#1
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Geocaching!
SERIOUSLY!!! go do it!! I hadn't even done it until this past week... has been something i've wanted to do for awhile but just never got around to doing it.
We're going out again this afternoon (had to wait till hubby's days off since we are making it a family thing) but anyways we went out 2 nights earlier this week - tuesday we were out for 3 hours and lucas didn't want to quit! It is a great thing to get you out doing something with the family and also discovering places you might not have thought of going before. We are actually excited about travelling to different places close around us now to search as they are everywhere We got the app for our iphone which makes it super fun too! anyways just thought i'd share our new obsession |
#2
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I want to try this sometime!!! I think my son would love it.
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#3
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our fire chief in town hides some and so he saw us the other night when we were at the fire hall looking for one. we have a summer town festival (i live in a really small community - 2500 people or so - even though it seems so much smaller still haha) anyways he said that they are going to do a geocaching information session during the festival and planning on setting up 5 weekend ones just for it so that is cool
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#4
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We've enjoyed it since my kids were tiny. However, we've also gotten in to some trouble finding caches (one was on restricted property which we had no idea about, nearly got arrested... another my husband ended up with poison oak after, etc.). Its still a lot of fun though. My kids call it treasure hunting. They like collecting little things to put in the cache boxes. They aren't as impressed with microcaches that just have a place to write your name, they like to dig through what is left in the larger caches so they can have a souvenir.
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#5
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I know Kristin (smallmoments) loves it - so glad to see it's catching on. I can't wait to try it sometime!
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#6
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Ordered my GPS and am so excited to get started!
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#8
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We like geocaching, too. We've only gone a couple of times and there isn't a ton around where we live. When things slow down in a month or two, I am going to hide a few more in my county.
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#9
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Hey Kristin - what's the app you're using?? I just researched this and it sounds awesome! I saw some communities online, but I'd love to know some good apps too (
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#11
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This is totally on my summer fun list. I can't wait to take Landon! I even bought your kit, Kristin, in anticipation of the fun pictures to document.
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#12
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We've been geocaching recently! it's super fun!
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#13
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There is a free geocaching app that lets you do 3 or something? It is sorta neat cause a bell rings off once you are close to the area.
I bit the bullet and got the one for 9.99 which is CRAZY expensive for an app and I nearly thought i was crazy but then I figure since its something we are enjoying that its worth it. I mean $10 is cheaper than going out to eat or something so at the end of the day its not that bad lol sign up at www.geocaching.com I don't know - do any of you who have been doing it along time now if you can set up like friends lists on that site? |
#14
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I want to go soooo bad!! I can't wait for soccer and baseball to be over so our nights and weekends are free again!!!!
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#15
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We geocach as well and our daughter continued doing it even on her college campus!
Sooo much fun!!!
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#16
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I have three boys and they love it. It is like a treasure hunt for them. Great fun!
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#17
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We're planning to try it this summer. My kids love exploring the woods and hiking, so I think they'll love it. I need to look into what Android apps are available.
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#18
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Oh wow - there are TONS in my tiny little town. I was hoping for a couple and I'm thrilled to see there are so many! I can't wait to do this! Thanks for the link & info Kristin
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#19
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Ha ha! We just got back from doing a couple! We've done 43 since the middle of March. We're hooked!
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Kristin
social media girl for ljs designs. |
#20
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I was shocked at how many are in our little town too. Of course, not too many people around here know about them (seems everyone finding them are out of town) and some are in strange places, like the bushes under the sign for a museum so we've had to explain ourselves to the caretaker of the museum because he wasn't too thrilled we were rooting around in his bushes.
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#21
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Quote:
I live in the high desert and even though we live in no-mans land, we have lots out here! One of them I won't let my kids go to though.... it creeps me out. It's right in front of a strange man's home. He sits at his window and watches people as they root around for it. Perhaps it's all innocent and such, but it really gives me a creepy feeling. I have this image in my head of him sitting there with binnoculars and a camera.... I don't want him having pics of my two teenagers. Maybe Im just nutty :-)
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#22
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So do you use the GPS is feature on your phone? Or do you have another GPS type device? I want to do some with my kids on the trip to Grandma's next month!
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#23
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I got an ap for my phone. I saw a few for $$ but I went with a free one for now (it's called C:Geo). It does pretty well.
I was able to find one with the boys just now, and got stuck on two others. I'm curious just how "micro" the micro finds are! I have a feeling I was super close, but I never found either one! But the one we did find was awesome - it was a trading one, so the boys each traded for a treasure and are beaming from the fun of it! |
#24
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our first one was a micro and we didn't know ahead of time.. we cheated and darcy's friend showed him. we NEVER would have found it. it was just the log with that one rolled up into a screw :O
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#25
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Rereading some of the "found" comments on the site, I'm sure I was in the right area for one of them. I might have to go back and just double check cuz there's only a couple places it could be, lol.
There's another one by my hubby's work, but the guy only shares it with premium members - grrr! Might have to buy a membership cuz I want to do the one by his work, lol |
#26
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Quote:
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#27
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Yeah I guess you can plan a whole day with a bunch of different cache's and send them all to your phone/gps. And you can mark one's you've seen or don't want to go to (helps when you have TONS in one area). And I noticed a handful that are private - so I'd get access to more. And you can also get notifications when new one's are added....I'm sure there's more, but that's what I can remember off the top of my head The price seems reasonable, so I'll probably end up doing it
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#28
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With the app I got I can mark them off and such. I haven't thought about a premium membership much because around here there are only a couple that are only available to premium members
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#29
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We have the app from geocaching.com. I don't know if that's the same one you all have or not. Joel has the premium membership. I just have the regular. We can log them as we find them (or don't find them), straight from our phones. We can do a search right then & there. Like today- we didn't plan on doing any geocaching, but it was gorgeous out so we put the top down on the Jeep, searched for the nearest geocaches and went. I'm pretty sure the app (not premium) is free. And they have it for Android and iPhone and Blackberry.
