#1082 hunting

When we were walking home from the recent association board retreat I just attended, one of my (much younger) colleagues stopped us so she could look around for "a cache."  Turns out, she was "geocaching," a modern day treasure hunt aided by GPS coordinates on your phone.

Through geocaching.com, you can discover clues to find one of the caches that is probably right around you. There are over 2 million caches hidden in the world, all waiting to be discovered.  Once you crack the code, you can record your conquest on the log located with the cache, document progress on your phone and be off to the next adventure.

It is surprisingly addictive.

We found remnants of one cache at our first stop: a key chain on a sewer grate with no log or trinket.  Next, members of the group were climbing into the woods, looking for a capsule stuck in a rock wall.  Darkness came before the cache did.  On night number two, we had success -- a magnetic tube stuck in the drainpipe of an abandoned emergency training building.  And on night #3 we located the sign that gave us a clue, but decided against going further and using the key we found, just in case it wasn't part of the chase!  So another "NF" (not found) for us.

Apparently caches can be large or small, realistic or fairy houses, easy or hard and either an end to themselves or just a clue to send you on an even longer adventure.

Think about how you can apply geocaching to your organization or next event.  Can you leave clues about your group and engage the delegates at one of your functions?  What about hiding a cache near your HQ or in a place that has significance for your organization (it's a great way to describe your mission or history as you give the description/clues).  Could you use it at a company picnic or event to occupy a group of children?

The possibilities are endless, and it is great exercise as well as mental stimulation.  

See you on the hunt!

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

see www.geocaching.com
or www.clear.uconn.edu/geospatial/GPS/PDFs/A%20Beginners%20Guide%20to%20Geocaching.pdf for a beginner's step by step guide

The black tube with orange top is the "cache" we found in the drainpipe

The log that was inside the cache to be signed and replaced in the tube

Note how many others have done this hunt!