› Forums › Geocaching in Wisconsin › General › Geocaching shouldn’t have to cause more fuel consumption
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Team Hemisphere Dancer.
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05/30/2008 at 1:47 pm #1726613
I originally posted this next paragraph back in November in the Off Topic forum, but in light of the discussion over gas prices I’m reposting it because I think it’s something we as geocachers need to consider:
We don’t drive and burn fossil fuels for the sake of finding geocaches. We only hunt caches if we’re going to be in a particular for other reasons and there is a geocache along our route that looks like an interesting hike or kayaking trip.
When I posted that in the Off Topic forum, it effectively ended the discussion. It was answered with dead silence. Why? Did I hit a nerve? Maybe, but I think it’s something we shouldn’t overlook.
To expand on my point: I think each of us, me included, needs to take a hard look at how we pursue geocaches. 1. Do we burn fuel and contribute to air pollution for the sake of running up geocache numbers? 2. In our quest to find NEW geocaches, are we driving more than a few minutes when we could be returning to close-by parks or wooded areas that we have already visited many times to get our nature fix? 3. And maybe one of the most important questions of all, do we really need to use a motorized vehicle to geocache? If it’s that important to get there, why not make it better for our health (let alone the environment) by walking or bicycling to that geocache. If your reply is “But I have already found all the geocaches within walking/biking distance of my home,” then I refer you to point #2 — Why do we have to continually find NEW geocaches? What’s wrong with revisiting great locations we have already discovered? I can’t tell you how many logs I have read that say something like, “Great location. I’ll have to come back here again.” Do you think most people ever do take the time to return? I don’t think so.
When you look our sport from an outsider’s perspective, what does it look like to them? The hard (and mostly unspoken) truth is that too often it looks like out-of-shape people driving around in cars in pursuit of a series of drive-up cache locations.
My point is that geocaching should make us all appreciate the outdoors, being alive, and excited to improve our outdoor knowledge and our health. It should not be the cause of us driving more miles and burning more fuel than we already do.
05/30/2008 at 2:41 pm #1889811@kbraband wrote:
I originally posted this next paragraph back in November in the Off Topic forum, but in light of the discussion over gas prices I’m reposting it because I think it’s something we as geocachers need to consider:
We don’t drive and burn fossil fuels for the sake of finding geocaches. We only hunt caches if we’re going to be in a particular for other reasons and there is a geocache along our route that looks like an interesting hike or kayaking trip.
When I posted that in the Off Topic forum, it effectively ended the discussion. It was answered with dead silence. Why? Did I hit a nerve? Maybe, but I think it’s something we shouldn’t overlook.
To expand on my point: I think each of us, me included, needs to take a hard look at how we pursue geocaches. 1. Do we burn fuel and contribute to air pollution for the sake of running up geocache numbers? 2. In our quest to find NEW geocaches, are we driving more than a few minutes when we could be returning to close-by parks or wooded areas that we have already visited many times to get our nature fix? 3. And maybe one of the most important questions of all, do we really need to use a motorized vehicle to geocache? If it’s that important to get there, why not make it better for our health (let alone the environment) by walking or bicycling to that geocache. If your reply is “But I have already found all the geocaches within walking/biking distance of my home,” then I refer you to point #2 — Why do we have to continually find NEW geocaches? What’s wrong with revisiting great locations we have already discovered? I can’t tell you how many logs I have read that say something like, “Great location. I’ll have to come back here again.” Do you think most people ever do take the time to return? I don’t think so.
When you look our sport from an outsider’s perspective, what does it look like to them? The hard (and mostly unspoken) truth is that too often it looks like out-of-shape people driving around in cars in pursuit of a series of drive-up cache locations.
My point is that geocaching should make us all appreciate the outdoors, being alive, and excited to improve our outdoor knowledge and our health. It should not be the cause of us driving more miles and burning more fuel than we already do.
Interesting points, Ken, and thanks for sharing them.
I do think, though, that you are missing the perspective of “geo-tourists” like myself that enjoy the discovery of something new, and learning about what is around the next bend in the road. One of the main reasons that I geocache is because I am curious about what things are like in other places.
I am curious about old buildings, old depots, American history, geology, Indian mounds, how other people live, and natural areas that are different from the mixed hardwoods of Eau Claire County. That is why I, like many tourists, are willing to drive to places never before visited. To me, the best part of geocaching is when local folks find the best places near them, place a cache there, describe that place on their cache page, and I get to visit a unique or interesting place that I might not have discovered otherwise.
