An Introduction to Geocaching
Contents
1. one of the first Web sites devoted to the sport and currently the largest geocaching site on the Net had over 91 000 active geocaches listed in its database spread out among 201 countries And that number continues to grow each day That s a lot of caches out there to find 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page ne 10 Part I Getting Ready to Geocache Although geocaching is based on a fairly simple idea you need to understand a number of basic things or at least be aware of them before you get started That s what this chapter is all about I show you exactly what geocaching is how the sport got started why you should geocache and what you ll need to get started with the sport What Is Geocaching If you re reading this book there s a good chance you ve heard about geocaching or saw the title on a bookstore shelf wondered what the heck it was and started flipping through pages The rising popularity of the sport has gotten a fair amount of media attention Maybe you read a newspaper or magazine article about it or perhaps heard friends talking about some of their geocaching adventures Geocaching technology Geocaching relies on two technologies The Internet Various Web sites list the coordinates of geo caches that you can search for 1 GPS The satellite based Global Positioning System which everyone calls GPS for short is used to help you zero in on the location of geocaches I discu2. qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page e EN Chapter 1 An Introduction to Geocaching 1 7 Orienteering versus geocaching One big difference between orienteering and geocaching is that in the former the control points are marked with very visible orange and white flags In geocaching the caches tend to be carefully hidden out of sight You can go geocaching without a GPS receiver and use only a map and compass My adventure racing team does this to practice our navigation skills This is more challenging and makes the sport more like orienteering where you run around the woods trying to find control points as fast as you can using a map and compass Although the geocache coordinates and a GPS receiver are the two basic requirements for geocaching I won t kid you and say that s all you need Geocachers also tend to carry things like maps and compasses which you can read how to use in Chapter 4 cell phones food and water and other pieces of gear In Chapter 6 I give you a comprehensive and detailed list of other essentials that are commonly used when geocaching Geojargon Speaking the Lingo Like any sport or pastime geocaching has its own language Because the sport is so new the jargon is still evolving but here are some terms to be familiar with so when you talk to other people about geocaching you ll sound like a pro v Archived Caches that no longer exist but still appear in a Web site database for historical purpos
3. their own personal rubber stamp and also stamp their logbook with the box s stamp This low tech version of geocaching is still very pop ular Depending on whom you talk to 10 000 40 000 letterboxes are hidden in England and around 5 000 are lurking in the United States Read more about letter boxing atwww letterboxing org 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page ue 14 Part I Getting Ready to Geocache Deciding to Geocache Why should you geocache That s a fair question and I m going to give you a number of reasons why you should get involved in the sport If you re already an experienced geocacher feel free to use some of these reasons to convince your friends and family mem bers that they should give geocaching a try 1 Master your GPS receiver GPS receivers tend to have lots of different features and whistles and bells Because successful geocaching depends on using a GPS receiver the sport offers an excellent opportunity for you to get to know your receiver and how to use it I talk about how to use a GPS receiver in Chapter 3 See new places It s pretty easy to get into a rut and never go anyplace new People tend to be creatures of habit and always visit the same places over and over again Geocaching breaks you out of this repetitive cycle You ve now got a good excuse to visit places you ve never been before and because new geo caches are being added all the time it s pretty hard to
4. 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page 9 f Chapter 1 An Introduction to Geocaching In This Chapter Understanding geoaching Finding out how geocaching works Discovering the benefits of geocaching Minimum requirements for geocaching ar Gex is a new popular sport that relies on using a Global Positioning System GPS receiver the Internet and your powers of observation In a nutshell you find some stuff take some stuff leave some stuff record it all in a logbook and have fun To elaborate a little more someone somewhere hides a container filled with goodies toys travel memorabilia costume jewelry you name it He or she then posts the location coordinates on the Internet along with a few clues You visit a Web site database get the coordinates and use your GPS receiver to zero in on the geocache location Your GPS receiver usually won t lead you directly to the cache and this is where your powers of observa tion come into play in locating the cache s hiding place Geocaching is pronounced GEE oh cash ing It s not appropriate to pronounce cache as ca SHAY even if you are French So unless you want some funny looks stick with good ol cash In a few short years geocaching has grown incredibly popular Relatively cheap and accurate GPS receivers and widespread access to the Internet have helped the sport flourish through out the world As of April 2004 the Geocaching com site www geocaching com
