Do you like scavenger hunts, puzzles, and exploring nature?
Well, we have good news – our church is now the site of a geocache!
Geocaching is a treasure hunting activity that uses GPS coordinates to locate hidden containers (“geocaches”) in the real world. Participants navigate to the coordinates using a smartphone app or GPS device, and then search for the geocache at the location.
Geocaches come in various sizes, ranging from a tiny pill container to a shoebox size or even larger. They can be easy to find or much more craftily hidden. They can be hidden anywhere, but are usually outdoors in public or semi-public spaces. Some require deciphering puzzles and clues to obtain the correct coordinates.
Inside, you’ll almost always find a logbook. When you find the cache, you write your name in the log, and then also log the cache on the geocaching website. Some caches have space for toys, trinkets, and other small trade items. This is supposed to be a community building activity, so if you take something, it’s good etiquette to leave behind something of equal or greater value.
We have recently set up a cache on the church property, near the community gardens. If you look closely, you should be able to find it; it’s not particularly well-hidden. Feel free to sign our log (even if you don’t have an account) and take or leave an item. Kat has recently placed some of our painted easter eggs in the cache for others to enjoy.
As a random hobby, we enjoy searching for caches; it’s a great excuse to go take a walk in nature and explore our amazing local park system. And when we’re out of town, geocaching has taken us to some really interesting locations; on a recent trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we found a cache at a beautiful waterfall that wasn’t on any of the tourist maps.
If you’d like to learn more about geocaching, please reach out to either of us, and we’d be happy to tell you more (but perhaps in a 3rd grader talking about dinosaurs way, be warned!) If there’s enough interest, we could even organize a small group to go caching together, maybe?
~ Kat and Jonathan Papcun
PS. In case you’re wondering, maintaining a cache isn’t much of a commitment. We’ll simply be checking on it regularly to make sure it’s still there, refill it with trade goodies, and ensure the container remains waterproof. But please be aware that the website is open to anyone in the community, so you may see a few random people on site searching for it.
If you would like to leave your own items in the cache, feel free, but please be practical and remember this is outdoors. So no food items, and try to bag or wrap anything that would be ruined if wet.
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