Treasure quest

High-tech hunting game participants have a different perspective on Lake Highlands

Story by Lauri Valerio | Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Few outside of the geocaching world consider cassette tapes, Legos and ratty notebooks treasures. Geocachers seek more than trinkets, though. For them, the real and less tangible — treasures include adventure, diversity and community.

Geocaching is a game with one basic goal: Go to a specific location using GPS coordinates and either a smartphone or a GPS device. In its simplest form, geocachers drive around until their device shows they are near their target, then leave the car to find the cache — a hidden object, often camouflaged, containing a logbook and maybe some dollarstore trading items. If geocachers choose a more challenging target, they may be asked to figure out the coordinates by solving riddles, cryptograms or sudoku, which can take hours to months. Extreme geocachers have even repelled down caves, donned scuba gear and climbed overhanging rock walls to hide or reach caches.

Lake Highlands is home to an active geocaching community.

Kevin Darbe, North Texas representative for the Texas Geocaching Association, says there are easily 500-1,000 dedicated geocachers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Within five miles of Lake Highlands High School, you can find about 400 caches.

“You do what? Why?”

When Darbe hears these questions, he tells non-geocachers they must experience geocaching to understand it. His reasons for his more than seven-year geocaching career: It’s a great way to exercise; you can find caches for any age or ability (he knows two geocachers who are each missing a leg); and “it gets kids off the damn sofa.”

Part of the attraction is the element of mystery, too. These modern-day Nancy Drews don’t have to be professional detectives to solve a case.

“I think if you ever liked hunting treasure when you were a kid, or finding something, it really speaks to that part of you,” says Lake Highlands resident Martin Lollar, a six-year geocaching veteran better known as BriarBoy on geocaching.com — the website where players post cache challenges.

It’s a way to be a tourist in your own neighborhood and a local in unknown environments. Through geocaching in Dallas, Darbe encountered Bonnie and Clyde’s graves and discovered an unfinished park under the intersection of North Central Expressway and LBJ. “[Geocaching] takes you to cool spots that, even if you’ve lived here your whole life, you never knew existed,” says Darbe, geocaching alias kd&prettierhalf. The first time Darbe and his wife went geocaching with their son’s GPS device, “we had no idea what we were doing. That was almost 20,000 caches ago.”

Travelers can bypass traditional tourist traps by searching for local caches. While visiting the Pacific Northwest, Lol- lar and Paulette Deutman, or GeoMojoGirl, found a cache that took them to an open grassy area overlooking the Columbia Gorge in time to watch the sun set.

“We never would have found that if we hadn’t been geocaching and someone hadn’t recommended that,” Deutman says.

Darbe has found caches in all 50 states and in 10 Canadian provinces.

“It is the most diverse group of people you have ever met in your life,” Darbe says. “We know a guy who’s a full-fledged doctor. We know a guy who’s a baggage handler at DFW airport. We know numerous police officers, numerous teachers and ages ranging everything from 5 to 90.”

Geocachers not only build relationships through the game; they also strengthen existing ones.

“For me, its something that we do together,” Deutman says of her relationship with Lollar. “It’s our little thing that’s part of our relationship.” to advertise call 214.560.4203

FIRST BAPTIST ACADEMY

1606 Patterson St. Dallas / 214.969.7861 / fbacademy.com

THE HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com

ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX SCHOOL

1420 Old Gate Ln. Dallas / 214.321.2897 / stbernardccs.org

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool. com.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931, lakehillprep. org

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630/ ziondallas. org

69%

SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY BALLET DALLAS

1902 Abrams Pkwy., Dallas / 214.821.2066 / schoolofcbd.com

ST. PATRICK CATHOLIC SCHOOL

9635 Ferndale Rd. Dallas / 214.348.8070 / spsdallas.org of our readers say they want to know more about private schools.

SPANISH HOUSE

5740 Prospect Ave. Dallas / 214.826.4410 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

Baptist

FOREST MEADOW / 9150 Church Rd. / Welcoming the mosaic of cultures living in our neighborhoods / www.fmbcdallas.org

Worship 10:50 / Bible Study 9:30 / Tim Ahlen, Pastor / 214.341.9555

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary),

Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

Bible Churches

GRACE BIBLE CHURCH / www. gracebiblechurch.org

Sunday Worship: Traditional 9:00 am; Contemporary 10:30 am

Adult Bible Classes both hours /11306 Inwood Rd./214.368.0779

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / www.nhbc.net

Sunday: Lifequest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Wed: Student Ministry 7:00 pm / 9626 Church Road / 214.348.9697

Disciples Of Christ

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 4711 Westside Drive / 214.526.7291

Sunday Worship 11:00 am ./ Sunday School 9:45am

Wed. Bible Study 5:00 pm./ www.cccdt.org / ALL are welcome

EASTDALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship Gathering 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan / www.edcc.org

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH,ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

Methodist

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

9:30 – Sunday School / 10:30 – Fellowship Time

10:50 – Traditional & Contemporary Worship

WHITEROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. George Fisk

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE HIGHLANDS CHURCH / 9919 McCree / 214.348.0460

Sundays: Classes 9:30, Coffee 10:25, Assembly 10:45

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

SHORELINEDALLAS CHURCH / 6800 Town North Dr. 75231

ShorelineDallas.com / 469.227.0471 / Pastor Earl McClellan

Everyone’s Welcome at 9:00 & 10:45 am / Children’s & Youth Ministry

Presbyterian

KING’S PARISH ASSOCIATEREFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH kingsparish.com / Rev. David Winburne / Worship at 10:00 am

Meets at Ridgewood Park Rec Center / 469.600.3303

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHPARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.363.5457

9555 N. Central Expwy. / www.northparkpres.org

Pastor: Rev. Brent Barry / 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday Services

Unity

UNITYOFDALLAS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972-233-7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am