Geocaching is something that’s been around for a while, but my family just took  up last fall. It’s something good the whole family can do, and can be almost addictive. And if you own a GPS device or smartphone, it is relatively inexpensive — well, if the fuel prices settle down.
Geocaching is basically a hide-and-seek treasure hunt. Members hide containers called geocaches in all parts of the world. With more than one million worldwide you should not run out of new finds anytime soon. Then other members use GPS coordinates to find the containers.
Some of the geocaches contain a logbook and a “treasure” if you will, but the whole idea is the finding, not the valuable. When you find a geocache, you can simply sign your geo I.D. and leave as is, or you can take something from the container and leave something of equal or greater value.
If you are thinking here is an easy way to get some monetary gain, I’d search elsewhere; we have yet to find anything worth more than a dime.
When I first heard of this I thought it sounded interesting but figured it would be too much driving. But once we joined the geocaching website, something that is free for the basic members, I was very surprised at the large number of geocaches in Polk County and the Lake Lure area. Some that can only be reached via watercraft.
There are various levels of difficulty, I’d highly recommend starting on an easy one, some of these folks are very clever in finding hiding spots. The containers vary greatly in size, from a shoebox size container down to containers small as a quarter.
There are also clues or riddles to help you find the geocache, most GPS devices can only get you within about 10 feet at best — the rest is figuring out the clues. There are more detailed clues if needed, but that kinda defeats the whole idea.