Rock the Cache-bah

I recently upgraded my phone to an Android with GPS capabilities. I have always been somewhat interested in Geocaching but never had a GPS device. When I got my phone, I downloaded a popular Geocaching app and got to searching.

1. Geowhat?

Geocache. It’s like a giant treasure hunt. People hide “caches” (usually waterproof containers containing a log book and other random items) then post the GPS coordinates online. You go to the posted coordinates and search for the cache. If you find it, you sign the log book. If there are items inside, you can take one and leave your own.

2. That sounds pretty dumb.

Nah, it’s actually a lot of fun. Check out these pictures from my first cache. (Click the image for a larger version.)

1-thumb.jpg The coordinates led us here, to a small park with some tennis courts. See anything that looks like it could contain a log book? (We checked those utility boxes. Nothing.)

2-thumb.jpg Each Geocache usually has a hint. Our was “crouch down, look up.” So it was something below the average person’s line of sight. See anything yet? (Yea, neither did we.) We eventually gave up and went home. After dinner we came back, determined to find the cache.

Out of desperation I pulled on the metal plate on the bottom of the utility box. 3-thumb.jpg It came off! There was a log sheet! Mission accomplished!

4-thumb.jpg We signed the log and replaced everything as we had found it.

I’m hooked. Tracking down the 3 caches we found this weekend was really fun. I think the coolest part is that the game is hidden in plain sight. There are caches everywhere, but unless you know about the game, you would never think to look for them. I think that is so cool. I plan to find as many as I can, wherever I go, and create my own. Get a GPS device and get caching!