What is a Geocache Sketch Crawl?
Geocaching is a hide and seek game of sorts where the seeker uses GPS locations to hike outdoors and locate a cached container with unknown contents of various sorts—usually for trading—visitors take something and leave something in exchange. It stems from and is related to orienteering. Geocaching participants typically find the challenge of finding the geocache fun and exciting and feel rewarded when successfully navigating to its location to discover whatever treasure may be enclosed.
A Sketch Crawl is when people go from location to location to document what they are interested in and see at that site in a sketchbook.
A Geocache Sketch Crawl (GSC), then, is a combination of the two, where the geocache is sought in order to discover a place where one may be inspired to take a moment to observe and sketch. The idea is to notice the natural surroundings, consider how elements relate and work together in the ecosystem, and to capture a few thoughts and observations in a sketchbook.
Even better, in this geocache sketch crawl, what is observed and noted at one place can be shared with others to make a compilation of recordings over time, marking a location’s unique characteristics. It will capture a sense of place. Participants just need to take a photo of their work and upload it to the GSC drive or leave behind a sketch in the geocache box for me to collect. I will upload sketches to this blog to share. Over time it will culminate in a kind of informal gallery.
I generated this fun challenge because I love being in the woods, on the prairie, and rambling outside to discover the elements and beings we share our natural world with. My idea came to fruition as a capstone project for an Iowa Master Naturalist Course (www.iowamasternaturalists.org), directed and taught by Elisabeth Swain. Inline with a naturalist’s goal, I wanted to help people slow down and engage with nature. As an artist and scientific illustrator, I know first hand how sketching can draw one into the subject matter, reveal intricacies usually passed by, and encourage a sense of appreciation or wonder.
I hope you will join me and participate! To Begin, see the next post and GPS coordinates to get started. Each box will have sketching materials and a QR code for liking to the site to post sketches. Leave me a note or sketch from the locations you find! I am eager to learn about what you unique elements you observe!