I’ve heard some friends talk about finding a geocache, but I’m not really sure what that is. What exactly is geocaching? Do you need any special equipment?
Ever wish you could find buried treasure? Enjoy a nice walk on a beautiful day? Tech geek? Well, lucky for you, there’s a sport that combines all three. Welcome to the world of geocaching.
The idea
Using either a standalone Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or a GPS enabled smartphone, participants play a game of hide and seek to locate hidden containers, called “geocaches” or simply “caches” placed by other participants.
A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook, which the geocacher who finds the cache signs and dates when they find it. Sometimes the cache also contains little items that can be traded, or passed from cache to cache as well.
Other caches — particularly in more urban locations — are microcaches. They’re very small, easier to hide, and usually contain just a log sheet. (One example of a microcache is shown at right — this one was made from an old lip balm tube, which was camouflaged and affixed with magnets to the back side of a utility cabinet.)
The GPS coordinates for the caches are published on a variety of websites (which we’ll discuss in more detail in a bit) along with a description of the cache and sometimes a few subtle hints about how it’s hidden. After the coordinates are entered into the GPS, you use the device to navigate to the general location of the cache, finishing on foot. Rarely are the caches left out in the open, so some poking around is generally required.
Once the cache is found, in addition to signing the log inside the cache, the finder goes back to the website and logs the find, generally leaving comments about it without revealing the location. Or, if it’s not found, is damaged, or is otherwise not in the condition in which it was originally left, one can leave comments to that effect as well.
Where to find cache listings
Geocaching.com: The largest, oldest, and most popular listing of geocaches resides at Geocaching.com. As of November, 2011, the site listed over 1.5 million caches worldwide. (You can see some of what they list in San Francisco at the top of the page.) They offer a Premium (paid) membership for additional features and info about VIP caches, but the vast majority of the information is available to the free basic members.
NaviCache.com: Originally started as a regional listing service in 2001, NaviCache gained popularity among those looking for a less restrictive alternative to existing cache services.
Opencaching.us: This site, though it only went live in August of 2010, already has well over 600 caches listed in its database, with the vast majority of them not found on any other caching site.
TerraCaching.com: TerraCaching prides itself on having totally exclusive listings — no TerraCache caches are found on any other caching site. They have listings all over the world.
Stuff you need
In order to participate, you need some form of GPS receiver. This can be a GPS enabled smart phone with an app — Geocaching.com offers an app for iPhone, Android, webOS, and Windows Phone 7 platforms — or a dedicated GPS unit. (Yes, you can most likely use the one from your car, provided it is capable of taking latitude/longitude coordinates as an input and runs on an internal battery.) Garmin and Magellan are two companies that offer handheld GPS units that are perfect for a dedicated geocaching GPS, and, for the most, part sell for well under $100.
Other than that, you just need some free time, a nice day, some comfortable shoes, a pen or pencil, and some trinkets to add to the cache.
Caches are generally rated by difficulty for both how hard it is to find and how difficult the terrain is, but for the most part locating them just requires a good set of eyes, some common sense, and a willingness to poke around. This isn’t to say there aren’t any caches hidden in the tops of trees or on mountain summits — but you’ll find plenty in your local neighborhood parks (and parking lots), too.
The bottom line
Geocaching is a great way to get out and get some exercise while having a goal to go after. It’s also a great family activity — kids love the idea of finding “hidden treasure” — and, for that matter, most adults do too. So lace up your sneakers and fire up your GPS, and go see if X really does mark the spot!
A modern-day treasure hunt
Ever wish you could find buried treasure? Enjoy a nice walk on a beautiful day? Tech geek? Well, lucky for you, there’s a sport that combines all three. Welcome to the world of geocaching.
The idea
Using either a standalone Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or a GPS enabled smartphone, participants play a game of hide and seek to locate hidden containers, called “geocaches” or simply “caches” placed by other participants.
A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook, which the geocacher who finds the cache signs and dates when they find it. Sometimes the cache also contains little items that can be traded, or passed from cache to cache as well.
The GPS coordinates for the caches are published on a variety of websites (which we’ll discuss in more detail in a bit) along with a description of the cache and sometimes a few subtle hints about how it’s hidden. After the coordinates are entered into the GPS, you use the device to navigate to the general location of the cache, finishing on foot. Rarely are the caches left out in the open, so some poking around is generally required.
Once the cache is found, in addition to signing the log inside the cache, the finder goes back to the website and logs the find, generally leaving comments about it without revealing the location. Or, if it’s not found, is damaged, or is otherwise not in the condition in which it was originally left, one can leave comments to that effect as well.
Where to find cache listings
Stuff you need
In order to participate, you need some form of GPS receiver. This can be a GPS enabled smart phone with an app — Geocaching.com offers an app for iPhone, Android, webOS, and Windows Phone 7 platforms — or a dedicated GPS unit. (Yes, you can most likely use the one from your car, provided it is capable of taking latitude/longitude coordinates as an input and runs on an internal battery.) Garmin and Magellan are two companies that offer handheld GPS units
that are perfect for a dedicated geocaching GPS, and, for the most, part sell for well under $100.
Caches are generally rated by difficulty for both how hard it is to find and how difficult the terrain is, but for the most part locating them just requires a good set of eyes, some common sense, and a willingness to poke around. This isn’t to say there aren’t any caches hidden in the tops of trees or on mountain summits — but you’ll find plenty in your local neighborhood parks (and parking lots), too.
The bottom line
Geocaching is a great way to get out and get some exercise while having a goal to go after. It’s also a great family activity — kids love the idea of finding “hidden treasure” — and, for that matter, most adults do too. So lace up your sneakers and fire up your GPS, and go see if X really does mark the spot!
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