Let's Go Geocaching!

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Welcome to the inaugural RV.NET Blog on the subject of all things GEOCACHING!

In this blog, we will endeavor to:

• explain just what this very addictive game/sport is
• provide useful information regarding the accepted Policies and Guidelines for playing the game in the most sportsman-like manner
• discuss the equipment needed to participate effectively
• provide commentary on places and caches that a cacher might be interested in visiting
• whatever else we can squeeze in to make your caching adventures more enjoyable

To begin, here is a short introduction about me and my experience in Geocaching.

I officially started “caching” on December 21, 2004. I had gone to one of the major outdoor themed department stores and had some bonus money burning a hole in my pocket. I meandered over to the GPS counter, not knowing what in the heck I would do with one of the things but boy, did they look cool!

The salesman was showing me the different models and such, one right after the other. Then, in a moment that will live in infamy, he said “you can Geocache with this one”. I hadn’t a clue what he meant by that statement. I just said “that sounds nice”, and proceeded to plunk down nearly $400 for a piece of electronic hardware I had absolutely no use for but had decided I couldn’t live without.

On the way home, I began to have buyers remorse when I couldn’t get my newly purchased overpriced compass to work. “Too many buttons to punch”, I thought. But, I had just spent a pile of dough on this “cool little gadget”, so it was either chalk the purchase up to “what a dumb bunny I was”, or take the time to learn how to make it work for me.

I guess at this point I should mention, at the time I bought the GPS, my right leg was in a cast from recent ankle reconstruction surgery. When I got home, I was pretty much stuck in my recliner for another 4-6 weeks, unable to get out and do much of anything. However, while I was stuck in that chair, about the only thing I could do to pass the time was surf the ‘Net.

I got the GPS out, went to the manufacturer’s website to see if anything there would help shine some light on what had become a $400 paperweight. While I was surfing, I entered the word “Geocache” into Google. And the rest, as they say, is history!

It wasn’t until the first week in Feb of ’05 that I found my first cache. That adventure, in and of itself, is a funny story we will save for a future blog. Suffice to say, I really showed my “newbe” stripes on that one!

But even after that first frustrating experience, I was hooked and have never looked back. My husband soon began joining me on cache hunts. Now he is as addicted as me, although his cache container finding preferences are somewhat different than mine.

OK, so you may be asking, “what the heck is she talking about?” Well, here is a short definition of what Geocaching is:

“Pronounced “geo-cash” – It is a hidden container filled with a log book and pencil/pen, and possibly prizes. Caches were often used by explorers, miners, etc. to hide foodstuffs and other items for emergency purposes. People still hide caches of supplies today for similar reasons.

The word “Geocaching” comes from the terms “geo” and “cache” The prefix geo, for Earth, was used to describe the global nature of the activity, but also for its use in familiar topics in GPS community such as geography.

Caching, from the word cache, which makes it very appropriate for the activity. A french word invented in 1797, the original definition referred to a hiding place someone would use to temporarily store items.

So Geocaching is a high-tech scavenger/treasure hunt using GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers to locate various containers hidden by other “cachers”. The GPS coordinates are posted on the Internet for anyone to see. All one needs to do is go to www.geocaching.com, enter in your zip code (among many other ways to search), and up will pop hundreds of geocaches you never knew you walked by every day.

In our next blog we will discuss how we begin cache hunting and placing, plus a little more about how to select the right GPS for you and your budget.

til’ next time…Happy Caching!