Geocaching

[Mats]

Makes walking more fun. Anyone doing this?

For those who don't know what it is, it's an app were you can see gps of were people put hidden stuff in public, sometimes in plain sight. When you reach gps coordinates you gotta look for the item, which can be very hard if there are no clues. My mind was blown when saw how there was something hanging in a tree outside a big soccer field, where people walks by everyday and never notice it. If you find the item you mark it found and the goal is as many as possible. This is spread all around the world but its kinda hidden knowledge for norm mans.

https://www.geocaching.com/play

[Ruben]

Did this some years ago, was quite fun. Sadly a lot of the caches seem to be missing now, a few people I know never found any when they tried this about a year ago.

[Lee]

Wow, this is very interesting. I looked for caches hidden in my area and there are so many, and after reading the comments they are still being maintained by the hiders. I might give this a go.

[John]

Have heard the term but never tried it. Decided to give it a go and installed the app, I'll see if I can find any.

[roope]

Got very excited about this at FEM14 and logged most of the ez caches at downtown Jyväskylä. It's very fun especially with a friend (I'm too shy to look around weird places alone :D). Haven't been caching this year though because I kinda forgot it, but could ez start again now.

[Lukazz]

I've found around 200 caches, haven't cached much in the last year though. The problem is, when you start caching, you are excited about every cache you find, but when you've found 100+ caches, the traditional ones without any background story start to get boring. It's harder to find interesting caches after a while. I was quite into the mystery/unkown-chaces for some time, imo they are the most interesting ones, especially when there are a few stages.
Multi caches are interesting too, but I'm too lazy for the longer ones usually. But some people put a fuckload of work into hiding caches. There's a 30-day-hike cache with 30 stages from munich to venice for example.

[Zweq]

Sensation of finding a treasure is always fun, noticed with shrooms (especially on a shitty year), so I can imagine this being fun as well.

[Lousku]

Yeah, this is a nice hobby and a good way to find interesting places when visiting some area you don't know. I have 73 logged so far, but haven't done much geocaching in a couple of years, except FEM14. I whange get back to it when it's more pasibel. :)

[gimp]

Wow didn't know there were fellow cachers here! I've logged some 50 caches but have found more than that. There are 100s in my city alone. Is it the same where you all live?

Also most caches I have found are usually magnetic and small. Some times there will be a box of sorts with more things on an off beaten trail. Found a trackable coin once and took it all the way to Japan. I love caching:)

[Lukazz]

There are 100s in my city alone. Is it the same where you all live?

Vienna alone has a few thousand caches I think. Austria and Germany have a very high cache-density.
EDIT: Stats can be found here: http://aj-gps.net/distribution

[twipley3]

I've never got on the Internet with it, but I've stumbled on quite a few on wood tracks, on one occasion following an off-road track to see where these footsteps were leading.

[Lee]

There are 100's in my suburb. It seems I've been walking right by some of them all this time.

[ville_j]

I've been meaning to get into this already for a few years, it seems very cool. But I guess I am just too lazy. How does it work during winter, it must be much harder if not totally impsy with all the snow everywhere?

[Igge]

I did this with Chip when he visited me in Stockholm. Was a really cool way to see the city; it brought us to parts of it I had never been before, and I've lived here my entire life!

Dame, now I want to do it again. Will download right now. 10/10 would recommend!

edit: dame, hev some work to do:
http://puu.sh/khKYs/58504e6e43.jpg

[Lukazz]

it brought us to parts of it I had never been before, and I've lived here my entire life!

that's the beauty of geocaching.

[Kopaka]

Went to try and find one some time last year when there was a lot of talk about it in #across, didn't manage to find and then didn't bother again. Pokémon Go will be the new geochaching though

[ville_j]

So... I now finally went to look for my first gaks because there are a few supposedly very easy ones near to my apartment. Of course, didn't find anything even though judging by the comments people have found them within seconds. Also, it was a little stressing because apparently one should try to avoid getting noticed by other people and of course lurking in the bushes might seem a bit suspicious anyways. Also, the app didn't let me view all the gaks without paying some fee so I had to change my plans and go for the other gaks than I had initially planned. So, I can't really say it was exactly a fun experience I was expecting it to be, but I still might try to catch some gak whenever I happen to be wandering outside and remember their existence.

[Lukazz]

I found caching in cities always very unfunny for the same reason. Try to go geocaching in the woods or somewhere where there are no people around, it's way funnier.

[veezay]

yes, started in 2011, when i got my first smartphone. i currently have 168 caches found, no own caches. fem14 had a nice geocaching adventure where we found a bunch of 'caches, which was nice. i've been meaning to do more geocaching lately but i have a slight device-related problem and i can't use any of the old applications that i used to have on my old phone, so, drats.

incidentally, earlier today i found out that there was a new cache published the same day near me, and i almost tried to go for it, but without a proper caching app it was too frustrating and i gave up before attempting to wander deeper into the forest where it was. drats.

[Bjenn]

Who puts them cachings out?
People here only seem to try to find them o,o

[Lousku]

Who puts them cachings out?
People here only seem to try to find them o,o

Anyone can. It's just a bit of work maintaining it every once in a while, so I haven't hidden one yet.