So I found #100, now what?

#100. 100 Caches found. (Actually as of this post its 106.)

It was nice to save a local "landmark" of sorts to be 100. I pass by it every day I work. Actually, I remember finding each and every cache that happens to be on my route in to work. Some were easy, some were not. #100 I saved, just because it is huge an obvious. A "Steel Angel". Not a tough cache, though I'd had problems before, either with "muggles" or neighbors, or wasps, or something. But, its not like a did a happy dance after signing the log. I asked myself, what next?

Find more, of course. But recognize my limitations. No middle of the night caching. (I have poor day vision, let alone night vision.) Not go after numbers. After awhile, you get tunnel vision, competing with yourself over your own statistics. I wanted to better myself. So, I went after a few more nearby ones, then tackled some previous DNFs. One was a 3.5 terrain I missed. Got it. One was a 4.5 difficulty. Got that one, too. One I missed because I had no idea what I was looking for. Good camo! Got it. Tried for a few more, but had non cachers around GZ, so left them alone. 6 more in one day. I realize that caching is a learning experience. DNFs I logged barely a month ago, I now could find much easier. I wasn't as afraid to tackle a tough hill climb. I'm pushing my limits. A month ago, I would never think of trying a 4.5 difficulty, nor a 3.5 terrain. Now, I'm starting to push past my personal limits. This is what Geocaching is all about for me. Going places, seeing things, pushing my limits of thinking and limits of physical possibilities.

96 was another cache en route to work I wanted. 97 was a target of opportunity. 98 took me back to where I went to college, let me roam my former stomping grounds and see the changes. 99 was at my rival college campus in the same town. They do have a better view though, and I took some good shots from the hill. Then, on a whim, in the dark, I grabbed 100 on the way home.

I'll never really be satisfied by a number. 100 is just a milestone. Its hardly a measurement. Some learn very little in their first 100, some learn a lot. I'd like to think I belong in the latter group. Each cache is more than a number, its an experience. Most of the time, I learn something. It might be small, it may be a huge idea, or point of view. I think that the more I find, the better I will get. Its already proving to be the case, finding previous DNFs after I found #100. I'm making improvements. I'm learning. I'm developing the hobby into what I want out of it. Which, in my case, is more than numbers. Its the experience.

New cachers will say "Wow, 100? Congrats!" Seasoned veterans will shake their heads. Doesn't matter, either way. I cache for my own satisfaction. Not to beat someone else, or hit some random number that doesn't prove a thing.

You don't measure your Geocaching success in numbers, but in your enjoyment of getting out and doing something you enjoy. Looking back on my past 106 finds, I'm very successful in my mind. And that's what matters most.

Thank you to all the COs that placed hides I have found. Special thanks to PJ, for putting on HOF picnic 4, and mentoring me a bit over the past couple months. Thanks to Erin, my first opportunity to follow a leader, and a great one at that. You taught me a lot. Most of all, June, aka Carolyn. I think my favorite hides, and some of the more memorable ones have been hers. A very prolific CO, but also one with an eye for detail, placing caches in places for a reason. To take you somewhere, to show you something interesting, to remind you time is short, and to put a balance in caching between getting numbers, gaining experience, and enjoying yourself. Thanks, all of you!

Here's to the next 100+! Cheers.