Not Quite the End of the Line Traditional Geocache
Not Quite the End of the Line
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the late Grampa Seen on his Moto Guzi
As I contemplated this new TRADITIONAL cache, few of which I still
own, I couldn't help but reflect on the worth of my caches and what
I hopped to gain from placing more. In the process of building it,
my mind wandered to thoughts of my late grandfather who invested
much of his spare time teaching inmates of Waupun State Prison how
to weld and craft ornamental iron and fencing. What did he hope to
get out of that endeavor but the false hope that perhaps one or two
of the hundreds of hardened lifers he taught might take his
tutoring seriously? And even if they did, what were the odds that
they might start a new life with these skills, if indeed any of
them ever even got a chance to see the outside again? Many people
who knew Chuck thought it was a waste of his time and talent,
knowing the odds and seeming futility of it all. Even I didn't get
it when I was young. But, as I grew older, I came to understand
that it was not just about success measured in concrete terms, like
signatures on a log sheet, but much more about the less tangible
and immeasurable metrics. Like the value of teaching a skilled
trade or the priceless gift of nurturing self-worth. Perhaps none
of his students ever had the chance to make something of
themselves, but that didn't matter to gramps, in fact I think it
just made him invest more of his time and try even harder.
As any astute cacher is aware, I was on the edge of committing
geocide at the start of this year and I had to evaluate the value
of my own time and whether it was worth all the headaches that come
with owning so many convoluted and complex caches. I realized
pretty quick that it was, for me as well, not simply about the
signatures or indeed how they got there, but more about the select
group of cachers who see and continue to seek out the less tangible
rewards in this relatively simple "use GPS - find container"
construct. It is for this core group that I incite angst and
anticipation even as I have worked to shed nearly half of my many
cache creations. I truly do appreciate all of you who stepped up to
adopt so many of them. The cathartic period of evaluating the worth
of all those pesky puzzle caches has been, despite all the dis and
discourse over the how's and the why's, well worth the time to
reflect on the impact of the inescapable s|s moniker on the
Wisconsin map.
In the past few months I have also been made aware of a new slew of
well thought out, well planned and executed caches from a new crew
in the territory and while I haven't taken the time to hunt them
out I do know they are top notch. This cache is a little nod to you
guys for your efforts to infuse the area with memorable hunts. I
know you've also been experiencing the same pains of lost time and
energy to others who do not take the time to re-hide caches
appropriately. I can certainly empathize. Take note of this hide
and remember that if you hide them a certain way, they can last a
very very long time...
UPDATE 7.3.10: After speaking with the
decoy placer and the logic behind it, I have decided to go the
opposite direction and actually encourage DNF'ers to place decoys
after they have exhausted their hunt for this elusive cache. If you
DNF it, feel free to place a decoy with the words " [teamname] was
here" at the closed spot to your GZ.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
"znl" erdhver jnqvat