is well worth it, almost always. OS Junior is now at school and gets a lot of fun out of the number-searching a good multi involves. Found myself at George Orwell's grave only a few miles from my house doing a multi the other week. Look up Wallingford (UK) and you'll see it's multi paradise - we were solving 4 at once the other day. Several are Agatha Christie themed, she lived in the area.

 

The Orwell cache and several others I'm only getting round to now look isolated on the map - and no number-cruncher goes out for just one cache, do they? One thing these isolated caches seem to have in common, though: they're the older ones. So my Jasmer grid is filling up slowly. Not got as far as running a PQ for a Dec 2005 cache, but it's only a matter of time...

 

OS Junior is 4 1/2 and takes 3-mile walks in his stride. I really want to get some high Ts on my grid and his by going hill walking rather than climbing down a storm drain. the further N & W you go in the UK the hillier it gets, and far too many of my caches are in the SE.

 

General theme then: you've guessed it, quality over quantity.

 

Happy caching...

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When I first began, a new cache would almost always lead to a nice hike or an interesting place. I was surprised when I found my first film can on a nondescript block in the city and wondered why anyone would want to take me there. At some point, I came across a nano on a landscaping trellis in a busy shopping center right in front of a store and realized that there was no need for me to find that container. At another point, a friend told me a puzzle would be easy if I expanded my math to include trigonometry and I realized that there was no need for me to solve a puzzle just to find a container. I am not sure that any of this means that my priorities have changed or that I came to the point where I realized that the game should not change my priorities.

 

I probably cached less this past month than I have since I started this game in earnest. But I still will look for a cache if there is the promise of a nice walk or interesting location. When traveling, I still find that virtuals, earthcaches, and occasional traditionals will take me to places that I might otherwise have missed experiencing. And although most of the group that once formed the core of the game in my area no longer are as active, every once in a while we get together for a nice hike and I realize that the game still encompasses important priorities.

 

At the moment, letterboxing may provide a better focus for a long walk with the dog than most of the current local caches; exploring an abandoned building may be more adventurous; and if there is not a cache at a particular location that I want to visit, there still be may be a photo op. But my priorities have remained remarkably consistent. I still hope to find a thousand virtuals before they completely disappear and add 500 earthcaches to that. It just may take awhile.

Edited by geodarts
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My priorities are the same as they've always been. Go out and have fun and if I can leverage it into adventure, so much the better.

 

I spent a couple days in the Carrizo Plain National Monument and had a real blast. Lots of pictures and a few caches, even time to snag a few benchmarks, too.

 

This has to be my coolest photo of the trip, it actually sat there while I swapped lenses.

 

hawk_profile.jpg

Edited by DragonsWest
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When, earlier in this thread, I said that to stay caching for a long time your priorities need to change, some people responded that their priority was still the same -- to have fun.

 

Come on, folks. If having fun were not the main priority then we wouldn't be doing this. You know perfectly well that was not the intention of the OP.

 

So can we drop the "my priority is to have fun" nonsense?

 

Maybe it could be better worded as "how has your caching style evolved?"

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When, earlier in this thread, I said that to stay caching for a long time your priorities need to change, some people responded that their priority was still the same -- to have fun.

 

Come on, folks. If having fun were not the main priority then we wouldn't be doing this. You know perfectly well that was not the intention of the OP.

 

So can we drop the "my priority is to have fun" nonsense?

 

Maybe it could be better worded as "how has your caching style evolved?"

 

Yes but my caching style has not evolved, and I still enjoy it pretty much the same way that I did 12 years ago. The priority is always to have fun. :D That seems so basic and simple, but I have seen many cachers come and go. The obsession with numbers, or clearing radiuses always has a burn out point. My goal is simply to explore what I have not seen before and if I have been there already, then it is to notice what I may have missed, and to enjoy the outdoors. That's how I have fun.

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When, earlier in this thread, I said that to stay caching for a long time your priorities need to change, some people responded that their priority was still the same -- to have fun.

 

Come on, folks. If having fun were not the main priority then we wouldn't be doing this. You know perfectly well that was not the intention of the OP.

 

So can we drop the "my priority is to have fun" nonsense?

 

Maybe it could be better worded as "how has your caching style evolved?"

 

I don't think it is nonsense at all, especially when people set priorities that turn the game into work. I couldn't believe how many in my local group prioritized the 31 days of August to the point that they were complaining towards the end that they had to do it. My priority has always been to have fun. My objective towards obtaining that has evolved over time, from long hikes with few caches, to trying to rack up as many urbans as quickly as possible. Now, long hikes in my area will also get you a good number of finds, so I have really lost interest in the urban caches, unless I just happen to be driving by. Two weeks ago, I could have hiked a new trail and found about 25 caches in five miles, or hike with a bunch of friends and watch them find 30 or so caches that I found two months ago. Of course, I took the latter.

Edited by Don_J
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Bumping my thread up :anitongue: ...

My grand total is now in a mid-1300s wilderness where I probably won't get excited until 2000 and that's maybe a year away.

I have as predicted slowed to about half my pre-1000 speed. Surprised myself by doing a 100-day stretch but really, really don't expect to get close to that, ever.

I now own 13 caches (and have organised an event) - FPs on 12 of them, hovering around 20% according to project-gc. Proud to be perplexing, amusing, challenging and entertaining cachers.

Yesterday the family went on a 2-mile walk, OS Junior properly got into swapping swag (had a clearout at home) - fairly boring caches for an adult, but the pleasure of seeing a (nearly) 5-year-old using his eyes and enjoying the countryside is to cherish.

51/81 on the D/T grid (targeting 60 by the end of the year), peeping at the Jasmer challenge, focusing on keeping trads below 90% which means taking the time to do some quite involved multis and puzzles. First-ever CITO next week; Junior got his first earth cache on Saturday and got a basic grasp of geology and fossils. Squinting at the road map to see if I can fit in 5 counties on a visit to my sister's; have enjoyed city breaks in 2 new countries, going to Lisbon and Hamburg with some memorable caches.

When I started this thread I'd never have guessed I'd put out as many as 13 caches, organise an event or - more importantly - see some of the places near and far from home that I've been to. Who knows what adventures lie ahead?

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Yep, my priorities have changed. I now look for maybe 6 to 10 caches a year; mostly when I'm on vacation in some state where I haven't found one yet. Problem is that I really stink at finding them. So, rather than getting frustrated, I've pushed it down to the level of "oh yeah, I do geocaching sometimes too." And I only look for the ones that are marked as easy, and the logs confirm that they are easy.

 

I already had a gob of really fun hobbies before I got into geocaching. Most of the other ones remain more satisfying to me, like playing/writing music, making trails, farming and Waymarking. So yep, I geocache, but it's down on the list of things to do. ;)

Edited by MountainWoods
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Right now I just cache when I can and am not in a huge rush to increase my numbers. I live in a rural area so getting big numbers usually involves traveling. As a result, I am starting to look into making new and interesting caches as a way of enjoying the game by bringing enjoyment to others.

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