From Wikipedia: Geocaching  is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.^[2] A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and sometimes a pen or pencil. The geocacher signs the log with their established code name and dates it, in order to prove that they found the cache. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, such as toys or trinkets, usually of more sentimental worth than financial.^[3]

Geocaching has been around since May 2, 2000 when the Global Positioning system was made available to the general public.  The 1^st geocache was hidden in Portland.  There are now over 3 million worldwide.  About 2200 of these are within a 10 mile radius of my house.

I started searching for geocaches in 2014.  I was in Sierra Vista, Az visiting my Mom and sister.  My sister (geocaching name Castlecelt) told me (geocaching name mabretirees) about caching and told me about one nearby.  I used her GPS to find it.  Have been hooked ever since.

Barb and I have found 956 since then (sounds like a lot, but when we had about 400 finds I met a geocacher who had 4000 finds, he now has over 6000!). We have found caches in many different US states, Mexico, several countries in Europe, a few Central American countries and in the Caribbean.

I use geocaching.com for my caching experience.  I have this on my phone and I also have a Garmin gps that I can download the geocaching.com cache info on to.

This website has free accessibility to some caches. Full access is $29.99 a year. We have been a member since 2014.

There is also now an app called Adventure Lab you can put on your phone that dovetails with geocaching.com.

The difference between the geocaching and Adventure Lab is that with geocaching you are looking for something hidden and Adventure Lab has you looking for specific locations and then answering questions based on that location. For example, could be a plaque describing a monument, building, etc.  The question would be something like what is the date of what the plaque is describing.  When you enter the correct answer you are directed to the next location.  Usually 5 or so locations.  Once you get all the correct answers there is usually info on accessing a geocache on geocaching.com that would otherwise not be accessible.

We are in the beginning stages of getting the PGE Retiree Geocaching group up and running.

Mike Schwartz       mikebarb2@hotmail.com