Top 6 Reasons To Get Outside During The Winter

Icy rock formation we saw while on a road trip to claim our first out of province Geocache.
January 2018
Photo Credit: Jessie C
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It's Winter here in Canada, a magical time of year to get out and explore. Mother nature hides all sorts of gems across the country under a blanket of snow, including some Geocaches. 2018 is the first year we're attempting to find some winter Caches, follow our blog to keep seeing more winter updates as we find more Geocaches through the Winter months. Getting out of the house can be hard during the winter months, staying indoors where its warm is what many prefer, but for those that love Geocaching here are some reasons to do so in the winter. It's a lot of fun exploring when mother nature lays out a fresh blanket of snow. 

The Winter Views Are Amazing!

I love this location for a Geocache, the natural glow of snow makes the reflection on the ice beautiful. The water on the lake had frozen solid with a small amount of snow that drifted onto its surface. I've got the chance to see this lake back during the Summer months, I find winter has the ability to dramatically change the look of your favourite spots. During the winter months, the lack of humidity provides an opportunity for clear long range views. There was a Geocache hidden perfectly in the tree that rested right beside this lake looking over at an amazing view.

A New View 

You may have a trail that you prefer walking more than others, a favourite trail that holds some of your hidden treasure or favourite Geocaches. Walking those trails again during the winter gives it an entirely new look. I find that trails leading to waterfalls hold the most change during the winter with the mist of the falls freezing certain areas of the trail. Seeing the falls frozen or semi-frozen is always a beautiful sight to see. Even seeing a new trail for the first time is beautiful during the winter months, the snow makes it so magical. My favourite times to walk a trail during the winter is when a new fresh blanket of snow has fallen. When is your favourite time to walk during the winter months? 

Less Crowd In The Trails

I recently walked in a trail the day after a fresh blanket of snow had fallen, I only met up with one other hiker who was leaving the trail as I was entering, it makes for a very peaceful and quiet walk outdoors. Walking trails can be lots of fun when the weather is beautiful, it's when most people want to head out and explore. Geocaching in the winter gives you a chance to walk trails with fewer chances of being seen by Muggles. Geocaching in the winter can be a lot easier in finding certain Geocaches. Often when I arrive at a cache location I can see the previous cachers trail and footprints, it doesn't ruin the game one bit though. Some cachers know this in advance and leave a mess of footprints around the cache to keep things interesting. I would be one of those cachers that leaves a maze of footprints behind in case someone would be following in my footsteps. We never know, right? hehe. 

Double The Workout!

Walking through deep snow can give the body a great workout. Your legs will definitely be doing some double pumping by the time you finished your Geocaching Hunt. Snowshoes are always a great add-on to your winter geocaching fun. It's another great way to get out with the family and have a day filled with fun in the forest. Where I live in Canada we have some events that get other cachers out in snowshoes and skis to hunt for some winter caches that get hidden during the winter months. It keeps the game going, often the older caches freeze over and they lid becomes very difficult to remove. There are many other things to do in the meantime to keep the Geocaching spirit going, try finishing some puzzles or maybe you can work on some swag you want to leave in some Geocaches you will find when the weather warms up again. 

No bugs!!

This one is easy, who doesn't like a bug free hike in the forest? I sure know I love the bug free time of the year. 

New Challenges

Getting a Geocache out from the frozen ground Winter 2018

Winter caching requires a different type of performance than when out summer caching. Often Geocaches can be hidden well in Everygreens, under rocks, under bridges, you name it. The location chosen to hide a Geocache can vary and be very unique depending on the cache owner. Bringing a shovel and other digging tools would be a great idea to bring with you during your Geocaching hunt. Some geocaches get buried pretty far under the white blanket of snow making it difficult to locate the cache, but if you're determined and have the time you can always dig your way to the Cache making the game turn into a real-life treasure hunt during the winter months, it's a lot of fun. 

When the winter comes around often you start seeing a lot of winter friendly caches keeping the game interesting all year round. 

Geocaching in the winter can be a lot of fun, I wish everyone who played this hobby had the chance to try it out at least once. 

-33c/ This was me claiming our very first our of province Geocache for our souvenir. Winter 2018

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog! 😊

* Happy Caching *

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