Geo caching. Geocaching: a great game of hide and seek. Points of Interest in My Blog Found Using Geocaching

Determine their geographic coordinates and report them on the Internet. Other players use these coordinates and their GPS receivers to find caches.

Most often, hiding places are located in places that are of natural, historical, cultural, geographic interest.

The accuracy with which the device determines the position is from several meters to several tens of meters. This allows only to "outline" a small area of ​​the location of the bookmark. For a more accurate search of the container, you need to use the tips from the description of the cache, apply observation, ingenuity and experience.

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Types of caches

The rules of the game and the types of caches are given on the official website.

• Traditional hiding place.

Classic cache with given coordinates. The container can be any size, but at least it should fit a notebook. Large containers can hold trade items and trackables.

• Mystery cache

The most versatile of all types. May include challenging puzzles. You will have to solve them in order to determine the real coordinates of the cache. Sometimes this type includes new, unlike anything caches that are difficult to compare with other types.

• Step-by-step cache

These caches consist of two or more steps. At the final point there is a container with a notebook. There are many options, but as a rule, at the first point you will receive hints for determining the coordinates of the second. The next step will take you to the third point, and so on.

• Geological cache (EarthCache)

A cache that is interesting from the point of view of geology and structural features of the Earth. In addition to coordinates, the cache page contains educational materials. Visitors can learn how geological processes have shaped our planet, how we use its resources, how scientists gather facts. To consider a cache found, you need to become familiar with the geology of the area and answer the questions correctly.

• Letterbox hybrid

Letterboxing is another treasure hunt game. It uses hints instead of GPS coordinates. Sometimes the owner of the letterbox makes their container also the container for the geocaching cache and publishes the coordinates to Geocaching.com. Such a cache must contain a seal, and it must always remain in the container. Players use this seal to mark visits.

• A meeting

Cache meeting is a meeting of geocaches or geocache organizations. The meeting cache page shows the time and place of the meeting. The meeting can be timed, for example, for a holiday, excursion or flash mob. After the end of the meeting, the cache is transferred to the archive.

Cache In Trash Out ( letters."Caches - yes, garbage - no") - an ecological meeting of geocaches. The main goal is cleaning the area and the purity of nature, which we enjoy while searching for hiding places. Sometimes geocaches gather in large teams to do the same, but on a larger scale. They clear the area of ​​garbage and waste, plant trees, restore vegetation cover and ecological paths.

• Mega meeting

Mega-meeting is a meeting where 500 or more participants gather. Many meetings take place during the day, but often the events accompanying a mega meeting last several days. Some mega meetings are held annually and bring together geocaches from all over the world.

• Giga meeting

One of the rarest types of events. A geocaching giga meeting involves at least 5,000 people. In its form, a giga meeting is similar to a mega meeting: it can last for several days, include different types activities and held annually. Giga meetings attract many geocaches from all over the world.

• Wherigo ™ Cache

Wherigo is a set of software for creating GPS adventures in the real world and participating in those adventures. An important element of the game is the so-called Wherigo cartridge - a script that is loaded into a GPS device as a file. The game allows geocachers to interact with physical and virtual objects and characters. That being said, the ultimate goal is still to discover the physical container. The cartridge requires a Wherigo-enabled GPS device.

• Geocaching HQ cache

Geocaching HQ is located at Groundspeak headquarters in Seattle, Washington.

• GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit

• GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit

Such a cache can be found at the GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit. The exhibitions are for people of all ages. Visitors are told about geocaching and new GPS technologies.

• Virtual stash

A virtual cache is not associated with finding a container, but with a visit to a specific location. How to find such a cache? You may have to answer a question about the area, take a photo, complete a task. In any case, to mark the location of the cache, be sure to visit the point. Although there are many interesting things around us, it is assumed that the virtual cache was created in a truly unusual place.

• Webcam

These caches use webcams installed in various locations, such as parks and business centers. In order to consider the cache found, you need to stand in the field of view of the camera, go to the webcam page and take a screenshot.

• The cache of the A.P.E.

