Question just for fun...

[Ekidokai]

I have a theory (based on no known facts) that if people hid a smaller number of caches that other cachers would be more likely to hide a few. I think it is intimidating to some to hide one cache when someone next door is placing tens or hundreds. I also think if the number of hides were limited, more thought would be put into those hides and they would represent the hider better. So, I have no interest in moving to Haiti, but I'd have no problem dropping back to 700+ good quality, solid caches for one year. I am guessing in as little as 4 or 5 years we would be back to our present number of caches, but they would be done with much more imagination than many present caches.

I also have a theory based on know facts... besides the obvious.

Fact one, not many hides in the first few years. I keep wishing I had started this obsession back when it all started. Then I think about how quick it would have gotten old after finding the few caches within a reasonable distance and then having nothing to look forward to except long trips resulting in killing polar bears and getting eaten by far off bugs. If I'm going to get eaten, it's going to be by the neighborhood population. It would get boring quick. Just look at how many people that started back in 2000 or even just five years ago. Not many of them still around. After you find the ones close it doesn't matter how much thought, represention of the hider, solid or imagination went into the hides, the sport would die without the interest from the participants. I know I would have gotten bored quick.

Another thing is the quality of the hides that people keep talking about. What criteria are you using for quality? If you have absolutely no imagination and wonder in your life I can see where you might need someone else to provide this stimulus. I find a level of excitement in each cache. Someone hid a secret stash of some kind that only a few other special people know about. Only a few of the people that know about this stash can find it and fewer more can do this without being seen and having the stash discovered and destroyed by muggles. In the middle of town or at the top of the mountain, it is the excitement of finding the hidden treasure, searching for clues and solving riddles. If its just about going to locations that are interesting go to a tourism sight. If it's just about the trees, water, and animals, go out in the yard, look at the trees, spray some water in a bucket and let the bugs eat you. Put a 5 gal pal out there with a bunch of pictures and tokens in it and each time you cut the lawn it will be like a new find for you. A tree is a tree, a pond is a pond, an animal is an animal to some. A quality hide can be a GRC or an ammo can at the edge of a great vista if you choose it to be. I choose not to limit my enjoyment to such a strict boring criteria.

I'm not so sure we need more people hiding caches. Using GSAK I see many many caches that have been put out, quality or not that need attention and the hider is long gone and the cache is trash.

I'm not sure I can see anything reflecting the persona of anyone by placing an ammo can on top of some old mountain, or placing an ammo can under a rock at the edge of some old pond. Big whoop. Can't believe I'm going to say this... put a nano in a statue in a park with all the history surrounding you. Put a micro in a tree along a great dirt road in the woods take brings you out to an area that you might never go and each time you stop you get to see something different. Now thats interesting, intriguing, fun and adventurous.

Nature, bah!

Really, quality is subjective. I see quality and adventure in each cache. I just wish everyone could enjoy this sport as much as I do.