A little over two years ago I was introduced to Geocaching due to the repeated tweets of a friend of mine who is quite the active participant in the hobby. There were a few of us among his circle of friends that found ourselves intrigued. One by one we learned what it was all about and started participating ourselves. Basically, it's a sort of treasure hunt using a GPS device and posted coordinates on the Geocaching website.
While I was in Florida bringing my oldest daughter back to college, one in the group that had already begun caching took me out and showed me the ropes. As I look back now at those first few caches, I'm struck by how many of them are archived. More importantly, though, she gave me a well-rounded overview of the different cache types to get started. I saw magnetic nanos stuck on sign-posts, film canisters in light-poles, toy chests loaded with goodies for the kids, and small caches with room for a few things. I learned the ins and outs of travelbugs and the general rules - if you take something, leave something.
Armed with this knowledge, I started looking back home in the White Mountains for caches. What I didn't know was what a mecca my area is for geocaching. There are quite a number of local caches off all shapes, sizes, types, and difficulties. My kids enjoyed it at first, then their attention waned a bit. I've found other people to go caching with, but don't mind heading out on my own, either.
I still feel the best way to start Geocaching is to go out with an experienced Geocacher. You can also read up on it at the Geocaching website or watch a series of videos:
http://www.geocaching.com/videos/#cat=cat:newbies&vid=-4VFeYZTTYs
If you're like me, you'll get hooked. Nearly two years after I found my first cache, I just passed the 700 mark :-)
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