5. 50 feet or so and then you need to use your Sherlock Holmes powers of observation and deduction to locate the hidden cache Find the hidden container If the cache is more deviously hidden I give you some strate gies in Chapter 7 Open it up and see what s inside Whee It s Christmas morning and you get to pick your present Exchange a trinket in the container that catches your eye with something you brought with you to trade Sign and date the logbook and carefully place the con tainer back in its hiding place for the next geocacher to discover When you get home log on to the Geocaching com Web site record your find and write up a brief account of your adventures This is optional but most geocachers do it That s how geocaching works Repeat the above steps over and over again having as much fun as possible each time you go out looking for geocaches I go into a lot more detail with each of these steps throughout the book The original caches Letterboxes The whole geocaching concept isn t that new Over 100 years ago something sim ilar developed in England letterboxing Letterboxing comprises placing a blank log book and a custom made rubber stamp in a waterproof container and then hiding it Clues are distributed with the container s location and searchers armed with inkpads and notebooks try to find the hidden box If they are successful they stamp the logbook in the box with
6. abilities Geocaching is also well suited for RVers and people who like to travel because they can go geocaching where they re staying or on the way to their next destination What Vou Need to Geocache The requirements for geocaching are fairly minimal In fact from a bare bones standpoint you need only two things Geocache coordinates If you don t know where to look it s pretty hard to find a geocache at least in most cases There are numerous stories of non geocachers accidentally stum bling onto caches even some that were very well hidden Geocachers turn to various Web sites on the Internet where they find tens of thousands of geocaches listed Each of these caches has a set of coordinates associated with it in a map grid system such as latitude and longitude or UTM Universal Transverse Mercator I tell you everything you need to know about how to find geocache location coordinates in Chapter 5 v GPS receiver With a GPS receiver you enter the geocache coordinates and the receiver guides you to the general vicin ity of the geocache If you don t already have a GPS receiver read Chapter 2 for some pointers on selecting one You don t need an expensive GPS unit with lots of features to geocache a basic model priced around 100 will work just fine Don t forget to bring the GPS receiver user manual especially if you just purchased your receiver and are still trying to figure out how to use it 05575716 ch01
7. e Ulmer envi sioned thousands of stashes tucked in places all over the world he had no idea how popular his idea would become By the end of May in a Yahoo Group devoted to the new sport a member named Matt Stum suggested that the sport be called geocaching in order to avoid some of the negative connotations associated with drugs and the word stash A cacheisa hidden place where goods or valuables are concealed Geocaching had a nice ring to it and because it didn t sound like a bad Cheech and Chong movie the name stuck The original cache is long gone but there s a newer one at the location and even a plaque that commemorates the world s first official geocache shown here If you ve ever in the Portland Oregon area think about making a pilgrimage to the shrine In Chapter 5 tell you how to get there GEOTCACHING COM Ww ORIGIN Geocaching explained Take a more detailed look at the steps that are involved in geocaching 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page ze 12 Part I Getting Ready to Geocache 1 Someone hides a geocache The cache consists of a waterproof element resistant con tainer such as a surplus ammo can or plastic tub that s filled with small trinkets such as costume jewelry toys flashlights old coins fossils or just about anything else you could imagine Chapter 8 has everything you need to know about hiding caches The container also contains a logbook and a pen o
8. ers of the location There are no caches hints or ter rain difficulty ratings and the points can be anywhere on Earth In fact some locations can be impossible to reach A new contest takes place roughly every month The goal of the game is for teams to collect all the points first or to get as many as they can before the contest ends For more details check out www geodashing org The Degree Confluence Project This is an interesting project in which people use their GPS receivers to visit places where latitude and longitude lines con verge They take a digital picture which is then published on a Web site The goal is to map all the major latitude longitude intersections for the entire Earth For more information go to www confluence org Benchmark hunting Benchmarks are permanent markers installed by the gov ernment for survey purposes Over one half million benchmarks have been installed in the United States The most familiar type is a small brass disk embedded into rock or concrete The National Geodetic Survey www ngs noaa gov maintains a list of the benchmarks and their locations Chapter 9 tells you everything you need to know about getting started in this sport v GPS Drawing This is an interesting form of art based on using your GPS receiver to record where you ve been For some amazing examples check out the gallery at www gpsdrawing com 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page aoh 20 Part I Getting Read
