What is this geocaching thing anyway? I’ve looked hard to find a neat and clear explanation that really describes the fun of the chase, but ‘Treasure hunting for the 21^st century’, and ‘Techno-hiking’ don’t really do it for me. Here’s one from Wise Geek that is not too bad:

‘Geocaching involves two separate parties, which are composed either of individuals or groups. One party hides a cache anywhere in the world and records the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates using a portable GPS device. The cache is usually composed of a small plastic container that houses some small items such as toys or coins.’

Hmmm…still didn’t really grab me. This is a better description from Whatis.com :

‘Here’s one typical geocache hunt: The geographic coordinates of a geocache were described on a Web site, which the users followed to the cache. The geocache consisted of a plastic Tupperware box containing a little notebook, a disposable camera, a printed informational sheet about the location, and several trinkets (a pen, postage stamps, a rubber ball, and a local postcard). The finders were encouraged to write a short note in the notebook, including the weather that day, who was involved on the hunt, whether the cache was easy or hard to find, and any other information they wanted to include. One finder took out the rubber ball and left a little toy car in its place. The finder left a photo of her husband and son in the camera and then placed everything back in the box and rehid it for future geocachers to find. Back home, the finders sent a note to the Web site describing their experience.’

That is pretty much what it is about, but since I spent several hours trying to find an explanation and still haven’t found one that might really catch your interest, I thought it may be better to just walk you through a day’s cache hunting, which is what I will do this week.

Getting started with Geocaching

I mentioned Geocaching.com yesterday, and if you haven’t gone there and registered for a free account, do that now. Take some time to look at the Getting Started page.

The co-ordinates of hundreds of thousands of caches worldwide, are listed here. Click on Hide and Seek a Cache on the menu bar and it will take you here:

Click on Zip Code and insert your postal code, then underneath that put 10 (miles radius). This will bring up a list of all the caches within 10 miles of your home. I live out in the country near Havelock which is pretty rural. There are over 350 caches within a 20 mile radius of town.

Take a look at the individual listings for a few of the caches. Typically they will show how easy or challenging it will be to find; may give some indication of the general location; and may have a clue to help you out.

Now, you may be wondering how you can find these things given only the latitude and longitude of the location. Well, as with many outdoor activities, you will need some equipment, and in this case it is a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit. You might be familiar with the larger -and more expensive- units used in vehicles. GPS for outdoor activities are suprisingly inexpensive. Tomorrow I will review some of the more popular ones that make geocaching a really fun experience.

My friend Julie, over at Cottage Daily, has been having a Beer Week on her blog. From posts on the best beer fridge, to making your own brew and cooking up a terrific Beer Can Chicken, she has been covering every angle on the subject. I am looking forward to meeting up with her at the Cottage Life Show in Toronto next weekend, and getting even more beer tips!

I loved the idea of a single topic for a complete week and since my current outdoor passion is Geocaching, that will be my subject for the next few days. After that I guess Julie and I will be competing for bringing you the best ideas from the Cottage Life Show. I have already found one product that has to be the neatest toy I have seen for a long time. It will make a great Christmas gift for anyone in the family and will bring hours of endless fun. More of that after the Show.

So, Geocaching it is!! If you haven’t heard of it, by the end of this week you will be fully equipped to get out into cottage country and have some fun. You’ll know how to start the hunt; the essential item you need to play the game; the best areas for finding caches; how to create your own cache, and of course, where you can find rental cottages to stay in on your Geocaching weekends in the country.

Before I start fully explaining the concept, I suggest you go to the official Geocaching website and sign up for a free account. This is going to be a fun week.