Number 48 on my list of 52 things in 52 weeks was to try Geocaching. For people who don’t know what Geocaching is, it’s defined as such:
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online.
- Geocaching.com
If you head over to Geocaching.com, they even have a video that explains the idea in greater detail.
One day I was sitting at work having yet another bad day when I decided I needed to go for a walk. Remembering this challenge, it occurred to me that I should look and see if there were any Geocaches nearby. Upon loading the geocaching.com site I was impressed to see they had an iPhone app, both paid and free. The free one lets you get a taste of it, while the paid app really unleashes some power on the user.
I downloaded and installed the freee app on my iPhone and did a quick search. Thankfully there was one nearby, thus I loaded up the map and headed out.
The cool thing I found about the app is that it has a map which uses the GPS in the phone to help guide you to the correct location. As you get really close to the spot the information will change, and tell you just how many metres away. You can even get a hint or two!
In a grumpy mood, I power walked to the spot and after a few minutes managed to find it! Success! With a success rate of 100% it meant that I was already beating Jo, who had tried several times and failed to find anything. I considered retiring at the height of my career.
Depending on the cache you’re looking for, you may find different things. In this instance, it was a notebook containing the signatures of everyone else who had found it before. I couldn’t believe just how many signatures there were! It actually felt like I had stumbled on this great big secret, and was now part of a secret society. I guess that’s partially true, I mean, I wonder just how many people have visited that area and not even had an inkling that something was hidden there.
So after finding the bounty, signing it and making my way back to the office I found I was in a much better mood. If anyone is interested in having a go, I would totally recommend it. It’s actually pretty darn fun when you find it, you feel this tremendous sense of victory. Yet I wouldn’t recommend you cheer too loudly about it, it’s meant to be a secret treasure remember?