The Maritime Geocaching Association

Interview Date : July 2, 2010

Caching Name : digger1952

Real Name : Heinz Peiser

1. How did you become involved in geocaching. When did you start?

Bought my first GPS to navigate the kayaks and was introduced by a friend to the sport of geocaching in 2006

2. How did you choose your caching name?

I used to mud-bog race and Digger was the name I called my truck. I added 1952 because just “Digger” was unavailable.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

Till now I have found 3675 caches.

4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?

I use a Garmin GPSMap 76CSx

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?

I use GSAK for cache management at home and geosphere on my iPod for in the field

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual?

I actually have no preference for any type of cache but I generally avoid puzzle caches preferring the actual mystery caches where you go to a specific spot and gather the necessary information to formulate the proper coords.

7. Which caches were the most challenging – physically/mentally? Why?

GCWXTK was probably the most challenging physically because it was under water and required special equipment to get to. The coords were also off by quite a bit and we were fortunate enough to meet up with the owners who were also looking for the cache and they pointed us in the right direction and I took a coordinate for them while I was in the water holding onto the container with my feet. The most Mentally challenging was GCQGJM For Whom The Bell Tolls by longreacher. It just about drove me nuts till I solved it.

8. Do you have a favorite or favorites among the Maritime caches that you’ve found?
Without a doubt GCVVPH Parlee Brook Natural Amphitheater Is my favorite right alongside GC14DPR At The Top Of 400 Foot Walton Glen Falls and GC14DBH Breathtaking Walton Glen Canyon

(Feel free to list a favorite for each type of cache) Do you have a favorite in a nearby Province?

In Nova Scotia GCNH6K Duck, Duck Sluice is in a Ducks Unlimited marsh and a very nice walk down a trail.

9. What’s the most unusual thing that you’ve ever found in a cache?

A shot of Rum! Don’t get one of those every day!

10. What are your current caching goals? Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?

As far as goals go I simply do this as a pass time. If there is a cache I can’t wait to do I just go AND DO IT! Then I don’t have to wait anymore.

11. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?

Up to now I have about 140 hidden. When I find a spot that I think other people will want to see I may put a cache there depending on the location.

12. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache?

Any advice I have given over the years has generally been roundly ignored. What I would say to anyone who has found only urban micro’s is to go and find some of The Major Family’s caches to get an idea what this is all about; Beautiful scenery and unique features rather than just littering the landscape with micro’s. Although I am saddened to say that urbane micros seem to be becoming far too commonplace; (My own hides included!) What steps do YOU take when placing a cache? I generally try to find some feature that I think others would be interested in coming to. When I place a micro I generally try to hide it in such a way that most cachers would be able to pick it right out and yet muggles wouldn’t notice it.

13. How often do you go caching?

I don’t go caching on a schedule (although it may seem that way) whenever the mood strikes me or I have some time when I am not doing something else.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Buying an upper midrange GPS at the beginning would most likely save them the most money in the long run because they would not want to upgrade for quite a while

15. Do you collect geocoins? Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favorite?

I have a small collection of coins (6) of which three are unactivated. My favorites are the wooden ones from Fundy and Irishtown Parks.

16. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips? What’s in your geopack?

Most indespensible items in my backpack are Bug spray Spare log sheets bug spray spare micro containers, wire for hanging micro’s bug spray wire cutters and did I mention Bug spray?

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

Walking out of the woods and coming to GC14DBH Breathtaking Walton Glen Canyon

18. What is your best caching story?

The wife and I were going up the old way to Fredericton and there was a cache called Beware of Muggles! Now this at first seems like a standard name for a cache but as we approached Ground Zero we saw an old foundation and a rather dilapidated well house near it. On approach we had to skirt the damp ground and on rounding the back of the structure we saw a hole broke on the side of the well house and thought that it was either a bad coordinate or it had already been vandalized. However on closer inspection there it was; a ceramic canine family and around the largest one was a collar with the name: MUGGLES! WE LOVED IT!
19. What do you like about geocaching?

What I like best about geocaching is that when you start out to look for a cache you never know what you are going to find besides the cache. What keeps you going? Hoping to meet other cachers out in the field. It happens so infrequently and when we do it is really a great time sharing stories and such.
20. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?

