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.
LANCASTER, Pa. — 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.
WGAL
A large 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.
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
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.