Geocaches are one of those things that run hot and cold. Right now we are somewhere in the middle, and that is actually a great time to jump in.
In the old days, you had to buy a handheld GPS for about $100. Now your phone can do it.
So what is geocaching
It is a real-world treasure hunt game.
Someone hides a container (the cache) and posts the coordinates online. You use your phone to navigate to the spot, search, and when you find it, you sign the logbook inside. Sometimes there are small trade items. If you take something, you leave something of equal or greater value.
Caches come in all shapes and sizes
Some are old ammo boxes. Those are classic and waterproof, but they have also freaked people out when someone stumbles on one and does not know what it is.
Others are clear plastic tubs, old film canisters, or specially made micro caches. Some hang from trees. Some are magnetic. Others are tiny and hide in plain sight.
It is a secret little world hiding on our open spaces.
Geocaching and Chelmsford open space go together
This is one of the easiest ways to get kids and families out on the trails. It turns a normal walk into a treasure hunt, and it gets people exploring places they might not have visited otherwise.
A few terms you will hear right away
Muggle. That is a non-geocacher. If someone is nearby, you wait or come back later so you do not give away the hiding spot.
Trackable, travel bug, geocoin. These are tagged items meant to travel from cache to cache. You log them online so the owner can see where they go. You do not keep these; you help them move.
A partial list of places in town where you can find caches
Koulas Farm Conservation Area
Heart Pond
Crooked Springs
Lime Quarry
Bartlett Park and the town center area
Other conservation areas, trail corridors, and hidden corners all over Chelmsford
Here are two Koulas Farm coordinates from the app
Smoke Rises Over the Koulas Farm
N 42 35.502 W 71 23.158
Koulas Farm Conservation Area Parking Area
N 42 35.408 W 71 23.009
Where to find more caches
The official listings are on the Geocaching website and app. That is where you will see the live map, coordinates, hints, difficulty and terrain ratings, and the log page for each cache.
Geocaching.com
If there is interest, we used to run a geocaching workshop in town, and it might be worth doing a new one.