> Staying up on GPS technique is going to become a very useful skill > someday...
It already is. I'm an avid off-roader and belong to a club and another organization which do lots of community service such as shuttling emergency personnel and elderly during inclement weather conditions, assisting the county Sheriffs Office with Search & Rescue operations, delivering meals to shut-ins, etc. We also do trail mapping for the Oregon Dept. of Forestry on occasion. We use the GPS to track our movements and plot the routes on their map overlays. This lets them know which trails we are using so they can use the information when doing forest recreation planning.
Geocaching happens to be a fun way to use the tool. Personally, I enjoy the hikes and the hunt. I plan on bringing my daughter along on future hunts (she's only 6 months now) and I've no doubt she'll really enjoy the 'treasure hunt'. If that's wasting time, then I'm a useless son-of-a-gun :)