“I use a multi-million dollar space based satellite system to hunt down tupperware containers hidden in the woods. What’s your hobby?”
Though I can’t take credit for this anonymous quote, it’s the perfect description to a growing movement of adventure seekers who do just that. If you’ve never heard of geocaching, you’re not alone. Until a week ago, I was also unaware that people had taken to hiding containers throughout the world for other adventurers to find. Geocaching has quickly grown in the US and has a substantial following even as it flies under the radar of most people. What it basically amounts to is a treasure hunt for people of all ages. Geocachers hide containers in various places, leaving unique items in the cache. They then post the coordinates of the site onto the Geocaching.com website for other adventurers to go out and find.
This past weekend I took to the woods with my friend Sarah on our first hunt for a cache. Using my iPhone as our GPS device, we parked at the Evergreen Cemetery across from Baxter Park on Stevens Avenue and set out. While most geocachers use handheld dedicated GPS units, a simple application on a GPS enabled cell phone should suffice for most cache hunting. The easiest way to seek out a cache is to find the GPS coordinates on geocaching.com. On this official website, thousands of caches are listed with coordinates, descriptions, and hints.
After entering the coordinates into my phone, we set out into the cemetery and basically allowed the GPS compass to do the work. We leisurely walked the paths of the cemetery, appreciating the size of this unique historical land. We passed a number of large burial chambers set into hills, and a duck pond at the back. A significant part of geocaching is all about the journey before the treasure at the end of the hunt. It can be a good excuse to get outside when you want something easier than a long hike or bike ride.
What most people don’t know about the Evergreen cemetery is that at the back end it turns into fields and trails that visitors can enjoy by foot or bike. Our cache was supposed to be hidden at the edge of the woods where it begins to turn into a large field. After getting to the coordinates with my iPhone, we began searching the floor of the woods for a medium sized tupperware container. As weird as it was to be doing such a thing, my interest turned to disappointment after nearly 20 minutes of failed searching. We decided to give up, but luckily we had written down the coordinates of another cache that was hidden nearby.
After turning our search to this new location, our spirits regained enthusiasm as we got closer and closer. This cache had a much easier hint and we found it in no time. A medium sized ammo box was there waiting for us under a couple rocks. We opened it, finding a log book as well as other assorted items. Although we didn’t have anything of our own to leave, we signed the book and were glad to have completed our first find.
Geocaching is a fairly easy activity as long as you have access to a GPS device to track down coordinates. At face value, it seems like a fairly weird activity, and it is, but that’s why it’s so enjoyable. As you pass people walking on paths and get that first sense that they have no idea you’re searching for a mysterious container hidden nearby, it’s easy to get hooked. Good luck and happy cache hunting!
Brandon enjoys fresh air, short walks on long beaches, and everything else that happens outdoors. Stay tuned for more exciting ideas to get outside as we head into the winter months!