Geocaching In YYC

 

This past weekend was not only Father’s Day but it was also daddy’s birthday. No pressure, right? Well thankfully for me, he’s easy to please.

Unlike me on Mother’s Day who dreams of a quiet spa and alone time to bask in the peace and quiet, daddy just wants to spend a fun day with his family with as little stress as possible.

Solution = Geocaching.

Come on kids, we’re going treasure hunting!

Geocaching “is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

And get this…IT’S FREE! A free downloaded APP on my iPhone and we were off and running.

The first 2 geocaches we targeted were only a short 5 minute drive away at Canada Olympic Park. I have been driving by, running by and dismissing this historic landmark from the 1988 Winter Olympics for a decade. Looking for a geocache on site was a great way to see a tourist attraction that I’ve been taking for granted for years. The kids even stood on the medal podium and sat in a 4 person bob sleigh.

 

 

The next 2 geocaches we went searching for were inner city by the river. We sent daddy in to the bushes for the last 2 metres but he returned with the camo covered cashe box. The kids had their very own “Goonies” moment when we lost sight of dad and could only hear rustling in the bushes, oh the suspense and adventure. Then Stella found a micro cache under a park bench while her sisters ran around chasing gophers.

Treasure hunting is hard work and like any good hunter we needed ice cream to keep our energy up. We saw some geese and even stopped at a huge used book store to find some non-geo-caches. I scored the 2nd and 3rd seasons of West Wing on DVD! (don’t you judge me)

The end of our geocaching day brought us to Princes Island Park and the newly built Peace Bridge.

I have to say that I love the idea of exploring what ever city you happen to live in or travel to. With over 2 million official geocaches worldwide, this game can really change a vacation and turn a trip to the beach into a real adventure. The kids gave the day a 2 thumbs up for fun and excitement. They are all finally at the right age to go for long rambling outings; that kind of fly by the seat of our pants type of day. They’re officially hooked. There were even flags on the map for our very own neighbourhood! No more boring walks around the block, lets go hunting.

 

Wait, before you run out the door to find your first cache, here are a few things I learned on our first day of geocaching.

1) Wear runners. I made that mistake and my flip flop wearing ass was face to face with a huge ant hill on the way out of a gully. EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!

2) Bring bug spray. Most caches are in wooded areas. April showers bring May mosquitos.

3) Carry a small pencil and a stash of treasures. As per the official rules for Geocaching, if you take something, leave something. Think small.

4) Bring a camera or take pictures with your phone. Memories people, this is what it’s all about.

5) Take some time to enjoy your surroundings.

 

Happy Hunting!

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