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over 50s geocashing


UNCLEFRESHY

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joined a few days ago,what a great game.bought the premium,just to let everyone know im over 50 but net yet drawing my pension.

have car can travel.not really started looking yet,but will soon.i am eager but want to learn the dos and donts first,thanks

for reading.will learn more as we play.unclefreshy

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Welcome to the addict ... ermm... game.

You'll find lots of us over 50 (and some over 70) :rolleyes: that play this game.

It's a great way to get out and get some fresh air and exercise.

The hard part is knowing when to decline the challenge(s) some cachers build into their caches ... like tree climbing, and such.

I gotta keep telling myself ..."you don't have to find ALL the caches" :lol:

 

One important do, is look for easy, larger caches first.

On each cache page, right at the top, you'll see the terrain and difficulty stars that the cache owner has selected for their cache. Lower number of stars, cache should be easier. Right there is also the size of the cache. Try to pick medium to large. (some cache owners rate a micro as a small, so a few smalls will be actually a micro.

Don't get discouraged. Sometimes it takes finding a few before you get the idea of how people hide them, and you'll wonder why you didn't find it the first time.

 

Please do log a DNF if you don't find a cache. There's no shame in a DNF. It just means that you looked for it and didn't find it! Responsible cache owners watch DNF logs as an indicator that they might have to do some maintenance.

Also, please do try to say a bit about each cache, if you can, when you log your find(s). Too many people just log TFTC", or "found it". Many cache owners appreciate some feedback on their caches.

 

Above all, do have fun.

Edited by BC & MsKitty
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Welcome to the addict ... ermm... game.

You'll find lots of us over 50 (and some over 70) :rolleyes: that play this game.

It's a great way to get out and get some fresh air and exercise.

The hard part is knowing when to decline the challenge(s) some cachers build into their caches ... like tree climbing, and such.

I gotta keep telling myself ..."you don't have to find ALL the caches" :lol:

 

Naw. Won't be over 70 until the end of the year. Though I have met several geocachers who are older than I am. Knowing your limitations is important. I hike more slowly these days. Nope. I don't climb trees anymore. Crawl through the sewer pipe? I don't think so. Seven-mile hike (round trip) with 400' of climb? Yeah. I can still so that. Then again, I was a lot younger when I started geocaching twelve-and-a-half years ago.

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I'm not quite 50 yet but fast approaching. I just started geocaching a few months ago and was wondering if there was anyone out there in my age group or if I was attempting to run with the young pups. I have already learned a few lessons about my limitations about how far I can go to find a cache. Climbing rock walls...nope can't do it.

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50 is just a kid. I was over that when I picked up this game and am way beyond that but I did manage an 18 mile caching-hike with a friend a few months ago, numerous kayak trips that have included caching (and camping), and a few mountain bike rides that have included a cache or two. I've crawled through storm drains in the past year. There is a world to explore, both in and out of this game. But yes, know your limits. I won't climb the type of trees that some friends seem to enjoy or scale rock cliffs - but I didn't do that 30 years ago either. I am a little slower than I used to be in the middle of a five hundred or thousand foot climb up a hill. Perhaps I'm lucky to be doing it at all.

 

Its not like I am in that great of shape. Someone offered me their seat on the commuter train the other day. (I declined. Part of me thought I could out-hike or out-paddle her. Perhaps caching has helped by getting me out there from time to time.)

 

The one thing I have learned is that I don't need or want to find every container. But I want to see as many places as I can. So my advice for being over 50 is to decide what is important to you. What kind of caches you want to find. Where you would like to go. For me, life is too short to stop in a parking lot at a lamp post. My advise for people younger than 50 is the same.

 

I will no longer be working in just about a year. I am hoping that I last long enough to take my grand daughter into the wild when she can remember it (she is five months old). So hopefully over 70s caching and exploring will be a thing.

Edited by geodarts
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We're both 68 and hope to get a few more US next month, China in August and some more UK in September and perhaps a European river cruise will add a few more next year. getting out there while we're still physicall able, you never know what might be around the corner health wise.

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Depending on the area, over 50 is the norm, at least as far as the folks who show up to events. When I cached in Germany, 30s was the median, so I was right in the demographic, but when I came back to the states, I found I tended to be on the younger side of things.

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I'm over 50 and justad spinal surgery and going to have hip replacement within the next couple of months, so at present i'm just doing easy caches, no climbing or hiking, hopefully i can start doing harder in a couple of months or so ! my body maybe getting old but my brain is still only 37 !!

