Cache in on the Fun Geocaching for Seniors
Jane Thrall Article and Photos
There ’ s an immense regional park twenty minutes east of my home . It ’ s full of massive redwood trees , countless birds , and undulating trails that intertwine like arteries from one end to the other .
It ’ s also home to more than twenty geocaches , including traditional , multi-cache , and mystery versions .
As I tie up the laces on my waterproof boots , I ’ m thinking about the caches I hope to find today . Using a popular app on my phone , I ’ ve mapped out a route in the park that should take me to five different hidden boxes . They each have a unique name , which may provide a clue as to where to look .
Some are registered as micro ; one is considered extra-large . There are over a dozen types of geocaches that can be found while playing the game , but traditional ones ( containers ) are the most common . Micro caches can be held in the hand , like a pill bottle or mint tin , and extra-large can be the size of a five-gallon bucket or even larger .
Geocaching is a world-wide phenomenon that began in 2000 and really gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because it can be done by pretty much anyone of any age , it ’ s a very familyfriendly and easy activity to do with children and grandchildren . A treasure hunt of monumental proportions , there are currently over three million geocaches worldwide including Antarctica and the International Space Station .
On this particular trip , I ’ ll be taking a friend — someone new to the sport . I ’ ve got the upgraded version of the most popular geocaching app ; she has the basic version . The upgrade has more caches and includes some more difficult terrain . There ’ s a monthly or annual subscription , but it ’ s a reasonable fee that provides much more information and interaction . It also allows me to post my own geocaches , something that I ’ ve done only once .
In each cache is a paper that can be signed and dated to show that you ’ ve been there and found the container , but most people will record their find on the app . Sometimes there are small token items , known as swag , that can be taken in exchange for another . I have in my pocket a Lego figure and a few stickers ; depending on the caches I find , I want to be prepared to leave an item behind .
We arrived at the park midafternoon and started in search of our first cache named “ So Mushroom in My Heart for You .” The satellite map showed it in the middle of a heavily forested area on a hill .
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