Geocaching has had a resurgence during the pandemic, but what draws so many people to this unusual hobby?
Geocaching turns an ordinary walk into an exciting treasure hunt. Lockdowns forced people to get outside, geocaching has had a resurgence, as people head out and explore their local communities while looking for capsules of varying sizes in all kinds of locations, each with a small token inside.
An early 2000s phenomenon, geocaching has been called the “world’s largest treasure hunt” where people hide packages called caches all across the country. Some of them are quite difficult to find, as they can be tucked into a crevice on a busy street, or under some bushes in a local park. Think of it as an outdoor treasure hunt that uses GPS coordinates as your treasure map.
All you need to do to get started is to download an app that points you in the direction of geocaches near you. Often you are given clues to help locate the cache easier. The geocache itself could contain information about the area it’s in, natural objects or even toys or trinkets left by fellow geocachers. It really is a mystery what you will find in the caches, however all of them will have a logbook where you write your name and the date as a way to commemorate your finding. As well as writing in the logbook, sometimes there will be items in the capsule that you can trade. After you have done this, place the geocache back where you found it and log your experience online.
Christine Setford, who is from Sussex, is a long time geocacher. She first got into the hobby as a way of getting excersise and exploring her local area, but her love for it grew during the first lockdown. “It’s a really fun way to spice up your daily walk, especially during lockdown when going on our daily walk was one of our only freedoms”. It also was a way bond with her family. “I had great fun going out on these adventures, it’s always exciting working together to find the cache”.
There are now many online communities on social media site such as Facebook, joining people who love Geocaching together. It really is a communal hobby and an exciting way to discover more about your local community and find places you’ve never encountered before.
Geocaching is an any day any time adventure that can take you to amazing places that you’ve never been to before – download the app and try it today!
Visit the official website: geocaching.com.