Geocaching Supplies

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt. The basics of it are this: Someone hides a container on public land, gives the coordinates, and others go in search of it. The container (called a geocache) can be any size, from just an inch or so up to large ammo containers. They need to be weather-resistant and preferably waterproof. The container usually contains a log book (for finders to log that they've discovered the "cache"), and often small trinkets (stickers, key chains, toys, etc.) for trading.

In geocaching, the real joy is the adventure on the way to finding a geocache. Often it takes the geocacher to a unique spot with either an interesting landscape or history behind the location. Many times the trek involves hiking through woods or over rough terrain. In all cases, it's best to be well-prepared, and I'd like to offer a comprehensive list of items that will be helpful to any geocacher out on an adventure.

First and foremost, you'll need a GPS receiver. (While it's possible to program coordinates into a vehicle's navigational system, a handheld device is highly preferable.) It's a good idea to take extra batteries along with you. Using low batteries can actually distort your accuracy and lend to difficulty in finding the hidden cache.

A first aid kit is another essential item. Prepare for the worst, they always say. There are many dangers out there, as well as minor irritants that can be easily dealt with using items found in a well-supplied first aid kit. A few other items pertaining to the same general care include sunblock (don't forget SPF lip balm, too) and insect repellant (preferably one that repels ticks as well as others).

Other supplies should include water, rain ponchos, extra socks (even an extra pair of shoes couldn't hurt), and a flashlight (forests can get dark even during the day). Some supplies pertain to the maintenance of geocaches themselves. Although the cache owner is strictly required to maintain the cache, sometimes those finding the cache can lend a hand. It's a good idea to have a supply of log books (to replace full or damaged ones), extra pens or pencils, and even storage bags or cache containers. It's always a good idea to notify cache owners if maintenance is performed or is still needed.

Another great part of geocaching is CITO, or "Cache In, Trash Out." Many geocachers are passionate about protecting and preserving the environment. Some caching trips may take you through areas polluted with trash and debris. It can be a great idea to take trash bags along with you and help clean up otherwise beautiful nature areas.

In your own geocaching experiences, you'll find what works best for your own supplies; these are just my suggestions from my own experience over my last four years of geocaching. It's a good idea to regularly check your supplies, particularly at the start of each season. Check expiration dates on items like sunblock and insect repellant. Replace any items that need replacing and keep your bags well-stocked. You can have a bag or backpack set up with supplies just for geocaching, so you'll always be ready to head out for a find.

The most important part of geocaching is the most fun part - the adventure to the cache. Having adequate supplies only ensures that you'll have a great time. Happy caching!

Tonia Jordan is an author on http://www.Writing.Com which is a site for Writers.

Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/spidergirl so stop by and read for a while.

Geocaching - A Beginners Guide

Geocaching crazy – join the hunt!

I’m a self-confessed technophobe. I have never sent a text message or taken a photo with a cell phone; played a video game or watched a movie on a personal DVD player. In fact, I never quite mastered working the video machine so I could be a lost cause altogether. But not quite...not since I discovered geocaching – the latest outdoor craze to hit treasure hunting enthusiasts across the world. Because, to be successful at geocaching you need to be familiar with a global positioning unit or gps for short…and I am pleased to say, I not only have said unit, but I can use it!

So what is this activity that crumbled my technical resistance? Well, to start with it’s a great way of getting out and about with the family, the dog, or just for a solo outing. And it’s a treasure hunt as well.

In hundreds of thousands of locations across the globe, people have hidden small containers in which they’ve put a logbook or notepad and a few trinkets such as small toys, key rings, fridge magnets etc. The co-ordinates of the cache locations are then recorded online so that geocachers can download the information into their gps units and go out and search for them. Seems simple? Not always the case as some caches can be tucked away in some very obscure spots. And as gps units are only accurate to around 7 metres, it can be challenging when you are looking for a cache in a heavily wooded or rock strewn area.

We spent 2 hours with some friends, in a California redwood forest on a sun drenched day in September, scrambling up trails and around rocks, searching for what turned out to be an Altoids tin tucked into a hole in a tree. You would think we’d found real buried treasure with the whooping and hollering that went on. Neatly folded inside the tin was a thin strip of paper to record our name and date of the find, a little brass dog and a Grand Canyon key ring. After much consideration we took the key ring, and left in its place a CN Tower fridge magnet. Back at the car we made a note of what we had taken and left behind in the cache for later recording on the geocaching website.

Finding a Travel Bug adds interest and fun for all. This is a dog tag obtainable from Groundspeak, the company behind geocaching.com. Movement of these traceable tags from cache to cache is recorded online so they can be tracked around the world. We brought a tag back to Ontario, Canada that we found on our California vacation that had originated in Hawaii. It’s now been placed in a new location for the next geocacher to find. We left a bug of our own in a cache in Jenner, California. When we recorded its location on the website we gave it a goal to find its way back to Ontario via at least 5 US states. Each time it is moved, we get an email to let us know where it is now. This is such a great way to get the kids learning geography!

Geocaching has an etiquette of its own and enthusiasts are careful not to disturb the environment. Here’s a few steps to get you going.

Log onto the geocaching website – www.geocaching.com – and look for caches near where you live

Never move a cache, and if you search for one and find it damaged or can’t find it at all, let the cache owner know.

If you take something from a cache, always leave something behind.

Caches are graded in degrees of difficulty of terrain and access – start with the easy ones.

