Geocaching

For several years, I had been curious about geocaching. I can't remember when I first came across the term, but I always thought it was a really awesome idea: little boxes and things being hidden in the wilderness for others to find simply based on GPS coordinates. It wasn't until this past year that I actually found one.

At Enchanted Rock, I stumbled upon an ammo box with my friend Dan. We were confused by its presence in the obscure place we were in, and found out that it was a geocache. A few months after that coincidence, I was talking to a new friend (who is now my boyfriend) and one of us mentioned geocaching. Basically, that was the deal-maker. ;-) He was totally impressed by the simple fact that I knew what a geocache was.

I wonder how many people I know have even heard of such a thing. I swear I read about it in some random magazine or on the internet somewhere a long time ago and haven't ever forgotten about. We haven't talked about it in class, but I'm curious to find out. It seems that anytime either of us mentions it, we have to explain what we're talking about. It's fun to realize that we have a special hobby, but it also gets a little old having to explain.

Walking around the other day, I started to consider the ethics of geocaching. I haven't come to any conclusion yet. Is it 'ethical' to plant a man-made thing in wild places with the intent of other men finding it with the help of satellites and an electronic tool (GPS)? How much do we really experience nature when we go out looking for these objects? Does this hobby encourage a connection to the wild or is it a cleverly disguised disconnect from the natural world?

It is simply a modern-day treasure hunt, where you don't really get any prize for finding the treasure. And there are plenty of them right in your own neighborhood. I think it's a lot of fun. I feel accomplished when I find one. But maybe that's just me. I've always enjoyed 'seek and find' type games like Where's Waldo and word searches. In a sense, geocaching is just a tangible version of those things on a global scale. The possibilities are practically endless.