Customer Reviews

The Joy of Geocaching: How to Find Health, Happiness and Creative Energy Through a Worldwide Treasure Hunt

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been involved with sport of geocaching for over 5+ years. I have read several of the books out there on this sport. They were helpful yes but to me boring and lacked personality. "The Joy of Geocaching" gave me a since of bonding as I read the stories and interviews in this book, not to mention the ease of understanding better some of the software and electronics out there for geocaching. I highly would suggest getting this book for anyone who's just beginning geocaching to the seasoned veteran of geocaching.

Being a geocaching zealot for many years, I have found that one of the greatest joys of geocaching is the diversity of the game. The amazing experience of geocaching is directed with guidelines rather then hard set rules, which allows a wide diversity of methods of play while attracting people from every walk of life. The authors of "The Joy Of Geocaching" have wonderfully crafted this document which not only gives insight for the newcomer of how to play and find their own niche in the geocaching community, but also captures the perspective and life experiences of some geocaching enthusiasts. A must-have book with the power to bring the most stead fast muggle (read the book) into the hunt while also providing amazing insight for the most profound cacher.

Very well written and magnificently organized making it an effortless and enjoyable read. If you're curious enough in geocaching to read thru these reviews, you might as well start shopping Amazon for your GPSr. Once the geocaching bug bites, you're (gratefully) hooked for life. So awaken that curious kid still inside you, get in to the fun of exploring the wonders of the world thru geocaching, and don't forget your guide, "The Joy of Geocaching".

Many Smilies and Enjoy!

I have just finished this book and enjoyed the majority of the book. I am new to geocaching and found a lot of the information very useful. The few parts that I skipped past in the book are parts that I will probably go back and read later after I get more involved with geocaching.

I did not mind the fact that the cacher profiles were of people with a tremendous amount of finds under their belts. I may not ever get my count up that high, but I can still have the same amount of fun searching for caches.

As far as the way the book was written, I only found a couple of spelling and grammar errors. The book was written on a level that most everyone should be able to understand. High scholars may get bored without the 50-cent words, but the overall population will have no problem reading and understanding the book.

This is the only book on geocaching that I have read, so I can't make any comparisons. As of right now, I feel that I have enough information and don't need to get any other books on geocaching.

When I heard "The Joy of Geocaching" was being released I thought "Does the world really need another how-to book about geocaching?". It`s a simple sport and there are already several how-to books available. It didn't take long to realize that this book fits a niche not explored by the other books.

The book recounts the human side of geocaching. It starts off with the inspirational story of Ed Manley who was at the brink of suicide until he discovered the sport. Not every transformation in the book is as dramatic as Manley's, but the book tells the stories of people who were couch potatoes, turned avid hikers; and people who were overweight and out of shape who used geocaching to get fit. It profiles a number of individuals and delves into what attracts them to the sport.

As a "how-to" book it however falls short. The book contains enough errors to show that the authors' research was substandard.

One key error was a misinterpretation of [...] (the primary geocaching listing site) guidelines for hiding a cache. The authors claim caches can be hidden in holes and as long as they are not covered with soil "anything goes". They reinforce this later by saying "The only hard and fast rule is that caches can't be buried. They can be all but buried, but must be available without digging". In fact any digging whatsoever in order to hide a geocache is forbidden by [...]. Whether or not the cache is covered with soil or digging is required to find it is irrelevant.

These irresponsible passages suggest that it's OK to dig a hole to hide a cache as long as you don't put dirt on top of it. Yet it is contrary to the [...] guidelines and the ethic of the sport which prohibit any digging in order to hide a geocache.

In the chapter on extreme caching on page 123 they show a photo of a geocacher on the supports of a bridge with a geocaching related graffiti painted on the bridge. The caption says "note the smiley" (a common geocaching term). On the following page they quote the cache owner as saying he painted the "smiley" on the bridge. They give the impression that graffiti is acceptable, as they highlight the vandalism, but don't condemn it. In fact this vandalism is unacceptable in the geocaching community and needs to be condemned, not featured in a how-to book.

There are numerous other errors that could have easily been avoided with a little research. The authors state that the [...] website requires a separate membership fee, when in fact any member of [...] can access all the member features of the [...] sister site.

Their evaluations of the cache difficulty ratings seems to be off and not in line with the commonly acceptable ratings. 15 minutes of searching for a difficulty 3 cache? Not if it is rated accurately.

Another quarrel I have with the book is that the human interest side focused on geocachers with extremely high numbers of hides and finds, which might make it appear to new geocachers that obtaining numbers are a path to status and the goal of the sport. Neither are true.

There is however a lot of valuable information in the book for new geocachers. The Navigation Basics chapter would be useful to anyone who is new to GPS use. New geocachers might appreciate the chapters on how to navigate the [...] website, what to bring on a cache hunt and an introduction to the mores and taboos of the sport.

