[Az-Geocaching] forwarded forum post about micro/urban caches.. from Daniel

[PATRICK FINLEY]

------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C479DD.502BAF30
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Couldn't have said it better, Scott.............Flatiron and Mrs. Wrangle=
r

----- Original Message -----
From: Roping The Wind
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 7:51 PM
To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
Subject: [Az-Geocaching] forwarded forum post about micro/urban caches.. =
from Daniel J. Karam

>>Microcaches - The Death of Creative Geocaching By Daniel J. Caram
aka jmarac

My son Paul has been geocaching half of his life. He was probably one of =
the =20
few two year olds in the country that could say the word "Geocaching". I =20
have pictures of him bouncing along in my backpack, patiently enduring th=
e =20
prickers, heat, and mud. One such quest took us a couple of hours up the =20
side of a mountain and ended up with me having my boots literally sucked =
off =20
of my feet! Eventually it became an understanding between us, that Paul's=
 =20
reward was to be able to choose his prize from the spoils when we actuall=
y =20
found the green box. But recently a whole slew of microcaches have floode=
d =20
our area, prompting the now 4 year old Paul to inquire - Where is the gre=
en =20
box? Although I have other reasons for asking it - it is a good question =
- =20
Where have all the green boxes gone?

We all remember the first time we went geocaching. I became fascinated in=
 =20
the sport after reading a lengthy article in the local Erie Times News. S=
oon =20
afterwards, I purchased a Garmin Etrex from Amazon.com which I still refe=
r =20
to as the best $100.00 I ever spent. My first few caches were found at =20
Presque Isle State Park. I have lived in Erie, Pennsylvania all of my lif=
e =20
and had been to this beautiful area of forests and beaches more times tha=
n I =20
could count, but I discovered my first cache in an area of the park to wh=
ich =20
I had never ventured. "Wow, I never knew this place existed!" I exclaimed=
 I =20
found myself making that statement repeatedly as the geocaching bug bit m=
e, =20
taking me to beautiful overlooks, pastures, and state game lands all arou=
nd =20
my hometown.

Not only was I impressed by the locations, but also by the creativity of =
the =20
individuals who had placed them. One cacher did a series based on Tolkien=
's =20
"Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Another fellow had devised a couple of cache=
s =20
where the green ammo box was to be found high in a tree, only to be acces=
sed =20
by finding a rope that would lower the cache from a pulley system! Yet =20
another had stashed a multi-cache based on Star Wars; one stage involved =20
finding a hidden set of binoculars and then using them to read clues of a=
 =20
sign posted far away Little mini adventures! I applauded this thinking th=
at =20
was "outside the box" (no pun intended). I appreciated the time and energ=
y =20
that was invested into making them clever. Geocaching provided a great wa=
y =20
to spend a pleasant afternoon, seeking a diversion away from the city on =
a =20
little hidden scavenger hunt adventure.

But slowly, this escapism and creativity has been fading away with the =20
inordinate number of microcaches that have been flooding the geocaching =20
landscape. Instead of a green ammo box or substantive container cunningly=
 =20
squirreled away in a beautiful area, there are little Altoids tins or =20
magnetic keyholders or tiny green cylinders hastily stuffed right smack d=
ab =20
in the middle of a bustling public area. Many of the cache descriptions h=
ave =20
the following disclaimer - "be discreet while retrieving this" or "this i=
s a =20
high traffic area so beware of muggles", or "use stealth when obtaining t=
his =20
one". Why!? Why should I have to act like a petty criminal up to no good =20
when I'm trying to obtain a cache? I like fresh air and scenic overlooks =
- =20
not wondering what that whole row of houses across the street thinks of m=
e =20
poking along their fence trying to find a tic-tac container. I do not enj=
oy =20
sneaking around trying to look nonchalant in a public place!

One microcache in our area was actually hidden right on the base of a =20
rock-climbing wall in a family sports park. This place is usually teeming=
 =20
with people so I went early in the morning to try to get it, only to have=
 a =20
police cruiser slow down and observe me. I finally found it but had to ad=
mit =20
to myself- "I really didn't enjoy that". I'm into geocaching for the =20
challenge and the scenery, but I want to do all this without having to ac=
t =20
suspiciously. Is that too much to ask? A fellow geocacher, who lives abou=
t =20
30 miles from me, said that in his area, microcaches are showing up in =20
laundromats, parking lots, and newspaper boxes. "Geocaching," he lamented=
, =20
"is becoming organized littering".

Why do geocachers place these little microcaches? Two reasons: Because =20
generally, they are a fast and cheap way to rack up more numbers next to =20
your name. 1) Fast - because they do not involve much planning or =20
creativity. You don't need to put any real time or energy in the creative=
 =20
process putting a little magnetic holder on a bridge post. 2) Cheap - You=
 =20
can procure a dozen little containers for a couple of bucks. A green ammo=
 =20
box is at least $5.00, plus you want to stock it well (another $10) so =20
probably about $15 for an average cache. As I write this, the number next=
 to =20
my name is a measly 82. That works out to be about one cache a week. I wa=
s =20
never into geocaching for the numbers and I never will be. I would rather=
 =20
find one thoughtful, creative or scenically placed cache, than ten hastil=
y =20
dropped and ultimately annoying microcaches. I have some great memories a=
nd =20
experiences while geocaching - almost none of them involve microcaches.

