What is Geocaching, anyway??

OK, so you’ve stumbled across this blog about geocaching and all my various misadventures with my kids.  One tiny problem – you have never heard of Geocaching and have NO idea what it is. So… what is it?? Good question!

Geocaching is essentially a high-tech treasure hunt…kind of a hybrid of a scavenger hunt and an easter egg hunt, haha.  Geocachers hide these little (or big) containers called “caches,” note the GPS coordinates of where it is located, and publish the info on the www.Geocaching.com website.  Other geocachers download the info into their GPS and go find it! Each cache contains a logbook that is signed once the cache is found by the seeker. 🙂 The larger caches also contain little trinkets and various (non-food) goodies… take a trinket, leave a trinket.  (This is especially popular with the kids!) 

The premis is simple and may even sound kinda dumb…but it’s surprisingly fun and quickly addicting.  The coordinates don’t take you to the exact spot the cache is hidden – they just get you to the general area. Then, you have to use your seeking skills to poke around and find it.  Caches can be as small as a pencil eraser or as large as a huge Rubbermaid storage bin.  They can be simply hid on nice, flat terrain where it’s easy to find, OR they can be hidden in a cave, on a cliff, or even under water requiring some SCUBA action. 🙂 It’s up to the seekrs to decide how challenged they want to be.

The best thing about geocaching is that it gives you the perfect excuse to wander to places you ordinarily would have never given a second thought. You get to trek through forrests (or cities, whichever you prefer) on a quest to find the hidden “treasure.” Along the way, you have many experiences and make happy memories and see all kinds of neat scenery.  Finding the geocache is just the icing on the cake…the real prize is in the hunt and the adventure of it.

Well? What are you waiting for? Go to www.geocaching.com and jump right in! 🙂