Geocaching, the digital scavenger hunt

Geocaching is a worldwide hobby that is becoming increasingly popular. It is a type of scavenger hunt in which you use a GPS device or smartphone app to search for and find hidden containers, known as caches.

These caches have usually been placed in interesting, beautiful or historical locations by other geocachers. There is a logbook in each cache, which you should sign as the finder. Some caches contain small items to swap or collect, which might motivate children to go outside. The rule is that when you take an item from the cache, you should leave an item of equal or greater value.

What types of geocaches are there?

There are a total of 20 different types of geocaches. The most important are: "traditional geocaches", which are hidden at the specified coordinates; "multi-caches", which run through various stations at several locations and end with a so-called final; "mystery caches", which require solving puzzles to find out the coordinates of the cache box; earth caches, which lead to educational locations about geological phenomena and require answering questions instead of searching for a container. Event caches are meetings of geocachers where participants can exchange ideas.

How do you get started?

You don't need much to start geocaching: a GPS device or smartphone with a geocaching app, an internet connection and some time and a desire to explore. On the most popular geocaching platform www.geocaching.com or in most Geocaching apps you can register for free and search for caches in your area or at a desired location.

The description of the cache gives you information about the location, size and contents of the hiding place. You can also read ratings and comments from other geocachers who have already found the cache. As a beginner, you should pay particular attention to the D/T rating: The abbreviation D stands for Difficulty and T for Terrain. D/T therefore indicates how difficult (D) it is to find the cache and how difficult it is to get to its location (T).

To give geocaching a try, you should start with a traditional cache whose D/T rating is less than 2/2 and whose size is displayed as at least "small". If you use the geocaching.com app, you will only be shown these simple geocaches anyway if you have a free account. On the geocaching website and in the App c:geowhich is available free of charge for Android, does not have this restriction. To avoid this restriction, it is necessary to purchase an annual membership for just under €40 from geocaching.com.

Are there geocaches in Rheinhessen?

There are currently just over 2000 geocaches in Rheinhessen, waiting to be found. Geocaching is a great way to explore the region in a fun and varied way.

Geocaching in Rheinhessen is particularly appealing, as the region offers a variety of scenic, cultural and culinary attractions. Here you can not only excellent wines but also historical sights such as castles, churches or museums.

To see which geocaches are on a planned tour, you can use the map on the geocaching website. Most geocaching apps have a live display that works as long as there is an internet connection.

Hiking and geocaching

Many geocaches are placed along popular hiking trails so that you can not only enjoy nature but also go on a treasure hunt.

The best-known circular walks in Rheinhessen include the nine Hiwwelt tourseach of which has a hidden multi-cache with individual stations along the entire hiking route and whose final you can only find if you read off certain information from the signposts along the way and calculate the coordinates for the cache container at the end. So that the whole thing doesn't get too complicated, you can download a solution sheet in the cache description to help you note down the information and later calculate the final coordinates.

You can also find other traditional or earth caches on these hikes. About the search function of geocaching.com all these geocaches are easy to find.

Also suitable for geocaching are the stages of the Rheinterrassenweg. They all start and end at a train station, so the respective hike is easily accessible by public transport. You can also find a few geocaches on these routes (sometimes with a short detour).

In my opinion most beautiful section of the Rheinterrassenweg from Oppenheim to Nackenheim I was able to find many geocaches on my hike. On a day trip like this, the wine taverns in Nierstein are ideal for a lunch break. This is a great way to combine geocaching with hiking and wine culture.

What is a labcache?

A variant of geocaching is labcaching, where you don't search for physical containers, but virtual stations that can be found using the Geocaching Adventure Lab® App can be discovered and explored. This innovative app was developed by Geocaching HQ to create, play and share unique scavenger hunts, interactive experiences and fun games.

Lab caches, also known as adventures, consist of several stations that are placed at specific locations. At each station, a challenging task or an interesting question, which always relates to the respective location, is waiting to be solved or answered by you. The tasks can be varied and include, for example, finding places shown in pictures, solving puzzles or watching videos.

A simple adventure consisting of five stations can be found in Openheim at the Landskron castle ruins. It is a good place to try out the Labcaching app. The castle ruins are located on the Rheinterrassenweg trail and you can easily combine your visit with a hike. You also have a great view of the old town of Oppenheim from up there.

Geocaching in the cities

Historic cities such as Mainz, Worms and Oppenheim offer countless opportunities for geocachers to discover hidden treasures, play LabAdventures and learn more about the region's past.

There are many lab and geocaches in the old town of Mainz that can be searched for and played. As an example, I would like to mention the multicache "Mainz Cathedral", which leads around the cathedral in a large arc over eight stations.

On the way from the main station to the old town, you should definitely stop at the Tradi "Meenzer pen pals", which has an interesting hiding place.

During my last visits to Mainz I liked geocaching with the Mainz market breakfast which takes place every Saturday from mid-March as part of the Mainz weekly market at the cathedral. In addition to geocaching, you can also experience "Weck, Wurscht und Woi" there!

Speaking of market breakfasts - I recently took the train to Worms to visit the market breakfast there and then take a long walk through the Nibelungen city to see the sightseeing spots. I managed to find 23 lab caches and two traditionals.

Let's go

So, now it's up to you! Just give geocaching a try and, if you like it, visit a geocaching event in your area to meet like-minded people and perhaps go on a tour together with experienced geocachers.

You can find more information about geocaching on the website https://www.geocaching.com, on my blog and in the books Geocaching 1-3 by Markus Gründel.