WHEN the game of geocaching first started, it was referred to as "The GPS Stash Game." However, those early players realized that the word "stash" carried certain connotations that were less than respectable, so they looked for a different term to better convey the idea of what they were doing. Recalling the practice that mountain men had of "caching" goods in hiding spots for later use, they settled on "Geo-cache" as a suitable name for their new obsession. A lot has changed since those early days. I doubt anyone then could have envisioned the myriad of websites or the variations that the game has taken on. Micro-caches, multi-caches, mystery caches and all the other varieties would appear later. In those early days it was all about stuff hidden in the woods, harkening back to the pioneers and mountain men who made their livelihoods in what became our playgrounds. Great CachesSo what does it take to make a great cache? If you ask 100 cachers you'll probably get 100 answers. There are those for whom hiding a geocache is a painstakingly slow project involving research into the environment, dozens of sample waypoints, and just the perfect containers and goodies. Then there are others who keep their trunks full of Gladware, McDonald's toys and notepads for when they come across that spot that "really needs a cache." Both are probably extremes and you will likely find yourself somewhere in the middle. When I first started geocaching, the best advice I got on hiding a cache was to wait until I had fourteen finds under my belt before trying to hide one. Please understand, this was just advice, not a rule, not a guideline—just a suggestion that I happen to really see the merit of. There's every chance in the world that a cache hidden by a person with one or even no finds will be a good cache but there's an even better chance that after a little more experience it will be even better. Waiting until you've got a dozen or so finds under your belt certainly can't hurt, and can only serve to make your own cache better. Once you're ready to hide your first cache, you need to make some considerations of what you're asking the finder to invest their time in. After all, this cache isn't for you—in fact, it's for everyone but you. A cache hidden in your backyard might be easy for you to maintain, but unless there's a particularly memorable feature to the cache, what's the point of asking someone to come there? (On the other hand, I have seen at least one of these that was a lot of fun to find) Again, none of this should be interpreted as rules or requirements for a cache hide. Rather, I present it as reflection on a lot of great caches and what made them great. Three Elements & Three QuestionsA good cache experience boils down to how you work with three elements and answer three questions. The first two elements are your most important while the third will either accentuate the others or be defined by them.
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Introduction