Peanuts In My Pocket

Part of my retirement duties this summer includes spending a lot of time with my grandson. He’ll be along for the ride while I go birding, but I decided to add geocaching to the mix, since there’s a significant overlap between geocaching locations, like parks, and birding spots.

What is geocaching, you ask? It’s essentially a global treasure hunt where the prize is the bragging rights of finding a hidden container, or “cache,” using GPS coordinates. Think of it as playing hide-and-seek with objects, but instead of closing your eyes and counting to ten, you’re armed with a smartphone or GPS device, deciphering clues to uncover treasures stashed by fellow enthusiasts all over the world.

My family was really into geocaching about 12 years ago, but then let it fade as our youngest son outgrew it. I tried getting back into it a few years ago and was dismayed to find it had changed in ways I didn’t like. When I checked in again for this summer’s adventure, though, it felt like old times.

On today’s adventure, I like to think of it as baiting the hook, we went for some easy caches. On the third cache, my grandson asked to find it himself. I messed up by walking right up to it (it was an obvious one). He was a little miffed, but the next opportunity proved to be a real challenge, and his first find, despite the spooky setting with its abandoned buildings and post-apocalyptic zombie vibes.

Sign up at Geocaching.com. All you need is a cellphone to play.

So, two thumbs up for geocaching this summer, along with birding, surfing, music lessons, and plenty of gaming.