Webster's Dictionary defines Geo-Cach-Ing as "a game in which players are given the geographical coordinates of a cache of items which they search for with a GPS device". It has been around since the government opened up the GPS satellite system to the public in 2000.
Geocaching.com defines Geocaching as "It's a real-world treasure hunt that's happening right now, all around you. You use your smartphone or GPS to navigate to hidden items in different locations."
Essentially it is a treasure hunt game played with either GPS receivers or smartphones. You search for cache locations on Geocaching.com and either load them into your GPSr or through the app on your smartphone. Go out into the real world using the coordinates for the cache and go find it.
The cache is generally some form of container that includes a log sheet at a minimum so you can sign the log sheet showing that you were there. It can also contain swag to trade or travel bugs and geocoins, that you pass along to different caches so the owner can track their progress around the world.
On May 3, 2000, a five-gallon bucket was placed in the woods by Dave Ulmer containing a Delorme Topo USA, 2 CD Roms, a cassette recorder, a "George of the Jungle" VHS tape, a Ross Perot book, 4 $1 bills, a slingshot handle and a pretty notorious can of beans (now the O.C.B. trackable). The coordinates were then listed on the internet and modern-day geocaching was born. The first finder of that cache was Mike Teague who took the money and left some cigarettes, a cassette tape and a pen.
For more on Geocaching visit Groundspeak's Geocaching 101 Help Page. Groundspeak is the parent company of Geocaching.com!
I started Geocaching on February 14, 2006 and found my first cache, which was a magnetic key holder stuck to the bottom of a doggy poo garbage can in a nearby park. I got started at the advice of my brother who recommended I get acquainted to my new GPSr by Geocaching.
I found four more caches over the next 12 days and then kind of gave it up for the next year and a half. Just starting out all by yourself can be a little daunting and so I tried it again in the winter of 2007 picking up a few more around the end of that year and then started to take hold in 2008. So actually I really got into geocaching in 2008.
Since then I have cached every year and have met a lot of other cachers, here locally in Southern Nevada and around the world. I finally bit the bullet and attended an event in 2009 and that is where I met some really good people and have made many new friends. I recommend if you are just starting out, go to an event so you can meet some of the local geocachers.
There are a lot of applications that use Geocaching and that help geocachers with their finds. There are sites to buy geocaching toys, trackable items, geocoins, pathtags, etc. Many people make their own geocoins and pathtags to trade around the world.
Visit the various links I have on this page to learn more about Geocaching and what it can do for you. You might also learn a little bit about how I develop my caches! I hope you enjoy!