"Geocaching" is a seamless blend of GPS technology and an exciting treasure hunt. It's so much fun you'll barely notice the healthy outdoor exercise you're getting as you hunt for a hidden geocache!
The idea is simple: individuals and organizations around the world setup hidden caches, which consist of a container with a log book, a pen, and usually some "treasures." The log book may have information about the cache's founder, visitors to the cache, nearby attractions, locations of other caches, and more. Most caches have simple treasures, such as books, CDs, toys, coins, tools, etc. The coordinates of these caches are published on Groundspeak's geocaching site (www.geocaching.com) and individuals use their GPS units to find them. Many of the geocachers use a dedicated GPS device, but a Pocket PC GPS solution such as those from Teletype (www.teletype.com) or Pharos (www.pharosgps.com) will work well, too. The World Navigator software that comes with Teletype GPS units (Screen1) displays more navigational information at once and is a little more geocaching-friendly.
Screen 1: Pocket PC GPS solutions such as the Teletype World Navigator work well for geocaching. You may begin your adventure by using this GPS in your automobile (or on your bike with the aid of a National Products Inc. RAM mount:
www.ram-mount.com) to guide you to the general vicinity of the cache. Then you carry the GPS with you as you walk the final distance to the cache.
When you find a cache, you sign the logbook. You're free to take a treasure from the cache, but you are expected to leave something in its place. If it is a themed cache, it is best to leave an object which fits the theme. A cache's theme may be music CDs, hats, a color (such as green), etc.
Tens of thousands of caches are hidden around the world. To see the ones in your area, go to Geocaching.com and enter your zip code into the geocache locator in the top right. When I entered my zip code, I found forty caches within 5 miles of my location in the San Francisco Bay area--a few weeks later there were 50. Geocaching is growing fast!
The Geocaching. com Web site lists the caches by name. Click on the "details" link to see a cache's location by latitude and longitude, clues to help you find the cache, and a log of the previous visitors. Some of the logs reveal prizes in the cache, which can include erasers, key chains, Blockbuster video cards, CD's, and a lot more. When you log your cache experiences on this site, it keeps a record of them for you. You can also have notifications about certain caches sent to you--for example, when logs entries are added--so that you can be aware of the activity.
Finding the cache can take you to fascinating places that you probably would not have experienced otherwise. The prize exchange is rewarding, but some visitors leave something without taking anything, or just fill out the logbook--the thrill of discovery is enough for them.
The logbook is usually full of entries about prize exchanges and about the experiences the visitors had finding the cache. Some caches contain a disposable camera, which is to be used by visitors to take photos of themselves. The cache owner may post these on the Web at some point.
Besides all of the rewards of discovering inspiring places and gadgets, geocaching can be rewarding for the environment as well. Geocachers are encouraged to carry trash bags so that they can "cache in and trash out" as part of their adventures or at organized events.
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