In 2011, as part of a joint project with 20th Century Fox, 14 caches were created to promote Planet of the Apes. The role of descriptions of caches was played by fantasy stories, in each of which scientists identified an alternative theory of primate evolution (Alternative Primate Evolution, A.P.E.). The caches were made from specially marked boxes and contained the original props from the filming of the film. To date, only one cache remains from the A.P.E.

• 10 years of geocaching

• Cache without coordinates (reverse)

A cache without coordinates is a traditional cache, just the opposite. Instead of finding a hidden container, you need to find a specific object on the ground and find out its coordinates.

For a traditional cache, the description indicates the coordinates of the place of the bookmark, possible hints or just the history of this place. The language is national, the text is often duplicated in English or something else, especially if the place is popular with tourists. In a turn-based cache, you need to go through several steps on the ground to the final container, finding the coordinates of each of the next from the previous ones. In the mystery cache, the place of the bookmark can be found out only after the successful solution of the problem (sometimes the tasks are very difficult). There are other types of caches as well. Caches can be very different appearance and size, from a container for a freezer (the most popular option), to an artificial cobblestone, a bolt of an urban structure (door, bridge), etc. The smallest (nano-) caches have a volume of no more than 2-3 ml. Inside such a cache, only a narrow paper ribbon fits, on which you can mark your visit. Larger caches, in addition to a notepad for marking visits, may contain various souvenirs, key rings, discs, toys, coins, etc. The player must check in the notebook and can pick up any item from the container, but in return must leave an equally valuable item. After visiting the cache, the player closes the container and returns it to the place of the bookmark. The cache must be carefully disguised in order to maintain the interest of the search for the next participants, and also so that the cache is not accidentally found and destroyed. The player notes a visit to a cache on a geocache site on the Internet.

History

The prototype of the game can be found in children's secrets, known in the USSR in the 60s of the XX century.

The history of geocaching began in 2000. May 2, the day after the official cancellation of rudeness GPS signal for civilian receivers, Dave Ulmer from Portland, Oregon, in one of the online conferences offered friends a new game Stash. The essence new game was that one person created a cache, published its coordinates on the Internet, while others tried to find the cache using these coordinates. The next day Dave went to the forest and hid the first cache not far from his city.

Initially, the game was proposed to be called geo stash ing (Russian pronunciation geostash). However, a better option was proposed, which was fixed.

The largest international platform for the game is Geocaching.com. The site has more than 2.5 million caches, more than 6 million players in the world. For example, there are over 36,000 hiding places in Finland, and in Russia, despite the vast territory, there are 704 hiding places (as of April 2015). Their feature is the rare presence in the description of caches of the Russian language.

Geocaching appeared in Russia in the spring of 2002. Two independent projects, Geocaching.ru and Caching.ru, merged into a common Geocaching.ru (later Geocaching.su). Caches are located everywhere, but usually the author seeks to choose a special place - sights, a beautiful view.

In other countries, there are also large national geocache sites. For example, German, Australian, Hungarian, Estonian, Romanian, Polish and others.

There are also variations of the gameplay. For example, the organizers of the Encounter project modified the gameplay by adding a time limit and hints to geocaching.

Corporate geocaching

Geocaching is actively used as a corporate entertainment. The staff of the supply company hide caches, instruct the participants, provide them with equipment and GPS-navigators. Such entertainment may be non-commercial, but the essence is the same: the organizers hide, the participants seek. Usually, by the end of the day, the results are summed up with the awarding of the winners.

Geocaching as a form of education

As an alternative form of training for future surveyors, in Novosibirsk on the basis of the SSGA, associate professor of the cadastre department Alexei Dubrovsky, proposed geocaching of architectural or historical sights. The adventurers travel around the city and complete tasks using special descriptions of the places where they should be and do something. These can be descriptions of the appearance of architectural or historical landmarks, geographic coordinates, and even satellite images. Teams participating in geocaching must provide a photograph of the captain in front of a given object as confirmation of their location at a given point.

Garmin GPS satellite navigators have functionality for working with geocache caches, including using the Garmin Chirp ANT + transmitter. There are also two types of points for simple caches in Garmin data formats: an unoccupied cache and a taken cache. V latest models navigators, many additional functions are implemented to help the geocache.

