Geocaching
© 2012 Groundspeak
Technology meets fresh air and sunshine; with a generous dose of deductive reasoning, persistence and map reading -- all in the form of Geocaching. The "treasures" (called geocaches) vary widely in size and sophistication, and there are now millions hidden all over the world. They may be as small as a magnetic key box containing a tiny scroll of paper, or as large as a waterproof "ammo box" stuffed into a hole in a tree. We recently found one inside a plastic skull hanging from a tree. Despite having a for-profit business model (the leading site, Geocaching.com is maintained by a Seattle-based private company called Groundspeak), geocaches are created and maintained by a small army of volunteers. You can see a detailed map of geocaches by typing your zip code at http://www.geocaching.com. The larger geocaches contain items that people leave behind, such as a coin, a rubber frog or a marble. Some items might have tracking numbers on them, so you can see where they've been. To find a geocache, you need a computer, or better yet, a smart phone loaded with the app, plus a GPS, and the ability to find longitude and latitude coordinates. The free version of the app works fine. If you're a serious and plan on creating your own Geocache, you might want to buy the full version of the app. The app also makes it much easier to get hints, take pictures, and leave an online record of the caches you've found. As of April 2014, there are 2 million active geocaches around the world, increasing the chance that there's one near you. The full app costs $9.99 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geocaching/id292242503?mt=8 Groundspeak makes money by selling the app and a variety of Geocache supplies.
$9.99, iPad, Android
Teaches: Geography, nature, maps, using a GPS, math, history
CTR Rating: 96%