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Do you remember when you were young and you would search for buried treasures? Once you are grown you don’t get to enjoy the simplicities of being a kid again, but now you can.
Geocaching offers children and adults alike a chance to embark on their own treasure hunt across the world, and the best part is it’s absolutely free.
Understanding what caching means is just a start. According to the official global geocaching Web site, geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. Although odds are you are not going to find anything of high value while caching, just fun little trinkets, each one is special to you because of the memories behind them.
Some things you might find are collectible geo-coins which are a variety of sizes and shapes. Once found, geo-cachers can log onto the site and activate a new coin for the one found or they can make their own coins. Another common treasure geocachers find are travel bugs, which are little plastic toys that move from place to place when different people continue to find it. Each bug picks up stories along the way and when found, you can add your story to the history of the bug.
“Another kind of cache is micro-caches theses are usually hidden in the hardest places,” said Ramstein High School student Brendon Holtzen, 16.
With these caches, you write your name and the time you found it on the piece of paper hidden inside then place it back where you found it to see how many more people place a name on the list.
The basic idea is to locate hidden containers called geocaches outdoors and then share your experiences online.
“Geocaching is a great hobby that is a workout and adventurous all at the same time,” said Tech. Sgt. Cody Covert, 86th Maintenance Squadron repair and reclamation technician.
Geocaching offers a variety of caches ranging from a difficult hike or an easy adventure. These caches can be found all over the world. Some might even be in your backyard. You can check the difficulty of each cache online before setting out on your excursion.
“While on our vacation with my husband and son, we geocached in Barcelona, Spain,” said Julie Covert, wife of Sergeant Covert.
So bring your dog, your kid and your spouse and share the fun with the entire family almost anywhere you could think of.
Whether you are a hardcore cacher or just do it for fun with the kids, you’re going to have stories to tell.
“The first time my dad and I went out, we ended up walking through mud that was up to our knees, but I talked about it for weeks,” Brendon said.
After you do find your caches, share the experiences and stories online at www.geocaching.com. The site allows you to share pictures and stories about the memories you made searching for your treasure.
