Try something new: Geocaching
Jan 06, 2012
“I found it, grandpa!” That’s what one of my granddaughters squealed during a recent geocaching trip.
Have you heard of geocaching (pronounced “geo-cashing”)? You might like it if you like nature, treasure-hunting and opportunities to spend time with family and friends.
Geocaching has been around since 2000. It’s a treasure-hunting game that combines high tech and outdoor adventure. Players (or “cachers”) hunt for treasure in small containers (called caches or geocaches) using GPS (Global Positioning System) information and other clues found on the Internet. The most popular geocaching Web site is www.geocaching.com.
The caches themselves are usually jars or boxes that contain miscellaneous items called “swag.” Swag could be anything. It’s usually small items such as Matchbox cars or other small toys, golf tees, coins or other assorted trinkets. Some caches will contain a logbook or guest list. Cachers write their names and other comments on them. It’s customary to leave something in the cache if you take something with you.
Anyone can create or find a cache. They are usually hidden in parks and other public places. Once the latitude and longitude coordinates of a cache are registered on a Web site such as www.geocaching.com, anyone can find it. Geocaching.com allows users to find nearby caches, and they are in just about every city across the country. Cachers often post online comments, such as how difficult it was to find the cache and when they found it.
My wife, Eloise, describes geocaching as, “hide the thimble on steroids.” Any number of people can play, and it’s great for all ages. GPS devices are getting cheaper, too. You could use a handheld GPS, a GPS-enabled smartphone or any number of other GPS devices that are available. All the device needs is the ability to input latitude and longitude coordinates and tell you the direction and distance you need to go to get to those coordinates.
Even though GPS devices will usually get you pretty close to a cache, you may still have to spend some time looking around to find it, since they are often hidden in tree trunks and other tucked-away spots.
For my grandchildren, geocaching is an opportunity to go an outside adventure with grandpa. They also like to swap swag. For them, when they find a cache, it’s like finding a gold mine. For me, geocaching is more about the hunt and the discovery rather than anything tangible that I could walk away with. It’s an opportunity to get out and get a little exercise and keep it interesting. I enjoy going out for one or two by myself from time to time. There are often times when I will spend a half a day or more with friends traveling the countryside looking for several geocaches at a time. It’s grown to be a great pastime for me. I encourage you to try it if you’re looking for something to motivate you to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors.
By Gary Sikma
Change Engineering Director
Click here to contact Gary
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