Finding Fun with Geocaching

Mark Twain said, “There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.”  That must be the reason why geocaching has caught on for modern treasure seekers.  Using a GPS, seekers participate in an outdoor treasure hunt to find hidden containers called caches.   The hobby is a little over ten years old and it is estimated that there are over 1.3 million caches worldwide.

Our family caught onto the geocache rage several years ago when we purchased our first GPS.  Since then our hunting has gotten easier and more high tech, but we are still finding reasons to love geocaching. Really, what’s not to love.

• It’s a great family activity that easily involves all ages.
• It encourages outdoor activity and physical fitness.
• It teaches map reading skills.
• It is basically free.
• You can do it anywhere.
• It takes you to out of the way places you might not otherwise discover.
• It’s fun!

A cache inside a microwave called “What Normal People Do With Tupperware.”

Besides all that, we have found that geocaching is a great activity to have in your arsenal while you are traveling. Practically anywhere you go you can find a geocache and turn an ordinary park or garden into full scale game of hide and seek.

Our supplies~Smartphone, Treasures, and lots of water

If you have no idea how geocaching works, let me hit the highlights.  Using your current location, geocaches are found online at geocaching.com.  Seekers choose caches based on difficulty and terrain and enter the coordinates into the GPS.  The GPS guides the seekers to the cache where treasure and a logbook are discovered inside a concealed container.  It is customary to sign and date the logbook, choose a treasure from the cache, and place a new trinket into the cache before returning it to the hiding place. Getting started with geocaching is easy to do in just a few simple steps.

1. Sign Up.  Sign up for a free account at www.geocaching.com.   For even better geocaching, download the smartphone app*, as well.  A free version is available to try before you buy.
2. Gear Up. There are only a few simple tools you need for successful geocaching and you probably already have them in your possession.  Of course you will need a GPS, or better yet a GPS enabled phone. You will also need to collect a few small toys or other treasures to use as trades for your hunting.  As a bonus, this is a great way to recycle those fast food toys.  Some players use paper logs to keep track of their finds, so a pencil and notebook are needed for this.  We like to keep a paperless copy of our caches online.
3. Look Up.  The geocache website or app is the place to go to find the caches that you want to seek.  The sites have so much more info than just where to go.  Cache size, searching difficulty, and an explanation of terrain are all here to help you to have a successful hunt.
4. Dress Up.  If you are a really serious geocacher you will don your camouflage from head to toe to ward off any muggles who might spot you on your hunt.  Camo or not, there are certain wardrobe choices to keep in mind.  Wear good sturdy shoes and long pants for safe hiking through the woods.  Be sure to use sunscreen or other sun protection even if you don’t think you are going to be out for very long.

 

** A note about the smartphone app: I’m going to sound like a commercial, but I assure I receive no compensation for my raving about this app.  The app is $9.99 which is pretty expensive in the world of 99 cent apps, but it is worth every penny.  The app affords you portability and spontaneity that you cannot get from the geocache website.  If you are serious about geocaching or want to use geocaching as you travel, you will not be disappointed with the app.