Get Some “Cache” Treasure Hunting

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geocacheOne of my favorite things to do with my family is geocaching. We have found several caches in different places and had so much fun on all of them, but my preferred place is right here in Colorado Springs. Did I mention its also free? This cache is called “sweet spot”, and it was found by my son in Cheyenne Canon, one of our favorites.

Geocaching is the treasure hunting of today and is fun for the entire family. It is an activity in which participants use GPS coordinates to find hidden containers in a variety of sizes. There are a number of apps you can download and use on your smart phone. My preferred app is “Geocaching” (by Groundspeak Inc.). This app allows you to look up caches in your general area. Let me tell you, they are everywhere! You can literally geocache almost anywhere, anytime. We have found them in our neighborhood and even on a quick lunch date with my husband in a shopping center.

Sizes of caches range from nano to large. The caches with S.W.A.G., or “Stuff we all get”, are typically medium to large in size and are particularly fun caches for kids. Search caches in your area and choose which one you want based on what you are looking for.  If you are caching with young kids, the larger caches with S.W.A.G. are fun and generally a little easier to find. My family carries a swag bag in our car and RV so we are always prepared for some spontaneous geocaching. This can be anything left in a small to medium sized container, such as erasers, small toys, plastic jewelry etc.

You can also leave or take a trackable. Trackables are items with a code that you can register at geocaching.com.  You can then follow the trackables travels from cache to cache. A trackable we are following, “The Warrior”, is currently in Nebraska. I can’t wait to see where he goes next! This one has been especially exciting for us to follow as our RV model is a (Winnebago) Warrior. You log the cache once you find it, and this will let others know that it is still active. It will also let you know how many caches you have found.

It’s not uncommon to run into other geocachers and they may ask how long you have been caching and how many you have found. WARNING… Watch out for muggles!!! Muggles are non-geocachers lurking in the shadows. They may be watching and even take the cache once you leave. If you see someone watching and they don’t approach to discuss geocaching they are most likely a muggle. At this point it’s best to act like a parent eating the last piece of Easter chocolate in secret and NOT let them know what you are doing! (I can’t be the only parent that hides when eating the last piece of Easter chocolate…)

You can also create and hide your own cache. I have not created my own yet, but you can find all the information that you would need to start you own at www.geocaching.com.

Have you ever gone geocaching? What’s the best cache you have ever found? I hope to see you out caching someday!

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