Three summers ago, as I sat idly in my room trying to avoid packing for my first year at NYU, my best friend called: "Francis! Let's go geocaching!"
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"Geocaching? What's that?" I asked, clearly oblivious to the meaning of that strange word.
While my friend was keen on surprises and refused to divulge any more information, I (because I'm just a nicer person than he is) would be happy to explain:
Geocaching, as I learned later that afternoon, is a worldwide treasure hunting game. Participants of the game ("geocachers," as we call ourselves) find treasures left by other participants. Using longitudes and latitudes as guidelines, adventure-seekers might consider spending an afternoon looking for one of these hidden treasure boxes ("caches") and perhaps even hiding their own caches for someone else to find.
To start, simply log on to geocaching.com for a list of nearby geocaches.
And now, a quick list of things you'll need:
1. Comfortable shoes: You'll be walking everywhere — including around bushes and through puddles.
2. Flashlight: Shine your light into the nooks and crannies; chances are, your hidden treasure is sitting somewhere in the dark.
3. Pen: Use it to sign the "You Were Here" log book found in most cache boxes.
4. Something small to add to the box: Caches are often filled with little trinkets left by other geocachers and are maintained by an informal "take one, leave one" rule. Upon opening the box, take a trinket to commemorate your find and leave behind one of your own items for someone else.
5. Optional gloves/hand sanitizer: For those of you who are germophobes — you never know what you might find.
Geocaching is a free adventure for all. After circling around our mall countless times — looking under benches and in bushes — we finally found an Altoid box magnetically stuck to the bottom of a stop sign. Two years later, I still find myself wanting to geocache again. Geocaching is about returning to a simpler time. It's about hanging with friends — no homework, no tests, just fun.