9. es A cache can be archived because it has been stolen is no longer maintained or does not abide by the guidelines for where caches should be placed Cache machine A preplanned event in a local area where geocachers look for caches the event can last hours or days This is a marathon endurance session of geocaching where you try to find as many caches as you can in a set amount of time The event is named after the dedicated geocacher BruceS a true cache machine who found 28 caches in 24 hours totaling 86 finds in 5 days 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page e 18 Part I Getting Ready to Geocache 1 DNF Did Not Find As in did not find the cache It happens to everyone so don t worry lf you didn t find the cache try again on another day Event cache A formal or informal get together of geocachers This can be to search for caches or just sit around and have a pizza and chat 1 FTF First to Find Bragging rights that you were the first person to find a newly placed cache 1 Geocoins Custom minted coins or medallions designed to place in geocaches Quite the prize if you find one in a cache 1 GPSR GPSr GPS receiver Many people drop the R and just call a GPS receiver a GPS Hitchhiker An object that moves from cache to cache A hitchhiker is marked with some instructions telling the find ing geocacher to take it and place it in another cache 1 McToys Cheap trinkets left in a cache l
10. get bored Many people even incorporate geocaching into their vacations and business trips 1 Get some exercise Face it most people don t get enough exercise For whatever reasons it s easier just to sit on the couch and slowly or quickly put on the pounds Geocaching is a great low impact way of increasing your fitness It gives you a reason to get off the couch and get out in the fresh air to do some walking or hiking Because geocaches are rated as to how difficult the terrain is and how far you ll need to walk to get to a cache you can select outings that are based on your current level of fitness Challenge yourself There s scientific evidence that just like you need to exercise your body to be healthy you also need to exercise your brain Geocaching is a great way to do this because the sport involves a number of mental challenges It s like doing a crossword puzzle plus you get the extra benefit of the physical exercise You need to use e The Internet To find geocaches you d like to search for e Your GPS receiver To get to the general vicinity of a cache e Your brain To figure out just where the cache is hidden 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page 2g Chapter 1 An Introduction to Geocaching 15 Hang out with friends and family Geocaching can be an indi vidual or group activity and it s a great excuse to get the family together or turn it into a social outing for a group of friends Geocaching is even
11. ike the toys that appear in fast food kids meals There are better things to leave in caches Muggles People you encounter on the trail who aren t geo cachers from the Harry Potter stories Neocacher An inexperienced or newbie geocacher 1 Signature item Something unique that a particular geocacher always places in a cache that he or she finds 1 Spoiler Information that might give away the location of a cache 1 Swag Goodies that you find in a cache from the marketing term swag or schwag used to describe the promotional trash and trinkets tchotchkes handed out at trade shows 1 TNLN Took Nothing Left Nothing Just what it sounds like Also TNLNSL which means that the geocacher additionally signed the cache log Travel Bug TB A type of hitchhiker that you mark with a special dog tag purchased from Geocaching com When TBs are found their journey is tracked on the Geocaching com Web site Travel Bugs can have specific goals as in getting from point A to point B or are just released into the world to see how far they can travel 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page Bg Chapter 1 An Introduction to Geocaching 9 Other caching pursuits In addition to geocaching a number of other GPS related activities have sprung up on the Internet A few that you might be interested in include 1 Geodashing This is a contest in which random points are selected and players need to get within 100 met
