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Geocaching

My family loves to geocache!! What? You have never heard of geocaching? Well, it is defined by Geocaching.com as:

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

Yeah, so basically we get our GPS, download the coordinates to the “caches,” and go wander around back roads, hiking trails, and forests looking of containers that sometimes hold small trade items and sometimes it just has a log book to sign. We sign the log, trade an item (called swag)  with one of equal value (if we choose to) and replace the cache just how we found it, log “found it” (or not) on the Geocaching app on my phone, and head off to the next one… It is a great family activity and it gets you out doing and seeing stuff you normally wouldn’t!!

Here is a little geocaching lingo you may need to know…. (for a larger list of terms go the glossary HERE)

Cache container: the container that you are looking for that holds the log.

Log : Anything from a notebook to a tiny strip of paper that is found inside a cache container where you  sign your geo-name to prove you have been there and found the cache!

SWAG : An acronym often referred to as standing for ‘Stuff We All Get.” It includes the trade items left in caches by geocachers. (Usually small items like key chains, hot wheels, bracelets, small toys, small flash light, things that are small but someone may find interesting enough to want)

Travel Bug^®: A Groundspeak Travel Bug is a trackable tag that you attach to an item. This allows you to track your item on Geocaching.com. The item becomes a hitchhiker that is carried from cache to cache (or person to person) in the real world and you can follow its progress online. Learn more at http://www.geocaching.com/track/travelbugfaq.aspx.

Geocaching.com is the website that has the listings to where the caches are hidden. Anyone can hunt for the geocaches as long as you have a GPS or a GPS capable smart phone and at least a free membership but I recommend a premium membership because it gets you access to tons of “premium-only” caches, advanced mapping, custom searches, offline geocaching and more. Anyone can hide caches, they only ask you have some experience geocaching before you do and follow a few  guidelines. We generally only go after traditional caches but there are also puzzle caches and virtual caches and such. I think one of the most exciting things about finding a cache is seeing what kind of container it is hidden in. Some of my fellow cachers have great imaginations when it comes to caches!! All this info and more can be found at Geocaching.com! Here are a few we have found along the way and explanations of what they are, what kinds of places we see, and a few things you can find in them….

Basic Caches

A Magnetic Key Holder… really handy to place on metal things like guard rails! These usually only have log sheets in them to sign!

A prescription bottle… cammo-ed with either paint or duct tape can be hung by a string, zip tied to a branch, or stuff in knot holes… very versatile! (log only)

A Lock-n-Lock box… these are usually hidden on the ground maybe slightly covered by a branch or leaves and can hold a few pieces of swag and/or Travel Bugs!

A Film Canister… it is a 35 mm film container, with most of us going to digital camera, we had to find something to do with these! They are very versatile and can be stashed in may places like the prescription bottle! (log only)

The Ammo Can… this is the most coveted find by my kids because there are usually plenty of trade items to look through. It is not as easy to hide in plain site so you find these off the beaten path a little more often.

The Match Stick Holder… another versatile container!(log only)

And the Pill Bottle…. versatile (log only)

The Mini Soda Bottle… basically a test tube looking thing with a lid but I hear it is what soda bottles look like before they are puffed out and soda put in them! Common and versatile!! (Log only)

Tricky Caches

The Nano… can be very tricky because it is magnetic and tiny!! (A small log only)

The Bison Tube… a common type but can be hard to spot due to it’s small size! (A small log only)

The Fake Rock Hide-a-Key… among a billion rocks!! (contains a log only)

The Bolt Cache… tricky because it is magnetic and can be placed on signs and such where there are more bolts and it does not look out of place! (log only)

A small birdhouse that has the cache stuck in the hole!

A hollowed out Stump with a hinge, looks like any ol’ stump until you open it up!

Not tricky to find but tricky to sign it!! It was designed to look like a micro cache but giant!! It was a big “trash can” sized can, with a giant log inside a giant bag with a giant pencil!! So fun!!!

A hollowed out log placed in a pile of other hollowed out logs!!

Not hard but worth a mention!! Someone placed fake lunch box items in a mini cooler and sealed it with a clear sealant making it look like it was in ice and strapped it under a bridge in a park. The cache was in the bottom!! Clever!

And some caches can just be down right sneaky and scary!! A fake snake tied to a mini soda bottle!!

Interesting Places

You never know where you will end up when following the geo-trails…

We geocached this one on Memorial Day, We would have not taken the time to stop at this ol’ tank at a VFW hall if not for geocaching!

Scenic views of common things you would never come across without being lead there trying to find a cache!

Cemetery Chapels that are so sweet and peaceful.

Historic Places like Peachtree Village…

Long Lost history like Fort Teran…. (Our 100th find)

The Smith Oaks Birding Sanctuary (Our 200th find)

Davy Crockett Park (Our 400th find)

An awesome Log Cabin Post Office!

Travel Bugs & Travel Coins

It is neat to find a travel bug or coin, they have traveled all over the place maybe even all over the world and there is even one that visited the space station!!

This is my favorite trackable I have found when caching! It was found this at Fort Teran, it was suppose to travel to places that had a history of hidden treasure!!

And this is our Travel Bug! I called it, “Around the World in 80 Days” but it hasn’t made it out of the U.S. since I activated it February 25, 2012 LOL!! It may not travel around the world, it may even get lost along the way but it is neat to see the map of where all it has traveled! You can check out it’s travels HERE!

Of course like any activity outside, it can be dangerous, you have to watch out for vehicles when pulling off roads to get roadside caches, there is always the chance of falling or stumbling  when you are walking around in the woods (or on pavement), and there is nature everywhere, from poison ivy to snakes, you are always at risk, so cache carefully!!!

I love the unique cache containers, places we visit, and things we find in the caches, but most of all I love the time I spend with my family doing a wholesome activity that gets you out of the house and on an adventure because you never know what you will see when you are out geocaching!! So get out there and geocache, stay safe, and have fun!!

~Becky~

Check out Oh Happy Daze’s aStore at Amazon under “Geocaching” for items mentioned in this blog!

Along with informative links,  some posts  contain affiliate links, thank you for supporting this blog and our family by purchasing through my links!

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