Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Geocaching in Shelby County

 photo 0312151436_zpsnpvretj4.jpgLooking for a fun, FREE, family activity to do on these warm Spring days? Try geocaching!

Geocaching is a world-wide treasure hunt. There are over 2.5 million geocaches worldwide, and many right here in Shelby County. There may even be some in your own neighborhood! If you're new to the geocache craze, check out www.geocaching.com to watch a short video and learn everything you need to know to start your adventure today!

 photo 0312151438_zpspo5zykiv.jpgTo begin you will need a smart phone or a GPS, a pen to sign the log book, and little trinkets if you plan on doing any trading. If you're using a smart phone, download one of the free geocaching apps and you're ready to go. If you don't have a smart phone you can set up an account on the website mentioned above and then type in the coordinates of the geocaches on a GPS. Geocaches come in various sizes, shapes, and difficulty. When my family goes geocaching we stick with the larger ones that are easier to find because we have small children. We also try to find an area that has several geocaches together so we don't have to do so much driving in between hunts. There are several places in the area that have a few within walking distance of each other. When I'm at a park I sometimes get on the geocache app to see if there are some nearby that we can hunt before we leave. My daughter also likes the ones with trinkets inside that we can swap out. Before we leave she writes her name in the log book while I log our find online. Make sure to put the geocache back where you found it so somebody else can have fun finding it too.

This is a great activity for everyone in the family. The older the children are, the more help they can be finding the geocache. My daughters are still young so I get them as close as possible and then tell them to start looking. If I find it first, which is most often the case, I will try to guide them to the geocache until they spot it. It's so much fun! There have been a few that we never found, so don't be discouraged if that happens to you. Sometimes they're taken, put at a different location, or just that hard to find. It's about having fun with your family and making memories!



By: Kimberly


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