Active geocaches worldwide

As feral hogs have spread and geocaches have multiplied, the chart achieves 0.976 by connecting two forms of hidden things proliferating across landscapes: one biological and destructive, the other recreational and delightful. The hog roots through the underbrush, the geocacher searches through the underbrush, and both are looking for something buried. The hog finds truffles. The geocacher finds Tupperware. The chart finds a correlation.

Feral hogs expanded into more states. Geocaches grew from about 800,000 to over 2.5 million between 2006 and 2020. Both growth curves: hogs because they are biologically prolific, geocaches because the hobby expanded globally. Eight data points, both up. The shared variable is the great outdoors getting busier with both invasive species and recreational treasure seekers.

Eight years of hogs and geocaches is a correlation between two forms of outdoor proliferation: one unwanted and destructive, the other voluntary and fun, both spreading across the same American landscape. The hog is discovered with alarm, the cache is discovered with joy, and the chart treats both discoveries as equivalent.