Let me explain.
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Geocaching is a game played around the world. The rules are pretty simple.
Go get a GPS - and yes, the one built into your Android is more than enough. Go create an account at the site listed above and look for a cache near your current location... then go find it!
Some are a little more difficult than others to locate, but you'll be surprised when you see how many caches are near you. My wife and I found our first cache this past weekend. It was a little container painted to camouflage it's appearance from local 'muggles' and hidden behind a rock. Inside, we found a log book and a bunch of trinkets. If you take a souvenir, you have to leave another item of equal or lesser value in there - like a keychain or something.
Thats it! A global game of treasure hunting, aided by GPS technology. It's really a lot of fun.
Now - c:geo is an Android app that saves a lot of the frustration in starting this awesome hobby. It logs you into geocaching.com through an interface that offers a few really useful tools. For starters, you can just hit the 'Nearby' button and watch your device pull up all of the caches local to your current location. Next, you can select one and input it directly into your on-board GPS.
There's even a feature to see any other active 'droid' cachers in the area. Neat.
So, what practical use does geocaching have besides being super fun?
To hide a cache succesfully in the eyes of the geocaching community, it should be in an area free of 'muggles'. In other words, you need to practise stealth and camoflauge to keep unwanted hands away from your stash. In taking up geocaching, you can practise hands on land navigation, wood/trailcraft, fitness based hiking and more.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteGeocaching is a great "excuse" for people who normally aren't all that motivated to get out into the backcountry to actually go and do it. I've managed to turn a few people over to the dark side with geocaching.