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Explore Outdoors: Geocaching

Explore Outdoors: Geocaching
MATT: WHEN YOU’RE IMMERSED IN NATURE DEEP IN THE WOODS, THERE’S ALREADY A LOT TO SEE, BUT THERE’S ALSO LIKELY REMO HERE THAN MEETS THE EYE. >> WE’RE GOING TO GO OVER HERE. MATT: YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. >> WE DON’T WANT TO GO THROUGH THE RASPBERRIES. MATT: AND E THPERSON TO SHOW YOU IS BETH KATZ. WHEN SHE’S OUT FOR A WALK, SHE ALWAYS BRINGS TWO THINGS -- HER PHONE AND HER OBSERVATION SKILLS. >> THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO IN THE OUTDOORS. MATT: BETH IS GEO-CACHING,UT O LOOKING FOR HIDDEN CONTAINERS TAGGED ON GPS. >> THERE A EREASY CACHES AND HARD CACHES. THE SIZE MATTERS. MATT: SHE SHOWED USOMES EXAMPLES OF THE KINDS OF CHEACS TO LOOK FOR, WITH SOME THE SIZE OF AN AMMO BOXR OBIGGER. NOT ALL CACHES ARE THIBIG.S >> NOT ALL CACHES ARE THAT BIG. SOME OF THEM COULD BE A PILL CONTAINER. MATTAN: D SOME CAN BE EVEN SMALLER AND HARDER TO FIND THAN THAT. >> WE TAP ON THIS. MATT TO START, YOU CAN DOWOANLD : A GEO-CACHING APP AND USE THE GPS ON YOUR PHONE TO FIND A CACHE NEAR YOU. >> THERE ARE A LOT OF CACHES AROU ND.U THEY’RE EVERYWHERE. EVERYWHERE AROUND YOU. MATT: AND SHE’S NOT KIDDING. WHEN WE OPENED UP THE APP IN LANCASTER COUNTY CENTRAL PK,AR THE LOCATIONS OF DOZS OFEN GEO-CACHES POPPED UP, ALL WAITING FOR US TO FINDM.HE T I WONDER IF IT’S TAKING US THERE. YOU FOLLOW THE GPS TO ETH VICINITY OF A CACHE. SOMETIMES YOU CAN SPOT THE CACHE ONCE YOU GET CLO.SE I SEE IT. HERE WE .GO WE G OOTUR CACHE. OTHER TIMES YOU NEED CLUES TO TRACK THEM DOWN, ESPECIALLY THE MORE CREATIVELY STASHED CACHES. IT’S A WHITE CONTAINER, IT’S AT EYE LEVEL, AND IT’S AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE. THIS LOOKS LIKE .IT HERE WE GO. WE’RE IN BUSINESS. GEO-CACHING IS ONE OF THOSE UNDERGROUND HOBBIES THAT YOU MIGHT NEVER HAVE HEARD ABOUT. >> YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'’ BLAZE MARKS ON THE TREE. MATT: BUT IF YOU’RE INTO IT, YOU CAN GET INTO IT. IT JUSMAT KES YOU WONDER HOW MANY ARE OUT HERE. >> OH, THEY’RE EVERYWHERE. I MEAN, THEY’RE REALLY EVERYWHERE AROD UNYOU. MATT: BUT FOR BETH, IT’S TNO JUST THE THRILL OF THE HT.UN IT’S WHERE THE HUNT TAKES HER. >> IT GETS ME OUTDOORS TO PLACES WHERE I DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED. MATT: AND IT HELPS HER SEE THE WORLD IN A NEW WAY. LOOKS LIKE WE’RE GETTING CLOSER RE.HE AND I HAVE TO ADMIT -- TALL STUMP -- LET'S S’E IF IT’S IN HERE. IT CAN GET A LITTLE ADDICTING. ARE YOU IN HERE? AFTER FIINNDG A FEW CACHES, I DID’'T WANT TO STOP. AHA, GOT IT. SO WHETHER IT’S AN INCENTIVE TO GET OUTSIDE OR A REASON TO KEEP YOU THERE, FINDING A FEW CACS ALONG THE WAY COULD GO A LONG WAY IN HELPING US APPRECIATE OUR SURROUNDINGS. >> IF WE SEE THE OUTDOORS, THEN WE RESPECT IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT , AND WE HAVE TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE WORLD. MATT: ALL BY LOOKING A LTLEIT MORE CLOSELY TO WHAT’S TUCKED AWAY IN THE WOODS. EX PLORING THE OUTDOORSHILE W LOOKING FOR CACHES AT LANCASTER COUNTY CENTRAL PARK -- OH, I SEITE . I GOT
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Explore Outdoors: Geocaching
As part of our "Explore Outdoors" series, WGAL News 8's Matt Barcaro shows you an activity that forces you to explore your surroundings.When you're immersed in nature and deep in the woods, there's already a lot to see.But there's also likely much more than meets the eye. You just have to know where to look.The person to show you is Beth Katz. When she's out for a walk, she always brings two things: her phone and her observation skills."There's a lot of things that you always have to pay attention to in the outdoors," she said.Katz is geocaching — looking for hidden containers tagged on GPS."There are easy caches and hard caches. The size matters," she said.She showed us some examples of the kinds of caches to look for. Some are the size of an ammo box or bigger, while others are even smaller and harder to find.To start, you can download a geocaching app and use the GPS on your phone to find a cache near you."There are a lot of caches around. They're everywhere, everywhere around you," Katz said.You follow the GPS to the vicinity of the cache.Sometimes you can spot the cache once you get close. Other times, you need clues to track down the more creatively stashed caches.For Katz, it's not just the thrill of the hunt. It's where the hunt takes her."It gets me outdoors, looking around, to places where I didn't know existed," she said.And it helps her see the world in a new way.Whether it's an incentive to get outside or a reason to keep you there, finding a few caches can go a long way in helping us appreciate our surroundings."If we see the outdoors, then we respect it and take care of it and we have to be good stewards of the world," she said.If you find a cache, make sure to put it back exactly where you found it so the next person can find it.There are caches hidden in all the places that have been featured in the "Explore Outdoors" series. Send us your suggestionsIf there's a place in the Susquehanna Valley that Matt should check out or an activity he should try, email us at news8@wgal.com.

