We’re geocachers. We use electronic devices connected to expensive satellites to find Tupperware containers in the woods. This is our all time favorite family activity and its become more inexpensive and accessible than ever with the addition of gps on smart phones.

So what exactly is geocaching? Like I said before it’s hunting for containers, large and sometimes extremely small, using their gps location. People hide items and then post the coordinates online at the Geocaching.com website. To gain access to these caches you need to sign up for an account, it’s free. Once you have an account you now need a GPS enabled device. It used to be that to do this you needed a Garmin or some other specialized device but with the addition, in recent years, of GPS in phones most people have a viable GPS device in their pocket. There are apps out there for Androind, iPhone and Blackberry. You can check out other devices on the geocaching website. We have a gamin but have switched to using my IPhone most of the time jut because of the ease of getting the geocache information.

Once you have your device and your account it’s time to set off into the woods. Just choose a cache to locate and get going.

Tip:keep a notebook and a pen in the car and bring them with us to the caches. You never know when you’ll need it.

Related articles

• Geocaching – First Steps (tintent.com)
• Geocaching Merit Badge (brighthub.com)