Geocaching 101

On August 27  the Massillon Public Library presented, “Geocaching 101—An Introduction to Modern Day Treasure Hunting,” with guest presenter and geocacher, Kellen Freeman. Geocaching, an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, navigation, and outdoor hiking/walking, has become a new family activity.

 

It basically works like this: individuals go out into the world, anywhere, and hide a box of "treasure" called a cache. The cache, typically any type of waterproof container, will normally contain various trinkets, gift certificates, or some other interesting item. There will also always be a log book in the box, so geocachers can record their information after they find a cache. Geocachers then replace the treasure with something new, go online to Geocaching.com, and post the longitude/latitude coordinates of the new hidden treasure. Almost anyone in the world can then go to Geocaching.com, locate hidden treasures in their area, program the coordinates into their portable GPS, then go find the cache!

 

During this program, participants learned the basics of Geocaching, from finding and hiding a cache to finding the right cache for you. A cache was assembled at the program to be hidden locally for anyone to find.