Notes (edit)

1. geocaching.com - the official Geocaching site
2. GPS Race: Russia Lacks Satellites, cnews.ru, June 4, 2003

Geocaching (from the English geocaching) is a game that appeared in 2002 in the USA (in Russia since 2002), in which the jury or other players hide "treasures" on the ground and report their coordinates in the legend issued before the start or on the Internet, and car enthusiasts with GPS receivers are looking for them. Orienteering type, but on cars and also with a local history bias, since the treasures are hidden in interesting historical places.

Several times I participated in this game, organized by our magazine "Auto Run", here are the impressions of the first one. I hope the material will be useful to those who do not yet know what geocaching is and what it is eaten with. At the same time, you will find that quests can be more creative than just finding a "treasure".

FIRST TIME IN GEOCACHING CLASS

Having received an editorial assignment to go with one of the crews participating in the geocaching competition, I get into the Nissan Patrol of the Nizhegorodets dealer team. In the back leather seat of the car, I feel like a UN observer: they, too, are entitled to these huge SUVs in hot spots of the planet, and from me, like these UN officers, there is no sense in the crew - I do not know the route and I can not suggest anything.

Let's get acquainted. At the wheel - Alexander Chirkov, in the navigator's chair - Igor Soloviev, behind him - the assistant, his son Sergei. All of them are participating in such an event for the first time and therefore, of course, they get nervous before the start: “Where did he go? And when will they give us a card? " Only Nissan Patrol is unperturbed, its turbodiesel rumbles soothingly, as if saying: "You guys figure out where to go, and I know my business - I will take you there in the best possible way."

Having received a heap of maps just before the start, the navigator jumps into the cockpit and begins frantically to hammer in the coordinates of the desired points into the GPS-navigator. Alexander rips the jeep right off the bat - we have five hours to go, and we need to have time to comb the entire Kstovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region! - but then he realizes: it is impossible to drive faster than 90 km / h - the speed readings are recorded by the device, and for exceeding it there is a serious fine. Therefore, the additional horsepower awakened by the turbine will have to rest today.

And ahead of the course, competitors scurry about, feverishly thinking - to make their way through the city or go to the Kazan highway?

We also get into a rage, and soon it becomes unclear why people go to play roulette in Monte Carlo, when the same sensations can be obtained in the vicinity of Nizhny Novgorod ...

We fly into the village. We find the church. We need to quickly figure out how many rectangular windows are in the second tier. A few minutes later, in another settlement, we count the columns at the temple. To get the coordinate of an additional point, you need to subtract either the windows from the columns, or the columns from the windows, and divide the result in two. Of course, one cannot be divided into another without a remainder, the well-known one and a half excavators are obtained, and in front of us are still crosses on domes, arches, bells and peaks on the fences.

The organizers made it so that all objects are accessible by highway, but in one place, if we were driving only on asphalt, we would have to go back and make a detour. "Why?" - the driver is perplexed. Indeed, why? We have a real jeep with "hard" bridges, and not some kind of "parket", and we rush straight, without making out the road, past the gardens, and then through the woods and finally, raising the hood high, we get out of a deep ditch onto a normal road , catching the puzzled glances of those traveling in cars. Where are we from and what were we doing in those wilds?

And we have such a car, all the time it provokes to cut corners along the gullies.

And when the next task reads: "Leave the car and walk to the desired point on foot, you will not be able to get there," the crew decides: "What other walks on foot!" We'll get there! " But on the upper edge of an unpaved village street, more like a ravine, we run into a parked Volga. The crew is so excited that, if allowed by the rules, the unexpected obstacle would have been moved by the bumper (this is how a stuck car was pushed off the bridge during the war), but we ourselves have to dive to the bottom of the ravine and knead the wet mud there.

It would seem that one could rely not only on a GPS navigator, but also on the help of local residents. But they are of no use - the peasants meeting on the sidelines on the occasion of the holiday can barely stand on their feet and moo something inarticulate, and grandmothers, when they see cars scurrying back and forth, only cross themselves, and the ubiquitous boys, perhaps for the first time seeing such a cavalcade of different brands in their area cars - from little "Mikra" to four-wheel drive monsters from the NKVD *, speechless, and only joyful dogs flashing by the wheels are trying to explain something to us in their own language.

