Backward Geocaching or Geocaching in Reverse?

The Crew at Inspector Gadget Geocache

What should I call it?  Recently, I have had to start something new, either backward geocaching or geocaching in reverse, but I can’t decide what to call it.  Maybe you can help.

Let me explain what is going on.  We homeschool our children and they have to have a physical education credit in order to graduate.  We discovered my favorite hobby/passtime/sport/… will count as a P.E. credit (WOOHOO!!)  But we have to have some way to keep records to prove they actually went out on the hikes to find the geocaches.  We decided the best way to accomplish this was to have each individual log the cache on their own profile. (I believe Laura plans to grade their logs as a writing assignment, too.)

So, Is It Backward Geocaching?

Here’s the dilemma.  I have found over 1100 geocaches as Crazy Dave’s Crew over the last few years.  Many of those were family outings and the whole Crew was present when I found them.  Sometimes one of the Crew actually found the cache before I did.  So what to do? If I didn’t say so in the log, we really have no way of knowing exactly which ones they were involved in.  I suppose I could do some backward geocaching, reading through the logs and try to determine which caches I had company for and who was with me.  Even if I can figure it out, is it right for them to log the cache we found before they were geocachers? And should we log the correct date or just the date they signed up(That would make a total mess of their stats)?

Crazy Dave’s Crew at a CITO event

Or Geocaching in Reverse?

We could spend the next several years working our way through all of the geocaches I have already found so they can log finds on them, too.  Geocaching in reverse could be a lot of fun, reliving all of the memories I have made along the way.  I have an amazing ability to recall all of the caches I have found and I would be able to help them.  But I would rather be out finding new caches, making new memories.

Geocaching As Usual

In the end, I suspect we will not be geocaching in reverse or backward geocaching.  I think we will just find the caches as we come to them and if it happens to be one I have already found, I will get to watch my Crew go through the struggles I did to make the find (hopefully I will be able to watch without giving away the location).

I have also found myself struggling with whether to go geocaching without them because I don’t want them to miss out.  But I believe I will make the adjustments and be able to get back at it soon and just let the rest of the Crew enjoy their own journey, where ever that may take them.

Your Thoughts?

So what do you think?  Should we be geocaching in reverse or backward geocaching?  Or should we just continue as usual and just have fun with it?