What Will 2004 Bring?

[wzbt03]

I reflect on one year of caching and can only wonder what the new year can bring. When I started there were just over 600 caches in Wisconsin (if my memory is correct)and now we are over 1400.
The number of people caching has grown at an amazing rate. The beast tells me I was the 300th cacher in Wisconsin when I started and now that number is much much higher (would have to consult the beast on that one).
I made it through 157 caches before I ran into another cacher, which was a lot like seeing bigfoot since I didn’t know what to expect.
Have met a bunch of really great people in the geocaching community and have figured out that each contributes something different, yet positive to our activity.
So whether you chase numbers, savor milestones, solve the hardest ones or just be there to support others – Happy New Year and lets make it another great year for Wisconsin Geocaching!

[Ray]

I would like to echo Jeff’s comments. This is an absolutely amazing activity. It seems to have something for everyone but the couch potatoes. Jeff was the 300th active cacher that I was able to identify from available logs one year ago today. Happy anniversary Jeff. I lost count of active cachers in mid October when our numbers were in excess of 1000. Today there are scores of new cachers that I have not even been able to name. This growth is due to what each of you has brought to the game. We may never be able to individually bring as much to the game as some of our Icons have.. Ken Braband, Jeff Thorson, John Carvin to name a few and we are deeply grateful for their contributions. Happy New Year to each and every one of you. We love you.

Keep on caching,
T&tb

[Cachew]

Well, I’m not sure what all I have brought to this game. I am deeply appreciative of the efforts from the entire WGA administration. Ken, Brian and Jeremy in particular. These happen to be three people whose names I saw in the logs when I started in March 2001. My first two finds were Jeremy’s. The 5th was Brian’s and the 7th and 8th were two of Ken’s. (There were no caches around Madison at the time.)

These three people have really given a lot to Wisconsin geocaching, and they know a lot about how a loosely knit organization such as ours can be run successfully.

I’d also have to say that the caches from each of these guys are my favorites: a good, long and quiet walk in nature. A quiet place to show and share. Other examples of the same venue are from Lil Otter and the Hot Dogs Off Trail – and these people are also icons to our sport. I think I figured out why. These folks truly enjoy the outdoors experience over the technological game.

The few caches I’ve hidden have been lessons from these players – and I think there has been some success at making some of these good, long and quiet outings accessible to all. I hid a wheelchair accessible one on November, 2002 that survives to this day!

Some other big-time contributors to our success have been the likes of the Cache Cows, Trudy & the Beast, and wzbt03 who give so much to this forum.

But you know the one thing that intrigues us all – makes us grin and laugh – and that is the ‘I Found It’ effect! This is truly an amazing activity.

Have a Happy Caching New Year!
Cachew and Wicket, the geocaching dog – Evansville

[kbraband]

Thanks for the nice words. Maybe if I told my teenage kids I’m an “icon” they would consider going geocaching with me sometime. But seriously, it’s been tons of fun to play and work at geocaching with so many geocachers in Wisconsin and around the Midwest. Because so many people have done so much to make the WGA strong and fun for everyone, it’s dangerous to start naming names because you just can’t name them all. One of the things I’m proud of is that we’ve always tried to make the WGA a welcoming organization for everyone, whether you’ve found your first geocache or if you’ve found 500. At the risk of naming names, I can’t think of “teams” who have done more to support this goal than Team CacheCows and JeremyV –for their development and maintenance of our outstanding website; Trudy and the Beast and the Lil Otter for all the behind-the-scenes emailing they do to welcome geocachers to the sport; and Brian of Team GrouseTales for the many hours he puts in working with geocachers to get their caches approved in Wisconsin. These and many others who do so much for geocaching deserve our thanks.

[RangerBoy]

I think the sport is definitely growing. I’ve been doing it for little over a year and I’ve noticed more and more new names in the logs, especially in the last month. Maybe there is some sort of Christmas effect due to people getting GPS receivers as presents!

[Ray]

Ken is so right:

quote:

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Originally posted by kbraband:
…it’s dangerous to start naming names because you just can’t name them all…

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The few that I named are but a few examples to the people that have been so inspiring to us. Unfortunately, I do not have the energy to name ALL that have been so instramental in making Wisconsin Geocaching what it is today. I acknowledge the contributions of the others named above and many more that have not been named here. Kudos to every Wisconsin cacher, you are what this sport is about. ~tb

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