The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

Geocaching: Modern-Day Treasure Hunting

ADVENTURES IN YOUR BACKYARD

By Jimmy Piraino

Photos courtesy of Jimmy Piraino

Ever feel like going treasure hunting, but you don’t have a map with a big fat “X” marking the spot? In this day and age, who needs a map at all? Geocaching is riding the wave of the future and giving treasure hunters, both casual and hardcore, a new reason to go explore.

Geocaching can best be described as GPS treasure hunting. A global positioning system (GPS) is becoming a very common household item. Most new cars have them built in, and even your cell phone can function as one. And with these GPS devices, you can download coordinates and follow the GPS to find hidden capsules, also known as geocaches that are usually full of cool little trinkets.

Geocaching was created in 2000 by computer consultant Dave Ulmer of Beavercreek, Oregon. All he wanted to do was test the accuracy of his GPS by hiding a small canister with a few trinkets and a logbook in the woods near his house. After doing so, he uploaded the coordinates of the canister online, and asked people to try and find it. His Internet challenge was a great hit, and soon picked up speed all across the country and then the world.

Today, geocaching has become a common social outing for groups of all ages. There are many great websites that allow for an easy download of geocache locations all over the country. Geocaching.com is one of the most well known sites. It utilizes Google Maps to help display the available geocaches, and allows people to comment and rate each geocache by difficulty and accuracy.

In the San Marcos area alone, there are over 500 geocaches that are ready and waiting for teams of treasure hunters to find their hidden goodies. And when I say “goodies,” know that it is a very loose term. I have found everything from bullet casings to a Fraggle Rock beer cozy.

A common misconception with geocaching is that the GPS tells you exactly how to get to the geocache. That is so very far from the truth. It points to the exact location of the geocache, but it is up to the hiker to get there. Figuring out which trails lead to the geocache and how to find the geocache, makes the experience that much more fun!

The only deterrent to geocaching is the initial price of purchasing a GPS unit. I was able to find one on Amazon.com for under $75 that has worked extremely well during my geocaching excursions. And for those who aren’t too sure about the small investment, try alternative GPS methods, such as a cell phone. While the GPS won’t necessarily be as accurate, it will still provide you with a decent enough device to track down the geocaches.

If you are looking for a great weekend activity in sunny San Marcos, grab a GPS and hit the trails.

For more information, visit http://www.geocaching.com.

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