Pokémon Go may have come and gone as a focus of popular attention, but there is a more enduring hobby that is still attracting followers. It’s a high-tech, low-cost treasure hunt that combines old-fashioned puzzling with smartphone technology, and it can be enjoyed almost anywhere in the world.
What is Geocaching?
Geocaching involves people hiding small items, usually a collection of pocket-sized things of no monetary value in a waterproof container, in a public place. They then log the GPS coordinates on the geocache website and sometimes add cryptic clues to guide seekers.
Wherever you are, you can download the locations of caches near you and set out to find them. When you are successful, you can log your result online, and usually swap an item as a way of saying “I was here.”
Geocaching is absorbing because it is a mental and physical challenge, which also involves a remote but tangible interaction with real people. It’s also a great way to get kids out of the house.
Geocaching on a Whim
Wherever you are (let’s suppose Dallas, Texas) you will probably find geocaches within easy striking distance. It’s a great way for business travelers to occupy a couple of empty hours without having to go too far. Staying at the Marriott Dallas Airport Hotel, for example, they could probably step outside, get a bit of fresh air, and go searching for geocaches. The only downside would be the risk of getting so absorbed that they miss a meeting!
The same goes for a family stopping over or staying downtown. In a moment, you can be out through the door and set off on a search which is almost certain to take you to places you would not otherwise have found. Often those special places are the ones you remember and tell your friends about later.
Geocaching with a Purpose
The other great value of geocaching, from a parent’s point of view, is that it provides kids with an incentive to go exploring in the open air, and can help them to keep going on a family hike. At times the challenge of finding the next cache is much more attractive than the prospect of the view from the next hill. Above all, it is something in which the whole family can become equally absorbed.
Dallas is fast becoming one of the greenest cities in America, with thousands of acres of open spaces, including the Trinity River Corridor, now nearing completion, which offers miles and miles of varied terrains from forests to golf-courses. Don’t forget the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, one of the state’s most visited open-air sites, where geocaching can be subtly combined with learning about the world’s plants.
A Never-Ending Hobby
There are some things that never fail to attract the human spirit. Treasure-hunting is one of them. The beauty of geocaching is that it is a self-supporting, non-commercial hobby that anyone, young or old, can get involved in, and there is no limit to its challenges.
