family fun day :: geocaching

Last spring a friend suggested that we take the kids geocaching. Not only did I not have any idea what she was talking about, but when she explained it to me I thought, “I have absolutely no desire to drive around looking for tiny hidden treasure.” But the more I thought about it, the more interesting it sounded. We could be like real-life pirates! Well, if pirates had left clues and exact geographic coordinates for their booty. Oh! And didn’t have scurvy. But I digress.
I scoured the internet for details on geocaching and I pestered my friend about all the ins and outs of geocaching. It’s really not hard. Geocachers place a box or other small container in a hidden location. They enter the info into the geocaching database and then it’s ready to be found by others. Sometimes they even have ‘real treasure’ in them – things like toys and pens and rings and action figures. Sometimes the only treasure is the gift of time spent together, having fun as a family.

When I finally decided to upload the free Into Geocaching app* on my phone and away we went, we found 2 caches quickly. The Geocaching app uses your phone’s GPS to determine your location and then will tell you about caches that are nearby, giving you a location and a hint about where it’s hidden once you get there. You can use the compass within the app to help determine where the cache is hidden. Once you’ve found the cache, add your name and date to the log. Also remember that if you take something out of the cache, replace it with something of equal or greater value. It wouldn’t be very much fun to find a cache that had already been pilfered. Just ask the pirates. Oh, and put the cache back exactly where you found it so that the next person can find it.

Geocaching has quickly become a favorite of ours. The kids have already been looking at caches that might be near our vacation spot. It’s free (unless you get the paid version of the app or a premium membership). It’s good, clean (figurative, not literal) fun. (You might get dirty!) Everyone can help –  even our two year old helped pick out items to put into the caches.

We’re hoping to find another cache on our way to a birthday party today. What kind of family fun thing will you do this weekend?

*The Geocaching website and, I assume, the full version of the Geocaching app both have many more details available than the Intro Geocaching app.