Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Who doesn't love a good, old fashioned scavenger hunt?
That's just what geocaching, a world-wide outdoor recreational activity, is bringing into the 21st century.
Combining the excitement of a treasure hunt with technology many people use daily, geocaching is a community-based scavenger hunt that depends on a community of “hiders” and “seekers” that participate in the virtual geo-hunts.
But what is a geocache, and how do you play?
To start with, you'll need to create an account at geocaching.com or on the Geocaching App (which is available on Google Play and the Apple Store). The basic account is free, but there will be a yearly fee if you decide to upgrade to premium and have access to more caches. You can either download the app, or choose to find nearby caches on the website and print off the cache directions and information.
From there, follow the map, the directions and the hints to find the cache.
Typically, a cache is a waterproof container of varying sizes; you may be on the hunt for a small cache, which could be an empty pill bottle or waterproof M&M container, or a large cache, which can be a sealed plastic container, or even a military ammunition box.
Some caches will even have special treasures (called 'swag' by geocaching.com) hidden inside. Usually, the treasures are small trinkets, such as a toy, ornamental buttons, or pins; food, drugs and weapons are items that are not allowed in a geocache.
Even if there are no trinkets or treasures inside a geocache, there will usually always be a slip of paper where geocachers are invited to sign the date of the find and their username before returning the paper to the cache and resealing it.
Since the game's birth in 2000 in Oregon, there are now over 190 countries that have geocaches hidden in them (even Antarctica has geocaches!).
In Jefferson County, there are quite a few geocaches, definitely enough to get a determined cache-hunter started!
And if you find all the geocaches in the area, you can always hide your own! If you or your family is interesting in hiding and registering a geocache for others to find, visit geocaching.com/play/hide for the rules and instructions for hiding a cache.
What are some benefits to geocaching?
• It's good, outdoor fun for the whole family. Getting outdoors as a family might be difficult, but who won't enjoy a scavenger hunt? Mom and dad can help read off the map while the kids hunt down the cache.
• Experience new places. Geocaches are typically hid in tiny parks, unique corners or tucked in parts of cities and town you might not have stumbled upon if it weren't for geocaching. One of the benefits of the game, according to geocaching.com, is that you can 'experience new places like a local'. If you are traveling and stop in a small town, hunting for a geocache might take you off the beaten path to a hidden treasure larger than the cache itself. Even if you are looking for geocaches in your own neighborhood, there is always the chance to find some interesting little place you never knew existed.
• There are many different types of caches. You will typically find a normally caches, such as those in pill bottles or Tupperware containers. But there are some special caches for the adventurous geocachers, like the Night Cache, which can be found at night by following a series of staged reflectors; an Earth Cache, which are virtual caches organized by the Geological Society of America that requires the geocacher to perform a task that provides an educational lesson in Earth science; Moving/Traveling Caches, which encourage the finders to re-hide and update the coordinates of the cache upon finding it; or Puzzle Caches, which require geocachers to solve a riddle or puzzle in order to find the cache.
So, are you or your family looking for a fun summer activity that can be done while exercising the proper social distancing guidelines? Look no further than geocaching, which is a free, family-friendly, engaging way to get outdoors, stay active and have fun all at the same time!
Get out there – and find your own!
You must be logged in to post a comment.