A French author once wrote that it “is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves.” It’s true adventure often affords us the chance to reconnect with the natural world around us and, in the process, to reconnect with ourselves, but that's not the only appealing thing about adventure. It's also exciting and challenging and flat out fun.There’s an element of intrigue in trying to decipher clues, in putting together the pieces of a puzzle, and in discovering the whereabouts of some hidden cache. Adventure plays upon our inherent sense of curiosity and it also appeals to our ancient need for a quest of sorts. There’s an almost indescribable exhilaration that results from venturing into the unknown and coming out again. And that feeling is magnified when you’re able to make some discoveries along the way.
Geocaching and Letterboxing are two modern twists on classic outdoor adventure. “Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online.” Letterboxing, though very similar, also adds in an element of creativity as many letterboxers create their own unique stamps. Collecting the various stamps from one’s journey is as much a part of the fun as anything else.
The treasure itself is at the heart of the adventure (even when you don’t know exactly what the treasure is). And there are a variety of treasures to be found in the caches like geocoins and patches and travel bugs which you’re supposed to take with you and hide somewhere else. This creats a sort of domino effect as each person who finds the travel bug takes it somewhere else. One Steuben County travel bug has been making its way around the globe and is currently in Maryland. The cache itself, in this case, also goes on an adventure and, in doing so, connects people
from all over the world. Letterbox caches are usually more about collecting unique stamps as verification of your journey. You get the coordinates, head off into the wild (or down Main Street perhaps), you discover a cache or a geological seal, stamp your log book to show where you’ve been and you mark the book in the cache with your own personalized stamp. In a way, you leave a little of yourself, a little evidence of your personality behind. you sort of quietly say, hello world, I’ve been here. both geocaching and letterboxing combine the great outdoors and technology and you get to go back at the end of your quest and share your story, so to speak, with other people who have something in common with you, people you might not ever meet, but with whom you share a connection.Take a walk in a park or in the woods or along the shore of a body of water and you’ll feel an inescapable sense of ease come over you and sense of the way it’s supposed to be. That might just be the best treasure of all.
Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort has 10 caches hidden on the campground. You can use your own GPS or rent one.
Sojourn Geocache Trail
A Few Geocaches and Letterboxes in Corning & the Finger Lakes:
Geocaches
LetterBoxing Getting Started
Canisteo Living Sign
Hammondsport
Jasper
Other Useful Information:
Essentials for Outdoor Adventuring
*top photo courtesy of Kirk House
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