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I'm 69 and hope to add a few new countries when I tour Africa next year to celebrate my 70th.

 

I plan to do this for a few more years yet.

 

Which countries are you going to? I've been to Africa six times so may be able to offer some advise.

 

63 here. No tree climbing caches to me but I'm not afraid of a long hike or fording a stream.

 

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I'm 69 and hope to add a few new countries when I tour Africa next year to celebrate my 70th.

 

I plan to do this for a few more years yet.

 

Which countries are you going to? I've been to Africa six times so may be able to offer some advise.

 

63 here. No tree climbing caches to me but I'm not afraid of a long hike or fording a stream.

 

I'll answer this in the "Collecting countries" thread as it will be off-topic here.

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Over 70 here and a few months ago we did 10+ miles through the woods to get a few....point farthest was an earthcache.

I ignore puzzles as we don't normally care for them and when we got home ( 500 miles ) I saw we walked by dozens of nice caches.I solved all the puzzles which were nature related and made a GSAK file of just those caches.....with so many to find it may take a day or two when we get back to the area.

Nothing new though, I've driven right by Mingo a couple of times over the years and forgot to stop...I may be able to correct that in the next couple of months.

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On 5/24/2017 at 1:04 PM, s7eph said:

my body maybe getting old but my brain is still only 37 !!

 

37!!  I'm over 60 (Egad--did I just say that )  but my brain is still in my 20s.  Unfortunately, when I was 45, my doctor told me my body was in its 90s (no, not drugs... Just bad genes :(:mad:)  But like they say...

I may get older, but I refuse to grow up!  (or was it, "Getting old is not for sissies" --I forget...)  :huh::unsure:

Edited by RufusAllec
Typo
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I've just hit 50 in May!

A few days before my birthday, I had a big mountain bike crash and shattered my thumb. So, mountain biking etc was off limits for a while, so I took to 'dog marching' and caching. This is when I signed up to a premium membership, and - Ta-daaaaaaa!! :) Loads of brilliant caches popped up, Particularly some excellent mystery caches. I was a little tired of finding soggy clip top containers disowned by their CO's until forceably archived. I have completed some really satisfying puzzle caches, of which some have taken hours of work, but the reward is brilliant!

I may be wrong, but it would seem most of my local prolific cachers and CO's must be retired due to the amount of time and days they spend caching. At this stage of life with LOTS of commitments, I will only be a few caches a week finder, and a handful of caches owned.

It'll be at least 20 years before I retire, I doubt Geocaching will exist in it's present form by then - Anyone care to have a punt at predicting the future? I'm guessing the technology will be the driver of the future?............................

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On 4/22/2017 at 2:48 PM, UNCLEFRESHY said:

thanks for reply looked for one today gave up after 30 minutes but will be back tommoz

Make sure the first few you try have an easy rating.  If you keep doing 30 minute searches without finding anything, you'll get bored.  And avoid the very small ones at first.  

The cache listing will tell you (1) the size of the container, (2) the difficulty (how well hidden), & (3) the terrain (anything from flat ground to rugged mountain).  Choose accordingly, and good luck.

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I appreciate DCondon up there being 28 so that my 35 year old self isn't the youngest on this thread. I have no desire to climb trees, so I suppose that aspect of youth is wasted on me. I often get jealous of the "well-seasoned" folks that whose logs I read in my area... The ones that I know are retired and have generally unlimited caching time. Between work, 2nd job, coaching my nephews baseball teams -- it gets extremely difficult to make time for more than a simple Park and Grab (A cache that is easily accessible, just a short walk from a safe place to park  your car.)

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I think age is how you feel... 

At 62, I still do the same  as when we started, but  climbed//rappelled , hiked ... pretty much anything outdoors since young.   :)

Helped maybe to have parents who hiked (they called it walking...), hunted and fished.

The biggest difference now is if I get hurt, I stay hurt a bit longer than I used to.    :D

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36 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

At 62, I still do the same  as when we started, but  climbed//rappelled , hiked ... pretty much anything outdoors since young.   :)

I envy you that (at ~the same age).  The mind/spirit are willing, but the body....:(:unsure::blink::mad:

I can't be too old, cuz the music ain't too loud... (yet). :D

36 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

The biggest difference now is if I get hurt, I stay hurt a bit longer than I used to.    :D

We tend to break easier too.  :rolleyes:

After breaking/spraining my hand/wrist last week, I got yelled at today for going down a 10' escarpment after a T=2. (Didn't find/see the path until it was too late.)  "If you break anything else, you can walk home!"  Worst part was, for all my effort, it was a DNF! :mad:

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Today is my 75th birthday.  I started doing a little caching when I was over 60, and went at it big time at 66 (when I retired).  There are a lot of caches that I can't/won't do and more that I don't feel comfortable going for by myself but will do in the company of others.  My tree climbing days are in the far distant past and rock climbing was never an activity for me.  I have been known to crawl up short steep slopes on my hands and knees and to scoot down on my behind.  But I love geocaching and hope to be able to continue for years yet.  

