Why Did You Start Geocaching?

[searcykid]

Just got into Geocaching a couple of months ago, basically to have a reason to get off the couch and get some walking exercise. I had been retired about 5 years and had become a couch potato. After having to have a stent placed in one of my heart arteries and being placed on cholesterol and high blood pressure medication my doctor advised more exercise and said walking was a very good form of exercise for my condition.

I had read an article in the newspaper about a geocaching adventure the reporter had experienced in NW Arkansas and I got onto the Geocaching website to check it out. After seeing the Map, I figured I could try it out before buying a GPSr. Sure enough the map gave me the location and the posts, hints, and pictures gave me enough information and spoilers to find my first three caches.

Then I just had to buy a GPSr to continue my new hobby. So off to Ebay I went and now I have my Garmin GPS unit. Now I find that really faithful cachers also have a PDA or Laptop computer and other fancy gadgets to make it more fun or easier. Think I'll just do it the hard way for a while.

But walking for exercise isn't all its cracked up to be, expecially when you are mobility challenged which I didn't know I was until I fell over my own feet on one of the local walking/bicycling trails here in town and broke my fibula bone in my right leg. But gimme another couple weeks and I'll be back to geocaching full speed ahead. But Full Speed might just be a little slower than before. With only 25 finds to date I still have a lot of local caches to find.

[ARWindstalker]

A couple of friends of mine told me on day about geocaching and what it was all about. So about 5 months later while I was in college (May 2004), I went out one day and found my first geocache. It was like doing a drug. I was hooked. I found 10 my first week.

After that first week I didn't geocache for about a year and a half. Then on a camping trip in October of 2005, the same couple that got me hooked, got me hooked again. After that I decided to start caching more and I don't go for long period where I don't cache....or at least I try not to.

The reasons I stay hooked is because of the hunt and the new twist it adds to hiking. It gives you purpose to be out in the outdoors. The urban caches are so "well hidden" sometimes that you just can't help but to go and find one more.....just one more!!!

I had heard about some new GPS game a few years back from a friend of mine. I really hadn't thought about it again until recently while trying to make plans for the summer. I thought it might take up a weekend or two

I purchased a GPS and took the two older boys with me to find a couple local caches. We were hopelessly hooked!!

We've always enjoyed being outdoors but had taken a little siesta since the twins were born. Geocaching allows us to visit places that we would never have discovered on our own. It has also helped me to lose over 68 pounds since January!

We really love the hobby and are even planning our first hide.