Treasure Hunters Lured to Tourist Destinations with Geocaching

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Published: May 18 2012

Last Updated: August 22 2014

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POTOSI, Missouri. Travis and Cindy were on a mission.

After parking their minivan in front of Mark Twain National Forest's Potosi Ranger Station, they turned on their GPS unit and stepped out of their vehicle.

They weren't there to purchase a map, or to inquire about camping, or to buy a firewood permit. They were searching for something…something that they knew was very close by. And if they found it, it would be momentous because never yet had they been the "First To Find."

Time was of the essence, and even the damp and chilly air of that October 2011 morning was not enough to deter them. They had to find it, and find it first.

They walked down the sidewalk, past the Pollinator Garden, across the parking lot, and headed into the woods. As they approached a small vernal pool, they suddenly stopped. Did they see something? Maybe a bird flushing from a bush? Or a frog jumping into the pool? No, they saw something much less obvious.

Travis walked a few steps further, stopped again, turned around, then kicked some leaves and exclaimed "I found it!" Pulling an old ammo box out from behind a tree, they both grinned from ear to ear. This was what they were looking for. This was the geocache!

Travis and Cindy represent hundreds of people who participate in geocaching, or treasure hunting on Mark Twain National Forest.

This particular geocache was put there by Mark Twain National Forest Employee Marge VanPraag.

A geocacher herself, Marge has enjoyed encouraging others to participate in this recreational pastime.

Read more: Geocachers Enjoy Treasure Hunt

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Published: April 19 2012

Last Updated: August 25 2014

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Written by Hilary Korabik

On Saturday, Feb. 25, Clare Conner and Katie Newman, both juniors at Saint Louis University, found themselves corralling chickens in Tower Grove Park. Were they fully engaged in learning where their food comes from? Not exactly; this is just one of the many adventures a person might come across while geocaching.

Geocaching is a global treasure hunt that was started in 2000 by a group of Global Positioning System enthusiasts, after a major upgrade in the civilian GPS system. This upgrade allowed GPS users to pinpoint locations as much as 10 times more accurately than they had previously been able to, according to former president George Bush’s press release on May 1, 2000.

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Published: November 30 2011

Last Updated: August 25 2014

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Written by Ravi Kumar

Whatever happened to that nerd-tastic hobby called Geocaching? The high-tech game of hide and seek still has around 5 million users worldwide if Wikipedia is accurate. But some education start-ups are looking at ways to use the same GPS technology as a way to make learning fun by linking GPS devices to curriculum. The timing is right, given that GPS apps like Google Maps and others now often come standard on smart phones and readers like iPads.

Recently, Apisphere, Inc., the company behind Geomate. jr, an easy to use GPS-based geocaching device collaborated with SDG Creations, Ltd. to enable teachers and students to actively learn through what they call “geocaching.”

Educaching, a GPS based curriculum for Educators would like you to believe that learning is like treasure hunting or geocaching.

"The curriculum combined with the Geomate.jr guides teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) based, GPS scavenger hunts that engage students in teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking and exercise in a fun learning environment," said Jason Hubbard, teacher and author of the Educaching GPS based curriculum.

Read the entire article at www.wiredacademic.com.

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Published: July 27 2011

Last Updated: August 25 2014

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By Chris Short

Sociocachephilitis

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs appeared in 1954's "Motivation and Personality." In his preliminary study of the human psyche and the demands and desires for self-fulfillment, Maslow compartmentalized needs into five stages: biological/physiological, safety, belonging, esteem and self-actualization. If we start at the beginning of his pyramid by ensuring we have nutrition, shelter, sleep, etc., we are capable of addressing the "higher order" needs. And according to Maslow, destruction of the basic need fulfillment renders humans incapable of addressing their personal growth, status, or reputation. At the most basic explanation, when you can survive physically, you can focus on social order, spheres of influence, personal development and ultimately achieving self-realization.

We determine our self-worth based upon our achievements, status and social connections. Our hobbies and activities are often in direct response to the higher level "needs." And many times we seek altruistic expressions to fulfill a basic desire to support others with the lower "needs." But in this age of hyper-connectivity, our understanding of social connection is skewed by Tweets, Facebook status updates and SMS/text messaging. Thankfully, there are still opportunities to connect our hobbies with our need to be connected beyond sound bites or txt-ese messages: LOL, OMG! TTYL! OK, maybe there are some special terms and phrases that only geocachers understand, but we also talk like ol' fashioned folk.

This past March, geocachers from around the country -- and a few dedicated players from Canada -- gathered at Rend Lake for an event designated as the Midwest Open Geocaching Adventure, or MOGA. It is theoretically the world's largest weekend competition for individuals and teams. The "mega-event" spans three days, but it is far from simply being a marathon of finding geocaches. Maslow's Hierarchy is present at every level and in very distinct examples of the human condition. Imagine a Trekkie -- pardon me, Trekkers -- convention for people who like to find Tupperware in the woods. And it is themed. So imagine a Trekker convention for people who like to find Tupperware. Dressed as pirates.

The global community of geocachers is as diverse as any community. It spans a wide breadth of economic, education and intelligence factors. And it has a vast array of social acceptability and accessibility. There are the party animals, the social butterflies and the wall flowers. And they all dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow or wenches. But it provides an opportunity for people who share a common bond -- Tupperware hunting -- to gather, share and enjoy community. Geocaching.com provides the sense of stability and order through the definition of the game and its guidelines. The venue ensured food and shelter. And the geocachers participate to establish their own higher needs: Comparing geocache hides? Gloating over numbers? Pride? A sense of learning from others?

MOGA only comes around once a year. In the meantime, local geocachers gather on a regular basis to talk shop, brag a little and enjoy each others' company in a celebration of sociocachephiltis: the love of social caching. Bring your ego, your sense of achievement, and your willingness to grow. We can't guarantee the cake.

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Published: July 26 2011

Last Updated: August 25 2014

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Story by Avantika Khatri

Over the past three years, David Bassett has found more than 2,600 hidden containers using a GPS receiver. Locations for the hiding spots, known as geocaches, range from mountain peaks to libraries to underwater caves to lush forests.

Geocaching became possible May 2, 2000, when the U.S. government turned off selective availability for GPS. Until that point, the government altered the GPS satellite clock signals to skew GPS accuracy by 100 meters for unauthorized personnel. Today, more than 5 million people have joined the high-tech treasure hunt, hiding and searching for more than 1.4 million caches.

“I saw a T-shirt once, and it said, ‘I use billion-dollar government satellites to find Tupperware hidden in the woods,’ and that sums it up right there,” said Bassett, 49.

During a traditional geocache, a person hides a waterproof container containing a logbook and possibly small knickknacks and then enters the coordinates for the container’s location on a website. Other cachers enter the coordinates into their GPS receivers, and the search begins.

Although there are many websites for recording caches, the main one is www.geocaching.com, which Bassett describes as “the Walmart of geocaching.”

Each cache provides Bassett an opportunity to explore new areas. Although he has lived in Boone County for a long time and says he is familiar with the area, Bassett regularly discovers new things because of where other people hide their caches. In Cuba, Mo., for instance, he discovered a waterfall and a dog-racing track — things he never expected to find.

These hiding spots also create opportunities for new experiences.

“I’ve rappelled. I’d never rappelled before in my life, but I’d gone to get a geocache just a couple of weeks ago, as a matter of fact, and we rappelled over a 125-foot cliff,” Bassett said.

Read the entire article at columbiatribune.com...