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4 minutes ago, NanCycle said:

Today is my 75th birthday.  I started doing a little caching when I was over 60, and went at it big time at 66 (when I retired).  There are a lot of caches that I can't/won't do and more that I don't feel comfortable going for by myself but will do in the company of others.  My tree climbing days are in the far distant past and rock climbing was never an activity for me.  I have been known to crawl up short steep slopes on my hands and knees and to scoot down on my behind.  But I love geocaching and hope to be able to continue for years yet.  

Happy birthday, NanCycle, and many more! I'm pretty close in your rear view mirror, and am cheering you on.  :D

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1 hour ago, NanCycle said:

Today is my 75th birthday.  I started doing a little caching when I was over 60, and went at it big time at 66 (when I retired).  There are a lot of caches that I can't/won't do and more that I don't feel comfortable going for by myself but will do in the company of others.  My tree climbing days are in the far distant past and rock climbing was never an activity for me.  I have been known to crawl up short steep slopes on my hands and knees and to scoot down on my behind.  But I love geocaching and hope to be able to continue for years yet.  

Happy Birthday NanCycle!  My husband and I began our geocaching adventure with his retirement a few months ago; we are 60 and 61.  Your description of yourself sounds a lot like me!  I too, hope to be continue for years to come.  Happy Caching!

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As a over 50 member i think I may qualify slightly within this section of the forum.  

I have just come back from doing a small trail.  Unfortunately due to work commitments I can only get out now and then so when i can i try and get as many as I can .  Like today I have just been out and got 8 out of 8.  Don't congratulate me yet because it wasn't all plain sailing.  The last one was a bit of a nasty. After reading the clues and looking a previous logs it appeared to be up a tree between 15 and 20 feet.  Now I'm not as nimble as i was 20 years ago and my poor body over the last few years has had a few knocks and had its problems, so not wanting to be beaten by this last cache I gingerly climb this thing in hoping I would find it. I was twice up and twice down but didn't find it .  Third time up I see it on the ground.  

What annoys me the most is why do people insist on putting these things up in trees when there's plenty of places on or around ground level to hide.  We don't all have the facilities to borrow some young child to run up a tree and hide the log or even go find it.  Surely there's a risk to putting them up in trees or at high levels out of reach without the use of a child to get it for you.  We all strive to complete individual trails it always gives us a sense of achievement when you have completed it.  I know there are a few who would say "get over yourself i climb mountains and huge trees",  well i say to you well done to you and you continue to do what you do, but for the ones that can't please have a bit of decorum and give us a chance of at least completing some of these really good trails.  If you are going to stick it up on high then consider putting at a separate one to the series / trail.  maybe consider doing it as a special.  Anyway I have had my gripe and I wish you all happy low level caching in the future 

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4 hours ago, hullnewfy said:

What annoys me the most is why do people insist on putting these things up in trees when there's plenty of places on or around ground level to hide.  We don't all have the facilities to borrow some young child to run up a tree and hide the log or even go find it.  Surely there's a risk to putting them up in trees or at high levels out of reach without the use of a child to get it for you.  We all strive to complete individual trails it always gives us a sense of achievement when you have completed it.  I know there are a few who would say "get over yourself i climb mountains and huge trees",  well i say to you well done to you and you continue to do what you do, but for the ones that can't please have a bit of decorum and give us a chance of at least completing some of these really good trails.  If you are going to stick it up on high then consider putting at a separate one to the series / trail.  maybe consider doing it as a special.  Anyway I have had my gripe and I wish you all happy low level caching in the future 

That's why caches have a Difficulty and Terrain rating on every one.     :) 

A bit of decorum?  Sorry, sounds more like entitlement to me. 

D/T ratings are set for a reason.   Isn't Pokémon, no need to get 'em all...

If you feel that you can't access it ... skip it.    The opposite, I skip right by the 1.5 caches with no regrets.  :)

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