By Shari Phippen

Have you ever played a game where you were the only contestant and the journey was sometimes more exciting than the end result? For Logan resident Layne Smith and thousands of others, that is one of the wonders of what has become 21st century treasure-hunting, geocaching.

"There is a certain beauty in navigating across some distance and going to a precise location, a secret place and finding a 'treasure,'" Smith said. "The whole experience is exactly what Robert Louis Stevenson appeals to in us."

Geocaching is relatively new. It began in early summer 2000 when legislation passed allowed Global Positioning Systems (GPS), handheld tools that use satellite signals along with latitude and longitude to find an object's location, to be used by civilians, instead of only by military personnel. Within three days of the legislation's passing, a cache--a container of random things--had been placed in Portland, Ore. Shortly after that, a website describing where a cache could be found was started up. Its coordinates were given so anyone with a GPS could find the cache. Following this, the new trend was given the name geocaching and participants were placing caches around the region.

By the end of summer 2000, the site, Geocahing Home Page, was up and running. Since that time, geocaching has spread to a worldwide audience, with caches being found in all 50 states and over 150 countries, from Italy to Australia.

Geocaching's appeal is multi-dimensional. According to one website, "Anybody and everybody who enjoys the outdoors and looking for treasure goes geocaching!" according to Buxley's Geocaching waypoint . Each geocache has a level of difficulty, but all it really takes is determination and a GPS. Parents take their young children, but teenagers and senior citizens also look forward to the thrill of the hunt.

Other local geocachers agree with Smith. Bob Miller admits he's become addicted to geocaching, although he's only been at it since last summer. He says it has given him the opportunity to see places in Utah and neighboring states he didn't know about. He has been able to see moose, mountain lion, and every other kind of animal you could find in Utah. One of the greatest benefits for him is the bond it creates between himself and his son. They enjoy the search as much as the find, even if the search means wading through mud or digging in the snow to find a cache.

Paul Cowley of Nibley spent a long weekend last month hunting caches in the valley with his wife and 3-year-old daughter.

"She was so excited about 'treasure hunting' with her dad that she started to cry when the sun went down and we called it a day," he said. For Cowley, one of the best things about geocaching is the diversity of the caches. He can make it a drawn out technical process, requiring specialized equipment or he can take time during his lunch break and simply walk to a cache.

Cowley and Smith are also fascinated by the technical side of geocaching. Smith majored in geography in college. He enjoys the mapping part of geocaching as well as latitudes, longitudes, and playing with a GPS. Cowley said, "The ability to pinpoint a spot on earth, hide something small, then have others find that same spot hours, days, or even years later is fascinating, particularly when you consider that we are using satellites 12,000 miles away." GPS coordinates have often put him within inches of a cache's location.

Utah currently has the highest number of caches per capita of any state or country and is ranked eighth in the world in total number of caches. There is even a website just for geocachers in Utah, UTAG Homepage. The site works to promote responsible use of public lands, since that is where most of the caches are hidden. It also details upcoming events and puts Utah cachers in touch with one another.

So, where are the caches here in Cache Valley? Among others, one is at Adams Park up a tree, and another is on the USU campus near the waterfall by the old heating plant. Other caches in the valley and other places around Utah can be found by going to Geocaching Home Page. Just enter your zip code and how far from your location you want to look. After that, the computer will give you coordinates of different caches and once you have a GPS to guide you, you're on your way.

However, there are a few rules when it comes to geocaching. One is that if you take something from the cache, you need to put something in its place. That is so there is always something for future hunters. The next thing is to put your name and what you took and left in the log book along with any comments so others will know you have been there. This keeps geocachers aware of who has been there and what they left.

For obvious safety reasons, dangerous objects like fireworks are not permitted in caches. Also, because families do this together, hunters are asked to refrain from putting alcohol, drugs, and other similar things in the cache. Basically, common sense should dictate what can and can't go in a cache. Caches have been known to hold candy, toys, tapes, cds, or even money. The other main rule is to not move the cache. Individual people hide the caches and send their coordinates to others. The person who starts the cache checks on it from time to time, so it should not be moved from its original location.

Joe Thielen, from Toledo, Ohio, has been geocaching for two years. He admits he got into geocaching "because I liked the geek factor of it--any geek can tell you that something that gets you out of the house is good." He enjoys the fact that geocaching exposes him to new places and new parts of places he has already been. Like Smith, he enjoys the feeling you get of being on a treasure hunt.

"To actually give a person the coordinates and plot them on a map and say 'X is the spot' --it's a great experience."

So if you are really bored or just want to get out of your apartment and do something a little different, geocaching is a great way to go. I have done a little myself and have been able to find two of the caches here in the valley.

As Smith said, "When you put your name in a log book, you become part of an exclusive community, the 'I found it!' community."

NW
SR

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