Do you want to go on a treasure hunt? Well, Geocaching is a great modern way of hunting treasure and has become very popular since the arrival of GPS units. And now that GPS units are easier to get your hands on, even more people can play. Geocaching is a treasure hunt for people who own a GPS unit. You can both hide and seek!
If you want to get the most out of this site and are going to get out your GPS unit and play, I’d recommend registering. Don’t worry, it’s free! This allows you to be notified when there is a new cache in your area and you will also be able to find folks near you who are Geocaching. That way, you can share your experiences with the online community here.
There is a great search engine in the top corner where you can search for caches by zip code, state and country. Or you can get really specific and use the Advanced Search link below the search fields.
On the side menu, you will find Getting Started, Hide & Seek a Cache, Find a Benchmark, Track Travel Bugs, My Account, Forums and Resources.
Getting Started – If you have questions, this is a great place to start. You can learn all about Geocaching, how it works, how to play and much, much more.
Hide & Seek a Cache – This section not only lets you find caches to look for in your area, but gives you great tips on hiding a cache.
Find a Bench Mark – Another game you can play with your GPS is benchmark hunting. What’s a benchmark? Well, this is what the site defined it as: “Geodetic control points are permanently affixed objects at various locations all over the United States to enable land surveying, civil engineering and mapping to be done efficiently.” The great thing is that while having a GPS unit makes finding them more fun, anyone can find them. Once you are in the right area, you have to use the description in the database to find the benchmark.
Track Travel Bugs – This is another game that people play by Geocaching. You will learn all about it in this section. I thought this one was pretty neat. If you find a travel bug in your cache, you can go to the Web site and report that you found it and you can tell your story on how you found it. Then you can go out and hide it for the next person to find. There are even goals that you can set for yourself. For example, wanting to be found in every state in the United States or making its way from the east coast to the west coast.
My Account – Once you’ve registered, this is where you can manage your account settings and such.
Forums – Here you can get together with other Geocachers and share your experiences, ask questions, etc.
Resources – This is a section of useful links that all relate to Geocaching. Think of it as a reference section at your local library.
I think this is a fascinating game and a great way to use new technology!
~ Amanda