Introduction to Geocaching

Images are either personal or taken from geocaching.com site unless otherwise noted…

Agenda

• What is geocaching?• How GPS works• History of geocaching• How to use geocaching.com • Popularity ~ Options ~ Etiquette• Educational Possibilities• Interesting stories• Questions• Hands-on search…

What is Geocaching?

• Treasure hunt • for kids…..• and adults

http://www.atlanticgeocaching.com/

News video clip from USA orhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flsZVs4l3gU

How does GPS work?

http://www.uwec.edu/jolhm/Past_Classes/1998/491Class/Nov2-3/geography_4912.htmhttp://img.geocaching.com/benchmark/lg/a5887ff5-37e8-44b4-bb7b-9fc9bc8acfd6.jpg

History of…• Oregon gps user• Container with gadgets & logbook• Online local challenge

• Sign the logbook and…• “Take some stuff, leave some stuff."

• Within three days two others had found the bucket and geocaching was born.

• As word spread, others followed suit….

“If you hide it, they will find it.”

• Over time, a website was created to help organize the new sport…

GEOCACHING.COM

History of…

• Geocaching.com serves as an online database where “hiders” can tell others where a cache has been hidden and “finders” can look for new challenges.

• A large amount of information describing cache locations, sizes, etc. is available by logging on to this website.

How does geocaching.com enable this?

Guess how many hidden in a 20 mile radius (32 KM) of

E3B 6J8(FHS Postal Code)

GUESS!!!!

1784!

Geocaching.com

How to use

Internet down or too slow??? Click here for backup slides….

When you return home, login to geocaching.com and record your find online.

Ex: “Found your cache early this afternoon without difficulty. Enjoyed the scenery but not the mosquitoes;-) Took the City of Moncton pin and left a Keychain. TFTF

(Thanks for the find) Other popular acronyms: FTF & TNLNSL

(First to Find) (Took nothing, left nothing, saw lots)

Geocaching.com keeps a record of your results….

L

I

N

K

Then it’s your turn to hide your own..

http://members.shaw.ca/fca/cn/cn05.jpg

Caching “etiquette”

Re-hide better

than you found it

Caching Responsibility• Caches should not contain hazardous material

(including food).

• Avoid environmentally sensitive areas(ex: within days noticeable trail)

• Private property ~ need permission!• Include “Stash note”• Cache maintenance….water, animals, etc…

• Caches must be placed in approved locations (ex: highway median/black box besides major bridge not good idea)

• Safe searching (include compass, spare batteries, survival gear,etc.)

http://walkergarbage.com/hazardous.html

How popular is it?• Guess how many caches in New Brunswick?

• 3115 (March, 2007)

• 9375 (April 2012)

• geocachers plan trips around ‘caching.

• “Geofanatics” try to find as many as they can, some even go to further lengths

New Brunswick…New Brunswick…

Maritimes

Options:

http://www.geocaching.com/images/track/travelbugs.jpg

Travelbugs

Multicache

Premium membership

Don’t forget to click on puck!

Even more options…

http://www.nightcaching.org/

Event Cache

Geocoin

Nightcache

GPS Designs on Google Earth

• Triangle

• Carm

• Stickman

Interesting stories….

Ultimate cache?

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=909c9502-796e-442f-aa8f-b71be68a772b

Turn GPS on by holding power button for a few seconds

Wait patiently…

• Give GPS time to acquire satellites

Change pages until you get to the Main menu page

“Main Menu” page

Use joystick to select FIND

Warning!Joystick is

difficult for first time users.

Waypoints

Nearest

HINT:If no luck

with “nearest”

try “By Name””

Select the cache number you’re looking for

Need to useJoystick to

move up and down

and selectwaypoint

Then “Goto”Again,

need to usejoystick to

movearound and

select.

Then follow arrow

Reminders:

• Move leaves, plants, etc.

• Look up and down; try moving around.

• Faster you move, better for GPS (don’t need to run)

• Heavy foilage/bridges/buildings=poor reception

• Always a chance the cache has been moved/removed.