Monday, December 19, 2011

Geocaching

It's like National Treasure, but in your neighborhood!

If you're bored and looking for a fun activity to do with friends, give geocaching a try! All you need is a GPS tracker or a cell phone with GPS capabilities and a membership to geocaching.com (don't worry, it's free).

Now, you're probably wondering... What the hell is geocaching? It's a global hide and seek game where any player can hide a "cache" basically anywhere they want to (given that they have permission from the property owner). Then, it's up to you to find it! Caches come in many shapes a forms. They can be small film containers, or ammo boxes. What's in a cache you might ask? Well it depends. Most of the time inside the cache is a "log sheet" for you to sighn, noting that you found the cache. Sometimes there are small keepsakes you can take with you to remember the cache, and you are encouraged to leave something behind if you take something from the cache. Occasionally one might find a "tracking" piece, which has a series of numbers on it. If you find one of these you are asked to enter the numbers on the geocaching website. This allows the owner to track the objects movement. You are then suppose to deposit it into a different cache that you find. Some clubs use these to have races to see whose coin can travel the farthest in a given time period!

How do I find the caches? When you get on geocaching.com you can enter your current location. It will give a list of nearby caches to search as well as the coordinates of the cache. You enter the coordinates into your GPS and away you go! Sometimes finding the coordinates isn't enough and you have to solve puzzles, decode encryptions, or do other tasks that may lead to more clues. But in the end, when you find the cache, you have a deep sense of satisfaction that you were able to channel your inner Indiana Jones in this world wide treasure hunt! Often, to spice things up, my friends and I find a group of potential caches within walking distance of a bar. We go find one, head to bar for a shot of Jameson, repeat! Just don't do this and drive! Check the videos below for more details!