We all remember being overly excited for Easter when we were five and cute. We were anxious not only to see what the oversized bunny brought us, but to go Easter egg hunting, which was something we could do only once a year. What if I told you that you could experience the same feeling, being a high school student, at any time of the year? No longer do you have to be five and cute to go treasure hunting.
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor, treasure hunting game. There are 1,693,592 active geocaches and over five million geocachers worldwide. But what are geocaches? Where are they hidden? And how can you play? Pay attention.
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices (or smartphones). The basic idea is to go outside and locate hidden containers called geocaches using a GPS enabled device. The GPS coordinates of these hidden containers are listed on geocaching.com, where you can also go to sign up for a membership and share your experiences with an online community.
You can simply type in your address in the browse section and it will show you a list of all the closest geocaches in your area. There could be one in your own backyard! All you need to do is plug the given coordinates into your GPS and head outside to begin your hunt. Your GPS will get you close to the geocache, but once you’re close, it is your job to discover it on your own.
Once you find the hidden container, sign the log book. The log book keeps a record of every person who was able to find this specific geocache. People tend to leave behind a certain “treasure”, and once you find it you are welcome to keep it, however, you must replace the item with an item of your choice to keep the game fun for everyone.
Want to hide a geocache of your own? Do it. Go online to the geocaching website, sign up and become a member, and record the coordinates of where you hide your container. Simple, fun, entertaining, and an “everyday Easter egg hunt” kind of feeling you can enjoy at any age.