Geocaching 101

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Geocaching 101

• A Whole New Way of Life!
• Kris Wheeler June 2009
• (AKA Tulameen Turtles)

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Definition

• Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in
  which the participants use a Global Positioning
  System (GPS) receiver or other navigational
  techniques to hide and seek containers (called
  "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A
  typical cache is a small waterproof container
  (usually a tupperware or ammo box) containing a
  logbook and "treasure," usually toys or trinkets
  of little value.

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What is a GPS?

• Navigators What you find in your car
• Can be used but difficult
• GPSr Hand Held Unit
• Garmin/Magellan Most Common
• Maps/Coordinates
• Prices start at 100

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What is Geocaching

• Geocaching is what you make of it
• In the City Parks
• At the top of Mountains
• In Parking lots
• Great Way to plan a vacation
• Shows you places you didnt know existed in
  your backyard

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What is a geocache?

• Container holding at minimum a log book
• Also may hold
• Tradables
• Travel Bugs
• Geo-Coins
• Signature Items

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Sizes

• Come in Many sizes
• Small as Your Pinkie Nail
• Film Canisters
• Peanut Butter Containers
• Ammo Boxes
• Some great disguises
• Fence Post Caps/Inside a Log/Birdhouses

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Micro/Nano
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Normal
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Ammo Cans!!

• Water Proof
• Hold lots of good SWAG
• Animal Safe
• Environmentally Friendly
• Dont Rust

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What is in a cache?

• Inside a Cache you may find SWAG!!
• Log Book
• Tradables (McDonalds Toys/Dollar Store)
• Travel Bugs
• Geo-Coins
• Signature Items
• FTF (First to Find) Prizes

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Log Book

• The Holy Item!
• Must Sign!
• Single Sheet / Sign Small
• Full Size
• Your choice what to write, but it must include
  your Caching name

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Tradables
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Travel Bugs

• Log When you Pick Them up
• Log when you Drop them off
• Dont forget them!

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Geo Coins

• Log When You take them
• Log When you drop them off
• Dont keep them! (unless you bought them!)

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Signature Items
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www.Geocaching.com

• Several Sites Available Geocache.com is most
  used
• Over 11,000 listed in BC
• Over 820,000 listed worldwide
• Free Membership/ Premium Membership 30 a year
• Guidelines to listing a cache eg
• NO Bridges
• No Railroad Tracks

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BCGA (BC Geocaching Association)

• www.bcgeocaching.com
• Voice for BCs Geocachers
• Hosts Events
• Donate Prizes
• Encourage Good Geocaching
• Works with Parks Departments Cities

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Difficulty

• Rating of 1 5
• Based on difficulty of the Puzzle or the Find
• Cache placer decides so can vary
• Higher Difficulty puzzles quite often are Ciphers
• May be ingenious creative hide that is unique

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Terrain

• Rating of 1-5
• Based on how physically difficult the cache is
• Discretion of Cache placer
• 1 Wheel Chair Friendly
• 1.5 Should not be up the side of a Mountain
• 5 normally requires special equipment

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Types of Caches

• Traditional
• Multi-Caches
• Puzzle
• Letterbox
• Earth Cache
• Events
• CITO

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Traditional

• This is the original cache type consisting, at a
  bare minimum, a container and a log book.
  Normally you'll find a Tupperware container, ammo
  box, or bucket filled with goodies, or smaller
  container ("micro cache") too small to contain
  items except for a log book. The coordinates
  listed on the traditional cache page are the
  exact location for the cache.
• The general rule of thumb is, "If you take an
  item, leave an item, and write in the logbook."
  Some caches are themed, so make sure to read the
  description before going on a hunt.

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Multi-Caches

• A multi-cache ("multiple") involves two or more
  locations, the final location being a physical
  container. There are many variations, but most
  multi-caches have a hint to find the second
  cache, and the second cache has hints to the
  third, and so on. An offset cache (where you go
  to a location and get hints to the actual cache)
  is considered a multi-cache.

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Puzzle

• The "catch-all" of cache types, this form of
  cache can involve complicated puzzles you will
  first need to solve to determine the coordinates.
  Due to the increasing creativity of geocaching
  this becomes the staging ground for new and
  unique challenges.
• Visual Puzzles
• Riddles
• Ciphers
• Projections,

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LetterBox

• A letterbox is another form of treasure hunting
  using clues instead of coordinates. In some
  cases, however, a letterbox has coordinates, and
  the owner has made it a letterbox and a geocache.
  To read more about letterboxing, visit the
  Letterboxing North America web site.

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Multi-Cache

• A multi-cache ("multiple") involves two or more
  locations, the final location being a physical
  container. There are many variations, but most
  multi-caches have a hint to find the second
  cache, and the second cache has hints to the
  third, and so on. An offset cache (where you go
  to a location and get hints to the actual cache)
  is considered a multi-cache.
• Can be 30 feet away or 20 miles away

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Earth Cache

• An EarthCache is a special place that people can
  visit to learn about a unique geoscience feature
  or aspect of our Earth. EarthCaches include a set
  of educational notes and the details about where
  to find the location (latitude and longitude).
  Visitors to EarthCaches can see how our planet
  has been shaped by geological processes, how we
  manage the resources and how scientists gather
  evidence to learn about the Earth. For more
  information about EarthCaches, visit
  http//www.earthcache.org/.

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Events

• Occasionally, local geocachers and geocaching
  organizations designate a time and location to
  meet and discuss geocaching. After the event the
  caches are archived.
• Can be small like a group going for a pub night
• Can be large and involve a few hundred people
• Fun can include themes like a poker run, road
  rally or camping

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CITO

• Cache In Trash Out is an activity intimately tied
  to geocaching. While out there on a cache hunt,
  we collect litter along the trails and properly
  dispose of it. Cache In Trash Out Events are much
  larger clean-up events that involve and benefit
  the larger community.
• Normally between 4-6 formal CITO events a year
  in Lower Mainland
• Helps ensure we keep good working relations with
  parks cities and take care of our Earth

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Looking for a Cache

• Be careful use the gentle lift, look, replace
• Look for geo-sticks piles of sticks left by
  others to cover a cache
• Look for a trail that already exists, dont try
  to go as the crow flies
• Dont pull apart pieces of moss, stumps
• If it doesnt feel right dont do it!

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Enivronment

• Limit your bushwhacking
• Leave where you go cleaner then when you came
• No food or scented items in caches
• Dont upset the area caches can be found
  without ripping apart areas such as stumps
• If it doesnt feel right it probably isnt

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Where Caches Lead You!
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A month in our life!
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Rules

• No private property without permission some
  people view this to include parking lots
• No digging in the ground
• Must not need items like screwdrivers to retrieve
• Items left must be family friendly

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Tailspin Rally 2