I like Kayaking and cycling as well as the necessary hiking.
21. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t.
What is the farthest cache You have done? What is the answer?

The Niagara Falls Whirlpool Earth Cache. We went on the Jet-boat from Niagara-on-the-Lake and took the ride up the Niagara River Powering through the ten foot drop just below the whirlpool and then into the whirlpool itself riding in the gentle current in it’s circle. Going back down the pilot took the boat through the heart of the “Devil’s Hole” rapid and gave us a really good soaking before taking us back to the dock. Since it was a really warm day we were dry again before getting back to the dock. A really exhilarating experience.

Hundreds of geocachers will be taking part in this weekend’s event

The biggest treasure hunt of its kind is due to be held in Perth this Saturday.

The geocaching event is part of the city’s Perth 800 celebrations.

Based on GPS technology, geocachers follow clues to find a buried “treasure” or cache and share their experiences online.

About 1,400 people are registered to take part in the biggest geocaching event ever held in Scotland.

Hide and seek

The sport has been likened to a game of hide and seek by satellite.

When a cache is located, sign the log book and leave a gift to replace the one you take.

Experience can also be shared online with users rating each location for difficulty and terrain, some are accessible for those with mobility impairments or chidrens’ pushchairs.

New geocache locations are vetted by a team of experienced geocachers. Locations can be urban or rural and care is taken to avoid environmental disturbance, to dry stone dykes for example. Areas where there is risk of being seen as a terrorist threat, such as an airport, are also avoided.

First geocache

Scotland’s first geocache is on Ben More near Crianlarich

The pastime began in Portland, Oregon in May 2000. The first geocache in Scotland was placed in December 2000. There are now 8,000 caches across the country with the highest on Ben Nevis.

Globally, there are thought to be one million active caches and five million geocachers.

Angus Mackenzie, one of the Mega Scotland team who are organising the geocache event, says: “Geocaching is an activity that can be enjoyed by all members of the family.

“We regularly see mums, dads and their children along with grandparents and dogs out caching.”

Treasure hunters

The Mega Scotland geocaching event is part of the Perth 800 celebrations which mark the anniversary of the city receiving burgh status from Richard the Lion Heart.

The day is designed to be a social gathering with lecture talks from experts in the field.

More information on the day and on geocaching in general is available at the Mega Scotland website.

As Angus says: “One of the problems of wanting to go for a walk in the countryside is to choose where to go and geocaching is an ideal solution to this.”

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Scott Stracener, Me2Ugly, rescuing a Travel Bug.

Scott Stracener is geocacher Me2Ugly.  You may recognize his name if you’ve ever had a Travel Bug in need of rescue.  He’s currently ranked among the best of the best in Travel Bug rescue. Scott talked to us about how you can request assistance in rescuing your wayward Travel Bug or become a rescuer yourself.

Latitude 47: How did you hear about Travel Bug rescue?

Scott: I found out about TB Rescue through Geocaching.com.  I was just clicking around the site and saw a banner ad.  I clicked on the banner to get more information.  I thought that it was a great idea and a great way to get more involved with geocaching.  I know I would like someone to grab my Travel Bug or coin and move it along.  This gives us a way to help fellow cachers and to connect with others on a more personal note.

Latitude 47: What is your most gratifying recovery?

Scott: Most gratifying rescue, there are two.  Obviously, my first successful rescue.  TB2ECQA" TB2ECQA ‘Geocoin Club June 2008’.  The coin was dropped on 11/4/2009. The owner requested a rescue on 3/12/2010, 128 days after the drop.  I saw the request on 3/15 and went out the next morning, hiked up Sugarloaf Mountain to retrieve the coin.  I then took it to the ‘Un-Original Stash’ in Oregon, which is where my most memorable TB Rescue took place.

TB346VW" TB346VW ‘KC The Traveling Gorilla’, created by a mother for her son to watch the Travel Bug move from cache to cache.  KC was dropped on 1/31/10 and the mother requested a rescue on 4/21/10.  My investigation of the TB showed that it had only been active for two months and was already stuck.  I was going to be in the neighborhood (Un-Original Stash) so I [thought, "I] will stop by the last known cache for the Travel Bug.”  On 4/25/10, I found the cache and rescued the Travel Bug.  I had already decided that if I found the Travel Bug I would take it to the Project A.P.E. cache Mission 9: Tunnel of Light.  For the next month I kept KC The Traveling Gorilla and took him on a number of cache hunts, a Cache Rescue (which I do when requested through WSGA) and even a TB-Rescue on the Olympic Peninsula that was unsuccessful.  On 5/24/10, I dropped KC The Traveling Gorilla at Mission 9.  Then, when finishing the Geo TRIAD at HQ, I spotted KC there.  That was cool.

