Geocaching Where you are the Search Engine

What is Geocaching? Geocaching is a “High-Tech” Treasure Hunt Popular Throughout the World Similar to “Orienteering” A game where people hide caches and other people attempt to find them using only the geodetic coordinates and some simple hints.

Geocaching is a “High-Tech” Treasure Hunt Popular Throughout the World

Similar to “Orienteering”

A game where people hide caches and other people attempt to find them using only the geodetic coordinates and some simple hints.

Goal To Locate Hidden Treasure in Out-of-the-way Places To Trade “Booty” with others To Sharpen Navigation and Tracking Skills To Discover Unknown Places To Have Fun!

To Locate Hidden Treasure in Out-of-the-way Places

To Trade “Booty” with others

To Sharpen Navigation and Tracking Skills

To Discover Unknown Places

To Have Fun!

Tools Computer (to Identify Caches) Hand-held GPS Receiver (to Locate Caches) Basic (~$100 to sophisticated mapping units >$400) Compass Maps/Charts Booty Hiking Boots Bug Spray!!

Computer (to Identify Caches)

Hand-held GPS Receiver (to Locate Caches)

Basic (~$100 to sophisticated mapping units >$400)

Compass

Maps/Charts

Booty

Hiking Boots

Bug Spray!!

History The mountaineering community has long hidden stashes of food, fuel and other items for use by themselves and others when caught short on the mountain. Hidden from casual passers by, animals Located using orienteering techniques “ 3 paces due west from the oak tree with three trunks” The advent of hand-held GPS units in the late 1990s made possible a more high-tech approach. Climbers were quick to embrace the promise of civilian GPS Accuracies at the time with Selective Availability (S/A) turned on necessitated a combined technical and classical approach to finding caches.

The mountaineering community has long hidden stashes of food, fuel and other items for use by themselves and others when caught short on the mountain.

Hidden from casual passers by, animals

Located using orienteering techniques

“ 3 paces due west from the oak tree with three trunks”

The advent of hand-held GPS units in the late 1990s made possible a more high-tech approach.

Climbers were quick to embrace the promise of civilian GPS

Accuracies at the time with Selective Availability (S/A) turned on necessitated a combined technical and classical approach to finding caches.

History ( Continued) GPS Units under S/A had an accuracy of around +/- 100-150 meters. Good enough for navigating a boat but tough to locate a cache. On May 1, 2000 S/A was turned off!!! Overnight, standard GPS accuracies increased to +/- 5 meters On May 3, 2000 the first Geocache was hidden near Portland, OR. By May 6 th , 2 people had already found it. In September, 2000, the website that would eventually become geocaching.com was born. Today (May 9, 2005) there are 164,446 active caches hidden in 224 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and Antarctica.

GPS Units under S/A had an accuracy of around +/- 100-150 meters. Good enough for navigating a boat but tough to locate a cache.

On May 1, 2000 S/A was turned off!!!

Overnight, standard GPS accuracies increased to +/- 5 meters

On May 3, 2000 the first Geocache was hidden near Portland, OR. By May 6 th , 2 people had already found it.

In September, 2000, the website that would eventually become geocaching.com was born.

Today (May 9, 2005) there are 164,446 active caches hidden in 224 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and Antarctica.

Caches Worldwide 164,446 Caches

Caches in the U.S. 77,621 Caches

Caches in Rhode Island 239 Caches

Types of Caches Traditional Caches Small, waterproof container Tupperware Ammo Boxes Pretzel Jug

Traditional Caches

Small, waterproof container

Tupperware

Ammo Boxes

Pretzel Jug

Types of Caches (Continued) Multi-caches Each stage yields coordinates to the next stage Other, less popular types of caches Mystery Caches Solve a puzzle Webcam Caches Find a webcam, act funny, take a picture Letterbox Caches Combines orienteering with GPS Event Caches Participate in an event

Multi-caches

Each stage yields coordinates to the next stage

Other, less popular types of caches

Mystery Caches

Solve a puzzle

Webcam Caches

Find a webcam, act funny, take a picture

Letterbox Caches

Combines orienteering with GPS

Event Caches

Participate in an event

Of Interest to Boaters Many geocaches are accessible only by boat Some geocaches are underwater and require diving skills to recover Many geocaches, especially in New England, have a nautical theme Something to do while the boat is laid up

Many geocaches are accessible only by boat

Some geocaches are underwater and require diving skills to recover

Many geocaches, especially in New England, have a nautical theme

Something to do while the boat is laid up

RI Kayak CITO Event Event Cache, May 15, 2005 N 41° 38.035 W 071° 13.847 Requires a kayak Shoreline cleanup cache event

Event Cache, May 15, 2005

N 41° 38.035 W 071° 13.847

Requires a kayak

Shoreline cleanup cache event

Mercury Rising In Rhode Island (Virtual Cache) By the time you solve this puzzle you will: Learn all about the German Enigma cipher and use a virtual Enigma to decode 7 detailed messages. Learn about the last submarine battle of WWII View artifacts from this battle Locate the resting place of the submarine Visit the grave of a Nazi submariner

In Rhode Island (Virtual Cache)

By the time you solve this puzzle you will:

Learn all about the German Enigma cipher and use a virtual Enigma to decode 7 detailed messages.

Learn about the last submarine battle of WWII

View artifacts from this battle

Locate the resting place of the submarine

Visit the grave of a Nazi submariner

Mystery of the John Dwight Multi-cache N 41° 24.260 W 070° 52.956 Rum Runner Sailed from Newport on April 6, 1923 Crew never seen alive again

Multi-cache

N 41° 24.260 W 070° 52.956

Rum Runner

Sailed from Newport on April 6, 1923

Crew never seen alive again

Sailors Cache Traditional Cache N 41° 25.288 W 070° 56.214 Cuttyhunk Island

Traditional Cache

N 41° 25.288 W 070° 56.214

Cuttyhunk Island

Rapture of the Deep Underwater (SCUBA) Multi-Cache N 25° 41.902 W 079° 19.048 Off of Bimini in the Bahamas 90’ Wreck Dive

Underwater (SCUBA) Multi-Cache

N 25° 41.902 W 079° 19.048

Off of Bimini in the Bahamas

90’ Wreck Dive

Bay Keys Cache Traditional Cache 8 nm round trip by small boat off of Key West, FL N 24° 38.489 W 081° 46.755 Great Heron NWR

Traditional Cache

8 nm round trip by small boat off of Key West, FL

N 24° 38.489 W 081° 46.755

Great Heron NWR

16,000,000 Bricks Virtual Cache N 24° 37.764 W 082° 52.362 Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas 70 miles west of Key West Historical Fort Jefferson

Virtual Cache

N 24° 37.764 W 082° 52.362

Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas

70 miles west of Key West

Historical Fort Jefferson

More Information www.geocaching.com The “Bible” www.gpsinformation.net More than you ever wanted to know about GPS “ Geocaching for Dummies ” “ Geocaching for Idiots ”

www.geocaching.com

The “Bible”

www.gpsinformation.net

More than you ever wanted to know about GPS

“ Geocaching for Dummies ”

“ Geocaching for Idiots ”