Geocaching Galore

With nice weather here to hang for a few months, it's time to explore the world outside our doorsteps, classrooms and offices. And there is a fun, free way to do so. It's called geocaching - the international modern-day scavenger hunt to find great items within nature.

What is it and where did it all start? Check out the video to get the download. Geocaching began in May 2000 when President Bill Clinton enabled civilians to use the GPS satellite system. Within a few days, a man from Oregon hid a bucket of trinkets in the woods and posted a notice online. It was found quickly and more were posted after that. In a week, the website was live and shortly afterward, "geocaching" was born. 

I've been exploring the wilderness for these treasures for over six months now and one thing I've noticed is the vast participation in our area. I've looked for caches in Florida, New Hampshire, New York and Georgia and have yet to find the flourishing cache atmosphere that is the Colchester-East Haddam-Haddam area. Here, I find caches all up and down the airline trail, at parks, on side roads and in commuter lots. It's amazing to see the game being played with such vigor. The hiding spots are great because they expose you to places you've likely not seen before. They're away from the mundane and nestled near beautiful old trees, by scenic waterways and under old rock formations. And the exploration keeps growing - new caches are added every day.

Ready to give it a shot? Find caches in our area (and beyond) at www.geocaching.com and get a GPS receiver to find the waypoint coordinates of the cache. Also, you'll also need some intuition to find the cache itself. ;)

Connect me with on the geocaching site at mileigh. Who knows, maybe you'll become the next TeamAlamo, a California couple that  found over 22,000 caches since 2003 (averaging 1,000 a month). Our towns are a great start.