So we decided to branch out…er literally…and offer a few options to the Geocacher’s Standard Military Ammo Can. 

In addition to the Wilderness Log, which is currently part of our Geocapsuling package, we have introduced two smaller geocaching containers that look rather like unremarkable rocks.  Hmm, what a concept.

The Cap Rock is too small for a hat, but is large enough for a small stash. 

And the Round Rock is round… and looks amazingly like a rock.

Hard to be too creative here.

Neither is likely to attract much attention, and of course, that’s the object of the game.  A GPS will find these babies sooner than a non-geocacher will stumble over an ammo can.

They’re all made of structural polyurethane and guaranteed to last a thousand years or your money back. You can link to these from our Geocapsuling Products page.

The Cascade Mountains here in Washington State have been vibrating with spring the last few days. So we headed for high ground where I took a few incidental photos, not of the stunning snow caps, but rather a few example-shots of our rock and log clones. These were not remote locations; I simply wanted to identify in photographs, how easily the geocapsules blend into different environments.

Though we saw nobody else on our walk along Lake Keechelus at Snoqualmie Pass, it’s always funny to anticipate people’s thoughts when they see a guy carrying a heavy-boulder and a camera.   

Even when the surrounding geology is basalt, the Granite geocapsule still mingles as though it belongs. A rock is pretty much a rock to your brain, wherever it lives. 

There will always be well-intended environmentalists who huff at those who leave a cache behind, and geocachers have withstood this occasional derision while becoming more aware and responsible about cache placements. This new adventure called Geocapsuling is an attempt to nudge the sport even further in that direction.

The WIlderness Log blends with most any downed timber.

This concept is based on a sport called Geocapsuling, which is fully explained in the pages of our website. It has markings of the higher profile Geocaching activity, but it differs in a few distinct ways. The caches for Geocapsuling are prepared for just one or more family members, not groups of recurring public visitors, as in Geocaching. They are left in an environmentally camouflaged housing, not exposed in the plastic Tupperware containers that are typical for Geocaching. And unlike Geocaching, these personal time capsules provide a dual family connection for both those who leave the cache and those who retrieve it.

Two elements comprise the Geocapsule cache: a small stainless steel time capsule and a separate polyurethane housing, which is a replica of an actual rock or log. The realistic replicas are virtually indiscernible from any other natural feature, even on close inspection. This is the key to a successfully placed Geocapsule.

Geocapsuling is a family oriented event. So while this may be a celebration with Dad, it is also an opportunity for both parents to leave a small generational gift to the children. An incentive for your own kids to repeat an experience that will remain with them years into the future.

A time capsule adventure has all the elements of a GPS based wilderness treasure hunt. And the fun is shared twice: first by those who plan it, and then by older kids when they revisit the treasure-trove.

Protecting capsule contents for an extended stay and choosing a remote and legal drop-site are two important factors to consider.
 
What do you include inside your own time capsule? Well, the sturdy stainless containers are slightly larger than a soft drink can, but you will find room for private notes, a few photos, a personal item or two. The kids might even insert their own handwritten greetings to themselves…for later reading. And Dad could slip in a personal gift, keepsake or remembrance for unveiling later.

In future years, the opportunity to return to the site of a deep woods family adventure could be a priceless event. But that adventure need not extend over decades. Short months can also separate the visits.

Like Geocaching, the Geocapsuling episode leaves something behind. Would it be "littering", as some have claimed? That may be a hard sell to hundreds of thousands of current and responsible Geocaching devotees around the world. And because Geocapsuling incorporates so many alluring elements of a wilderness treasure hunt, the camouflaged gems left during an earlier adventure are not likely to be abandoned or forgotten by any intended recipient. Still, you should read the information about Retrieval Folders.

As with Geocaching, some public lands are off limits to Geocapsuling. Our Time In A Capsule website provides help in identifying both public and private land alternatives where this adventure can take place.

We haven’t made significant changes to our web site for several years. But inquiries (worldwide) continue to come in about this little known adventure, so we decided to expand our pages to provide much more detail.

We’ve also changed our methods to include a new concept which helps facilitate above ground placement of small, hidden time capsules in our remote backcountry. These are Hollow-Rock and Hollow-Log Geocapsules. 

If you have no idea what a Geocapsuling Adventure is, you can read more about it first on our Home page and then on the Geocapsuling Basics page.

This upgraded site traces the entire family-time-capsule activity from start to finish.  You’ll find it’s a bit like geocaching, but much more personal. And it truly involves the whole family as it interconnects generations.

In coming weeks we’ll cover more about this evolving topic and demonstrate many different ways you can become involved. Meanwhile, take a look at the new site and start planning your own family adventure.