Beginner's Guide to Geocaching
Long before there was Pokémon GO, there was Geocaching.
Though the outdoor recreational activity shares a few similarities with the latest cultural craze, geocaching has long occupied the realm of a far quieter subculture.
In 2000, Oregonian Dave Ulmer hid a bucket of trinkets in the woods just outside of Portland. He announced the location of the “stash” in an online message board, accompanied with simple instructions: take something and leave something. In less than a day, someone found it. Within a few days, more stashes popped up in Kansas, Illinois and California.
Flash forward 16 years – and today, more than 2.8 million geocaches (and counting!) are waiting to be found worldwide.
I discovered geocaching a few years ago and was hooked almost instantly. I set a lofty goal of finding a different geocache every day for a year. And 366 days later, I accomplished my mission. Each new find, regardless of how ordinary, has given me a new appreciation for the way I see the world. The ability to place my own geocaches has become an outlet for my creativity and connectedness to build and foster community in the cities I know and love.
INTRIGUED? HERE ARE 5 IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TO GEOCACHING:
All the world’s a playground.
I bet there is a geocache within 500 feet of you right now. (Test my theory.) Headed to a new city or exploring your own neighborhood? Geocaching will help you discover hidden gems – parks, public art, unique and interesting places you never would have found otherwise; I guarantee it.
A geocache for everyone!
Looking for a fun and FREE activity to get your family outdoors? Want a difficult puzzle to test your mental stamina? Got 10 minutes to kill and want to make a fast find? Geocaching!
Pay attention to the rating.
Every geocache has its own unique size, difficulty and a terrain rating that denote how challenging the cache will be to find. Start easy and try to find larger sizes as some of the micros can be extra tricky.
Don’t get frustrated.
Trust me – I know what it’s like to sit and stare at a wall (sometimes literally) without being able to spot the cache. Be patient with yourself – it takes time to develop geo-sense.
The adventure is in the journey.
Sometimes, you’re not going to be able to find the cache. Sometimes, it’s actually missing. Sometimes, you just won’t be able to see it. Geocaches are meant to be hidden in places where there is a story – listen for it.
Interested in learning more? Feel free to reach out to Giacaches via Geocaching, Twitter or Facebook.
Additional Resources:
- What is Geocaching? – Geocaching HQ
- Geocaching Fact Sheet – Geocaching HQ
- TFTC, PNG, LPC … all the lingo got your head spinning?
Check out the Geocaching Glossary of Terms – Geocaching HQ
Family Friendly Geocaches in Fargo-Moorhead – A List by Giacaches
Guest blog post by Gia Rassier ’10
Published September 2016