GEOCACHING

Have you heard the word?  The term geocaching is travelling steadily to people all over the world, and yet many people do not know what geocaching is.  Quite simply, geocaching is the sport of hiding and seeking treasure.  The “treasure” is referred to as a cache, and the hunting weapon of choice is a GPS device (global positioning system).  Caches are hidden, location coordinates are recorded online, and geocachers seek to find the coordinates and the resulting treasure.  Although finding a geocache is exciting, the main goal of geocaching is to provide the opportunity to visit places that you might not have visited otherwise. 

In order to get started with geocaching there are only a few steps you need to take.  The first of which, is to register yourself into the geocaching community.  The website for this is www.geocaching.com.  Upon completion of your registration, you will want to get started hunting down your first cache!  To facilitate geocaching you need to have a GPS enabled device.  Hand-held GPS units are the preferred tool of trade, however; people can also purchase an application to use on their iPhone, android, and windows phone 7. 

When purchasing a GPS device remember it does not have to be fancy, but should be durable and easy to use.  Make sure to check for second-hand devices being sold on kijiji.ca or in your local paper.  Local libraries also have a program set-up where you can sign out a kit that contains a GPS unit.  After equipping yourself with a GPS device, you will need to search for caches in your area that you are interested in finding.  www.geocaching.com explains in detail how to do this, but basically you just need to enter your postal code and a list is populated for you to choose from. 

Alas, you have chosen your first target and now you must prepare for your adventure.  Make sure you are fully equipped by following the motto; prepare for the worst, hope for the best.  You may be hiking on trails, climbing rocks, and most importantly you will be exposed to the elements. Sunscreen, bug spray, a hat, proper footwear, water, extra batteries and clothing, and snacks are all recommended items to bring.  When you are about 50 feet from your objective point, rely upon your eyes to find the cache, opposed to your GPS.  This is the tricky part as caches are hidden well for two reasons; to make the find appealing and so “muggles” do not find and take the cache.  The term muggles comes from the Harry Potter series referring to people who are normal and not magical.  In the geocaching world, muggles are people who are not geocaching (they also look at you funny while you are on your search).   

When you have found the cache, (be patient sometimes it takes a few tries) you will find a logbook.  In this logbook you should enter your name (username from geocaching.com) date and any other comments you feel necessary!  Some common acronyms found in logbooks are:

Ø      FTF- Indicates you were the First To Find the cache

Ø      TFTC – Thanks For The Cache!  It is always nice to thank whoever set up the cache location. 

Ø      TFTH – Thanks For The Hide!  Another way to say thanks.

Ø      TNLN – Indicates that you Took Nothing and Left Nothing

After signing the logbook, you may notice a wide array of items in the container.  This is known as SWAG (Stuff We All Get) and is part of the treasure hunting experience.  If you take an item, you are expected to replace it with something of equal or greater value.  Some common items found in a geocache are small toys, geocache patches, stickers, and various collectable coins.  Along with the geocoins, there are some other items commonly placed in geocache’s called trackables. These items, such as travel bugs, patches, Cachekinz, and other tags, are documented on geocaching.com and traced as people find and hide them in new places.  After logging your find and cleaning up any garbage in your surroundings, it is time to head home. 

One of the most important things to do as soon as you return home is to enter your find on geocaching.com.  Share stories and photos of your adventures with other cacher’s, and last but not least, rejoice that you are now officially a world discovering geocacher!

 Information and screenshot taken from www.geocaching.com

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