Let’s Go Geocaching!
Have you heard of geocaching? It’s been around for 20 years and is referred to as the “world’s largest treasure hunt.” Literally taking place around the world, geocaching is a great way to get outside and discover new places while hunting for “treasure.”
For those of you not familiar, a very simple description of geocaching is this: geocachers hide items that generally have little monetary value, such as toys or souvenirs or trinkets, in a waterproof container. The container also contains a logbook. The location of the “cache” is registered on a geocaching site. Other geocachers will then see the location of the cache using GPS and data from the listing site. When you find the cache, you note that you’ve located it and also sign the logbook in the cache as further proof, along the lines of “Gina was here” written inside a public bathroom stall. (We still don’t understand that line of thinking.)
You may take items from the cache and replace them with others. A common item to be placed in a cache is a Geocoin. These have no monetary value and are more like tokens. You can purchase generic Geocoins or have personalized ones made. Geocoins can be collected, or the original geocacher who placed the coin in the cash may ask that the coin, or other items, be moved so that they can track how far the item travels. You know, like a travelling gnome or Flat Stanley-- see where your Geocoin might show up in the world!
While that is the very basics of geocaching, it gets much more complex. There are many different variations on the traditional game, like Multi-Caches, Mystery Caches, EarthCaches™ which include a science lesson, and many others. There are also very specific rules, like no placing food, drugs, weapons or illegal items in caches, not placing things on private property without getting permission and more.
It is recommended that before you bury your first cache, you hunt for and find several caches so you can see the types of items that are placed in a cache, the types of containers that are used and the locations that are chosen. When you do decide to place your first cache, it is recommended that you choose a location that is interesting, not just a good place to hide something. One of the things that geocachers love most about geocaching is discovering new places, even in their own community. While there are geocache locations worldwide, you don’t have to leave your city or town to discover hundreds or thousands of hidden caches, and see a part of your corner of the world that you might never have known existed.
Geocaching is a wonderful activity for the whole family and is a great way to get out of the house and do something fun while connecting with other geocachers, all at a safe distance. You can see how to get started at geocaching.com, read their guidelines, shop for fun stuff and become part of the geocacher community! When you head out, grab a bottled CBD tea or Spark to stay refreshed and energized for the hunt! Happy caching!
