Caching in the Gorge – Photo

Nothing like finding a treasure while you’re out hiking! A beautiful fall day provided a perfect setting for finding this geocache. My wife and I followed our GPSr down the trail to the GeoCache. We detoured many times, admiring the views and exploring side-trails. This was one of those adventures that provided the openings for many more in the future.

I found the cache and am checking out its contents.

Click to see full-sized.

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The Geocache itself, along with the GPSr and a geocoin.

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Heading to Suomi

My wife and I are heading to Suomi (Finland) tomorrow. We can’t wait!

My wife studied there during high school, and lived with a host family while she was there. We’re being met by her host mom at the airport and we’ll be staying with them for 10 days (gotta love Easter break!). She is very excited about seeing her host family again, and introducing us to each other. I’ve heard a lot about them and can’t wait to meet them and experience this very important part of her life.

I will get to meet new people, visit another country, sample new foods, and other exciting things. Of course, my wife can’t wait for the opportunity to be the guide. Generally, I am the one with the “inside knowledge” about a place or activity, so she’s looking forward to this change of roles.

I’ve already checked, and there are a number of geocaches in the area, so we should have no problem pushing past the 400 milestone, which we have been hovering just under for some time now. We will be taking our travel bugs and geocoins with us, as well.

We’re packed and ready to go, now we’re just counting down the hours! I will be sure and give a trip report once we return.

Warning: Geocaching Can Bring Adventure Into Your Life

Did you notice the treasure you passed today? I passed two on my way to the grocery store. One of them is mine. Over 70 people have found it so far. There are neither gold nor diamonds inside it. The treasure, the adventure, is in the hunt, the places visited and the history learned. I have thirteen more hidden around the area where I live. Over the last two years, I have discovered over 350 that others have hidden. What are these treasures? They are geocaches.

According to www.GeoCaching.com:

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache.

There are currently over 700,000 active caches in the world. This means that no matter where you are, there are sure to be some caches near you.

It is easy to begin geocaching. You can use a good map, but a GPSr certainly makes it easier. You don’t have to have the newest one available, any GPS will do.

  1. Register for a free account.
  2. Click “Hide & Seek a Cache”.
  3. Enter your postal code and click “Search”.
  4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
  5. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS unit.
  6. Use the GPS unit to assist you in finding the hidden geocachers.
  7. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.
  8. Share your geocaching stories and photos online.

Have you got the treasure-hunting bug yet? It’s easy to get out there and start searching. There are geocaches everywhere, just waiting for you to find them.