...continued from part one of "Passion for Pathtags".
In September 2010, the Twin Cities hosted the Geocoinfest MEGA event. As a part of the event, there was a time of pathtag speed trading. This involved a bunch of cachers with pathtags in a full trading frenzy. Since most pathtags are personal signature items, and most have a story attached to the design, it ends up being a great way for cachers to get better acquainted with one another.
Daphne Connolly (Catzilla), of Burnsville, shared how pathtags can be a window into getting to know other cachers better:
“I think the thing I like the most is that the tags really say a lot about the person who owns them. They are a little window into who that person is.” Daphne’s tags represents her love for her cat, Buster, nicknamed “Catzilla”, which then also inspired her caching name.
Sue Odell (theodellfamily) of Monticello, Minnesota says, “I like that they are personal and that the designs reflect the owners personality or give you an insight into who they really are. As if they are sharing a bit of themselves with you.”
The Pathtags.com slogan is “Who have you crossed paths with?” Since each tag collected represents a person behind it by trading or giving them, it helps people remember when they crossed paths with that person. Each tag is not just a coin, but it represents a friend or an encounter with another cacher in person or online.
When pathtags are found in caches this also connects people. When a tag is discovered it often causes the finder to connect with the person that placed the pathtag to thank them for it. It can really add to the fun of the find and, more importantly, possibly initiate a new friendship.
Jean Monson (Shadow’s Friend) of St Paul shares how bonds can be formed because of pathtags. “When you find a pathtag it gives you a little insight to geocacher(s) that were at the cache before you. It removes a layer of anonymity. Using the Pathtag website you have another tool to communicate with geocachers that have a similar like and interest.”
Jean has also join several pathtag clubs online with members of similar interest. For example Jean joined a Bird Club where each member committed to make a bird tag and trade them with other people.
Daphne (Catzilla) states she often hides her pathtags in special caches and “hopes that the next person to find that cache gets a smile on their face when they spot my pathtag inside.”
This sure puts a smile on Sue Odell’s face when she is pleasantly surprised to find a pathtag when she says, “It is better than Christmas when I am lucky enough to find a pathtag in a cache or receive an unsolicited one in the mail.”
So next time you open up that geocache don’t be so quick to sign a TNLN log entry. Search a little closer through all that swag, because not only might you find a pathtag, but also you might find a friend.
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