What is geocaching? That's exactly what I asked, well not exactly but close to it, my exact wording included a few profanities. But you get the jest of it.

What is geocaching? The best way I can describe it is that it's like a scavenger hunt but instead of looking for multiple objects you are only looking for one. But here's the big difference, you have to use a GPS. Yep that's right a GPS.

It sounds like it's not fun at first. When I first was told I was iffy on it and thought why would I want to do this. But then after I waited about 2 weeks before deciding to go on my first hunt I had to go on it alone and it ended up not being fun. I almost said that was going to be a end to it. So for any of you that read this and decide for the first time on going out, don't go alone, make sure you go with someone that has done it a few times before and someone that can help tell you about the site. 

The friend that told me about it went with me on my second search. This second time around I had a blast. I was only able to find 2 of them but I was able to start learning about what I was doing and what I was looking for. Before I had no clue, I just put in the coordinates and off I went. DON'T DO THIS.

Here's what you need to do.

1) Go to this website www.geocaching.com/ and sign up for it, it's free for basic

2) Read everything you can on it.

3) Put in city, zip code, or wherever you want to search at

4) Once you read here is a helpful hint, the size of the cache is displayed by the bar with the boxes on the right side of the list of all the places from your city/zip search. These range from micro (small) to big (tupperware sized boxes or bigger)

5) Before you decide that this is the one you want to do read everything on the page to make sure you want to do it or can. I've seen a few that are a all day search were you have to have a boat or canoe to use on a river to get to and some are even on someones yard. So if you can or don't want to do it you will be able to find out by reading first.

6) Look at the name of the cache search, they are named different things like Turtle Run or Down By The River, this is good to have for when you want to know a quick idea of what you will be doing.

7) Write down the code for the search, they start with GCXXXXX, this is the best way to know which ones you have done so when you are finished for the day you can easily find them agian by putting that code in the search bar and it will take you to that cache page so you can log in your adventure.

8) PRINT OUT EVERY CACHE you decide to go on. This one thing of printed info will help you more than you will ever know. So if you don't print it you might find it harder to find.

9) TAKE THE PRINTED PAPER, as above you will find this is as helpful as the GPS itself.

10) If you can read a compass take one

11) Take a camera, it's fun to take some photos of your finds, I'm posting a few of the ones I've taken at the end of this.

12) Some of these caches are a take something/leave something. Most are just small little trinkets like bouncy balls, necklaces, coins, little toys, stuff like that. So when you go on the search make sure you have some little knick knacks to take with you. Also remember that even though it says it's fine to take and leave try to do a equal switch out, don't put in a quarter bouncy ball and take out shell necklace.

13) DON"T MOVE the caches, leave them were they are. They are found with the coordinates so if you move it then it won't be found.

14) Leave it how it was, if it was covered then recover it, if it was hung in a tree the rehang it. Simple

15) HAVE FUN

That's it, as far as I know. I'm still new at this myself and have only done 7 but these are the things I found out and had to learn as I did those 7. If you know them before going out it will make your first search more fun then mine was. But I'm getting hooked on this real fast and have been thinking about doing more. In fact when I go on my trip to Atlanta, GA on March 9, I will do a few while there.

Oh, here's one more thing, my GPS don't take the coordinates N 35° 00.994 W 080° 57.202 but to the right of those in the gray area of the coordinates is a link that says other conversions, click it and you can get ones like this

Well, that's it, here's a few pics of my finds and me doing them.