GEOCACHING-HIDE N' SEEK

Geocaching has been around for many, many years and can be a LOT of FREE fun for kids and adults. 

What is it? Basically, it's a worldwide game of hide and seek where you are given a clue to a latitude/longitude coordinate where a 'cache' is hidden. The cache can be as small as an Altoids tin, or as large as an empty peanut butter jar. Inside each cache is a small journal where you can log your name as being someone who has successfully found that cache. You will then return the cache to it's original location (where you found it).

GPS HUH? Don't let the GPS part throw you. It's easy. Back in the olden days (5 years ago) you would have had to buy a GPS to be part of the Geocaching community--now most cellphones, cars, and tablets come equipped with a GPS. 

 A GPS coordinate is basically  the longitude/latitude location of anyplace on earth. For example, the city of Beloit is at (N 42° 30.994 W 089° 01.798). To be more specific, the parking lot of McKearn Park in Beloit, is located at: N42 32.819  W89 01.545--notice how the N & W coordinates each changed slightly? As you move further North/South/East/West the coordinates of your location on earth change. Armed with a GPS you can watch your  GPS location change with each step you take. 

With that in mind, a Geocache clue may put you at McKearn Park--where you would have to search the entire park for a Geocache. Or the clue may put you specifically under the slide in the playground at McKearn Park. 

  

Either way, after you let your phone/car/gps lead you to the location.. it then becomes your job to search for the cache near that location. You might have to dig in the sand, search under rocks, search in nooks and crannies of trees, or even look under picnic tables. If you are successful you will feel ever so victorious--and happily add your name to the log!  Some geocache's are quite easy to find, some are very difficult to find. Luckily the Geocaching site rates them by level of difficulty,.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT: There are many aspects of Geocaching that are fascinating..and some aspects of it that are downright shocking! 

• As I said before..once you have found a cache and logged in, you will return the cache to it's original location. Since the cache's are all located in the public domain, that leaves the cache wide open for theft/vandalism or sabotage. Believe it or not-- the mass majority of the cache's are still there..year after year, season after season. Makes you downright proud of your community to know that no one has come along and ruined the fun!
• Geocaches are placed there by other geocachers who have nothing to gain except the pleasure of a hiding a cache and making up the clue. Believe it or not--they are doing this to give you a new challenge and out of the goodness of their heart!
• Believe it or not--the geocaching community is HUGE and always growing. In Beloit alone there are about 7000 geocaches!
• Geocaching is worldwide. So if you're taking a vacation in California, you can geocache while you are there to log more finds for your family. If you are taking a drive to Lake Geneva --you can stop while you are there to log a few finds. If you are taking a walk through the park, there is probably a cache nearby! Believe it or not, almost everywhere you go there is probably a geocache within 1 block of you. We lived in a neighborhood with a little bitty playground park nearby and sure enough--there was a geocache there. 
• Believe it or not...geocaching is FUN, FREE, and a GREAT way to spend the day outside.

The website at GEOCACHING.COM  contains everything you need to get started on your search. The site lists ALL the caches (searchable by coordinate, city, community, state, country, continent.) and the clues to each cache. They are rated by difficulty and show the date the cache was placed and the most recent date that someone located it.  If you join the geocache community, not only can you hide your own caches, you will be able to see the distance from you to each cache in your community. There is also an online store where you can buy GPS devices, geocache supplies that would add to the fun. Keep in mind though, if you have some sort of GPS device you don't need to buy ANYTHING to be part of this fun!