Geocacher - contemporary treasure hunter

Everyone as a child dreamed of finding a map hidden in the attic, which would show the way to the legendary X, i.e. treasure. Today I know that I was thinking then not about the reward, but about the adventure I had while searching and it caused my excitement and chills. I had unforgettable adventures, I was like a hero from the films about Indiana Jones. I met amazing people, and together we won the coveted prize - a box full of good things.

And suddenly, poof! The spell was broken. We have grown up, we took up science, work and everyday gray reality. However, the technology and ingenuity of man gave us the opportunity to feel like a child again. With the development of the GPS system (originally used only by the military) and mobile phones, access to navigation is extremely simple and easy. All you need is a smartphone and we can start the fun which is GEOCACHING.

But what is Geocaching? This is a play based on registering on appropriate websites that group cache / caches (in Poland popularly called Kesze), and thanks to GPS coordinates you are looking for such a treasure. It is not as easy as it may seem. Tracking alone can do nothing, because the cache must be well hidden and blend in with the background. Most of them have hints, sometimes quizzes, riddles, equations. Kesze are usually hidden in characteristic places in the area that are historically associated with a given place or simply present an interesting story. The caches are very difficult to access - located far from the dullness of cities, hidden in the ground, deep in the forest. There are also those that are hidden under the brick of a beautiful tenement house or in the vicinity of the municipal fountain. Caches have different sizes, from the size of a large bucket or box, through smaller, up to the so-called MIKRUSY, i.e. the smallest of the smallest. There are many types of caches: from TRADITIONAL, through MULTI-CACHE (leading from one to the other, which after connecting the route create a large inscription), QUIZES, and ending with EVENTS (meetings with other participants). It is similar in the form of hiding - it can be different, from empty curd boxes buried in the ground, through small magnetic bottle extrusions or crafted boxes imitating the appearance of stone. Each cache is marked with the website's logo and the information that it is not trash and that it does not threaten the environment, and that in case of accidental finding, the cache should be put aside or the creator of the cache should be notified by e-mail.

The road you have barely walked from point A to point B gives you so much happiness that you forget about cache and the rest of the world. You are proud that you succeeded. But what to do next? The most important is the LogBook, in which you note your finding the cache. In this way, you can be the first one and get the FTF certificate, i.e. from First to Find. What about the treasure found? You can take him as a trophy, but there are things that go to the background for me. If it is a large cache, it may contain things left by other GEOCACHING participants. Then I can exchange or leave something from me. Usually, if I like the box very much, I leave a small keychain made by me from a parachute rope.

KESZERA EDC, or what a good treasure hunter should have with him? Thinking like a good adventurer, the basic equipment will be useful:

• Telephone with the option of entering coordinates or installing programs for treasure hunters, e.g. on Android C-GEO,
• Flashlight – sometimes you have to look into some dark nook,
• A tool to extract small items such as MultiTool, knife or ordinary pliers,
• Tactical, work or nitrile gloves because you can get dirty in mud, soil or snow, or you need to climb somewhere higher.

GEOCACHING is great fun for anyone who likes to spend time actively. Kesze are marked so that you can find out if you can go by bike, if there is a parking lot, or if you can look for a cache with your child. The area is often busy, so you must always be careful not to remove the spotted cache when you are being observed by so-called Muggles (persons not introduced that could misappropriate or simply destroy the cache). Outdoor fun, which is Geocaching, gives you the opportunity to explore interesting places, provides great fun and quite specific tour of the city (with the history of the city in the background and getting to know it from an interesting side than traditional book trails and attractions). If you want to know more about Geocaching, visit www.geocaching.pl, www.geocaching.com and www.opencaching.pl.

As you remember from previous articles, there have always been photos - this is also the case this time. Below are some photos taken during one of the expeditions to the Hel Peninsula, which by the way offers many interesting boxes to take. I will say this: There is climbing on a tree, looking in the rotten trees in the vicinity of the Hel area of the fortified region, and also (for the brave!) A cache at the top of an abandoned, rusted lighthouse. The fact is that sometimes you have to go a long way through the dense forest, but you can do a lot to see wildlife. Geocaching is not only ordinary outdoor fun, it is a game that connects enthusiasts of active leisure in the nature with lovers of short trips to the city.

Treasures were searched by:
Patryk „Qki” Kwela
www.instagram.com/qkimoonster