Statistics links

Is it about the numbers for you? Check out these sites.

Links

• Cacherstats.com - Listing of geocachers with 200+ finds
• Itsnotaboutthenumbers.com - Generates caching statistics, like the above images
• CacheStats - software from LogicWeave to generate similar geocaching stats (with the advantage of having the stats on your computer, and not on a website like itsnotaboutthenumbers.com)
• FindStats - software for stats
• Zinnware's Geocaching page - contains his personal stats, plus the cachers with the most finds and the cachers with the most hides.
• Deep Southwest Geocaching - Displays lots of stats for the southwest
  

I need statistics, stat!

Geocaching is a great hobby/sport/game that people get involved in for many reasons. I love doing it because it gets me out of the house (away from tv and addictive computer games, such as Civilization or Simcity). Plus, I've seen lots of great new places and met a whole new group of people who are interested in getting out.

Keeping that in mind, many people like to keep track of the statistics involved. Why? "It's not about the numbers," some will say. It's not. I don't go geocaching to get more numbers, necessarily- although the number of finds you have is somewhat of an accomplishment. I think in that sense, many people like keeping track of what they've managed to achieve. It's a lot of fun, but there can be quite a bit of investment. Geocaching can take up a lot of time and energy. Keeping track of the statistics, in this sense, I think is somewhat like hanging an award on a wall. The stats are really only useful at the personal level (except maybe first-to-finds). It is kind of interesting, however, to look at maps to see where a geocacher stays... or even to see the terrain ratings to find out what type of caches they do.

I think it's also neat to look at the terrain/difficulty combinations. Going back on the idea of achievement, trying to fill out that entire chart sets a very ambitious goal- physically (for the 5-star terrain) and mentally (oy vey- the puzzles).

As you can see from my stats on the left, I cache mostly in southern New Mexico. I'd like to expand this area to include all 33 counties in the state, primarily because of the 2007 New Mexico Challenge (and the upcoming 2008 NM Challenge, where there will be a new cache at each state park).

I know not everyone is interested in statistics. I can see. I try not spend too much time looking over them. It's a lot more fun to be out there hiking up a mountain and getting scratched up by vegetation (keeping in mind I live in New Mexico, where almost every cache has the "thorns" attribute), but sometimes it's nice just to take a break and see what all I've done so I can plan ahead for what I'll do in the future.

500th cache

Last week, I found my 500th cache. I was hoping for a really "super" great cache, such as one of the Hercules caches (it was originally my goal to get up to the Organ Needle- Hercules Labor 11). That didn't quite happen, however. My 500th find turned out to be "On A Boulder" (by Mr. Waldo). It was a good cache, but not necessarily as "memorable" as I would like it. My 500th log, however, was "A" OK, by one of my best friends who I've known since middle school. I'm a bit prone to think of this as my "500th" for sentimental reasons. Even ignoring that fact, this was a major pain to find- took a big group of people (attending an event). The owner herself couldn't even remember exactly where the second stage was. That makes for a very memorable cache.

Events: Location

Yesterday, I held my third event: F is for Friends Having Fun. While there, I was talking with a cacher who wanted to put on an event, but couldn't find a place for it. This is a problem I was having when planning my event. Here are my experiences, and what I've learned from other cachers about location (plus some related thoughts):

• Restaurant - Having an event at a restaurant can work out well as a "meet and greet." This is how my first event, Pillage the Village... Inn, took place. It was held at a Village Inn, with probably 20 or so people. It was mostly a "meet and greet." I did have a quiz about geocaching.com and caches in the area so I could give out a few prizes. Otherwise, people just chatted and ate.
  
• Advantages:
  
• Little preparation needed
• Good for "simple" events- no caching needed
• Good for meet and greets
• Variety of food (depending)
• Disadvantages:
• Requires collaboration with the restaurant and waitstaff
  
• Might require a fee (to rent a room, for example)
• Might require payment ahead of time for a pre-made menu
• Not much time (or space) for caching
• Less control about set-up
• Limited space
  

• State or National Park: I haven't had an event at a state/national park. This experience comes from talking with a cacher who wanted to set one up, but had trouble doing so.
• Advantages:
• Usually a scenic setting
• Usually a good amount of clean facilities (bathrooms, shelters, water)
• Open-space land
  
• Disadvantages:
• Reservations might have to be made months in advance
• Space might be limited
• Land might not be permitted to have caches

• BLM Land: My third event (F is for Friends Having Fun) was held at a BLM shelter, near a popular recreation area. There were approximately 50 people attending and 11 caches placed near the cache, with 3 more a bit farther away.
  
• Advantages:
• Free or low-cost
• Easy to hide caches with plenty of open-space areas
• More control in setup
• Fewer overall restrictions
  
• Disadvantages:
• Few facilities available, depending on the area (no bathrooms, water, tables etc.)
• Might be in a remote area (depending)

Log Sheets

Ever need a log sheet? These are some useful places to go (at least for micro caches):

• Geocacher-U log sheets
• TechBlazer's log sheets
• Wyoming-Nebraska Area Geocachers (WNAG) Documents
• Lil Devil's Geocaching Page log sheet
• Manitoba Geocaching Association log sheets
• Texas Geocaching cache documents
  
• Southern California Geocaching documents
  

Waymarking: Something to Consider

I recently visited waymarking.com for some unknown reason. The last time I visited it was about two years ago. I saw there was little activity in my area, so I just brushed it off. I also didn't like how it was set up because I couldn't seem to find any good categories.

It seems somewhat more appealing to me now, though. I think partly because I've found many of the caches in my area (except the super hard ones). Waymarking gives me a new reason to go out with my GPS. It's also easier to "hide" a Waymark than a Geocache. With waymarking, it's just about taking a waypoint of a certain place and describing it online (plus taking a picture is usually needed to verify information). Geocaching requires a container to be hidden. This ultimately means I have to buy a container, put tradeables in it, find a place it won't get muggled, etc. It's fun to hide new caches, but it is quite a bit of work.

I was browsing around the site a bit, and it doesn't sound too difficult or painful to use. Plus, there are some waymarks in my area that have been listed- which is motivating for me. Two years ago, seeing no listings in southern New Mexico was a disappointment. It was also harder at that time to find nearby waymarks, as I'm not sure the map search worked. Everything seems to be in order now, and I'll give it a chance.

Looking over the categories, there are a few that I'll probably spend some time adding listings to the state parks, mountain peaks, former schools, etc. Mountain peaks should be incredibly easy for me, since I've been doing the Twelve Labors of Herculces cache series.

I actually can see now how people can get into Waymarking. A few years ago, I didn't. Now that the site's grown a bit, it does sound like fun. Find an interesting location, take a picture, take the coordinates and document it online so others can find it, too.

Introduction

I've been wanting to create a geocaching website for some time, but couldn't figure out what to put on it. I realized a blog might be a great way to do it, especially after coming across blazerfan's blog. The goal of this site will be to share resources in geocaching (software, stores, links). I'd also like to brain storm ideas for new caches or existing ones (ie, what makes a good cache), or just post anything generally related to geocaching, hiking, and other similar-themed topics.