Yet despite the plethora of useful information, The Joy of Geocaching's errors make it a questionable resource for new geocachers and I can't recommend it.

I've been geocaching for about 5 years now and I learned a LOT by reading this book. And by "a LOT" I mean this... I thought this would be a good read as far as stories from other cachers, ideas for new caches, and stuff like that. Boy was I surprised when the chapters on getting started and finding your first cache were helpful to me! After having found nearly 1,600 caches at this point (when the book was written a year ago, we were working on 1,000... see page 25) one would think I've got all the tricks of the trade down pat. Not so. Once I finished reading this book, I was inspired to get out there and cache like never before.

The most helpful part of the book to me, though, was the chapter on Software Goodies for Geocachers. As soon as I finished that chapter I sat down at my computer and downloaded GSAK. I had heard other cachers talk about GSAK before, but I never knew what it was. I thought it had something to do with all those smartphones people are carrying around with them while caching (I still use a Handspring Visor with CacheMate for my paperless caching). After reading the chapter (and getting an AWESOME step-by-step beginners guide to GSAK), I'm ready to bring my laptop on the road with me and have my wife log the cache as we're driving the the next one.

The best thing about this book, hands down, is the authors. Paul and Dana are great people to talk to and are engaging writers with an obvious passion for what they write about. They clearly understand the Joy of Geocaching and have conveyed it wonderfully for newbies and experienced cachers alike.

This book is filled with much knowledge, lots of stories, and great ideas. It is a must read for geocachers, outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, bikers, and couch potatoes (get up and cache!).

Thanks for the great book! I enjoyed it a lot and can't stop talking about it (just ask my wife!)!

~Casey Pettitt (Trekly)

My family and I have been looking at getting into geocaching for a while now, and we thought that it might be a good idea to find a few books on the subject. We went to our local library and checked out this book along with 'Geocaching for Dummies'. The 'Dummies' book was ok, but it was badly dated and wasn't engaging enough to maintain our interest for long. 'The Joy of Geocaching', by comparison, is a much better and fresher introductory text.

Now I do have to say that all of the basic information contained in the book can easily be found at other sources, most obviously at geocaching dot com. That said, it's nice to have all of the information contained in book form, easy to read and transport.

It's also nice to have the personal touch that the authors bring to the text. They use geocacher profiles and plenty of field stories to keep the feel of the book light and refreshing. There is a real joy and a real passion to be found here. Authors Paul and Dana Gillin are both active geocachers, and their knowledge and experience both lend a touch of authenticity to the writing.

In short, it's a good first book to buy or check out if you're interested in understanding more about the sport of geocaching. The information is clearly presented, there are lots of good photos and diagrams, and the authors clearly love and respect their subject matter.

Joy of GC is as much of a joy as a book, as is the sport itself. It helped me in my early days enormously, especially pointing out that this activity can be anything from a nice walk in the city to a competitive race in a foreign countryside. The book is well written, informative, well organized and easy to read - a terrific holiday gift.

Anyone into Geocaching should have and read this book. Well written and very informative. Covers all aspects of Geocaching and really helps on GSAK understanding. The personal cacher writeups are very interesting. If you're only going to buy one book on Geocaching, this is it. Goes way beyond Idiot's Guide although the Guide is a good beginners source book, Joy is much more illuminating and informative.

The search for something is an entertainment that has been lost. "The Joy of Geocaching: How to Find Health, Happiness, and Creative Energy Through a Worldwide Treasure Hunt" is a guide to Geocaching, a game that encourages GPS use as players use the game to see new sights and sounds in the countryside and even around their own towns. A fine guide to a game that has helped many people with their relationships and life, "The Joy of Geocaching" is a top pick for anyone looking for an introduction to the game.

I had read the Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching 2nd edition and found that the Joy of Geocaching was a fine complement to that book. This book focuses on why someone would want to get into the game by sharing the fun. Yes, the raw concept sounds very intriguing, but after reading this book, you will be champing at the bit to get going! I really enjoyed reading about the experiences of top geocachers and about super cool/"evil" ("evil" is a compliment in the world of geocaching, according to the book) caches.

Also, lots of good, practical, unbiased information. Unbiased is an important word here; for example, the Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching 2nd edition is written by the staff of geocaching.com. The geocaching.com guys/gals are great and the site is terrific - but it is, ultimately, a for-profit venture because they sell subscriptions for premium content. The Joy of Geocaching puts geocaching.com in context and provides advice that the staff of geocaching.com would/could never give. There is other advice that you would expect, from buying your GPS to handling the "muggles" (i.e., the uninitiated). Also, a nice guide to using the online sites out there.

If you are looking to get into geocaching or just want to find out what all the fuss is about, this is an excellent book to read.