Who doesn’t have fond childhood memories of capturing “bugs”? Whether it was ladybugs, fireflies, or the occasional confused beetle, kids have been fascinated by harmless insects for generations. I, for one, was particularly obsessed with inchworms. I’d let them crawl over my hand or up my arm, mesmerized by their signature “hump-and-stretch” technique. (Let’s be honest, they were basically the original trackable bugs—just without the official geocaching code.)
Inchworms get their name from their unique way of moving. Unlike most caterpillars, they lack middle legs, so their movement consists of clasping with their front legs, scooching their rear end up into a dramatic arch, and then reaching forward again. If you watch closely, it’s as if they’re measuring their path, much like a geocacher carefully pacing out ground zero, hoping their GPS isn’t leading them straight into a bush.
Speaking of inchworms, did you know there's an exercise named after them? (Unfortunately, it doesn’t involve hiding a cache under a suspicious-looking log.) The inchworm exercise is a full-body movement that strengthens your front muscles while stretching your back muscles. It also gets the blood pumping, kind of like the rush you feel when you finally spot that cleverly hidden micro after 20 minutes of searching.
The movement itself is exactly what it sounds like: You start standing, reach your arms down, walk your hands forward into a plank, then step your feet forward and stand up again. Repeat until you feel like a worm, or until your geocaching friends start questioning your warm-up routine before a long hike.
So, next time you're out on the trail, doing your best inchworm impression while searching under a bridge or crawling through the brush, just remember, you’re not lost. You’re just measuring your journey.