I had mentioned
Geocaching in a previous post, and promised that I
would elaborate further. Simon and I grabbed an opportunity to go
out Geocaching this weekend, so it is a good time to explain what it is
all about.
So what is Geocaching?
Essentially, Geocaching is a global treasure hunt using GPS (Global
Positioning System). Scatted across the globe (yes, this game is
worldwide) are lots of hidden boxes, called caches. Each cache is
hidden by a participant in the game, and the exact longitude and
latitude coordinates are published on the
Geocaching website.
Using a GPS receiver, players are expected to find as many caches as
they can. Each cache contains a log book so the player can sign
in their visit, and treasure (trinkets, key rings etc), which can be
exchanged (what you take out must be replaced with something
else). Some caches also contain travel bugs, which are special
toys marked with a unique number on an attached tag. Travel bugs
are supposed to travel from cache to cache, and the locations of travel
are recorded by the website.
So, what is so good about Geocaching?
First of all, it is good exercise. Most caches require you to walk to
them, and many of them can be in rural areas, which involve a little
hiking. If you're anything like me, you'll need kicking in the
backside before you adorn a pair of hiking boots and head for wildlife,
but give me a GPS toy to play with an incentive to go looking for
something hidden, and I'm all over it.
Logging your visit on the web site, when you return, is also part of
the fun. You get to see who else has visited the caches that you
have just been to, and you can see what caches they have visited that
you have not.
Personally, I love Geocaching because it is a sport that operates in
short bursts. Simon and I were out for a couple of hours on the
weekend, and found three caches, one which involved a lengthy hike, and
two which did not. I wasn't exhausted from walking miles to one
location and back, nor was I bored from looking at the same scenery for
hours, yet I got as much exercise as if I had set off for a straight 2
mile hike.
What do you need to get started?
If you have a GPS receiver, which will navigate based on
longitude/latitude coordinates (some of the portable in car navigators
will work, but most are not designed for anything outside road
navigation) and access to the web site, you're good to
go. Like all new things, I was introduced to the sport by my
friend Andrew, and I went out with him and his GPS device while he was
in town visiting. When I found my first cache I became hooked - finding
a hidden object that someone else had placed, and many people before me
had found was an interested feeling. After
Andrew left, I managed to pickup a refurbished GPS etrex tracker from
Garmin pretty cheap (about
$99). It helps of your GPS device has an inbuilt electronic
compass (most GPS devices calculate compass location by direction of
travel), so you can pinpoint the direction of a cache when standing
still.
Can you hide your own cache?
Yes, absolutely, I am planning to hide my first cache real soon - check
the web site for more details on this. My advice would be to find
a few caches first, before hiding your own, just so as you get a flavor
of what the sport is about.
Convinced?
Hopefully, whether or not you do decide to add Geocaching to your
sporting repertoire, please respect the rules of the game so that other
players can also enjoy it. If you find a cache by accident (most
are hidden well, but some not) and are not a player, please leave the
cache uninterrupted. If you are a player and found a cache
intentionally, leave it as you found it, and remember to sign the log
book. Above all, have fun, it is a great excuse to get out.