My ten-year-old daughter celebrates her geocaching “anniversary” on International Geocaching Day. This year, it happened to fall on August 20, 2016 and we made sure to be outside, looking for a geocache to mark the holiday.
Our cousin, Jack, taught us the joys of geocaching during a visit from Minnesota. An avid cacher, Jack got us involved in the hobby by steering us toward easy-to-find caches along Hood Canal. Now that my daughter and I have logged caches in four states and British Columbia, we enjoy searching for geocaches while traveling and to discover new parts of our hometown.
I consider geocaching to be a great multi-generational activity. One of our first Olympia finds was on the bridge to Steamboat Island with my daughter’s grandparents (age 70). In July, my daughter introduced my nephew (age 6) and niece (age 3) to geocaching while on a family trip in British Columbia. They found their first geocache, without their cousin’s help, this week and proudly sent her a picture after logging the find. If not everyone is up for a trek, look for finds where you can park nearby and walk just a few hundred feet.
Recently, a friend was looking for suggestions on Olympia geocaches for her father and son. After giving her some pointers, I decided to jot down my notes to encourage other families to try geocaching around Olympia. It’s helpful to start out geocaching with some tips on using the app, navigating to finds, and prepping kids for the experience.
Download the App
The Geocaching.com app is currently a white square with a green G in the center. The free version allows you to navigate to easy (rated 1 – 1.5 in difficulty on a scale of 5) geocaches. You will see many other geocaches in your area that are more difficulty but you can ignore these. After almost 30 caches, we only have a couple that are rated higher.
Decide Where You Want to Cache
I recommend driving to where you want to go, like Priest Point Park or downtown Olympia, and then searching for nearby caches. Besides difficulty, you will also want to check out the size of the cache. Medium caches are good for beginners because the container is a bit larger, making it easier to find. When you get down to micro containers, the find becomes much more difficult.
Toggle Between the Compass and Map
The geocaching app will take you to within 10 feet or so of the cache. Be aware that some cache coordinates may be a little off so be prepared to look over, under, and around the destination.
Look For Something Out of Place
The geocaches that my daughter recommends for beginners are relatively easy to spot. We try to look for something that seems out of place, like a rock placed on a tree. This is usually a camouflage technique and the cache is hidden here. Most caches are plastic containers, like you would use to pack up leftovers for lunch, to help withstand the elements.
Bring Treasures to Trade
Except for the micro caches, there are usually small treasures inside the cache. My daughter likes to trade. She carries a small plastic bag when she geocaches. Her original stash included some pieces of a dismantled board game, shells, and pennies. Trading is on the honor system. In some caches, you will find trackables.
Be Prepared to Walk a Bit
I haven’t found a geocache from my car, but perhaps there is one somewhere. We drive to a destination and then walk. A few times we have found that our footwear wasn’t suitable for geocaching but we finished the find anyways. If you have a tender-footed member of your tribe, plan ahead a bit.
If I didn’t answer all your questions, try the Geocaching 101 videos.
Here are four Olympia geocaches, great for beginners, as approved by my ten-year-old daughter (and vetted by me to ensure success)
1. William Cannon Trail Head
You may know this location as the Mud Bay Park and Ride, but the William Cannon Trail Head geocache is an excellent example of discovering areas of your backyard. Before hitting this geocache, we didn’t know about the historic nature of this location. The beauty of this find is that you can park within a few feet of the cache, meaning more time (and patience) for hunting. If you are feeling up for a second geocache in the area, try Old Highway 410 Perry Creek Bridge.
2. Got Cedar?
We found the Got Cedar? geocache in Lacey on International Geocache Day. It was over 90 degrees outside but the shade of the trees along the Chehalis-Western trail made it feel a bit cooler. This is a great cache if you have extra time before a doctor’s appointment since it’s just off Ensign Road. You can park within about 300 feet of the cache. And, the name of the cache should help you locate it easily.
3. Salamander Pond
This West Olympia geocache is along the flat McLane School Trail. There are parking areas in neighborhoods along the 4-mile trail so you can park as close or as far away as you would like before searching for the Salamander Pond geocache. Your hands may get a little dirty on this one.
4. Not as Easy as Crab Cake
A trip to the Olympia Farmers Market can also include a geocache. The Not as Easy as Crab Cake geocache is located by the food vendors. (Hint – who sells crab cakes?) This one is in plain sight but a bit more complicated. I suggest logging a few other geocaches first and then tackling this cache.
And, don’t forget to give a shout out to the owner of the cache. They love a little “TFTC” (thanks for the caches) note along with your impression of the experience.
Thrifty Thurston highlights inexpensive family fun in Thurston County. The weekly series focuses on family-friendly activities throughout our community. If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@thurstontalk.com. For more events and to learn what’s happening in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and the surrounding area, visit our complete event calendar.
