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On New Year's day, my friend introduced me to an activity I just have to share.

GeoCaching

Basically Geocaching involves using your GPS to locate a "cache" - a container of some sort - which contains a log book and often a number of trinkets. You just sign and date the book, and trade a trinket in the cache for one of your own (if you like).

This is all coordinated through the website http://www.geocaching.com/

The site contains the coordinates of every cache in the world (there are nearly a million hidden world-wide). Some are straightforward, some have a puzzle to solve to get the coordinates, some are coordinates to a landmark where you will find a clue to locate the cache. Once you find it, you can check it off on your geocaching.com profile.

Just sign up to the site, and you can start GeoCaching right away. You can even hide your own caches for others to find!

My friends do this, I've never really understood how to do it so I never did it.

If you've got an iPhone, there's a GeoCaching App.

It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I don't even have a GPS (or iPhone), but I still found a couple on my own by memorizing from Google Earth. I found one yesterday evening that made me really appreciate the effort people go to in hiding and camouflaging these things.

Some are easy so that kids can find them. Some are super tricky, or are hidden out on a hiking trail.

All I did:

* Sign up on the site. FREE.
* Went to "Seek Cache", and searched Caches within 5 miles of my postal code. Choose one.
* Put the co-ordinates into Google Earth.
* Solved the clue (it helps, because some coordinates are fake, so puzzles/clue reveal real ones. But they always tell you if the coords are genuine).
* Go find it, sign the log and put it back.
* Post about it on the cache's page on the website. Other GeoCacher's comments often contain clues that make it even easier.

I just cant see the point of it, what exactly do you get out of it?

Kit-Fox wrote:I just cant see the point of it, what exactly do you get out of it?

well I guess if you are the type who enjoys bushwalking/hiking, it'd have its benefits, with a mix of a treasure hunt....

I did orienteering a while back, not really my thing but I guess there are those who do like that kind of thing.

~soul

I like Geocaching too! That's a good way for geeks to go out and a way to discover some interesting (hidden) places near home or when you're in holidays. There are cache in cities too by the way.

No need to add that kids love it... ^^

Oh yeah, and last weekend I met an english geocacher while I was looking for a cache near a castle. It happens...

I'm intrigued.

Suppose someone moves or destroys whatever it is you're looking for though? Or did I miss the point?

its an interesting activity...

there isnt much "point" to it... except for the knowledge that you found it and that you have a teeny weeny excuse for going outside...

i ve done a few of theses, its fun gets you out and about and easy and free to do unlike most things these days. I only do it if its about 10 miles from my house not ventured into the countryside yet though

Diamond Dust wrote:I'm intrigued.

Suppose someone moves or destroys whatever it is you're looking for though? Or did I miss the point?

It happens. However, most of the time, if you're not looking for it you should not be able to find it (or it was no hidden the way it should). There are not a lot of hijacked cache...