Where do I start geocaching?

I am always surprised to talk to someone who has never heard of geocaching, yet I wonder if I would have heard about it if I wasn't involved in a field that uses GPS receivers. Even though I had heard of geocaching, I didn't actually start until a good friend took my daughter and me caching with her family. Then I realized this could be a great family activity not just a hobby to pursue on my own. If you are just hearing about geocaching, check out geocaching.com which is filled with information and how-to videos like the one above.
If you don't want the expense of purchasing a GPS until you know if you enjoy geocaching, check your local library to see if they lend out GPS receivers and instruments, just like checking out a book. There are 30 GPS receivers available across Calgary libraries along with coordinates for the Calgary Parks 100 year anniversary geocache challenge. As a celebration of their 100th anniversary Calgary Parks hid 100 caches in city parks to encourage residents to visit our beautiful city parks. This is a great way to get a taste of what geocaching is about without leaving the city.

With over 3000 caches in Calgary and more than 1.6 million caches worldwide, you are not limited to your own city for geocaching, but it is a great place to get started.

Welcome to geocaching

Welcome to my geocaching blog. My goal is to introduce more people to geocaching as a fun activity for families, a good date activity, a way to stay active when you retire or an excuse to get out and see the world!

Geocaching is the term for treasure hunting using handheld GPS (global positioning system) receivers. This game started in 2000 and has caught on around the world. There are even apps for cell phones so you don't need to buy a separate GPS.

I am a relatively new cacher as I have been searching for caches for three years but have only found just over 200 caches in three provinces. I started caching with my daughter and husband when we moved to Calgary and wanted to get a feel for the city. 

We started by checking out the world wide geocache website which is free to join. This site publishes the coordinates of all caches hidden in the world. You can locate caches nearest your home or caches in a destination to which you will be traveling.

Last summer we traveled to Waterton Lakes National Park geocaching along the way through Alberta and into the park. We made more stops and went down roads we may not have ventured if we hadn't had a mission! I hope I can help turn you onto this adventurous new sport.