Adventure: Geocaching – Today’s Treasure Hunting

Geocaching is enjoyed by all ages from all walks of life, but what is it? Ask a muggle, the name for non-geocachers, and the most received response is, “It’s a waste of time.” Ask a geocacher and you may hear it’s a game, a sport, a hobby, or an online treasure hunt. In reality, most cachers can relate to all of these descriptions. To clarify, geocaching is not totally an online interest – the internet is merely the starting and ending points. Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt where cac...

For users of the Global Positioning System (GPS) the sudden announcement on May 2, 2000, by the White House that the intentional degradation of GPS signals available to the public would be ended was a cause for celebration. It meant that civilian users of GPS were able to pinpoint locations up to 10 times more accurately than they had before. The next day David Ulmer, a computer consultant, tested the accuracy of the technology by hiding a container in the woods near Beaver Creek, OR, noting ...

Minnesota State Parks have rolled out a new geocaching adventure, after introducing a geocaching program that was a big hit with park visitors. Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt, where participants use hand-held GPS devices to track down a stash hidden in a weatherproof, camouflaged box at a location designated by latitude and longitude. Since this activity has grown so popular, Minnesota State Parks decided to add geocaching to the many outdoor recreation activities available in the pa...

Niagara Falls isn't exactly off the beaten path, but it is a spectacular place to explore, geocache and letterbox. Planning Your Trip There are three things you should be aware of in planning your quest. First, all people 16 and up need a passport to cross the American/Canadian border from either direction. This new requirement has been bad for business on both sides but it isn't going away. Be prepared for some real scrutiny and long lines. The days of being waved across the border are over...