Treasure Hunting Anyone?

Feature

» by michael penner, mj penner consulting – www.michaelpenner.com

Your Global Positioning System (GPS) device is about to add more fun to your life than finding an alternate route to Disneyland on Labor Day. In this two year anniversary edition of ValleyTrends magazine, we will be exploring the fun side of technology with a past time called Geocaching (pronounced geo cashing).

Geocaching is a high tech treasure hunt that involves both your GPS and Geocaching websites. The Geocaching websites contain the GPS coordinates for buried treasure. Your job is to go out and find the treasure using your GPS. This is an adventure individuals, families, and whole groups of people can enjoy. Often, group hunts are accompanied by BBQ’s and other outdoor social activities. But the  hunt is where the action is!

Geo-Coolness

So what’s so cool about Geocaching? Are you kidding? It’s a hunt for buried treasure, often in places you’ve never been, with the thrill of discovery and the anticipation of what the prize may be!

When GPS devices first appeared on the scene, I was convinced that the military declassified the technology for civilian use because of all the frustrated women whose husbands wouldn’t pull over for directions. Accustomed to their wives complaining about the situation, marketers must have surmised that putting a woman’s voice on a GPS device made perfect sense.

Now that Geocaching is catching on, your GPS can be transformed from a time saving device, to something that extends your time with friends and family.

Let the Hunt Begin!

The first thing you will need is access to a Geocaching website. In our area there is one website that stands out above the rest. It is http://drycreekgeocachers.com. This local resource covers a healthy geographic region of hidden treasure, and has a very active membership.  While you’re at it, take a look at the pictures posted on the site. Immediately you will see the social, family friendly aspect of this past time.

The next thing you will need is a GPS device. There are a lot of them out there, and they can range from $70.00 on up, though E-bay usually has some amazing deals. Try to select a device that can be easily read in full sunlight or full darkness. Many of your outdoor trips will most likely occur during the day, but there is a night time activity that puts a great twist on things which I will cover momentarily. Also, you may want to get a waterproof case to protect it from moisture and dirt.

Note the coordinates given on the Geocaching website of your choice, and punch them into your GPS. This is called creating a waypoint. Now you know where to look.

“But wait,” you might say. “How fun can it be to look for hidden treasure if you know exactly where to find it? I mean it sounds like hunting for a Big Mac at a McDonald’s.” Ah, therein lies the challenge masquerading as an easy find. The answer is that GPS devices are currently accurate only to within 15 feet or so. This slight ambiguity is enough to throw off even the most ardent Geocacher. Within a given terrain, in a 15 foot radius or perhaps more, the cache lies hidden. That may not sound like much of a challenge, until you actually arrive at the location and see the terrain in question.

And then there is the competition. My wife and I have spent up to 30 minutes in a given location looking for signs of anything that would indicate a way to the cache, only to end up getting beat to the punch by another couple at the same waypoint. People rarely show up at the same time at a given waypoint, but when they do it can add an element of friendly competition. If you’re with a group of people, such competition is part of the fun!

Prizes and Surprises

So what sorts of buried treasure are we talking about? Well, you most likely won’t find Jimmy Hoffa’s body or his supposed long lost suitcase of money, but you will find some very creative things people have hidden away. In my own experience, the cache ranges from small toys for kids (GI Joe dolls for example) to $20.00 tucked away in a plastic bag, to movie tickets or an online coupon code for purchasing something online at a discount. Sometimes it’s a simple trinket like those found in a Cracker Jack box, and sometimes it’s something else altogether different; a discovery which tells you that a more challenging hunt is ahead.

Those who create Geocaching websites and hide their treasure take a great deal of pride in creative ways to heighten the anticipation and excitement of finding something really cool.  Often times the way to do this is to give a waypoint on a website that leads to a cache containing a piece of paper. On this piece of paper is scribbled another waypoint, and sometimes these waypoints can be misleading in their accuracy. They get you in the vicinity, and the rest is up to you. When this is case, they may plant several caches in the area, each containing a clue to help you better triangulate to where the real treasure is hidden.

This creative pride on the part of the Geo-Stashers can sometimes get a bit out of hand with respect to the value of the things they decide to hide. Trying to make the prize truly valuable can lead to some pretty amazing things hidden in the middle of a field or across a small stream. Though rare, this can be a jump drive filled with music (though I’d be leery of the possibility of a computer virus) or the aforementioned stash of money or movie tickets.

A similar enthusiasm can sometimes grip Geocachers, who replace the treasure they find with something of equal or greater coolness.  Keeping in mind that “cool” doesn’t have to mean “expensive”, it lets Geocachers flex their creative muscle as well.

Look Up, Look Down, Look All Around!

So you’ve set your waypoints and you’re ready to pursue your Geocache destiny with treasure. You’re sure you got it right, but on arrival you just can’t find what you’re looking for. After awhile you might begin to think a Geo-Thief took the treasure and left nothing in return for you to find. Typical, you might think. People just can’t play nicely now can they? But are you thinking in 3-D or are you rummaging around grass and rocks, forgetting to look up into that tree with the cache hanging right above your head?

And then there is the night time challenge. Not a thing for those afraid to be in a forest or other strange locales after dark, but thrilling nonetheless.  Night time hunts are usually highly coordinated, limited runs for safety reasons with the cache available only for the evening in question. Glow sticks are often planted by stealthy Geo-Stashers who move silently among the hunters, planting their stash of new coordinates leading to the treasures. Staying one step ahead in this situation is the ultimate thrill for a Geo-Stasher, making this possibly more fun than being the hunter, as the Geo-Stasher becomes the hunted.

Some hide in plain site, moving along with the group, pretending to find nothing after rummaging around, when in fact they are actually planting a cache with new coordinates in it. Playing the spy can be just as fun as playing the hunted.

The After Party

Everyone knows that the after party is where the really hip, cool, and generally happening crowd is to be found. Fortunately, a Geocache after party rarely takes place between 2a.m. and 5a.m. so everyone can be part of the in-crowd; even that 7 year old kid who found all the caches on a hunch and the advantage of being lower to the ground.

Tying a Geocache event into another event, such as family re-union or vacation get away only adds to the fun. Vacationers who Geocache are usually the sort of enthusiasts who love the experience of hunting for treasure in a new land, and perhaps meeting new people along the way for that all important after party!

Take Out What You Take In

This is the mantra of any hiker that deserves the privilege of experiencing nature. Though some Geocaches won’t be found in forests, fields, or other more adventurous places, when they are in such areas it is very important to respect nature and the grounds on which you tread. Because the most challenging hunts can be 1/2 day outings, you’ll want to bring along plenty of water and trail snacks. Whatever you take with you, make sure it leaves with you as well. Nothing ruins the thrill of discovery more than finding “trash around the cache”.

Get Going!

And so it’s time to heed the printout I have taped to my office door: “You have reached the last page of the internet. We hope you have enjoyed your browsing. Now turn off your computer and go outside and play!”