Full Circle Digital Magazine August 2013 | Page 68

B U S I N E S S

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G E O C A C H I N G

GEOCACHING: The High-Tech Scavenger Hunting for all ages!
by Amanda Stone

What (on earth) is geocaching?!
Basically? It’s like one big high-tech, global scavenger hunt. An individual will put together a little parcel, or “cache”, usually consisting of a few low value items (toys, buttons, badges, coins etc.) and a logbook in a (hopefully waterproof) Tupperware of sorts, and hide the cache in a certain location. They will then post the co-ordinates of this parcel or cache on a geocaching website, telling others that a cache is available at that point. The hunt is then on! Anyone who is interested may now hunt for the cache. Once found, the finders are expected to take some stuff, leave some new stuff, log that they were there, and then return the cache to its original spot for the next keen beans to find.

W  hich GPS is best for geocaching?
The Garmin eTREX 10 is an entry level, handheld GPS, which is designed for outdoor use, and is both waterproof and durable enough to make for happy geocaching. It also has a 2.2” monochrome display, making it easy to see the screen in all lighting conditions. It retails for about R1599.

Or is there an app for that?
Yes! If you have an iOS or Android smartphone, apps to help you navigate your way to your desired cache are available for download. GeoCaching and OpenCaching are popular apps, and are available on both platforms. These apps are able to help you navigate on your geocaching hunts, see geocache details, pictures and hints, find other nearby caches spontaneously and also to log your discoveries.

What tools do I need to “geocache”?
You’ll need some location co-ordinates. There are thousands of these available for free, listed on geocaching websites. You will definitely need a GPS (in order to find the co-ordinates). An entry level GPS will work just fine. Make sure you also have a cellphone and camera (possibly the same item) to take with you, in case you experience any trouble or want to document something.

FULL CIRCLE DIGITAL MAGAZINE AUGUST 2013