Geocaching (“geo-cashing“) is a worldwide phenomenon that has exploded in popularity in the past few years. First started in 2000, geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunt type activity wherein participants use a GPS (recommended) or mobile phone to track down containers (called ‘geocaches’) anywhere in the world.
Typically, a geocache is a small waterproof container that contains a logbook where you would enter when you found it and any other comments. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly it was found. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets.
Searching for a Geocache can either be fairly simple (in someone’s backyard) to intensely hard (tied to a pinecone in a tree among hundreds of other trees in Stanley Park), so you can start with an easy hunt and work your way to the near-impossible.
Rumour has it that Vancouver has more than 700 Geocaches located around the city and the surrounding suburbs, so get a GPS, grab a friend, and get geocaching. Not only is geocaching a great way to spend some time outdoors, it also lets you explore areas of Vancouver that you would never have thought to venture to. There are classes that you can take to introduce yourself to the game. Or, you can log in to geocaching.com to begin urban treasure hunting whenever you want.
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