More Geocaching

After posting about the bag I made for Geocaching the other day a couple of people wanted more information about it. 

This comes from Geocaching.com

"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."

There are over 1 million caches dotted around the world, it can be completly random as to how many there are around you.  We're quite lucky, the town in which we live has over 700 caches in a 10 mile radius, but they are all over, theres even some on Mount Everest (haven't done those ones yet!!!!) 

Caches can be any container but so far the ones we've found have been small film canister, plastic food boxes or old ammunition case.  There are some really cunning containers such as rocks, moss,  snail shells, grasshopper, bolts, pine cones, sticks  or even a coin, all of  which would be a nightmare to find!   The coordinates you are given will take you to a particular area but as they can be quite small and well-hidden there is usually a clue provided as well.  Sometimes the clue can be exact and tell you where the cache is, sometimes they can be a bit vague and continue the game. 

Here's an example of one that was found on the beach under the corner of a drain with stones piled on top.  If you weren't looking for it you certainly wouldn't find it!  In fact sometimes you can't find them even when you ARE looking for them!

Here's another film canister which has a magnet taped to it and hidden on a bench!  You'd never know it was there!  Its handy having little kids for these ones as they can get underneath benches and into bushes without arousing as much suspicion as the adults!

when you find a film canister you usually find a roll of paper like this.....

.... this is the log which you sign and date and whatever message you wish to leave. 

The great thing about geocaching is you get to discover parts of your own town that you didn't know were there, like this lovely woodland we went to on Sunday. 

Here we found a bigger ammo case cache, hidden under sticks and logs.  We found this one easily as you start to notice odd piles of stones or sticks as possible hiding places but you wouldn't have looked twice before. 

Once inside you can find all sorts of goodies!  This is the bit the kids like!  The idea is to swop items in and out, they are usually Happy Meal toys or party bag items but can be anything.  There is a rule that you don't put anything biodegradable, illegal, harmful or controversial in there as its open to anyone who has the coordinates. 

Sign the log book.......

There are some caches which are puzzle caches, e.g. you have to find more than 1 cache for get the coords for the final treasure cache.  Some caches are laid out in circular walks, or have themes (Churches, ponds, railway stations) some are even underwater! 

Its important when you do find a cache to be discrete about it.  Caches are secret and people who don't do caching are referred to as 'Muggles' and you don't want to draw Muggles attention to the secret caches.  This does sometimes mean pretending to be very interested in a particular tree whilst the dog walkers go past and then diving into the undergrowth! 

We like caching as it

• gets you out and about, the kids are happier going out to find caches rather than 'going for a walk'
• you discover places & views you might never have found before
• its like a secret world right under your nose, we often check a couple that are close to our house to make sure they are still there and laugh about no-one knowing what we are doing
• the problem solving aspect is great
• the kids love the secrecy aspect of it, when we first started doing it the kids wouldn't let us talk about it in the car if the windows were open!!

If you have a GPS device give it try, its so much fun but can also be extremely frustrating when you don't find them!  We're going to France soon so we're going to try some there as well!