If you find a Travel Bug don’t hang onto it for long. They should be traveling, not sitting in a glove box or drawer at home.

Enjoy geocaching. It’s great fun and will get the whole family out into the countryside whatever the weather. And if you come across a Travel Bug called Ice Cube, last reported in a cache in northern California, please help him on his way back to the frozen north.

Heather Bayer is a writer and owner of CottageLINK Rental Management , an Ontario based cottage rental agency http://www.clrm.ca

Geocaching: A Great Reason To Get Outdoors Again

Geocaching is a treasure hunt game using a hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System) unit. Hiders hide a geocache (small waterproof containers) anywhere in the world, make a note of the GPS coordinates, and list the geocache on a website for hunters to seek. Once the site has been listed, hunters can use a hand-held GPS unit to direct them to the cache. They will usually get close, then they might have to be clever to find a well-hidden cache. A typical cache can be just about any size, from really small to large, and it will probably be camouflaged to make the hunt more challenging. The cache usually contains a notebook, for logging the find, and some small trade items (usually of little monetary value).

Gecaching had its start in May 2000 after the US government decided to make an improved GPS signal available to the public. This made the public use of GPS systems far more accurate and much more useful than it had been to that point.

Soon after this government announcement David Ulmer of Oregon placed his first geocache. His concept of the game, then called The Great GPS Stash Hunt, was very simple: the hider would hide a container and note the GPS coordinates. The seeker would use those coordinates to locate the container, make a note in the log, and trade items.

It didn't take long for that cache to be found, and a new outdoor sport was formed.

The game has grown dramatically in the last few years. There are now more than ¼ million geocaches hidden around the world. There is probably a cache somewhere close to you. The first cache I found was less than ¼ mile from my back door. We go geocaching as a family and we have found many since then and even hidden a few.

It's really not too hard:

1. We use Geocaching.com or Terracaching.com to pull up a list of caches where we want to go hunting.

2. We can either print out the pages or load them up into my Palm PDA.

3. We load up the coordinates into our GPS unit.

4. We pack up our trading trinkets and some cold drinks (don't want to get dehydrated).

5. We use the GPS unit to help us navigate to the geocache site and start hunting. The listings usually give a good indication of what we should be looking for.

6. Once we find the cache we make a note in the logbook and trade items (usually small toys for us since we hunt with a 3-year old).

7. When we're done, we make sure to go back to the listing website to log the find.

8. I usually like to write a blog entry on my geocaching blog at Caching Adventures. This is a good place to tell the stories that don't quite fit into the log entry.

Geocaching has taken us to several local parks that we knew about but had never explored. Our family usually takes in 3 to 5 caches in a single outing. Others will take on many more.

One positive thing that geocaching has done for us is that it has gotten us out of the house and back out into the great outdoors again.

Kevin Harris owns Caching Adventures which is a free community for geocachers. Each user has their own blog and can submit articles and participate in forums.

5 Ways To Enjoy GeoCaching!

Spending the afternoon or any free day during these days need not to be boring since the popularity of geocaching. This is a great activity that seems like have an endless popularity among youths and parents. Not only that, some people even think that geocaching made the GPS technology and auto navigation system even more known and enjoyable for everyone. These technologies do not only provide people with the enjoyment of the activity but also the needed useful tracking for some people and some important things.

Anyway, you may have the GPS technology or the auto navigation system because of their primary use for tracking, aiding when getting lost, and finding easier routes to take. But still, these technologies can provide you with the enjoyable activity called geocaching right for you and your kids. Some people may just wonder why geocaching is so enjoyable. If you are not yet aware of the reasons, better read the reasons why you can find enjoyment with this activity.
Enjoy the feeling of being a kid once again. You and your kids can be the new world pirates having the technologically advanced maps with you. Try to find a rare treasure and spend days and even weeks searching for it. Your kids may be disappointed with the treasure in the end since the treasure will never be a gold or any rare object with high value. But the real enjoyable thing in geocaching is the thrill and challenge of finding the treasure.

Appreciating the great outdoors. For the most hours of your week, you're just there in your office, in a restaurant, in your room, or in your car. You don't have the reason to go outdoors and see how great it is! Well, geocaching can make you realize the greatness of your outdoors since this activity will take you to some outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, mountain climbing, and biking.

Get to know other people more. With the geocaching activity, you will know the other gamers more. With the idea of the game of taking something, leaving something behind, and creating a log, you can surely know how this person thinks and what kind of personality he has. You can even experience people with different cultures and different ages.

Getting involved with a bigger group. Geocaching may not be the Treasure Hunters which involve a million dollars but the excitement of joining in this kind of activity is really priceless. By simply participating in a treasure hunting of seemingly not-that-very-expensive something, you can get acquainted with many people of different walks of life, different culture, and different ages. The treasure with geocaching is not really the "treasure" itself but the real adventure and other priceless things you can get with this activity. In fact, you can already have your treasure even if you don't get the treasure of the game.

With geocaching, you now know that the advancement in technology does not only give us the benefit of easier lifestyle. The auto navigation system and the GPS technology, as you see, are not just aid for traveling and tracking persons, pets, or important things. You can also use them in activities that promote development of your different skills and interaction with different kinds of people.

Matthew Barr is a successful webmaster of http://www.urban-neon-car-lights.com He provides more information on auto simulated alarm lights, accessory lighting, neon car lighting, and led automotive lights on his website.