Your First Event
It was April 8th, 2008. I had only been geocaching for a few months and was really new to the sport. I had only found a couple dozen caches in the Moncton area but was really starting to get into it. FunkyNassau had taken me out the previous Boxing Day to give me the lowdown on caching, it’s types, and things to expect.
As a few months rolled by I noticed that an “event” cache was being held in Riverview at one of the arenas. It was a GSAK potluck event held by Rev Slippery. I had never been to an event for geocaching before and I was interested but also very intimidated.
Why so intimidated? Well, it required me to go out and mingle and meet up with people I had never met before. For me, this is something that is very difficult and very intimidating. I love talking to people, but I’m not very good at “breaking the ice”, or simply just walking up to people and starting a conversation. It has always made me very nervous and shy. I have a very vivid memory of going to an IT social event and sort of standing around by myself because I was too shy to talk to anyone. Some people can just strike up a conversation with anyone but for me, it’s a very difficult thing to do.
So to go to an event filled with geocachers, all of whom likely know a lot more than I do, was a bit intimidating. But, I figured if I didn’t go, I wouldn’t know what it was all about. So, I bought a veggie tray to add to the potluck, and headed on over.
I came in and there were a decent amount of people already there. I didn’t know a soul so I found a seat to sit in and sort of kept to myself. At some point, I noticed this guy talking to someone else about having a hard time getting the internet to work in the hall. I got up and sort of wandered over to see what they were doing, and I don’t recall exactly what I said, but it was something along the lines of asking if they were having issues. Turns out the person I spoke to was Rev Slippery. He asked me if I knew anything about it and I said I could try and fix it. Sure enough, we had internet minutes later.
The event moved forward from there and I met a few other cachers including Ron568, Styk, and a bunch of others. It ended up being a decent event and got me out of my shell a little bit. Four years later, it’s a whole other story.
When I think about events and how many of us enjoy them, I think about how many geocachers are out there that opt not to come to events because they are shy or intimidated in the same way I was. Events have become one of my favorite things about geocaching and I can’t imagine taking part in this hobby without it. Without my interaction with other cachers in the community, outside of just logging their caches, this sport wouldn’t seem as “real” as it is now.
I think it’s important for those of us who are active in the geocachinig community to make sure that all cachers are aware of events, and that despite being a bit shy, once you come out and meet other cachers, it adds so much more life to the hobby. Yes, many folks prefer to be on their own and for them, that’s just fine. But many people just need a nudge to get going. I know I did.
I still remember my first event, it was to celebrate Markirene’s 4000th find and it was hosted by Jim52 at Cheers. That is where I met Zonker, who is now a very good friend. The event Zor is referring to for his first to attend, was my first to host. I have hosted over 20 now. I remember trying to get the wireless modem I brought from home to work and Zor came over and clicking a few boxes had it up and running in no time. He also won the door prize of an ammo can, which was put out shortly after and then went missing.
Good times, looking forward to tonight.
In my case my first attended event was a bit safer since I had my kids with me and I had already met a cacher “in the field” by coincidence before attending. The most interesting part by far is the putting-a-face-to-the-cacher-name aspect of your first event. Of course this part continues on for all events as we now always run into people who we haven’t yet met but have read their logs. Then you get to a comfort zone level where you’re thinking changes to “I’d really like to meet cacher X in real life” after reading online logs or seeing their name written in cache logs.
Thinking about attending a couple out-of-town events in the near future to rekindle that feeling. 🙂
We attend events in Moncton and try to hit the events in nearby communities. We have also attended events in NS, Fredericton, Saint John, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, Ottawa, Gatineau and Palo Alto, CA.
We enjoy meeting cachers. I like the idea of regular events and we usually go to the Moncton area monthly breakfast to meet up with the regulars and any newbies that show up. It allows us to catch up on the news and maybe get solutions to problems
I remember my first event.
It was at the Pump House Brewery hosted by Funky.
A dual event for me as I was with a group from The Running Room
as I was trainingg for a Marathon and this was after one of our
hill training sessions.
At the caching event I got to meet Argus2, FarsideX and to hear Funkys band. I think Insp Gadget was even there.
It was nice to finally talk to other cachers. I also love the Pump House’s Blueberry Beer.
My next exent was a wings night in Bangor Maine.