There are exceptions, of course, to all of this.Creativity and microcache=
s =20
do not have to be mutually exclusive. Micros aren't always horrible and a=
mmo =20
boxes are not always creative. While I was on business in Pittsburgh, =20
geocaching brought me to a spectacular overlook of the city that could on=
ly =20
have accomplished with a microcache. Conversely, I have seen people just =20
drop an ammo box in the midst of some poison ivy infested area behind the=
 =20
rest room of a state park.

Of course, if you live in a strictly urban setting like New York City, yo=
u =20
are probably resigned to microcaches, but for the majority of us with man=
y =20
parks and acres of forests around, we don't have an excuse. I steadfastly=
 =20
reject the argument that we are running out of places to hide caches. I u=
sed =20
to look forward to my weekly email from Geocaching.com heralding the new =20
caches in my area - now this list, replete with just more and more =20
microcaches, inspires a disappointed yawn.

I write this article not to be critical, but because I love geocaching an=
d =20
want to see it survive. Perhaps I'm not as annoyed with the microcache =20
containers themselves as I am with the complacency and lack of originalit=
y =20
they seem to engender. Next time you place a cache, tap into your hidden =20
reserves of creativity and let's get back to what made us want to go =20
geocaching in the first place. Oh and by the way, if you're caching out i=
n =20
the Erie, Pennsylvania area - put a toy in the green box for Paul. <<

Scott
Team Ropingthewind

_________________________________________________________________
Don=E2=80=99t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! =20
http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

