Geocaching for MIET 2013 in Great Falls, MT

1. TREASURE HUNTING
AND
TECHNOLOGY
KATHI HOYT
Billings, MT
hoytk@billingsschools.org

2. Geocache
• Geocache literally means “something
hidden on earth”.
• Greek geo = earth
• French cache = to hide
• Geocaching is a where technology
meets adventure.

3. What’s It All About?

4. The Beginning
 Uses a GPS system originally designed
for the military, created in the early
1970’s, declassified in 1983, and made
available to everyone in 2000.
 GPS stands for Global Positioning
System and refers to a system of 24
satellites that orbit Earth and send
signals to receivers.

5.  The first geocache was hidden on May
3, 2000 when Dave Ulmer hid a cache in
the woods near Beaver Creek, Oregon.
He shared the coordinates online and
the hunt began.
 There are currently 2,107,846 active
geocaches and over 5 million
geocachers worldwide.

6. Geo-Lingo
 BYOP – Bring your own pencil/pen.
 Cache – Short for geocache. A hidden
container that contains a logbook.
 CITO – Cache in Trash Out. An
environmental initiative supported by the
geocaching community.

7.  DNF – Did Not Find. Acronym used in
logs.
 D/T – Difficulty/Terrain. Difficulty relates
to how hard it is to find and terrain refers
to the physical environment.
 FTF – First To Find.
 GPSr – Global Positioning System
receiver.
 Muggle – A non-geocacher.

8.  ROT-13 – The encyyption method
utilized on Geocaching.com.
 SWAG – Stuff We all Get. Trade items
left in caches by geocachers.
 TNLN – Took Nothing, Left Nothing.
Logbook terminology.
 TNLNSL – Took Nothing, Left
Nothing, Signed Logbook.
 TNSL – Took Nothing, Signed Logbook.

9. Last But Not Least….
 Waypoint – A refernce point for a
physical location on Earth. Waypoints
are defined by a set of coordinates
including longitude and latitude. Every
geocache listed on Geocaching.com is a
waypoint.

10. CACHE
 Typically, a cache is some sort of
container that holds the treasure you
seek.
 A cache is categorized in three essential
ways…..
 1. Size
 2. Type
 3. Difficulty

11. Size
 Four size classifications…..
 Micro – Size of a film canister.
 Small – Size of a sandwich container.
 Regular – About the size of a shoebox.
 Large – Quite big – holds over 5 gallons.

12. Types
 Traditional – Most common and can be
any size.
 Multi-Cache – A set of related caches.
The first contains hints for finding the
second and so on.
 Puzzle Cache – Requires players to
solve puzzles to find the cache itself.

13. Additional Types
 EarthCache – Not a physical object but
an educational lesson about the features
of Earth.
 VirtualCache/Webcam Cache – Not a
physical object but a location on Earth.
Players need to answer questions about
the cache location or provide a picture
taken at the site.

14. Difficulty
 Refers to how difficult it will be to find the
cache and is trated in two categories..D
/T (Difficulty and Terrain)
 Both are rated using a five-point scale
with one star being the easiest and 5
stars the most difficult.

15. D - Difficulty
 Factors that may affect the level of
difficulty include the extent to which the
cache is camouflaged and if special
equipment is required.
 Make sure to read the information
provided before heading out.

16. T - Terrain
 Things that might increase the level of
difficulty getting to the cache include the
physical terrain you need to cross, the
length of the walk (or hike) and if special
equipment is needed to access the area.
(Think four – wheeled drive)

17. Typical Cache
 Basic Elements:
 Container (Watertight)
 Logbook (Must Have)
 SWAG (Take one, Leave One)
 Trackable Items

18. Examples

19. Let’s Get Started
 Go to www.geocaching.com

20. Now What
 Click on Play – then Hide and Seek.
 Enter the zip code, city or state where you
want to hunt.
 Note level of difficulty, type of cache, and
when it was last found.
 Download or manually enter the “waypoint”
 You may want to have hints & info with you.

21.  Go find the cache
 Follow the GPS coordinates
 Look around
 If you are having trouble, look and see
if there are clues or hints. You might
read the logs of others for help also.

22. Eureka – You Found It
 Open the container and sign the log.
 SWAG
 If the webpage asked you to do something
special, please do that.
 Close the cache tightly and PUT IT BACK
EXACTLY AS YOU FOUND IT!
 Log your visit on the site, even if you didn’t
find it.

23. GPS Basics
 Know your GPS receiver or become
familiar with your app.

24. Some Basics

25. Stash a Cache
 Be sure to get permission from the land
owner or manager. Know the rules
about geocaching in that particular area.
 Be sure the cache will not disrupt the
wildlife or hurt the geography in the area.
 Enter the cache on the website. Be sure
to be as accurate as possible. Use your
GPS.

26. No – No’s
 Food Items.
 Knives, razors, sharp objects, or
weapons.
 Matches, fireworks, lighters, live ammo.
 Drugs, alcohol, pornography, or illicit
material
 Solicitations

27. How to…..
 Select and camouflage your container.
 Select an appropriate location to stash your
cache.
 Entice other players to hunt for your cache
by providing clever hints and GPS
coordinates.
CREATE A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE

28. Consider Location
 Not close to active railroad tracks.
 Not on a military installation.
 Avoid highway
bridges, dams, government buildings, or
airports.
 Do not bury a cache.
 Make sure you have permission.

29. Similar Sites
 Letterboxing – game with stamps
 Bookcrossing – lending library
 GPS Games – variety of games using a
GPS receiver
 Whereigo – gaming platform

30. Geocaching Sites
 Geocaching.com
 Navicache.com
 Geocacher’s Creed
 Geocacher University
 Geocaching With Kids

31. Citations
 Geocaching.com Staff. “The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Geocaching”
Penguin, 2012.
 Lo, Burt. “GPS and Geocaching in
Education” ISTE, 2010.
 Personal expertise of:
 Tony Riehl, Billings, Montana
 Susan Cornett, Newark, Delaware

32. Geocache In The
Classroom

36. Personal Information
 hoytkmt - YouTube channel name
 http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeTFjFqTDbFzr6B
qbbeAung/videos?view=1&feature=guide
 hoytk@billingsschools.org
 Kathi Hoyt Castle Rock Middle School Billings, MT