Treasure hunting of yore meant pirates seeking wooden chests containing gold coins and jewels. Today, however, modern-day geocachers have changed traditions by seeking old peanut butter jars filled with Geocoins and Travel Bugs.
Geocaching - a worldwide treasure-hunting game in which people use Global Positioning System tracking devices to locate caches, or treasure - can be an addicting hobby that combines high-and low-tech strategies and methods.
I use multimillion dollar satellites to find Tupperware
joked Lenie Holbrook, associate professor of business at Ohio University.
Holbrook is referencing the satellites that make this modern-day treasure hunting game possible. With the use of GPS tracking devices, geocachers are able to put coordinates of a cache in their GPS receiver and start their hunt. Caches, the hidden prizes, are logged online at geocaching.com for all geocachers to attempt to find worldwide.
With the increasing availability of GPS devices, geocaching is becoming more popular, but it can be planned outings, specific missions or goals that hook some geocachers like Holbrook.
Over the summer I went 100 consecutive days ... finding a cache Holbrook said. It's all about the numbers. Serious cachers use stats programs for ranking and averaging their finds or caches.
For others, geocaching is about socializing. Geocachers can form groups, such as the Logan Hocking Area Wilderness Geocachers (HAWGs), to discuss upcoming events and learn from fellow cachers. The groups also are used to introduce geocachers' friends to their hobby.
Two of my friends got me into it when they took me out for a little geocaching day
and I was hooked after
said Jessie Fannin, a 2008 graduate of OU. She hasn't had a find since August, but she still advocates the game.
Anyone I have ever taken geocaching has gotten addicted to it
Fannin said.
Within the caches, which range in size from nano to large, cachers can place Travel Bugs and Geocoins.
Travel Bugs have a trackable number that can be logged online. The Bugs are given a mission, such as visiting every state park in the United States, and cachers stash the bugs in geocaches. Geocoins also have a trackable number, but are created as signature items by cachers and can be traded and collected.
I love the find
the hunt
said Arline Bennett, a member of Logan HAWGs who has been geocaching since 2004. I've spent four hours trying to find a cache and was seriously upset when I didn't find it.
Bennett doesn't care what the caches contain and often leaves Travel Bugs inside for others to find.
There are two rules we go by in geocaching
Holbrook said. The first is trade up. When you find a cache
the idea is to replace something of equal value to what you've taken.
This is where Travel Bugs and Geocoins come into play, but people often place trinkets such as key chains and foreign coins on caches.
The second rule is stealth. You must try to disguise what you're doing
Holbrook said. We have a term for non-cachers: muggles. You don't want the muggles to notice what you're doing.
How to Get Started in Geocaching:
Sign up to be a member on geocaching.com.
Search the forums on the Web site to locate cachers in your state who are willing to help.
Purchase the essentials, as listed below.
Put your postal code in the search for benchmarks to find coordinates of caches.
Geocaching Essentials:
GPS device: Purchasing a GPS device is the most costly step to begin geocaching. The GPS must be able to have latitude and longitude inputted into it. Price range from $80 to $600, depending on the number of features. Garmin, Magellan and SkyCaddie are all brands to look for, but you can also find more information at geocaching.com.
Travel Bugs: These trackable tags can be attached to caches - the hidden items - and are transferred from cache to cache. Once you find a cache with a Travel Bug, you can go online to see where else it has been.
Geocoins: The calling card of geocachers, these coins have a trackable number that can be inputted online to determine where else the coin has been.
Cache containers: Designed to hold the cache, these containers can be purchased online or fashioned out of Tupperware or peanut butter jars.
