From: az-geocaching-bounces@listserv.azgeocaching.com [mailto:az-geocaching-bounces@listserv.azgeocaching.com] On Behalf Of EMa
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 1:50 PM
To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
Subject: Re: [Az-Geocaching] Why I am thnking of public retirement

Scott.....Get back to work!.....Wow you can type....I am exhausted now....j/k

I think the people who really enjoy geocaching the way it was meant to be (the way it started) will stick with it in the long run......People who are into numbers and LUM will come and go....

We all have our fun with #s and stuff but we in the end we either go back to our roots or we get out......

On 10/19/06, Roping The Wind <arizcowboy@hotmail.com> wrote:

Why I am NOT thinking of public retirement:  ;)

I use to be one of those cachers who was very competitive with the hobby. I
have always competed thru life in a couple of different sports, so when I
found out about the rankings on azgeocaching.com, it was natural for me to
want to try and 'go for it' and get to #1. For me, getting to #1 was more of
a personal goal. After almost 3 1/2 years or so of geocaching, I achieved my
goal and held it for about 8 months. I then picked it up again for a short
time, going back and forth with Sprocket. I eventually let it slide and
never really had an interest in it again. There were some up and comers that
were really hitting caches hard and I wouldnt have been able to keep up. So
I didnt bother trying! I already did it! Been there, done that, dont need to
do it again! I reached my goal of #1 and I did it staying within the
guidelines I set (no locationless, no 'armchair' caching and my name was in
every single logbook of every single cache I ever found).

Today, I have absolutely no interest in the numbers thing anymore. I cache
strictly for fun. After another great summer in Sedona, I was out doing the
kinds of caches I enjoy doing most.... wilderness style caches. Hiking, off
roading and caching. Great cache locations chosen by the hider with the
'location' in mind. I agree with Bill on the urban caches. I dont care much
for them either. But when I am bored, it is fun to go out and find a few. It
is also a great way to break an otherwise boring errand run or something as
there always seems to be a cache along the way to make a quick find and go.
By quick, I mean quick! I dont think I have spent more than 10 minutes or so
searching for an urban cache in a long time. If I cant find it in 10
minutes... I move on. I dont need to find every single one anymore. I have
driven within feet of several urban caches lately that I wasnt motivated to
stop and look for it. 2 years ago, I wouldnt have been able to do that! If I
deem an urban cache to be hidden in a questionable location, I will simply
pass it up. Nowadays, I simply download all 'regular' caches into my GPS and
go out and find a few, either while out on an errand or while out on
business or just in the mood to drive around and find a few caches. No PDA
cache info/printouts. Just coordinates in the GPS. Thats how I have been
doing it for several months now.

Geocaching was fun for me then when I was doing it to attain #1 in the
rankings and today, with no interest in numbers at all, it is still fun for
me. It is perhaps a bit more fun today as I just pick and chose the caches
that I want to go find.

Scott
Team Ropingthewind

>From: "Bill Nolan" <>

>An interesting comment.  I cannot disagree.  My wife and I have enjoyed
>geocaching for a long time now.  When we started, the top team in AZ was
>under 500 finds.  We found some aspects of the game to be overcompetitive,
>so we just don't log our finds.  For us, the fun is the search, and in the
>back country places the search takes us.  (We have never looked for or
>found
>an "urban" cache.)  What we do is not better or worse than the way others
>play the game.  It is just different.  Some like the competition of being
>FTF on a cache.  Others like the numbers.  I am reminded of golf.  Some say
>it is a contest against yourself.  Can you play better than you have
>before?
>Not me.  I prefered to beat the guys I was playing with.  For me, golf was
>a
>very competitive game.  (I seldom actually beat the guys I was playing
>with,
>but that's another story.)  Now, for those to whom the numbers are
>important, having a cache deleted for no good reason is a big deal.  Others
>couldn't care less.  Who's right?  Both, because they are playing the game
>for different reasons and with different goals.
>
>If you are having fun, then the way you are playing works for you.  If you
>aren't, go to the movies instead.  In fact, go to the movies in Willcox,
>where, by coincidence, I own the theater.
>
>Bill in Willcox.

_________________________________________________________________
Add a Yahoo! contact to Windows Live Messenger for a chance to win a free
trip!
http://www.imagine-windowslive.com/minisites/yahoo/default.aspx?locale=en-us&hmtagline

____________________________________________________________
Az-Geocaching mailing list listserv@azgeocaching.com
To edit your setting, subscribe or unsubscribe visit:
http://listserv.azgeocaching.com/mailman/listinfo/az-geocaching

Arizona's Geocaching Resource
http://www.azgeocaching.com