Two and a half hundred kilometers have flown in one breath, an additional point has already been found after a short dive by the navigator and the driver: “Do we need it? Need to play - so to the end! " The last one remains, with a cunning name, which even the locals do not know, and the GPS-receiver mockingly shows its location on the other bank of the Volga.

But the navigator, having gathered his will into a fist, goes to brainstorm, again and again divides the arches into windows, subtracts the columns from the crosses (it's good that only we can hear it), and here it is - the required coordinate! And in confirmation of the correctness of the actions of non-standard arithmetic, an additional finish is shown behind the lake. Have arrived. Is it the end of the game?

And it doesn't matter that after checking the results, the crew of Nizhegorodets does not get a prize, but only a diploma - the main thing is that there was a will to win, all points were passed, and a hidden finish was found. And this is enough for the first time. And the pleasure from the game is received. What can you be sure of when you hear Sergey's question: "Dad, when is the next geocaching?"

-
© Alexander Elchishchev
Photo by the author and Andrey Chudakov

* Nizhny Novgorod off-road equipment club

I am often asked to talk about a game like geocaching. Well, I'll try to describe it in such a way that after reading this article, you immediately want to join our ranks!

Tell me, did you like Treasure Island books as a child? Have you dreamed of being a traveler and finding hidden treasures using an old pirate map? Or maybe you were already in a more mature age carried away by books about spies? How do they transmit classified information using different caches? Perhaps you just want to add extra meaning to your trips? In all these cases, you will probably be interested in geocaching.

The essence of this game is to find hiding places hidden in various places of our planet. As you become more experienced, you will be able to create such caches yourself. The cache is usually some kind of container in which lies required attribute geocaching - notepad. If space permits, there can be a pencil for notes, and various souvenirs. This is how geocache containers might look like:

If space does not allow, then you can make a micro-container. Or even a nano-container the size of a small coin. The main thing is that a small notepad should fit in it.

Where to get informationabout these hiding places? Naturally, on, albeit not old pirate, but maps. On the game's website, you find coordinates, a description, and possibly photos of the place where the treasure is hidden. That being said, many geocaches do not strive to make your search easy. Treasures can be in the mountains, under water, in caves, in old castles .. Anywhere that is not a private and closed territory. Of course, there are caches in large cities as well. But they are also hidden from prying eyes and finding them is not always easy. So you will need to use all your skills and intuition. Do not forget that there are Muggles around! Yes, geocaches use a term from Harry Potter to refer to outsiders. Muggles, of course, are not our enemies, but out of ignorance they can steal our cache! So in the search process, you need to look around so as not to attract too much attention. Isn't it a challenge for a real treasure hunter or secret agent? Children are especially fond of this game. It's so cool to get into the old castle, and from the hole in the wall, closed by dusty stones, to extract an old shabby box with treasures!

Interested? Want to know more and join the game? So we read on. The first thing you need to do is register on the game's website. There are several sites depending on the region:

• geocaching.com is the largest international geocaching site. There are hiding places in the most different parts of our planet. But given the international focus, descriptions or journal entries are often written in English. Abroad, respectively, the description is made in the language of the country where the cache is located.
• geocaching.su- Russian-language geocache portal. Caches are mainly distributed over the territory of the former USSR, but there are also in other countries. The rules are somewhat simpler than at geocaching.com.
• shukach.com- Ukrainian project with a wide variety of cache types. But the project is young, and there are very few active participants in it.

There are also local geocaching portals in each country. For example, the Polish portal geocaching.pl. But if you, like us, love to travel, then it is better to connect to the game with the greatest coverage.

After registration, you need to read the rules. They are quite simple, but their observance allows the game to live and develop.

So, when finding a cache, the first thing you need is to do is to write down the date of your visit and your name in the game in a notebook. Then, after returning home, you need to go to the game's website and mark your online visit. Thus, you record the fact of finding the cache, and indicate to the next "seekers" that everything is in order with the container, no one has stolen or destroyed it.

