In addition to container type caches there are also virtual caches with no container at all. These are usually sites with historical significance. Often you are required to email the owner of the virtual cache with information such as names or dates from the site to prove that you had in fact visited the location. Another type of cache I should touch on is the multi-cache. It can be a combination of any and all of the above. It is a series of caches where the first set of coordinates
are given on geocaching.com and at the first stage you will find a clue to the second stage and so on.

You may be asking yourself, Why should I geocache? There are many reasons, but I will try to narrow it down as best I can. The number one reason for me is that it is a Great Family Sport.

My three year old son loves the trade items. Which, by the way, are not of much value. Mostly dollar store items. We can pack up and go for a drive and instead of him getting board, after we’ve found a couple, he’s saying, “Find another treasure box.” Every time we go out he gets a new toy or two and we get some family time.

Many caches are all about location. Growing up in Rexburg and being an outdoorsman, I thought I knew my way around the upper valley. That is until I started to geocache. Geocaching has led me to rope tows at long abandoned ski hills, ghost towns, little known springs and mountain tops and many more destinations I never would have found any other way. Besides finding caches close to home, you can also search for caches when you travel. After all, this is a world wide sport.

Another reason to Geocache that you might not suspect is, like any other sport, for the friends you’ll make along the way. One type of cache I haven’t mentioned yet is the event cache. In this case a location and time are posted on the web and everyone is invited to attend. Rexburg’s very own ‘cursed no more’ restaurant, Craigo’s was the host for just such an event earlier this year.

There were eleven registered users in attendance. However many of those users represent families of multiple members, so the actual attendance was much higher. This event was an example of how this is truly a sport for everyone. Among the crowd were college students, retired military, a farmer, large families, small families, the able bodied and the handicap. We ate pizza, shared experiences and ideas and finished off with a raffle. Most of all we put faces to the names we’ve been seeing in logs on the container.

The final reason for geocaching is that it’s a great way to get out. It gets you out of the house for some good ol’ exercise and fresh air, neither of which never hurt any of us. So grab your GPS pick out some caches and maybe we’ll meet you on the trail.

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