Discovering Trackables

This article was originally published on Cache Up NB. It has been mirrored here for archive purposes only.

Although geocaching has traditionally been about finding a container, signing the log, and then moving on to the next one, there’s always been side activities that have fascinated many of us. One of those side activities is the world of trackable items.

For those who are not in the know, trackable items refer to a specific geocaching “item” that has been tagged with a trackable ID tag. This 6 character code allows you to look up the particular item and learn of where it has been to. It shows the complete history of each person who has had the trackable item in their possession to the specific caches it has resided in. Yes, trackable items do move from one container (or event) to another in an effort to try and accomplish their “mission”. In many cases, those missions could be simply to get to a specific spot, or perhaps race other travelers around the world somewhere.

Now from this side activity, there’s also another subset of the travel bug/geocoin community: discovering. Although bugs and coins are meant to travel, for many individuals, it’s not so much about getting them to move, but discovering them. The idea with discovering them is that you simply use the trackable code to indicate that you have “discovered” or seen the trackable item.

These discoverable trackables can be found all over the place. People have them on ID tags, bumper stickers, window clings, dog tags, and even tatoos. There are all over the place. It also seems that the art of discovering is even more popular than the idea of moving trackables around. At mega events, people will have entire tables filled with codes that people can discover so they can add that extra trackable icon to their profile. I even have a magnetic trackable bug on the back of my minivan.

I find it incredibly fascinating how many people are truly into the entire “discover” thing. it’s something that I have never been able to get into, nor have I understood why people are so excited about discovering new bugs and coins. But therein lies the beauty of this game. For those who may not be able to get out and cache as much as they did at one time, perhaps discovering is something that helps keep them in the game.

Do you discover? If so, why? What is it about this unique side activity that fascinates you? Share your thoughts below.

Lastly, if you are into discovers, feel free to track my van:

TB5FH0Z