Geocaching

So if you follow me on YouTube or on any of my social medias, you will know that I am also an avid geocacher. I spent a good chunk of my free time in April pursuing the hobby and have a goal the rest of the year of finding at least 25 a month as I can. But I also have friends and even family members who have been asking what that hobby is…..

So I thought I would write about it.

Geocaching is an activity in which people use GPS equipment (for me, it’s my cell phone) to locate containers that have been hidden by other people in the world. The containers that are hidden may be very large and have multiple items in them, or they may be so small that only a small slip of rolled up paper can fit inside them. But all of them have the piece of paper. The objective is to find the cache and then sign the log proving that you found it. If you want to keep track of caches, you then sign up for an account at Geocaching.com and log it there as well.

I should note I am NOT affiliated in any way, shape, or form with Geocaching.com nor am I getting any sort of payment for writing this. I just utilize their application to do my geocaching and really love the hobby enough that the other half and I pay for the premium membership (currently $40 a year).

Sometimes, finding the geocache itself is tricky too. I have arrived at ground zero according to the GPS application on my phone and not been able to find a cache because it has been well hidden (or sometimes taken by people who DON’T know it’s supposed to stay there). Caches can be hidden cleverly, disguised as something else that might be overlooked unless one is savvy enough to scope it out. And since they are literally hidden ALL over the world (and not just in the woods), there have been some clever containers and puzzles to solve them.

It’s a fairly simple and fun activity. Once one finds a geocache, they simple locate the paper log inside the container, sign it with whatever geocaching handle they have come up with, replace the log inside the container and then put the container back exactly as it had been before it was found.

Sometimes, the geocache is large enough that things can be hidden inside with the log. Trackables are items with geotags that are meant to move from geocache to geocache, going places depending on their objectives. I’ve both released a few travel bugs, with one so far traveling currently around Finland. I have also helped move trackables. I currently have one that is a toy car that resides in my geocache bag that I “visit” every cache with and plan to release here next month on a geocaching adventure I have planned with a friend. The other half and I also have coins that stay with us but “visit” every cache we log. My coin, Signs of the Zodiac: Scorpio Geocoin (https://coord.info/TB8P3EM), currently has over eight thousand miles logged on it, since I have taken it cross-country as well.

Swag are items intentionally left in geocaches that can be traded, though the rules for swag is that if one wants to take something from a cache, then they must leave something of equal or greater value. It’s often fun finding this treasure, though I personally leave behind more swag then I take. Often, I leave a toy unicorn and/or a little toy soldier in caches large enough….. I call them my own calling cards… as well as small toys, vinyl stickers, lanyards and the like.

**Edit here on the geocaching bag – want to know what’s in it? I made a video!!**

I prefer the woodland ones that mean I must hike for miles at times. But my other half loves the easy park and grab ones, meaning they are within distance of a parking spot. Usually these kinds of caches are hidden under lamp post skirts or in signs. Some may be disguised as stones or hiding under bricks. We have found one that was cleverly disguised as a birdhouse and anther as a tree branch that actually screwed back into the tree! There are also virtual caches and earthcaches that usually deal with landmarks. To log those, one must interact somehow with the landmark, such as take a photo of some personal item at the landmark (my unicorns have starred in a number of those!) and answer questions utilizing things at the landmarks.

Most rest stops I have encountered have one too! So it’s a good way to get out and stretch legs while traveling long distances.

So that, my friends, is the basics on this wonderful activity that gets me outdoors, exploring other parks and interesting places. It is a way I stay magical and find inspiration for my stories. And I’ve started documenting my adventures over on YouTube. I am working on a 25 cache adventure right now that is taking me all over Warren County, Iowa. Here’s the playlist, but there are also some shorts over on YouTube or as reels on my author Facebook page that will be of interest as well.

I hope this little blog post has answered a few of your questions about this wonderful hobby that encourages me to get outside as much as I can and explore new parks and areas. Feel free to ask me questions in the comments section or contact me otherwise should you feel the need to have something clarified. Perhaps it will inspire you to try geocaching. And even if it doesn’t, at least it’s enlightened you a bit.

Stay magical, friends.

Write your own story.

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