Do you have a problem with geocaching? Are You Number Mad? Only you can answer these questions for yourself. If you've got a problem it's time to admit it and deal with it. Not doing this cache could be your first step.
If you cannot resist, but know you have a problem, then this is your opportunity to publicly admit it in your log in true AA style. When logging please feel free to identify your symptoms and tactics to hide your addiction!
Answering the following questions may help to put your relationship with geocaching into perspective for you. If you end up answering "yes" to three or more questions, you may want to take a good look how your life is affected by geocaching:-
- Has caching interfered with work or made you late for work?
- Do you check geocaching.com web site more than once a day?
- Has your GPSr ever been confiscated "for your own good"?
- Do you use geocaching to help you relax but find it can have the opposite effect?
- Have you ever had a parking ticket while finding a geocache? – (you know who you are!)
- Do you actually look forward to visiting the in-laws?
- You have found yourself hanging onto a cliff face in high winds wishing you were 10 years (OK 20 years) younger, just to find a piece of plastic tucked under a thorny hedge.
- You cannot understand why the kids complain about going “caching aggaaaiiinn” especially when it is only a bit damp (OK so half the fields are flooded and its still coming down).
- Have you aroused the suspicions of the police or other authorities while caching (you know who you are)?
- Do you lie to others about how often you partake in geocaching?
- Do you have a special caching bag that is always ready to go at a moments notice?
- Can you read the hints without clicking “Decrypt”or looking at the key.
- You have an expensive phone or PDA and the only justification that you can give to the other half is geocaching
- Do you own more than one GPS?
- Have you taken the kids out in the car in their pyjamas just to get that FTF?
- When you are in a shop, you look at every hollow object as a potential cache container.
- You are sent to the supermarket for a pint of milk, you spend the £20 you were given on plastic boxes, camo tape and swaps and forget the milk.
- Everywhere you go, you are always looking for and noting down “perfect hiding spots”.
- Have you told your other half that you just need to pop out to get a paper and come back with a FTF?
- Everyone else puts a pound in the coffee fund at work, you take out a coin, leave a TB and then hide the jar and check to make sure muggles can’t find it.
This cache is here to help. YOUR GOAL IS TO NOT FIND THIS CACHE.
We all know that there are those among us (and you know who you are!) who, when they look at the page showing their 20 nearest caches, see nothing but a perfect page full of finds. Then that new cache comes along and spoils your pristine page. It sits there at the top of the list. Taunting you. Staring at you like a giant unblinking eye. It calls out to you. "Fiiiind meeee..." You comply, even though the sun is barely peeking over the horizon. If you're lucky, you score a First to Find, and then race back to log it in and remove it from your top 20 list. Ahhhhh. All is in order again.
The question is: How strong are you? Can you resist searching out this cache? You have nothing to gain from finding it.
- There is no invigorating hike, no physical challenge whatsoever.
- There are no breathtaking views.
- There are no cool first finder tokens to find or other cool pieces of cache swag to trade for.
In fact, the cache contains no more than a log sheet & pencil.
- You can drive to within 5 feet of the cache.
The ONLY thing you have to reward yourself from searching out this cache is just adding another find to your total. No glory. Just a number. Just another lame micro. Show the world how strong you are. You can stop Geocaching anytime you want. Really you can.
"Fiiiind meeee..."