GeoCaching

[Bodhi]

I have been planning a GeoCaching retirement since I first ran across it while playing "Where's George" in about 2000.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.GeoCaching.com">www.GeoCaching.com</a>&nbsp; has been the primary site for mapping locations but there are others.<br /><br />I can't explain my attraction to this...&nbsp; but, it just gives me the warm fuzzies thinking that there are thousands of people in every country of the planet who are a lot like me!<br /><br />Check it out and let me know if you get the warm fuzzies too!

 

[josephusminimus]

I can't say it gives me the warm fuzzies, but it does sound fun.&nbsp; I visited the geocaching site a while back and earmarked the thought for further attention once I'm heading further west.&nbsp; Seems to me it might be a nice distraction and a bit of a challenge.<br /><br />I also like the idea of actually stashing things here and there along the route and posting the locations for others who might want to search for them.<br /><br />Reminds me of a thing in the desert rocks out near Bluff/Blanding, Utah.&nbsp; There's a large ancient pot out there nobody will tell anyone else where is, but when anyone finds it they drop a business card or slip of paper inside with date, name, home address and phone number.&nbsp; Usually asking anyone who wishes to call them and update them about the site.<br /><br />Some of the cards and slips in there are barely readable and a quarter-century or more old.&nbsp; I tried to call the oldest one I found in there and the guy had been dead a decade or more.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Ive been doing it since i found out about it here <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" />&nbsp; There isnt a TON of them in my area but more than I would have thought.&nbsp; I have found 5 so far and I was thinking about running out and grabbing once today.&nbsp; I also got my niece and her father into it <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" />&nbsp; <br /><br />I want to create a cool signature swag item to leave behind but I can't decide what to put on it.&nbsp; I took a really cool wooden coin out of cache recently and I want to leave something similarly neat.<br /><br /><br />I am also thinking up a cool multicache to plant out there.&nbsp; The main difficulty im having with that is finding a place to put them, as you are supposed to have permission to plant them...even in public areas.&nbsp; But no one is gonna give permission even if they wouldn't have cared one way or the other except when faced with making an official decision.&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" />&nbsp; Most of the ones ive done have been on places im 100% sure didnt give permission (no way the DOT said "sure, put a black mysterious device/container attached to a guardrail at our park and ride).&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" /><br /><br />But after reading a bunch of bomb squad horror story caches on there im afraid to put one out.

 

[Pikachu711]

I've done geocaching in the past! It's a very addictive hobby once you get the first few under your belt. There are many geocache's out there so all you need is a portable GPS unit and you good to go. It's a good way to get to know a new area of the country too.

 

[sl1966]

But after reading a bunch of bomb squad horror story caches on there im afraid to put one out.

<br /><br />This is precisely what wound up keeping me from trying it. There is always a couple of douchebags in the world who love to ruin a good thing or those edgy timothy mcveigh types who suffer from some sort of conspiracy theory delusions.<br /><br />

 

[Pikachu711]

sl1966: That's half the fun of doing Geocaching. Some geocaching doens't involve digging whatsoever! These are called "virtual geocaches." This involved just going to a precise location and finding out some bit of information about a given location. It doesn't have to involve digging whatsoever. Plus, if you do decide to dig you'll get a "bang" out of it! lol<br /><br />I've survived digging a few geocaches in good heath. No booms yet!

 

[Don Genaro]

I have been geocaching over 10 years now and have about 3000 finds and about 90 hides, at one time I was fairly addicted.

 

[Jan and Simonne]

We have been geocaching for some years now.
We have apprx. 1270 founds in 15 countries.
The latest one we found in Morocco.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

That is really awesome, once i start traveling im definitely geocaching along the way

 

[Jan and Simonne]

That is exactly what we like about geoCaching,
it is a wonderful way to explore new countries.

 

[owl]

These Geos you are burying, are they Metros or Trackers? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Carry on.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Trackers are popular around Q.
Maybe we'll find one

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Lol goodone. On a serious note, you arent supposed to actually bury anything.

 

[mimaef]

Any geocachers still around?

I got into it last year and have been using caches as a great way to find interesting places in state forests and other areas to visit that are a little more off the beaten path.

I wonder if anyone has used caching to plan a trip or even a place to park/camp for the night or a few days? I did last year for the solar eclipse. Drove south and slept in the car, but found an amazing cliffside cave along a river to view because of a cache placement. Breathtaking morning and an even more exciting afternoon watching the world go dark around me.

 

[A Savage Adventure]

I have considered geocaching many times, but never got into it. Maybe that's a great way to segue into it.

 

[mimaef]

It's fun if you want to get outdoors more, but don't have an exact route you want to take. There's quite a few that are a couple mile hikes and the community around it is on average pretty nice. It's interesting when you happen to run into another cacher. Everyone eyeballs each other to figure out if they're looking for a cache too or just someone enjoying the day.

 

[ToyotaEscaper]

Lol goodone.   On a serious note, you arent supposed to actually bury anything.

False. That only applies on GeoCaching.com there are lots of other sites that don't act like overbearing Nazis so long as it's done cleanly and using common sense ie. not punching holes on private property unless you had permission too.

 

[highdesertranger]

I know a lot of people aren't going to like this, but I don't see the difference between Geocaching and littering. what happened to leave no trace.

I have found 3 caches without even looking for them. 2 were on private property with clearly marked no trespassing signs. both were within 20ft of signs. next to one someone had camped over night and had a campfire in an area were campfires are never allowed this was also during fire season. if I would have caught him he would have been turned over to the police.

if I find them I throw them in the trash were they belong. sorry but I can't see that just because this is a fad that it's not littering. if anybody leaves stuff it's littering. sorry but that's the way I feel.

highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

HDR - when you find a geocache that is clearly not where it should be, feel perfectly free to report it to Geocaching.com. If it has a geocache ID number on it, use that, otherwise it may  have a name written on it, or just use the co-ordinates from a GPS to iD it for them. If there is a log inside, don't hesitate to make a note of the last few names and dates signed. Any and all identifications will help ID it so it can be removed from the published caches and the owner notified of their shortcomings.

The procedure is very clear for getting a geocache published but, like anything else, some people just can't seem to abide by the rules.

The 'mods' who clear a cache for publication try their hardest to make sure that all the rules are complied with but unfortunately cannot have feet on the ground for all the caches. They rely on other geocachers to report incorrectly placed geocaches.

Like anything else, some geocachers do more  harm than good, others spend hours and days of their time helping to save the planet from the others.

 

[Jack]

Gosh, I haven't had a hobby in many years!  I used to love putting together huge jigsaw puzzles but had to even stop that because, to my cat, they were just 1,000 piece toys!  

I can't say that I know exactly what Geocaching is but I remember learning a bit about it at one time and it fascinated me!  I haven't had a vehicle in almost 19 years so I couldn't do it.  But, once I get my van and hit the road, I think this may just be the hobby for me!  Thanks for bringing it up!