What draws people to hunt geocaches? The answer to that question depends on who you ask. A question recently posed in the Groundspeak forums asked just that, and the replies were as varied as the cachers who responded.

"...the real thrill is the challenge of figuring out what the creator was thinking and what odd thing nearby might be what I'm searching for." One of the drawing points of geocaching is the opportunity to spend time outdoors, in new, undiscovered places. According to Briansnat, "I enjoy the outdoors and started geocaching because it was just another excuse to get me out there. Like many others, I've found that it brings me to places that I may never have discovered, if not for geocaching." This sentiment is echoed by many, including wimseyguy, who says, "[it's] a reason to spend more time outdoors and see places I wouldn't go if not for caching. Before I started [geocaching], a walk in the woods meant going down the right side of the fairway looking for a sliced drive."

Some cachers need more of an incentive to get "out there". "I've always liked walking, but sometimes you just don't know where to go. The main draw for me is that searching for a cache gives me a target and somewhere nice to go - most caches are placed in nice countryside and I've had some great walks whilst caching", states thirtyfootscrew. "I get to geek out with loads of gadgets, and still get fresh air and exercise into the bargain." Another cacher who welcomes an outdoors focus is protocoldroid, who comments, "I'm a work-a-holic... I need to be doing something busy to be entertained. Just taking a walk in the park makes me feel like I'm not getting anything accomplished, makes me feel like I'm wasting time. But, with geocaching, I go outside, and I've got a "mission" to complete, something for my mind to think about." Fly46 concurs; "I'm the type of person that needs a reason for doing something. I don't get out there and take a walk, because to me it seems to serve no purpose. Caching is different. Even though I'm walking, it doesn't feel like I'm walking, because I have a purpose. I have a focus for the activity." Says BaptistDeacon, "If I only walked around a mall or a track, I would get bored very easily and stop. Once you get the GPS in hand, the thrill and adrenaline kick in and I can't stop until I have found the cache or died trying."

Of course, the technological aspect of geocaching appeals to a great many, also. "I get to geek out with loads of gadgets, and still get fresh air and exercise into the bargain," says Stu, of stu_and_sarah. Clearpath explains further, "Fusing techno gadgetry with mother nature ... I like the ability to arm myself with a reasonable amount of high tech play toys (GPS, digital camera, cell phone, camel baks, etc.) and venture out into the great outdoors. Allowing myself to trek through a wilderness that other humans have been trekking through for thousands of years. Only this time, I'm looking for an ammo box/tupperware container and I'm armed with several thousand dollars worth of toys to help me find it." Geoguyver adds, "I love the aspect of technology the most. It is pretty amazing that humans have placed satellites to orbit the Earth and someone has turned that tech into a great hobby."

Who doesn't enjoy a hunt for treasure? Eaglehounds' love of geocaching started with the endorsement of his children's goal - finding hidden treasure. "...allowing myself to trek through a wilderness that other humans have been trekking through for thousands of years. Only this time, I'm looking for an ammo box/tupperware container and I'm armed with several thousand dollars worth of toys to help me find it." "I don't think anybody ever really gets over the childhood dream of finding Blackbeard's gold or some other secret cache. Anyone who ever read the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew or any of a hundred other juvenile fictions knows that there is 'secret good stuff' just hidden everywhere out there." NCGrimbo agrees, adding "The thrill of finding that micro after being one second from giving up, and finding that rare piece of swag that I really want, but others might find useless." Being one of the few people to know about the treasure appeals to Imajika; "Knowing that the cache ... is kind of a secret. I just think about all the caches I have found, that 99.9% of the people in the world don't even know about. It's right under the noses but *I* know it's there. It's neat to be sneaky and know about something like that."

There are those who enjoy caching with friends and family, and pets. "I find it a great way to bond with my dog and parents. Often, I'll get to spend a nice day with my dog, and she'll usually get more exercise than she would any other day," states TeamK-9. Uperdooper adds, "it's yet another activity I can do with the 2 brothers I have left. Can anyone say "roadtrip"? Wander Lost enjoys "the joy of seeing the look on my kid's faces when they are digging through an ammo can looking for their treasures." Mastifflover, who caches with his dog, Hannibal, also takes his daughter, who lives with his ex-wife. "We didn't really have a together activity that we could do until I took her out caching. This has become our together activity. She loves to go and when my wife has to work weekends it gives us a chance to be together and do something fun."

On the other hand, there are cachers who welcome the solitude that geocaching can offer. The husband and wife kennube team says that they "are not very sociable people, so this is the perfect activity for us: we get to feel like we're sort of participating in something, without ever having to actually meet any of the other participants in person." "I just think about all the caches I have found, that 99.9% of the people in the world don't even know about. It's right under the noses but *I* know it's there." Corp of Discovery adds, "sometimes it is good to go out alone and just get away from everything. I do love to go caching with my boys, but they did not like going out in the winter. I conversely love to go out in the snow and cold, so most of my wintertime travels were alone. They were also some of the best times I've had caching."

Of course, the sense of accomplishment seems to be a feature of geocaching that everyone enjoys. Team ClandestinePenguin says, "I like it because I can go somewhere nice and figure out something by putting clues, trial and error, and reasoning together." Expanding on this aspect, WhipArtist explains, "For me it's about solving puzzles. I enjoy going places that I wouldn't otherwise have seen, but the real thrill is the challenge of figuring out what the creator was thinking and what odd thing nearby might be what I'm searching for." Schon adds, "I love puzzles. Puzzles are best when they're created by other people - all good geocaches are puzzles, and by solving (or attempting to solve) them, you gain insight into the people who created them."

Other attractive features of caching are logging finds online, the sense of belonging to a global scavenger hunt, marvelling over the creative imaginations of other cachers, meeting new friends with a like interest and a generous heart, learning the local history of a region, combining caching with other interests such as photography and camping, and an interest in maps and geography.

Now, let's get to the people who cache for their own inexplicable reasons. For Torry, it's "the golfballs. Definitely the golfballs." "I do it for the ticks," claims ghOzt. "Chasing turkeys," sums it up for Earthdog Patrick. And, as to why Criminal caches, it's because of "the ever present possibility of encountering lithe naked nymphomaniac faerie girls prancing in the forest." Was there ever any doubt?