Have you heard of the whole geocaching craze? It’s basically an outdoor treasure hunt using GPS coordinates. Once you get the coordinates, and your job is to find a container that is hidden at that location. Unless it is a private geocache that you or a friend/family member has created, you don’t take the container, but leave it for the next geocacher to find. The fun of the game is just being able to find the location.
I know a family who makes their own geocaching hunt for their family reunions. Then, they split into teams to see who can find all of the locations first {each location has enough tokens, slips of paper, etc. for each team}. When you find the location, you grab your proof and then move onto the next coordinates. They all have a blast trying to race to the coordinates.
If you are interested, you can log onto a geocaching website to find local hunts, or if you are on vacation, and want a free activity, you can type in the zip code of where ever you are, and find coordinates. Pretty much all you need is a GPS device and and sense of adventure.
I have to admit, I am intrigued. It sounds kind of fun. So, I have to know, has anyone tried it? Is it fun?
~Mavis
Angela says
Yes! It is great fun. I started geocaching in 2005, and I have even done it while visiting other countries.
Rochelle says
Letterboxings is even more fun! Incorporates arts and crafts if you desire; but not required at all. Same hide and seek aspect, but no GPS needed. Check out atlasquest.com for more information.
Katy says
Yes, I participate in something similar called Art Abandonment – we hide art pieces we’ve created for strangers to find, and post hints on their website or Facebook. It’s great for me because I can’t afford to make new art pieces, but it keeps the creative spirit going.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks, I’ll take a look.
Heather says
Our whole family is addicted to Geocaching. I love it because my whole family can do it together. We have been to places that we would have never gone. We have even geocached with my husband’s 93 year grandfather! To top it off, Geocaching.com is actually located in Fremont, WA. Geocaching is a very Washington thing to do.
Mavis Butterfield says
Awesome. Thanks Heather, I’ll check it out.
Lynn says
Short story: This summer there was a LOT of strange people {strangers…..not “strange”…..well, maybe…..} that were seen outside our home looking and digging through bushes in the park next to our house. It was bothersome and after a couple of weeks, my husband finally got brave and went to see what was going on, and talk to them personally. The couple at the time told him that they were looking for a new geocach that had just been buried there this Spring. Phew! Thought something sinister was going on. LOL.
Mavis Butterfield says
That is hilarious. 🙂
Deborah says
There’s a state park near me that offers a geocaching experience. Apparently the “reward” at each site is learning something new about nature.
There’s 2 versions: one for adults and one for kids.
It looks like a lot of fun!
Angela says
It’s awesome! My kids and I love to find geocaches. You would never guess how many geocaches you probably pass by every day!! 🙂 My younger kids bring little trinkets with them and enjoy swapping theirs with something new if the cache is big enough. We’ve even participated in geocaching events where we have earned trackable coins that you can then hide somewhere else and track their progress as they get moved from cache to cache.
Mavis Butterfield says
Wow! I like the idea of tracking coins… that would be super fun to watch as they move around town, or even the country.
Modern Mia Gardening says
We love geocaching! We’ve been geocachers since 2000. It’s a fun way to get a nice walk in and stretch your brain.
Pam Lyon says
My hubby and I love Geocaching! We have been at it for about as long as we have been together. I especially love finding travel bugs-trackable items that travel from cache to cache. You guys should definitely try it. Most phones have the capability to let you find caches, but IMHO it is best to splurge on a decent Geocaching GPS-they typically are more sensitive and can cope with disturbances some phones can’t.
Mel says
we did geocaching with my sons Boy Scout troop, it was always a lot of fun to see what would be in the box and wonder who would be excited to see what we had left. 🙂
Mary says
Another cool “treasure hunt” is letterboxing, which can involve orienteering, use of a compass, following directions and deciphering clues. Our family does both!
Mary says
Sorry – I forgot to add that you can try this site: http://www.letterboxing.org/
Sheila M. says
It is a great family activity. I highly recommend it. When taking a long road trip, it’s the perfect activity to get out and stretch your legs. There are tons of caches located at Rest Areas along major interstates.
I used to feel like I was ‘dragging’ my younger children to watch their siblings plays soccer games. Since the players need to be at the field an hour before games to warm up, we decided to see if there were caches we could look for at the parks before kickoff. We were surprised to discover that there were usually several. Sometimes too many to find in one hour. Careful though, it can be addicting 😉
Robin says
My husband and I just got back from a vacation in the mountains of Colorado in our RV. While sitting at the kitchen table at our campsite, my husband asked “What’s that blue thing in that bush?” I went to look and it was a geocache container. This is not a campsite at a campground, but out in the middle of the woods. It was fun to look inside, see what was there, read their instructions in case anyone who find it (like me) didn’t know about them. We took a little trinket and left one also. It was fun.
Kathy says
My husband and boys were out on a hike last weekend. They weren’t looking for a geocache container but happened upon one near some rocks they were scrambling over. They said it was fun to look inside and see what trinkets were in there. A pretty cool concept…funny to think about how many containers are out there all around us!
Mavis says
Did it pique their interest in doing it themselves? How fun to stumble onto one!