Tech and physical activity: geocaching

[schwartzie]

I'm looking for an amusing way to get out into the great out-of-doors, now that my northerly climate has become tolerable.
Has anyone done geocaching?

From a distance it looks fun--kinda puzzle-solving, lets you engage with a group, but not too much, turns the landscape into a game board.

[acrossthefourthwall]

It's definitely a great (additional!) incentive to explore the outdoors, and I really like the idea of swapping small objects since it makes each experience of finding a cache unique.

My advice would be not to try it without a GPS-unit; I never got very far without one even in a city I knew quite intimately!

[schwartzie]

My advice would be not to try it without a GPS-unit; I never got very far without one even in a city I knew quite intimately!

Any features/brands of GPS units you recommend? For city? For more remote caches?

[Jakalwarrior]

I highly advise paintball guns + masks as an addition to this sport ;) Would have to use a closed off area though.

[schwartzie]

I highly advise paintball guns + masks as an addition to this sport ;) Would have to use a closed off area though.

paintball is fun! Not as low-impact on the environment, tho.

[Jakalwarrior]

The actual paintballs are just gelatin (boiled animal skin / bone product) with food dye for coloring. They melt in water, shell and all. Can eat them but they taste like soap :yuck: (Money was involved).

Geochaching does sound fun in its own right though. Sorry its just the male tendency to try and add violence to everything :( .

[the human iPod]

I like the paintball gun idea. It would make a sort of dangerous rat-race kind of game, which is my kind of stuff. :D

[HackerX]

Can eat them but they taste like soap :yuck: (Money was involved).

Anybody's who played paintball can tell you how "wonderful" they taste. There's always at least one shot that gets you on the mask blinding you and spraying paint into your mouth.

I have a few work mates who have done geocaching, they seem to enjoy it.

[schwartzie]

The actual paintballs are just gelatin (boiled animal skin / bone product) with food dye for coloring. They melt in water, shell and all. Can eat them ... (Money was involved).

pretty amusing... kinda like round hot dogs....

Geochaching does sound fun in its own right though. Sorry its just the male tendency to try and add violence to everything :( .

no apology, jakal. I grew up with a bunch of older brothers in a rural area. When I was maybe 9 or 10, they nicknamed me 'annie ugly' because they liked to pick on me, but secretly thought it was cool that I'd learned to save shot by lining up and killing two (disease-spreading) starlings with each shot of my 22. I'd love to try paintball.

[Jakalwarrior]

It's definetly good exercise, and your body forgets to protest because of the adrenaline and fun. Several times I ran harder than physically possible with my out of shape body. Moving like the wind through the trees! Cap the flag! realize im a computer nerd, collapse against a tree seeing spots and pray I don't pass out lol. Or play behind a barricade made for kids with my 6'3" frame squating and popping up and down. Then I get in the truck and realize my legs are too tired to work the clutch and brake safely on the drive home lol.

You HAVE to go with friends though so for the next two days you can say "did you see when I....."

[schwartzie]

It's definetly good exercise, and your body forgets to protest because of the adrenaline and fun. Several times I ran harder than physically possible with my out of shape body. Moving like the wind through the trees! Cap the flag! realize im a computer nerd, collapse against a tree seeing spots and pray I don't pass out lol. Or play behind a barricade made for kids with my 6'3" frame squatting and popping up and down. Then I get in the truck and realize my legs are too tired to work the clutch and brake safely on the drive home lol.

Very funny.
That's exactly what happened the last time I played laser tag. We WON!!
...but...oh...the next morning...

[HackerX]

It's definetly good exercise, and your body forgets to protest because of the adrenaline and fun. Several times I ran harder than physically possible with my out of shape body. Moving like the wind through the trees! Cap the flag! realize im a computer nerd, collapse against a tree seeing spots and pray I don't pass out lol. Or play behind a barricade made for kids with my 6'3" frame squating and popping up and down. Then I get in the truck and realize my legs are too tired to work the clutch and brake safely on the drive home lol.

You HAVE to go with friends though so for the next two days you can say "did you see when I....."

Hahaha, last time I went to paintball (i.e. Skirmish here) I twisted my ankle and tore some of the muscles around there... Painful for about a minute then I didn't notice it. Sure as hell noticed it when I tried to step out of my car after driving home... almost couldn't stand on it. 4 weeks later and I can still feel it

[acrossthefourthwall]

Any features/brands of GPS units you recommend? For city? For more remote caches?

I never actually bought one, admittedly. Heh. After a few attempts at finding caches in local parks I knew well, my life got too busy to think about doing the research and making the purchase, and then I sort of forgot I'd been planning to. Might revisit geocaching in the future; we'll see. (There might be helpful reviews and comparisons available at online stores, though.)

Sorry its just the male tendency to try and add violence to everything.
* laughs *

[Ytterbium]

I've tried it but I thought it wasn't too entertaining. I enjoy this (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) however.

Other things worth looking into. Orienteering or fox hunting (with radios).

[Fissiongrid]

Yes, I've done geocaching around my area and found at least 15-20 of them. It's really rewarding and fun. I totally recommend it!

I'm not sure what type of GPS I used, since it was my brothers, but I can tell you it was an entry level Garmin one.