If there are some souvenirs in the cache, you can take them with you. But it's important to follow one simple rule- if you took something, then be sure to put something equivalent in return. After all, whoever comes after you will also want to take something. These can be souvenirs, badges, magnets, and the like. You cannot put anything that could go bad on the street, and you cannot put food.

it minimal set rules to start playing with. As you go into geocaching, you will learn about such things as travel bugs (also called travel frogs), virtual and turn-based caches, and much, much more.

Another aspect of the game is related to equipment. Previously, to search for hiding places, you definitely needed gps navigator... But now any smartphone with a navigation function is enough. There are various programs for these devices that allow you to download information about caches, show the path to them, and even mark in a notepad. So we reviewed the general rules, registered in the game, downloaded the coordinates of the caches. You can hit the road!

WikiHow works like a wiki, which means that many of our articles are written by multiple authors. To create this article, 62 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.

Geocaching is an increasingly popular, all-inclusive, fun and active pastime for people of all ages. It is also suitable as a group activity for families, friends, classrooms and youth groups. This game combines the use of technology with adventure, a combination that some might think was not possible. The main idea of ​​the game is to use a portable GPS receiver to find the location of a hidden container or cache. Having found the cache, you note in the notebook attached to it and, if you wish, exchange any one trifle from its contents for your own. This article will guide you through the basics of the game.

Steps

Get yourself a GPS-receiver (smartphone on Android base, iPhone or tablet with GPS navigation) by buying, renting or borrowing it from someone else. Select Garmin models have a paperless geocaching feature, which is detailed in the Tips section below.

Create an account on the geocaches website. Some sites provide the right free access to the list of caches and all sections of the site, while others give the right to access certain sections of the site only if you have a premium account. You can find geocache lists on various sites, so search and decide which ones you like best.

Use the "Search" on the site to find hiding places near you. They are hidden everywhere, therefore, wherever you are, there will definitely be a cache nearby, in search of which you could go.

Find a hiding place of interest to you. Write down any details and clues about him in a notebook or print them out. Be sure to check the difficulty level. It is unlikely that the first time you want to go for a cache, which is very difficult to find.

Mark the location of the cache in the GRP Navigator using the latitude and longitude coordinates found on the site on the cache page. You can also transfer the coordinates of the cache from your computer to your GPS navigator using a connecting cable if you have the program installed.

Take a small item with you for exchange in a hiding place. You shouldn't be sorry to give it away, at the same time it should be of some interest and value to others. Some caches have a specific theme, so keep an eye on what you bring in exchange for something suitable.

Turn on the orientation function on your GPS receiver(or similar to it). An arrow that appears on the screen will point you to the location of the cache you specified.

Using the arrow as a guide, work your way to the cache.

When you find the hiding place pay attention to how exactly it was hidden. You will need to put it back in the same way.

Open the hiding place and examine its contents. Decide if you want to take anything from it in exchange for the item you brought. In return, to keep the game fair, you should always put in an item of equal or greater value. You don't have to exchange things if you don't want to. Alternatively, you can replenish the meager cache with your item, without taking anything in return.

Find a notebook in the cache. Enter the date and your name on the site there.

Seal back the stash carefully and hide it in the same place the same way you found it.

1. Return home and visit your chosen cache site. Find the cache of your choice and, using the "Check in" function or something similar to it, make a note about visiting the cache. Fill in the same details that you wrote on the cache notepad.