Latitude 47: What advice do you have if someone is interested in Travel Bug rescue?

Scott: Know the area where the rescue will take place.  No Travel Bug Rescue is worth risking yourself or property.  Have fun and remember that not all rescues can be successful.  However, when they are, it really feels great.

Latitude 47: Have you ever lost a Travel Bug?

Scott: I have not lost a Travel Bug.  I do not have that many out there.  I do know I will launch one on July 17th near Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, WA.  It will be my grandson’s second birthday.

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Been holding this one in for a while now, calmen has done some amazing work, congrats sir, my hat is off to you. Well if I wore one, it would be, but you get the idea. Good Job!!

This was published in the Monday, July 12th edition of the Telegraph Journal. Here’s the link for the orginal.

Calmen is Steve and Dragoon is Rob

Before going on vacation Rob Durdle does his homework.

Craig Allen, left, with Uptown Saint John, looks at a phone in which geocaching is possible, with interns Wendy Liu, centre, and Tanziha Mowreen. Uptown Saint John will be starting a geocaching walking tour through the Uptown with at least 10 different stops. The tour will start at the Three Sisters Lamp.

But for Durdle searching through tourist guides for fun attractions and finding the cheapest hotels aren’t the most important parts. Instead he focuses on searching for hidden gems and usually stumbles across some beautiful, scenic views in the process.

Durdle is one of an estimated four to five million geocachers in the world.

Geocaching is a high-tech scavenger hunt where participants use a Global Positioning System receiver to find hidden boxes, some of which may lead the participant on an extended hunt while others may contain small prizes that can be kept or swapped.

Durdle says it’s a great way to discover a new area because it creates an incentive to explore.

“It’s fun to go hiking, but a lot of people struggle with it because there’s (often) no final destination,” he says.

“(Geocaching) is a fun, amazing thing to do which takes you to places you’ve never been before,” Durdle says excitedly.

Uptown Saint John Inc. is hoping a new geocaching-guided tour of the Port City’s historic peninsula will lure enthusiasts like Durdle to the city.

“You start at the Three Sisters Lamp and you are able to travel through the uptown with 10 stops,” says Craig Allen, a Saint John-based online marketing consultant that co-ordinated the project for Uptown Saint John. “It brings you to various parks, various historic buildings and so on.”

In the last box is a special Uptown Saint John geocaching coin, a local version of a hot collectors item among geocachers.

Saint John area resident Steve McLean designed the tour.

Players of the sport, some of whom compete for most caches found, are required to log found caches on geocaching.com and leave a comment if they want to get credit. If people like the Uptown Saint John caches and give them a good review, geocaching could be a way for the city to tap into a niche tourism market.

“Maybe we will gain a little recognition worldwide,” says Peter Asimakos, general manager of Uptown Saint John.

Because most smartphones now come with a built-in GPS receiver, and geocaching apps are available on most devices, Allen sees potential for the sport to attract new people.

There are more than 1.1 million geocaches hidden around the globe, which have been found almost 3.8 million times in the last 30 days, according to geocaching.com.

The grassroots game is popular among some cruise passengers. Durdle is currently planning a cruise trip to Greece around the best geocaching locations.

While not all geocachers are quite as fanatic as Durdle, he says many will travel for good caches hidden in scenic areas. As the head of the Maritime Geocaching Association he knows that hundreds of Atlantic Canadians travel around the region to play the game every year.

Though Durdle says most that try the high-tech scavenger hunt will likely already be in the city for other reasons, the uptown geocaching tour may attract some, especially return visitors since there are many others in the city particularly Rockwood Park.

“It’s an innovative way to experience the uptown area,” Allen says.

Geocaching courses cost very little to set up.

“That’s why it was kind of a no-brainer to do it,” Asimakos says. “It says that we’re kind of with it. We’re kind of on the cutting edge on what’s going on in the world from an Information technology point of view. And that speaks to our brand as a place.”

