Geocaching 1-0-1
As a modern-day pastime, geocaching is known as treasure hunting in today’s digital age. Some describe the outdoor sporting pursuit as modern day orienteering utilising Global Positioning Systems or GPS. For over 10 years now, up to 1.5 reported geocaches, and close to 5 million geocachers around the world so far, geocaching has undoubtedly gained a worldwide following.
Global Positioning, which can often be utilised thru simple GPS handheld devices or perhaps smartphones, help getting and following clues. Geocaching Internet sites provide primary info about where to look for caches, while GPS will negociate the coordinates and lead the navigation to find the ‘treasure’. GPS coordinates are accurate; but in geocaching, you still must perform thorough physical looking throughout the locations.
In geocaching, a cache is a water-proof and tiny container made from plastic or ammo boxes. Inside those are small trading items like bangles, toys, and/or other simple items having very little value and, most likely, a log book. You might question why folks who are into the game need to buy a GPS? Merely, because caches have tracking data that make them searchable by GPS devices. It’s the thrill of finding, noting your name and date in the cache’s log book, and then re-hiding the simple ‘treasures’ that counts the most. Thus, geocaching has earned the monicker ‘game of high-tech hide and seek.’
This is an activity can be done with your whole family. Youngsters will particularly enjoy getting into the thrill. It is also educational particularly because you and your children will get to learn and practice GPS navigation as you go thru the nature. Notice that most of the time, caches will be found outside town and city settings to add to the challenge. Your GPS device will not tell you precisely where the caches are. But they’re going to give you more than sufficient information regarding where to look. The rest will be up to you.
There are straightforward rules that you have to follow when geocaching. 1st, return each cache to its original hiding place after you are done. Second, normally you don’t have to dig to get a hold of a cache. 3rd, you may choose a ‘geoswag’, wherein you will replace the item you get from the cache with something that’s of equal or higher worth. Fourth, no one has to pay to just look for and find a cache, except for when the caches are located inside nature reserves and parks that necessitate nominal entrance charges. 5th, do not leave geolitter (term for litter in geocaching) in the area. And in conclusion, be moderately secret particularly when there are other people in the area especially non-geocachers who may get curious and take the cache away.
Be sure to note that a GPS device is a vital part of this activity. It’s going to be to your advantage if you purchase your handheld instrument from a reputable and credible company (like Satellite Treasure Maps). A GPS will certainly steer you thru the adventure of geocaching. Successfully finding a cache, logging an entry and putting it back where you found it will confirm the success of your ventures.
The more caches you find, the better your “bragging rights”. Some adventurists even travel across the globe to extend their geocaching experience. Thanks to the amazing sphere of GPS, finding those caches are now feasible irrespective of where you go around the world.
Tom one of the key contributors to the base data, as well as, to the progress and advancement of Satellite Treasure Map Data overlaid on Google Maps. Tom has accumulated this info thru many years of looking for obscure truths through many varied resources.
Filed under GPS Tracking by on Feb 17th, 2012.
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