| Geocaching: A 21st century approach to treasure hunting |
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| Written by Michele Martin | |
 MICHELE MARTIN - Geocaching is gaining a following of more and more people, even though no one can decide on whether it’s a sport, game, or simply a hobby. Regardless, participants agree that trecking across town, or sometime even across the globe, in search of a hidden package can be a lot of fun. Whether a sport, a game or hobby, geocaching has had sweeping popularity all across the world. From California to Wisconsin, and from Germany to Nova Scotia to Italy, geocaching has won over adventure-seekers world wide. There are approximately 50 caches located within a 25-mile radius of Rolla, at least five of which are located inside the city. In addition, there are well over 1000 geocaches within a 100-mile radius. Worldwide, there are more than 260,000 active caches spread throughout 221 countries, according to Shauna Maggs, the marketing manager for Groundspeak, Inc., the company that runs the website geocaching.com. She adds that there are over 1,000,000 active participants throughout the world. Whether you’re looking for an epic hike in the wilderness or a Sunday Stroll in the park, geocaching has something to offer everyone. A geocache is typically a small waterproof container that holds a logbook and a “treasure” that has been hidden at or near a specific GPS coordinate. You never know what can be found inside the geocaches. Some geocaches may contain just a logbook and pencil. The treasures in others can be anything from dinosaur toys, like one of the geocaches found here in Rolla, to jewelry, games, tools, and more. It’s these items that turn the geocache into a treasure. However, there is a twist. The geocaches are not out in the open, but hidden out of plain sight just about anywhere they can be. Caches can be found in trees, under bushes, hidden by rocks, or anything else one can think of. It often takes a little bit of time and thought to find the treasure. Geocaching is a relatively new phenomenon, and has simple rules; if you take something from a cache, you must leave something new in the cache. Writing in the logbook is also highly encouraged. In order to participate in geocaching, a GPS system will most likely be needed. GPS is a device that uses satellites in space to identify a longitude and latitude position anywhere in the world by measuring its distance from at least three satellites, by a process called triangulation. GPS units range drastically in price, as they can be under $100 or well over $1000. Generally, the price of the item goes up as the precision does. The less-expensive GPS units will get you within 20 feet of the exact location. More expensive units can often get you as close as six feet to the exact location. In order to find a geocache, one programs the coordinates of the cache into the GPS unit. These coordinates can easily be found online. In addition to co-ordinates, hints also help the geocache find exactly where the cache can be found. Sometimes hints can be cryptic, and other times the clue can be a helpful tool. To find out more about geocaching, or to find out where exactly you can find one of the geocaches, go to geocaching.com. Reprinted with permission from Rolla Daily News |
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