I can still feel the compass in my hand, clear plastic, neon green and orange accents, tiny numbers and lines etched in black, heavy with the weight of responsibility. This one was my own, and it was no small deal to a young girl. I held that compass in one hand and my global positioning unit in the other as I swiveled back and forth to find my bearings. Then off we went on our hunt.

Geocaching was in its fledgling years when my family happened upon it twenty years ago, this new sport that yoked together hiking and a treasure hunt—a child’s dream afternoon. And so many afternoons it filled me with the thrill of pursuit and the wonder of the outdoors.

Of course, there was no way to know back then, that two decades later I would again be strapping on my tennis shoes and swiveling left to right to center the compass arrow, this time with a newborn baby strapped to my chest, and three little boys bounding ahead of me and my husband on the trail.

“Mom, Ellis found an X!” Our oldest exclaimed last week, when we ventured out on our first family geocache hunt. His little brother had bent low and placed two sticks over each other on top of the dry dusty ground. “X marks the spot!” they had chanted that morning, when we announced that a treasure hunt was on the day’s agenda.

Rising from his X-mark, he was completely unaware, this being his first geocache, what kind of treasure we were actually hunting for, the one that still laid hidden a half mile up the trail. I, on the other hand, grinned in expectancy at what our boys would soon happen upon. I have a treasure chest full of memories from these hunts, and as we hiked, those recollections began to wash over me as swiftly and full as the river running beside us. All those years, those hundreds of miles logged, they imprinted themselves into my spirit as our shoes so long ago left their marks on those trails.

I can still feel the prickly bristle of tall field grass as I hiked next to my parents, wishing I had worn long pants. I can taste the over-soft ramen soup we brought with one afternoon in a thermos to greet us after a morning of treasure hunting. I can smell the sweat from our more difficult hikes. I can hear the bonfire popping embers during our weekend-long geocaching campouts. I can feel my heart quicken when my dad would announce that we were close enough to begin hunting, and my brother, sister and I would race to find the treasure.

Back then the treasure in my mind was that small container full of trinkets in the hollow of a tree, or perhaps under a stack of rocks. I am sure the canister full of goodies nested in the brush underneath a pine tree was my boys’ treasure today, too. But I, two decades later, found the treasure when I stopped to look up, surrounded by 14-thousand-foot mountains, my family hiking before and beside and behind me. Even strapped to me. That was when I understood what it must have felt like for my parents all those years ago, and why time and time and time again, year after year, they invited us back to those trails, even into our teenage years. They knew, and I now know so much more fully, that the treasure is found on that trail and those who walk it with us.

As my parents invested their time in me and my siblings, I gained a complete education on those trails. It was there that I learned perseverance. That after hiking two miles down a trail and finding your treasure, you still have to hike two miles back out. It was there that I discovered a deep love for the outdoors. It was there that I learned about community as my parents organized events for fellow treasure-hunting-families to join us on the trails. It was there that I learned that time spent with those you love is never time wasted.

Here are a few tips for starting out on your own first family Geocache!

• Download the official Geocache app on your phone
• To access the “true” geocaches that include a hike of some sort, you will probably need to upgrade to the pro version, which is $30 a year. Twenty years ago we had to invest a couple hundred dollars in a compass and GPS until, so I was happy to pay the $30 app fee 😉
• Open up the map in the app, and choose a geocache nearby, with a 2-3 level difficulty. Look for one that includes a hike in the description.
• Ease your family in by not attempting the long hikes too early. Especially with small children, be realistic with how long they will want to hike. Try to choose one that will challenge them, but not ruin them for the experience. And of course, pack snacks and water 😉
• Bring a few small trinkets (Matchbox cars, figurines, Lego characters, etc.) Some geocaches have small trinkets you can trade. Take one leave one.
• Remember to sign the log book. Most have physical notebooks in them to leave a note that you were there, and you can also Log the cache in the app
• Begin storing away priceless memories that your children will treasure for decades to come!