Cache of Cedar Valley loot awaits discovery

Cedar Falls is amazing for geocaching.

For those who don’t know what it is, geocaching is sort of like a scavenger hunt that you can do anywhere in the world. People will create a geocache, usually a small container, and hide it somewhere. They will then mark it on the GPS in the geocaching app, leave a description or riddle leading to its true location and a hint, and wait for someone to find it.

Geocaches are sometimes just a log for you to put your name and the date you found it, or other times it a canister full of little knick-knacks for you to trade. If you do trade, you must leave something of equal or greater value to the thing that you took. It’s a bit like Pokemon Go, but with real life objects. It’s really family friendly too!

Geocaching is wonderful if you want to get out more, appreciate nature or if you like puzzles and looking for things.

There are great health benefits from geocaching as well. A study conducted at Texas A&M said that people who go geocaching more than once a week were healthier and had an improved mental health compared to the people that didn’t geocache as much, and that it helped sharpen their problem solving and mental skills.

It also helps build character and is great for bonding with someone. Geocaching with other people can help with teamwork, leadership skills and perseverance. Finding a geocache could take hours, so it’s important that you work together and stay on task.

Geocaching urges you to not litter and bring a bag with you to pick up any trash that you see along the way.

There are geocaches hidden all over the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area that are in great places like Hartman Reserve, the UNI campus and other various parks and will probably take you to places you’ve never been before, but geocaching isn’t just in Cedar Falls. You can geocache almost anywhere in the world, so while you’re on vacation with your family, you could whip out your GPS and go on an adventure.

It’s a great activity for anyone who likes going outside and having fun. Sometimes it’s nice to unplug and get out there and maybe even meet new people. It’s also a great way to spend your Earth Day.

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