Yes, we go whenever we can with our neighbors (TeamRand) and just have a blast and get lots of exercise to boot.

I wish I had known about it when I was in Antarctica. That would have been quite a find.

Jodi-

Casey NF does too. I started but didn't always feel well so haven't really got into it yet. Maybe in the future.

Glad to see you posting maryann.
Marie

We are geocachers. We've geocached in 4 countries and 7 states and have been doing it for two and a half years.

I've been thinking about taking up geocaching as a hobby for the exercise and an excuse to buy a GPS unit. There is a loosely affiliated group at my location that hides caches on hiking trails and in the neighborhoods. The idea is to find the cache, and then trade an item in the cache. In some caches, there is only a note with a code word that you record (or photograph) to prove you found it.

My son went with a friend on one this summer on a nature area near us, but in the middle of suburbs. They came home about an hour later. They couldn't find the first one, they had to go off trail and were attacked by mosquitoes and brought home some wood ticks and never did find the cache. Maybe someone took it.. My son really didn't like it much. Is it common for them to be off trail?

Izzie,
We've found caches in very urban settings and in very remote settings, so they can be anywhere.
Your son might want to try again, using the terrain and difficulty ratings as a guide. he can also see the date of the last find - all these things make it more likely that he will (1) find the cache (2) look in a location that is comfortable for him. That said, Geo-caching is not for everyone, but my 78 year old parents have enjoyed it with us, as has my 5 and 7 year old niece and nephew. It is a great family activity.

Yes, I geocache (you search for a cache, a hidden treasure, not cash, LOL).

I've hidden over 35 caches and I've found over 350. It's great fun. I don't do the get-togethers and meetups, I just go for hikes and search for caches.

We are going to do this with my son's cub scout group. :0) It sounds like so much fun!

I have 2 sons in their 20's that are really into it. I've gone along a few times and it's very enjoyable. One son has hidden a few. Some people put a lot of thought and effort into what the geochache is made of. Some are hiding in plain sight.

Ron

I looked up the geocaching site on the internet....was surprised to see that some are hidden just a couple of miles from me. I should hide some on my road. I have some interesting things to put in one, and no one lives down here but me....so it would be fun watching people come search.

Not my cup of tea but I do enjoy hunting for rings, coins, and etc" with my Metal Detector.

I have been geocaching for about five years.

Ron - You are sure right about hiding in plain sight. We found one that was made to look like a bolt in a metal road barrier (it was at a dead end) and one that was a container that had been fit into a hollowed out pine cone casing and wired to a tree limb. Some are as big as ammo boxes and others are tiny little things, the size of a vitamin pill.

OK, I am old, but please explain exactly Geocashing is? Do you look for clues, do people come into the area you leave something??
Sorry, I really am confused, but it sounds like fun
Marie

Gardenspice, I made one from a broken sprinkler. You know the kind that pop up out of the ground. I removed the "guts", put a plug in the bottom where normally the waterline would come in. My son buried a small container just slightly larger than the sprinkler. In a park with an irrigation system it looks just like any other sprinkler, except that it lifts out, the cover screws off and there it is.

Ron

That's diabolical, Ron.

Mariend - here'a quote from geocaching.com:

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 is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

Thank you, not sure if it would work here especially in the winter. Little COLD--also small town but maybe next spring/summer.
Marie from ND

Actually, it is sometimes easier in the winter!

This sounds like a lot of fun. I signed up for it and there are quite a few in my little town, however, most of the really close ones you have to have the premium membership-grrr-for the coordinates. I still have to figure out how to put them in the GPS. The exchange students are interested in it, forgot to ask Lauren. Only Maria and I enjoy the Find a Grave thing and of course, the first few geocashing sites were in graveyards-lol.

Geocashing can be just as fun in the winter as any other time of the year, or easier because you can't hide things as well in a bush that has no leaves OR you can follow other foot prints to the site.

Small towns have some wonderful opportunities for caching. Put it in a town park to help draw tourists. Put it at a historical site to help promote awareness. Put it in the back of an old cemetery near a bench as a place to think... One lonely old man in our area put one in the flowerbed next to his front door so people would come visit him.

My baby bro. is a long haul truck driver, so he looks up caches where ever he's headed and along the way. When he's home he takes his boys.

I have been caching for about three years and have found over 1,600 caches of all different sizes and difficulty/terrain levels. The best thing about geocaching is that you will discover places and facts that you would have never known about otherwise. Cachers try to bring you to interesting spots and often times will give you a brief history of the location. Not only is it fun and challenging (and sometimes infuriating LOL) but it is great exercise as well. Geocaching is for people of all ages and physical abilities. Geocaching is fun, fun fun!!!

I would like to note that I would not recommend placing caches until you have done quite a bit of caching yourself. That way you would get a feel for the cache rating system (1/1 to 5/5) and different types of hides.

Kathy - check out the forums for advice on download programs. In graveyards, the caches are often "virtual", meaning the "find" is the actual gravestone - usually someone with a historical connection or even famous. Through Geocaching, we discovered a famous author and a local historical figure are buried in a nearby cemetary.
Renee - 3 years and 1600 caches! You are dedicated! I agree with your comment not to place caches until you have a feeling for the ratings, OR get the advice of an experienced geocacher. There's a big problem with new geocachers placing a bunch of caches, then losing interest and not maintaining them.

never heard of this before is there a site explaining this?

The official geocaching website is:

www.geocaching.com

Here is a link that might be useful: geocaching.com

Learned about it this past summer. Went with DD, DSIL and my 2 grands. So much fun, we found 3 of them, this was in Door County, WI.
When I returned home here in northeast Michigan I signed up to geocaching.com and found out there are plenty of caches near us! Maybe next summer I'll look for a few by myself.
Kathy G in MI