Geocaching Part 2

Geocaching.com is just one of the sites where caches can be listed, but they are by far the largest web site around for Geocaching. On this site you can learn just about everything you want to know about the sport. They cover where the caches are located, how to hunt for them, how to log them, how to hide them, and they even have articles on buying and using a GPS. If you’re looking for any information about Geocaching then this is the place to start. Note: only members of Geocaching.com can hide caches that they then publish to their web site.

Now that a new cache has been published we need to look for it. First we log onto Geocaching.com and type in our zip code. From there we look at caches that are hidden near our location. Once we have chosen a cache we download the coordinates into our GPS and off we go. After a short drive we arrive at the parking area. Here we get out and begin our journey. Our walk or hike to Ground Zero (GZ) could be just a few yards, or it could be several hundred yards. Only time will tell.  We follow our GPS headings to GZ and let the fun begin. We start by looking around right at GZ. We look high, we look low, and we look under and inside.

We also take into account any clues or hints we picked up from the cache page. Let’s say our hint was “Don’t be stumped.” This would mean we need to look inside, or around, any stumps near GZ. Ah, there is a stump right in front of us. Upon further investigation inside of the stump we find the cache. We open it up and take out the logbook and sign it. Then we look through the SWAG. We decide to take the Travel Bug (TB), and we leave a Geocoin.

We then place the cache right back in the stump and leave it just as we found it so that the next Geocacher can have just as much fun finding it as we did. Now we need to log our find on Geocaching.com.

We go back to the computer and back to the cache page. There we log the cache as “Found”, and then we search out the Travel Bug. A TB or Geocoin is an item that has been placed in a cache by another Geocacher. It is trackable on Geocaching.com through the trackable number on its tag or in the case of a Geocoin the number is engraved right on it. TBs and Geocoins also have their own page. They tell you all about the item such as what goal it has, how far it has traveled since it was released, and who the owner is. The TB or Geocoin can also be logged into your account. This is one nice feature of using Geocaching.com. All of your “finds” are automatically numbered, and kept up to date, once they are logged in.

Well we found the cache, took a TB, and left a Geocoin. We logged our finds and now it’s time to move onto another cache. That’s the beauty of Geocaching, there’s always another cache to be found or a new place to hide one. I hope you have found this article helpful, and enjoyable. See you on the trails and Happy Caching!