Geo... what?

GEOCACHING is a free real-world outdoor treasure hunt. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smartphone or GPS and can then share their experiences online.

If you've never heard of geocaching, you're missing out. Truly. I had heard about it for awhile, but didn't actually check it out until earlier this year. It didn't take long for me to get hooked. Like the description above states, it's basically a treasure hunt. One of the absolute best parts about it is that it's free! Other than gas to drive around, you can geocache without spending any money. We've made it into a family hobby, although sometimes I think I enjoy it the most.

Tim found his very first cache today!

People from all over the world hide caches - anything from a small pill bottle or film canister to large ammo-sized containers - containing at the very least a logsheet. Then the GPS coordinates are posted on the above site. To find a geocache, you need an account on geocaching.com so you can find geocaches in your area and log your finds. Search by zip code, address, etc. and you'll get a list of nearby caches. Included in the description will be a google map showing the location so you can get to the general area. From there on out, it's following the GPS and using good hunting skills. We've found caches in trees, a sign, a wall, and stone/concrete barrier structures. Our geocaching experience has gotten 100% better since I recently upgraded my cell phone to the new Samsung Galaxy S3. I was able to load the c:geo app and have all the information literally right at my fingertips at all times.

So what's in a cache? Depending on the size, in addition to the logsheet a cache might contain little items to trade. Erasers, coins, silly bands, army men, and a rubber duckie are all things we have found! The kids love trading little things. Today Leanna chose the rubber duckie and Joshua snatched a bottle of hand sanitizer! There are also trackables, a sort of physical geocaching "game piece." We've found two or three, but today was the first time we've actually taken one to move along. The one we found today was originally placed in 2005 in the United Kingdom. It's traveled 14,872 miles! The kids thought that was pretty cool!

A larger cache we found today loaded with goodies!

Larger cache with all the goodies

The other fun part is being the one to hide a cache and then watch on the website as others find it. We have one ready to hide, but are still looking for the perfect spot. I'd also like to get each of the kids a trackable, those do cost money, and let them track its' travels around the world. What a great way to learn about geography!

With the new app on my phone, I'm sure we'll be able to do a lot more hunting. Any time we are out and have a few minutes, I can find a geocache nearby and we can go on a treasure hunt. And of course it's a competition to see who can spot it first. Leanna is still working on finding her first one. And today we were actually the FTF - first to find - meaning we were the very first person to find a cache after it was hidden. That was pretty exciting to me, even though Joshua was the one who found it.

Yes, we got caught in the rain , but that didn't stop me!

The travel bug we found

Enjoy the pictures. We found five out of six caches today. We had to give up on one because it was so stinking hot and there were a lot of people around. It's close by the house though so I'm sure we'll hunt for it again another time.

Micro cache Joshua found

This was our FTF. Joshua was so proud!