What is Geocaching? How it Works and What You Find

 Geocaches are found all over the world and provide a free, fun family treasure hunt and hours of entertainment, but what is it, how does it work, and what do you find? This is our topic for this week.

Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity that involves using GPS devices to locate hidden containers. Some caches even require the geocacher to solve puzzles. Geocaching is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, families, clubs, or groups.

The first geocache was hidden in 2000, in the state of Oregon. The game became increasingly popular after the improved accuracy of GPS technology. Now there are millions of geocaches hidden all over the world.

It’s all about the hunt.

We are not in search of the Holy Grail or some ridiculously expensive historic stash of golden artifacts. Geocaching is a virtual treasure hunt that meets somewhere at the corner of Indiana Jones and National Treasure. It is free entertainment and totally addictive!

People still ask me, “What did you find?” They always think we find diamonds or money or gold or something.

Do you have a sense of adventure and love exploring new places? 

What geocachers find is much more valuable. An amazing view. A hidden landmark. Insight into a piece of history. An unexpected surprise that is not on the tourist map. The greatest treasures are found in the adventure, and the rewards are measured in the lasting memories.

I try to find at least one geocache everywhere I travel in the world ( I traveled to 28 countries by the way, and it always provides me with a great story to tell. It is a fun way to explore a new city and venture off the beaten tourist path. Geocaching always leads to something amazing that you would not have seen or experienced otherwise. Of course, it’s also great for just exploring your own neighborhood or hometown to find adventure and unexpected surprises you didn’t know were there!

No matter where you are, these little hidden boxes are lurking all around you. They are disguised as bison tubes, film canisters, plastic boxes, ammo boxes, and tiny magnets. Some look like tree bark, or mushrooms, or tree stumps, or fake rocks. Some are disguised as metal bolts or outlet covers.

They are hidden in the trees—at the highest branches, in the roots, and inside the knotholes. You can find them in bushes, in the pavement cracks, underneath window seals, and park benches. Geocaches can be found at the bottom of the ocean or at the highest peak of a large mountain.

They can be found at every major landmark in the world. Some require special tools to retrieve, like a screwdriver or tweezers. There are increasing levels of difficulty, and some require diving equipment, or a boat, or climbing tools. For mystery caches, you must solve some sort of puzzle or riddle. For multi-caches, the first find will leave a clue to the next one...and so on…and so on.

Some are super easy and great for kids. Others can take all day to hunt down and are specially designed and crafted for hardcore adventurers.

There are currently more than 6 million geocachers who right now are hunting for 2,687,072 active geocaches all over the globe. Each one offers a unique and special experience.

All you need to join the sport is a Geocaching account, a cell phone app with GPS or other GPS devices, and an adventurous spirit.

Words identifying park management issues and associated concepts as part of a geocaching exercise (source: National Park Service)

The hiders of the geocache will leave clues and hints and provide the GPS coordinates to get you to “ground zero.” Then it’s up to you to find the cache, sign the log, and perhaps leave another clue to help the next treasure hunter.

I travel often for business, study, and for fun, and now geocaching is the first thing on my “to-do” list, especially when I visit a new place. I have found geocaches in more than 28 countries on four continents.

I have lived in U.A.E. for 16 years and I stayed inside the large metropolitan cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi and used to travel to a different country during summer, winter, and spring break.

These cities are incredibly glitzy and are famous for superlatives. The biggest, the most expensive, the most ornate, the fastest, the tallest, the most everything is found there. I think of Dubai as the “Las Vegas of the Middle East” because it is very shiny and bedazzled and man-made. Yet the well-developed city sits in the middle of a gorgeous Arabian desert.

When the weather starts to cool down, my best friends and I move away from all the sparkle and shine and we go to see what Dubai looked like 20 years ago and where we can see wild camels roaming the desert.

We usually headed out in search of the traditional cache is hidden in a Ghaf tree “forest” in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The Year of Tolerance’s biggest highlight is the Ghaf tree used as a tolerance sign. This can seem to many confounding, but the Ghaf tree UAE is important. It retains an ecosystem worth legacy as a witness to its evolution over the years and sheds light on old rituals and customs. It is regarded as “stability of the desert” with a monumental meaning.

Now it is your turn!

All you need to get started in a sense of adventure and a cellular device with GPS technology. First, download the official Geocaching app from the app or google play store. Alternatively, you can visit www.geocaching.com to sign up for an account. The best part, IT’S FREE! Chose a player name and open the map to start exploring the geocaches nearest you. Grab your friends and/or family, and set out on the great stretch that is Marion County! Make it an inexpensive part of your vacation here, or just go to find places you never knew existed! Geocaching is a great way to get to know the area and to have fun in an unfamiliar place. It’s also the perfect, quick road trip break! There are geocaches all over Marion County!

Releasing in the summer of 2020, a new tour of Marion County will take you to ten unique locations around the region! If you find all ten and record the unique code word inside each container and bring your passport back to the visitor center, you can earn a limited edition coin!* So what are you waiting for? Grab your phone, your car keys, and a friend, and check out the links below!

Download Passport HERE

View all of the caches on geocaching.com HERE

MCGT / GMC #1: Just Visiting

MCGT #2: Country Club Bakery

MCGT #3: Legends of Marion County

MCGT #4: Marion County Courthouse

MCGT #5: Flying Frisbees

MCGT #6: Prickett’s Fort State Park

MCGT #7: Valley Falls State Park

MCGT #8: Monongah Mining Disaster

MCGT #9: #9 Mine Memorial

MCGT #10: Hamilton Round Barn

*Supplies are limited. Coins will be awarded to the first 100 people to complete the tour; one per household.

Resources:

Battista, R. A., West, S. T., Mackenzie, S. H., & Son, J. (2016). Is this exercise? No, it’s geocaching! Exploring factors related to aspects of geocaching participation. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 34(2), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2016-V34-I2-6495

Geocaching (2021, July 22). Marion County CVB. https://marioncvb.com/geocaching/




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