This topic contains 5 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by 
Trekkin and Birdin 6 years, 7 months ago.
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I know things ebb and flow through the seasons, but at least in our area of southwest Wisconsin, it seems like geocaching is kind of a dying thing. We put out a few new caches when the weather was still manageable and after the FTF…which even those took some time to happen… there’s been no further interest. And when I look occasionally without filtering our finds, it seems like there’s not a lot of activity anymore. I know some are playing other geolocation games. In our case, we’ve shifted to caching if we’re going someplace we want to go, anyway, and we see some caches of interest for whatever reason. We are on our 50th day now without a find!
Are people seeing similar trends in their areas (excluding non-activity due to brutal weather, which we all understand)? If so, what do you think is causing this downward trend?
My area goes in streaks. I really think this winter is putting a huge damper on things right now. I wish we could get some new cachers in my area so I can see some new caches I can find.
All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.
Aaron, I agree, this winter has made it *really* slow, but we’ve noticed this trend well ahead of the winter. I kind of wonder if the use of phone apps has anything to do with it all? When people invested in the GPSr unit, they had money into it, so incentive to make use of their toys. Now, people have the phones anyway, so getting the app isn’t any big investment.
I’m not sure if there has been any significant decline in SE Wisconsin. Sure there are some people that slow down or fall off the grid (a bunch of them it seems lately), but I’m regularly seeing newer geocachers appear each year. One can only hope that those newer to the game will step up to become quality cache hiders, good log writers, environmentally aware, and WGA-involved. Time will tell.
There are a few things that I believe help sustain geocaching activity in our area.
First are the regularly-occurring BIG events that are on the calendar every year. They bring people together. They create excitement. Not only are there the WGA events that rotate locations throughout the state, but every January we have an excellent Waukesha Janboree geocaching event (15 years and counting), which features 30 to 66 fairly winter-friendly creative caches each year. There is also the annual West Bend Cache Ba$h mega-event each August (50 to 66 caches) in our neck of the woods. Every two years is the summer Waukesha County geocaching Road Rally with creative “tasks” and 20 to 30 caches for teams of 4 to 6 people.
Second, in addition to those anchor events, almost every year there is an epic team-building competition/geocache series, which brings people together and helps form friendships. Or a high-quality series of 20 to 40 caches with props and gimmicks. It generates a lot of buzz and a lot of FaceBook posts too. Some of those “competitions” in the past (which can last up to a year) have included a geo-hunger games, geo-survivor, geo-amazing race, etc. They afford opportunities for not only finding caches but getting to know others who share the same interest.
Third, living in a heavily populated area can lead to a greater amount of people learning about the game. Plus scouting and school groups in our area seem to find out about geocaching and introduce a whole new generation to the game.
I am convinced that one of the most important variables in the sustainability of long-term geocachers is relationships. Those who have a geocaching buddy or buddies to share the adventures with will more likely continue to enjoy geocaching. That’s not necessarily as easy for those who live in less populated areas or those who are introverts. To that extent I think that FaceBook and the WGA have been very helpful for many in that area. Of course it helps to have quality caches too (whether it’s the container or location or both), and Gwyn we LOVE finding your caches when we’re in your area!
Aaron, I agree, this winter has made it *really* slow, but we’ve noticed this trend well ahead of the winter. I kind of wonder if the use of phone apps has anything to do with it all? When people invested in the GPSr unit, they had money into it, so incentive to make use of their toys. Now, people have the phones anyway, so getting the app isn’t any big investment.
I am getting REALLY tired of seeing comments relating to those of us who use the phone apps. It makes it sound as though those of us who started in the cell phone era aren’t as good as those who’ve been doing it since GPSr units were the only way to play the game.
I can only speak for myself, of course, but I slowed down after getting #1000 in early November because in 2018, I found as many caches as I had found the whole 2 1/2 years before. I went through a little bit of fatigue. It’s happened with other hobbies. Won’t go into the whole story, but I also do cross stitch, and I got fatigued on a project I was working on for awhile, largely because I started on one medium, got half-way done, realized it wasn’t going to work on that medium, and then started over on another one after putting a different project on the first medium. I took some time off and went back to it after doing a couple of projects meant for other people. I imagine it’ll be the same with geocaching. I’m actually looking forward to the spring, when the weather will allow me to get back to geocaching.
And, it would be the same if I had decided at some point to invest in a GPSr unit. I’m not the type to traipse solo through a foot of snow for half a mile to find an ammo can in the woods, anyway. Sorry if you feel that makes me less of a geocacher.
bennycams, The comment wasn’t intended to suggest that anyone using the phone app isn’t ‘good enough.’ It was more a theory on why things might be slowing down. If someone is going to enjoy the activity, the way they get there isn’t going to matter. Yes, we all take breathers, even if we’ve been avid participants. A lot of our friends who’ve been doing this even longer than we have mostly use their phones now. Trekkin’ got a phone last spring (I still won’t get one myself) and we’ve used it for caching as well. They’re great if you find yourself somewhere you weren’t expecting to be and want to see if anything interesting is nearby to seek.
So please accept my apologies if the comment offended you.
John, Your observations are interesting as well. Other than the turkey event raslas hosts in our area, we don’t have anything like a recurring “big event.” I sure don’t want to be responsible for making that happen, either, we have enough other things on our plate. Interestingly though, at least in our case, as we’ve moved along, we find we’d rather go out on our own now. That doesn’t mean we haven’t enjoyed the friendships and times caching with those folks. Just….where we’re at these days.
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