The Global Scavenger Hunt You’ve Never Heard Of

Geocaching. It’s the biggest worldwide game you’ve probably never heard of before. If you’re an outdoorsy type, need some incentive to explore your city, or like me, you’re just genuinely competitive, it could be your next hobby. Trust me, there is a deep satisfaction in locating unassuming containers in unexpected places.

Think orienteering, but you get to open a capsule, sign your name as proof of your scavenger expertise, and sometimes there are fun ‘swaps’ to share in. It truly harks back to the school playground days of scratching “Abby woz here 2006” into poor, innocent tree trunks. The difference is, your smartphone acts as a coordinate device as you work your way to the location of interest. You may get some cryptic clues too that help you locate your hidden cache.

Why do it?

My partner has gotten deep into it recently, and I am supportive. It’s a lot of fun, and I highly recommend. Geocaching is a great weekend pass time, it’ll keep your kids busy, and you’re getting fresh air! *Gasp* – n-nature? Who’s she? What’s that? There’s a bustling online community where you can make your own account, share stories, log your finds, and even plant your own geocache if you’re feeling creative.

Learning the Lingo

What’s hilarious to me is that there are so many levels to it – it’s a very iykyk kind of group. I was perplexed at certain jargon like TFTC (thanks for the cache), GL (get low), “chest” (i.e. look at chest height) and muggles (non-geocachers who you must avoid arising suspicion in as you scavenge for caches). There are hundreds of thousands of caches to be found, and it’s such a sweet way to feel connected to your community in an underground sorta way.

Big fun, good times. That is all.

(do it!)