Geo Caching. Is a World Wide Sport as some call it. Using a a database where you can look up your zip code, you will be presented with many "caches" that others have hidden. You may have driven or walked past some in your everyday travels. They will have a description of the Container (Large,Medium,small,micro). How hard the terrain is (1-5 difficulty), and sometimes how well it is hidden (1-5).

Caches may be Gallon size Plastic Jugs (Glass is not used for safety reasons), Old Army Ammo Cans. Some are as small as a magnetic key keeper box. Some that are "micro" may be hidden in a 35mm film canister. I have seen one hidden in a hollow 3/4 inch bolt magnetically stuck to the bottom of a park bench to look like the hardware on the bench.

They may contain a simple log and pen so you can enter the date and time and your name when you found it. Whether you took a trinket, left one, or neither. The micros require naturally, that you bring your own pen and sign the small log.

Contents:Some contain trinkets such as commemorative coins, Rubber Balls, souvenirs, Sometimes small amounts of money. All manner of things... glow sticks, mini flashlights, deck of cards. etc. Generally if you take something, you try to leave a little something. So I carry a plastic baggie in my vehicle with Ink pens, glow sticks, balls, some quarters.

Travel Bugs: These are special "Coin Bugs" that have a serial number. If you find one you take it log it and if you travel allot drop it off at another cache you find. Enter the serial number in the datatbase. You can track these "Bugs" all over the world as they move around.

Equipment: A simple GPS, and some use GPS enabled phones even. I use a Magellan Gold Series GPS that goes for about $100 on ebay.

Places: I have found some in magnetic key boxes attached to the underside of a counter top in a phone booth. One under the small base of a flag pole in a park. Some are in busy places and you must be careful not to be seen getting in and out of the cache . You have to watch for "Muggles" (people that might see you and damage the cache when you leave).

Enter the coordinates that you get from the database, head out to the location using the GPS to find it, and then try to pinpoint the location. When you get down to the last meter or two you will have to look around and use your imagination as if you had hidden it.

It is fun, difficulty depends on what you want to do by your selection of the cache to be found.Try it, I think you might find it fun and enjoyable. You might even want to hide your own and list it.

Learn more at Geo Cache

I have been aware of the hobby for some time but only got a GPS that was appropriate for Geocaching last January. Before that, I only has a Garmin Forerunner that I mostly use while running. It can be used for Geocaching but is not very good for that purpose and is rather awkward. My new unit is a Garmin eTrex Legend Cx and is a wonderful little machine. Anyway, I have found a few caches and took it on our vacation to Hilton Head Island last Feb. where I found a few caches down there.

I like to run a trail near my home called The Cataraqui Trail. It is a well kept trail over an abandoned rail bed so is flat and dry. This past week I placed my very first cache called CatWee1 on a section of the trail between Harrowsmith and Yarker. I had to carry the cache container with its goodies and the Legend on the first 3 Km. of my run but it wasn't so much heavy as awkward. After finding an appropriate hiding place, I averaged the Location long enough to get it within a metre or so and put everything in place including a Travel Bug.

I registered the Cache and Travel Bug and it has been reviewed and approved. Now I will watch to see if there are any seekers. I have plans to place additional caches on the trail sections near here since these sections have none.

I am going out to try to place another cache this afternoon. This one will be closer to home near the local Golf Course. It won't require so much of a hike to get to it.

One of the fun parts of this hobby is buying the goodies to put in the cache. I have found a wealth of possibilities at the local Dollar Store.

Great reboot!, glad you are enjoying it. That will be a great find indeed. We are about to start our caching season for our family. We plan to incorporate it on early morning fishing trips we hope.

Keep on looking and hunting and tell us about some interesting finds.

Happy hunting!