Treasure hunting has a certain mystique- trudging into the great unknown with nothing but some courage, a map, compass and some good ol’ determination. But you don’t have to be Indiana Jones to go on your ownthrilling adventure. In fact, you can walk right outside your backdoor. All you need is a sense of adventure, some good walking shoes, maybe a water bottle and oh, most importantly, the app: Geocaching.
A couple of weeks ago, my parents came in town to take care of our 1 year old for the day so that my husband and I could go on some of adult-paced adventures. (You see, adventures with a toddler involves diaper changes, snack time, picking up, putting down, redirecting exertion of 1 year old independence at the most inconvenient times and lots of distractions- bugs, acorns, leaves, cars, …).
After planning a hike on Paris Mt and researching all that we could do, my husband came across geocaching. According to geocaching.com, it is an “any day, any time adventure that can take you to amazing and beautiful places or even just to a place in your town you have never been before.” Curious and a bit spontaneous, we grabbed our hiking shoes, picnic basket and cameras (ie. phones) to see what adventures awaited.
Our search began…
Apparently, there are more than 2 million geocaches worldwide. Essentially, volunteers have hid containers of all shapes and sizes and in easy and hard to reach places in hundreds of towns, cities, states and countries. After downloading the app, we were able to search for the geocaches in our area and choose which one(s) we wanted to find. The difficulty level is identified on the app and we chose easy, which I would recommend especially for your first excursion.
We soon discovered that this is an amusing activity to keep you moving and is a really fun way to explore a place you have never been- it helps you notice little details you might otherwise miss. In a less formal way, you get to connect with your fellow treasure hunter(s), problem solve together, figure out your navigation skills and enjoy the little skip in your step when you actually find IT, the cache.
You don’t have to be on a hike or out in the woods to geocache. In fact there are geocaches all over- within the city, neighborhood, parks, … There is likely one not far if you begin looking. According to geocache.com, there are more than 2300 geocaches in my city alone! Of course, it is safer and much more fun to search for your treasure with people you know.
This is truly great family and friendly fun. And, it is an enjoyable way to stay active during the day and log some extra steps! That’s a win-win!
While we did not find a treasure chest of gold coins or King Tut’s tomb or a pot of gold or even a rare jewel, we did find some laughs at our faulty navigating skills and a silly enthusiasm to find the unknown.
There is an adventure waiting to happen- go find it!
TRUTH: I’ll lead you to buried treasures, secret caches of valuables— confirmation that it is I, [the Lord], who calls you by your name.