Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt where people use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile phone to hide and find containers known as geocaches. In a way, it’s a location-based game that encourages people to get out into the wilderness to look for these geocaches.

What’s in them? Well, it all depends, but it usually contains something that’s not of financial value but is more sentimental value. Regardless of what’s in each waterproof container, one thing is for sure.

It requires the people looking for them to use their orienteering and hiking skills to find them. Of course, people can learn more about this activity as they celebrate International Geocaching Day. This holiday falls on the third Saturday in August and encourages everyone who can go join the fun.

The History Of International Geocaching Day

Many people have said that geocaching has many similarities to letterboxing, and we guess it sort of does. For people not familiar with letterboxing, it was an outdoor hobby that required participants to use puzzle-solving and orienteering skills.

Letterboxes would hide small, waterproof boxes in publicly accessible places such as parks and then distribute clues to finding these boxes on letters or postcards. Geocaching is very similar to this activity, except that it uses GPS coordinates to find the boxes.

The first documented places of a GPS-located cache took play on May 3rd, 2000. It was placed by Dave Ulmer of Beavercreek, Oregon. He then posted the location on the Usenet newsgroup sci.geo.satellite-nav.

Within 3 days, the cache had been found twice. The first person to find it was Mike Teague. Eventually, the cache was destroyed by a lawnmower, which isn’t surprising considering that it was a black plastic bucket that was partially buried.

Its contents, which were software, videos, books, money, a slingshot, and a can of beans, were mostly destroyed, but the can of beans was salvaged and eventually turned into a trackable item.

Observing International Geocaching Day

Everyone who wants to participate in this holiday can do so. They will just have to decide whether they’re hiding a geocache or whether they’re going to look for someone else’s geocache.

People can also take the time to learn more about GPS and how it can be used to find new treasures. Now that we’ve stated the purpose of this holiday and how people can celebrate it, we encourage everyone involved to go ahead and spread the word about this holiday online using the hashtag #IntenationalGeocachingDay online.