Geocaching Getting Started

As a Scout leader, I always look for creative ways to get my Scouts outdoors and exploring the natural world around them. Geocaching has been a fantastic addition to our meetings, camping trips and Hikes. Not only does it encourage teamwork and problem-solving skills, but it also instills a love for adventure in the great outdoors.

Searche for your first geocache, hear the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the occasional snap of twigs underfoot. The thrill of discovery as the first cache is uncovered, look Inside the box where a small notebook is waiting. The Scouts exchange some of their own trinkets for the treasures they found.

Over the next few hours, explore the woods, looking for hidden caches and discovering new parts of nature that we had never noticed before. As the sun began to set, headeding back, tired but exhilarated. Geocaching had opened our eyes to the wonders of the world around us. It was an experience to always remember and one to repeat. Thanks to geocaching, our young people found a new love for adventure and a reason to keep exploring.

1. Download the Geocaching Phone app (many GPS devices also have geocaching features if you are going that route)
2. Create an account (you can either have a free account or a paid account which gives you access to additional geocaches)
3. Open the app and check out the map to find a geocache near you… head out on a hunt!
4. Once you find your geocache, be sure to sign the logbook and if you take something from the cache, leave something of equal or higher value behind.
5. Once you get really advanced, you can even create and hide your own geocaches!
6. Don’t forget your organization’s policies or adult-to-child ratios.

You don’t really need much, here are a couple of items to take along on your geocaching adventures:

1. Essentials: first aid kit, water bottle, flashlight, sun protection, whistle (consider this to be a hike, and always Be Prepared)… bonus if you add in your rain gear for unpredictable weather
2. Pen: you need to have a way to sign the geocache logbooks on your finds, note them down for later, or use the geocaching app to log them online.
3. Device charger: You will be using your phone’s GPS and map, so it is a good idea to bring a battery if you’re using a GPS Unit.
4. Goodies to trade: it is a golden rule of geocaching – if you take something, leave behind something of equal or higher value, not money as its not so much fun to find or swap or Food as Geocache end up covered in ants or disturbed by wildlife.

You can also carry an extra log just in case the logbook is full at the geocache.