Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for GPS users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache. 

I got into this game a few weeks ago and I can't get enough of it.  I loved to hike to begin with and did it as often as I could, but now I have goals of finding caches hidden in the mountains.  I purchased a GPS a few months ago even before I knew what Geocaching was.  Click here to see my GPS.  So far I have found eight caches and plan on hiding one of my own soon.  I took Caitlyn on my first Geocache hunt.  I quickly found out that she is not a good hiker.  Her neverending need to stand in one place and stare at you was not the real problem.  Click here to see Caitlyns idea of what real hiking is.    

The one benefit I have recieved so far is the motivation to explore new places.  This cache was hidden in a beautiful canyon to the south.  I never would have gone here if it weren't for the cache hidden here.  This picture shows a typical cache.  This was a smaller sized military ammunition can that was placed in the hole in the rock next to Caitlyn.

I had been in this area a couple of times before but never made it this far north to see the cabin.  In fact, I never knew it existed before.  The coordinates in my GPS took me right into the cabin.  After looking around for a few minutes I found it.  Click here to see where.

This place is the 7th bridge on "7 Bridges Trail" in North Cheyenne Canyon.  The Cache hidden here was very cleverly placed.  The GPS coordinates took me right to the foot of the bridge.  The clue on the webpage told me to "Stay near the bridge".  Click here to see where it was hidden

This hike was very hard.  The coordinates took me deep into the mountains.  This cache was hidden near the crash site of a WWII plane that crashed here in 1942.  It was on its way to Denver from Pueblo when it went off course during some bad weather.  Neither the pilot nor the co-pilot survived.  This is an example of caches hidden by points of interest.  The cache itself was hidden on the ridgeline above the wreck.   Click to see the actual hiding place.

• Click for a differet view
  
• Click for more wreckage

 This cache took us through six abandoned railroad tunnels in the mountains near Manitou Springs.   The tunnels were excavated in the 1880s but the route was never finished.   Most of the tunnels were rather short but the last one before the cache was long enough to be pitch black at the center.  Click here to see me at this cache