Hobbies And Interests
Geocaching
Geocaching is a treasure hunt that involves finding a set of coordinates on a GPS device, going to those coordinates and finding a small box or other package. Although the GPS coordinates given are always correct, caches are often well hidden and may take a great deal of ingenuity to find. While the standard cache might be a simple metal box hidden under a tree in a public park, the challenge level in geocaching can be as high as you want it to be. Some caches incorporate puzzles and multiple locations, while others are perched on steep hiking trails or even under water. To prevent nasty surprises, cache hiders fully disclose the challenge level of a cache when posting it online. When you find a cache, take an item from the box, leave an item of your own and sign the log book. Although caches sometimes contain valuable items, the real value of geocaching is in seeing new places.
Metal Detecting
In 2010, a British man found a pot of thousands of Roman coins with an estimated value of millions of dollars. He did not find the coins while braving shark-infested waters to explore a sunken ship—he found them with a metal detector. As with any treasure hunt, great finds while searching for buried metal are rare. However, you never know what you might find just below the surface of the earth. Perhaps your own back yard holds a small cache of buried silver coins or a lost gold necklace. The fun of metal detecting is in the thrill of the unknown, and you can cover a great deal more land with a group than you can on your own.
Alternate Reality Games
In an alternate reality game, you become a character, bringing a fictional story into the real world. Alternate reality games might take place over the Internet, on the phone or in person. For example, in 2007, the band Nine Inch Nails began planting items at tour stops: T-shirts, fliers and even USB memory sticks with coded messages. Fans decoded the messages, learning about the back story and hearing songs from the upcoming Nine Inch Nails album. In 2005, a card game called Perplex City was released. Players worked out the puzzles in each pack of cards and entered their answers online. However, the cards also told a story that led to hidden websites, and ultimately, a buried cube in England. The cube contained £100,000, or $200,000. While not all alternate reality games have fabulous prizes, they do encourage lateral thinking and teamwork, and the puzzles may have you stumped for weeks, if not longer.