I do agree with your points about drive-up caches. I think that is one of the points that I have alluded to a couple of times since my geo-tourist trip to Wyoming and Colorado. I was more than a little disappointed to find film cans at Walgreens #39 and Starbucks #9, and I agree with you that driving to caches like that, at least for me, is a waste of time and money. On the other hand, if other folks want to spend their time doing that, more power to them. As far as I am concerned, everyone can play the game the way they want. I am just saying, that for me, I have lost interest in finding crappy caches like Walgreens #39 and agree with you that it is a waste of fossil fuel.
But the geo-tourist in me needs to discover new places, so I personally will continue to drive to cache. The trip to Colorado cost over $500 in gas alone, but without that investment I would not have visited some really great places, that made the drive worthwhile. For example, GC15RYF, took over an hour to drive to, was a 3 hour hike, and I only got one smiley, but I will remember that wonderful place for a long time.
zuma
05/30/2008 at 2:45 pm #1889812We do burn fuel just to cache. To answer your questions in order:
1. No. We cache to find new caches. It’s the discovery, not the number, but we still do not find value in revisiting old caches except for maintenance. There are some areas we will revisit independently of the caches there, but this has no reference to geocaching and our enjoyment of that hobby.
2. Yes. For some of us, we don’t geocache for the nature fix. We geocache for the discovery of new caches and sights. Sometimes this leads us to places we will return to. Sometimes it does not. For our team of 2, if we’re making a point of geocaching, we’re taking a GPS and going out for discovery. If we’re out to revisit a beautiful area, we’re bringing a picnic lunch and looking for exercise and/or relaxation. Yes, there are times we do return, but not to geocache.
3. In some cases, yes. It may be regrettable for some, but it is the way it is.
For you, geocaching is a means to a semi-related end. For us, geocaching is a goal in and of itself and sometimes it involves hopping in the car. Neither you nor I either “should” or “should not” participate in the hobby the way we are. We merely enjoy the hobby in two different ways for two different purposes.
05/30/2008 at 3:12 pm #1889813When I geocache, it’s for the purpose of geocaching. Which means getting in a car and going someplace I have never been just to cache. Does it bother me that I burn fossil fuels and pollute to do just that? Not in the least. I don’t even bat an eyelash and I certainly don’t lose sleep over it either.
Most of our driving is now spent on benchmarking. And more often than not, driving 100+ miles will end up being a bust as most of the marks have been long lost. Does it stop us from driving and pursuing them? Are we concerned about burning the fuel in a fruitless attempt? No. Because that one recovery can make filling up our gas tank twice in one weekend all worth it.
In then end, we will continue to drive to new places to look for something (Geocache or benchmark), burn the fuel and not think twice about it. After all, what’s the point if one is not allowed or too worried about ruining the environment to go anywhere and explore anything new? *shrugs*
05/30/2008 at 3:16 pm #1889814Our feelings are similar to Zuma’s. Each weekend we pick a destination. Then we look to see what geocaches are near there. Even if there are only 3 or 4 we still go. It’s not all about geocaching (although it is 90%), bur about the adventure. If you drive 200 miles round trip and get 20 miles per gallon the difference between $3 and $4 per gallon is $10. We’re stuck with high gas prices so $10 is not a very high extra charge for a scenic and adventuresome road trip.
05/30/2008 at 3:59 pm #1889815I try to bring my bike on my adventures whenever possible. Exercise and no gas = 😛
05/30/2008 at 5:51 pm #1889816@Lostby7 wrote:
I try to bring my bike on my adventures whenever possible. Exercise and no gas = 😛
We’re planning on taking our bikes along on most trips. You never know when you’ll find a nice trail that wasn’t marked on any maps.
05/30/2008 at 6:25 pm #1889817When I read your post, I felt a small twinge of guilt at being party to the “We’ll have to come back here” logs. But, after thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that we DO revisit some of the locations that we have learned about from geocaching. When I occaisonally go to Radtke Park on my lunch break to sit on a bench and look out over the lake, I don’t relate it to geocaching, but that’s where I found out about the park. The same goes for other parks/picnic areas/nice spots that we’ve learned about because of geocaching. They have become part of our everyday world.
One could make the same remarks you have about someone taking a vacation to, say, Florida or The Cayman Islands. Is it necessary to go so far? Lots of nice places in Wisconsin… At 21.1 lbs of CO2 per gallon of jet fuel, I can do a lot of driving to caches.
