Geocaching!

[+Seawind]

I’ve been geocaching for over a year now, and wanted to share my impressions with those just starting, or thinking about giving it a try. I have been involved with many hobbies and sports for 40 years, and have always enjoyed pondering the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. Well, I’m beginning to think that geocaching is just about as close as you can get to a perfect hobby/sport. Let’s look at some of its many advantages. I’m hoping other cachers will pitch in and add to my list:

 

First, it is incredibly inexpensive. For $50 or even less, you can get a used, but good GPS receiver and you’re ready to go. By keeping transportation costs to a minimum by biking and walking to cache sites, you can keep expenses at a near zero level. There are very few activities where $50 will buy thousands of hours of enjoyment! On the other hand, if you are so inclined, you can spend much more. Gadget fanatics can indulge in the latest and greatest GPS receivers and PDAs and upgrade every few months. Or, you can travel around the world geocaching in luxury. The sky’s the limit, but $50 or less is all you really need.

 

By comparison, another hobby of mine, flying R/C airplanes, can eat up as much money in a day as geocaching does in several years. My wife appreciates that, even though she can’t see the point of either pastime!

 

Geocaching is a fantastic fitness activity. It gets you out moving around and breathing fresh air. If you choose caches which involve hiking, or if you walk or bike to cache sites, you can build and maintain an outstanding level of fitness. Also adding to its health benefiting qualities is the fact that it is a low stress activity. It is usually very relaxing. And, it is quite safe compared to many other outside adventure sports. It is one of the most healthful addictions there are!

 

While many, if not most activities rely on certain conditions, such as daylight or dry weather, geocaching can be participated in any time at all, in any weather and almost anywhere on earth. With most GPS receivers being highly water resistant and well lit for use in the dark, you can go caching at one o’clock in the morning in a driving rainstorm. Try it – it’s fun! Not your idea of a good time? Then sit at home and read the fascinating postings in the geocaching.com forums. You can be part of a fantastic community of enthusiasts, right in the comfort of your own home.

 

It is also the perfect vacation activity. There are caches almost everywhere on earth that people are likely to visit. And, with just a GPS receiver and some notes or a PDA, it is extremely portable – no large pieces of equipment, such as skis or golf clubs to haul around. You can grab a quick cache during a lunch break. You can spend just a couple hours a month caching or try the 24-hour-day marathons.

 

Another fantastic quality of geocaching is that it can be enjoyed alone, or with friends and family members, with dogs, or as part of a team. I do most of my caching alone, and really enjoy it, but am always glad to be joined by a friend or niece.

 

I always try to merge various hobbies and sports together. Geocaching ties in very well with an amazing number of other activities. Its closest ties would be to walking, hiking and cycling. As an avid cyclist, I have really appreciated how I can participate in both activities at the same time. Attach a GPS receiver mount to your handlebars, and a whole new world opens up.

 

Caching also merges nicely with travel, photography, bird watching, dog walking and PC and Internet use. Not many recreational activities are so adaptable to integration.

 

Unlike other sports, such as flying model airplanes, the learning curve to get started in geocaching is quite short. Yet, it is an activity that benefits more and more from the experience one picks up along the way.

 

For those with children, grandchildren or nieces and nephews, geocaching has two tremendous benefits. First, almost all kids find it exciting – a treasure hunt. It is much easier to interest children in geocaching than, say, nature hiking or just going for a walk. Second, it is very educational. It can be a teaching tool for many different subjects, such as trigonometry, navigation, wilderness survival, and PC use. It supports the idea of sharing (giving and taking cache items), creativity (thinking up new and creative caches) and cooperation. It fosters observational skills while searching for caches and even psychology (“now where would they have hidden it?”) and advertising (thinking up ways to attract people to your cache). And, it builds an appreciation for nature.

 

Geocaching is very ecologically friendly. Admittedly, it does introduce a large number of containers of various sorts into natural areas. However, these are almost always well hidden and hopefully removed at some point. And, this drawback should be neutralized many times over by the CITO (Cash In Trash Out) concept. Every time I visit a cache, I try to remove a piece of litter or two. It’s a well-supported practice that has undoubtedly helped clean up a lot of garbage.

