>Prompted by a post from Firemom I thought we might give geocaching a try. Geocaching is similar to letterboxing or orienteering, just using GPS. From Geocache.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.
So I downloaded the “trial” free app from Geocache.com into my iPhone & looked up some local cache spots. There was 1 very close to Charlie’s school so I decided we’d try to find it after I pick him up.
I talked it up to Charlie as going treasure hunting. He decided it was Pirate Treasure. Charlie was excited to try. My iPhone has GPS in it & the app worked quite well. Charlie had fun holding the “map” & watching as the Blue Dot move as we walked. The Blue Dot represents us & the Red Dot represents the “treasure” or cache.
Unfortunately we weren’t able to locate the treasure. It is a micro-cache which means the cache is very small, like the size of a matchstick box. Charlie was excited about the hunt however & willing to try again. We looked for 2 more caches but didn’t find them. Charlie declared the Pirates were being very sneaky to hid the treasure to well.
Charlie had a long weekend from school so on Saturday we went geocaching again. This time I prefound the cache to make sure it was there & we could find it. I know it’s cheating but I wanted to make sure Charlie found something this time! After lunch we went treasure hunting again. Charlie held the map as we walked making sure we were headed in the right direction. We found the treasure right where the information said. Charlie was so excited! This cache had actual treasure in it – small trinkets you can take as long as you leave something in exchange. I had prepared by bringing along 2 Hot Wheels Charlie was willing to part with.
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