As any experienced geocacher knows, there\u2019s a lot more to the game than just finding caches and posting logs for your find. There\u2019s also hiding and maintaining caches, engaging with your local geocaching community, and, perhaps most importantly, taking care of the geocaching gameboard aka planet Earth. Following low-impact principles helps outdoor enthusiasts lessen their impact on nature and preserves it for future enthusiasts to enjoy. Here are four principles to remember the next time you head out to make a find.<\/p>\n
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1. Know before you go<\/strong> 2. Stay on the trail<\/strong> 3. Practice your ABCs: Always Be CITO-ing<\/strong> 4. Leave what you find<\/strong> For more information on low-impact principles for outdoor activities, check out the Leave No Trace<\/a> organization. How do you preserve the geocaching gameboard?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As any experienced geocacher knows, there\u2019s a lot more to the game than just finding caches and posting logs for your find. There\u2019s also hiding and maintaining caches, engaging with your local geocaching community, and, perhaps most importantly, taking care of the geocaching gameboard aka planet Earth. Following low-impact principles helps outdoor enthusiasts lessen their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":111530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-111449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Newsletter_0124_Low_Impact_Principles_vFINAL_Blog_800x450.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/inside-geocaching-hq-podcast","embedCode":"
\nAn important first step to a low-impact geocache outing is planning in advance. Before you head out, make sure you\u2019ve checked to see if your destination has particular rules or regulations for visiting geocachers. Also consider planning your outing around times when there won\u2019t be as many people at the location.<\/p>\n
\nIt might be tempting to create your own off-trail route to get to the cache\u2019s coordinates, but the best path is the one that is already established. Stay on paths designated for walkers and hikers and, if you\u2019re on a hiking trail, have your group hike in a single file line.<\/p>\n
\nCache In Trash Out (CITO<\/a>) isn\u2019t just a type of Event Cache, it\u2019s also a lifestyle! Channel that CITO spirit and properly dispose of any trash or litter that your outing generates or encounters while on your search for a geocache.<\/p>\n
\nAs you search for geocaches, leave the flora and fauna you pass as you found them and make sure to replace cache containers without changing their hiding places. The only exception to this rule is when you find trackables or SWAG in a cache. Trading SWAG and helping trackables continue on their journey is a practice you do want to follow.<\/p>\nFour low-impact principles to follow while geocaching<\/a><\/blockquote>