Geocaching is a game that is played in 265 cuntries around the world with a computer and a GPS (Global Positing Satellites). The first cache was placed May 3 2000 by Dave Ulmer. Dave Placed a black bucket in some woods near Beavercreek, Oregon not far from Portland. In the bucket was a logbook and pencil, he also placed various prize items in the bucket including videos, books, software, and a slingshot. He called it "Great American GPS Stash Hunt "The rules were simple: "Take some stuff, leave some stuff." Now all you would have to do is locate the container with only the use of your GPS receiver. Dave posted the way point of his "stash" online with the community at sci.geo.satellite-nav: the coordinates are N 45° 17.460 W 122° 24.800 Then by May 6, 2000, it had been found twice but only logged once. Mike Teague, was the first person to get credit for the first to find Dave's stash, and GEOCACHING was born. If you go to the site now a memorial plaque has been placed there to give tribute to the original stash spot.
The rules are very simple you can use anything as a container to house your cache. It can be placed almost any where. Caches have been placed in the water where you have to use SCUBA gear to get to them, or on a cliff that you have to use climbing gear to get to. You can not bury it, but you can cover it with leaves, or mulch. When you place it you have to get permission to place it if it is on private property, or parks. Alot of caches are placed in easements, parking lots, parks, or places in public domaine. They need to be 1/4 mile apart. You can not use a cache to advertise a business. You are not soppose to put food in a cache. That will atract animals to the cache.
To start go to geocaching.com you will have to set up a account but don’t worry it is free, and easy. Then you put in your coordinate, zip code or your address. With this information it will list the caches around you. When you decide on a cache to go look for. Just put the coordinate for the cache that you want to find in your GPS, and you are on your way. All you do is follow your GPS to the cache. Be sure to bring something to write with. When you get close to the Cache (this is where it gets fun) you have to use what they refer to as geosence to achualy find the cache. Geosence is just a skill you develop as you play the game. It is just knowing the way people hide caches in different situations. Hopefully your GPS got you within a few feet of the cache, and the person that placed it listed good coordinates. Now look around, and see if you can figure out where and how it is hid. It could be camouflaged as a branch, or almost any thing else to blend in to make it hard to see. When you find the Geocaching, you take out the log (A peace of paper, or a book that you can sign), and sign it. Put the log back in the cache, and place the cache back where, and how you found it. When you get back to your computer, go back to geocaching.com, and to the page for the cache that you found. Up in the right hand corner is LOG YOUR VISIT. Click on it and fill in the blanks. That is all there is to it.
Geocaching is a lot of fun but can be very frustrating at times. Thing that can go wrong are things like, the cache being mugged (someone taking the cache), The coordinates could be off, or you could find that animals have gotten to it, the area might be flooded, or you might just over look it. When hiding a cache finding a good safe place is important. You need a place that people will not accidentally find it. I have been to many caches that were not in a good location. They were in the open with lots of people around or they were in a area that floods hidden down low where they will be in the water when the rainy season comes. A good place is where there are few people around or you have some thing to keep from looking too suspicious. An example is a bench hide. Where the cache is under the bench. You can sit on the bench and reach the cache. This can be done with people around. I prefer caches that are in the woods. In the woods they can be larger and hold more. You also do not have to worry about the Securty Gard, or Police Officer asking you what are you doing.
There are lots of different types, and sizes of caches The first one is a Micro. It is a small magnetic container that is a little larger than a pencil eraser. They can hold only a log. The log is so small you only initial the log. They can be stuck anywhere that is metal.
Then there is the geopouch. It is a zip lock pouch that is camouflaged. It can only hold a log. To hold it in place you use magnets, velcro, string, or it can lay in a crack or hole in wall, tree.
There is also a Bison container it is a very small cylinder type of container, and has only room for a log. This kind of cache is used a lot. it is easy to carry a lot of them ready to be placed at anytime. It is sometimes stuck in things, or hung from something.
The next kind of cache is the Tubaware container and these you paint or use duct tape to camouflage them. They can be many different sizes and shapes. They cane hold a log and some trade items. This kind of cache you can hide in a hollow tree or a hole in a tree. You can also put it under some roots or in bushes covered in leaves.
Then there is the original cache the bucket mostly 5 gallon buckets. It is large, with room enough for a log book, and lots of trade items. They are hid in bushes, hung in trees, or in hollow trees. If it will fit and is out of site it will work.
Trade items are almost any things . One you see a lot is McDonald’s toys from their Happy Meals. I have seen every thing imanegable. The rules do say to keep it clean it is a family game and children might be the one to open it first.
Travel bugs are found in caches too. They are items that have a special tag on them. This tag has a serial number on it, and will let geocachers log the travel bug at its own web site. They can see how far, and where they have gone. The owner can keep track of where it is and how far it has traveled. Most have a mission that it is on. Some like to see the world. Others go to a state. I had one that in two years it went to Alaska, and made it back to Florida.
Travel coins are another thing found in caches. These coins have a serial number on them, and each have their own webpage. The number will get you to the webpage. The coins are very nice and travel around the wrold.
A lot of caches are put in places, where there is something to see. It might be on the way there, or near the cache. You might have to take a hike. Some of the common used things to get to caches other than a car, or truck are bicycles, and kayaks.
Caches have been placed in most Swiftmud’s preserves. These are accessible mostly from dawn to dusk. Going for one of these caches you might want to use a bike. Some caches are just off roads, or in parking lots. These caches are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Some of the things that you might want to use for geocaching is a backpack. This can hold something to write with. It can carry your water, or Trade items. It is handy to keep all your geocaching gear together. A camera to take pictures of the cache, or where the cache is at. If you are going to go to some of the preserves wildlife is every where and photo opportunities are great. You might want to carry some tools like tweezers, needle nose pliers, knife, screwdriver, and flashlight. If you don't want all the weight of all the tools you can get a multi-tool. Multi-tools combine groups of tools together, and are a great way to save weight. During the summer mosquitoes, and ticks are bad and bug spray is needed. You might want sun block too.
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