 

One of the things I’ve really appreciated is that, through caching, I’ve discovered many places, right in my own neighborhood and city that I never knew existed. There’s no way I would have found these spots if it weren’t for a cache taking me there. I try to place my own caches in areas like these for others to discover.

 

Geocaching is very goal oriented. A common goal for many, including myself, is to find 1,000 caches. It’s a lot of fun to watch your “total finds” number climbing as you log more results. And for many, even more enjoyment can be found by creating caches of their own. It’s great fun to dream up new and creative cache ideas, and even more fun to read the logs that end up in your email box every day from people who have found your caches.

 

Geocaching is the perfect marriage of high and low tech. You can engage in something as simple as walking, yet hold in your hand an amazing product of high technology that communicates with satellites and can pinpoint any position on earth within a few feet.

 

And, yes, in case you’re wondering, I made the notes for this piece while geocaching. Did I mention Travel Bugs?!

 

Please chip in with additional thoughts!

[+bottlecap]

That about say's it!

My other hobby is computers, that thing cost me $2000, and makes me sit on my butt!

If gas was a little cheaper,,,,,,,well, whatever.

Edited April 13, 2006 by bottlecap

[+Miragee]

I agree it is the best sport/hobby/activity/addiction, except for horseback riding . . . but I can't afford to own horses anymore.

 

The little arrow on the GPSr gets me out the door by myself better than anything else. It also gets me to places where I can take pictures, another passion of mine.

 

I have climbed mountains and peaks around here I never would have climbed if a cache hadn't been there.

 

And, in the past year I have made more friends than I have in several years, and Geocachers are the nicest people!

[+briansnat]

Geocaching is very ecologically friendly. Admittedly, it does introduce a large number of containers of various sorts into natural areas. However, these are almost always well hidden and hopefully removed at some point. And, this drawback should be neutralized many times over by the CITO (Cash In Trash Out) concept. Every time I visit a cache, I try to remove a piece of litter or two. It’s a well-supported practice that has undoubtedly helped clean up a lot of garbage.

 

What some critics fail to realize is that geocaching has created many new advocates for these natural areas. People who previously were couch potatos have discovered these places and fallen in love with them. So when they are threatened there are that many more people willing to stand up and fight for them.

 

One of the things I’ve really appreciated is that, through caching, I’ve discovered many places, right in my own neighborhood and city that I never knew existed. There’s no way I would have found these spots if it weren’t for a cache taking me there. I try to place my own caches in areas like these for others to discover.

 

This is my favorite part about the sport. I've discovered many new (to me) and fascinating places through geocaching. Some quite close to my home that I never knew existed.

 

Geocaching is very goal oriented. A common goal for many, including myself, is to find 1,000 caches. It’s a lot of fun to watch your “total finds” number climbing as you log more results.

 

While reaching goals and accumulating finds are fun for many, there are as many people who don't care about this. Their only goal is to have fun. The great thing about geocaching is that you can make it what you want to. If you're a "type A" goal oriented person, perhaps reaching a certain number of finds can be stimulating. However if you're a laid back person who doesn't give a whit about numbers, you can also enjoy the sport.

 

Overall, I don't think its the best hobby or sport (I'm partial to skiing - but heck I have geocached and skied at the same time), but it is certainly among my favorites.

[+hukilaulau]

I agree geocaching is the best hobby ever. I agree with pretty much all the points you and Briansnat make but here's a recap of the most important ones for me:

---It's inexpensive. There's something very appealing about using all this sophistocated "stuff" for a few bucks.

---It helps me find new places to hike and explore. This is the key to the whole thing for me. For the past year or so I have been working a series of 13 week contract jobs in different states. Everywhere I go geocaching brings me to some fantastic spots that I never could have found on my own.

---It encourages me to learn new technology. After about 150 caches found with an eXplorist 200, inputting everything by hand, I got a Sportrak Map and a PDA cheap from E-Bay. It took me a year to figure out how to use them with first Spinner and Plucker, then GSAK and Cachemate! I am not the most computer literate bear in the woods, so I was very proud of myself when I FINALLY got it to work!