Artemis – The Travel Kitty, originally uploaded by RobDurdle.com.

This is Artemis, he’s not a tradeable item.

Congratulations to Tetagoucher for being our first Cacher of the Month.

In addition to a week’s vacation in the beautiful Sahara Desert (link), he will also receive a basket of GeoDollars, and a handful of Muffins!

Interview Date : July 2nd, 2010

Caching Name : Tetagoucher

Real Name : Lee

1. How did you become involved in geocaching?

When did you start? Not all too sure when I first heard of geocaching. While attending a Forest Technology school in Gaspe, Quebec I remember coming across the geocache found symbol while learning to use a GPS unit. At that time I don’t really remember anyone being able to tell me exactly what it was and I didn’t look into it. Shortly after that while on Spring break I was asked by who is now (Unknown45) if I heard about Geocaching. He was interested in knowing more after learning that a coworker was involved with geocaching. This time it really peaked my curiosity and I spent nearly every minute of the next day or two reading everything and anything I could about geocaching. In March of 2004 I set out to find my first geocache near my home with only a map and compass. After being successful in finding this cache I was hooked and signed up for an account.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

When I first started geocaching I was away from home and wanted a name that represented where I was from. After, playing with a few names and starting out as Tetacacher and not being 100% satisfied with that name I switched to Tetagoucher. I am from South Tetagouche, New Brunswick and a Tetagoucher is what I’ll always be.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

One thing we learn about geocaching it it’s never about the numbers. I would have to guess and say I have around 1447 caches found. It also would probably break down to being nearly 1360 traditional, 24 multi, 6 virtual, 14 events, 31 unknown, 2 CITOS, and 10 earth caches. For those that I have hidden I keep better track of and to this date I have 103 Hidden. Most of them are traditional with only 1 being a multi, 3 others are unknown, and 2 events.

4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?

I started out and still use an Etrex Vista by Garmin. I have used many others but this is the only one I own. I do however plan on replacing this unit with an Oregon 450 in the near future. It has been a very nice unit for all these years but it is now starting to show its age.

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?

I’m still pretty much old school and manage very well with what gc.com has available with their premium membership. I have used and enjoyed easygps for some time but I have recently jumped on the GSAK band wagon. I don’t really do much other than to load my gps with geocaches and drive around till I’m near one. It’s not the best way but it’s what I find works best for me in most situations.

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual?

I like them all. It’s not so much about the type of cache but rather how it is hidden or where it takes you. The most enjoyable are those that introduce you to something spectacular that you didn’t realize was in your backyard. Many Cachers spend lots of time to make a geocaching adventure enjoyable and their work is always appreciated. Night caches, informative puzzles or multi caches are always fun especially when you are rewarded with a beautiful container full of great swag.

7. Which caches were the most challenging – physically/mentally? Why?

After finding so many caches over the last few years it’s never the easiest to remember all the great caches the Maritimes have to offer. I would however have to say that most puzzle caches really have me suffering mentally and for that reason I stay away from them for the most part. Some that comes to mind as for being tough physically are those around the Fundy area. The eye of the needle, Walton Glen falls and Parlee brook natural amphitheater are very tough rewarding hikes. There are so many others that I’m thinking of but can’t remember all their names at this time.

8. Do you have a favorite or favorites among the Maritime caches that you’ve found?

There are too many to list but once again many or all caches by the Major Family, Doctor Livingstone, Red Witch, MA&PA, Nothwoods Explorer, Jim52, Zonker&Co, Hillbilly Bob, Insp Gadget, Casperkb and so many others are some of the best. I know there are so many others that I’m leaving out and or just have not found yet…

(Feel free to list a favorite for each type of cache) Do you have a favorite in a nearby Province?

I can think of the tea pot cache in PEI that was really a joy to find. Others that I have enjoyed are from the Gaspésie region. They have lots to offer and I’m sure we will see many more great caches as geocaching starts to take off there.

9. What’s the most unusual thing that you’ve ever found in a cache?

Some things that come to mind are contraband material such as tobacco products, food and knives. I always enjoy coming across a note left by a muggle who found the cache accidently… A cache near Bathurst I believe is called bunny’s hideout had some of the biggest traders I have seen.

