There is a hi-tech type of treasure hunting happening, maybe under your very nose. If you don’t already know about it, it’s called Geocaching!
The hobby (or obsession) of geocaching began in 2000 when military satellite signals were unscrambled, allowing GPSr (Global Positioning Satellite receivers) to accurately pinpoint locations around the world. Someone in Oregon decided to hide a container with a prize in it, post the position on the internet and see if anyone would find it. Now there are over 500,000 caches hidden world-wide and thousands of treasure hunters searching for them.
We (Jim and I) have been geocachers for several years now. We’re always ready to go, along with any friends or family members that we can convince to go with us. After introducing this activity to numerous friends, they too have become keen cachers. All agree that it is a great activity to do with the grandchildren. And, it’s a hobby that you can do around home or anywhere you travel. We have met fellow “geonuts” on trails and in parks. Mention geocaching on the golf course or at the campground and don’t be surprised if others enthusiasts make themselves known.
It requires the use of a GPS to locate the co-ordinates where the treasure is hidden. The co-ords will be listed on the cache page when you log into geocaching.com and choose the general area that you want to search. You will need to open an account (it’s free, or become a premium member and pay your dues). The site will also give you information about the difficulty of the search and the terrain for hiking. It will tell you if the “treasure” is a small box, a plastic lunch container or a micro as small as the end of your little finger. Sometimes a clue will be given too. Don’t forget to read the logs of others who have searched and look at the picture gallery for some more clues - you might need them.
Now you are off! Take along a walking stick, a jug of water, your camera and some trade items, as well as your GPS. Try not to disturb the area where the cache is hidden and don’t leave any garbage (geocachers like to CITO - cache in, trash out). Inside the cache container will be a log book to record the find and sometimes trade items if you brought something to exchange. You might even be lucky and find a Travel Bug (TB) or a geocoin that was put in there to travel to other caches. Only take it if you promise to log it on the computer and move it along. Hide the cache container just like you found it.
Here is the family group (minus Grandma with the camera, and the little kids who were way ahead on the path looking for clues on a beech tree). It was a beautiful hiking day along the Bruce Trail which follows the Niagara Escarpment to the tip of the Bruce Penninsula. Not all of the hikers made it to the top of the escarpment.
Finding the “treasure” is a highlight for the kids. Everyone can trade from the swag bag if they see something in the box they really like.
Once you are back home, log your find on the website and leave an interesting note for the person who hid the cache. In no time at all you will have caught the bug and be out looking for more treasures and perhaps hiding some of your own.
After several “finds” you will probably narrow your searches according to your own preferences. I especially like to go to natural areas with good walking trails and of course to gardens. You will be surprised to know that most public parks, botanical gardens, arboretums, and even private gardens have hidden geocaches.
We have found caches hidden under rocks that weren’t really rocks, under a tree root after following a trail of reflectors after dark, in a hollow screwdriver “lost” in the woods, in a fake pine cone hanging unobtrusively on a bough, and in numerous other imaginative spots. We’ve also hidden a few too and have ideas for several more.
The next time you see senior citizens crawling under a park bench, don’t be too quick to judge them. They are on the hunt and determined to get their count for the day.
If someone looks at you suspiciously while you are searching, try to act inconspicuous. Pretend your GPS is a phone, or tell them you lost the lens cap for your camera, or hand them a little card that says: “I’m using multi-million dollar surveillance satellites to find tupperware in the woods - what are you doing?”
Now, here’s something new I’ve just started. Waymarking.com lists thousands of sites you can discover with or without a GPS. In waymarking the location is the treasure. These sites are in lots of public places where it wouldn’t be sensible to hide a cache. There are hundreds of natural areas - close to four hundred gardens and twenty-four flower fields already listed. That should keep me busy!
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