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[[Image:Geocaching.jpg|thumb|A Geocache in Germany]]
[[Image:Geocaching.jpg|thumb|A Geocache in Germany]]
'''Geocaching''' is an outdoor [[activity]] that most often involves the use of a [[Global Positioning System]] ("GPS") receiver or traditional navigational techniques to find a "geocache" (or "cache") placed anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small, waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure", usually trinkets of little value. Participants are called geocachers; those not familiar with geocaching are called geo-muggles or just [[Muggle (disambiguation)|muggle]]s, a term borrowed from the [[Harry Potter]] series.
'''Geocaching''' is an outdoor [[activity]] that most often involves the use of a [[Global Positioning System]] ("GPS") receiver or traditional navigational techniques to find a "geocache" (or "cache") placed anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small, waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure", usually trinkets of little value. Participants are called geocachers; those not familiar with geocaching are called geo-muggles or just [[Muggle (disambiguation)|muggle]]s, a term borrowed from the [[Harry Potter]] series of books.


Geocaching is similar to a much older activity called [[letterboxing]]. The major difference is its use of the [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] and the [[Internet]].
Geocaching is similar to a much older activity called [[letterboxing]]. The major difference is its use of the [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] and the [[Internet]].

Revision as of 21:28, 9 February 2006

A Geocache in Germany

Geocaching is an outdoor activity that most often involves the use of a Global Positioning System ("GPS") receiver or traditional navigational techniques to find a "geocache" (or "cache") placed anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small, waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure", usually trinkets of little value. Participants are called geocachers; those not familiar with geocaching are called geo-muggles or just muggles, a term borrowed from the Harry Potter series of books.

Geocaching is similar to a much older activity called letterboxing. The major difference is its use of the GPS and the Internet.

History

Geocaching was made possible by the "turning off" of the selective availability of the Global Positioning System on May 1, 2000. The first documented placement of a cache with GPS assistance took place on May 3, 2000, by Dave Ulmer of Beaver Creek, Oregon. The location was posted on the Usenet newsgroup news://sci.geo.satellite-nav. By May 6, 2000, it had been found twice and logged once (by Mike Teague of Vancouver, Washington).

Well over 200,000 geocaches are currently placed around the world, registered on various Web sites devoted to geocaching.

Geocaches

Geocache Loonse en Drunense Duinen in The Netherlands

For the traditional geocache, a geocacher will place a waterproof container, containing a log book (with pen or pencil) and treasures, then note the cache's coordinates. These coordinates, along with other details of the location are posted online. Other geocachers obtain the coordinates from the Internet and, using handheld GPS receivers, seek out the cache. The finding geocachers record their exploits in the logbook and online. Geocachers are free to take objects from the cache in exchange for leaving something of similar or higher value, so there's treasure for the next person to find.

Typical cache treasures aren't high in intrinsic value. Aside from the logbook, common cache contents are Two dollar bills or other unusual coins or currency; small toys; ornamental buttons; and CDs or books. Also common are "hitchhikers" (a.k.a. travelers or Travel Bugs), which are objects moved from cache to cache, and whose travels may be logged online. Occasionally, higher value items are included in geocaches, normally reserved for the "first finder", or those locations which are harder to reach.

A Travel Bug

Geocaches can range in size from "microcaches," too small to hold anything more than a tiny paper log, to those placed in five-gallon buckets or even larger containers.

If a geocache has been vandalized or stolen, it is said to have been "muggled" or "plundered". If a cacher does discover that a cache has been muggled, an e-mail to the cache owner is appropriate so that they can either de-activate known as "archiving" the cache or repair or replace it.

Variations

There is a lot of variation in the types of caches participants seek. Some geocaches are easy enough to be called "drive-bys" in the U.S.; and "Park 'n' Grabs", "PNG's" or "cache and dash" in the U.K. (these terms are sometimes used in the U.S. as well). Others are very difficult: under water, many staged multi-caches, challenging cryptography, 50 feet up a tree, on high mountain peaks, on the Antarctic continent or above the Arctic Circle.

Variations of geocaches include:

  • Traditional: A basic cache. Contains one container with a log book at minimum, usually toys.
  • Multi-cache: requires a visit to one or more intermediate points to determine the coordinates of the cache.
  • Mystery/puzzle cache: Coordinates listed are not the coordinates for the cache, the seeker must solve a puzzle to find the actual coordinates.
  • Event cache: a meeting for geocachers, found by date, hour and coordinates
  • Cache-In Trash-Out (CITO) Events: A variation on the event cache, where geocachers get together at a particular location and clean up the trash in the area.
  • Letterbox hybrid: This is a hybrid between geocaching and the much older activity of letterboxing. In addition to a logbook and trade items, it contains a rubber stamp to stamp your log book. Letterboxers carry their own stamp with them, to stamp the letterbox's log book.
  • Webcam: a location with a public web cam. You must have someone watching the camera on a computer to "capture" your image, or you can bring your own lap-top with you.
  • Virtual: a location to visit simply for what is already there. To prove you visited the site, you are generally required to either email the cache owner with information such as a date or a name on a plaque, or post a picture of yourself at the site with GPS receiver in hand.
  • Locationless or reverse cache: the opposite of a traditional cache, as the game is to find a specific type of object, like a one-room schoolhouse, then log its coordinates and post a picture holding your GPS in front of the cache site.
  • Earthcache: A type of "cache-less cache" sponsored and approved by the Geological Society of America. The locations do not have items, but contain information about the geology, fossils and local environment.
  • Moving/traveling cache: The finder logs the cache, trades trinkets, then hides the cache in a different place.

It should be noted that on the website geocaching.com, currently the most popular caching site, the following cache types will no longer be listed: locationless/reverse, virtual, webcam, and earth caches. Groundspeak, Inc., the owners of geocaching.com, have created a waymarking website, at waymarking.com, to handle these cache types.

Geocaching's status as a sport

There is some debate among geocachers about whether to categorize geocaching as a sport, game, or activity.

Proponents for "geocaching as a sport" like to point out that dictionaries define sport as a "physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively." They feel that geocaching meets all those criteria.

Proponents that argue against geocaching as a sport point out that there is no clearly defined ruleset for geocaching, and that most participants geocache in their own manner. The most any geocache site has done is to list guidelines for geocaching. As for the competitive angle, proponents against defining geocaching as a sport declare that for competition to be measurable, rules are required, and since geocaching has no generally agreed upon ruleset, it cannot be considered a sport.

In general, geocaching is accepted as a "recreational activity" by most participants, while the term sport is debated among participants.

Listing competition

There are a number of Web sites that list geocache sites around the world. The best known is geocaching.com, which dates from 2000 and whose owners have attempted to commercialize the sport, including attempts to trademark the word "geocache". These attempts have often proved controversial in the community.

In the United States, where most geocaching services are hosted, co-ordinates are not protected by copyright but cache data is. Commercial web-sites listing geocache data are generally protective of their data.

People using publicly available data taken from geocaching.com have been threatened with lawsuits by Groundspeak, Inc., the owners of geocaching.com. One of the most notable examples of this is that of Ed Hall who in 2001 was threatened with a lawsuit if he didn't place a notice stating that all geocaching data used in the creation of his geocache maps was copyrighted by Groundspeak, Inc. The legal advice received by Hall suggested that such a notice was unnecessary but his site now acknowledges the various sources of cache data he uses. [1]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Geocaching.

Cache listing sites

Tools

Miscellaneous

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