Treasure Hunters
World Wide Scavenger Hunt Catches On As People EveryWhere Look For Hidden
Treasures
The favorite past time of a good old scavenger hunt has now gone high
tech. Geocaching (pronounced Geo-cashing) is a world-wide treasure hunt
where adventure-seekers of all ages and walks of life are on a personal
quest for the elusive treasure. To play the game you, essentially need
the Internet, a Global Positioning Device (GPS) and a good pair of
walking shoes.
Growing in popularity throughout the Southeast, the entire country and in
fact the whole world—Geocaching continues to gain momentum. According to
www.geocaching.com, which bills itself as the official global GPS cache
hunt site, there are more than 100,000 caches hidden in 210 countries
around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica!
WHATS IN A CACHE?
A “cache” is a hiking and camping term for a place where provisions have
been strategically hidden. Usually hidden in places of great scenic
beauty, most caches are placed in locations where the player probably
would not have visited otherwise.
The treasure is often stored in a heavy-duty ammunition box, sealed in a
plastic container or stashed in a jar. The caches come in a variety of
shapes and sizes and are found in all types of terrain. Caches can be
buried in the ground, tucked in a tree or be in magnetic boxes attached
under park benches.
The contents within a cache are usually not pricey and may contain
trinkets such as key chains, coins, historical relics, or post cards just
to name a few possibilities. Because kids are often along for the hunt,
it can be fun to include small items such as plastic toys, stickers and
novelty items.
HIGH TECH HIDE & SEEK
It is simple to join in on the game of Geocaching. Players set up and
conceal a cache, recording the latitude and longitude GPS coordinates and
posting them on www.geocaching.com. Others then use the coordinates to
find the hidden stash. A surprise gift awaits the finder, who is able to
take the cache if they’d like and replace it with an item of equal or
greater value for the next hunter to find.
Getting there is not always easy, and the cache can be very well hidden.
The journey can sometimes take the seeker pretty far off of the beaten
path. About a mile out, it is recommended that the player begin thinking
like the person who hid the cache—turning it into somewhat of a mind
game. Avid cachers express that this aspect of the game can be a lot of
fun, especially as a family activity.
Once discovered, finders are able to take the booty, read the note left
behind by the one who hid the cache and sign the log book, writing a few
sentences about their journey. Geocaching is very interactive and this
enables everyone to see who else has found that cache and to learn about
their experience—which is all part of the good fun!
MODERN DAY
TREASURE HUNTERS
Geocaching is great for anyone looking for a unique and fun way to spend
the day. Caches can be researched and selected based on the desired
difficulty level. The Geocaching community is made up of hikers,
canoers, kayakers, mountain climbers, and families looking for a unique
way to spend the day. Some caches have even been put under water for
scuba divers and others on a mountain ledge for avid climbers.
Motorcycle enthusiast, Al Trimm went on one such hunt. Trimm went on a
search for what is called a Multi-cache on his ride to Seattle, from
where he took a cruise to Alaska.
Trimm was told about the Multi-cache, a hunt that involves two or more
locations, by a fellow member of the national motor cycle club of which
he is a member.
“I was asked if I would like to take part in a Geocaching exercise,” said
Trimm. “The gentlemen said that nobody had been able to find the first
step of this two step cache which was located at Beartooth Pass, where I
had mentioned I’d be passing through while on my bike.” Beartooth Pass
is the highest elevation Point of Beartooth Mountain, located in central
Montana.
Trimm knew nothing about Geocaching at the time. Intrigued by the idea,
Trimm told him to send the coordinates and he’d see what he could do.
He punched the coordinates into his GPS device and began his hunt from
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as he headed towards Montana. “Driving
up the tiny and steep road leading to Beartooth Pass I noticed a look out
point with a stone wall around it,” he said.
Trimm had to climb over this wall and hike a half mile on a very narrow
path to follow the coordinates, at which time his GPS beeped and
indicated he had arrived at his set destination. Having been on his bike
for a few days, he did not mind the walk.
“I started looking around for something that stands out to me,” Trimm
said. “I am over 8000 feet in the Rockies and there are not many trees.”
After scanning the area for a while, Trimm finally saw a shrub Oak tree
growing out of the rocks.
“I saw a glass jar in the tree, so I opened the bottle and read the note
inside which said ‘Congratulations! You have found the first step of this
Geocache and here are your next coordinates,’” Trimm explained. He had
been the first person to successfully find this cache.
Trimm’s adventure continued. “The next coordinates were actually a
fairly good distance away,” he said. “They were about a good day and a
half ride from where I was.”
His GPS led him through the tough and mountainous Lolo pass, and upon the
original trail of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indian tribe. Members
of the tribe were led on this trail by Chief Joseph while fleeing the
U.S. Calvary in 1877 in an effort to resist being isolated to a small
reservation. “As I reached this historical point I was getting real
close to the numbers,” Trimm said. “There was a small mountain, and I
found that by hiking around this mountain side, the numbers started
coming up that I needed to find.”
According to Trimm, the GPS finally beeped. “There was nothing there,
and I mean nothing,” Trimm said. “I stumbled around for about 45 minutes
trying to figure out where this cache could be,” he said. “Finally I sat
down and scratched my head and thought about where I would hide something
if I were here.” There was a rock wall going along the mountain, so he
decided to start feeling around. “I found a loose rock,” Trimm
exclaimed.
He pulled the rock out and behind it was a heavy duty plastic bag. In
the never before discovered cache, Trimm found an arrow head along with a
note. “It said that this piece was found on Lolo pass and was believed
by natives to be an original arrow head from Chief Joseph’s Nez Perce
tribe,” said Trimm.
Trimm took it all in, and enjoyed finding the relic. He decided to put
it back where he had found it, feeling that it should be found and kept
by a native of the land.
“It was a fun game to play on my ride through the area,” he said. “This
particular hunt was not an easy thing, but it was very rewarding.” Trimm
said that he really enjoyed the challenge of the mission and the fact
that Geocaching takes you to places that you might not get to see
otherwise.
LET ME HUNT THE WAYS
In addition to normal caches, Geocachers can find puzzle caches, in which
one must solve a puzzle to earn the coordinates, multi-caches like the
one Trimm found, where the clues for the cache location are left in
another cache, and night caches, which are only to be sought after dark.
Placing a cache for others to find can be just as fun as finding them.
People of all ages hide and seek caches. For many people, Geocaching is
their fishing or golfing—it’s their hobby. Some people set personal
goals such as locating and finding a cache in each of the fifty states,
while others set up caches with travel bug tracking devices which have an
assigned mission of arriving over seas—adding to the endless
possibilities and ways to play the game.
Modern day treasure hunters should note, of course, that this is a
personal responsibility adventure and assume full responsibility for
their participation. Caches should be researched well and selected based
on the interests and desired difficulty level of the player. Player’s
should familiarize themselves with trail conditions and the like, taking
appropriate safety precautions for the sport. It is also a good idea to
pack a back pack, bringing a compass, map, and extra batteries for the
GPS.
According to Trimm, who is planning to embark on another hunt while on
his joy ride through Tennessee next month, Geocaching is not really about
a great big prize. “It is more about the journey, kind of an exercise in
knowing where you are and being able to find a certain spot. It’s about
the thrill of the hunt.”
—
LOCAL TREASURES
For those interested in playing the game locally, there are several
cache’s located throughout the Savannah area and in Pooler. GPS users can
go to the website, register for free, and locate a cache anywhere by the
use of a zip code. There are many caches listed in the Pooler area. Visit
www.geocaching.com and type in Pooler’s zipcode to begin your geocahing
adventure today.
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