Geocaching

In March, when the events on our calendar were being canceled. I asked the children to brainstorm things we could do just as a family.

One of the children suggested geo-caching.

Geo-caching is sort of a treasure hunt. People hide a small box containing a log sheet and then list the gps coordinates on an online site at geocaching.com.

Six years ago, Ed introduced the children to geocaching. We had found dozens of caches (57 to be exact) over the next year or two. We scoured our local area for caches, and every time we traveled, we searched for geocaches. We found that geocaching made taking a walk or bike ride a lot more fun.

But somehow we had stopped geocaching. Ed got a new phone and never downloaded the geocaching app, and we moved on to other pursuits.

But a quarantine seemed the perfect time to get back into geocaching. Just minutes from our house, someone had put quite a few new geocaches in recent months. Three Sunday afternoons have found us walking down the streets of our small town and poking through cemeteries looking for geocaches. I discovered scenic spots that I've driven by for years.

Ed had planned to build some of his own caches after he had experience finding a few. It is suggested that you find 100 caches before building your own. We are now up to 70 caches so my goal is to get to 100 by the end of summer and then build our own caches in memory of Ed.

If you need an excuse to take a walk, try geocaching. The app downloads easily and besides a phone, all you need is walking shoes and a pencil to sign the logbook. Geocaches can be found all over the world so unless you are in a very rural area, you probably have some close to you.

Have you tried geocaching?