Geocaching

Has anyone heard of this?  My brother in law is into it and I'm not quite sure exactly what it is or how it works.  It sort of sounds like a modern day treasure hunt type thing.  I'm hoping I might be able to come up with some Christmas gift ideas out of this new hobby....if I understood what it was!

My sister is WAYYY into geocaching...it's a hobby that she, her husband, and the kids can all do together.  The little boys do refer to it as 'treasure hunting', so you're not far off.

One of the best resources for geocaching information is www.geocaching.com.  Click on the 'getting started' link and it'll help explain what it's all about.

My cousin and his family are also WAYYY into geocaching - he's a topographer and never goes anywhere without his GPS, so falling into it was a foregone conclusion.  The kids favorite part is leaving stuff (usually stickers) for the next people to find the spot.  Whenever they go on vacation, he always checks to see if there are any to find where they're going.  Sounds like a lot of fun; can't wait to give it a shot myself!

There are caches literally all over.  Used to be a big problem w/people digging where they shouldn't (e.g., inside National Parks), but chachers are getting more creative and less likely to put caches in illegal spots now.  There are 'virtual caches', 'micro caches', 'video caches'...you name it.  Sometimes you will get the coordinates of the cache just given to you.  Some are more like puzzles...solve the puzzle THEN you get the coordinates.  Sometimes the cache you find will contain another clue to lead you to yet another cache.  It goes on and on.... 

Part of the 'code' of caching is that when you take something from a cache, you leave something in exchange.  My sister stocks up at dollar stores, end of season sales, etc., for small and inexpensive items to leave behind.   

I just checked my Geocache account - my travel bug has gone nearly 35 miles.....cool! The last one I released went missing in the States somewhere....

I had checked out a few sites to see what it was about and it all seems so complicated!  My BIL is going to send us some caches he wants us to check out or some such.  He wants to send us some presents to put in them from Oregon.  We said yeah, ok we'll do it!

I had checked out a few sites to see what it was about and it all seems so complicated! 

The basic premise is pretty simple...you get the coordinates and use your gps unit to locate the cache.  Some are really easy to find, others are very well hidden.  That's where the fun is for my sister...she loves the search.  Even better if she has to solve some sort of puzzle to find out what the coordinates are!

My sister tells me that the forums on the geocaching.com site are a good source for help and explanations.  She's tried to get me into geocaching, but she hasn't been successful yet!  Although she's about got me talked into taking a 'travel bug' to Edinburgh with me!

One of my friends is really into geocaching.  She got into it through a friend of hers who always wanted her to go, and she did one day, and that was it.  She really liked it.  I'm sorry, I really don't know that much more about it. 

I will say that the website when you first go on there can be intimidating, but it's really easy once you get into it. 

You'll want to download EasyGPS to download coordinates directly to your GPS (if yours allows you to do that). It's also one of those hobbies that is always there - so you don't have to go geocaching every weekend, etc.

I did it a few years ago - then sold my GPS - then bought another one - logged into my account and all my previous finds were still there....

I would love to do this, I just need to a buy a GPS unit.  The only problem I have is that I don't wanna look like crazy woman whem I am digging somewhere, looking for buried treasures ROFL.

June

I would love to do this, I just need to a buy a GPS unit.  The only problem I have is that I don't wanna look like crazy woman whem I am digging somewhere, looking for buried treasures ROFL.

June

LOL - there is an element of that when you first do it - but then it's kinda cool.  The last one I did - there was a promenade close by with loads of people on it - I ended up walking around in circles for a while (GPS was acting up) and then when I located it - I tried to act *normal*....hehehe....it's all very James Bond

Also - you really don't want the general public to see what you are doing - they might mess with the cache - not that most people would do - but it does happen - unfortunately.

I got my GPS - dead cheap on Ebay - he sells loads of them for like $10 - lemmie look up his name on Ebay and I'll send you the link.

(edit: he's not selling any right now....but Ebay is still a good place to get one at a reasonable price)

This sounds really cool! My bf is very dependent on his GPS (I think he has about 3 of them), so maybe he'll be up for it.

Is there any way to find out if there are any cache locations near you before you start downloading stuff? I had a quick look at the web site and thought it was a bit confusing.

Yes, you can search for cache's by post code:

http://www.geocaching.com/  go to the upper right hand corner *search for caches* - now it says zip code - but click on advanced search.  That will bring you to another page - just type in your post code and click *seek*...it will tell you the nearby caches - easy peasy.

(this is assuming you are in the UK - if you are in the USA - just type in your zip code on the main page)

PM me if you need any other help....I love this stuff!

I had a sneak peak and there are loads of places on the IOM.........kewl!

Yes, you can search for cache's by post code:

I found it!! TONS of them in Cornwall! I'll be there for a week from Thursday so ... WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I'm excited already! I so hope the bf is up for it!