A Hunting We Will Go

I officially turned "almost thirty" on January 15th. And, honestly, it wasn't bad. I had a great birthday! Grant and Paige babysat N & E so Jason and I could have a date night. We wound up at Applebee's for dinner (Roadhouse was our first stop, but it was crazy crowded, so we decided to go "off the beaten path"), then we went browsing at Target. (Does anyone else do this on date nights?) We frequently find ourselves at Walmart/Target on date nights. Maybe because they stay open late, or maybe because it is just SO nice to shop sans kids!

In celebration of my almost thirty-dom, seven of my girlfriends took me on a geocaching adventure one frigid, Saturday morning. (I know there are only 5 other girsl in the picture, but Katy had to leave early and Paige was holding the camera). The girls even chipped in and got me my own GPS, so I can now geocache with the family whenever I want! (And yes, we already have put it to good use) Thanks, girls, for braving the cold to indulge me. I am so blessed to have such sweet, thoughtful friends in my life!

For those clueless on the concept of geocaching, here's a quick lesson. First off, it's pronounced Geo-CASHing. It is basically a world-wide GPS-led "treasure" hunt. You can log onto the official geocaching website and enter in any zip code in the world. (I recommend using your own, because knowing the coordinates for caches in Singapore isn't going to help any of us, with the exception of Camille). After entering in your zip code, a list of available caches in your area will appear. Selecting a cache from the list will give you more details, including GPS coordinates and clues for locating the cache.

Is there cash in the cache? Not hardly. Almost all caches contain a log to sign (this is actually a lot cooler than it sounds because when you find a particularly difficult cache, it is neat to see how many people have found it before you...most of the ones we located had been found 50+ times!) Caches also often contain little trinkets for trading. This makes it a lot of fun for taking kiddos along. The rules of cache trading are that if you take something from a cache (say, a lucky rabbit's foot), you must leave something of equal or greater value (maybe a Veggietales yoyo?). Some people even leave small gift cards to their favorite places to eat or shop (which, in a way, is kind of like cash, right?)

When caching, you have to be a little sneaky and watch out for "Muggles". In geocaching, "muggle" is a term referring to non-geocaching bystanders (as opposed to it's "non magical person" meaning from the "Harry Potter" series the term was borrowed from). You don't want to openly approach or look for a cache if anyone else is watching because it may draw their attention and they may go behind you and find the cache and decide to trash it or hide it elsewhere to mess with future cachers.

Some caches are multi-clue/location hunts. Some lead you to places of historical significance. Others lead you to a pretty spot, or a point of interest. Still, others are just hidden in someone's favorite place, or in a clever hiding spot. Anyone can hide a cache, but there are rules to adhere to (also available on geocaching.com). I already have a few spots in mind for our first Robinson County hidden caches.

The coolest cache I found with the girls was hidden in a wooded area (caches are most often hidden on public property, like parks, so wooded locations are common). The clue was "Not a knot". The cache, itself, was a 35mm film canister that had been camo taped. It was then lodged into a small hole about 6 feet up the trunk of an oak tree, so it looked like a knothole. It took FOREVER to find it, but it was worth the wait when we saw what a clever spot it was in.

Thanks to blog reader Morgan Mann for suggesting geocaching to me about a year ago (sorry I'm only just now getting into it, but in my defense, a GPS has been on my "wish list" ever since I first learned about it). I definitely think this will be an activity our family will enjoy together for years to come. I can even forsee the possibility of a geocaching kid's birthday party or two in our future!

Geocaching is a great excuse to get outside, explore your area (or even other places you're visiting), and best of all, is good, clean fun for the family. (Not to metion, it's a great feeling to be the one who spots the cache.) I look forward to making many more family memories caching in the years to come.

How bout you, any other closet cachers out there? I know Sheridan and her family have recently given it a go. I'd love to find out if anyone else has discovered this little-known free, family pastime. And if not, I highly recommend you try it!