Geocaching Fun Facts
Hi, we’re Tumbleweed and Cactus (for Tom and Carole) and we discovered Geocaching in 2004. We coined the name in the early ’90s as the title of an outdoor adventure news column we wrote for a Utah newspaper. Here’s a few fun facts we put together!
- Geocaching began in May, 2000 when President Bill Clinton allowed civilian use of the GPS satellite system. Clinton’s action came on May 1, 2000. On May 3, 2000, Dave Ulmer hid a bucket of trinkets in the woods outside Portland, OR and posted a notice to an online user group. Within a day it had been found, and more were hidden nationwide within days. By May 8, a web site was active. And later that month, the term ‘geocaching’ was coined. And by fall, the web site www.geocaching.com had begun.
- To enjoy Geocaching you need computer access to the Internet to find caches near you at www.geocaching.com, plus a GPS receiver to find the waypoint coordinates of the cache, plus some intuition to find the cache itself.
- GPS receivers determine latitude and longitude through signals from a series of 24 satellites originally launched in 1974. GPS receivers need to be receiving at least 3-4 different satellites to get an accurate reading, with buildings and trees sometimes interfering with reception.
- GPS receivers appropriate for Geocaching range in cost from around $100-400, and are readily available locally at outdoor stores like REI.
- There are many brands of GPS receivers, but Garmin and Magellan are the two leading brands. Garmin’s eTrex line is our favorite, specifically the Garmin eTrex Legend Cx, which retails for $269.99 at REI.
- Geocaches may contain hidden treasures (perfect for kids) or may simply include a log. In every case, they offer the excitement of the search and resultant find. Most caches are contained in ammo cans or Tupperware containers, but may be as small as pillboxes or teeny, tiny containers called micros or nanos.
- Some caches contain ‘travel bugs,’ which are trackable items designed to move from cache to cache with their travel monitored on the www.geocaching.com web site. We launched a travel bug in Park City with ‘instructions’ for it to eventually land near our grandkids hometown in northern Wisconsin. 18 months and 5,000 miles later, it actually arrived!
- There are over 418,000 caches hidden worldwide (as of June 26, 2007). In a typical week, nearly 300,000 caches are logged by over 40,000 Geocachers.
- TeamAlamo, a California couple, have found over 22,000 caches since 2003, and are finding around 1,000 every month. Needless to say, they are the world leaders. Baad Daata of New Harmony, UT is the state’s leader with over 5,500 finds.
- Geocaching is free for basic access to the www.geocaching.com web site. Premium access is only $3.00 per month and gives you greater access to maps and other services.
- We’ve found many interesting caches including one hidden in a lower floor of an underground parking ramp, one held by clear fishing line in a hollowed out tree, caches hidden behind magnetic objects, the drive-up of a fast food restaurant (didn’t actually find that one) and other fascinating locations.
- We’ve found many interesting items inside caches, but our favorite was a rubber snake we found in our very first cache in the West Desert of Utah. We also enjoyed a week with Mom III, a memorial travel bug to someone’s mom, which we found in Slovenia and carried from country to country before leaving her in London.
- Utah Geocachers are welcome to join the Utah Association of Geocachers to meet other hobbyists. Check it out at www.utahgeocachers.com.
- Geocaching classes are offered in many communities, including a free introduction later this summer through Mountain Trails in Park City. Check it out at www.mountaintrails.org or www.tumbleweedandcactus.com.
Links
http://www.tumbleweedandcactus.com
http://www.geocaching.com
http://www.geocaching.com/about/history.aspx
http://geocaching.gpsgames.org/history/