My first event was the launch of the 2011 ACGA passport challenge. We arrived in 5 islands having no idea what to do. Luckily a geocachertold us what was going to go on. Sign log, socialize, group picture. Then wwe went for the caches in the parks when we got back to the area, we started to talk with a freindly couple from NS. We then decided to go look for a cache togather that was a hike on a closed trail, we then bushwacked through the jungle to a cache and found the trail in. Hard way in and easy way out.
My first event was actually my 8th logged cache! It was the 2009 Fundy event, and I brought my Scout troop. Thankfully the other two leaders were already cachers (scouterscott and paulie777). I never would have thought 3 years later that I’d be hosting my first event as a campfire prelude to the Fundy event this year.
My first event was the last MGA AGM, which was held in Fredericton at Killarney Lake in September 2008. At that time there were very few events held in Fredericton. It was great to mingle and meet other cachers, as I am typically a background-type person who does not like to socialize with big crowds. It made me realize what a large geocaching community there was in the area. Sadly, a number of cachers who were heavily involved in caching at that time who I had the pleasure of meeting either no longer cache or do very little of it.
Funny story about the event. There was a guy sitting with his two kids at a nearby table who looked familiar. His name was Scouter_Rick. The next week, on Sunday morning, I see him at our church. We had both been attending the same church for years but always sat in different sections, never really connecting.
I popped my Event cherry at a wings night in Riverview two years ago. I had about a year of caching under my belt at the time and a few hides as well, and I thought that it was about time that I made an effort to meet the folks who were putting out the caches that I’d been finding. I’m a people person, and was looking forward to meeting all the cachers at the event. Up until then, I had only met Dragoon.
I walked into the pub blindly, asked a waitress where the geocachers were. She looked at me funny. I kept walking and asked another waitress who pointed me in the right direction.
I found a spot at a table with Jim52, Belladan, Hillbilly Bob, and others. Also met Rev, Zor and others at the other table. I think that Herminnz and Chatelaine were there as well, newbbies at the time also.
As it was wing nite, I stuffed myself full of wings, met the community, and now count many among my friends.
I remember coming over to find you at the other table that night, it was so busy we couldn’t sit all together.
Our first event was the 2006 Red Dirt Dash – the kids were only 2 and 4 at the time. We met quite a few cachers that day, many of whom don’t really cache all that much these days, if at all. It was also our first opportunity to meet Zonker and Sportsman01 (and Deb), whom we still see and chat to at many events. At the time PEI had 90 caches and we spent all day rounding up 20 finds – which we thought was pretty monumental!!!
My first event was an Intro to Geocaching hosted by Mud in the Face in Grand Bay-Westfield. Snoik, the kids and I had been caching for about a month at that time. Snoik had bought me a GPS for my birthday a couple of weeks before the event and we didn’t even know how to use it! lol…I was still wandering around matching up the number to find the cache. YNDS took the time to show us how to use the compass and a few other things. At the event I saw someone I had worked with many years earlier and his wife who works for the same school district as I do. They go by MKLeggs
The first few events were a little nerve racking until you get to know cachers and can put their caching names to their faces.
It is still a pleasure to go to an event and meet fellow cachers who’s names you have seen but have never met. It is a real pleasure to meet cachers who work so hard to make the caching world the best it can be.
Just looked at my GC profile and I was suprised to see I have attended 14 events so far. Not a lot for 2 1/2 years caching. But a lot for me I guess. I didn’t attend my first one until a little over a year ago. The 2011 Fundy event. It was also the first event for Snake9. We hung out with Zonker that day and did the caches.
I have since found these events are not so bad. Some of the friendliest people I have met. Like Zor, and probably a few others, I am not comfortable in social scenes. But once you get to know a few cachers it’s a little less stressful. I think I may even like a few of you lol.
Doing shift work and working weekends limits the number of events I can go to but I do try to make it to some, It’s always a good time. For new cachers you’ll never break the ice if you don’t attend an event. Just tell people you are new to caching and ask ANY questions you have. Then try to get a cacher to shut up.
I have been to 121 events so far, would be a bunch more if I went the breakfast events.
I’ve only attended 4 events in the past 10 months. I decided to get back to the basics of geocaching and why I started in the first place. I wanted to rediscover my passion for the hike and the hunt before I got burned out by all the politics, etc. that seem to happen with every organized hobby/sport.