Geocaching Starter Checklist

1. Gather your supplies

• A smartphone with the free Geocaching app
• Comfortable walking shoes
• A pen to sign the logbook
• A sense of curiosity and a little patience

2. Your first project

3. Your first month, step by step

• Week 1: Download the free Geocaching app and create an account. Browse the map to see how many caches are hidden near your home, then read a few cache pages to learn how they work.
• Week 2: Go find your first cache. Pick one with an easy 1/1 difficulty and terrain rating, bring a pen, and sign the logbook when you find it.
• Week 3: Find three or four more caches of different sizes. Practice reading the hint, checking recent logs, and re-hiding each cache exactly as you found it.
• Week 4: Try a slightly harder cache or one in a new park, and log your finds online with a friendly note for the cache owner.

4. Mistakes to avoid

• Giving up too soon; many caches are well hidden, so slow down and look closely before you walk away.
• Not reading the most recent logs and the hint, which often tell you exactly where and how to look.
• Being seen by non-geocachers, called muggles, who may get curious and disturb or take the cache.
• Not re-hiding the cache the way you found it, which makes it harder for the next person and can get it lost.
• Forgetting to bring a pen, so you cannot sign the logbook and properly claim your find.
• Trading unfairly from a cache; if you take an item, leave one of equal or greater value.