We went on a treasure hunt Sunday afternoon. We searched low and high. It was a race against each other, and the winner took all. With our smart phones charged we went Geocaching around Sulphur Springs. For those who already have, you know about the joy of discovery when you push back the ivy and find that peanut butter jar filled with beads and plastic spider rings. I was up to my old antics of proclaiming I had already located the hoard before we leaped out of the car. Some look forward to taking a treasure, and leaving a treasure.
Geocaching is not as hard as it used to be. Most any modern smartphone can run an app that zooms in on the targets. When I first started, coordinates had to be downloaded and entered into my GPS receiver one by one. Fancy purpose built GPS receivers can be purchased, but smartphones really work well.
Here is how I Geocache:
- Get a free account here: https://www.geocaching.com/play
- For Android phones I use this FREE app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cgeo.geocaching
- iPhone: My Wife uses an app named ‘geocaching’. There is a free version, but she paid for the full version.
- Then enter you account info into the app, and you should be ready to go.
- Be sure to bring phone chargers along, as all the mapping runs my battery down quick.
The website usually provides hints to help you along, but we try to find them without. Be sure to look at the log to see if anyone else has reported it damaged or missing. Poison ivy and the like can be a problem, but usually not in town. Bring a pen to sign the logs, and any trinkets you may want to leave. (I once grabbed up an Elvis cassette tape to play in my pickup.)
Each time we go out we find something new. A new road, a new park, a new sign to read. I think the best part was we were together, out of the house, having fun together.
