Jacques, geocaching in Iceland.
container in the woods. He posted the coordinates online and a few days later, someone found the box. Te modern- day treasure hunt was born. Today, there are approximately three
million active geocachers worldwide and more than 2.8 million geocaches waiting to be found in over 180 coun- tries. While there are several different types of geocaches, they usually fall into three categories: physical caches where a box is hidden at the final coor- dinates, virtual caches where no boxes are hidden, and event caches which consist of a gathering of geocachers. A typical physical geocache usually
consists of a waterproof box containing a logbook, a pencil and small trinkets for trading. It may also have a track- able item, a geocaching "game piece" that needs to travel from geocache to geocache. Geocaches vary greatly in size and appearance. Tey could be everything from large plastic contain- ers to tiny film canisters to fake rocks, fake bolts and bird houses with a secret compartment. To find the geocache, participants enter the coordinates in their GPS receiver or use their smartphone and head outside in search of the box. Some geocaches are quite well cam- ouflaged and tricky to find while oth- ers are obvious and easy to spot. Once someone finds the geocache, they sign their names and the date they found it in the logbook and trade items if they want. After signing the logbook, they must return the cache to exactly where they found it for the next person to find. Tey can then share their experi- ence online on the geocache page. Geocaching is an activity that has a wide appeal. It is a great way to get ev-
thehubwinnipeg.com Tools you may need along with your GPS for geocaching.
eryone spending some time outdoors. After you discover your first geocache, you’ll be hooked on the treasure hunt and want to find more. While Poké- mon GO has created quite a buzz in the past few weeks, there are a few big differences between Pokémon GO and geocaching. In geocaching, there’s a physical item to find at the end of your search. Game play is not dependent on cell coverage, so the game is able to ex- tend into more remote locations. And since players create the geocache loca- tions, they’re more likely to hide caches in places where finding the cache can be secondary to admiring the scenery surrounding it. Geocaching can help you discover some beautiful trails, parks and natural areas located in your neighbourhood. Oak Hammock Marsh, for example, is home to over 50 geocaches. Trips are enhanced by finding geocaches, as they often lead to beautiful areas only known by lo- cal players and not found on any travel guide maps. Geocaching is a free activity that
simply requires creating a user profile on the main website
geocaching.com. Tere are also local geocaching orga- nizations such as the Manitoba Geo- caching Association (MBGA) mbga. ca that can assist new players and or- ganize geocaching events. Some of the upcoming events include a Mystery Puzzle Solving event at the Louis Riel
Library on Sept. 24 and a Geocaching Event at the Assiniboine Park Zoo on Oct. 29. Whether you enjoy catching virtual
Pokémon with your phone or find- ing little treasure boxes in parks, both activities are great as they encourage people to use technology in the out- doors and have a fun adventure. Jacques Bourgeois is the head of market- ing and promotions for Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre and an avid geocacher. He has found 17,636 geocaches in 36 different countries.
Success! Sign the guest book and hide it again for the next player.
Fall 2016 • 19
Photo by Dirk Schumacher.
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