Geocaching

[Dutch]

Hey all.

 

Been a long time since I started a thread, but since spring is here, I thought I would give it a shot.

 

I bought a GPS Last December and have been waiting patiently for fishing season to give it a try on the water, but I wanted to put it to use in other ways. I have been using it on weekend trips to make my way around the province, but I needed something more.

 

I heard about geocaching and want to give it a shot and now that the weather is nicer, I don't have any excuses. It seems like a really interesting activity that gets you outrside and also some exercise, which I desperately need after being cooped up inside for the winter. I did a quick search on geocaching.com and was surprised to see there are litterally hundreds of geocaches with 1/2 hour or so of where I am.

 

My wife and I are going to head out this afternoon to try and find some of these little treasures. I am really excited about it.

 

A really interesting thing is that sometime people place coins or other artifacts in the caches that they would like to travel the world. Someone will find the cache, take the item and place it in another caches. A log is kept on-line of where the coin (or whatever) has travelled. I guess it is important in this case to update where you placed it on-line. One coin I read about made it from Australia to Siberia and touched 6 of 7 continents and is still going strong - pretty interesting stuff.

 

Great way to enjoy the outdoors it seems and could be a great Family bonding experience.

 

Share your thoughts and experiences if you will.....

Edited March 31, 2007 by Dutch

[Daplumma]

Dutch,

My bud and his GF are doing it.Its pretty cool from the sounds of it.They exchange stuff in the cache,just trinkets and such.Some of the stuff his GF out in have ended up in Arizona.Very cool stuff and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.Have fun with it.It did get much easier since they quit scrambling the signals.

Joe

[Big Cliff]

My son and I started a cache years ago, it's called Northern Lights and it is up near Noelville. I keep getting reports on it several times a year as people find it and log it and I check on it every once in a while when I am up that way.

[Motorhead]

I haven`t done it in a while, and won`t until I get a new GPS...

Great to do with kids, and it gets you into some places you never realized were there...

I liked to leave a small pack of jigs...

 

 

Doug

[Deano]

Been geocaching since sept 06. Even did the one in noelville (northern lights)

136 finds, got 6 hidden and my son has 2 hidden. got 4 travel bugs out and son has 2 TB's

My avatar is a pic of my Lure me to water TB. It's goal is to be dipped in all bodies of water. Dipped it in Ramsay Lake (Sudbury), North channel (Lake Huron) and we just dipped it in the pacific ocean and dropped it in B.C.

Did 39 caches in B.C.

User name (simplyred) at geocaching.com

[douG]

That is very cool, Deano.

[motv8tr]

Sounds cool, never heard of it before...do you need a GPS?

 

Maureen

[Big Cliff]

It is a pile of fun Maureen but yes, you do need a GPS.

 

Here is a link that will tell you all about it.

 

Geocaching information

[lilkynan]

http://www.geocaching.com/

 

Am one of the Originals - started in 2001 -

 

Find ours - Kids Toys

 

And also do the travel bug deal - ours worked excellent - Micheal Waltrip

 

Have fun!!!

[Rich Clemens]

That sounds like a lot of fun. I heard of this when I picked up my hand-held last fall. So there's one in Noelville area. I may have to check out this geocache site and see if I can find it while I am in the area later on this year.

[Deano]

As of today there is over 377,000 active caches worldwide. One of the greatest things about it is you can almost do it anywhere in the world. And thanks to the newer GPS' , it's starting to really catch on. People placing caches are local to the area and know of some beautiful places that you won't find in the tourist information. In B.C., we did a cache that took us to some caves, my brother in law and sister who go quading around the area, didn't even know they existed.

There's also one in North Bay that takes you up on a mountain that gives a great view of North Bay and Nippising.

 

Geocaching can be done without a GPS, but it's sort of like fishing without a rod. The GPS is the main tool for the game/sport.

Warning, it's very addicting.

[4x4bassin]

I have been "caching"for about a year now,whole lotta fun!!

I have 2 caches hidden in the Caledon/Hockley area.

The fun thing about it, is that these caches are literly everywhere around us and you don't even know they are there.They are hidden very well and everyone probably passes one or two by in a day and they don't even know it.

