Some discover geocaching through friends. Others via Google. Meet Kamskjell87. She discovered the hobby by calling the police.
From suspicion to addiction
One evening in 2015, while working a hospital shift in Tønsberg, she and her colleagues noticed two men behaving suspiciously in the parking garage. They looked like they were snooping around cars, so the team decided to call the police – unaware they were witnessing their first encounter with geocaching. The patrol arrived but quickly drove off again. The explanation over the phone? “They're doing something called geocaching.”
Curious, one of her colleagues created an account on Geocaching.com, and a few days later they went out for their first cache hunt – dragging along Kamskjell87, who had just picked her fresh new caching nickname.
First cache, first find
Her first find was a traditional cache near the canal bridge in Tønsberg. The container was in such bad shape they weren't sure it was the right one, but it turned out to be correct. When that cache was later archived, she was quick to adopt the location and place a new one there – in memory of her very first find.
A new perspective
Geocaching has changed her life in many ways – socially and personally.
She’s made new friends, become more confident traveling solo, and discovered places she would never have visited otherwise – even hidden corners in her own hometown. After attending a concert in Glasgow with two non-geocaching friends, she stayed behind and took the train to London alone. Her plan? Cache and sightsee for an entire week. She's also toured Northern Norway solo, sleeping in her car for weeks at a time.
In total, she estimates having spent 8–10 weeks a year geocaching and sleeping in the car. She has attended several mega- and giga-events in Norway and abroad with trusted caching companions.
2025 kicked off with something truly unique: a block party event in a German man's backyard with over 2,000 attendees. – It was surreal to be that many people in a private garden. The vibe was electric, and it became an experience I’ll never forget.
Another unforgettable memory? Norway's Constitution Day in 2020. With the country in lockdown, she and her caching cohort packed their hiking gear and headed to Østfold. There, they paddled a canoe between trees and fished caches from branches – geocaching-style. That day also marked her milestone: find number 10,000. Celebrating May 17th this way, surrounded by nature and caching joy, felt like pure freedom in an otherwise quiet, restricted time.
One more highlight: a visit to the exact spot where Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany meet. – It felt surreal to stand there with my feet firmly planted in three different countries. I was literally in three places at once without taking a single step. It was such a fun and unusual moment.
Daily life and planning
Geocaching also influences her everyday life:
– I rarely travel somewhere without checking for caches. If I have to choose between two temp jobs, I check how many caches are nearby. I need something to do in my free time!
Like many committed geocachers in Norway, she maintained a daily streak for over 1,000 days. She still protects a 20-day gap with no caching that she's determined to keep as her only blank space.
Favorites: Challenges and community
Among all cache types, challenge caches are her favorite – especially the ones she doesn’t yet qualify for.
– It gives me motivation! It’s supposed to be a challenge. I love publishing challenges that require solid planning and sometimes even international travel. For example, some require logging certain container sizes (like micro or small) on all 366 calendar days, or achieving specific D/T combinations.
Other examples include:
Finding caches in different countries or regions
Visiting a set number of caches with high favorite points
Completing a full D/T grid or calendar matrix (D/T stands for Difficulty and Terrain – each rated from 1 to 5)
She finds great satisfaction in working toward clear goals and long-term challenges. It adds a layer of accomplishment and makes the hobby even more rewarding.
Even more rewarding? When other cachers message her to say they’re actively working to qualify for one of her challenge caches. Seeing others inspired by her hides is incredibly fulfilling.
She’s also a fan of events – from early morning meetups to T5 water events, where you paddle or swim out to sign the log. – Events might be the best part of geocaching, she says. You meet people, share stories, get help if you're stuck – and most importantly, plan new adventures together. I've made so many memories during week-long event series and group hikes. The community really is what makes this hobby shine.
One of her favorite adventure caches is GC2181 Junker-52 – a WWII plane wreck high in the mountains of Ringebu. The 18 km hike took six hours, and every minute was worth it.
A lifelong hobby
Geocaching has become a central part of her life. As of May 2025, Kamskjell87 has logged over 28,000 finds – a testament to both her passion and persistence.
– I don’t think I’ll quit anytime soon. I have great caching friends, and there’s still so much to see and do. But it’s important not to let geocaching take over your whole life. Sometimes I skip a cache trip to celebrate a birthday or hang out with non-cachers. And one thing’s for sure: geocaching isn’t free!
Geocaching creates memories in all kinds of ways. Somewhere in Lithuania, two men still remember a trip to Norway that ended with a police visit – all because of geocaching. We can only imagine how they told the story back home: “We were searching under cars... then the police came... but it was all part of the plan!” They even logged the cache with style: "Found it – with help from the local police. #Lithuaniangeocachers"
Little did they know that their sneaky parking garage hunt would launch the career of another lifelong cacher.
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