If you’ve never gone geocaching before, this summer is the perfect time to try it out.
Known as the world’s largest treasure hunt, Geocaching provides the hunter with a digital map to find a hidden treasure box, not a treasure to keep but a treasure to be a part of for future hunters to find.
There are millions of Geocaches worldwide, and there are more than 400 treasures to find around Lamar County for local hunters.
There are a few different levels of Geocaching, and most of the time, you may not know what they are until you start your journey to track its location.
At its simplest level, Geocaching requires these eight steps:
1: Register for a free Basic Membership.
2: Visit the “Hide & Seek a Cache” page.
3: Enter your postal code and click “search.”
4: Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
5: Enter the coordinates of the Geocache into your GPS Device.
6: Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden Geocache.
7: Sign the logbook and return the Geocache to its original location.
8: Share your geocaching stories and photos online.
It’s believed that the best app to use to play the game is the Cache-Geocaching app, this app will cost $4.99, this particular app will have the upfront cost, and if you use the basic free mode, you can only hunt up to three caches per 24-hour period. But you do have the option to purchase within the app to allow you all the perks of hints, trackable codes, view your friends’ hunts, offline caches to save, and much more. But, if you purchase, you will see a regular monthly fee being paid.
Another great app to find your Geocaches is the Geocaching app. This one is free to download, will show you all the nearest caches in your area to hunt, live search features, three different map features to help you hunt, and more. You also have the option to purchase a premium membership that will give you loads of benefits, including member-only caches.
For beginners looking to have some fun outside and not knowing how to really play, the Geocaching App (the second one mentioned above) is easy to navigate until the treasure hunting bug grabs you.
When trying to locate your first find, you can tap one of the images in the area of the county that you wish to hunt, and it will give you a description of the degree of difficulty, terrain (if it is rough or easy), and size of the Geocache. Furthermore, you will find that some treasures come with a description of how to find it, and even if you need to open the cache to see what treasure may be left there.
Another great benefit of the second app mentioned is that you can navigate (search) your way to plenty of caches without restrictions. If you are looking for a few harder ones to test your treasure hunting skills, you will have to purchase the membership to unlock those ones.
One of the most important factors to remember is that if you are going to go to Geocaching, bring a couple of trinkets so you can swap out if you are lucky enough to find a box full of treasures and a pen! Nearly all Geocaches will have what they call a logbook so you can write your name, the date you found it and leave your mark for friends to find.
Once you have found your cache, you can “log” the find within the app, leave a message that others can read, and perhaps a tip or two if it was a difficult find.
Needless to say, for families looking to have fun on a budget this summer, and want to get out of the house for some real summer fun, Geocaching is guaranteed to give you hours of fun for every age, without having to cross the county line.
