What makes a geocacher geocache?
9/1/2004
Becky Waldmann (aka “greyhounder”)
You travel along a nature trail that leads you to a beautiful stream. You climb a steep hill into the woods. You step into a park full of children at play. You find yourself staring at garbage can in the middle of a city. Each one of us follows the little arrow on our GPS to a location in the hopes of discovering something special. Itâs that something special that spurs us on and makes up want to continue in our hobby.
A random sampling of active members of the Wisconsin Geocaching Association were contacted via email to determine what it is that makes them want to go geocaching. Of those contacted, twenty geocachers responded. The information was tallied and compared. Some good insight into the sport was shared, and the most popular answers are assembled here.
By far, the largest number of respondents indicated that, like real estate agents, location is everything. Having the chance to explore a new area is good impetus to pick up the GPS and go. It seems that sometimes finding an out of the way park or a piece of interesting history can be just as rewarding as locating the geocache. Thankfully Wisconsin has an abundance of places yet to be discovered. Team Bentboard has found, ââ¦natural treasures with every huntâ¦â
A very close second reason to go geocaching is quite simply the exercise involved. Some geocachers prefer a leisurely stroll through the woods, while others enjoy an invigorating workout of several miles, or up tall hills. Using the difficulty and terrain ratings, families and individuals can tailor their adventures to fit their desired level of exercise.
Another large grouping of responses discussed geocaching in terms of being an activity that can be done with a partner or family members. Geocaching has rewards to cheer young and old alike. Some geocachers like to share their fondness for this âobsessionâ with others – seeing the look on the face of others upon locating a geocache can be the best find of all. In a society of rushing to get everything done, this is a nice way to spend a little one-on-one time.
âWhatâs Nextâ has never ââ¦grown out of Easter egg huntsâ¦â and based on some of the emails received that appears to be the case with many of us. Over and over, geocachers used the phrase, âthe thrill of the hunt.â The actual treasure doesnât always have to be the trinkets found inside the container. The joy felt by geocaching can also be found in simply stepping out and looking for the cache.
Geocaching is educational in many ways. WhitnallGPS shares the travel bugs he finds with his sixth grade class as part of a geography lesson. Historical locations always teach us something about an area. One can improve upon his or her flora and fauna identification skills while geocaching. And the use of a fairly new bit of technology like the GPS definitely gets the gears in the brain moving.
By no means are these the only reasons for geocaching. Some Wisconsin Geocachers like deciphering clues. Others enjoy the solitude. Still other geocachers like to have an objective when they venture out into the world. Geocaching is something that can be done on vacations. You can go geocaching with your dog. Geocaching is a great way, through chance meetings on the trails or at events, to meet other people who share a common interest. Sometimes the reason for pursuing certain geocaches varies from day to day, cache hunt to cache hunt. Whatever your reason, you have discovered something special.