Geocaching - Treasure Hunting For Adults

Posted on Jul 25 2007 in Feature Articles

By Josh Measures

 

With the rising popularity of GPS technology, some people are discovering new uses for their gadgets.

Enter Geocaching.

According to Wikipedia, Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a GPS receiver to hide and seek containers around the world.

While Geocaching has only been around for roughly seven years, the game’s popularity has taken off recently, as the once exorbitantly priced gadgets have now become more cost-friendly.

The participants in the game hide and search for containers called ‘caches’. The players armed only with GPS co-ordinates and a couple of clues search for the caches in every kind of territory and every kind of condition. These caches, which range in size, can be just big enough to hold a small notebook of paper, or up to nearly 5L in size.

Inside the cache is the treasure. While there may not be a pot of gold waiting for you at the end of your trip, you can expect to find a log book, and some toys, trinkets, or items of personal significance.

Many websites, such as navicache.com and geocaching.com, have been set up to aid the Geocaching rookie. Some tips include how to pack a cache and the general rules of the game.

According to geocaching.com, as of July 20th, 2007, there are more than 3000 known caches in Nova Scotia alone. Check out N 45° 20.226′ W 060° 59.737′ for a little surprise. What are you waiting for? Get out and get caching!