If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you may have heard or read about geocaching. Geocaching is like a modern treasure hunt. People hide caches of items in out of the way places, whether in a park, under a bench at a bus stop, or out in the wilderness, and other people use GPS devices to locate the caches. It is a fun activity made possible by portable GPS devices, and offers a unique way to get into the outdoors and explore your surroundings.
Geocachers hide containers in any location they choose, and then post the GPS coordinates on a geocaching website. Other people using the site can search for caches in their area and then go hunting. By entering the coordinates into a GPS device, the geocacher can get close to the cache, but then they have to use some investigative skills to find the cache’s final location. Many geocaching websites let the original person leave a clue as to the cache’s location.
There are really no enforceable rules to the game, but there are a set of common etiquette guidelines. If the cache is the type with an object to take, it is polite to leave another object of equal worth for the next person. Many times a cache will have a list to sign, and part of the fun is seeing who has been there before. Obviously, posting fake geocache locations is discouraged, as it would ruin everyone’s enjoyment.
There are several types of geocache that people can hunt for. A traditional geocache is some sort of container. It will most likely have a logbook to sign, and may include items to trade. There are also multi-caches, which involve more than one location. The GPS coordinates will lead to the first cache, and the geocacher will have to use clues to find the next site. There are even geocaching meetings whose locations are hidden like a cache. When the person gets to the coordinates, they will find the meeting.
Geocaching can be a fun hobby that most people can do. GPS enabled phones have made it much easier for people to join the hunt. As long as people follow some simple rules of etiquette, the game will remain fun for everyone.
Featured Image from Katerina Kerdi/Unsplash
