By C.S. Bezas

Heard of the fun new family craze, Geocaching? Have no idea how to do it or even if your family would want to? Never fear. In about five minutes time, you’ll have all the information you need to begin or to at least sound like an expert.

For starters, Geocaching is nothing but a fancy word for outdoor treasure hunting. Did you know that there are more than 350,000 geocaches waiting to be found in over 200 countries? Quick…one might be near you. Scouting troups, community groups, and individuals are having a blast with this seven-year old hobby. Why not try this out for your next family home evening and make some unforgettable memories!

All true Geocachers play by three simple rules. GISLounge.com defines those rules:

1. “Find the cache and claim the prize.
2. Leave another cache prize behind.
3. Record the discovery in the log book.”

Let’s Get Started

To get started, you only need a few things. First, you’ll want a Global Positioning System receiver, nicknamed “GPS.” Perhaps you have one already or you could borrow one from a friend. This little buddy is going to help you figure out where you are on the planet. Remember those fun terms in school, like latitude and longitude? Were you ever one of those kids who asked, “Teeeacher, do we ever use these in real life?” Now is your chance to make good use of those two terms.

With your GPS device, you enter in “waypoints” to use latitudinal and longitudinal positioning to figure out where a specific treasure is hidden. Does that sound too intimidating? What if I told you that you could also just use your zip code to get started? Why not make it easy? Go to http://www.geocaching.com/seek/ and enter your zip code to find the hidden treasures closest to your home. What could be more effortless than that?

Remember Safety

Some geocaches may be hidden in a KMart parking lot, but others may be in more “outdoorsy” spots. So while you’re exploring those glorious outdoor locations, please remember safety comes first. Among many important safety rules, here are a few:

• Always let a non-Geocacher know where you’re going before leaving home
• Always use the buddy system
• Stay aware of your surroundings, whether in a parking lot or in the mountains
• Stay hydrated but don’t drink from mountain streams

Treasured Memories

So just what might you find in a cache stash? Anything from movie tickets to inexpensive jewelry to little plastic figurines. Each person chooses what to bless the next treasure-finder with. Some have even been known to leave CDs or collectible coins! But regardless of what physical treasure your family may find, the funnest part is in the planning for the event all the way through to the final drive home. In other words, the real “treasure” you find is that within your own family’s joy of the experience.

Thus, to build that joy, lightheartedly include the entire family in the prep for the outing.
Why not get on the internet together to explore some of the resources listed below? Once you’ve located online treasures that are stashed closed to your home, let everyone list their three “most wanted” sites and then vote as a family. Have the whole family decide the snacks to bring on the adventure and help make them. And perhaps one person could be “hired” to be the photographer; another could be the “scribe” of the whole event, logging each step along the way (for the family scrapbook).

Later when the whole event is done, why not summarize up the adventure in another Family Home Evening? If you took pictures, develop the photos in advance so that for FHE you can create a few scrapbook pages. Let everyone journal a piece of the page with their memories of the night. Then for the final FHE thought, have someone share a lesson comparing real Geocaching (seeking physical treasures) with Spiritual Geocaching (seeking eternal treasures).

Resources to Help

There are many fun reasons for Geocaching. Creating memories is one of the best ones. Why not make some Geocaching memories with your family this week for Family Home Evening! Here are several websites to get started with:

The Groundspeak Geocaching Forum: This forum has many friendly Geocachers who are more than willing to help you start your Geocaching adventures! http://www.geocaching.com/forums/register.aspx

Getting Started with Geocaching: A site full of resources for the newbie and the diehard Geocacher. http://www.geocaching.com/about/

Geocaching’s Tracking Site: Read about other Geocachers and what they’ve found! http://www.geocaching.com/track/

Geocache.com’s Guide to Finding a Cache: A terrific summary of step-by-step what to expect. http://www.geocaching.com/about/finding.aspx

GiSLounge.com: More great geocaching resources. http://gislounge.com/features/aa012301.shtml

Wikipedia’s entry on Geocaching, with many helpful URL links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocaching

C.S. Bezas’ new book, Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers: Helping Youth Find Their Spiritual Wings, is now available in LDS bookstores and online at http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=4977585.