Geocaching: A World Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts have lengthy been a cherished pursuit, awakening the thrill-seeking need of youngsters and adults alike.

When an enigmatic “X” marks the spot, many really feel the decision to motion, prompting them to chart a course, assemble their provisions, and set sail—whether or not on a tangible vessel or one conjured by the depths of their creativeness—all in pursuit of the coveted treasure. Whereas such adventures are fewer and farther between as we develop up, there’s nonetheless not less than one strategy to expertise them: via the participating exercise of geocaching, the very actual hunt for treasures hidden across the globe.

What’s geocaching?

high-tech sport of hide-and-seek, the place somebody hides a container for others to search out,” says Chris Ronan, senior PR supervisor for Geocaching HQ. It began in 2000 when a person named Dave Ulmer sought a strategy to take a look at the accuracy of GPS alerts after the general public gained entry to them. “He hid a container, marked the coordinates, and put the data on-line, difficult anybody to search out it,” Ronan shares. Somebody did three days later, and thus geocaching was born. 4 months following that preliminary hunt, cofounders Jeremy Irish, Bryan Roth, and Elias Alvord created Geocaching.com, which allowed folks all over the world to checklist the place they’d positioned containers so others may seek for them.

Now, twenty-four years later, there are greater than 3.3 million geocaches hid in over 190 nations all over the world. Geocaching.com and its official software make it simpler than ever for folks to take part—all you must play is a cellphone. As a result of the guts of the exercise is so easy, it’s a good way for folks to interact with different treasure hunters in addition to with nature. As Ronan notes, “Geocaching affords a strategy to take what you take pleasure in, be it mountain climbing, exploring, tenting, or pictures, and add a brand new stage of curiosity by directing folks to uncover hidden tales and places.”

The searching course of

To begin, somebody will place a container someplace on this planet and publish the coordinates and particulars on Geocaching.com; different gamers will then use the Geocaching app or web site to search out the container. There are a number of hiding pointers to comply with in the event you’re inserting a brand new geocache, together with having the landowner’s permission, not burying the container, and adhering to all authorized requirements and native legal guidelines. In any other case, you possibly can have enjoyable with it. “And, sure, underwater—if it meets the necessities—can also be in play,” provides Ronan.

Everytime you discover a geocache, you signal the accompanying logbook, re-hide the container, and share your expertise on-line. You learn that proper. You don’t preserve the geocache however as a substitute put it again within the precise spot you discovered it so others can search for it as nicely. However by recording the discover, each within the bodily logbook throughout the container and on the app, you show that you just situated it and may transfer on to your subsequent gem.

There are numerous several types of containers all over the world with the most typical being a standard cache, which is situated at particular coordinates and should comprise a small merchandise you can swap for an merchandise of equal worth. You may additionally encounter thriller caches that require you to unravel a puzzle to unlock the coordinates, multi-caches that contain two or extra places, and lots of different variants. Ronan clarifies that the geocaches vary in complexity; in reality, the house owners must fee each the problem and the terrain on a scale of 1 to 5. “Gamers can select which geocaches are the very best match for them,” he explains, “however we recommend that learners begin with a stage one terrain and stage one issue cache to make sure a great begin.”

An exhilarating journey

The attract of discovering one among hundreds of thousands of geocaches all over the world retains folks coming again for extra. “In 2008, I acquired a handheld GPS, and from the second I discovered my first geocache, I used to be completely hooked,” says Joshua Johnson, also referred to as the Geocaching Vlogger. “As a baby of the ’80s, I’ve a deep affection for the film The Goonies, so once I found that geocaching supplied a worldwide scavenger hunt expertise, I knew I needed to leap proper in.” He’s now discovered shut to eight,000 geocaches and continues to doc his adventures for his 800,000 on-line followers. On high of his video content material, Johnson shares about his travels via his podcast, Treasures of Our City, and his comedian e book, The Best Treasure.

Whereas geocaching shouldn’t be a brand new exercise, the rise of social media platforms like TikTok has led extra folks to find it via content material like Johnson’s. “In 2020, with the necessity for secure and gratifying out of doors actions, numerous people sought methods to have enjoyable whereas sustaining social distancing,” Johnson shares. With so many geocaches situated on each continent, it continues to be an incredible pursuit for folks of all ages. As Johnson says, “You want a great dose of journey.” His hunts have taken him to the jungles of Brazil searching for a uncommon geocache and despatched him repelling off the facet of a cliff.

The probabilities prolong even farther. “There’s really a geocache hidden beside a hydrothermal vent on the seafloor 2,300 meters down,” says Ronan. There’s additionally one hidden on the Worldwide House Station! Although it’s possible you’ll not be capable of journey deep into the ocean or up into house, there could also be dozens of containers proper in your space simply ready to be discovered. Johnson notes that there are at all times new adventures to unlock: “There’ll by no means be a scarcity of the probabilities to search out extra geocaches in additional fascinating locations.” You simply must get out and search for them.

For more information, go to geocaching.com