Geocaching
There is a newer way to Geocache out there, it is called Adventure Labs. This platform allows you to create, play and share location based experiences and games. What we will deal with today is finding them.
Unlike traditional geocaching, Adventure Labs do not require a physical container and can actually be located indoors. With each Adventure Lab there are multiple locations to go to. You do not need to get to them all in the same day, but once you start one it may be hard to stop. My wife and I find it addicting.
The sites will share with you a special indoor or outdoor spot, a historical narrative, a physical challenge or an educational opportunity while you move from site to site. Once at the site your smartphone unlocks the richly detailed stories, puzzles and interpretive moments. Adventures can include videos, imagery, and text for each Location.
Although you can do Adventure Labs with a basic membership it is much richer if you are a premium member. Once you download the APP you will instantly see all the Labs available where you are looking on the map. At the time of writing this article, there are over 60,000 Labs available in 120 countries. Manitoba is rich in Adventure Labs with new ones showing up regularly.
Once you decide the area you want to start looking in and open up the Lab you will follow clues and solve puzzles sometimes in a specific order or some allow you to play freely to advance through the adventure. The easy way to tell if you have to follow a specific order is to check the number of locations. Beside that number it will tell you if it is sequential. You do have to physically visit the site.
Opening the Adventure will give you the distance from where you are to the starting point, the approximate time to complete the adventure, the number of locations, the average and number of ratings for the adventure and any theme that may apply.
The app will install on a smartphone or a tablet. Although you should use data to use the app it can be used with WIFI only. It is cumbersome without data as you will need to find WIFI after each time you locate a segment of the Lab to unlock the question you need to answer. Home computers do not get along with the APP at all, it is designed for mobile devices.
Interested? Okay, here is how you start:
First you need the app. Anyone with a Geocaching.com account can download the app from either the Apple App Store or from Google Play.
Once you download the app, log in with your Geocaching account and password.
At this point you may need to restart the App for it to activate. I have heard from people who both did and did not need this step. Now you should have a map on your screen that shows the area you are presently in with several green balloons. Touch one of these and it will open up to an Adventure, literally. Head for the first one and the rest is simply following what that one tells you, etcetera, etcetera.
What is neat about this type of the Geocache adventures is that you do not need to log in at the spot or at home. It is automatically done for you. Once you have found all of them there may be a bonus adventure cache. If there is the clues to solve it will usually be a part of the individual parts of the Lab so pay attention to the description supplied with them. This is usually a traditional which you will need to find and then sign the log and enter on Geocaching.com.
Don’t forget that there is an opportunity to Geocache in two countries this month without even needing a passport. This is also be an event where you can meet Geocachers from another country. Hands Across The Border (GCA9B2R) is happening on July 22nd at the International Peace Garden.
See you on the trail!
Gary Brown is the President of the Manitoba Geocaching Association (MBGA) and can be reached at [email protected].
