GPS technology leads to new sport

Geocaching enthusiasts track down treasure

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When Henderson resident Lynn Storton and his 13-year-old daughter Brandie tackle a new geocaching site, they find the thrill is in the journey rather than the trinket waiting for them at their destination. Though the father-daughter team enjoys finding their marks, Storton said the things they find along the way that might have gone unnoticed otherwise are the true reward for a day of geocaching.

The Stortons started geocaching in March 2004 after Lynn Storton got a GPS receiver while working in Washington.

"I was looking for something to do after work, so I got a GPS, which shows maps and trails and stuff like that, and the guy at the store asked me if I'd heard of geocaching," Storton said. "I went on the Internet and got some information about it, and then I went out and started finding little treasures. When I got back from Washington, I started taking Brandie with me to find things."

Geocaching started in 2000 after the United States government removed selective availability from global positioning systems (GPS) satellites, allowing civilians greater accuracy with GPS technology.

Shortly after the restrictions were lifted, a GPS enthusiast hid a container in Oregon, then posted the coordinates on the Internet and encouraged others to go find the container, or cache.

The hobby caught on quickly. Since 2000, caches have been hid around the world, and thousands of people have participated in the hunt, including the 600 or so members of the Nevada Geocaching Association.

Caches are created by hiding a container, which is usually water-tight and transparent so the contents are clearly visible, and filling it with items to trade and a logbook. The location of the cache is then registered online at www.geocaching.com, and other geocachers are able to use the information to find it. The finder takes something from the container, leaves something else for the next finder, then signs the logbook and returns the cache to its hiding spot.

The caches are filled with family friendly items, like small toys or buttons, and geocachers suggest checking on the cache once a month. Caches should be clearly marked as a geocache and should not be buried, and potentially harmful items like knives or cigarette lighters should never be left.

Storton also said food should not be traded in a geocache because it might attract animals.

Though caches should not be moved from their spot unless they come with instructions telling the finder to do so, some caches will include a hitchhiker, an item that is meant to be moved from cache to cache.

"A hitchhiker will usually have some sort of logbook so its progress can be tracked," Storton said. "Some of them move randomly, but some will come with a destination. Maybe a person from Nevada wanted their hitchhiker to travel to Australia and back, so a person who could help the item get closer to its destination would take it with them."

In addition to traditional geocaching, variations of the game have evolved with its popularity, including hunts for micro-caches, multi-caches, offset caches and event caches.

A micro-cache involves a cache small enough to fit into a film canister, usually accompanied only by a log sheet. These caches are usually hidden in urban areas and the object is to locate them without being seen.

Multi-caches involve a set of instructions to multiple locations, and can serve as a tour of a certain area.

Offset caches take hunters to a certain point, from which the hunter continues with a map and compass.

Event caches are organized hunts including multiple hunters and teams, and are usually held in parks or other public areas.

Storton said that while anyone with a GPS receiver and Internet access can get involved with caching by themselves, there are also teams that work together made up of friends and families, and the local Nevada Geocaching group connects Southern Nevada cachers through a Web site and chat room.

"Geocaching is about where you're going, not what you find when you get there," Storton said. "You find things along the way that you never would have even thought about. We've come across ghost towns and old structures that are virtually unknown, and you can find caches in town or spread out."

Brandie said the sport appeals to her sense of adventure and allows her to spend time with her dad.

"I like that geocaching takes you to places you really wouldn't usually go," she said. "You get to go out into the wilderness, and it's something me and my dad can do together, and I can bring my friends. And I've met a lot of new people since we started."

Storton said a lot of families and groups are involved in the Las Vegas area.

"It's good to go as a group or sometimes just alone to clear your mind," he said. "All you really need is a GPS receiver, a pen and something small to trade, but it's helpful to take things that you would take hiking, like snacks and spare batteries and a compass.

"Using the coordinates and tracking things down really helps you learn about more of the area you're in, not just a couple of parts. There's something in geocaching for anyone who wants to make the time to do it."

For more information, visit www.geocaching.com or www.nevadageocaching.com.