10. What are your current caching goals?

Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do? There are many and I’m sure many more to come. The Earth cache North Pole Noulin is one that has not been found yet that I would like to get to. There was and I’m think there still is a cache up big bald mountain I would like to get. The first cache in New Brunswick is also another one I just need to have. Not too sure I have any caching goals. I feel the need to find them all but know that is unrealistic at the moment. I think they are all worthy of being found since the person who hide the cache took the time to place the cache to show you an area or whatever it be..

11. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?

I have just passed the 100 mark. I started out thinking I would hide 1 cache for every 10 I would find. It’s difficult to say how many caches you can handle though. At one point 10 caches were overwhelming but now I feel comfortable with many more. Having placed caches from the Saint Laurence river to the Bay of Fundy the less maintenance you need to do is important. Starting out with great containers is the key.

12. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache? What steps do YOU take when placing a cache?

Finding a bunch of caches before you hide one is the way to go. Some say you should wait till you have found over 100. This gives you the chance not only to come up with good ideas but lets you see what works and what doesn’t as a hide and a container. You must also read all the rules or guidelines. That alone will save you time and frustration. Also, being a member of a geocaching association such as Maritime-geocaching.com helps to get a feel of what geocacher like or dislike.

13. How often do you go caching?

I think of geocaching nearly every second of the day. However, I don’t get out as often as I would like since there still work and family that must be given consideration. There have been some months that I don’t get out at all and others I’ll be out there nearly every weekend. Finding a way to incorporate geocaching into other activities has been a great way to find the time to geocache.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Geocache in a way that makes you happy and have fun. Also keep in mind that there are guidelines and expectations of the geocaching community and conforming to it will save the head ach.

15. Do you collect geocoins? Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favorite?

I only recently started to keep a very small collection. After losing my first geocaoin I decided to keep on to the others. Some people send out copies but they are always a disappointment to find. My favorite geocoin so far has to be the BC geocaching association’s coin. It is made out of a stained glass and shows a picture of the provincial bird I believe. I also like geocoins that come in a set some have 4 or more and when put together form one large geocoin. Also, I think the MGA coin has to be one of the top 3 for sure. Just a beautiful coin I wish I had one.

16. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips? What’s in your geopack?

Same stuff I bring hiking, first aid kit to survival equipment. I do wish I would bring more things such a geocaching repair kit. I think they are very important but never remember to.

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

I guess that would have to be the first time I found a cache. The excitement and joy will stay with me forever.

18. What is your best caching story?

It would have to be when my beautiful fiancée and I went up to the windmills. I have a video of a cache we went for on this site actually. Geocaching was only a cover up for my intentions of proposing that day. It was the day before our one year anniversary and with ring in hand I was going to propose somewhere along our journey’s that day. Was looking for a great view and thought this might be the place. Once we reached the top a large thunder cloud came in and unleashed a hail storm. I took it as a sign and decided this must not be the right time or place. However, seeing how there was a cache nearby I stopped for another smiley and CuriousbyNature caught some of it on film.

19. What do you like about geocaching? What keeps you going?

Going to find a geocache is like going on a mini vacation. It’s always an adventure and you always get to see something new. There is also many ways you can play it to challenge yourself. I don’t know how I lived life before geocaching…

20. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?

I like everything in between finding a cache. The time spent hiking and or driving to a cache. I like planning out trips and being my very own tour guide to finding a cache. Also, I like to build and to create things like geocaches… Most days I spend my time reading or chatting about geocaching on the M-GA

For geocachers, logging the “Triad” is practically required on a trip to the Pacific Northwest.

The Triad — three caches hidden around the region and filled with a rotating assortment of trinkets, toys or trackable items — are not all that close to each other. One is in Seattle, another sits outside Portland, a third is tucked on a hiking trail off Interstate 90, but time and distance rarely dissuade dedicated geocachers, who use GPS coordinates to track down caches ranging in size from thimble-sizGeocachers to descend on Seattle area this weekend in search of the ‘Triad’ed to a garbage can.

And this Fourth of July weekend, thousands of GPS-toting geocachers will be here in pursuit of the Triad.

This weekend is GeoWoodstock, the largest geocaching event worldwide, which takes place Saturday in Carnation at Remlinger Farms. Organizers estimate the event, in Carnation and the Seattle area for the first time, could draw as many as 5,000 geocachers, including people traveling from Latvia, Germany and Guam.