12. pet friendly Lots of geocachers take their dogs out with them on hunts Just remember to be consider ate to others and bring a leash and a plastic bag Educate kids and adults Geocaching which is starting to find its way into the classroom is a great way to learn about history geography maps and science There are a number of ways how you can apply the basic principles of geocaching in an educational setting to make learning fun I discuss using GPS and geocaching in education in Chapter 11 Build teams Geocaching is also showing up as a unique tool for organizational development in building teams and devel oping leadership skills Small groups are given GPS receivers and are asked to find geocaches and solve other related chal lenges with effective teamwork a necessary ingredient for success Who Geocaches One of the nice things about geocaching is that just about anyone can do it your gender age or economic status don t much matter Geocaching is a relatively inexpensive sport when it comes to required equipment The main requirements are a spirit of adven ture a love of puzzles and mysteries and a good sense of fun Here are some of the people you ll encounter in the sport vy Computer geeks Because geocaching involves gadgets GPS receivers and the Internet in the early days of the sport a number of computer geeks were initially drawn to the activity If you re not a geek don t worry You definitel
13. r pencil so whoever finds a cache can record their discovery A sample geocache with its goodies is shown in Figure 1 1 OFFICIAL GEOCACHE PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB Cache Name Figure 1 1 A found geocache with goodies 2 The geocache hider logs the GPS coordinates of the cache and a brief description on a Web site V Several different Web sites list the geocache coordinates The largest and most popular site is www geocaching com I primarily focus on this Web site throughout the book 3 The prospective geocache finder that s you is interested in searching for geocaches in a particular area and queries the Geocaching com database You can do this by entering a ZIP code state country or other search options A list of all the geocaches in the general vicinity is displayed Read more about this in Chapter 5 4 Look through the list of geocaches select a few that look interesting and enter their coordinates in your GPS receiver 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page 2g 5 10 Chapter 1 An Introduction to Geocaching 13 Drive as close as you can to the geocache unless you want some additional exercise by walking or hiking a bit farther and start your search on foot using the GPS receiver to guide you to the cache location The GPS receiver won t take you directly to the geocache that would be too simple Your GPS receiver will typically get you within
14. ss GPS in depth in Chapter 2 I even wrote a whole book about it GPS For Dummies People use these two technologies together for finding and hiding goodie filled containers that by now you ve probably guessed are called geocaches How geocaching got started Until 2000 the U S government degraded GPS signals using something called Selective Availability SA SA allowed the U S and its allies to use special GPS receivers to get very accurate location information while preventing civilian GPS receivers from having as much precision In May 2000 SA was officially turned off mostly because the U S government developed a way to degrade the accuracy of GPS to specific geographic regions Suddenly like magic civilian GPS receivers that formerly were accurate only to 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page agp Chapter 1 An Introduction to Geocaching about 300 feet became accurate to 30 feet This new level of accuracy offered some interesting creative possibilities Three days after SA was turned off Dave Ulmer posted a message inthe sci geo satel1ite nav USENET newsgroup with coordinates of a stash he had hidden that contained software videos books food money and a slingshot Earlier in the day in the same newsgroup Ulmer had proposed a worldwide stash hunt where people would post GPS waypoints coordinates saved in a GPS receiver on the Internet that would lead searchers to hidden goodies Whil
15. y don t need a computer science degree and geocaching has become so popular that the average Joe non geeks currently outnumber the technology geeks 1 Families and friends Geocaching is a very family oriented sport more often than not you ll find couples friends and families out scouring the countryside looking for caches Although you can certainly geocache by yourself the social aspects of the activity and having more than one set of eye balls to look for a well hidden geocache are well suited to multiple person outings 05575716 ch01 qxd 8 4 04 9 33 AM Page e 16 Part I Getting Ready to Geocache Outdoor recreationists A fair number of hikers hunters fish ers rockhounds and other types of recreationists have been using the outdoors long before GPS came into being Because they typically already own a GPS receiver many of these out doorsmen and women have added geocaching to their primary outside interests getting in a little geocaching while they re biking hiking fishing four wheeling or engaging in some other sport or pastime Y Retired folks Geocaching is popular with the retired set because it s a good excuse to get out of the house and do something interesting Geocaches vary in how difficult the terrain is and how far off the beaten path they are Some caches aren t even off the beaten path but are in easily acces sible urban areas You can select geocaches to search for that match your physical
16. y to Geocache
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