For some time I have wanted to post about how much fun it is to geocache with children. We have found them in many states from Hawaii to Florida to Ne wYork City and in between and even in Ireland. Countless times geocaching has led us to lovely hidden natural places we now treasure and often when we are in small and large cities geocaching has taken us to places only the locals know. For our children, and honestly ourselves as well, geocaching encourages our sense of adventure while fine tuning our observation skills.
Want to learn about geocaching? Visit the geocaching website, and read on.
To tell us more about geocaching, I have my first guest blogger, and my brother who introduced us to geocaching, Paul Tannahill.
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When a father or mother of young children first starts geocaching, one of the first thoughts they often have involves how much fun their kids will have finding hidden treasure. When you consider the number of hours most kids play video games and watch TV, it is definitely cool to see youngsters enthusiastic about outdoor exploration and adventure.
Like any other new outdoor activity, a certain amount of physical and mental preparedness is required. Adding kids into the mix increases the importance of that preparedness exponentially.
One of my favorite aspects of geocaching is that it is what I call a “lifestyle activity.” The only equipment you need is a modern GPS receiver or a smartphone with a geocaching app. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake. I like to compare it to golf: no need to spend hundreds of dollars on clubs, greens fees, etc., and you can play this game any time, anywhere. That type of capability allows for incidental opportunities to find a geocache. Have a half-hour to kill before the movie starts? There’s probably a geocache within easy walking distance. Most kids love that kind of spontaneity! Along with that spontaneity, though, comes the responsibility to make sure the kid(s) you are responsible for are safe every step of the way.
A large number of geocaches contain “swag” (Stuff We All Get), usually cheap McDonald’s toys, etc., and kids really love to hunt for those types of caches. In their eagerness to discover the cool treasure inside, they will often find a cache before you will. The general understanding is: if you take something from a geocache, leave something of equal or greater value. Of course, that eagerness can have a downside, and it’s up to you to be extra observant against tripping hazards, as well as watching where the youngsters stick their hands, faces, etc.
As fun as incidental geocaching is, a lot of us enjoy geocache-centric day trips. There probably a number of geocaches in your region that would make for a time of exploration and sight-seeing. I have devoted and entire day to find just one geocache on a remote mountain top . Long road trips (like one my family and I took from Oregon to Oklahoma) offers an opportunity to find caches in places you will probably never again visit now we’re talking high adventure!
When you plan and prepare to take kids on a geocaching trip, you’ve got to go beyond the basics of food and water, sunscreen and insect repellant. Is the terrain potentially uneven? Nothing beats a pair of hiking boots to make sure everyone’s feet are ready for anything. Could the weather change on you? Dress in layers. Don’t know how to use your GPS beyond finding an occasional geocache? Learn the features that could save your life and theirs: marking a waypoint for your car, using topo maps, knowing the value of a track log, among many others. Learn and practice using your GPS in the comfort of your own stomping grounds before needing that knowledge in unfamiliar territory.Is there any potential for dangerous animals (or people) to be concerned about? When you are focused on keeping one eye on your kids and one eye on your GPS, it’s easy to become less aware of your non-immediate surroundings than you would otherwise be.
Geocaching has taken me to some of the most interesting places of my life, and sharing those places with my family is something I very much enjoy doing. As the saying goes in geocaching: “Stay safe, and keep on cachin’!”
--Paul Tannahill, known as “Pablo Mac” in the geocaching community has been geocaching for a little over 7 years, having found over 2300 geocaches during that time. Some of his family & friends have accused him of being addicted to the sport/hobby/obsession. To that, Pablo Mac calmly replies: “I can quit any time I want… “See Pablo Mac’s Geocaching videos here: http://tinyurl.com/yebucth
