# Geocaching. Have you guys heard of this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 23, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853 "2001-06-23T04:54:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/1 "2001-06-23T04:54:02Z")
[Check it out!](http://www.geocaching.com/) > [@](#): > > Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache. This sounds so cool! Has anyone done this? I think I need to go out and get myself a handheld GPS tomorrow. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/2 "2001-06-23T04:59:09Z")
Doesnā€™t that sound great? Iā€™ve seen something about that on tv. If I got out an moved and stuff that would be cool! ---
**Author:** ![mdf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@mdf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mdf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/3 "2001-06-23T05:07:16Z")
Another GPS hobby that I find fascinating is the [Degree Confluence Project](http://www.confluence.org/index.php). Its aim is to locate and occupy all full-degree Lat/Long intersections. I really need just one more reason to buy myself that particular toy. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/4 "2001-06-23T05:27:01Z")
Oh yeah! I asked about this in a thread in GQ a while back. I checked out the website and found that there are quite a few hunts around my area. I have GOT to get me one of these things! It sounds like a lot of fun. I am such a nerd. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/5 "2001-06-23T05:29:07Z")
Yeah, both those kickass. I second Whammo in that Iā€™d like to do that if I could afford a GPS unit, and if I actually did stuff. If I like jogged or went to the gym or something, I bet Iā€™d get into stuff like that. As it stands, I just sit in my computer chair and say ā€œman, thatā€™s neat what theyā€™re doing.ā€ ā€“Tim ---
**Author:** ![Fredge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Fredge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fredge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/6 "2001-06-23T13:02:01Z")
Iā€™ve gone several times now both successfully and unsuccessfully. Either way is fun. Itā€™s a great way to learn about places that are near you that you would never otherwise known about. ---
**Author:** ![Fredge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Fredge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fredge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/7 "2001-06-23T13:05:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homer \* > If I like jogged or went to the gym or something, I bet Iā€™d get into stuff like that. As it stands, I just sit in my computer chair and say ā€œman, thatā€™s neat what theyā€™re doing.ā€ Iā€™m so out of shape itā€™s pathetic Homer. If I can get my 300+ lb. self out there surely you can do it. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/8 "2001-06-23T13:53:39Z")
Iā€™ve done it a few times (Finagle will never, ever post to the Luddite thread). On the face of it, it sounds like kind of a dumb game. After all, if you have a GPS, then thereā€™s no skill involved ā€“ you just go to where it tells you. But there are a few features of the game that make it fun. The first is that all the GPS does is tell you where the cache is ā€“ it doesnā€™t tell you how to get there. So itā€™s possible to spend an hour slogging through trackless swamp to get to a cache, only to find that thereā€™s a perfectly good path leading right up to it. The second thing to keep in mind is that even with selective availability off, a GPS is accurate only to 30 or 40 feet. So it might take you half an hour to actually get within spitting distance of the cache and another hour to actually find it. (Hereā€™s a dearly paid for tip: Print out the web page from the geocache page and bring it with you so that you can decipher the clue if need be. It really sucks to have spent an hour hunting through briars and brambles only to walk away empty handed.) Finally, people have a tendency to hide the caches in places that are pretty scenic. So geocaching is a great excuse to get outside and go for a hike. ---
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2001, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/9 "2001-06-25T02:21:17Z")
Once again you all amaze me with a cool find. Thank you for helping to fuel another possible fixation for me. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/10 "2002-04-06T18:59:45Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=108022](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=108022) I just started a thread about this, wondering if anyone else here is interested in starting our own hunt. Iā€™ve found two treasures here in New Mexico. Jill ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/11 "2002-04-06T19:34:22Z")
Iā€™d like a cache with **Geobabe** in it. šŸ™‚ But sheā€™s already spoken for, and I donā€™t think my wife would be keen on the idea anyway. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/12 "2002-04-25T07:29:45Z")
Just thought Iā€™d mention that you donā€™t need to put out the money for the GPS unit (although it sounds like it would be fun, if only I could afford the $100 or so that one costs). At least in urban and suburban areas (and there are plenty of those in my area {Cleveland}) you can find them with maps, or online mapping services, and the clues. I usually try to get it without the clues first. So far I have found 3 in my area, and enjoyed it quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/13 "2002-04-25T12:46:49Z")
Weā€™re planning on hitting another couple of caches this weekend, and Iā€™ll be planting one soon. [http://www.legomancer.net/geocaching](http://www.legomancer.net/geocaching) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geocaching-have-you-guys-heard-of-this/69853/14 "2002-04-25T13:48:22Z")
I just got my GPS unit last week and I hope to get out to my first cache this weekend (assuming my toe stops oozing). The GPS is already at the top of my ā€˜geek toyā€™ list.