Setting an example

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Haffy6......In my last cache I left a new packaged CITO shirt that I had picked up for the last event cleanup cache that I participated in Brewer with a bunch of other cacher friends. That was given out as a FTF prize.

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I was FTF on that and didn't take the prize. Being FTF was prize enough and the cache location was awesome. The FTF prize was a size too small and I hope whoever got it will wear it and display Geocaching colors and ethos proudly.

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Firefighterjake......personally for me I enjoy giving away stuff . . . after all you can't take "it" with you and so I think I'll still attempt one or two caches to start with stocked with good stuff . . . and see how it goes. Not a themed cache, but one where people know right from the get-go that if they go looking they should either be prepared to write "TNLN" or make a good trade.

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I'm not being critical and I understand your point about quality of cache items and I think its a shame that many people don't trade evenly. I think the MacDonald toys are annoying, basically because I don't play with `em. My daughter, who is 4 likes the rocks and shotgun shells found in the bottom of the cache, go figure. (She also much rather play with the box that the $150.00 battery operated car came in than the car itself. ) My point is and many people here may feel the same, if you put $50 of stuff in a cache and hide it at the rear of a WalMart parking lot, it's not as good a cache that has a well thought out hide or location at a very scenic location with nothing but a few $1 swags. I've been told my philosophy isn't true down south as numbers are more important than quality caches and a GPS isn't really needed down south, all you have to do is pick up a base of a light pole at Walmart. LOL...I got to go and see that and boost my numbers. lol

You mention you like to do nice things. Surfice it to say that you did your part and put out a nice cache and not become dissappointed when in a few months your cache is full of rocks and old shotgun shells. Retention of cachers and recruitment should be our goal. Don't let the trade items keep you from otherwise a great sport and opportunity to see and walk through some great places here in Maine or elsewhere for that matter. (TN has how many lightpoles?)

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Originally Posted by Trezurs*-R-*Fun

I'm not being critical and I understand your point about quality of cache items and I think its a shame that many people don't trade evenly. I think the MacDonald toys are annoying, basically because I don't play with `em. My daughter, who is 4 likes the rocks and shotgun shells found in the bottom of the cache, go figure. (She also much rather play with the box that the $150.00 battery operated car came in than the car itself. ) My point is and many people here may feel the same, if you put $50 of stuff in a cache and hide it at the rear of a WalMart parking lot, it's not as good a cache that has a well thought out hide or location at a very scenic location with nothing but a few $1 swags. I've been told my philosophy isn't true down south as numbers are more important than quality caches and a GPS isn't really needed down south, all you have to do is pick up a base of a light pole at Walmart. LOL...I got to go and see that and boost my numbers. lol

You mention you like to do nice things. Surfice it to say that you did your part and put out a nice cache and not become dissappointed when in a few months your cache is full of rocks and old shotgun shells. Retention of cachers and recruitment should be our goal. Don't let the trade items keep you from otherwise a great sport and opportunity to see and walk through some great places here in Maine or elsewhere for that matter. (TN has how many lightpoles?)

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I believe people stay in any sport or activity if they have motivation. That motivation varies from individual from individual. In the short time I've been geo-caching I've noticed that for some folks it seems to be all about the numbers (having the most finds), for others it's about being one of the first to get the FTF (apparently a rarity for many folks who work Monday through Friday), for others it's about the challenge of finding something hidden away that many people walk right by and never notice, while for others it may be spending the day with their family or loved ones, getting outside, seeing new locations and for some it's finding a small reward . . . although I suspect for many of us it's a combination of these factors that motivate us.

I agree 100% with you on the location issue. If I put together a cache full of $100 worth of swag and then placed it at the Unity Lagoon where all the septic waste ends up or at HawkRidge where human sludge is processed into compost I can't imagine too many geo-cachers would appreciate the cache as much as they might a cache full of $10 worth of swag in a scenic, out-of-the-way spot.

Again, my main point is that I have seen too often folks that just don't seem to care and think throwing in items that are broken, dirty or just plain trash in a cache is OK. Maybe my thinking is off kilter from the rest of geo-caching society, but I don't want to take something from every cache I encounter, but it's nice to at least see a cache with some decent looking stuff in it. I don't expect to find $10 bills in caches (although I was surprised to see a few caches with some in them), diamond rings or $20 gift items . . . but it's very disappointing to search and search and find a beautiful spot and then find garbage in the cache . . . especially with the CITO philosophy supposedly being espoused . . . some of these caches almost appear to be CITI.

And now the good news . . . this past week I've done three or four caches (I can't seem to get it out of my system -- I think I'm addicted -- I think I would make a great drug junkie or drunk if I actually did drugs or drank alcohol in quantity! -- and the good news is that in virtually all of them (one was a micro cache) I found the cache to be pretty clean and there was a variety of decent-looking items in them. One cache I opted to take nothing. At another I took a signature item and placed an item (new AA flashlight in its original packaging) of at least the same if not more value and at the third cache (as mentioned earlier) I found some corn cob holders which I replaced with two items of same or more value. It sounds stupid, but those corn cob holders made my day . . . probably only cost 99 cents, but the point is someone cared enough to place something decent-looking and not simply place something that looked as though it came from the left-overs of a yard sale. After my last few caches I'm thinking maybe I just happened to start out with some lousy caches where folks didn't care so much. . . .

Joe and I went to five caches in the Falmouth area today and enjoyed all the walks even though it was about 90 degrees and humid. Fortunately we had a LOT of water bottles with us. We hit our 94th cache today and yes, we have seen caches filled with junk, neglected and in pretty bad locations. Today was an excellent cache day with all five caches being in good condition, clean, interesting items in them and in safe, accessible locations. We often take nothing but always put in our baggie with geocache card and marbles. If we do trade and it is a really good item, we'll put in two items. Today we lucked out and picked up a Msteelee cardinal on a rock which I'd hoped to one day find. Also passed up on a Forest Nymph painted acorn since we already have one. The last cache we took nothing but left Atroll's screen saver CD. We try to think what we'd like to find in a cache and leave something as good - or just take nothing. Since we cache with just each other and no kids, it's not about taking things but about new locations and just finally finding the box! For me, the most fun of all is Travel Bugs. It just facinates me to see these things travel around the world. Maybe I wish it was me doing the travelling.

Anne / TwoMaineiacs

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Originally Posted by TwoMaineiacs

For me, the most fun of all is Travel Bugs. It just facinates me to see these things travel around the world. Maybe I wish it was me doing the travelling.

Anne / TwoMaineiacs

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I agree. We just got back from a caching trip to Eastport/Campobello/Calais. We took 6 TB's with us, and the most fun was deciding where to place them - with diligence to the goal the owner stipulated for the TB.

We have several TB's out there as well: two are currently in Europe (one in Norway and one in the UK after visiting Ireland). We really love getting the emails telling us they've moved, and reading what people say about the TB.

And then there are the people - especially newbies - who pick up a TB and hang on to it for months. Sems like they don't realize that there are people there WAITING for the TB to move.

Oh well...

:rolleyes: