Happy Father's Day :: Geocaching with Dad

Jake looking up our next cache!

I'm hoping all the wonderful Dads out there are enjoying their day! If you've already had lunch and are still wanting to do something unique with your father this afternoon, give geocaching a shot!

We found it...

You might be wondering what geocaching is all about, so let me give you a little background. Gecocaching began in 2000 after the Global Positioning Satellite system was retrofitted with an upgrade. By May of that year, the first cache was planted in Oregon to test the accuracy of the system. Once the initial cache was discovered, the sport grew overnight. As of this morning, there were 53,898 caches listed for the State of Texas.

...now what's inside?

Have a smart phone? Then, head over to your App Store and download Groundspeak's instant GPS app. Apple had a lite version for free, or you can purchase the full version for $9.99. We used the lite version the last time we went out; we are planning on purchasing the full version this week before our summer vacation.

If you don't have a smart phone, no worries. You can visit Groundspeak, the global GPS hunt site, and download coordinates for nearby caches to your handheld GPS unit. We have used this route in the past and it worked great!

Modern day treasure hunters!

Once you've visited the website, create a handle for you or your family to use when logging found or missing caches. Make sure you always proceed with caution when retrieving boxes. Snakes, spiders, poison ivy, and more are in the great outdoors - so are these boxes (well, at least the majority of them).

He found the cross in the cache!

Don't forget to bring cool swag to leave behind for the next visitor. You can even purchase geo coins and other trackables from Groundspeak. Trackables allow the finder to post their current location or the new cache they get transported from. We've found trackables from Alaska and even Europe.

Good luck and Happy Father's Day!