   Necessary things

   • GPS receiver
   • Stash data from the site
   • Small things for exchange
   • Pen or pencil to write in the cache notebook or to solve riddles in case they are not in the cache
   • Weather-appropriate clothing
   • Insect repellent
   • Sunscreen
   • Walking or hiking shoes
   • Lantern
   • When choosing a gizmo to exchange, remember that glass beads, balls, key chains and batteries are especially popular. You can also find an excellent trinket at a fixed-price store. In addition, items of material culture that are difficult to buy, for example, commemorative badges, stripes, and crafts can make the game more fun, and the search for hiding places more interesting.
   • Don't rely too much on the first-generation iPhone's positioning system: it doesn't GPS accuracy... The new 3G iPhone has a built-in full-fledged GPS-navigator, so it will work as well as any other device.
   • To locate the cache, you can triangulate its location. To do this, mark your position 30 meters before the location of the cache and continue to move in its direction. Follow the same path on the other two sides relative to the cache. Where the three paths intersect, at best case at one point, there should be a cache. With this technique, you can narrow the chances of a cache location to one or two steps, so if the cache is well hidden, it will be easier for you to find it. If you would like to lay the cache yourself, use this method to determine its coordinates more precisely.
   • When you return the cache to its place, remember that it must withstand wind, rain, fluctuations in temperature and humidity, and in some areas, ice, snow, freezing and thawing. Make sure it is well sealed and hidden properly. Check the container for damage (whether it gets wet, perforated or does not close well), then report them to the owner of the cache.
   • Be sure to mark your visit to the cache on the website. It may sound like an optional checkbox, but this information helps the owner of the cache to keep track of its status, not to mention the fact that it recognizes your merits.
   • When you think you are close to finding the cache, make sure you are looking for a mailbox that is not hidden nearby. V mailboxes put a cut rubber seal, which in no case can be removed, and a notebook. Small items for exchange are never put in the mailbox.
   • When you are about 10 meters away from the cache location, you will have to start relying more on your notes and deduction skills than on your GPS. Look around and ask yourself: "Where would I hide the cache?" Inspect everything above and below: caches can lie on the ground or hang at an accessible level in the trees.
   • In the event that you are not sure whether you have found a cache or just some kind of forgotten box in the forest, remember that most of the caches have their official names written on.
   • The arrow on your GPS navigator can be confusing and frustrating for several reasons:
     • It takes some time for the navigator to calculate your location and heading. As soon as you stop moving, he stops doing it. Therefore, take into account that while you are standing, the arrow is showing the wrong direction in most cases. Take half a dozen steps to adjust the arrow in the correct direction.
     • Your current position is not calculated with absolute precision by the navigator. In short, anything that blocks your view of the sky prevents you from accurately calculating your location. Learn to correctly assess the accuracy of your navigator in order to take into account the error when searching. The accuracy of our location may vary and depend on several factors, including:
       • Forest cover
       • Power lines
       • Other people
       • Satellites located above the horizon at this time in your part of the world. Trimble offers free app which will allow you to plan a day when most of the satellites are in the sky in your part of the world.
       • Large flat objects that can bounce off the satellite signal, such as large buildings.
   • Check out the different types of caches. Each of them suggests a different approach, so you can find the one that suits your mood:
     • Multi-step caches send you in several directions at once, giving you the opportunity to find the final location of the cache yourself.
     • Nanotains contain smaller containers that can only hold a paper ribbon to mark the visit (remember to bring a pencil). They are usually located in areas where it is impractical to place a large container.
     • Mystery caches require solving some kind of puzzle in order to obtain the coordinates of the cache.
     • Virtual caches do not have a container. This cache is information that must be found at a given point or photographed as evidence. Such caches are popular in environmentally sensitive areas.
     • Caches without a given location, similar more to a "trash hunt", make it possible to try your hand at finding an object or point on the ground, which may be located anywhere. They must be photographed as evidence.
     • Moving caches are set by the owner of the cache in a certain place, but when found by another player, they move. The new coordinates are sent to the owner of the cache, and the appropriate location changes are made to the site.
   • Consider using software specifically designed for geocaching. They will help you keep a list of found and not found caches, show the location of the cache with street view and topographic maps, a satellite view of the specified location of the cache, and also allow you to enter data about the terrain and markings for later entering the caches on the site. Most GPS navigators allow geocaches to upload a list of geocaches to them using a data cable and a specially installed program.
   • You can buy a GPS navigator at your local outdoor activity store, hardware store, electronics store, and department store... You can buy used navigators on eBay or on the forums of the geocache sites. Price per device good quality ranges from $ 100 to $ 150. Navigator with improved positioning accuracy, simplified control, big screen, various options for viewing maps and other additional functions will cost more. The most popular are models from Garmin and Magellan. There is also a new geocaching-specific GPS receiver called Geomate. It's very easy to use, perfect for kids and costs less than most GPS receivers. You can easily play this fun game with him.

