What is Geocaching?
Today's article is on Geocaching, the GPS treasure hunt craze which is sweeping the world. Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Players navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.
Anything could be a geocache — on our caching expeditions we often find Tupperware lock boxes, camera film pots, or even ammo crates.
How do I get involved with Geocaching?
There are several geocaching websites but the most popular is Geocaching.com, here you can sign up for a free (premium memberships are also available) account. With free membership you'll have access to everything you need for basic caching.
Ideally though you would want to get a geocaching app for your smart phone. Again there are several available.
To start off we suggest you view the geocache map to see what's around you. A basic geocache gives you a GPS location and some information about the area or the cache itself. If you have a smart phone with a geocaching application you can then save this in your app.
Once you're off out looking for the cache the app will provide a compass showing your distance from the cache; when you're within a few metres keep your eyes open and look for anything that could be a hiding place. If you can't find it check the app/website for a clue. When you've found the cache there will be a logbook that you can sign and an online logbook. Fill out both and you have found your first cache!
So you may be asking, well what's the point? Some people use it to explore new places, it helps get children out walking as it adds a treasure hunt element, and for some they just want to have found the most caches amongst their friends!
Types of Caches
There are several types of caches, these can include but are not limited to:
- Basic caches — Go to a place, find the logbook, sign it and you're done!
- Cache Walks — These are our favourites, a series of basic caches laid out in a walking route, a great walk to get children (and adults!) out walking.
- Puzzle / Mystery caches — To find these you must first solve a puzzle to get the GPS coordinates, this could be a brain teaser, or it could be finding numbers on a local landmark to make up the GPS location.
- Multi Caches — To find some caches you must go to a series of locations, this may be to solve a clue at each location to find the GPS number, or it may be a series of caches each with a clue towards the final cache.
So next time you're looking for something to do while outdoors why not try geocaching, leave a comment and let us know how you get on, or if you're already a geocacher share your most memorable caching experience.