[bbog]

Guilty! Been a geocacher for several years and have over 1400 finds. Just came in from the annual April Fool's series. Caching activities will take a back seat to fishing pretty soon.

 

It is a fantastic way of getting out and enjoying the great outdoors - ususally finding places that you never knew existed. We started at the spur of the moment when we noticed a cache within walking distance of home. I use geocaching as an exercise motivator and try to hit local caches on the bike.

 

Easy to combine geocaching with fishing - download waypoints and keep them handy for when the fish aren't biting. Just wish I was interested in fishing when caching took me to some pretty nice looking spots!

Edited April 1, 2007 by Barnie's Band of Gold

[setomonkey]

I don't do it, but my brother-in-law has gotten into it. I had no idea there are something like a dozen, maybe more, caches just in High Park in Toronto.

 

We take our dog to High Park for walks most weekends, and he's (the b-i-l, not the dog) has already shown us two of them.

 

Mike

[DMASSE]

Hello

 

Once you sign up atthe website,, what do you do then... Do you us the hide and seek feature or a benchnark..

 

I am not the best at this so anyhelp would be appreciated.

 

Dave

[Deano]

you can go to hide and seek, you can also put in your home co-ordinates, and the find caches near your home. There is a how to at the site.

[mikemo]

Thanks for posting - this explains all the people with GPS units in the park behind our house today.

[Dutch]

Update with Report!

 

My wife and I went out on Saturday and found 3 caches all within a 10 minute drive of our house. One in Lakefield by the whats his name was a return trip as we missed it the first time. What a gorgeous place - definitely going back and looks like a great fishing spot too. Some of these are areally tough to find and are hidden real well. Has to be because some people find them by accident and destroy them from what I have read.

 

Some real nice walking and some great exercise. The thrill of the hunt leaves an unquestionable "high" and when you find it, all the better.

 

I suggest to everyone to give this a shot. Would be great for people with kids or for a family long weekend activity.

[dustink]

Very cool....one more reason now I want a GPS.

 

Thanks for posting!

 

dk

[Rob]

Thanks Dutch, I didn't even know that this existed! I will be trying this out in the summer with the kids. I've registered at geocaching and found quite a few caches right new my house!

 

This is going to be very cool, can't wait!

 

Rob C

[ketchenany]

Dutch, if you pick up a copy of Ontario Travel Discoveries at an Ontario Travel Information Centrer or order online at ontariotravel.net one of our feature articles for he summer is on that topic.

[bbog]

Hey "mikemo" I guess you can count me as one of those in your backyard Saturday night and Sunday morning. About 50 or more were participating in the annual Geofellas April Fools day cache marathon. The race started at midnight with a 4 part teaser cache, followed by another 14 on Sunday. The 14 additional were singles or multi-part caches containing puzzles or clues to find a final mystery cache.

 

At noon many of the participants got together at a pub for a cache event. Our team was fortunate to arrive at the pub with first-to-find honours on the teaser, 11 feeders and the final mystery cache.

 

During the course of our travels we only had one woman come outside in her bathrobe to ask what we were up to!

 

The rush of visitors is now over and the next in the series will likely be in another location.

 

More details on the Grand Finale

 

Barnie

[mikeymikey]

@ Deano a.k.a simplyred

 

I was just reading geocaching forum and I knew I saw your avatar... so I had to do some diggin in this forum.

 

I myself recently got into Geocaching and it's a good fun. Good reason to be outdoors. It feels very rewarding aswell... I am liking it a lot.

 

Deano, I also noticed that you have a very good photography skills too... really like your photos too.

 

Man... you must really enjoy outdoors... do some geocaching... same time take some very interesting photos & some fishing

Edited March 21, 2008 by mikeymikey

[tjsa]

WOW, I remember this post from almost a year ago.

[bassboy]

My wife and I geocache, but admittedly not lately, however its lots of fun and and can be quite edumacational....

For instance....there is a geocache at old city hall in Toronto....I dont remember the name, but its quite interesting (I wont give it away though).

Have done a few geocaches, some of which have been removed and fallen from my list however, and even the odd benchmark here and there.

Another good resource (to me anyway) has been Ontario Geocaching Association.

 

Its a nice way to get out and see things, and introduces you to things and places you had no idea existed. a good GPS is a must I think.

 

Enjoy!!

 

Bill