05/30/2008 at 10:35 pm #1889818Overall, I’d echo the comments Ralph has already made about our reasons for enjoying this sport. It *does* gnaw at my green little bleeding heart that we use petroleum to pursue the game, but like Ralph, we do this for the joy of discovering new places and enjoying new experiences, while spending time together. I think that in spite of our other interests that bring us nature fixes, we can honestly say that we’d never have discovered some of the caves we’ve explored. Or snowshoed 5 miles through frozen swampland to get to the source of the Eagle River. I think folks who know us would not mistake either of us for overweight, out of shape people who drive around looking for numbers. I guess I can say that running long distance in our younger days has still paid off, because there are a few reading these forums, younger than us, who’ve commented on trying to keep up with us! There are plenty of activities which might be seen by non-participants as a bunch of out of shape folks driving around. My feeling is that everyone has their own reasons for playing the game, they play it at different levels and for the most part, that fact should be celebrated.
We do get our nature fixes all the time without going far. I’m an avid birder, for instance, and 99% of my life list, which is over 200 birds, was sighted in LaCrosse County.
I am not necessarily speaking for Trekkin’, but we do struggle with the gas consumption issue, as I mentioned in another thread here. Biking to caches in our area would be a limited option. We do bike when we can, but we aren’t hill bikers anymore, and this is most definitely hill country.
There are other things we can choose to do to try and offset our gas consumption. One example is the way we choose to eat, at least during the growing season. Eating organic foods raised locally by our CSA reduces a HUGE load of fuel usage, fuel that isn’t consumed directly by us, but by the trucks hauling out of season food from California, the petrochemicals placed on fields to raise those vegetables conventionally, and even our travel to get the food—four blocks down the street, June through October.
That’s just one example, and I’d love to hear what others are doing to reduce gasoline consumption indirectly, so that the driving we do isn’t such a load. Don’t even get me started on the topic of how life has become so auto-centered that it’s almost impossible, at least around here, to live any other way! Americans love their cars, and unless we get hit over the head and embrace living more as they have in Europe, or even some of our larger cities, for instance, I don’t see that aspect changing, in spite of the gas prices.
05/31/2008 at 12:14 am #1889819We geocache because we enjoy it. We travel because we enjoy it. We don’t drink, don’t smoke or commute in a gas-guzzling SUV. I can’t feel guilty about burning fossil fuels on our week end trips to do something we enjoy. Yes there is a price to be paid and we have been paying it. Unfortunately, we have been paying way too much for the likes of the bureaucracies and taxes brought to us by green freaks the likes of Al Gore. Al Gore who burns enough electricity in his multi-million dollar mansion to power several modest homes. Al Gore who travels by private jet. The whole lot is a bunch of hypocrites. I will do my part to recycle and conserve, but it is not out of guilt or a need to feel superior to those who won’t. I will do this because I want to. I will geocache because I want to. I will travel because I want to. Yes I am fat, but I won’t be made to fee guilty about that either. This year, Trudy & the beast will geocache U.S. Route 66; almost 5000 miles round trip, 200 gallons of gasoline, and when we are done, we will feel no guilt or shame but rather a sense of pride in having achieved a goal. A dream that has come to fruition.
****** End of Rant ******
~tb05/31/2008 at 12:42 pm #1889820“Geocaching shouldn’t have to cause more fuel consumption.”
I don’t accept that premise from the start. You could easily frame this discussion in, “Do you burn fossil fuel just to__________________”
The blank ultimately comes down to “live your life.” One person’s noble, gas-burning-worthy activity is another person’s waste of time.
On the Left Side of the Road...05/31/2008 at 1:41 pm #1889821Do you burn Fossil Fuel just to go to the grocery store?
Do you burn fossil fuel just to go to work?
Do you burn fossil fuel just to go the the hospital?
Do you burn fossil fuel just to go Kayaking?
Do you burn fossil fuel just to go camping?
Do you burn fossil fuel just to have lights in the house?I could go on but its a fact that we burn fossil fuel to do just about anything aside from waking up in the AM without showering and eating breakfast. Because those require energy. Then going for a walk to wherever you chose. But the reality is that we cannot get away from using fossil fuel use at all. We may be able to limit or reduce our consumption of fossil fuels but right now it is the biggest source of energy we have. I would love to see more windmills and solar power being used. But at its costs right now I cannot afford to put them on my home. So I am stuck using fossil fuel to live my live.
I am about to purchase a bike to get to work and reduce consumption and my truck is on its last leg so I will soon be purchasing a more fuel efficient vehicle in the near future. I guess those are my efforts.
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