Everyone loves a treasure hunt. The excitement and anticipation of the search combined with the thrill of the hunt is something right out of fairytales and pirate stories of days gone by. We know you might be planning a hunt around the house this weekend, and that’s great. But sometimes you need a little bit more adventure. That’s why we love geocaching.
Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) to hide and seek containers called “geocaches” or “caches”. The co-ordinates of each cache are posted on a website so that anyone with a GPS can try to find it. It’s a great activity to try out over a long weekend if you’ve been cooped up for too long (like, all winter).
There’s a general misconception that geocaching is about tromping though swamps and forests, over hill and dale. This is not necessarily the case. Many caches are hidden in urban areas. It’s likely there are some embedded in your neighborhood already, but are so well hidden that you didn’t know they were there.
With the proliferation of smart phones and inexpensive handheld GPS devices, geocaching has become an activity that anyone can enjoy—and many do! There is a huge geocaching subculture out there, and it’s ours to tap into.
Are you game to try? First, you need to get your hands on a GPS. Traditional handhelds are great. An iPhone does the job too, but sometimes has issues zeroing in on the precise location (this means that the final stretch might require a bit more effort).
Tagged under: activities,kids,Geocaching,Outdoor,Fun,ottawa
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