   Entering coordinates

   • Check the correctness of the coordinates you entered into the navigator. The slightest mistake can send you in the wrong direction. Many navigators come with a connecting cable that you can use to download the coordinates of the cache from your computer.
   • The same point on Earth can be designated in different ways. This is influenced by two things:
     • Coordinate system: Different geological surveys, map systems, and mathematical relationships to the shape of the earth display the same coordinates in different ways. Geocachers use the popular WGS 84 coordinate system, so make sure your navigator uses it too. As a comparison, the following coordinates represent the same place on Earth, but are written in three different (of many other possible) coordinate systems:
       • WGS84: Used by NAVSTAR GPS
       • NAD83: Virtually indistinguishable from WGS84 coordinate system, used on new topographic maps
       • NAD27, or for the continental United States, NAD27CONUS, used on older topographic maps of the United States Geological Survey
     • Coordinate format: For the WGS84 system, the same coordinates can be displayed in different format... Make sure your navigator is using the same format as your geocaching site. For clarity, imagine that you are counting a change in your pocket. You can say that you have $ 1 and 35 cents in your pocket, or that you have $ 1 and three 10 cents and one 5 cents. The coordinates of the same point on Earth will be expressed in different ways:
       • N 44.659234 ?, W 63.326711? - here the coordinates are indicated in degrees (?) in the format YY.YYYYYY, where G is an indicator of the degree of longitude and latitude
       • N 44? 39.55404 ", W 63? 19.60266" - here degrees and minutes are indicated in the format YY MMMMMMMM, where G is degrees, and M is minutes
       • N 44? 39 "33", W 63? 19 "36" - here are the degrees, minutes and seconds in the format YY MM SS, where G - degrees, M - minutes, C - seconds

   Items tracked

   Words and expressions

   • Abbreviations used in cache notebooks and websites:
     • KBTO - As It Was, So I Left It
     • SPSSP - Thanks For The Walk
     • SPSZT - Thanks For The Stash
     • PB - Signed Notebook
   • A muggle is a person who does not participate in the game and potentially presents a danger to the safety of the cache if found. Make sure no one sees you open the cache and, at the end, hide it in the same place. Destroyed caches are commonly referred to as "looted Muggles."
   • Theft - The stolen caches are similar to the caches "looted by the Muggles", with the only difference that if the cache is "stolen", then it is completely taken away by the robber.

   Caveats

   • Before you go looking for a cache, learn how to properly use all the functions of the navigator. Many navigators have a backtracking feature that will allow you to find your way back if you get lost. Please check this feature before you hike as it can save your life. In fact, it's best to bring a guide to using your navigator in case you get lost and need to learn how to use a particular function.
   • Do not put food and potentially dangerous items in hiding places. These can be things that attract the attention of animals (for example, food), and things that should be kept away from the child (for example, knives, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, pornography, drugs, and so on). If you find any of the listed items in the cache, you can remove it and notify the owner of the cache when you check in on the site upon coming home.
   • Don't forget to bring water and something to eat.
   • Before you go in search of the cache, tell someone where you are going and when you are going to return. You can leave information about the cache. If you get lost, the coordinates will help you find you faster.
   • Check the weather forecast before departure, especially the UV Index, wind speed and direction, chance of precipitation and projected low temperatures. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring sunscreen. The main mistakes that beginners make when going hiking:
     • Jeans: It is strongly not recommended to wear jeans, as they easily absorb moisture, dry for a long time and do not keep warm.
     • Many people have no idea how dirty (or at least wet) their feet will get as they play, so it's best to wear hiking boots. Spare socks won't take up much space and come in handy if you get your feet wet.
     • Preparing for cold and rain: First of all, prepare your limbs for cold weather (wear woolen or fleece socks on your feet, gloves or mittens on your hands, a warm knitted hat on your head). Dress in layers to accommodate changes in the weather.
     • Preparing for sun and UV rays: Even if it's not very sunny outside, UV rays can burn your skin. Finding hiding places is so addicting that 30 minutes in the sun can feel like five, so put on a hat and cover yourself with sunscreen.
   • It is your responsibility to follow local laws. The cache can be approached in various ways. NO cache site gives you the right to invade private property. If you suspect that the intended route will go through someone's backyard, take a different one.
   • When it's time to leave familiar territory and head into the forest, make a mark on your navigator. If things take an unwanted turn and you get lost or lost, you can always come back to the mark.
   • No matter what time of day you go for the cache, take a flashlight with you. If you get lost in the woods after sunset, it will help you find your way faster or others find you.
   • Pay more attention to your surroundings than your navigator. Look at it only when necessary. It's much more important to stay safe and watch where you go.
   • Always carry a compass with you. It will not only help you find the cache with the help of a magnetic arrow, but in case of a navigator malfunction, it will lead you out of the forest.
   • In this age of increased security, you will have to think about where to place the cache. Do not place containers near areas and buildings that could be targeted by terrorists. If your container is accidentally mistaken for a bomb, you face fines, criminal charges or a claim for damages for government expenses.
   • Carry a first aid kit and a survival kit in case of an emergency.
   • Take along plenty of spare batteries for your navigator, flashlight, and any other device. They are inexpensive, but they will not let you get lost. Ni-MH batteries are cost effective and environmentally friendly.
   • Do not go searching until you have read the full description of the cache. They usually contain warnings about the terrain, potential hazards and unsafe areas, and information about private areas to bypass.

