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Geocaching is a sort of global treasure hunt based on GPS technology. On May 1, 2000 the GPS system turned off its Selective Availability “feature” — a system that intentionally introduced errors into civilian GPS access, in order to confound potential attackers. When that happened, the GPS system suddenly became reliable and accurate enough for non-military personnel to pinpoint specific locations.
A day or two later (sources disagree), Oregonian Dave Ulmer placed the first geocache (then called a “GPS stash”) and posted its coordinates online:
N 45 17.460 W122 24.800
“Lots of goodies for the finders. Look for a black plastic bucket buried most of the way in the ground. Take some stuff, leave some stuff! Record it all in the log book. Have Fun!
“Stash contains: Delorme Topo USA software, videos, books, food, money, and a slingshot!”
By May 6, 2000 Ulmer’s geocache had been found by two searchers, and one had logged the find in the included logbook. This event set in motion a new worldwide hobby/game in which geocaching enthusiasts hide caches (typically in waterproof plastic containers), post the location online, and wait for others to find them.
In the years since 2000, the hobby has evolved an organized online community, prompting users worldwide to strap on their backpacks and leave the house, GPS in hand. Some objects, including Geocoins and Travel Bugs, travel between caches — seekers pick them up and move them from place to place, (usually) logging their activity in the provided logbook. Similarly, Geotokens are objects that can be traded for other items or kept for sentimental value.
Geocaching has its own set of ethics and policies, many of which are documented at GeocachingPolicy.org. Policies range from specific guidelines about retrieving and hiding items to specifics about environmental impact. Seekers should also be careful not to run afoul of Johnny Law when finding a cache — according to Wikipedia’s excellent Geocaching page:
When geocaching in busy locations, searching for a cache can require tact and craftiness to avoid the attention of the general public (also known by geocachers as “muggles”). The person hiding a geocache frequently takes this into account so that the hider and those looking for caches will not cause undue alarm. When care is not taken in hiding or finding a geocache, cachers have been approached by police and questioned when they were seen as acting suspiciously. Other times, investigation of a cache location after suspicious activity was reported has resulted in police and bomb squad discovery of the geocache. A number of caches have been destroyed by bomb squads.
If you’re ready to get started, check out the Official GPS Cache Hunt Site and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Geocaching, grab a GPS, and get out there!
Readers: have you participated in the hobby? Share your geocaching stories in the comments!
Comments (19)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
Hubby and I love to Geocache!! It’s one of our favorite Sunday afternoon activities, when we have the free time. :)
posted by mrs.djs on 1-16-2008 at 9:25 am
Been caching for a couple years..and a friend of mine is closing in on 1500 caches! It’s a great way to get out and see places you would probably never see..or know existed!
http://www.geocaching.com
posted by bribriny on 1-16-2008 at 10:00 am
I read about this in Wil Wheaton’s gift guide for geeks. The bomb squad thing just makes me want to do it more than ever. :D
posted by Andie on 1-16-2008 at 10:02 am
I always use Geocaching as an excuse to go hiking, biking around and getting together with my friends…it’s an excellent past time and the best of all it’s free (well, after the initial investment on the GPS). I’ve made great friends around the world and have gotten my parents into it too! The only down side is that they share my GPS :(
posted by Insolent Minx on 1-16-2008 at 10:05 am
I was a very early adopter of geocaching – I even ran a stats site that pulled data from geocaching.com
It was a lot of fun but I haven’t done it very much lately. I found that I would just get TOO in to it and it was taking a lot of my time
posted by Dan Miller on 1-16-2008 at 10:12 am
I just started Geocaching after I received a GPS for Christmas. I am looking forward to finding caches all over the world!
posted by kate on 1-16-2008 at 10:56 am
I’ve been geocaching for two years (in the summers), and have found *MANY* wilderness areas in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area.
For a fat, 50-year old, techie-geek, it gives me a chance to hike around and about.
posted by Izzy on 1-16-2008 at 11:30 am
The best thing about Geocaching, in my opinion, is seeing parks and out-of-the-way places that you never knew existed. We have a *very* active bunch of geocachers in my area. There are over 500 geocaches within 10 miles of my home, including four of my own. I’m considered a casual geocacher in the local area. I’ve found only 274 of them, while a couple of other locals are well past the 5000 mark.
The last remnant of Dave’s first Cache is the Original Can of Beans, which has been turned into an icon and is still brought out at some large functions.
I also urge folks to check out Waymarking.
Happy Caching!
posted by Andy on 1-16-2008 at 11:57 am
I love GeoCaching. It’s a great way to get exercise, enjoy nature and explore new areas you’ve never thought of going.
posted by Tasha on 1-16-2008 at 1:47 pm
Geocaching is a great way to exercise your body and your brain. While most geocaches are simply placed at the coordinates that are posted, we enjoy special caches which require some puzzle-solving to identify the true coordinates. We cache under the ID NoCache-NoCredit; if we don’t find the (geo)cache, we can’t claim the credit.
posted by NoCache-NoCredit on 1-16-2008 at 2:38 pm
I learned about geocaching by accident. One day, a friend and I decided to take an adventure, which ended up involving some hiking, and some stream-walking. We stumbled across an unmarked metal box under a bridge. We speculated on the possibility of treasure within, and the saftey of opening the strange container. We could hardly believe it when we finally went ahead and opened it, and it was full of (geocaching) treasure!!!
posted by thirty7 on 1-16-2008 at 2:39 pm
I went Geocaching with my dad once. I’d love to do it again. We didn’t contribute to the geotokens, but thought it was an accomplishment just to find the box.
We actually started in the sort of wrong place. We had one coordinate right, but were so far off on the other that it was funny. We got some strange looks when we crawled over a barrier and up onto the park road from down in the woods.
Dad set up a sort of cache trail (more like orienteering, really…but sort of the same idea) for his boy scouts, but they completely missed the point.
Maybe this summer I can convince him to take us out again.
posted by Eileen on 1-16-2008 at 4:31 pm
I am never participated. But I am interested to know are geocachers as excited about finding points of interests or locations that provide some scenic “treasure” as they are finding actual items? Would you be let down if you hiked miles to find that there is no “prize” or place to record your visit?
posted by Lee on 1-16-2008 at 5:00 pm
I finally got a GPS for Christmas and just started out, finding my first two caches locally last weekend. I love it!
posted by Sara on 1-16-2008 at 6:42 pm
It’s a great way to explore your neighborhood. I’ve found so many cool new places within a few miles of me that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I’m not that great at finding the cache but the scenery is nice ;)
posted by nina on 1-16-2008 at 7:13 pm
I’ve been at it for a bit over a year. I’m not particularly obsessed with numbers, which partially explains why I’m at 125 finds. I enjoy caching by bicycle which limits my range somewhat, but at least I’m carbon neutral…
posted by JohnL on 1-16-2008 at 7:39 pm
My brother proposed to his girlfriend by hiding his own cache, putting the ring inside, and then telling her he’s found coordinates for a cache in the park by their house.
posted by meg on 1-16-2008 at 8:05 pm
Oh, I adore GeoCaching! Being disabled, I don’t get out a whole lot, but the idea of it is something wonderful. I have friends to tell me of their geocaching adventures and I can’t wait for the chance to someday have my own.
posted by Rose on 1-17-2008 at 12:23 am
I have been geocaching for a while now and really enjoy the “Mystery” caches. I am delighted to see the number of cachers who, also, read Mental Floss.
posted by PapaDe on 1-17-2008 at 7:40 am