High-Tech Treasure Hunting

Our family was recently introduced to a fantastic family fun adventure known as "geocaching". Now, I realize that I'm often the last to learn about things like this, but since I haven't really read any other blog posts about it, I thought I'd go ahead and share this amazing new discovery with you, just in case you haven't already tried it.

So, "what exactly is this geocaching thing?" you say? Well, I'm so glad you asked. According to geocaching.com:

"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."

In short, geocaching is treasure hunting for the 21st century! And oh so much fun! Our family's first encounter with geocaching took place a few weeks ago when our good friends invited us to tag along with them as part of their "FHE" activity. Their global positioning system led us to a lovely little spot overlooking the lake at sunset, not more than a couple of miles from our own back yard! As we drew closer to the coordinates on the GPS, we began scouting around the hillside, wondering where the treasure could be. Then, suddenly, one of the kids shouted, "I found it!" and we all ran to see. Tucked within the cavity of a rock was a small plastic canister filled with trinkets, along with a notebook logging all of names of those who had come before us. We picked a treasure from the box, and left one of our own for the next adventurers to find. It was then that we became hooked to geocaching.

Our second geocaching adventure took place this evening, as we found ourselves sitting around the dinner table, wondering what to do on a Friday night. I hopped online and downloaded an awesome geocaching application for my iPhone, and within an hour or two, we had scouted out and looted three different caches! (BTW, if you happen to be in the Osage Beach area, please check out the "Marshall the Troops" cache. Very clever.)

This is real, quality, CHEAP family fun adventure time we're talking about people!!! The kids simply can't get enough. And I must say that Justin and I are having the time of our lives as well. We might just end up geocaching our way across the country, once we run out of caches to raid in our own town. What a great way to get out and enjoy nature, as well as create some lasting memories with your family!

So, my recommendation to you is, get off the computer chair, go out and buy yourself a GPS, (or download the geocaching app to your iPhone), go to geocaching.com, type in your zip code and start discovering hidden treasures in your own neighborhood!!! Happy hunting, everybody!