WHAT IS GEOCACHING? Geo (Earth) – Signifies that it is a worldwide nature based activity Caching – The word cache is derived from an old French word that describes a place where supplies are hidden. In modern usage the word is also used to describe the place where digital data is stored. These two shades of meaning are perfectly combined when it comes to geocaching as it points to both the ‘treasure hunt’ and technological aspects of it.
HOW DID IT START? On midnight May 2, 2000, “Selective Availability” (the intentional degradation of the GPS signal available to civilians) was turned off, making GPS devices 10x more accurate. This event is known to geocachers as “The flipping of the Great Blue Switch”. The next day, Dave Ulmer from Oregon decided to put the GPS accuracy to the test and placed a cassette recorder, some cash, videos, books, computer software, a can of black eyed peas, a slingshot and a legal pad inside of a large black bucket and hid it in the woods. He then posted the coordinates on an Internet news group for others to find, calling it the “Great American GPS Stash Hunt”.
Above: Dave Ulmer
Within 3 days, 3 people found the geocache, referred to then as a “GPS Stash”. People around the world heard about this activity and the rest is history!
WHY “GEOCACHE”? Web developer, Jeremy Irish, founded Geocaching.com (owned by Groundspeak Inc.) on September 2nd, 2000, a website where users could easily log caches, share advice and describe their experiences. Mike Stum, a participant of the Geocaching.com mailing list came up with the word “Geocaching” and the term became widely accepted. Above: Geocaches in San Antonio, TX
As of March 15th, 2015, there are 2,574,005 active geocaches worldwide!
IRISH CHINABERRY Above left: This is the overall scene of Irish Chinaberry’s location. The geocache is hidden among branches in the middle of a large Irish Chinaberry tree near Leon Creek Greenway. Above right: Here is a close-up photograph of the geocache in its undisturbed location. Center right: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There is a small plastic bag with old logs, an orange jewel, a couple of postage stamps and the current log. Bottom right: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints.
Above left: This is overall scene of Birthday Bash Cache’s location. The geocache is hidden on a tree branch inside of Fox Park near the Leon Park Greenway. Above right: Here is a close-up photograph of the geocache in its undisturbed location. Center left: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There is a Whataburger number, a Joker playing card, bouncy balls, coins, small jewels, a pencil and the current log in a plastic bag. Center right: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints.
BIRTHDAY BASH CACHE
MEDUSA’S LAIR Above left: This is the overall scene of Medusa’s Lair’s location. The geocache is hidden inside of a large tree branch near Sir Winston Churchill High School. Above right: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There are paper clips, a bone, a penny, marbles, an eraser, old logs and the current log in a plastic bag. Center left: A geocacher opens the geocache container. Bottom left: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints.
WHITE ROCK Above left: This is the overall scene of White Rock’s location. The geocache is hidden under white rocks off of a trail inside Phil Hardberger Park. Above right: Here is a close-up photograph of the geocache in its undisturbed location. Center right: A geocacher opens the geocache container. Bottom left: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There are old logs, an orange dinosaur, coins, crayons, a domino, a stamp, a key and the current log. Bottom right: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints.
LOOKOUT FOR THE DONKEY LADY Above left: This is the overall scene of Lookout for the Donkey Lady’s location. The geocache is hidden inside of a hollow tree stump off of a trail inside Phil Hardberger Park. Above right: Here is a close-up photograph of the geocache in its undisturbed location. Center left: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints. Bottom left: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There are logs, a band-aid, a dog treat and a small pencil. Bottom right: A geocacher holds the geocache.
FAN BASE
Above left: This is the overall scene of Fan Base’s location. The geocache is hidden among the Old Ranch Windmill just off a trail inside Walker Ranch Historic Landmark Park. Above right: A geocacher opens the geocache container. Center right: Here is a close-up photograph of the geocache in its undisturbed location. Bottom left: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints. Bottom right: A geocacher holds the geocache log.