ETA: It's nice when just one of us pays the premium price. Because there are some fun ones- the only tricky thing is is I can't log them. but they're still fun!
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Kristin
social media girl for ljs designs. |
#30
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Oh I just got an email from one of the micro one's I couldn't find!! The hint pretty much confirms what I thought - so I'm gonna go back to find it! I had Connor get down and look in order to spare my knees, lol. Guess I shoulda checked myself, lol! What an awesome community!
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#31
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We are heading out this week for our first search! I was surprised to see how many caches are around here!
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#32
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I'm officially overwhelmed! I searched for my zip code on geocaching,com, and there were 15,000 threads! I'm assuming some of them aren't all that close, but I'll have to go back when I have more time to look through them and pick a few in parks right around here.
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#33
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I wanted to do this last year, but never did get a GPS. We are definitely getting one this year. I'm getting an iphone for my bday, so then we'll be doing it all the time while camping
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#34
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I really have no idea what you guys are talking about but it sounds like a blast. I'm going to have to check this out but it sounds right up the kids and hubby's alley!
What are the "caches" that you search for? |
#35
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Amy... Sometimes it's a small pill bottle sized container with a log sheet. Other times it's a box with tradeables in it that your or your kids can bring your own trinkets and trade. So fun!
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Kristin
social media girl for ljs designs. |
#36
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Yeah - the kids LOVED doing this! I call it treasure hunting, and they grabbed some small toys (we have a million smurfs from McDonalds, so they grabbed some of those. A couple cars and other odds and ends). Then when we found cache's that had stuff in them, we would trade. We got ... an alien bracelet, an alien strapped to a parachute, lol. A bouncy ball. And a couple other things. There were keychains in them, RV coupons (RVers do this a LOT down here). Coins. Random toys. Nothing special - just fun stuff!
So far the smallest I've found is an altoid can. And the largest was a coffee container. I'm loving this! |
#37
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So after all this talked, we packed the baby in the stroller and headed out to do 3 within walking distance...we found 2 out of 3. We searched for almost an hour for the one. We think now we might know where it was and will go back today and check it out. We just have the free app but will get the paid one this week sometime.
We had to run to the store for diapers last night so we hunted for a few more. The boys had fun!!!
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#38
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Thanks Kristin. What do you recommend to get started? Just the $10 app and hit the road?
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#39
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You want to be sure you have a pen with you so you can sign the log.
Oh! And don't forget to register with geocaching.com before you go... then you can automatically upload your logs from your phone to that same account. Bring a baggie of trinkets, too, if you think you'll want to trade anything if you come across a trading one. Sometimes you may come across trackables or travel bugs, which are little keychains or coins or other trinkets that someone started and it's up to you/us to keep it moving. When we find one, we log it into geocaching.com and sometimes there are more directions- like we found one that wanted to have his coin make it to all the state parks in Indiana. So we saved it until we went to a state park and "hid" it in another geocache. Good luck! And let us know if you have any questions... HAVE FUN!
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Kristin
social media girl for ljs designs. |
#40
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Wow. This looks like great fun! Thanks for sharing!
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#41
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There's a lower tech cousin for those of us who can't bother to go out and buy a GPS (and won't go get a smartphone either )- letterboxing
I had no idea what this was, but it's one of the new Brownie Girl Scout badges. No treasures, per se. The box has a stamp and a pad in it- you stamp in your log book, and use your own stamp to mark in the box's log book. Rather than GPS coodinates, you follow written clues and sometimes compass headings. Seeing the mass of stamps and ink pads I still own, I'm excited to take my DD and my other girls on a hunt this summer. And then next summer we may try the Junior Geocaching badge (also a new badge with the new Handbooks) |
#42
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We have been geocaching ONCE ... a couple of months ago ... our local hackerspace had a geocaching hunt for us ... we had to find the locations and take a picture with ourself at the site ... go back to the meeting place that week and "prove" our find with pictures ... we got there first and handed it in ... I got a free months membership (worth $30) for being first!
So what ages are the kids that are going ... any teenagers? I'm thinking mine might not want to ... so was wanting to know if other teenagers were doing it ...
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Thanks! |
#43
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We went today for the first time. We were 1/3 but had a good time and got some great exercise.
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#44
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So we came across a multi cache yesterday...which means we had to use clues from the first step to get to the coodinates to find the second step and then the third.....what app do you use for GPS coordinates. I am having issues with the one we downloaded....the last set of #s in the coordinates are suppose to have three numbers but it won't let me type in the third #.
I did buy the Geocaching app for $10....is there a place there where type in the coordinates for multi step finds? Or do you have an outside app for that?
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#45
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We started out the same way. Eventually you learn the common tricks of the hiders and it gets easier.
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Kristin
social media girl for ljs designs. |
#46
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Quote:
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Kristin
social media girl for ljs designs. |
#47
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Quote:
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#48
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geocaching... the basics?
So, it's our first 60 degree day since like September and I'm starting to think what we are going to do this summer... and also catching up on Switched at Birth on Netflix and they are talking about geocaching...
Now I know many of you have done this... so help! How do I get started? What do I need? Where/what kind of little trinkets do I get to put in the little boxes? Books.... apps...GPS... what do I need to know/get???
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#49
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We tried this last summer and couldn't find anything! Lol but I definitely think we'll try again this year. I bought the app from geocaching.com (I think?!) it has a compass in the app so it's all conveniently together
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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#50
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We love geocaching. We don't do swaps anymore, we just sign the book. We do have a really good GPS but honestly we just use the smartphone 90% of the time.
Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk |
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