It was about a year ago that I learned of this concept called geocaching. One of my sorority sisters, Emily, wrote an article about it, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. After speaking with her about it, I decided to give it a go while being totally unaware that I was getting myself into an extremely addictive hobby.

Geocaching is essentially a real-life outdoor treasure hunt. There are millions of geocaches around the world that have been placed by fellow geocachers. The types of caches are just as unique as the concept itself. There are microcaches (very small containers that are often no bigger than a large pill), small caches (about the size of a sandwich), regular caches (often an ammo can or large Tupperware container), and large caches (about the size of a bucket). Each of these caches contains one or more prizes for trading and a log book.

Additionally, there are multi-caches, which require you to find multiple caches before you find the real one; EarthCaches, which are geographic locations that give you an educational lesson; mystery caches, which involve a puzzle that you have to solve to find the real cache; and the list just goes on and on. Each cache is different, which is what makes it so much fun!

My first cache was an extremely easy find. It was a small pill bottle-sized container that was zip-tied to a tree. After I found my first cache, I must have spent another two hours geocaching around the area because it was so addictive. I continued to geocache throughout the summer and some into the fall before it got too cold.

I've never been a real outdoorsy person. In fact, I would spend most of my summers in high school inside because I hated the heat, bugs and mosquitoes, sweating, and getting dirty -- things that all came with geocaching. But there was something about geocaching that just kept drawing me back. Perhaps it was the satisfaction of finding "just one more" or maybe it was the sense of adventure that I never have felt before. Either way, I was able to ignore all of the things I hated about the outdoors and ventured into parks and wooded areas to find my next treasure box.

I think everyone should try geocaching at least once. It teaches valuable lessons to not only adults but to kids as well.

Geocaching teaches people how to love the outdoors. As I mentioned before, prior to my first geocaching experience, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with the outdoors. Now, whenever it is nice outside, my first instinct is to go geocaching. While I still wouldn't consider myself a total outdoor girl, I can appreciate nature much more now.

Geocaching teaches people how to clean up the environment. Geocachers have the belief of "cache in, trash out," meaning that you should leave the environment around the cache in better shape than you found it. If you see a piece of trash, pick it up and throw it away. Some may say that the geocaches themselves are trash, but I would have to argue otherwise.

Geocaching teaches persistence. There are times when I stumble across a geocache that has been hidden very well. Often I feel like giving up, but the desire to discover such a difficult find overwhelms my feelings of doubt. When I do find the difficult cache, I feel extremely accomplished and proud of myself.

Geocaching teaches equal trading. One of the most basic rules of geocaching is that if you take something from the cache, you must put back something of equal or greater value. For example, if you find a penny, you should put a nickel or a dime back. You should never put something that is of lesser value back in the cache.

Geocaching teaches passion. This has truly become one of my favorite hobbies. I have gone caching with other friends and introduced them to the game. I have cached all over my hometown and even in Kentucky when I was on vacation. I just can't get enough of it, and that is when you know you are passionate about something.

So go on and try it! I promise you won't regret it. You can download the app from the App Store and visit the website for more information about it! It is the hobby you didn't know you needed in your life. It will benefit you in more ways than one. Happy caching!