____________________________________________________________
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

------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C479DD.502BAF30
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>Couldn't have =
said it better, Scott.............Flatiron and Mrs. Wrangler</DIV> <DIV>&=
nbsp;</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; M=
ARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV=
 style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message -----</DIV> <DIV style=
=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt Arial; COLOR: black"><B>From:</B> Rop=
ing The Wind</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, =
August 03, 2004 7:51 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>To:</B> =
listserv@azgeocaching.com</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Subjec=
t:</B> [Az-Geocaching] forwarded forum post about micro/urban caches.. fr=
om Daniel J. Karam</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>&gt;&gt;Microcaches - The Death=
 of Creative Geocaching By Daniel J. Caram<BR>aka jmarac<BR><BR>My son Pa=
ul has been geocaching half of his life. He was probably one of the <BR>f=
ew two year olds in the country that could say the word "Geocaching". I <=
BR>have pictures of him bouncing along in my backpack, patiently enduring=
 the <BR>prickers, heat, and mud. One such quest took us a couple of hour=
s up the <BR>side of a mountain and ended up with me having my boots lite=
rally sucked off <BR>of my feet! Eventually it became an understanding be=
tween us, that Paul's <BR>reward was to be able to choose his prize from =
the spoils when we actually <BR>found the green box. But recently a whole=
 slew of microcaches have flooded <BR>our area, prompting the now 4 year =
old Paul to inquire - Where is the green <BR>box? Although I have other r=
easons for asking it - it is a good question - <BR>Where have all the gre=
en boxes gone?<BR><BR>We all remember the first time we went geocaching. =
I became fascinated in <BR>the sport after reading a lengthy article in t=
he local Erie Times News. Soon <BR>afterwards, I purchased a Garmin Etrex=
 from Amazon.com which I still refer <BR>to as the best $100.00 I ever sp=
ent. My first few caches were found at <BR>Presque Isle State Park. I hav=
e lived in Erie, Pennsylvania all of my life <BR>and had been to this bea=
utiful area of forests and beaches more times than I <BR>could count, but=
 I discovered my first cache in an area of the park to which <BR>I had ne=
ver ventured. "Wow, I never knew this place existed!" I exclaimed. I <BR>=
found myself making that statement repeatedly as the geocaching bug bit m=
e, <BR>taking me to beautiful overlooks, pastures, and state game lands a=
ll around <BR>my hometown.<BR><BR>Not only was I impressed by the locatio=
ns, but also by the creativity of the <BR>individuals who had placed them=
 One cacher did a series based on Tolkien's <BR>"Lord of the Rings" tril=
ogy. Another fellow had devised a couple of caches <BR>where the green am=
mo box was to be found high in a tree, only to be accessed <BR>by finding=
 a rope that would lower the cache from a pulley system! Yet <BR>another =
had stashed a multi-cache based on Star Wars; one stage involved <BR>find=
ing a hidden set of binoculars and then using them to read clues of a <BR=
>sign posted far away Little mini adventures! I applauded this thinking t=
hat <BR>was "outside the box" (no pun intended). I appreciated the time a=
nd energy <BR>that was invested into making them clever. Geocaching provi=
ded a great way <BR>to spend a pleasant afternoon, seeking a diversion aw=
ay from the city on a <BR>little hidden scavenger hunt adventure.<BR><BR>=
But slowly, this escapism and creativity has been fading away with the <B=
R>inordinate number of microcaches that have been flooding the geocaching=
 <BR>landscape. Instead of a green ammo box or substantive container cunn=
ingly <BR>squirreled away in a beautiful area, there are little Altoids t=
ins or <BR>magnetic keyholders or tiny green cylinders hastily stuffed ri=
ght smack dab <BR>in the middle of a bustling public area. Many of the ca=
che descriptions have <BR>the following disclaimer - "be discreet while r=
etrieving this" or "this is a <BR>high traffic area so beware of muggles"=
, or "use stealth when obtaining this <BR>one". Why!? Why should I have t=
o act like a petty criminal up to no good <BR>when I'm trying to obtain a=
 cache? I like fresh air and scenic overlooks - <BR>not wondering what th=
at whole row of houses across the street thinks of me <BR>poking along th=
eir fence trying to find a tic-tac container. I do not enjoy <BR>sneaking=
 around trying to look nonchalant in a public place!<BR><BR>One microcach=
e in our area was actually hidden right on the base of a <BR>rock-climbin=
g wall in a family sports park. This place is usually teeming <BR>with pe=
ople so I went early in the morning to try to get it, only to have a <BR>=
police cruiser slow down and observe me. I finally found it but had to ad=
mit <BR>to myself- "I really didn't enjoy that". I'm into geocaching for =
the <BR>challenge and the scenery, but I want to do all this without havi=
ng to act <BR>suspiciously. Is that too much to ask? A fellow geocacher, =
who lives about <BR>30 miles from me, said that in his area, microcaches =
are showing up in <BR>laundromats, parking lots, and newspaper boxes. "Ge=
ocaching," he lamented, <BR>"is becoming organized littering".<BR><BR>Why=
 do geocachers place these little microcaches? Two reasons: Because <BR>g=
enerally, they are a fast and cheap way to rack up more numbers next to <=
BR>your name. 1) Fast - because they do not involve much planning or <BR>=
creativity. You don't need to put any real time or energy in the creative=
 <BR>process putting a little magnetic holder on a bridge post. 2) Cheap =
- You <BR>can procure a dozen little containers for a couple of bucks. A =
green ammo <BR>box is at least $5.00, plus you want to stock it well (ano=
ther $10) so <BR>probably about $15 for an average cache. As I write this=
, the number next to <BR>my name is a measly 82. That works out to be abo=
ut one cache a week. I was <BR>never into geocaching for the numbers and =
I never will be. I would rather <BR>find one thoughtful, creative or scen=
ically placed cache, than ten hastily <BR>dropped and ultimately annoying=
 microcaches. I have some great memories and <BR>experiences while geocac=
hing - almost none of them involve microcaches.<BR><BR>There are exceptio=
ns, of course, to all of this.Creativity and microcaches <BR>do not have =
to be mutually exclusive. Micros aren't always horrible and ammo <BR>boxe=
s are not always creative. While I was on business in Pittsburgh, <BR>geo=
caching brought me to a spectacular overlook of the city that could only =
<BR>have accomplished with a microcache. Conversely, I have seen people j=
ust <BR>drop an ammo box in the midst of some poison ivy infested area be=
hind the <BR>rest room of a state park.<BR><BR>Of course, if you live in =
a strictly urban setting like New York City, you <BR>are probably resigne=
d to microcaches, but for the majority of us with many <BR>parks and acre=
s of forests around, we don't have an excuse. I steadfastly <BR>reject th=
e argument that we are running out of places to hide caches. I used <BR>t=
o look forward to my weekly email from Geocaching.com heralding the new <=
BR>caches in my area - now this list, replete with just more and more <BR=
>microcaches, inspires a disappointed yawn.<BR><BR>I write this article n=
ot to be critical, but because I love geocaching and <BR>want to see it s=
urvive. Perhaps I'm not as annoyed with the microcache <BR>containers the=
mselves as I am with the complacency and lack of originality <BR>they see=
m to engender. Next time you place a cache, tap into your hidden <BR>rese=
rves of creativity and let's get back to what made us want to go <BR>geoc=
aching in the first place. Oh and by the way, if you're caching out in <B=
R>the Erie, Pennsylvania area - put a toy in the green box for Paul. &lt;=
&lt;<BR><BR>Scott<BR>Team Ropingthewind<BR><BR>__________________________=
_______________________________________<BR>Don=E2=80=99t just search. Fin=
d. Check out the new MSN Search! <BR>http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/o=
nm00200636ave/direct/01/<BR><BR>_________________________________________=
___________________<BR>Az-Geocaching mailing list listserv@azgeocaching.c=
om<BR>To edit your setting, subscribe or unsubscribe visit:<BR>http://lis=
tserv.azgeocaching.com/mailman/listinfo/az-geocaching<BR><BR>Arizona's Ge=
ocaching Resource<BR>http://www.azgeocaching.com<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY><=
/HTML>

------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C479DD.502BAF30--