Global high tech treasure hunt

I thought I would introduce you to one of my new (well, almost new: been at it about 3 months now) favourite pastimes: Geocaching.

According to Geocaching.com:

“Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea it to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people of all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.”

If you have a GPS unit and if you enjoy the outdoors – this can add a little twist to your hikes. It’s also an amazing game to encourage the kids to get out of the house. Some people say their kids even feel like they’re playing video games!

Basically, you can participate at Geocaching.com (there are other sites, but this is the most comprehensive) by creating a free profile. Once you have your free membership (no catch, honest), you can find Geocaches located near you, or on your route to wherever you plan to hike or travel. The fun part: the directions to the cache are given only in longitude and latitude. Once you get to the coordinates, you usually need to look a little since the cache is hidden, often in clever ways. And, you should also note that a second of longitude or latitude could be approximately 15m in distance (see Greaterskies).

In short: geocaching gets you out, adds a twist to your hike, takes you to some pretty cool historical or geographical locations, shares great stories with a world-wide community and teaches some pretty neat stuff!

Some of our highlights include:

• Discovering one of Toronto’s oldest cemeteries between the 427 & 401: GCH6KC,


• Finding a travelbug from the Czech Republic, right here in Canada, and


• Hiding our very own cache for other’s to find in Lex’s favourite dog park! (FYI: Lex is our 2 year-old super pup; cross Shepherd/Rottie.)

If you join the game, we’re the Lemonheads… feel free to find us at Geocaching.com.