---Reading. This has been my main hobby since about third grade. I don't even have to go out to enjoy the benefits of this sport! A few moments reading the logs and websites of folks like Auntie Weasel, Cool Librarian, Stayfloopy, or Waterspyder can carry me through the day! Reading the logs of others who have marveled at the amazing creation of "Chooch" make for an entertaining lunch break.

There's more! There's more! But I have to go plan my first caching trip to California this weekend...

[+Corp Of Discovery]

I haven't quite decided if I like it or not yet...

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

I agree with all of this. Like Briansnat, my favorite thing is seeing the new and fascinating places, especially the ones close to home.

 

It's especially interesting for me because ever since a kid I've always been quite fascinated with maps, geography and seeing wonderful outdoor features.

 

Like him as well, all other things considered, the one thing I would be more partial to is downhill skiing, though I've barely done any in the last 2-3 years because my kids aren't ready to join along and right now it's a little expensive to do more than very very occasionally. In that sense the low expense of caching has been quite appealing to my whole family.

Edited April 16, 2006 by hairymon

[+wuvablepebbles]

Ok how many kids (specially teens) want to go check out historical sites?

 

If you say to a teen .. while your on vacation and we are gonna check out a bunch of historical stuff while walking around. Watch your kids whine complain and groan.

 

Tell your kids your gonna go treasure hunting with billion dollar satilites using something that looks simular to a gameboy (while checking out historical sites and nature) and they are whining "can't we LEAVE THE HOUSE already???? PLEASE".

 

I so love geocaching already! And it's been awesome learning experiences for my kids.

 

My 13 year old DD said yesterday to the hubby. "I am so glad we are all spending time together so much lately" That made me super happy to hear And we are making a ton of really great memories already!

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

Ok how many kids (specially teens) want to go check out historical sites?

 

If you say to a teen .. while your on vacation and we are gonna check out a bunch of historical stuff while walking around. Watch your kids whine complain and groan.

 

Tell your kids your gonna go treasure hunting with billion dollar satilites using something that looks simular to a gameboy (while checking out historical sites and nature) and they are whining "can't we LEAVE THE HOUSE already???? PLEASE".

 

I so love geocaching already! And it's been awesome learning experiences for my kids.

 

My 13 year old DD said yesterday to the hubby. "I am so glad we are all spending time together so much lately" That made me super happy to hear And we are making a ton of really great memories already!

 

Here here.....

 

Teen? My almost 5 year old son and almost 3 year old daughter beg to hold one of my 2 GPSr's (neither quite understand them yet obviously, though my son can read the numbers and the direction pointer and kind of gets it). But yes, it really does help the family spend more time together and add great memories. My 14-year old nephew loves to go with us caching when he visits and lets us enjoy more time with him. Cache on!

[+gluteusmaximus92]

geocaching is tyhe best hobby ever (at least to me) and I have proof. Ususally, when I pick up a new hobby, I am excited about it for a couuple months, or even a couple of weeks (I f i'm lucky, I'll get a year of enjoyment.) But caching isn't the same. I havn't stopped loving it. Also, it encourages me to do activitides that I've dropped but I stil love (like bikig, hiking, and backpacking).

[+Frettchen_2006]

Ok how many kids (specially teens) want to go check out historical sites?

 

I have an abnormal child, I suppose, because at 14 she loves historical sites! Came from dragging all over German castles when she was a kid Now she loves poking around museums, civil war sites, and all sorts of odd places most kids would flee from. She's a casual cacher, though, as she'd much rather be reading the brochure

[jamieb520]

This is the best sport/hobbie ever. I love the outdoors, and am a avid bicyclist (thats why I got a GPS in the 1st place) Oddly enough, my second cache find was in a conservation area, about 20 feet from where I would stop to eat my lunch on one of my regular cycling routes I'm also descovering trails and places great for riding that I probably wouldn't have found without geocaching. I just wish they had this back when I was a kid. Kids of today are so lucky. But I wouldn't have discovered this hobbie if I hadn't finally decided to get a GPS. Maybe cause before I was labled as a "muggle" lol.