A standard geocache cache with a notepad, in which the players who took the treasure are marked.

Geocaching Is an international game where people hide treasures in interesting places around the world and leave coordinates for searching on Geocaching.com. Finding these treasures, in fact, one has to find interesting places themselves, thus studying the area around.

Geocaching is a real solution to the problem of finding really interesting places in travel and new places.

There are a lot of geocache caches all over the world: distant villages in Europe or Russia are surrounded by caches, there are caches on the most interesting mountain peaks that you would not even think of to go to by car (but you can, after all), tropical islands, abandoned objects and many many places around us.

• Caches are usually located in really interesting places, sometimes very cool, beautiful or secret, non-tourist places come across (a small list from my blog for an example at the end of the post ↓).
• To find a geocache treasure, you need to not just use Google coordinates, but turn on your brain, because the coordinates point to the place rather approximately. You need to read the description, sometimes guess it, and in any case, be patient and persistent in the search for the treasure.
• Anyone can create their own cache and describe it on the site.
• There are cool little things that travel from hiding place to hiding place in different countries, such as "traveling frogs", "Traveling bugs", geo coins, etc.

About Geocaching Caches

The cache must contain a notebook with a pen or pencil (if it is not a mini-cache) and a set of little things that players leave (coins different countries, mini-toys, all sorts of interesting little things).

Among the things in hiding places sometimes come across tracked ones. Often, the owners of tracked items come up with a specific task that needs to be completed. For example, to transport a thing across the whole country to another geocacher or to transport it to all countries of the world, etc.

You can read more about the types of Geocache items on the Geocaching site - there are a lot of them listed there.

Types of caches

Regular stash- is in the place according to the coordinates indicated on the site, but when you get to the place, you need to find it by description (descriptions in English or the language of the country where the cache is located). Sometimes the descriptions are very mysterious, you have to think and search.

Step-by-step cache it is required to go through several steps on the terrain to the final container, finding the coordinates of each of the next from the previous ones.

Mystery cache- it can be found only after a successful solution of the problem (sometimes tasks are very difficult).

Different sizes of caches

Container. The most popular size is a small plastic container about the size of a brick.

Micro-caches- something like a large tablet, attached with one side on a magnet to iron surfaces. Only a paper tape is placed inside such a cache, on which players leave their names. There are a lot of such hiding places in Bangkok, you can find it on almost every sign with information for tourists.

How to find geocaches and what to do with them

First you need to register on the Geocaching.com website, look at the caches closest to you on the map and go in search, marking a point on the map. You can use a paid app that is worth the money - very easy to search and shows a lot of hiding places.

And now the main and most pleasant thing - when you come to a new place for you and are looking for something to do, what to see, and so that there is something unusual - you just open the map of Geocaches' caches, choose any and go in search.

After you have found the cache, you can take any item from it, be sure to put your own in place, and mark the visit to the cache on the Geocaching website.

Interesting places in my blog found using Geocaching:

In fact, there are a lot more of these places, but not all of them I wrote in the blog, unfortunately.

(c) Olga Saliy. Copying material.

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