A big reason GeoWoodstock landed in the Seattle area is Fremont-based Groundspeak, which runs geocaching.com, the website at the center of the worldwide hobby. This year is the company’s 10th anniversary.

Its headquarters also happen to be one stop on the Triad. The two others are Project Ape Cache, a storied cache off the Annette Lake trail that was originally part of a promotion for the remake of the movie “Planet of the Apes,” and the Original Stash, the first geocache ever, which was planted in May 2000 outside Portland and its coordinates posted online for others to find.

“It’s part of the Trifecta,” said Bryan Roth, one of Groundspeak’s founders. “People come to the Pacific Northwest, they want to find the Original Stash, the Ape Cache and they want to come to our office.”

Groundspeak was founded by Roth, Jeremy Irish and Elias Alvord, all of whom originally worked on the website in their off hours. Eventually, the hobby — and the website, which was launched with about 75 caches — grew enough to create a company.

The website now hosts 1.1 million caches and every month records 4 million “logs,” the approximate number of caches found by geocachers. The company estimates more than 5 million worldwide play the game.

Groundspeak employs about 45 “lackeys” at its Fremont headquarters, who consider themselves stewards of the game, said Roth, who has geocached in places as far away as Budapest.

“We’re obviously getting to the point where if you can find one randomly in Budapest, it’s come a long way in 10 years,” he said. “We jokingly say geocaching is the biggest hobby in the world that nobody knows about.”

Geocaching can be complex, like the geocacher who hired a guide to bushwhack in the Brazilian jungle to find the other remaining Project Ape Cache, Roth said. But it is often just local.

On a busy street in Bellevue this week, Jacquie Vaughn, who goes caching almost daily, used her GPS to find one hidden behind an art tile on busy Northeast Eighth Street in the Crossroads neighborhood. The owner of the cache had painted the Groundspeak logo on a ceramic tile and velcroed it to an art wall, which blended in with other ceramic tiles on the wall. The cache itself was a tiny plastic bag with a picture of the owner’s daughter tucked inside.

Once Vaughn saw the logo, she carefully pried the tile off the wall, wrote her name on the log book tucked inside the cache, then replaced the tile. Vaughn, an organizer of GeoWoodstock, has found caches by this particular person before, who uses the handle “Albert&friends.”

“She gets creative in stories, location, what she places there,” Vaughn said. “She makes it fun.”

And this weekend, the Seattle area is a geocaching haven. About 400 people have signed up with the Washington State Geocaching Association to hike Annette Lake Friday to log the Project Ape Cache and snag a coveted Project Ape icon for their profile page on geocaching.com, Vaughn said.

On Sunday, Groundspeak is expecting 2,000 to 3,000 geocachers for an anniversary party outside its headquarters in Fremont.

For Carnation, the imminent arrival of GeoWoodstock has been a crash course in geocaching for locals, said Will Hart, co-owner of host site Remlinger Farms. Some were initially worried where geocachers searched.

“A lot of the townspeople had to learn what geocaching was about,” he said.

Vaughn, who is aiming to log her 3,000th cache on Saturday at GeoWoodstock, said geocaching has taken her to a train wreck from an old movie set, to a plane crash site and to sites in British Columbia, California, Nevada, Hawaii and Mexico.

Geocachers are motivated by different factors, said Vaughn. Some are in it for the number of caches they find, some are in it for the icons — which identify the type of caches found, such as traditional, mystery or puzzle — or for the journey to get to the cache, she said.

“You can call this a hobby, a game or a sport,” she said. “In some sense, you can call it all three.”

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And we’re off!, originally uploaded by VickyTH.

The best part of Geocaching. The Kids

It could be argued that everyone who engages in a regular outdoor pastime, be it mountain-biking, sailing, climbing, hill-running or whatever, is in effect playing a game. These things tend not to have the rules-and-regulations rigidity of formal games and sports such as football or golf, but informal guidelines and habits do evolve in lieu of anything definite.

Some recreational pastimes seem more like games than others, however, and the very modern hobby of geocaching is one of these.

It is defined by the Geocaching Association of Great Britain (GAGB) as “a modern day form of treasure hunting – the real ‘treasure’ in geocaching though, is the location, enjoying nature, the countryside and getting there”.

