This past weekend we took the scouts out for their mile long compass course and to find some geocaches. For a couple of the scouts, this was their first experience with geocaching. We went over some of the safety and rules associated with playing the game and how to enter in your coordinates to start. They were hooked after finding the first cache and were no longer considered muggles.

What is a Muggle? Great question. You might recall that this term was created and used in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. In J.K. Rowling’s wonderful stories the term Muggle refers to non-magical folk. In the geocaching world it refers to non-geocachers who know nothing about the game. When other’s advise us to be wary of muggles, it simply means to be careful to not attract attention to the geocache so muggles will not be tempted to plunder the cache and ruin the game for others. If there are a ton of muggles lurking around the cache, best to come back later when less busy.

Remember, sometimes there are items (SWAG) to trade within the geocaches that you find. Be courteous and do not take anything out of the container unless you have something to trade with. You don’t always have to take something from the cache. You could simply sign the log book. Here is a list of items that you could place in other’s geocaches if trading:

Geocaching SWAG

• Key Chains

• Stickers

• Patches

• Pins

• Dollar Store Toys

• Trading Cards

• Foreign Coins

Things to NEVER place within a geocache

• Food

• Knives

• Fireworks

• Ammunition

• Lighters

• Soap / Bubbles / Anything Liquid

Geocaching is a family-friendly activity and cache contents should be suitable for all ages.