Geocaching is Free Family Fun

I was an outdoor kid. I like to play in the dirt, climb trees and look for hidden treasures. I’ve never entirely outgrown that and I have a huge affection for camping and hiking. Thankfully, my children (or most of them) share my love for the outdoors and have the same appreciation for a bike ride or an evening walk. Recently we discovered geocaching, and our outdoor fun has turned into an ongoing giant treasure hunt.

So what is geocaching? Here is a simple definition.

noun: geocaching
the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website.

People all over the world have hidden objects and registered their coordinates so that other people can find them. Most often there is a notepad inside the object, so that you can record your name and date to show you were there, and you may also find little trinkets or treasures that people have left behind. You can take a trinket and leave one too!
To get started, I did some research online and found a geocaching site that explained everything. I registered there and downloaded the geocaching app.

For our first goecaching adventure we decided to head to a local conservation area where we could enjoy the trails and have a picnic as well. There were a few geocaches hidden in the area and once we selected one on the app, we could follow the GPS indicator to figure out where to go. There are clues with some of the descriptions on the app, so if you can’t find the geocache, look for the clues or even read the comments from others who have found it. Once you do find it, click the “Found it” button on the app and leave any comments you have.

The level of difficulty is indicated with each geocache. We found some were in locations that I wasn’t comfortable taking my children into, but they would be fun for adult groups who are searching. When we came back into town I looked at my app and saw that there are several hidden around town too. We went to a local playground and Avery found a geocache there, and it turns out it was hidden there by someone we know.

Geocaching is a lot of fun and something that we will continue to do as a family. We may even hide a couple of our own! Have you tried geocaching? What was the best thing you ever found?