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Hide and seek

Robert Tighe is standing on a busy downtown street. He has a backpack slung over his shoulder and something that appears to be a cell phone in his hand. Even at second glance, he seems to be just an average guy waiting for a bus.

He takes a quick look at his “phone” and then surreptitiously scans the sidewalk. As an older lady passes by, he bends down to tie up his shoe. Once the coast is clear, he slips the “phone” into his pocket and begins running his hands along the branches of a tree a few metres from the bus stop. His fingers pause on a small divot of wood. He pulls it aside to reveal the purpose of his search—a tiny black film canister.

While it might seem like a scene from a Robert Ludlum novel, Tighe is actually one of some four million people worldwide who participate in a kind of high-tech treasure hunt called geocaching, using GPS devices to track the coordinates of hidden objects.

Geocaching was born 10 years ago when then-President Bill Clinton removed the selective availability on military satellites. Suddenly, the accuracy on a civilian GPS went from 100 metres to 10 metres. Not long after, David Ulmer, a resident of Portland, Oregon, hid a container filled with trinkets and posted its location on a USENET newsgroup, earning him the title “Father of Geocaching.”

Tighe got into geocaching a year ago when a fellow Cub leader mentioned that it might be a fun activity to do with their group. Since then, his entire family, including his 13-year-old daughter, his 10-year-old son and even his three-year-old daughter, has got involved.

“It’s amazing the range of ages of people who love to do this,” says Tighe. “It’s really a great family activity and it sort of appeals to the video game set. You can have kids hiking for six kilometres without a single complaint just because they’re hunting for something. And the great thing is they’re observing everything from animal tracks to vegetation along the way.”

“Well, some say the more people the better, but I say the more educated people the better.”
—Todd Beal

Part of geocaching’s appeal for kids is the treasure element. Geocache containers come in a variety of sizes from nano (smaller than a quarter and perfect for hiding in urban areas) to large (something like a one-kilogram peanut butter container). While all sizes hold a log book of some sort, the bigger ones contain “swag” or trade items. These are generally inexpensive trinkets like decorative pins and badges.

Occasionally a cache will contain a special item such as a “travel bug” which is a tag that has a unique number so its progress can be tracked from cache to cache. Custom-made Geocoins are another trackable item that also acts as a kind of calling card for the original owner. There are two important rules when it comes to swag: an item should be replaced with something of equal or greater value and no food items are allowed.

Todd Beal is president of the Atlantic Canada Geocaching Association, an organization that works to ensure that people have the information they need to geocache responsibly. The association has run courses through several organizations such as Provincial Parks, the IWK, and HRM Parks and Recreation.

“Our focus has been on getting new geocachers off on the right foot,” Beal explains. “We want them to know the basics of placing a cache: things like getting permission if it’s on private property, using proper containers, and leaving no trace. We have all sorts of tips and techniques for people who want to get involved.”

One recent trend Beal has noticed is people planning their vacations around spots where there are lots of interesting caches. He says it is a great way to get to know a city, and that it can take you to little-known spots right in your own home town.

Both wilderness and urban geocaching are growing in popularity. Beal estimates there are at least 200 geocachers in Halifax and more than 2,000 geocaches.
“Some people kind of long for the ‘olden days’ of geocaching when it was kind of a secret society,” he says. “Now it’s made its way into TV shows and movies and it’s becoming more mainstream. Well, some say the more people the better, but I say the more educated people the better.”

Getting started in geocaching

1. Purchase a GPS device that fits your needs and price range. (They typically range from $100 to $500.) Geocaching message boards are a good place to get advice on equipment from experienced geocachers.
2. Sign up for a free membership at Geocaching, the official GPS cache hunt site: www.geocaching.com.
3. Search the site for a geocache to hunt for. The site allows you to search by address, postal code, longitude, etc. Start with an easy one  near to home. Enter the coordinates onto the GPS.
4. Find the geocache. (The GPS only gets you to the general area. You may need to be persistent and think creatively.) If geocaching outside the urban area, be sure to inform someone of your whereabouts and carry a survival kit.
5. When you find the cache, follow the instructions inside. This will include signing the log book. You may take items from the cache but must exchange them for an equal number of items. Replace the cache exactly as you found it.
6. When you return home, log your find on the geocaching site. For more information visit www.atlanticgeocaching.com.

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