March 2006

These ideas are inspired by the "Slow food" movement:
"International movement opposing fast food and promoting dining as a source of pleasure."

"Slow" is here used as the opposite of "in a hurry". It has to do with "slowness" in the sense that you are not in a hurry so that you have time to see and experience all what the trip and goal has to offer. "Unhurried" is a synonym, but its "un" something, and I don't like that.

Even if "Slow" might not be the perfect adjective, since you are not expected to walk/bike/drive slow! its difficult to find an alternative.

Other adjectives I have found are Delightful, Enjoyable, Perfect, Complete, Harmonious, Superb, Happy, Merry... - however, they miss the "not in a hurry" point.


Why these rules?

I made these rules to have something to "hold on to" when the "Power Caching Urge" haunts me.

I have hade many great caching experiences and some bad ones.

The really bad ones are when finding out AFTER the trip that I missed out on exciting things during the trip or at the site! This is off course due to things like:

  • Bad preparation
  • Lack of time
  • Wrong time
which all are due to being in a hurry!

Slow caching:

Opposing caching as a competition and promoting caching as a source of pleasure

Starts with preparations and expectations
Continue at a time and in a way that enable you to fully enjoy the trip and the site
Culminates with a find and a feeling of achievement
Never ends since it gave you an unforgettable experience

Implications of this philosophy:

A good cache:

  • Gives you something to look forward to and prepare for
  • Teach your and/or show you something new; on the way or on site
  • Gives you the pleasure of finding it with the perfect type and amount of challenges (for you)
  • Gives you something to remember

A challenge for me might not be a challenge for you, so there should be a lot of different caches. Some like difficult physical challenges, some like good riddles, others like to solve puzzles before they go hunting and some like "hide & seek" games - and some just like to find a cache. There should be caches for everyone.

A good cache description:

  • Gives the right amount of background information so you are prepared to learn and/or see what the cache has to offer.
  • Gives enough information to assure that you will find the cache with the expected effort.

A good cache log:

  • Share your experience with others by writing about your trip and find in the log.
  • If you think the cache description lack some information, try to contribute with information in your log that will benefit later hunters.



Some Norwegian comments:

PPJs gode kommantarer fra forum.kart.no om FTF-SMS fra 25.8.2005 var også en inspirasjon. Han skriver: 

Og "marsjordre" ved SMS-varsling om nye cacher i nærheten, 
med optimal mulighet for FTF, synes jeg bidrar til å gjøre 
caching for hektisk. 
 
FTF smaker best når man av og til blir først fordi man er 
mye ute. Ikke fordi man hele tiden er klar til å rykke ut. 
Da blir det litt dumt. 
 
Heller STF når det passer, enn FTF ASAP

Jeg hadde også en erfaringsutveksling med Mostly Moose og -erling- på nachspiel-caching
etter høsteventet 2005 hvor vi var veldig enige om gleden ved å dele
opplevelser, og det å ha en mange og gode opplevelse når man cacher.

Copyright (c) Else Nordhagen 2006