As part of our "Explore Outdoors" series, WGAL News 8's Matt Barcaro shows you an activity that forces you to explore your surroundings.

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When you're immersed in nature and deep in the woods, there's already a lot to see.

But there's also likely much more than meets the eye. You just have to know where to look.

The person to show you is Beth Katz. When she's out for a walk, she always brings two things: her phone and her observation skills.

"There's a lot of things that you always have to pay attention to in the outdoors," she said.

Katz is geocaching — looking for hidden containers tagged on GPS.

"There are easy caches and hard caches. The size matters," she said.

She showed us some examples of the kinds of caches to look for. Some are the size of an ammo box or bigger, while others are even smaller and harder to find.

large geocache container
WGAL
A large geocache container.
small geocache container
WGAL
A small geocache container.

To start, you can download a geocaching app and use the GPS on your phone to find a cache near you.

"There are a lot of caches around. They're everywhere, everywhere around you," Katz said.

geocaching app
WGAL
An app shows geocache locations in Lancaster County Central Park.

You follow the GPS to the vicinity of the cache.

Sometimes you can spot the cache once you get close. Other times, you need clues to track down the more creatively stashed caches.

For Katz, it's not just the thrill of the hunt. It's where the hunt takes her.

"It gets me outdoors, looking around, to places where I didn't know existed," she said.

And it helps her see the world in a new way.

Whether it's an incentive to get outside or a reason to keep you there, finding a few caches can go a long way in helping us appreciate our surroundings.

"If we see the outdoors, then we respect it and take care of it and we have to be good stewards of the world," she said.

WGAL's Matt Barcaro finds a geocache.
WGAL
Matt finds a geocache.

If you find a cache, make sure to put it back exactly where you found it so the next person can find it.

There are caches hidden in all the places that have been featured in the "Explore Outdoors" series.


Send us your suggestions

If there's a place in the Susquehanna Valley that Matt should check out or an activity he should try, email us at news8@wgal.com.