AN ARTISTIC DESIGN
Above left: This is the overall scene of An Artistic Design’s location. The geocache is hidden inside of a peep hole at a tattoo shop near W Nakoma Dr. and West Ave. Above right: Here is a close-up photograph of the geocache in its original location. Center left: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints. Bottom left: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There is only a small, rolled up log sheet. Bottom right: A geocacher signs the log of the geocache.
Above left: This is the overall scene of Elephant Poop’s location. The geocache is hidden under a piece of tree bark just off a trail inside Walker Ranch Historic Landmark Park. Above right: This is a screenshot of what the geocacher sees on the Android cell phone application. In the app, you will see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints. Center left: A geocacher opens the geocache container. Center right: Here is a close-up photograph of the geocache in its undisturbed location Bottom right: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There is a small plastic bag with current log, a band-aid and a sticker sheet.
ELEPHANT POOP
SERENITY NOW! Above left: Here is a close-up of the spot chosen for the new geocache. Center left: A geocacher logs the coordinates of the geocache. Center right: This is the overall scene of Serenity Now!’s location. The geocache is hidden at the top of Mt. Bonnell in Austin, TX. Bottom left: These are the inner contents of the geocache. There is a current log, a photograph of the cache creators, a mechanical pencil, a $10 AMC Theaters gift card, a pair of glow in the dark retro glasses, an Art Institute lanyard, QR code stickers, an Einstein house button, a business card and a joke on a piece of paper in a waterproof case. Bottom right: This is a screenshot of what the geocache creator sees on their computer. On the site, you can see the geocache’s coordinates, difficulty, terrain, size, date hidden and last found, details, recent comments and hints.
FAN BASE BY CEWALLS
Q &
A
1
When did you start geocaching?
I read a San Antonio Express News article on geocaching about 2 years ago.
2 What do you like about geocaching? Caching gets me outside and is fun.
3 How often do you geocache and how do you find the time?
I only geocache occasionally. Most often, I just whip out my phone wherever I happen to be to see if any are close by.
4 How did you choose the location to hide your cache, An Artistic Design?
I take my children to that park often and noticed the windmill didn’t have any close by. I thought it’d be a great spot for a geocache.
5 How did you decide on your geocache container? Why so small?
I bought the cache container online and was looking for the perfect spot for it; found it at the park. There was no particular reason for the size.
6 How many have you hidden and found? I’ve hidden 3 and found a little over 100.
AN ARTISTIC DESIGN BY CYBERCAT
1
When and why did you start geocaching?
I first heard about geocaching in the middle of 2001 and I found my first cache early in 2002. I love it for the fantastic places it takes me; spots pointing out obscure local history or seeing things I never in my life thought I would see.
2 What do you like about geocaching? It’s a great way to meet new friends. Geocachers just have this instant bond and you can hook up with other geocachers anywhere in the world. I’ve cached with perfect strangers in Mexico, Italy, Ecuador, and almost every state I’ve been in. Some friends and I even took a trip to Tennessee to meet a geocaching couple we had been corresponding with. The past 13 years I’ve been caching have been the best years of my life.
3 How often do you geocache and how do you find the time?
I geocache whenever I can…….even if it’s a couple close to a store that I might be going to. Recently, there were several caches placed along a bike trail and my husband and I headed out for some exercise and caching at the same time. I’m retired, so time is not an issue. Everyone usually plans a day a week to go out, or a weekend. It’s fun too, to get a group together and go out at night. There are geocaches that are specially designed to be found at night with reflectors and flashlights.
4 How did you choose the location to hide your cache, An Artistic Design?
The Artistic Design cache is at a place where my hairdresser used to work. I found a cache in Austin with the same idea and it took me 3 visits to finally figure it out. That cache just blew me away because I had never seen anything like it. I was telling my hairdresser about it and he said, “Hey, we have the perfect door for that!” He asked the owner of the building and they thought it was cool, so it’s been there ever since.
5 How did you decide on your geocache container? Why so small?
So small because nobody is expecting anything like that……..people are expecting to find a pill bottle or a little box. This just blows their mind to see something so out of the box.
6 How many have you hidden and found? I’ve hidden 444 and found 26,861.
“The past 13 years I’ve been caching have been the best years of my life.”
Photos and stories by Angela Lawson