Geocaching

April 5, 2009

Geocaching
Electronic Treasure Hunting

By Rick Coates

It is one of the fastest-growing activities in the silent sports world -- basically a year-round electronic Easter egg hunt. Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) started in 2000 and in the past couple of years it has taken off with an estimated five million enthusiasts in North America and millions more around the world.
Essentially, geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. You simply place a treasure anywhere you want in the world and pinpoint its location using GPS technology and share that location online at geocaching.com or other websites geared toward this activity. Then others using GPS units try and track down the treasure.
Geocaching was developed when an Oregon man hid a treasure in 2000 and posted the GPS coordinates online. The concept was originally called “stash and hunt,” but as it became popular some were worried that “stash” might have negative connotations, so geocaching came from combining geography and cache (a camping term for hiding of food and provisions).
I am an avid geochacer,” said Georg Schluender of Michigan Outdoor Silent Sports Tours. “I am headed out this week for five days of hiking and camping along the 82-mile High Country Pathway in the Pigeon River Country. I will drop several geocaches along the way at various points of interests.”

WHAT IT IS
So exactly what is in a cache?
Caches always contain, at minimum, a logbook. The logbook contains information about the owner of the cache. Each person who finds the cache logs information about themselves as well. Larger caches hold treasures of all sorts. Treasures may range from food and drink items to trinkets for the finder to enjoy. The rule is if you take a treasure you leave a treasure of equal or greater value for the next person.
Once you find a cache you go back to the website where you learned about it and log your experience. While on the surface it may seem easy, sometimes caches are not all that accessible by simply following the GPS receiver points. There may be obstacles.
“I have hidden some caches that require you to kayak to them,” said Schluender. “The great thing about geocaching is anyone, regardless of your age, can do it. It is the perfect opportunity to build relationships among employees at corporate retreats. It is fun for families as well.”
In all there are now close to one million caches located in 110 countries. Northern Michigan has its share of caches, and some involve challenging locations.
“I know of one at the bottom of one of the Twin Lakes in Traverse City, it is down in about 10 feet of water so you have to be a good swimmer,” said Paul Connolly of Grand Rapids who comes to Northern Michigan just about every weekend for geocaching and other silent sports. “My girlfriend and I love it. It is challenging. It is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and we have visited some really cool places up here that we would not have known existed had it not been for geochacing.”

GEOCACHING.COM
There are rules and ethics in the world of geocaching and according to geocaching.com “Cache In Trash Out” (CITO) is one of the most important.
According to their website: “CITO is an ongoing environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community. Since 2002, geocachers have been dedicated to cleaning up parks and other cache-friendly places around the world.”
While the weekend of May 2 is the official worldwide 7th Annual Cache In Trash Out Weekend of events focused on clean up, geocaching enthusiasts are encouraged to take out trash they find during any of their expeditions.
To learn more about the best GPS equipment, the basics of geocaching, how to get started and where caches are located in Northern Michigan, visit geocaching.com where a basic membership is no charge. For anyone interested in creating a geocaching event for a corporate retreat or family outing contact Georg Schluender of Michigan Outdoor Silent Sports tours at 231-350-7080.