The basics are this: someone stashes a waterproof box in a hidden or unusual location (but publicly accessible), logs the coordinates on a GPS, goes home and flags this up on a geocaching website – whereupon some other enthusiast reverses the process and seeks it out.

The idea began in the USA in 2000, and has taken off in the subsequent decade. There are currently over one million “active” geocache sites worldwide, and as of April the UK total was believed to be around 60,000.

Geocaching could be seen as the overlap where GPS enthusiasts meet solo orienteers, and there are also similarities with the more arcane forms of bagging – trig-point hunting, confluence visiting, amateur radio hilltop activation, etc.

Clearly such things provide useful structures for getting people out in the fresh air taking exercise when they might otherwise just slob around indoors. On the downside, there have been occasional run-ins with authority – urban geocaches in both the USA and Canada having been mistaken for bombs and subjected to controlled explosions – while there is a wider concern that geocaches are a form of litter.

What qualifies as litter varies from person to person – crisp packets and drinks cans are at one end of the scale, wind turbines and military installations at the other – and some geocaches are in any case transient, being moved from place to place. The old outdoors dictum of “leave nothing but footprints” might be breached, but it’s hardly a crime against ecology.

The GPS aspect to the game will be too techie for some people’s liking – it’s not entirely clear why a GPS is deemed an essential geocaching tool, given that the old standby of map, compass and a bit of brainwork can lead people to locations just as well. But there’s something appealingly furtive about the whole idea – an ardent geocacher could be met, busily engaged in tracking down a site, and they would look like an ordinary walker.

As befits a treasure hunt, the geocaching boxes contain stuff. The GAGB website simply says “A few bits and pieces”, whereas the Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site mentions “geocoins” and “travel bugs” – “hitchhikers” that are tracked as they move from cache to cache. More generally, the idea is to swap an existing trinket for a new one, and to log the visit in a book.

By way of example, a couple of weeks ago I came across – purely by chance – what appeared to be a geocache wedged into the summit rocks of Ben Cleuch in the Ochils. At first glance it looked like someone’s mislaid Tupperware lunchbox (perhaps the Queen had been up for a stroll).

But the box was too interesting to ignore – show me a journalist who isn’t nosy and I’ll show you a not very good journalist – and the contents proved to be the following: toy fire engine, yo-yo, pen, toy plastic soldier, marbles, travel clock that didn’t work, golf ball and inflatable headrest. There were other items, too – it was crammed pretty tight – but this gives the gist.

The only thing that suggested it might not have been a geocache was the apparent absence of a logbook, although there could have been one wedged inside the headrest packet – my nosiness didn’t extend that far. If the box was indeed a geocache, then it was of the moveable variety: four days later, on a return visit, it was nowhere to be seen.

The logbook idea is not in itself new. Such things have lurked in unusual locations for many years. Three Scottish examples come to mind. There used to be one in Ossian’s Cave, high on the face of Aonach Dubh in Glen Coe. Peter Hodgkiss, in his 1984 guidebook, wrote: “It [the cave] used to contain a metal box for calling cards but this interesting relic vanished some years ago”. (One theory is that the box met its end when Dougal Haston – in trying-to-be-a-rebel mode – flung it out into the depths of the Coe.)

Then there was the visitors’ book inside a coffee jar which was itself placed in a birdbox-type contraption on the summit of Sron a’Choire Ghairbh above Loch Lochy. This was maintained during the 1970s and 80s by Richard Wood, who lived in Invergarry and climbed the hill in question over 1,000 times.

One old-style visitors’ book that is still there (or at least it was in the summer of 2005) sits in a neuk of the summit cairn on Creagan a’Chaise in the Cromdale hills. The presence of not just logbook and pencil but also gingerbread and miniatures of malt makes this a very civilised ur-geocache.

So geocaching – or at least the concept behind it – is not really new at all. But the modern version, with its customised trinkets and GPS gadgetry, is bringing the old pleasures of hide-and-seek to a new and enthusiastic public. Crucially, it is managing to stay mysterious and esoteric – and fun.

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For those seeking the old-fashioned adventure of a classic scavenger hunt, geocaching might be an exciting activity to explore. Around for more than a decade, geocaching involves locating specific coordinates with a GPS unit.