Geocaching for Fun and Fitness

In these troubled economic times, finding enjoyable summer activities that won't break the bank is proving to be a monumental task. As gas prices rise, your savings account shrinks--and with it, the dreams of fun-filled summertime adventures. If you are a parent, this prospect can be particularly troubling--raising uncomfortable images of bored kids, staring at the TV all summer long. They know they won't be going to Disneyworld this year.

How about taking your family on a treasure hunt? Imagine searching through uncharted territory for buried treasure. If you go geocaching, that's just what you'll be doing--and you can do it all right in your own backyard! For a small investment (around $100), you can purchase a basic GPS unit--and your adventures are ready to begin!

Simply go to www.geocaching.com and enter your zip code--and a plethora of nearby geocaches will appear on your screen, of varying sizes, difficulty, and terrain. Micro caches are usually as tiny as a roll of film, whereas mega caches can be the size of a large trunk or greater. Personally, I am a fan of traditional caches, which are usually an empty ammo box filled with whatever treasures the creator and visitors have decided to leave behind.

What are some of the things you might find in a cache?

There will always be a log, filled with the signatures and comments of the other geocachers that have visited the cache, plus assorted trinkets like key chains, rings, toys, and the like. If you are lucky, you might even find a geocoin or a travel bug. These are trackable items which often have a goal or story. A travel bug I found recently was a tiny wooden canoe that wanted to go to the Gulf of Mexico. I found it in Maine. I brought it on my vacation to Florida and dropped it off in the Annamaria Island Historical Society's cache. Goal achieved!

Some caches are simple "hides" and that's it. Others can be elaborate games, requiring the geocacher to solve riddles or puzzles to figure out the proper coordinates. One cache I created had a special Easter theme--micro caches consisting of small, colorful plastic eggs. One of them contained a surprise--a handful of dollar coins!

My adventures have taken me to such gems as quiet, hushed vistas, wild rushing waterfalls, and hard-to-find historical sites, just to name a few. You'll be surprised what unknown places you might be missing, maybe only a mile from your house. This is usually a bigger treasure than what you end up finding in the army green box.

The cache might be hidden in between tree roots, in an old stump, between rocks, covered with leaves. Once I found the cache literally right above my head, hanging from a tree branch. Although I cursed the cache creator under my breath as I struggled to reach my prize, I was deeply impressed with their ingenuity.

Safety is important to keep in mind while geocaching--do not attempt a cache with a four or five star terrain difficulty on your own, especially if you are not in good shape. These caches often require advanced hiking ability--scaling rocks, overnight camping, intense bushwhacking, or even paddling. Make sure you know what you are doing, and go with at least one other person that you trust.

One of the best benefits of geocaching is that it is a great form of exercise--one that you aren't even aware of until you are done with your hunt. When you are trying to find a cache, you will backtrack, climb, bushwhack, do anything to find the object of your search. When I return to my car, I'm usually panting and sweating--but proud of myself for the workout and finally finding that evasive cache. It leaves you with a sense of accomplishment--one you will need to wash down with an icy cold drink!