Geocaching... anyone tried this?

[VDubby18]

A couple weeks ago I was just reading a novel and it mentioned geocaching and geocaching.com. The premise sounded interesting so I went to the website a few days ago to check it out. I signed up and saw there was coordinates about a half mile from my house, so I grabbed my dog and set off walking.

I came away with a small rubber duck, and left behind a compass.

Just wondering if anyone else has ever tried this before.

[Rockerchick]

I did some geocaching once a few years ago. I liked it. Wouldn't mind giving it a shot again.

[FaelinGL]

My dad does it. Coming from NYC, he has a stash of old subway tokens, and he leaves one in each cache he finds.

Mike

[Mk1Racer]

Been doing it for over 3 years now, and I really enjoy it. Great thing to do w/ someone else. Great thing to do w/ kids. Great thing to do by yourself. I actually find it to be lots of fun. As a friend and fellow cacher says, it's "hiking w/ a purpose". I've met some very cool people while out caching.

[mikegilbert]

One of my best friends is really into it. Whenever he comes to visit we'll head out and look for a few. There are loads of them in the downtown Seattle area. I bought the official GeoCaching app a few years ago and it works fairly well.

[Harv]

So basically it's like a real life treasure hunt?

[NastyJettaNza]

So basically it's like a real life treasure hunt?

Basically. Sans Pirates.....

[VegasJetta]

Sans Pirates.....

Where's the fun in that?

[NastyJettaNza]

Where's the fun in that?

Exactly, thus the lack of enthusiasm in my post.

[Air-over-water]

Basically. Sans Pirates.....

You could always dress up and defend some caches during the weekends.

[VDubby18]

I was actually amazed at the number of caches on geocaching.com.

Here is the U.S.... where would you like to start? I live in a little town of 6000 people, and there's probably 30 or so in a 10 mile radius of my house. (not in Fort Worth)

Pic I took of geocaching's map.

[Air-over-water]

(not in Fort Worth)

Grandbury?

[VDubby18]

Grandbury?

Granbury. No d.

[Air-over-water]

Granbury. No d.

lol, that is what I was trying to tybe

[Vee-Dubber-GLI]

So basically it's like a real life treasure hunt?

Yeah.

Basically. Sans Pirates.....

DIW...

I've just started going with friends around town. Great time to just kick back and BS and have fun.

[GRNWNV]

I did a bit last year while in school. We would just wonder around drinking while looking for the geocache's. It was good times.

[SOAR]

I don't really know much about it other than what I hear from all my hiking buddies who claim it gets irresponsible non-hikers to go out, disrespect nature, litter, and get lost.

[Tornado2dr]

I don't really know much about it other than what I hear from all my hiking buddies who claim it gets irresponsible non-hikers to go out, disrespect nature, litter, and get lost.

There is a lot of this.

I would caution anyone to not take "souvenirs" that aren't the goofy stuff left behind by the guy before you.

Apparently there has been a rash of geodetic marker, property line marker, and benchmark discs taken. From what I understand from a couple of Surveyor buddies, the USGS has opened a small office division for the express purpose of hunting down and prosecuting people who are moving and removing markers that have literally be in place for over a hundred years. As geocaching is mostly interwebz based in terms of information, lots of retards are posting their "prizes".

Stuff like this:

Takes a lot of time, money, and effort to set and monitor reliably, but they can look like that, or as unsophisticated as a bolt stuck in a rock wall and the info chiseled beside it 100 years ago, or a pile of damn rocks that was obviously put there by men...don't move that ****, guys and gals.

[FBMphil]

I've recently noticed digging around the survey markers at my usual hiking spots, too.

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories, dickheads.

Granted, those ARE findable through a USGS-run monitoring website if you know how to search for them properly. But still. Come ON.

[Tornado2dr]

I've recently noticed digging around the survey markers at my usual hiking spots, too.

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories, dickheads.

Granted, those ARE findable through a USGS-run monitoring website if you know how to search for them properly. But still. Come ON.

Well, this is actually the point. It isn't supposed to be a secret. They are survey markers defining points set by what is supposed to be the most reliable survey dep't in the world. They are the basis for countless environmental studies (ranging from sea-level monitoring to plate-shift to growth and erosion of mountains), construction projects, and land-records. They're kind of useful for surveyors, engineers, and by landowners everywhere.

Some survey magazine I was reading on the crapper a while ago was talking about dipwad geo-c tools finding and REMOVING iron pins all over the west/southwest on BLM land and private ranches...they started investigating a few instances more deeply after one farmer found his "iron pin" half dug up. The vandals/thieves had dug a huge hole before they realized that the buried pin was the axle from a duece.5 turned on end, and they would never get it out.

[Vee-Dubber-GLI]

I've recently noticed digging around the survey markers at my usual hiking spots, too.

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories, dickheads.

Granted, those ARE findable through a USGS-run monitoring website if you know how to search for them properly. But still. Come ON.

Well, this is actually the point. It isn't supposed to be a secret. They are survey markers defining points set by what is supposed to be the most reliable survey dep't in the world. They are the basis for countless environmental studies (ranging from sea-level monitoring to plate-shift to growth and erosion of mountains), construction projects, and land-records. They're kind of useful for surveyors, engineers, and by landowners everywhere.

Some survey magazine I was reading on the crapper a while ago was talking about dipwad geo-c tools finding and REMOVING iron pins all over the west/southwest on BLM land and private ranches...they started investigating a few instances more deeply after one farmer found his "iron pin" half dug up. The vandals/thieves had dug a huge hole before they realized that the buried pin was the axle from a duece.5 turned on end, and they would never get it out.

Most of the places I've gone geo-caching in have been in urban areas, not in rural areas. Weird... Also, I second the "Leave only footprints, take memories" sentiment; to mess with the USGS stuff is just stupid...

[MK2*GTI*GUY]

Me and my Gf used to a lot. Just kinda stopped one day, but we need to get back into it. Some of it was take something / leave something. But it was mostly small note pads to sign in and date. If I do get back into it, I want to work on some more interesting hiding spots. Lots of stories of ppl hollowing out pine cones and things that blend in w/ hidden doors / caps.

I used to be a Surveyor too. But havent come across many missing monuments or benchmarks in my time. Most of my stuff was more city based, and not so much out in the hills or country, where it would be easier to take one.

[.LSinLV.]

welcome to 2004

[MK2*GTI*GUY]

welcome to 2004

Hahaha. Yup.

My user name and Pwd dont work on the groundspeak site anymore. Just checked. I'm passing a few old ones I've found in the past when mountain biking this afternoon. Maybe I'll stop and peek around.

[G-rocco]

I've never done it, but had some friends who liked it.
A coworker of mine liked to 'Letterbox' with her kids, sort of like geocaching but indoors.

[n0rdicalex.]

after reading about this at work, i downloaded an app (c:geo) and plan on checking some out around town.

[spdfrek]

Never tired it but it sounds like fun.

[Pf3il]

just did this one: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache...6-3285c11f50e0

seems like a good way to explore urban areas, or a way to kill some time in unfamiliar places.