Mystery. Adventure. Indiana Jones-style treasure hunts. The journeys we’ve all dreamed of can come true! All you have to do is download this super cool app to get started. It’s time to go geocaching!
Google defines geocaching as “the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website.” I define geocaching as “super fun.” You can use GPS coordinates, or make use of in-app features such as maps, a compass, and hints or reviews by other geocachers. The goal of the adventure is to hunt down a geocache, leave your mark, and return the cache to its hiding place. And you want to do your best to be discreet! You don’t want to give away a fun mystery. Then again, some people I know have climbed lampposts in malls on their way to the prize, so that’s not very discreet at all. But hey, you do what you gotta do.
I’m relatively new to the geocaching game. I remember going when I was little, armed with a compass and my mother’s keen intellect. She and I had lots of fun adventures. Now that I have a car and a phone and a geocaching app, it’s been easy to get back into it! My friends and I are suddenly intrepid adventurers. We’ve skirted golf courses and private property lines on our way into scraggly canyons. We’ve clambered up desert hills, most definitely not dressed for the level of adventure we found ourselves on. We’ve rode off into the night and shined our flashlights down dark streets, run from the sound of barking dogs and stopped to pet friendly ones. We’ve breathed in ocean air and taken in the sounds of a city pub. We’ve stopped for impromptu photo-shoots in sketchy freeway underpasses. Geocaches are all over the place! The journey is part of the adventure.
Caches (is that a thing people say? Cache? Well it is now!) aren’t always easy to find. Sometimes a cache has been swept away with the weather; you’re not always going to have an easy find. I’ve had luck so far, but that’s mostly thanks to the people who’ve gone with me. I’m not so great at spotting things, and if we’ve learned anything from Indiana Jones, it’s that:
That only makes things more rewarding! You get to focus on the world around you, and be immersed in a real-life adventure. Reading about exploring is fun. Movies can take you along on an adventure. You can get lost in the world of a game. But there’s nothing cooler than turning your everyday surroundings into the landscape of your greatest treasure hunt yet. If life is feeling mundane, it’s fun to text a friend and say “Hey! Wanna go geocaching?” You can explore the area around your home, or try it when you travel. You can turn any day into an adventure! And if anyone asks what you’re up to, you get to say:
