Intro to Geocaching 1: An Overviewby Nicki Bradley | More from this Blogger 22 Mar 2006 12:59 PM Have you heard of geocaching? It's a fun and economical way for families to head outdoors, get some good exercise, face an exciting challenge that all kids and adults can meet equally and come away with some fun "stuff". Geocaching is an adventure game, much like a real-life scavenger hunt, that uses a handheld global positioning system (GPS) and hints from a website to track down "caches" that are hidden within your community and the world, at large. The caches are hidden by regular people, like you and I, and also by parks and recreation workers, school groups and other organizations, just for the fun of it! It can be just as fun to hide a cache as it is to find one but it is recommended that you find several caches before you hide your first one. The thrill in geocaching is in the hunt. There are many sizes of "caches" from the tiny (the size of a film canister, for instance) to the large (the size of a metal ammo box). The larger caches hold goodies such as foreign coins, happy meal toys, dollar store junk, etc. It is often the most fun for kids to seek out caches with tradable "stuff". You will need a handheld GPS in order to geocache. Although this is considered a high-tech tool, it isn't difficult to use at all. Hunters and fisherman routinely use them, as do hikers and campers. They are great, handy tools to mark your location on the planet and keep track of where you have been and where you are going. They communicate with satellites and their accuracy is up to a few feet.. You can purchase a GPS starting at around $100 from Target, Circuit City, Bass Pro Shops and other electronics or hunting and fishing stores. GPS units can get very expensive but one does not need an expensive unit to successfully geocache. The unit my family uses is a bottom of the line $100 Garmin Etrex we purchased locally. We love it, it never fails us and it is easy enough for the kids to use as well. Both Garmin and Megellen make strong, reliable, easy to use and reasonably priced GPS units for beginners. After you have your GPS, all you need is a clue to start your search for a cache near you. Geocaching can be an enjoyable way to get out into nature, to hike and enjoy the fresh air. The process can be just as much part of the experience as the product. The hunt is fun, often challenging for your mind and your body. And the find is exhilarating for everyone! Children are often extremely good at geocaching because they have the ability to think outside the box in a way that adults have often lost. Even the littlest kids love getting the "loot" they find in many boxes. And, after the initial cost of the GPS unit, geocaching is free and endless entertainment. Next up in the series: Intro to Geocaching 2: Understanding Your Search Results Learn more about Nicki Bradley  I live in the suburbs of Detroit and I'm happily re-married with six children (3 his, 2 mine, 1 ours) ranging in age from 3.5 to 12. Relevanttravel tags User Comments  bluetree (2947) 22 Mar 2006 07:53 PMWow, that's a cool idea. Now I have a reason to go buy a GPS system!  Heather Long (16954) 22 Mar 2006 08:09 PMOkay, sign me up. I've never done that before, but I love treasure hunts!  WordsAplenty (4029) 22 Mar 2006 09:26 PMWhy haven't I heard of this? Okay, you've got us hooked... tell us how to to it! Sounds great...  Kelly K. (2277) 23 Mar 2006 12:01 AMOkay, I'm hooked. I have a friend who does this, but I've never understood it. This will *definitely* be my next toy! Thank you for explaining it to me! Community Tags family fun, Geocaching, GPS, ideas Discuss this article
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