Are you looking for things to do that still allow for some social distancing? Do you want to spend time outdoors without being in crowds of people? Geocaching has helped me keep my sanity during the pandemic. It is a great hobby that allows me to get outside and adventure, but still observe restrictions.
A Short History of Geocaching
On May 2, 2000, GPS technology was made available to the public. Prior to this, its use had been restricted to government agencies. Twenty-four satellites went online with GPS information for the average person to use. It did not take long for someone to come up with a use for the technology.
On May 3, 2000, a man named David Ulmer placed a black bucket in the woods of Beavercreek, Oregon. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items in it. He shared the waypoint coordinates of his "stash" with the online community on sci.geo.satellite-nav.
Within three days, two different readers learned of the stash via the Internet, used their own GPS receivers to find the container, and shared their experiences online. Others quickly picked up the idea and hid their own containers for people to hunt for.
There are now more than 3 million geocaches in 191 countries world-wide, including one on the International Space Station!
Getting Started
Getting started is easy. All you need is a smartphone. Apps are available for both Android and Apple. It is also free. There is a premium option ($29/year) that shows more geocaches in an area than the free version, but it is not necessary to get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
Anybody can participate. Geocaches are rated by difficulty of terrain and difficulty of finding/opening the container. Many geocaches can be found by people with limited mobility. Other geocaches require special equipment to access the location, like a boat.
Just open the app, search for a green box, click on it for information, and go find it! Once you have logged a find, the green box is replaced with a smiley face. The website, www.geocaching.com, keeps track of your finds and other statistics.
Keep an eye on this blog as I write in more detail about geocaches and how to find them, as well as a record of some of my adventures. To date, I have found 937 geocaches across the United States. I hope to get to 1000 finds this year.
