Originally Posted by
steverph
Maine's 1000th Geocache but my first hide! Thanks for letting me know.
I was excited to accidently be part of a milestone for Maine geocaching when I first started reading this thread, but I am concerned about the posts that follow. Since I have 5 minutes of fame I am going to seize the moment. Here are my feelings about the sport and this site.
I got involved in caching as another way to enjoy the outdoors and play with toys (GPSr). I had only done a few local caches when I went to the 2005 WWWWWW event in Winslow and met some of you. I never became obsessed with the numbers but rather have enjoyed visiting new places and the challenge of finding a well hidden cache. Most of my finds are local but I have been to some nearby places I would have otherwise never seen. I stopped trading items early on as that part of the game does not interest me and I think finding the treasures should be left for the kids.
As a casual participant I delayed placing my first cache until I was sure I would commit to maintaining it for a few years and I found a spot nearby where I could check it easily. Most importantly, I wanted to put it in a place that people would enjoy visiting. I selected a quality container because I have found some cracked plastic boxes with wet contents. I called the Town office and got permission to place the cache. They agreed because they thought people that do geocaching are the kind of people they want to visit the park. No joke, that's what I was told. Coincidently, there was a wire service story about caching in the local paper that day.
Now, about this website. I visit every week or two to catch up on what is happening. I have been troubled by the tone of many posts and how some threads take a left turn into ranting about cache quality, placement and trade items. Although much of this is true, the way it is presented is unfortunate. I don't understand what can be gained by posting stuff like this. I am very disappointed that my five minutes of fame from accidently placing the 1000th cache has a thread that turned left. I agree with others that feel this tone turns people off and I am worried about how first time visitors perceive Maine cachers.
It is not all negative! I have learned much about caching on this site. The Geocoin project was a huge success and I bought 5 for myself. (Another stroke of luck got me coin #9 in the lottery.) I am heading to Georgia in a couple of weeks and hope to leave one in a cache there. Organizing the events on this site seems very successful and the concern some of you displayed for the family that went to this year's WWWWW and felt excluded was admirable. Everyone also seems eager to celebrate individual milestones, birthdays and to welcome new visitors.
I believe that poor quality caches are placed by well meaning people who want to get involved in a new hobby but don't have the experience to make good choices. Instead of ranting about bad caches, perhaps some informational material about quality containers, site selection and trade items could be permanently placed in a prominent area on the site. Perhaps making a practice of always contacting the owner of a cache requiring maintenance should be considered. I would like to see a list of great Maine caches permanently displayed but don't want to make a contest out of selecting them. After all, this site is maintained and supported by a relatively small group of savy cachers who could develop a list. Or, a group of you pick 5 in each category and do a poll. It's your site, make the list.
I think caching is a way to have some fun outdoors. Some of you take it way more seriously than I do but you are also the folks who have placed the really great caches and organized the events. You should celebrate the success you have brought to an "unorganized" sport. If you want to get new folks excited and involved in Maine caching, keep the tone positive. Don't forget, this site is more than a place for a small group to exchange stories about beer, the price of gas and snowmobiling. Those are all great subjects worthy or hours of discussion but this site is the "unofficial" home Geocaching in Maine. You put it on the coin! Stay on topic and stay positive. There are folks all over the world visiting this site and expecting to read about caching. I have seen a few posts by folks from away who are coming to the state looking for advice on what caches to visit. Although you all jump in to help, it sometimes seems like those posts interrupt some of the strange threads that get started.
The biggest geocaching thrill I have yet had is when I read this part of a post by J & D Moore after they found the Pleasant Point Park cache: "My 4 y.o. son found this first, he was nothing but smiles."
Okay, so I took more than my 5 minutes and I guess I put "Geocaching According to Steve" all in one post. Take it for what it is worth and keep it positive. Now, I have 5 new local caches to find!
Excellent post Steve . . . and incidentally, before I forget, if no one ever officially welcomed you here . . . welcome. I like your attitude and think you'll be a fine addition and a great representative to geocaching.
Much like you I got into geocaching tentatively at first . . . it was more or less a way for me to justify spending the money on an electronic device that would help me from getting lost while ATVing. However, in no time I found that I really enjoyed seeing new places and getting outdoors.
Like you I waited before I did my first hide. I saw what worked and what didn't for containers. I saw what some people left behind in the caches and figured out what would be good to leave and what would be a bad idea. I read the geocaching.com forum threads and read their guidelines and after deciding that I would be doing this for the long haul hid my first cache.
I will say that I haven't completely given up on finding that trade item that I just have to own and in fact DeerHunter once left a glass cat knickknack that did nothing for me . . . but my wife loved. For this reason I still carry in my backpack full of goodies just in case. . . . However, I most often take nothing (or take a signature item) and leave a signature item and/or a small item like a fire safety carabiner, patch, etc.
I think permanently posting some guidelines . . . a FAQ section on hiding your first cache for example with info on good containers vs. bad containers and why, items to place and not place in containers and why, etc. would be a great informative guide. Moreover, for newbies, helpful advice could also be pinned here for how to find a guide, other uses for a GPSr, etc.
I also agree with you . . . discussion is good, but the tone that the conversations have taken here lately has been quite abrasive. I've noticed some folks in other forums are tense as well, but I'm not sure why. In some folks' defense . . . sometimes words on a computer screen cannot convey folks' real feelings and intent . . .
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear."
"Death is only one of many ways to die."
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