Go on a Treasure Hunt
By Janice Cook, Wellness Consultant
WIN for Alaska, Inc.

So, you have a GPS unit. Now what do you do with it? Sure, it helps find your way to places, but did you know that you could have some REAL fun with it? How about a game of geocaching? Don’t know what it is? Don’t know how to play it? Let me tell you a little bit about this relatively new sport called geocaching.

In essence, geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt, where the participants use their Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to locate containers (called geocaches or caches). These caches could be placed anywhere within their community or anywhere around the world. The most common containers are small, airtight and waterproof and hold a logbook as well as the “treasure.” The treasure is usually inexpensive, but also something that could be unique such as foreign coins or trinkets.

To join in or start a game of geocaching, go online and register at a geocaching site such as http://www.geocaching.com. You will be asked to put in your home location (or any location you would like to start a search from) and the site will give you a listing of the geocaches going in your area. Once online, you can access the notes from previous participants and the coordinates of some of the treasures that have been found.

Once you find a cache, it is expected that you will log your exploits and coordinates in the logbook and online. If you decide to take the treasure, you simply replace the treasure with something else of similar value. Your notes, in turn, will be used by others to locate this treasure and find what you have left behind.

There are many books and websites available that explain more about geocaching and all the game variations. Get out and make use of that GPS unit and get some fresh air and exercise too. What a fun way to learn more about how this unit works and all the wonderful things it can help you do and locate. Have fun this summertime and try this new sport of geocaching.

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