All the geocaches in Thanet

Geocaching is a great pastime. I've given a bit of description of the idea behind geocaching and some of the mechanics on the page "geocaching", which you can access at the link just below this blog's header. You can also get a great deal of information of this type from the official website or the official blog.

The greatness of geocaching lies in the fact that it combines some of the essential elements of life in a way that removes much of the clutter.

Nature - while there are many caches paced in urban settings, the most memorable are often in less traveled places. I've found many after a long walk through the forest or fields (or both). Some you will want to visit again, perhaps with friends and a picnic, while others are just points of passing interest, but many are in places of natural beauty.

Curiosity - many of the geocaches out there have been placed in order to point out a particular relic of history, freak of geology, or curiosity of nature. In my current neck of the woods (SE England) many describe the history of the local area, frequently focusing on a church, or a monument, or an artifact.

The Hunt - Someone has put out a challenge and given you the key to finding the cache - some coordinates and hints. Can you find it? If you don't find it right away, is it because it is no longer there, because you were not quite clever enough to decipher the clues, or because the person who hid it made some sort of error ? After a few dozen caches, you begin to get a sense of whether or not you are on the right track, but there still will be those caches that are frustrating - until you find them. Then they're ingenious!

The Gadgets - Geocaching requires at least one gadget: the GPS receiver. When the pastime began (with Dave Ulmer on May 3d, 2000) personal GPS receivers were a rarity because until this time the satellite signal had been intentionally degraded by the US Government. Current GPS receivers can estimate your position to within 10 feet or so, although the accuracy of any given reading is likely to be poorer, particularly in poor weather, or when under trees or near buildings. Most handheld GPS units can average several readings, so standing still for a minute or so can increase accuracy dramatically. Of course, then there are the cache containers themselves - they can be ingenious too.

The Camaraderie - While solitary geocaching is common (I often "hunt" alone), most people geocache in family groups or with friends. Geocaching is quite popular with older couples whose children have left the house. It gives them a great excuse to get out together, get some exercise and share an experience.

The Competition - While not intrinsically a competitive sport, there are more than a million caches out there; how many have you found? How many different countries have you geocached in? Are you a well-rounded geocacher (i.e. have you found caches that have varying degrees of difficulty and terrain ratings?) How many times were you the first to find a new cache? All these things (and more) can be used as items of competition or pride.

Most of the time, however, its not about the numbers, or keeping up with the Joneses, but rather about setting and achieving personal goals, which can be quite satisfying. This is how I came to the goal of Finding all the Geocaches in Thanet.